Am I tipping too much?

[Expat Cruise]

No one is stealing money from you. It is you who is stealing money from hard working people by removing the gratuities/tips/whatever. That is their compensation. I hope it gives you great satisfaction to be "right" about your definition. And I'm sorry for the people who have the misfortune to have to serve you when you're on a cruise.

 

It is stealing, it is the cruise lines lying to guest and tying to move costs from the lines to the guest. It should not part of the crew compensation, cruise line should just pay the staff. I take great satisfaction being right about the correct definition, and that it upsets people who are like sheep and just follow. Gratuities are voluntary, they should not be given for providing required services.

 

If the cruise lines want to steal money make it a service surcharge then it cannot be questioned. No reason to pay extra for providing require service. Not my job to provide compensation for the crew I pay a cruise fare the cruise line pays their staff. If the cruise lines under pays them it is on them not me.

[SEA DOGY]

Not sure why you are quoting that poster. She was responding to someone who was quite proud of stiffing every single one of his servers on his cruises. Not just EXTRA tips. This impressive specimen of humanity removed all gratuities. His stewards, servers, etc received nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. And NOT because of sub par service.

 

If you feel that your service has been below standard, then going to Guest Services, lodging a complaint , and reducing or removing the gratuity for the offending server could be appropriate. But doing so for everyone, without cause, is just wrong.

 

NO i'm no wrong maybe you

[Expat Cruise]

1) .......

2) If the cruiseline did not allow removal of daily tip' date=' why would there be legal repercussions?

 

I don't know (or want to know) who removes their tips, but calling names (eg despicable) is in itself despicable in my opinion,

 

I can't understand why so many on cruise critic are so concerned with who tips what. Perhaps that is because you once worked for tips?? But that is no reason for the vitriol displayed here.

 

We shouldn't be so quick to judge others.[/quote']

 

The cruise lines dance around this because they want the passengers to believe it is a tip, and not a service charge which it is. The fee is totally controlled by the cruise line, who gets the money and how is controlled by them. They are free to keep whatever percent they want for administration cost or other fees. You the passenger never know who is getting your money.

 

As a gratuity if you dispute with your credit card company they will remove it and the cruise lines know this. A service fee or surcharge to the cruise would not be removed. But if they say service surcharge the cruise line cannot play on passenger emotions and feelings. Also they would need to pay taxes on payments vs tips and show as part of the crews pay. They want you to feel for the poor low paid staff, they want you to think they need more money. Truth is even if zero tips paid to them, only the base wage all the jobs would still be filled.

 

Member here should tip or pay as they want if you want to throw your money overboard go ahead but others like me have every right to do as we wish and remove these fake fees and point out our viewpoint every time the lines try to steal and transfer money this way.

[Debmacd]

So.... I just need to know.... when I pre pay gratuities.... I still need to tip???

 

 

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[Expat Cruise]

So.... I just need to know.... when I pre pay gratuities.... I still need to tip???

 

 

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Need to, required to, no you do not.

 

Some will say tip more, others don't tip more, and everything in between. In the end it is your money do whatever you want.

[sdnich]

My husband and I are guilty of over tipping as well. We are going to restrain and save on our Sept. Med cruise. Below are our tipping guidelines for a 14 day cruise in addition to the prepaid gratuities.

 

 

 

 

 

Suite butler on the first day and the night before we depart. $40.00 and on departure $30.00 ($70.00)

 

 

 

 

 

Our Waiter in Luminae $20.00 on first night, middle night and final night. ($60.00)

 

 

 

 

 

Wine sommelier in Luminae $20.00 first night, $20.00 mid-week and $10.00 final night. ($50.00)

 

 

 

 

 

2 Favorite bartenders $20.00 each ($40.00)

 

 

 

Kimberly

 

 

 

I like your amounts that you guys tip it’s probably similar to what we do but it’s nice to see and print to make sure we’re not missing anybody! Will usually give in smaller increments as were going nightly or per drink!

 

 

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[Debmacd]

Need to, required to, no you do not.

 

 

 

Some will say tip more, others don't tip more, and everything in between. In the end it is your money do whatever you want.

 

 

 

We always tip for room service and that last nite we give a little extra to our favourites....do our bartenders/ waiters/ sommeliers know we are pre paid..?

 

 

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[Gonzo70]

1) are you telling me that in the US' date=' a waiter or waitress does not have to declare their tips?

2) If the cruiseline did not allow removal of daily tip, why would there be legal repercussions? On the website before the end of the booking procedure, there is an amount for gratuities, which one can pay up front or later.

 

I don't know (or want to know) who removes their tips, but calling names (eg despicable) is in itself despicable in my opinion,

 

[/quote']

 

You seem rather confused by my post. Yes, waiters in the US have to declare tips - that has NOTHING to do with what I posted. In the US if a business makes a tip mandatory, it is considered income for the business and the business is taxed on this revenue. So if this same rule applies to Celebrity, if they enact a mandatory service charge they may very well be taxed on this - they may also have to pay commissions to travel agents on it and/or incur other fees. Therefore for Celebrity to allot $15 per/person per/day towards staff gratuity, they may need to charge an extra $18 per/person per/day (or thereabout) because of the additional taxes/fees they would incur.

 

In the US, so long as gratuities are not mandatory, restaurants do not incur any taxes/fees on gratuities left by patrons - so I am saying this might be a significant factor as to why Celebrity does not just make the gratuities mandatory, even though there is certainly an expectation that guests pay them (as it is how the staff is compensated - and if one stiffs the staff on gratuities, they are in essence making them unpaid servants). And this is why I say not paying gratuities to the hard-working staff is despicable; it 100% is despicable and I proudly stand by that.

[George C]

We always tip for room service and that last nite we give a little extra to our favourites....do our bartenders/ waiters/ sommeliers know we are pre paid..?

 

 

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Tips are added if you are prepaided or not, unless you remove them, we normally do same and wait till last day or night , some of f us like the original poster are more genorus than others.

[Can'tstopcruising]

You seem rather confused by my post. Yes, waiters in the US have to declare tips - that has NOTHING to do with what I posted. In the US if a business makes a tip mandatory, it is considered income for the business and the business is taxed on this revenue. So if this same rule applies to Celebrity, if they enact a mandatory service charge they may very well be taxed on this - they may also have to pay commissions to travel agents on it and/or incur other fees. Therefore for Celebrity to allot $15 per/person per/day towards staff gratuity, they may need to charge an extra $18 per/person per/day (or thereabout) because of the additional taxes/fees they would incur.

 

In the US, so long as gratuities are not mandatory, restaurants do not incur any taxes/fees on gratuities left by patrons - so I am saying this might be a significant factor as to why Celebrity does not just make the gratuities mandatory, even though there is certainly an expectation that guests pay them (as it is how the staff is compensated - and if one stiffs the staff on gratuities, they are in essence making them unpaid servants). And this is why I say not paying gratuities to the hard-working staff is despicable; it 100% is despicable and I proudly stand by that.

 

There are restaurants that auto-tip for large groups. Are you saying that ;in such cases, the restaurant becomes responsible for the taxes, rather than the recipient of the tip?

[Shadow9612]

We saw a waiter from a previous cruise on another cruise once. He asked us to wait for a couple of minutes. When he came back he showed us the card I wrote 2 years prior thanking him for his service. That made me cry. I'm a big mush I guess.

 

Wow, that is so nice that he kept the card!

[bstrong3]

No, this is only to protect the server from waiting on deadbeats(because large tables take up your whole section for the entire night).

[Kiwifromkiev]

I have a question forbyou all - when we (any of us) tip a waiter/steward etc - do they get to keep the whole amount? I have read somewhere that they must put everything into a kitty to be divvied up ? In this case you are not remunerating the person you want to

 

 

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[CruiseGal999]

I am going to take a left turn here on this topic.

 

IF legislation DOES pass and restaurant owners can take/keep ALL tips from front of the house ....

 

How many of us will diminish the amount of tip left?

 

In knowing/believing the server is paid $2.xx/hour, so their tips are their lifeline. New rules: Restaurant owner gets the revenue of the $38 - $60 dinner per person before drinks & dessert, etc. AND all of the tips?

 

I, for one, will absolutely cut the amount I leave for a tip.

 

And CC ... go : ? )

[sanger727]

I am going to take a left turn here on this topic.

 

IF legislation DOES pass and restaurant owners can take/keep ALL tips from front of the house ....

 

How many of us will diminish the amount of tip left?

 

In knowing/believing the server is paid $2.xx/hour, so their tips are their lifeline. New rules: Restaurant owner gets the revenue of the $38 - $60 dinner per person before drinks & dessert, etc. AND all of the tips?

 

I, for one, will absolutely cut the amount I leave for a tip.

 

And CC ... go : ? )

 

 

 

A place like that won’t stay in business long since no one will be working for tips that go to the owners.

 

Which is why I don’t spend much time concerned about how the cruise line divides up the auto gratuities. The staff has agreed to work there; there are plenty of other options if they are getting stiffed.

 

I waitresses for a bit and would have jumped at a chance to work for a company that had auto gratuities in the 15-18% range. It sucks to run around all night for a table that leaves $1-$2 when they leave.

 

 

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[CruiseGal999]

A place like that won’t stay in business long since no one will be working for tips that go to the owners.

 

Which is why I don’t spend much time concerned about how the cruise line divides up the auto gratuities. The staff has agreed to work there; there are plenty of other options if they are getting stiffed.

 

I waitresses for a bit and would have jumped at a chance to work for a company that had auto gratuities in the 15-18% range. It sucks to run around all night for a table that leaves $1-$2 when they leave.

 

 

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I always hated pooling tips. Those of us who busted our a$$ got the same amount as those that were outside smoking most of the night. It's like everyone getting a trophy win or lose at the soccer game.

[Expat Cruise]

I always hated pooling tips. Those of us who busted our a$$ got the same amount as those that were outside smoking most of the night. It's like everyone getting a trophy win or lose at the soccer game.

 

And this in itself is a reason never to agree to daily auto gratuities. You do not know who is getting paid and the level of service goes down. Again now said for the hundredth time, I want to know who is tipped and control the amount they get.

[laslomas]

Hi! We are going on our 6th Celebrity cruise this Sunday (4/1-8/18 Celebrity Silhouette) and I can never remember exactly how much I tipped, but I do have a general idea. Now I am perplexed and wondering if I am over extra tipping! Here's what I tip for a family of 4 on a 7 night cruise:

Waiter / Steward $140 - 150

Ass't Waiter / Steward $100 - 125

Sommelier $80

Bar Runner $60

Favorite Bartenders $50 - 60

 

Thanks for your feedback!

 

In my opinion that is a very big tip.

 

If everyone tipped to that extent, considering the number of passengers each staff member deals with, they would be earning more than many of the people who save all year to go on the cruise. And that does not take into account their actual regular salary.

 

So now I do not feel so bad for just leaving the Auto Grats in place and maybe leaving a few dollars in the cabin when I leave. I will tip for extra service above and beyond, but not for the staff simply doing their job as that should be taken care of by Celebrity, as the employer. I have never considered removing the Auto Gratuities, but if they keep rising who knows?

 

I would like the gratuities / service charge to be included in the cruise fare. After all when comparing cruises between different cruise lines it is something to take into account anyway. This way there would be no opportunity to remove them, everyone would have to pay them and there would not be a shortfall caused by those removing them.

Edited March 29, 2018 by laslomas
addition

[fizzy1]

Tips are added if you are prepaided or not, unless you remove them, we normally do same and wait till last day or night , some of f us like the original poster are more genorus than others.

 

 

 

What tips are added ???? On top of prepaid grats???

 

 

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[bboop51]

There are restaurants that auto-tip for large groups. Are you saying that ;in such cases' date=' the restaurant becomes responsible for the taxes, rather than the recipient of the tip?[/quote']Absolutely not, my daughter works as a server part time, and when the gratuity is added for the large group she is still responsible for taxes.

 

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[Gracie115]

And this is why I say not paying gratuities to the hard-working staff is despicable; it 100% is despicable and I proudly stand by that.

 

 

Absolutely agree.....stiffing the people who take care of you just "to make a point" is terrible....

[Expat Cruise]

Absolutely agree.....stiffing the people who take care of you just "to make a point" is terrible....

 

What is despicable is overpaying and allowing anyone to pick your pockets. Give away your own money if you want, but don't come after others monies or you could have a problem.

[Bo1953]

Absolutely agree.....stiffing the people who take care of you just "to make a point" is terrible....

 

g - I concur to a great degree. Yet, we must admit this is almost always a U.S. vs rest of the world conundrum here on CC when talking about this topic.

 

There are a few Americans here on CC who believe and act similarly as well, do not get me wrong on that count, yet mainly it is non-Americans who I have found to be most vocal about this.

 

I attribute it to some lack of understanding of our economic system, right or wrong, yet the way of what it is, currently, there are a few hospitality establishments starting to change how this situation is handled here...

 

Thank you again for your post and support of those who serve us aboard.

 

bon voyage

[Expat Cruise]

g - I concur to a great degree. Yet, we must admit this is almost always a U.S. vs rest of the world conundrum here on CC when talking about this topic.

 

There are a few Americans here on CC who believe and act similarly as well, do not get me wrong on that count, yet mainly it is non-Americans who I have found to be most vocal about this.

 

I attribute it to some lack of understanding of our economic system, right or wrong, yet the way of what it is, currently, there are a few hospitality establishments starting to change how this situation is handled here...

 

Thank you again for your post and support of those who serve us aboard.

 

bon voyage

 

Don't make statements that are false, it always will blow up in your face. I think I am the most vocal person in this thread against daily service fees being called and marketed as gratuities. And I'm a American born and raised in the United States.... Many more of us out here than you think most just don't waste their time and post about it. These fess are stealing and should be removed. If you want to tip or give gratuities give directly to the staff members you want.

[Gonzo70]

There are restaurants that auto-tip for large groups. Are you saying that ;in such cases' date=' the restaurant becomes responsible for the taxes, rather than the recipient of the tip?[/quote']

 

Both the restaurant and the server would be tipped in such a scenario.

 

 

Mandatory gratuities/tips/service charges in the US are considered revenue for the restaurant and therefore they are obligated to pay taxes on that amount. If a gratuity is mandatory, the restaurant also can do whatever they want with the money - give it all to the severs, keep some/all for itself and/or tip some back-of-the-house staff (cooks, chefs) who often receive much, much less pay than front-of-the-house (waiters). If a tip is not mandatory, the restaurant does not pay tax on any money left and 100% is required to be allotted to front-of-the-house staff.

 

 

Some upscale restaurants do mandatory tips (often paid at the time you make the reservation - rather than after your meal) with the purpose of having more parity in pay between front-of-house and back-of-house. While this makes it easier to hire and retain cooks/chefs (as they end up getting paid more than they would otherwise), it can be more difficult for them to hire and retain servers. Other restaurants have a mandatory gratuity for larger parties (to prevent a server from being stiffed as the large party may be one of their only tables for a period of time); when the customer is not allowed to remove this gratuity, legally the restaurant must report it as income (and be taxed on it) even if they pass it all on to the server (who also must declare whatever amount is passed on to them for tax purposes).