policy on tipping

[cary1306]

usually go on RCC and wanted to know if tipping mandatory or can you take them off and tip personally?

[Bgwest]

🍿

[Two Wheels Only]

32 minutes ago, cary1306 said:

usually go on RCC and wanted to know if tipping mandatory or can you take them off and tip personally?

 

On how many different boards are you going to lay this trap?

 

 

 

[Brighton Line]

Remove tips at Customer Service but make sure you tip the bar backs that bring up the bottles of booze you drink from or they guy that loads the clean towels for your room steward. Search them out since you cheap out and remove tips and only pay the people you directly interact with.

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

On how many different boards are you going to lay this trap?

 

 

 

I was just about to ask the same question!!!

[cary1306]

tipping is each person view point whether it is our responsibility to pay people their salary or the cruises when they make  a zillion dollars profit and constantly build bigger and bigger ships OR ours!!! Tipping is for your services you receive not to pay for everyone working on the ship.

[DaKahuna]

@cary1306  You do you but don't expect a lot of support for removing the daily gratuities around here. 

 

[mailbroad]

1 hour ago, Brighton Line said:

Remove tips at Customer Service but make sure you tip the bar backs that bring up the bottles of booze you drink from or they guy that loads the clean towels for your room steward. Search them out since you cheap out and remove tips and only pay the people you directly interact with.

You probably know this but for others...Bar tips are separate from the daily gratuity. The bartenders and servers get their tips from the 18% that is added on. There are also people who tip extra in cash.

And I agree! It is a way to cheap out by removing tips.

Edited February 24 by mailbroad

[mailbroad]

3 hours ago, cary1306 said:

usually go on RCC and wanted to know if tipping mandatory or can you take them off and tip personally?

Here we go...

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, cary1306 said:

usually go on RCC and wanted to know if tipping mandatory or can you take them off and tip personally?

Are you just posing this same question on all cruise line boards?

 

I took the time to thoughtfully respond to your query on the other board, but it seems like you just want to start a tipping thread everywhere. 

Edited February 24 by BirdTravels

[Bgwest]

Mods, plese, please, please lock this thread. It will surely deteriorate along the usual lines.

[bruce85]

I really wish all cruise lines would just add the daily gratuity to the cruise fare and stop all this nonsense. Me personally have no problem paying the daily gratuity plus I always tip my bartenders, servers and room steward extra. If you are to cheap to pay the $15 a day on average then find a cheaper vacation 

[perakcruiser]

6 hours ago, bruce85 said:

I really wish all cruise lines would just add the daily gratuity to the cruise fare and stop all this nonsense. Me personally have no problem paying the daily gratuity plus I always tip my bartenders, servers and room steward extra. If you are to cheap to pay the $15 a day on average then find a cheaper vacation 

As you know for most guests the daily gratuity is mandatory and even has to be paid before the cruise. Just US pax can theoretically remove it. Why is MSC doing so? Because US pax contrary to Europeans do not remove it. If they would, MSC would immediately make it mandatory also. The whole discussion is completely irrelevant, MSC collects the daily gratuity and collects the 18% extra service charge on board. If MSC allows certain nationalities to cancel the daily gratuity because they think these people will not, that is their risk, but surely they have the numbers to know how big this risk is. 

[Mark_T]

6 hours ago, perakcruiser said:

If MSC allows certain nationalities to cancel the daily gratuity because they think these people will not, that is their risk, but surely they have the numbers to know how big this risk is. 

I suspect it has rather more to do with the way the US price comparison charts work, if the tips were compulsory and included they would not compare well against the other cruise lines.

 

Also the myth that US passengers do not remove tips can be busted by looking at the lines at the CS desk to do exactly that...

[PTC DAWG]

20 hours ago, cary1306 said:

usually go on RCC and wanted to know if tipping mandatory or can you take them off and tip personally?

You should post this on every board..oh wait..

[PTC DAWG]

15 hours ago, bruce85 said:

I really wish all cruise lines would just add the daily gratuity to the cruise fare and stop all this nonsense. Me personally have no problem paying the daily gratuity plus I always tip my bartenders, servers and room steward extra. If you are to cheap to pay the $15 a day on average then find a cheaper vacation 

I think that would impact the amount the workers received due to taxes the cruise lines would pay..

[graphicguy]

21 hours ago, cary1306 said:

usually go on RCC and wanted to know if tipping mandatory or can you take them off and tip personally?

It is not mandatory.  But beware, if you willy nilly remove parts of the crew's compensation by removing tips/service charges, they are entitled to do this to you......

 

 

Edited February 25 by graphicguy

[bluecontrolman]

I'm a little confused. It says on my booking that gratuities are fully included in my upfront price?

I'm not expecting to spend anything onboard. 

[Anastas617]

11 hours ago, Mark_T said:

I suspect it has rather more to do with the way the US price comparison charts work, if the tips were compulsory and included they would not compare well against the other cruise lines.

 

Also the myth that US passengers do not remove tips can be busted by looking at the lines at the CS desk to do exactly that...

You can look at the customer service line and come to a conclusion on how many are there to remove tips? Do you take a survey? I've been in that line quite a few times for various reasons unrelated to tips and nobody has ever volunteered this info nor have I overheard anyone discussing tip removal while I was waiting.

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, bluecontrolman said:

I'm a little confused. It says on my booking that gratuities are fully included in my upfront price?

I'm not expecting to spend anything onboard. 

I believe this is true in EU.  It's included in the price.  I believe there is a law governing this

[RandomUser123]

My policy on tipping is simple. Whatever the cruise line charges for tips is what i pay. I do not pay more and i will not go down to guest services and ask they remove it or make it less. 

[phissy]

On 2/24/2024 at 1:23 PM, BirdTravels said:

Are you just posing this same question on all cruise line boards?

 

I took the time to thoughtfully respond to your query on the other board, but it seems like you just want to start a tipping thread everywhere. 

I was surprised to see Bird replying on this forum.

BirdTravels Well known on NCL forums. Always good information and advice from this poster.

I agree, very suspect.

i 

[psmarkle]

Do a behind-the-scenes tour and learn how little the "below deck" crew make. Can you live off $900/mo which is what the galley food prep crew make and try to send home to their families? That's what these prepaid gratuities help cover for all the crew, not just the customer-front crew who make more.

 

Oh boy, did I just wade into shark-infested waters here...yikes!

 

I gladly pay the pre-paid gratuities and bring plenty of cash/small bills to tip throughout each day. It's the least I can do for how hard the crew works to make my valuable vacation time an experience!

 

I am now ready for my online pummeling...

Edited February 26 by psmarkle

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, psmarkle said:

Do a behind-the-scenes tour and learn how little the "below deck" crew make. Can you live off $900/mo which is what the galley food prep crew make and try to send home to their families? That's what these prepaid gratuities help cover for all the crew, not just the customer-front crew who make more.

 

Oh boy, did I just wade into shark-infested waters here...yikes!

 

I gladly pay the pre-paid gratuities and bring plenty of cash/small bills to tip throughout each day. It's the least I can do for how hard the crew works to make my valuable vacation time an experience!

 

I am now ready for my online pummeling...

no pummeling from me.  and I'm in no way advocating tipping or not.  I just want to say that when you comment about the $900 per month, remember that you're comparing it to us snobs here in the US 🙂   that is a lot of $$$ in a lot of the countries they hire these folks from.  They give up a lot being away from their families, but it's good money compared to what they'd make back home

[perakcruiser]

5 hours ago, psmarkle said:

I gladly pay the pre-paid gratuities and bring plenty of cash/small bills to tip throughout each day. It's the least I can do for how hard the crew works to make my valuable vacation time an experience!

That is very kind of you and deserves a thumbs up instead of pummel.

 

But what are you talking? Do you have any idea what a worker a McD, PizzaHut, Dominos, ..., makes a month in Jakarta or Manila? It is not $900, but $200 and no free pizzas or accommodation. And zero tips. 900 a month from which you easily can save 800 is a dream salary which is why so many Indos and Pinoys dream about a job at a (western) cruise line. But no Malaysians, almost no Thais. 

 

But with a monthly salary of $900 you are also extremely attractive on the marriage market in Indonesia and Philippines, that is why even these young folks are usually already married and have kids. That is the really brutal thing, not being able to see your wife and kids for many months, not what you consider a tiny salary. 

Edited February 27 by perakcruiser