Gratuities Increase!!!!

[katscrapfever]

thank you for your opinion.  we don't attend the shows.  we don't drink, therefore we don't use the bartenders.  we don't use room service to deliver food.   it isn't about what is 'affordable'.  it's about what our interests are and the services we use. why should my gratuities be divided among people working 'behind the scenes,' as you say when they have nothing to do with the services we require?  when you go to a restaurant, do you visit the kitchen and tip the cook?  the dishwasher? the baker?  kudos if you do!  do you tip the captain of the ship for your safe passage?  i do tip my maitr'd, i do tip my waiters, i do tip my cabin help, all of them!  i ordered water delivered to our cabin online and a tip was included.  don't assume because i don't want to include gratuities on my sail and sign card that i'm being selfish.  on the contrary.  it isn't up to anyone but me to decide where my money goes.  7 out of 8 cruises i've been on, my sail & sign card was used for nothing more than a key to my cabin.  quite presumptuous to assume i cannot afford to cruise if i cannot afford the gratuities.  what does 'not wanting gratuities' on my S&S have anything to do with what can be afforded and who i tip?

Edited October 19, 2018 by katscrapfever
added more

[bury me at sea]

8 minutes ago, katscrapfever said:

thank you for your opinion.  we don't attend the shows.  we don't drink, therefore we don't use the bartenders.  we don't use room service to deliver food.   it isn't about what is 'affordable'.  it's about what our interests are and the services we use. why should my gratuities be divided among people working 'behind the scenes,' as you say when they have nothing to do with the services we require?  when you go to a restaurant, do you visit the kitchen and tip the cook?  the dishwasher? the baker?  kudos if you do!  do you tip the captain of the ship for your safe passage?  i do tip my maitr'd, i do tip my waiters, i do tip my cabin help, all of them!  i ordered water delivered to our cabin online and a tip was included.  don't assume because i don't want to include gratuities on my sail and sign card that i'm being selfish.  on the contrary.  it isn't up to anyone but me to decide where my money goes.  7 out of 8 cruises i've been on, my sail & sign card was used for nothing more than a key to my cabin.

And thanks to Carnival, that is your right.

Happy sailing.

[jimbo5544]

22 hours ago, Jeni99 said:

Please do not kill me for asking, and I do prepay... but just wondering why the Suites gratuity is so much higher.. I stayed in the Grand Suite on Sensation in April and the Grand suite coming up on the Magic in March... but I know on the Sensation I did not receive any higher service, the Suite was not that much larger at all... and not sure why first time ever our room was never cleaned even before lunch (and yes we asked for service twice a day.) And since the regular cabins went up a dollar and suites two dollars per person I am just wondering if anyone knows. And again I am not saying not deserved just why I pay more for a suite in tips? 

Bigger space, more to clean.  

[jimbo5544]

42 minutes ago, katscrapfever said:

thank you for your opinion.  we don't attend the shows.  we don't drink, therefore we don't use the bartenders.  we don't use room service to deliver food.   it isn't about what is 'affordable'.  it's about what our interests are and the services we use. why should my gratuities be divided among people working 'behind the scenes,' as you say when they have nothing to do with the services we require?  when you go to a restaurant, do you visit the kitchen and tip the cook?  the dishwasher? the baker?  kudos if you do!  do you tip the captain of the ship for your safe passage?  i do tip my maitr'd, i do tip my waiters, i do tip my cabin help, all of them!  i ordered water delivered to our cabin online and a tip was included.  don't assume because i don't want to include gratuities on my sail and sign card that i'm being selfish.  on the contrary.  it isn't up to anyone but me to decide where my money goes.  7 out of 8 cruises i've been on, my sail & sign card was used for nothing more than a key to my cabin.  quite presumptuous to assume i cannot afford to cruise if i cannot afford the gratuities.  what does 'not wanting gratuities' on my S&S have anything to do with what can be afforded and who i tip?

Always love the jaded logic people use the cheapnout on tips.  

[Joebucks]

37 minutes ago, katscrapfever said:

thank you for your opinion.  we don't attend the shows.  we don't drink, therefore we don't use the bartenders.  we don't use room service to deliver food.   it isn't about what is 'affordable'.  it's about what our interests are and the services we use. why should my gratuities be divided among people working 'behind the scenes,' as you say when they have nothing to do with the services we require?  when you go to a restaurant, do you visit the kitchen and tip the cook?  the dishwasher? the baker?  kudos if you do!  do you tip the captain of the ship for your safe passage?  i do tip my maitr'd, i do tip my waiters, i do tip my cabin help, all of them!  i ordered water delivered to our cabin online and a tip was included.  don't assume because i don't want to include gratuities on my sail and sign card that i'm being selfish.  on the contrary.  it isn't up to anyone but me to decide where my money goes.  7 out of 8 cruises i've been on, my sail & sign card was used for nothing more than a key to my cabin.  quite presumptuous to assume i cannot afford to cruise if i cannot afford the gratuities.  what does 'not wanting gratuities' on my S&S have anything to do with what can be afforded and who i tip?

 

You aren't tipping the bar tending team. Cheers and paid tips go to them

 

With that said, I agree with some of it. Subsidizing for those who don't pay for things is never fun. I appreciate the work the team does, and I leave my gratuities as-is. It is now $196 for two people for a week. I also tend to think I am lower maintenance. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

25 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Always love the jaded logic people use the cheapnout on tips.  

I don't know the poster in question, but they did state that they still tip "generously", just not through the auto-grat system, but in person instead.  They seem to be of the opinion that the folks they don't directly interact with do not need or deserve to be tipped.

 

I disagree with that attitude - the "bakers", "chefs", and "dishwashers" do indeed deserve a tip, and by tipping directly they miss out.  It might feel good to tip the MDR waiter and your room steward directly, but there might not be the "distribution" to their support staff that you might assume.

 

But people and tips are weird.  In the US, the whole concept seems to be deeply related to post-emancipation wage-suppression of freed black slaves.  (Although other articles I found do not mention that element...)

 

https://www.marketplace.org/2016/04/22/world/ugly-history-tipping-america

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/04/restaurants-tipping-racist-origins-saru-jayaraman-forked/

https://splinternews.com/the-racist-history-of-tipping-1798704699

 

All I know is I have worked in service industry jobs, and I am only too happy to tip the crew members through the auto-grat system.

Edited October 19, 2018 by ProgRockCruiser

[tonyhb12]

So I have a balance of $180 on my April Cruise.  This total is less than the auto-grats which are added to the fare.  If I wait past 12/1 to pay this, will I get increased?

[bury me at sea]

I checked with my PVP this morning.  He said if the pre-paid grats are on your booking, AND assuming you make no changes to your booking, your charges for pre-paid grats will not change.

Happy sailing.

[jimbo5544]

30 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

I don't know the poster in question, but they did state that they still tip "generously", just not through the auto-grat system, but in person instead.  They seem to be of the opinion that the folks they don't directly interact with do not need or deserve to be tipped.

 

I disagree with that attitude - the "bakers", "chefs", and "dishwashers" do indeed deserve a tip, and by tipping directly they miss out.  It might feel good to tip the MDR waiter and your room steward directly, but there might not be the "distribution" to their support staff that you might assume.

 

But people and tips are weird.  In the US, the whole concept seems to be deeply related to post-emancipation wage-suppression of freed black slaves.  (Although other articles I found do not mention that element...)

 

https://www.marketplace.org/2016/04/22/world/ugly-history-tipping-america

https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/04/restaurants-tipping-racist-origins-saru-jayaraman-forked/

https://splinternews.com/the-racist-history-of-tipping-1798704699

 

All I know is I have worked in service industry jobs, and I am only too happy to tip the crew members through the auto-grat system.

Experience here is that when people say they tip directly and generously,  when pressed the facts are different.  

[mom2tcdx2]

I wondered do we actually have to physically pay it, or just have it already added to be paid for a booking?  I have a cruise in October 2019, that I didn't have the gratuities added, but I did go in and add them today.  It put them on at the old rate, so I wonder will it stay that way as my final payment isn't obviously due for some time.  

[SwordBlazer Cruising]

22 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

Are people complaining about this increase?  I think currently Carnival's daily rate is one of the lowest among the mass market lines.

 

2 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

You aren't tipping the bar tending team. Cheers and paid tips go to them

 

With that said, I agree with some of it. Subsidizing for those who don't pay for things is never fun. I appreciate the work the team does, and I leave my gratuities as-is. It is now $196 for two people for a week. I also tend to think I am lower maintenance. 

I do agree with some of this however, it appears this poster is not educated into who actually gets the gratuities. >>  when you go to a restaurant, do you visit the kitchen and tip the cook?  the dishwasher? the baker?  kudos if you do!  do you tip the captain of the ship for your safe passage?  i do tip my maitr'd, i do tip my waiter << Where in any cruise line information does it say they get tipped? Come on dont be sarcastic...

[sfaaa]

4 hours ago, katscrapfever said:

 when you go to a restaurant, do you visit the kitchen and tip the cook?  the dishwasher? the baker?  kudos if you do!  do you tip the captain of the ship for your safe passage?  i do tip my maitr'd, i do tip my waiters, i do tip my cabin help, all of them!  i ordered water delivered to our cabin online and a tip was included.  don't assume because i don't want to include gratuities on my sail and sign card that i'm being selfish.  on the contrary.  

You may or may not be selfish but you are clearly ill informed. Many kitchen staff in restaurants and hotels on land do share the tip pool from restaurant guests. Some more senior cooks and pastry chefs not in the tip pool are actually mid level kitchen management and paid accordingly with full benefits. So yes, you are deliberately targeting and hurting a selective group of F&B staff on ship by removing DSC. There is no justification to your action however you want to spin this.

Edited October 19, 2018 by sfaaa

[GMRPHRN]

People have such strong feelings on this. I can see why it comes up so often. I just like having everything taken care of that I can before the trip so that there is less to pay for afterwards.  Just to show you how people differ, I have never tipped the matre'd. Many cruises I do not even see him.  If I have great service in the dining room, or room, I tip extra at the end of the trip. 

[mikel24m]

15 hours ago, GMRPHRN said:

People have such strong feelings on this. I can see why it comes up so often. I just like having everything taken care of that I can before the trip so that there is less to pay for afterwards.  Just to show you how people differ, I have never tipped the matre'd. Many cruises I do not even see him.  If I have great service in the dining room, or room, I tip extra at the end of the trip. 

 The matre'd is now a salaried position so no need to tip unless they do something special for you. But years ago they were much more present and walked around and interacted with passengers more because they relied on the last night envelope 😉. As far as tipping you will find many of us passionate about the subject. Some of us work or worked for tips at some point in our lives and some have not so will never understand the struggle 😂

[Daphne'sMom]

Short version - yes the tips should increase.  

 

My 2 cents (longer rambling version) - When tipping at restaurants, it is usually a percentage of the bill and since we are not presented with a bill at each meal it is hard to determine appropriate tip.  Also, motel housekeeping on land would require a daily tip amount and even though we pay the porters to handle our luggage, it is the ship staff that deliver them to the cabins and retrieve them the last night.  I don't recall the last time the gratuities were increased.  I like having the option of paying Carnival and having them distribute so much better than the envelope system in the past.  We have always paid our room steward & assistant extra. 

I would prefer that they raise prices and bring staffing back to what it used to be and make tipping an option vs a necessity.  It would be easier to justify tipping for good service vs adequate but when it seems the staff is spread thin, it makes it hard for them (the staff) to provide the kind of service we were accustomed to in the past.

 

(Now tipping the porters is a whole other topic.  I have a lot of issues with the conduct of some and wish there was something Carnival could do to address this with port authority or whoever is in charge of them.)

[Treyatl2006]

I dont mind this increase because they work hard and I typically tip extra anyway. However, it do concern me that Carnival seems to be sliding in these price increases every 2 weeks. This is like the 3rd increase.

[cruziJenn]

On 10/18/2018 at 11:35 AM, Bevv said:

 

The biggest thing that I/we may want to change on a cruise is the every day proportion that automatically goes to MDR. This is for 2 reasons. First is that on average we have dinner in MDR only 3 to 5 nights on a 7 day cruise. The other is that on too many cruises the disappointment that we may talk about the most is poor MDR service. Housekeeping potentially is another thing, but we have never had really bad housekeeping and we "need" that every day, no options there at all. We have always tipped our room stewards extra.

 

Grats should NOT be rolled into cruise fare for reasons like that and more.

[Joebucks]

39 minutes ago, cruziJenn said:

 

The biggest thing that I/we may want to change on a cruise is the every day proportion that automatically goes to MDR. This is for 2 reasons. First is that on average we have dinner in MDR only 3 to 5 nights on a 7 day cruise. The other is that on too many cruises the disappointment that we may talk about the most is poor MDR service. Housekeeping potentially is another thing, but we have never had really bad housekeeping and we "need" that every day, no options there at all. We have always tipped our room stewards extra.

 

Grats should NOT be rolled into cruise fare for reasons like that and more.

 

Don't confuse dining team with dining room. That is the same team that prepares all of your meals. You are eating on the ship. This tip is not just to cover who brings your plates to you at dinner.

[evandbob]

I wonder if the people who justify opting out of auto grats would like to say exactly how much they tip in cash on the last night of the cruise?

 

I'd be willing to wager that the amount they hand out is not anywhere near the amount totalled for auto -tips.  Perhaps maybe a $20 here, a few $10's there, but not approaching the suggested tipping guideline.  

 

All the "logic" used in explaining their preference might be simply a way to lower the total tip amount yet still feel good about shortchanging the staff.

 

Roll the tips into the fare and we will no longer have this discussion.  On to the suggested dress code instead?

Edited October 20, 2018 by evandbob

[sfaaa]

On ‎10‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 8:06 AM, Tiger0613 said:

The new breakdown isn't posted on the Carnival website.  I want to know who is getting what from the extra $1.04 or $2.04 per day.  I like knowing where my money goes.

Your money buys you a clean cabin, meals and some entertainments for a x day cruise. That's all you need to know. How your money is allocated or used is a matter for Carnival and its employees to figure out, not the passengers.

Edited October 20, 2018 by sfaaa

[CruisinCrow]

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

Don't confuse dining team with dining room. That is the same team that prepares all of your meals. You are eating on the ship. This tip is not just to cover who brings your plates to you at dinner.

 

I think it also includes the people that clear the tables and bring drinks in the buffet areas.

[Tiger0613]

1 hour ago, sfaaa said:

Your money buys you a clean cabin, meals and some entertainments for a x day cruise. That's all you need to know. How your money is allocated or used is a matter for Carnival and its employees to figure out, not the passengers.

It is not for you to decide what I need to know.  It is my money to spend how I see fit.  I have every right to know what I am paying for.

 

By the way, you need to reread my post.  You took it out of context.  I was referring to the gratuities, not the cruise fare.

[Joebucks]

10 hours ago, Tiger0613 said:

It is not for you to decide what I need to know.  It is my money to spend how I see fit.  I have every right to know what I am paying for.

 

By the way, you need to reread my post.  You took it out of context.  I was referring to the gratuities, not the cruise fare.

 

It really couldn't be any clearer

[Tiger0613]

4 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

It really couldn't be any clearer

 

Out of context might be the wrong term.  Off topic and irrelevant are probably better terms.  This thread is about gratuities not the fare.

 

Carnival has posted the breakdown of the gratuity on their website since at least November 2015.  They update it with each increase, but they probably won't until December 1st.  I wanted to know what it was.  My question was answered long before sfaaa's snarky reply.  His comment was rude and unecessary.

[sparks1093]

13 hours ago, Tiger0613 said:

It is not for you to decide what I need to know.  It is my money to spend how I see fit.  I have every right to know what I am paying for.

 

By the way, you need to reread my post.  You took it out of context.  I was referring to the gratuities, not the cruise fare.

I read the previous response as applying to the tips. Be that as it may, when I leave a tip in a land based restaurant I don't know who is getting a share of it since many establishments pool tips. It's entirely possible that the 20% gratuity I leave for my competent waitress is being shared with the incompetent one that only received a 10% tip. It's possible that the gratuity that I leave is being split between my waiter and 2 or 3 others that helped my waiter out behind the scenes. I have no way of knowing and absolutely no control over the process. My obligation is to leave the tip and what happens to it after that is not my concern. In our for what it's worth department my wife and I had to dine out twice in one day (breakfast and dinner) and the tips came to $9.50 per person. Since thing I've always felt that shipboard tips were a great bargain, how ever they are distributed. (And you needn't get defensive, I am not telling you how you should look at things, just sharing how I look at things.)