Gratuities, does the employees actually get them?

[MSUjohn]

5 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

I currently employ 50 young people, ranging from 18-25. Over the last decade I have employed nearly 300 of these young people. Most are working for me while they attend university. Some have had other jobs before, some have not. Nearly all of them need help reading their pay report or simply don’t care. 

i at 42 am amazed by how "young people" are um .....delayed by like 3-5 years from where they use to be. i went to michigan state as an older student (i was 29-32) and i noticed it there strongly (ie a 21-year-old at MSU was very much like a 16-year-old in the 1990s and prior).

 

anecdotal example, somehow i figured out a paystub and personal banking at 15 years old.....without handholding.

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, MSUjohn said:

i at 42 am amazed by how "young people" are um .....delayed by like 3-5 years from where they use to be. i went to michigan state as an older student (i was 29-32) and i noticed it there strongly (ie a 21-year-old at MSU was very much like a 16-year-old in the 1990s and prior).

 

anecdotal example, somehow i figured out a paystub and personal banking at 15 years old.....without handholding.

Same here. But mommy and daddy didn’t subsidize my life. I had paper routes and was mowing lawns and babysitting by the time is was 10. First paychecks were 14 at a grocery store. So, I wanted to know who that a**hole FICA was and why he kept taking my money. 

[PATRLR]

4 minutes ago, MSUjohn said:

anecdotal example, somehow i figured out a paystub and personal banking at 15 years old.....without handholding.

I'll do you one better - in the mid 70s, when I would guess I was about that age, I DID the payroll for my father's contracting business one week when both my father and his bookkeeper were on vacation.  No computers at that time, it was all done by hand, using an adding machine and looking up withholding in tax tables.  He probably had 15 employees at that point, it really was rather simple.   Funny thing is, they all knew I was doing it and my brother (who was busy actually running jobs) told me they all were looking over their slips very, very closely.  No mistakes reported.  

[JGmf]

22 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

It seems the best way to do it is #3:

Pay the DSC and tip service that you personally interact with according to your own judgment and budget. 

 

Exactly.  Directly reward those who have provided excellent service. 

 

[MSUjohn]

23 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Same here. But mommy and daddy didn’t subsidize my life. I had paper routes and was mowing lawns and babysitting by the time is was 10. First paychecks were 14 at a grocery store. So, I wanted to know who that a**hole FICA was and why he kept taking my money. 

being the end of genX was beneficial too, i think. the whole latchkey kid / kids who raised themselves helped a lot.

 

i was at MSU when i first heard the neologism "adulting" which is defined (yes, it is in the dictionary) as: the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.

"it feels really good to take a step back from adulting and have someone else cook dinner for me"

 

there is even a book

 

wow i and the people around me could adult at 16, and didnt even need the word.

Edited November 22, 2022 by MSUjohn

[MSUjohn]

12 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

Exactly.  Directly reward those who have provided excellent service. 

 

i do that, but what about the crewmembers doing the most god awful jobs like laundry or kitchen utility?

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

They are supposed to turn it in, and if DSC for that pax was removed, it goes to the pool, but if DSC was paid, it is returned to crew.  Enforcement, of course, is difficult.

 

Thank you so much for replying to this thread, it's a breath of fresh air to actually have some real answers to these long argued over questions. 🏆
This could be a go to thread in the future & worth bookmarking.

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Thank you so much for replying to this thread, it's a breath of fresh air to actually have some real answers to these long argued over questions. 🏆
This could be a go to thread in the future & worth bookmarking.

I've posted these facts for years, and most times been argued to death, and told I don't know what I'm talking about, so I tend to be very wary of tipping threads.

[JGmf]

15 minutes ago, MSUjohn said:

i do that, but what about the crewmembers doing the most god awful jobs like laundry or kitchen utility?

 

Pay your DSC.  It's baked into the crew's contracts as explained very thoroughly within this thread. It's a part of cruising NCL.

[MSUjohn]

4 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

Pay your DSC.  It's baked into the crew's contracts as explained very thoroughly within this thread. It's a part of cruising NCL.

correct; i was speaking more generally about people who do not pay the gratuities and then tip front house F&B and the room steward.

[ontheweb]

14 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I've posted these facts for years, and most times been argued to death, and told I don't know what I'm talking about, so I tend to be very wary of tipping threads.

Gee, I would think after all those years at sea you would have thicker skin than to let some posts by people who have no idea of what they are writing about bother you. 

 

And remember there are many of us who are very grateful that you come to these boards and share your first hand knowledge.

[SeaShark]

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

So if a 2-person room had $160 in total DSC, what benefits employees more: 

1) Paying the DSC; or

2) Removing the DSC and tipping staff throughout the week in cash totaling $300?

 

Don't be difficult...

3) Pay the DSC AND tip the staff throughout the week in cash totaling $140.

 

Easy-peasy

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

It seems the best way to do it is #3:

Pay the DSC and tip service that you personally interact with according to your own judgment and budget. 

 

7 minutes ago, SeaShark said:

 

Don't be difficult...

3) Pay the DSC AND tip the staff throughout the week in cash totaling $140.

 

Easy-peasy

Not being difficult. #75. Keep reading. It’s good for the soul. 

[Goldconnection]

8 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Crew members come from all over the world.  Some speak and understand English better than others.

 

Do you remember the 1st time you ever got a payroll slip?  Did you know what it said?  Codes for payroll deductions can be very confusing.  Most young people I know multiply the number of hours they have worked by whatever their pay rate is and think that what they will get-- it isn't.  Same thing with crew.  

 

For many direct deposit is new-- some countries still do not have it.  So crew gets paid and has to wire money home.

 

You said they could not read. My question stands…Are you saying they are illiterate? And you’d I understood my first payroll slip. Didn’t you?

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, New2cruise2022 said:

It seems the best way to do it is #3:

Pay the DSC and tip service that you personally interact with according to your own judgment and budget. 

I don't understand why that is so difficult to understand.

The only thing I can imagine is that some simply will go to any length to justify removing the DSC.

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

I don't understand why that is so difficult to understand.

The only thing I can imagine is that some simply will go to any length to justify removing the DSC.

It isn’t difficult to understand — but it isn’t transparent. There is nothing wrong with inquiring. It’s no different than inquiring about dealer fees when you buy a car, or understanding where taxes go. Most people do not have so much money that it doesn’t matter where it goes or how it is disbursed. If I donate to a charity and I vet the process by determining what my money will be spent on or how much of it is wrapped up in administrative versus direct to needs of individuals or programs, that doesn’t make me cheap. I have limited resources, as do most people, and understanding how contributions are spent is a natural. Looking for transparency is not the same thing as lacking the ability to understand. 

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, Goldconnection said:

You said they could not read. My question stands…Are you saying they are illiterate? And you’d I understood my first payroll slip. Didn’t you?

Crew members are very literate in their own launguages.  English is one of the most difficult languages to learn.  There are groups of on ship employees that are not required to speak English, especially those that do do interact with passengers: laundry workers, Deck and Engine Personnel for two.  If an staff members deals with passengers, they have to speak English.  At one time there were English classes available for crew members.

To answer your question, I was 14 when I go my first real paycheck and NO I did not know about deductions for taxes, insurance, social Security, etc.

[chengkp75]

8 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

There are groups of on ship employees that are not required to speak English, especially those that do do interact with passengers: laundry workers, Deck and Engine Personnel for two.

Actually, this is not true.  Every vessel has to establish a "working language", that is spoken by everyone onboard, so that emergency instructions can be understood.  Most of the mainstream cruise lines use English as the "working language".  Does this mean every crew is "completely fluent" in English?  No, but they can read, speak, and understand English.  Imagine an engine crew member sent to open a specific valve, but he cannot read the valve tag that is in English.

[New2cruise2022]

Great thread. So many informed and experienced voices to help the less informed and experienced (myself) see how this floating hotel functions. Thanks to all for taking the time to share. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Actually, this is not true.  Every vessel has to establish a "working language", that is spoken by everyone onboard, so that emergency instructions can be understood.  Most of the mainstream cruise lines use English as the "working language".  Does this mean every crew is "completely fluent" in English?  No, but they can read, speak, and understand English.  Imagine an engine crew member sent to open a specific valve, but he cannot read the valve tag that is in English.

That makes sense.

 

But isn't it amazing how some people make assumptions and despite no real knowledge somehow know they are true. 🤦‍♂️

[SeaShark]

4 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

 

Not being difficult. #75. Keep reading. It’s good for the soul. 

Yes...I was agreeing, or did you miss that?

[Goldconnection]

4 hours ago, www3traveler said:

Crew members are very literate in their own launguages.  English is one of the most difficult languages to learn.  There are groups of on ship employees that are not required to speak English, especially those that do do interact with passengers: laundry workers, Deck and Engine Personnel for two.  If an staff members deals with passengers, they have to speak English.  At one time there were English classes available for crew members.

To answer your question, I was 14 when I go my first real paycheck and NO I did not know about deductions for taxes, insurance, social Security, etc.

Thanks again to poster chengkp75 for once again setting the record straight by debunking this myth. 

[MoCruiseFan]

On 11/21/2022 at 11:21 PM, MSUjohn said:

yes, it can be the passenger's business, because they are ultimately ponying up the cash, thus they are the primary driver of the exchange.

same goes for basic workplace saftey.

 

 

 

So the salary of anyone who works anywhere you choose to spend your money is your business?  The answer is no and your premise is invalid.

[MoCruiseFan]

On 11/22/2022 at 1:01 PM, New2cruise2022 said:

So if a 2-person room had $160 in total DSC, what benefits employees more: 

1) Paying the DSC; or

2) Removing the DSC and tipping staff throughout the week in cash totaling $300?

3) paying the DSC and tip as you please.

[New2cruise2022]

23 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

3) paying the DSC and tip as you please.

#75 🤔