Tipping cabin steward upfront?

[Cls241]

58 minutes ago, wardamnweagle said:

 

Just curious, at a restaurant do you go into the kitchen and tip the chef, or just the person who served you? Do you tip the bus boy or the dishwasher who make your meal possible, despite the fact that you never see them?

 

IMO the people doing the job should be paid an agreed upon wage (whether or not you think it is fair, it is agreed upon up front). Tipping people you interact with personally is for service above and beyond. 

 

On our last last night I gave our head waiter a cash tip (despite the fact that we only had service from them for four nights since we switched tables after the first three meals had issues) and told him he could distribute to his team as he sees fit. Could he keep it all for himself? I suppose, but I saw him lead his team, coach them on performance issues, and follow up on the service verifying that it was up to his expected standards (which were above ship standards). I would love to have a team leader like that working for me. 

 

That's not how cruise ships work.  Those people behind the scenes do not get "fair wage" they share in the tips.  It's a common cruise practice.  His ability to "distribute how he wants" is normally Not Cruise Ship Policy and could get him terminated.   You're mixing up an "American Restaurant" with a Cruise Ship normally staffed by people from 3rd World Countries and they count on the Tip Sharing Policy to make enough to live.   You're basically cheating them out of their pay.

[wardamnweagle]

26 minutes ago, Cls241 said:

 

That's not how cruise ships work.  Those people behind the scenes do not get "fair wage" they share in the tips.  It's a common cruise practice.  His ability to "distribute how he wants" is normally Not Cruise Ship Policy and could get him terminated.   You're mixing up an "American Restaurant" with a Cruise Ship normally staffed by people from 3rd World Countries and they count on the Tip Sharing Policy to make enough to live.   You're basically cheating them out of their pay.

No, I still paid the required gratuities at roughly $15/person/day, as well as $5 for the single room service order we had.

 

I think going forward I’m just going to lower my expectations and pay the standard tip and not worry about anything else. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by wardamnweagle
Additional

[DukeASUGirl]

3 hours ago, wardamnweagle said:

 

Just curious, at a restaurant do you go into the kitchen and tip the chef, or just the person who served you? Do you tip the bus boy or the dishwasher who make your meal possible, despite the fact that you never see them?

 

Actually, in most restaurants, tips are pooled -- waitstaff have to "tip out" the bar, bus boy, dishwashers, etc. They give a certain percentage of their tips to each of these parties before they leave for the night.

[Purvis1231]

3 hours ago, Cls241 said:

 

That's not how cruise ships work.  Those people behind the scenes do not get "fair wage" they share in the tips.  It's a common cruise practice.  His ability to "distribute how he wants" is normally Not Cruise Ship Policy and could get him terminated.   You're mixing up an "American Restaurant" with a Cruise Ship normally staffed by people from 3rd World Countries and they count on the Tip Sharing Policy to make enough to live.   You're basically cheating them out of their pay.

I wonder why someone who did not receive a fair wage would work on a cruise ship for over 20 years? The waiter I had on my last cruise had worked for Carnival for 20 years. He is in the process of becoming a US citizen, he and his wife are buying a home in Florida. I have spoken to many of the crew who seem to be happy with their jobs.   

[Cls241]

1 minute ago, Purvis1231 said:

I wonder why someone who did not receive a fair wage would work on a cruise ship for over 20 years? The waiter I had on my last cruise had worked for Carnival for 20 years. He is in the process of becoming a US citizen, he and his wife are buying a home in Florida. I have spoken to many of the crew who seem to be happy with their jobs.   

 

Waiters with Tips make between $1200 and $1800 per month based on Bizfluents info on record.  MOST are not US Citizens and/or becoming US Citizens.  Tips (combined) it what allows them to make a living at all.  That aside, happiness is not based on money alone.

[Purvis1231]

5 minutes ago, Cls241 said:

 

Waiters with Tips make between $1200 and $1800 per month based on Bizfluents info on record.  MOST are not US Citizens and/or becoming US Citizens.  Tips (combined) it what allows them to make a living at all.  That aside, happiness is not based on money alone.

Based on the average income in the Philippines a waiter is in the middle class.  

[Cls241]

1 minute ago, Purvis1231 said:

Based on the average income in the Philippines a waiter is in the middle class.  

 

But not in the USA and it goes back to the basic topic that started this... make sure these people get their tips.  It's not based on just service, it's based on the people we don't get to see on the ships. They too live off these tips.  

[Purvis1231]

I certainly pay my tips and above. I have noticed not everyone does. The customer service line is always the longest when the tips are posted. 

[marshalltp]

On 3/1/2019 at 5:08 PM, mpdog42 said:

Do you ever say anything to actually contribute to a thread?

Mike

How do you think they got their post total so high......little meaningless 1 liners (like this one....lol)

 

[Lottacruises]

On 3/25/2019 at 1:15 PM, wardamnweagle said:

No, I still paid the required gratuities at roughly $15/person/day, as well as $5 for the single room service order we had.

 

I think going forward I’m just going to lower my expectations and pay the standard tip and not worry about anything else. 

 

Me too. People over think this tipping. If carnival, who makes billions, can't afford to pay decent wages I know I sure as hell can't pay them.