Gratuities Increase!!!!

[LHARTWICK]

We'll be taking our 30th cruise next month, but I've learned so much about tipping just on this one thread - thanks to all for the input! We've always prepaid our gratuities (since it became an option), and continue to do so.  The crew are some of the hardest working people we've ever met, and they earn it!  We also take time to talk to them and get to know them, which they always seem to love.  I've witnessed too many cruisers who do nothing but bark orders and gripe at them all day long - never a thank you. Just breaks my heart.  Once in a while we'll run into a steward or a waiter who has taken care of us on previous cruises.  Guess what?? They remember us.  Some have even said "I remember you because you were so nice!" Love it! 

 

I do have one question - I read somewhere that, for example, if you were to give your cabin steward an extra tip on the last evening and you placed it in one of the envelopes provided by Guest Services that the steward would have to turn in that tip.  However, if you were to just hand him cash personally, it's his/hers to keep.  Is this true?  Just curious. 

[Earthworm Jim]

On 10/18/2018 at 10:26 AM, mikel24m said:

I get it. I guess I'm just hopeful some day they will just be all inclusive with grats built into the cruise fare.

 

 

That would put them at a price disadvantage compared to their competition who don't show gratuities in their price, so don't expect it to ever happen. Informed cruisers, like those here, would see through it. But a lot of people would just book the lower price they saw.

[PhillyFan33579]

7 hours ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

That would put them at a price disadvantage compared to their competition who don't show gratuities in their price, so don't expect it to ever happen. Informed cruisers, like those here, would see through it. But a lot of people would just book the lower price they saw.

 

Another reason it won’t happen is if Carnival did that, they would have to count that income as revenue. 

[sparks1093]

18 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Another reason it won’t happen is if Carnival did that, they would have to count that income as revenue. 

Not really, wages paid are deductible so it would be a zero sum game for them.

[jimbo5544]

18 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Not really, wages paid are deductible so it would be a zero sum game for them.

Regardless of the reason of your fancy or counter argument, it will not happen.

[sparks1093]

9 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Regardless of the reason of your fancy or counter argument, it will not happen.

I agree. But if it does happen it will be because the crew is dissatisfied with the status quo, it's not going to happen because of customer pressure and the cruise lines have no reason to make the change on their own.

[jimbo5544]

4 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I agree. But if it does happen it will be because the crew is dissatisfied with the status quo, it's not going to happen because of customer pressure and the cruise lines have no reason to make the change on their own.

I am currently on the Breeze JOurney cruise.  John mentioned in a Q&A when asked about this that he thought it would never go away and explained some of the reasons why, and even breached the hated topic here of removing tips.  Interestingly enough he said that it was not just Europeans who remove tips (no shocker here) but even some of the most loyal faithful diamonds sitting in the room at the time.  

 

He also said his opinion was they needed to find a way to make removing tips harder (which got a standing ovation from yours truly).  Clearly they are perplexed on the best way to address the topic best.

[bury me at sea]

I can understand why first timers and Europeans on any line, not just Carnival, might not have considered tips during the initial booking process.  All lines could be more transparent on this issue.

 

I have a very different opinion of any repeat cruiser.  

 

Hint:  starts with C, ends with P, and has an HEA in the middle.

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

I am currently on the Breeze JOurney cruise.  John mentioned in a Q&A when asked about this that he thought it would never go away and explained some of the reasons why, and even breached the hated topic here of removing tips.  Interestingly enough he said that it was not just Europeans who remove tips (no shocker here) but even some of the most loyal faithful diamonds sitting in the room at the time.  

 

He also said his opinion was they needed to find a way to make removing tips harder (which got a standing ovation from yours truly).  Clearly they are perplexed on the best way to address the topic best.

I know at one point that NCL stopped allowing the change to be done while on board and started requiring folks to submit the form post-cruise. I know it wasn't popular but I don't know if they still require that or not. As long as they are gratuities (and presumably voluntary) I don't think that they can stop them from being removed completely. I know that I used to work for tips and I've also worked aboard ships (not cruise ships) and I know how tough both those employments are and can only imagine it's tougher doing both together.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, bury me at sea said:

I can understand why first timers and Europeans on any line, not just Carnival, might not have considered tips during the initial booking process.  All lines could be more transparent on this issue.

 

I have a very different opinion of any repeat cruiser.  

 

Hint:  starts with C, ends with P, and has an HEA in the middle.

Lol, subtle but I got it, and agree....

[sfaaa]

It will not happen because it is not the passengers' business to decide how the cruise line and its employees handle their own money and internal affairs.

[mz-s]

"I tip extra, therefore I am better than you!"

[greatlakesdiver]

I can't believe how many of you fall for this scam.  This is the cruise line's way of not paying their employees a decent wage and then passing it on to us. We are altruistic people and they take advantage of that. The NPC meme is live an well. Another issue is paying "the behind the scenes" people tips.  What is that about?  Those are non-tipping jobs by nature.  It takes more work to do your job AND please your customers face to face  It's harder, therefore, a tip is a reward for extraordinary service.  There is no reward based system in our society anymore.  I worked in the casino industry for 21 years and remember when our dealers started splitting tips..  the most unfair thing in the world.  Some of my dealers had great personalities and earned their tips while others stood there going through the motion.  They all made the same though.  Wake up people... your being scammed and shamed by the cruise line.  Take those tips off and tip your people in cash and tip a ridiculous amount!  The cruise lines have already been caught pocketing the "gratuities" on drink prices. 

[jimbo5544]

So I guess you leave tips in place then right?

[greatlakesdiver]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

So I guess you leave tips in place then right?

I strongly agree with that Jimbo.  Tip the right people and tip well.

 

[Luckiestmanonearth]

On 10/18/2018 at 10:16 AM, mikel24m said:

I bet that's to combat all the losers that remove grats. Hopefully next we'll see that they cannot be removed or adjusted except for certain documented circumstances

 

Why should the rest of us be stuck with the bill ?

 

I didn’t realize how much this happens until our last cruise and we were in a long line to fix a room key issue , that we noticed that almost everyone in line was removing gratuities.  I surely hope they paid them in cash directly to the cruise ship staff but one never knows.  I know many people post that they prefer to remove and tip more in cash and in person .

 

however I’m fairly certain many remove and don’t pay (odds say that is likely).  I feel sorry for the workers who get stiffed

Edited December 27, 2018 by Luckiestmanonearth

[greatlakesdiver]

4 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

So I guess you leave tips in place then right?

 

I misread your post... 

 

No remove that auto grat and tip the people you want... tip them well.  Carnival shouldn't be passing their lack of wages on us and guilting us for it.  

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, greatlakesdiver said:

 

I misread your post... 

 

No remove that auto grat and tip the people you want... tip them well.  Carnival shouldn't be passing their lack of wages on us and guilting us for it.  

Gult cannot be given... tips go to the crew...period.  The argument that it is their wages is older then the hills, most who take your logic say they tip well but the truth begs otherwise.  Fact

[greatlakesdiver]

On 10/19/2018 at 5:49 PM, sfaaa said:

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.

Tipping has gotten out of control.  Do your job and get your paycheck.  If you're in a tipped position, earn them, if not, you don't get them.  People need to wise up.

[jimbo5544]

13 hours ago, greatlakesdiver said:

Tipping has gotten out of control.  Do your job and get your paycheck.  If you're in a tipped position, earn them, if not, you don't get them.  People need to wise up.

Tipping is the same as it has always been (albeit a tad more on the amount they take out).  What has gotten out of control is the cheapskates that line up on the last night with the nefarious reasons why they want to remove their tips.  When in Rome do as the Romans do.....

[Aplmac]

On 10/18/2018 at 11:57 AM, Bevv said:

I prepay them -and tip more if I feel it is warranted.

 

.

I usually pre-pay the tips

when I book and pay for my cruise, months ahead..

 

..and then still tip The Five Closest to my cruising situation, in addition to the pre-paid's

(two cabin attendants and three DR wait-staff)

- just a lil $10 each - it made their eyes light up - (adds up to $50)

but shall now have to reconsider!

 

I'm just NTR = Not That Rich...sorry.

[Eliot Ness]

When we took our first cruise 30+ years ago BAG (Before Auto-Gratuities) I had to look at what the suggested tips were for the MDR waiters and room steward.  Before the cruise started I thought those were a bit high, but once on board and seeing how hard they work I increased those tips and enjoyed passing out the envelopes on the last night.

 

When the auto-gratuities started I never considered removing them, but I still get 5 envelopes from the service desk to give them all a little extra on the last night.  Of all the price increases the auto-grat increases bother me the least.

[njrover0216]

For our family with 2 children the auto grats have now brought us up to $392 for our total trip, which is a rate of 18% of my room cost,  that is a hefty tip tray versus a couple who pay below $200, approximately 10% of their room cost. If it were just my spouse and I, auto grats seem reasonable, and a side tip to those that we encountered more face to face. However, an auto grat of $392 for my family is a bit high. My children eat on the go, either buffet, the grill or the pizza parlor. No one is serving them at any of these establishments. My husband and I usually use the MDR 1-2 times, as we prefer a more casual dining atmosphere at the buffet. My kids spend maybe a few hours a day at camp, until they make friends and go to the water park or do other activities on the boat for them. Is it wrong for a family of 4 who do not use many of the services to reduce their gratuities to that of a couple? $180-$200. I then give an extra $10-$30 to those at the camp, our waiter, buffet staff we see often and our room steward depending on how much we used their services. This usually adds up close to $300 in tips total by the time we are done. We also tip room service, bar tenders and others above the auto grat on our checks as well. We are far from cheap, but we are reasonable. Each person has their own situation, we should not be quick to judge them and call them cheap because they reduce their auto grats. I would rather pay higher in cruise fees, and leave my own tips as I see fit, then have to cover lower wages. 

Edited January 10, 2019 by njrover0216

[NHNEV2003]

On 1/8/2019 at 10:54 AM, Eliot Ness said:

When we took our first cruise 30+ years ago BAG (Before Auto-Gratuities) I had to look at what the suggested tips were for the MDR waiters and room steward.  Before the cruise started I thought those were a bit high, but once on board and seeing how hard they work I increased those tips and enjoyed passing out the envelopes on the last night.

 

When the auto-gratuities started I never considered removing them, but I still get 5 envelopes from the service desk to give them all a little extra on the last night.  Of all the price increases the auto-grat increases bother me the least.

We do this as well--there hasn't been one instance that we even considered not giving extra--we have received excellent service.

[pacruise804]

On 1/10/2019 at 2:29 PM, njrover0216 said:

For our family with 2 children the auto grats have now brought us up to $392 for our total trip, which is a rate of 18% of my room cost,  that is a hefty tip tray versus a couple who pay below $200, approximately 10% of their room cost. If it were just my spouse and I, auto grats seem reasonable, and a side tip to those that we encountered more face to face. However, an auto grat of $392 for my family is a bit high. My children eat on the go, either buffet, the grill or the pizza parlor. No one is serving them at any of these establishments. My husband and I usually use the MDR 1-2 times, as we prefer a more casual dining atmosphere at the buffet. My kids spend maybe a few hours a day at camp, until they make friends and go to the water park or do other activities on the boat for them. Is it wrong for a family of 4 who do not use many of the services to reduce their gratuities to that of a couple? $180-$200. I then give an extra $10-$30 to those at the camp, our waiter, buffet staff we see often and our room steward depending on how much we used their services. This usually adds up close to $300 in tips total by the time we are done. We also tip room service, bar tenders and others above the auto grat on our checks as well. We are far from cheap, but we are reasonable. Each person has their own situation, we should not be quick to judge them and call them cheap because they reduce their auto grats. I would rather pay higher in cruise fees, and leave my own tips as I see fit, then have to cover lower wages. 

Your children are probably still sleeping in beds, walking on the cabin floor (possibly with sand from excursions), and using the rest room and shower/towels.  At the buffet someone is still clearing the tables and some stations have someone serving the food even if it isn't table service.  In your situation I would not reduce tips due to the children, but I might not tip extra to the MDR servers if you are only there once or twice or tip extra to the wait staff (a gratuity is listed on all beverage purchases).  I didn't think tips were expected at the camp, but I'm sure the counselors gladly accept them when given.

 

Costs are rising in many areas: groceries, gas, clothing, etc.  I am like a previous poster that a moderate increase in service charges doesn't bother me as much as some other charges.