Are pre-paid gratuities even worth it any more?

[Octavias]

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

Presumably it's fine to ask Guest Services to remove auto-gratuities from your account.

I'm unhappy with 18% gratuities that only go to certain members of the crew, not least because I don't see why I should be made to cover Celebrity's unwillingess to pay a decent living wage.

I prefer to give cash tips to people I interract with for good service - why should I reward some anonymous crew member who might be rude and lazy ?

I have a feeling there are no “lazy” workers on cruise ships.  It’s my understanding that they work their tails off.

[Baggy178]

8 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

It is a shame that you booked your cruise without doing enough research to understand how Celebrity handles gratuities, who receives them, the implications of removing them and so forth. Perhaps a different cruise line would have met your needs better. But now that you have booked Celebrity,It is probably too late for you to change.

 

Not really.

I booked my cruise because it was cheap and by not handing over $400 to be distributed amongst some of the crew I keep it cheap. I really don't see an ethical or moral problem with withholding gratuities - a gratuity should be a gift for excellent service not a way of improving wages of people I have nothing to do with. Why should I tip a croupier when I never go into an onboard casino ? I much prefer to slip some coin to people who have gone above and beyond - whether they choose to keep it or throw it into the crew pot is up to them.

[WestLakeGirl]

It isn't their choice.

[zitsky]

25 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

It is a shame that you booked your cruise without doing enough research to understand how Celebrity handles gratuities, who receives them, the implications of removing them and so forth. Perhaps a different cruise line would have met your needs better. But now that you have booked Celebrity,It is probably too late for you to change.

I think people have the right to their opinion without being told to go somewhere else.

[cruisestitch]

Not every cruise line is a good fit for every passenger.  
 

Baggy178 chose Celebrity, where the tipping culture differs from his home country, and will be on his way to the US, where the tipping culture prevails.  I sense trouble ahead…..

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

Presumably it's fine to ask Guest Services to remove auto-gratuities from your account.

I'm unhappy with 18% gratuities that only go to certain members of the crew, not least because I don't see why I should be made to cover Celebrity's unwillingess to pay a decent living wage.

I prefer to give cash tips to people I interract with for good service - why should I reward some anonymous crew member who might be rude and lazy ?

 

I have a different view.  Customers, one way or another, always cover wages.  Whether I agree with the process or not, it is the process being used.  It is the custom.  By withholding, I am impacting wages and in fact participating in that unwillingness to pay a decent living wage.  Hence, my willingness to pay the recommended grats.   

[ldubs]

42 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Not every cruise line is a good fit for every passenger.  
 

Baggy178 chose Celebrity, where the tipping culture differs from his home country, and will be on his way to the US, where the tipping culture prevails.  I sense trouble ahead…..

 

I agree everyone should feel free to express their opinion.   I also agree that when I visit another country I should try to follow that country's culture.  If I dislike it enough, I will exercise my option to not go.   

[Baggy178]

52 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Not every cruise line is a good fit for every passenger.  
 

Baggy178 chose Celebrity, where the tipping culture differs from his home country, and will be on his way to the US, where the tipping culture prevails.  I sense trouble ahead…..

 

You sense wrong.

I've been visiting the US for half a century and owned property there for 20 years so I'm familiar with the tipping culture.

My rules are simple - unless it's a mandatory service charge I decide on whether to tip or not and also the exact amount. Sometimes it's more and sometimes it's less than the recommended amount but it all depends on the service I have received. For truly bad service I pay nothing and will happily explain to a manager why I'm not paying.

In this instant I'm uncomfortable with a tipping culture that only rewards certain members of the crew and implies it's the passengers' responsbilities to pay decent wages rather than the company itself.

And $400 is an outrageous amount to add to the cost of a cruise - be honest and upfront about it and add it to the bottom line when you sell the product.

[zitsky]

52 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I agree everyone should feel free to express their opinion.   I also agree that when I visit another country I should try to follow that country's culture.  If I dislike it enough, I will exercise my option to not go.   

Dies that mean I have to tip $3 on my $6 Starbucks latte?  Because it’s the culture?

 

 

[kruzerci]

On 3/7/2023 at 8:30 PM, CuseJeff44 said:

I completely forgot I posted that. The waiter on our last cruise was VERY pushy asking for an extra tip. Laying deep guilt trips about how his salary was cut and he needs tips to make up for it etc. I recall being pretty uncomfortable and I now recall posting it. It was one of the reasons that we strongly considered bailing on cruising altogether, but eventually decided to just try a different line. Based on the comments above I look forward to trying Celebrity.

 

I apologize for bothering anyone with my post here. It was really more about trying to see what the norm was on Celebrity. I appreciate the info received. 

Don’t feel like you need to apologize to anybody on here. Many look for a reason to attack for posting anything they may not agree with. 

[hiccups]

On 7/5/2023 at 2:59 PM, CuseJeff44 said:

I just wish it was one or the other. If there is still going to be an expectation, or even an environment in which that expectation can emerge, then just lose the auto tips entirely, or make them totally opt-in. Still creates a have or have not setup with some people toting around envelopes and some not. Just not a fan of that vibe.

We’ve never felt pressured to give extra tips on Celebrity.  We usually have OBC and so leave an extra amount for our steward, but typically that’s it.

[tonyd285]

We always provide an extra tip in cash to our cabin attendant, wait staff, and the person who brings me my pre-dinner Manhattan every evening..  The prepaid gratuities are split among the entire staff, including those we don't come in personal contact with.  We book Aqua Class so don't see much of the MDR people, or those working behind the scene to provide service..

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

3 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

whether they choose to keep it or throw it into the crew pot is up to them.

 

Actually if they want to keep their jobs, it is not.

 

Because their supervisors know who had gratuities removed, they know which housekeepers and MDR servers to go to for any cash given to them. If they do not turn it over and it is discovered that they kept it, they are "separated" from the company. In other words, fired.

[hiccups]

3 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

 

Not really.

I booked my cruise because it was cheap and by not handing over $400 to be distributed amongst some of the crew I keep it cheap. I really don't see an ethical or moral problem with withholding gratuities - a gratuity should be a gift for excellent service not a way of improving wages of people I have nothing to do with. Why should I tip a croupier when I never go into an onboard casino ? I much prefer to slip some coin to people who have gone above and beyond - whether they choose to keep it or throw it into the crew pot is up to them.

Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better about being a cheapskate.  The crew, including a ton you don’t see, work their tails off for your vacation and you want to stiff them. 

[Baggy178]

23 minutes ago, hiccups said:

Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better about being a cheapskate.  The crew, including a ton you don’t see, work their tails off for your vacation and you want to stiff them. 

 

I've already paid for their services.

And I'm happy to reward those who offer exceptional service - that is, after all, the whole meaning of the term gratuity.

Adding another 27% to my bill because Celebrity refuse to pay their staff a decent wage is not my problem - their automatic gratuities are already amongst the highest in the industry.

However I'd like to reward the staff who I do interact with something if they're not allowed to keep cash tips.

10% is what I normally tip a cab driver so that seems more appropriate in this case.

$150 seems far more reasonable than $400 - about 11 bucks a day plus a 20% automatic service charge on drinks.

That's plenty.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by Baggy178

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

2 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

 

I've already paid for their services.

And I'm happy to reward those who offer exceptional service - that is, after all, the whole meaning of the term gratuity.

Adding another 27% to my bill because Celebrity refuse to pay their staff a decent wage is not my problem - their automatic gratuities are already amongst the highest in the industry.

However I'd like to reward the staff who I do interact with something if they're not allowed to keep cash tips.

10% is what I normally tip a cab driver so that seems more appropriate in this case.

$150 seems far more reasonable than $400 - about 11 bucks a day plus a 20% automatic service charge on drinks.

That's plenty.

 

 

 

 

So just so you know, that means those who serve you will get an even smaller percentage because they are required to turn over cash that goes into the pool as the gratuities left on to be divided up . If they keep it and are caught, they lose their job. The only cash they get 100% of back is anything over and above the automatic gratuities.

[dreamer321]

On 6/20/2023 at 3:40 PM, tserface said:

We've sort of come to think of the pre-paid gratuities as kind of a service charge and anything else we add is the actual tip.  We pay the service charge part, they may it really hard not to, but we only give out extra tips if we get extra service.

...

What he said. This is what I do as well.

[zitsky]

28 minutes ago, hiccups said:

Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better about being a cheapskate.  The crew, including a ton you don’t see, work their tails off for your vacation and you want to stiff them. 

The problem with your thinking is that everyone is a hard worker.  Just not true.  I’m sorry but it’s not.

 

On my last cruise we tipped extra in the restaurant.  But there was NO way I was going to tip the maitre d because he stopped by once in 12 days.

[mauimary]

It’s everyone’s choice what they want to do. Whatever makes you happy.  For us we view it as part of the cost of the cruise. There is so incredibly much that goes on behind the scenes that deserves to be rewarded and get a piece of the pie. Not everyone is on the front lines out there in noticeable positions.  
 

You know who I think deserves a piece of the tips and lots will disagree with me is the nice people who keep the restrooms so clean and beautiful.  They work hard in a not so glamorous position. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by mauimary

[zitsky]

11 minutes ago, mauimary said:

It’s everyone’s choice what they want to do. Whatever makes you happy.  For us we view it as part of the cost of the cruise. There is so incredibly much that goes on behind the scenes that deserves to be rewarded and get a piece of the pie. Not everyone is on the front lines out there in noticeable positions.  
 

You know who I think deserves a piece of the tips and lots will disagree with me is the nice people who keep the restrooms so clean and beautiful.  They work hard in a not so glamorous position. 

I agree about the restroom cleaners.  

[Alakegirl]

6 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

 

 

Apologies - I meant $18 a day pp.

There's no way I'm going to pay gratuities of $400 which adds another 27% to the cost of the cruise - I'll be paying the 20% on drinks at the bar.

Quite happy to explain my reasons to Guest Srevices too - particularly as I will leave something for the housekeeper.

Has anyone any experiences of having gratuities removed ?

What about the waiters? The assistant waiters? Will you leave “something” for them? They won’t be allowed to keep it, you know,  not unless you have paid the auto-tip service charge.  

[Alakegirl]

1 hour ago, Baggy178 said:

 

I've already paid for their services.

And I'm happy to reward those who offer exceptional service - that is, after all, the whole meaning of the term gratuity.

Adding another 27% to my bill because Celebrity refuse to pay their staff a decent wage is not my problem - their automatic gratuities are already amongst the highest in the industry.

However I'd like to reward the staff who I do interact with something if they're not allowed to keep cash tips.

10% is what I normally tip a cab driver so that seems more appropriate in this case.

$150 seems far more reasonable than $400 - about 11 bucks a day plus a 20% automatic service charge on drinks.

That's plenty.

 

 

 

 

So you only want to tip the staff you personally interact with.

 

I guarantee that if the staff you don’t interact with weren’t there and weren’t doing their jobs, you would have a miserable cruise on a dirty ship …….

[NantahalaCruiser]

4 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

 

You sense wrong.

I've been visiting the US for half a century and owned property there for 20 years so I'm familiar with the tipping culture.

My rules are simple - unless it's a mandatory service charge I decide on whether to tip or not and also the exact amount. Sometimes it's more and sometimes it's less than the recommended amount but it all depends on the service I have received. For truly bad service I pay nothing and will happily explain to a manager why I'm not paying.

In this instant I'm uncomfortable with a tipping culture that only rewards certain members of the crew and implies it's the passengers' responsbilities to pay decent wages rather than the company itself.

And $400 is an outrageous amount to add to the cost of a cruise - be honest and upfront about it and add it to the bottom line when you sell the product.

So you're familiar with the culture but disagree with it - and thus go your own way rather than adopting the culture of a foreign land.

 

Some Americans do the same when they visit other lands and are called "ugly Americans" - so I guess "ugly" must now be applied to you also - congratulations.

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

So you're familiar with the culture but disagree with it - and thus go your own way rather than adopting the culture of a foreign land.

 

Some Americans do the same when they visit other lands and are called "ugly Americans" - so I guess "ugly" must now be applied to you also - congratulations.

I’m an ugly American because I refused to tip the maitre’d.  😂

[WestLakeGirl]

Just because the supervisory staff only came by your table once doesn’t mean that he/she wasn’t in the job, working to make the dining room service go smoothly, and more importantly, ready to step in if there was a problem.