Stop removing tips

[hotsauce126]

Time for every line to go the way of Virgin and build tips into the cruise fare

[160july]

6 minutes ago, hotsauce126 said:

Time for every line to go the way of Virgin and build tips into the cruise fare

 

6 minutes ago, hotsauce126 said:

Time for every line to go the way of Virgin and build tips into the cruise fare

 

I think this is a fabulous idea if people are really removing tips. I worked in an industry that tips for 27 years so I tend to over tip. If youve ever worked in customer service you deserve it! I was disgusted on our recent cruise to see how some people treat Carnival employees.

[Don Kehote]

I've got a great idea - put the line for removing tips in the casino bar smoking area.

[soonernstlouis]

The only “change” I would make regarding tipping is make it mandatory that tips are included in pricing/be prepaid & also have port fees listed.  No more $50/night/pp when it it is really at least twice that.  This would produce a more realistic pricing model to the new cruisers.

 

Yes, the option to lower grays would still need to be available once onboard if bad service dictates.  I doubt I would ever elect it though.

[nydney1]

8 hours ago, riffatsea said:

Perhaps it would work better if they just raised the cruise price to include the tips?

That's what they do on Carnival Australia.

I agree that the crew really depends on the money and there should be some way for them to be assured to get it.

 

I agree 100%. Raise the cruise price $14 per person per day and give that to the crew. Make tips truly optional. 

 

If you do do that in the long run you will get better service. The staff that is not directly customer facing will work harder to get into those coveted positions where an extra tip is an option. Folks in those areas will work hard to keep that position.

 

Before I get flamed I’m not saying take anything away. I’m giving an option for folks to earn more.

[ReneeFLL]

 

8 hours ago, hotsauce126 said:

I always see people complaining about those that remove their tips but rarely see anyone actually say that they remove their tips 

 

I have only seen 1 or 2 that have admitted it on here. The others don't have the guts to say they remove them just because they don't want to pay them and then post it on here.

Edited June 26, 2019 by ReneeFLL

[Elaine5715]

8 hours ago, hotsauce126 said:

I always see people complaining about those that remove their tips but rarely see anyone actually say that they remove their tips 

I have ripped several tablemates who bragged about it including one who was on a B2B.  This guy had the audacity to request the same wait team that he hosed the week before and he even harangued  them to make him a special dish.  They did the following night as requested and he skipped dinner.  His reason, "you don't have to pay them" as he tried to get the rest of the table to go along.

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, Haveuseen1 said:

One thing that Americans have a hard thing understanding is that Tipping is predominately an American thing.  I go to Italy a number of times a year and several other  European countries ( for work ) .  Tipping is NOT the custom there.  It is funny because I have seen it done several times where a waiter/waitress will prey on an American tourist for a tip because they know the American culture supports it.  All of that to say, I am guessing Carnival is a US owned company and therefore promotes tipping the workers.  I wonder if European Owned Cruise ship companies ( if there are any ? ) promote tipping?  I dont mind tipping, and I do the prepaid tip thing and just consider it as part of the overall cost.

 

 

That is incorrect.  https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2008-11-11/etiquette-101-tipping-guide

ITALY

At Restaurants: Leave as close to 10 percent as is convenient, but no more.

At Hotels: Porters, 5 euros; housekeepers, 1–2 euros per night, more for extra service.

Who Else? Despite the old-world romance of a ride on the canal, tipping gondoliers and vaporettos isn't customary.

Dollars Accepted? Yes, but euros are much preferred.

P.S. "There is no fixed percentage as in the U.S.," says Filippo Curinga, of Italy-based I.D.I. Travel. Another travel agent recommends insisting if your tip is first refused—it's a common demurral in Italy.

[Kelownacruiser]

If a tip is “expected “, then it’s not a tip but a service charge. Call it that. 

 

Ive also never understood the idea of tipping as a percentage of a bill. How does the cost of something relate to the quality of service you receive? 

[Elaine5715]

32 minutes ago, nydney1 said:

 

I agree 100%. Raise the cruise price $14 per person per day and give that to the crew. Make tips truly optional. 

 

If you do do that in the long run you will get better service. The staff that is not directly customer facing will work harder to get into those coveted positions where an extra tip is an option. Folks in those areas will work hard to keep that position.

 

Before I get flamed I’m not saying take anything away. I’m giving an option for folks to earn more.

The high end restaurants in the US who tried to do away with tips by raising prices and adding a service charge, soon dropped the practice because the wait staff left.

[Elaine5715]

1 minute ago, Kelownacruiser said:

If a tip is “expected “, then it’s not a tip but a service charge. Call it that. 

 

Ive also never understood the idea of tipping as a percentage of a bill. How does the cost of something relate to the quality of service you receive? 

Because the service in a high end restaurant is significantly better than Waffle House.

[Fireman9302]

Tip or not...I don't care!   It's nobody business...and I believe that the people on here that say "I always tip above the auto grats" are full of it!

[Jasalth]

3 hours ago, Haveuseen1 said:

  I wonder if European Owned Cruise ship companies ( if there are any ? ) promote tipping?  I dont mind tipping, and I do the prepaid tip thing and just consider it as part of the overall cost.

 

 

Was on an MSC Europe cruise last November. We were 2 out of... maybe 10 American's and Canadians put together on the ship. I will say it wasn't as much about the tipping, though the daily service changes and tip lines were still there. On the ship it wasn't an issue, but as Americans there was more than one place who tried to "sneak on" tips to our bill on land though. 

 

That being said I will fully admit I removed gratuities on one cruise and it was only for the MDR staff and the room steward. Why? 3 1/2 hour dinner, not once but twice (and the only times!) we ate in the MDR. Not a big deal... but with a 4 and 6 year old and even waiting for that long for their food?!? Said something the first day, after 90 minutes and just apps the 2nd night, we walked out and explained to guest services why. Same cruise, it was an "extended family" cruise which means... 7 of us. We had 3 rooms all with the same steward.  2 out of the 3 rooms were made up each day. Consistently and it rotated which room she didn't do, so it wasn't like the room my grandmother was in who spent more time in the room/balcony than the rest of us whose room wasn't done because she was there. 

 

Now I have no problem tipping in general. Heck I am one of those people who tip more if you can tell the place is short staffed / crazy. I will generally tip even MORE if something goes wrong with food because most waitstaff will get stiffed for something the kitchen staff may have done. A waiter just recently gave us his employee discount and took off desserts that they had to make fresh dough for on my son's birthday because he was a co-worker of DH at his job. At the end of the bill (which I had $20 in rewards off also..) we actually ended up tipping him 150% of the bill because it was what I was expecting to pay! I say that all because if people are working hard, they deserve it, but if you can't do your basic job (like bring a bread basket in less than an hour, or bring in fresh towels...) then you really aren't actually working hard... 

 

 

[scpirate]

10 hours ago, rufflesmom said:

If there is a problem with the service, a person should give Carnival a chance to correct the problem.  People are going to guest services at the end of the cruise and complaining about the service.  If you don't give Carnival a chance to make it right, then you should not be able to remove the gratuities.  And "I just didn't like the service given to me" is about as vague as one can get.  Again, give Carnival a chance to make it right before just removing the gratuities.

When I go to a restaurant and the service is terrible not only do I not tip but I don't go back.i prepay my gratuities and don't go to the trouble of removing them but carnival is on the bottom of my list,not because of lack of service.

[evandbob]

I wish cruise lines would just fold gratuities and/or service charges into the cruise fare.  I wish hotels would do the same with their "resort fees".

 

I wish, I wish, I wish.........but I ain't in charge, so I just do it myself and prepay the tips during final payment.  We have never reduced that prepayment, and we generally add a bit here and there if we feel it's warranted.

 

And just for the heck of it, we were looking at a 44 day circumnavigation of South America, FLL to SDO and the tips were in the neighborhood of $1,275 for a couple on that cruise.

Edited June 26, 2019 by evandbob

[Kelownacruiser]

45 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Because the service in a high end restaurant is significantly better than Waffle House.

Is it really? Does the waiter or waitress work harder at the higher end restaurant? Do you get better service when they bring you a $100 bottle of wine rather than a $50 bottle, because it will cost you twice the tip. Or they bring you a plate of surf and turf vs a plate of pasta? One plate, twice the tip. Makes no sense. 

[GUT2407]

5 minutes ago, Kelownacruiser said:

Is it really? Does the waiter or waitress work harder at the higher end restaurant? Do you get better service when they bring you a $100 bottle of wine rather than a $50 bottle, because it will cost you twice the tip. Or they bring you a plate of surf and turf vs a plate of pasta? One plate, twice the tip. Makes no sense. 

I agree, seems a bit like the socialist idea of he who has the most should give the most, I have never understood why tipping should be percentage based, let alone why it should include people I never see and thus never provide me any direct service so I have no idea if it’s good service or bad.

 

Then I’m meant to take into account how much they earn, I suspect the attorney that saves me from the death penalty or the surgeon who saves my life provided a way better service than the bar tender why popped the top on a can of soda, but one I am meant to tip, the other not.

[Juwarhala]

It's just a cost of the cruise to me. I always pre-pay the gratuities so I never worry about the cost while on my vacation. I don't really see that amount as a "tip" personally. It's just another cost of my trip. I give actual tips in cash to above and beyond service. I've always left something for my room steward at the end of the cruise. Not much(I'm not rolling it it) usually like $20 or $30. Not having to clean, cook, or make my bed for a week is worth every dime! That being said however, I don't know anyone else's situation. I think that making it harder to adjust tips would backfire in the long run. Instead of calling it gratuities, maybe change the terminology of it and people would be less inclined to change it. Call it a tax or a fee of some sort. People often associate "tips" with a personal experience with a service. Many of the people that receive the funds from Carnival's "tips" are behind the scenes. If they changed the wording, perhaps it wouldn't rub people the same way. 

[mkdreams]

Everyone should just mind there business and tip what and when they want. I'm actually a very big tipper and worked in the service industry in the past so I do get it, but I if someone feels they should not tip someone for some reason then so be it. We can not keep trying to control what others should and should not do period.

[GUT2407]

8 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

I am guessing you have never experienced a Michelin rated restaurant?  Servers in top rated restaurants do more than drop your food in front of you.  Higher restaurants may have only two seatings vs turning a table over every 60 minutes. Wait staff can recite every ingredient in each dish vs "Hey man is that chicken".   Servers can slide plates in and out without disrupting conversation, keep glasses full and are invested to make sure your meal is to your pleasure.  

But if it’s the same restaurant why the difference?

[Lottacruises]

1 minute ago, GUT2407 said:

But if it’s the same restaurant why the difference?

 

 

Valid point, very valid.... 

[Stick93]

33 minutes ago, Lottacruises said:

 

I don't care! It's nobody business...  Then why do you care yourself if they are full of it.

 

People who remove the tips even though they received good service should not be cruising.

I think if people cruising carnival were governed by this rule the ships would be less crowded. I see the lines of people the last 48hrs of the cruise 20-30 deep for hours. I am pretty sure a good number of them are removing/adjusting their gratuities. This is their decision and as much as anyone tells them they should walk the plank - it is not happening. 

 

I will give suggest a novel approach to making these changes a reality (don’t have to roast me because this won’t happen) - everyone remove your gratuities for a month. It would force the hand of the cruise lines to make changes to the revenue stream that pays the staff more consistently.  This is not happening - 

 

The cruise prices have sky rocketed and the ships are all filled. Something tells me they don’t care about the gratuities. They raise the prices as they know most will pay and penalize the staff when they aren’t paid as the truth is where are they going to go to make more money to send to their countries. It’s a win win for the cruise lines as the people who take the tips off save money and cruise again filling the rooms.  Funny how you cannot remove the charges from a specialty restraint after you eat there or take back a losing bet in the casino. The cruise lines NEVER LOSE!  and they have full countries of staff to replace anyone who has a issue.  

 

Also calling them names probably fuels their decision to remove gratuities because they don’t care how someone feels they should spend their money and are defiant against being told what they need to do. The big bad bullies are the companies that have set this losing system up. They care that you drink, gamble, shop, pamper at the spa and take excursions but not if you take care of the staff. SAD SAD SAD! 

 

[beshears]

I have not read all the postings, but for me, I DO LEAVE the tip on my bill, and if I am pleased in an area where I am taken care of where I have been happy, I tip in CASH!  I go to the Pursers/Customer desk and get the tip envelopes early in the cruise, so I have it ready on the night before, or the last day to give out.

[Stick93]

7 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Not really.

 

The prices have been pretty stagnant and when adjusted for inflation, they are considerably less expensive than years ago. Cruise prices have declined to make this type of vacation affordable for the general public.

You may be right but I would say that the most of the general public wages have not been adjusted for inflation. Read all the postings here the prices have become higher - what percentage, who knows. As well what they offer has become less. This making the vacation more expensive for what people want and have received in the past. Although this may aggravate people  this is a reason people remove and adjust gratuities. The Truth it it doesn’t make a difference what the reason is - the cruise lines make it easy to do. 

[mredandchis]

In the old days the line would pass out envelopes for each position and you could put the tip in and then hand the envelope to the appropriate person. Then they started the automatic tipping and I found out I was over tipping lol.  I had tipped based on the service and joy given and obviously was very joyful.  So now I leave it alone unless it was really bad service. But then i cant just leave it alone as I feel some of the crew does much better than the standard tip so I pass out a little extra to those that i really enjoyed. I feel good about it , they feel good about it and we all are happy.  But to make a tip mandatory is ludicrous, if you want to do that then just add it to the cost of the cruise and be done with it and hang a sign that says no tips required.