Is this a new Gratuities policy?

[Catlover54]

On 5/29/2024 at 5:30 PM, Ombud said:

Do I get 20 lashes for this practice of mine?

 

I keep CA & add snacks and / or cash for:

> steward

> HW, W, Asst Waiter (HW takes my order)

> bar staff

> room service

 

But I don't have cash for:

> guest services

> maintenance (even when they fix my TV)

> buffet

> laundry

> security

 

Yet they ALL benefit from the CA. Happy crew = better cruise & it's still hands down less expensive than land trips (which I also do. See signature)

 

I am late to reading this thread (I will not be cruising Princess in the near future but a good friend will be who is a brand new cruiser and is very busy, so I am pre-researching issues for her).  This is my favorite response (likely because it agrees with what I do :)). 

 

I mostly cruise on luxury lines where "service is included" and "tipping is neither expected nor required"  .  But my cash 'gifts' (for their family) have never been turned down by crew who did a lot to make my voyage extra wonderful.  Even  though I know they are paid more than a living wage, and that they have solid middle class or even higher lifestyles back home (based on conversations)  I want to show my appreciation, *one-on-one*, for a job well done, for individual initiative, and for going above and beyond what I typically expect  and the norm (which, since Covid, is not nearly as much  as it used to be on most lines).

I also give positive feedback about them (so they can be in line for promotions and bonuses), and if the whole experience was good, in addition to feedback, I contribute to the "crew fund", which is used for special crew events (not cash distributions). 

 

 I have also cruised on HAL, which has a similar model to that on Princess (being part of Carnival and all), and on Celebrity,  and unless I want to give an extra reward *to the whole team* in a dining venue (where some of the team is mediocre), I give cash to the servers and bartenders  I really like (either at the time of the meal, if I'm not coming back, or the day before disembarkation, if I see them  regularly). They are always happy (or very happy, in the case of stewards and assistant stewards) , and I suspect it is because they can either keep a lot, most, or all of it.  Even if it goes into a pool (unclear), giving something extra and not removing the 18% gives them more than just the 18%.  

 I also give positive feedback on my review (I think we all agree that positive feedback is important on "inclusive" lines as well as on HAL and Princess style models). 

I'm not sure how to emotionally grasp the idea of removing CA payments, individually tipping people  (presumably more total spent than the 18% CA ), but then still giving positive feedback about performance .  I get the arguments for this cognitively, but perhaps because I have spent so much time in America, it confuses me.

 

To each his own.

[MacMadame]

On 7/3/2024 at 5:04 PM, vjmatty said:

And here we go again……I’m guessing 3 more pages till we tip over on this tipping thread

 

 

[voljeep]

31 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

 

 

urban myth ...

[MacMadame]

Just now, voljeep said:

urban myth ...

It's a joke. Those aren't even real cows.

[Retired-N-Happy]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

 

 

Eat More Chikin!

[Me&Red]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:28 AM, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

Any cruise I cruise on from now on I'm removing any tips and paying cash to those who serve me well

The problem with tipping only the staff members with whom we interact is that the rest of the staff, who also work very hard to make our cruises safe and enjoyable, benefit nothing. What about the laundry workers?  Cooks? Engine room? Maintenance?  By pooling the gratuities, everyone benefits. Cruise companies are registered outside of the US so they can pay low wages. If this outrages you, I suggest you either stop cruising or add to the daily gratuity for ALL workers.  We pay the daily gratuity and additionally tip the face-to-face waitstaff and stewards. If we can afford to take a cruise, we can afford to be generous with the low income workers who make the cruise possible. 

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

56 minutes ago, Me&Red said:

The problem with tipping only the staff members with whom we interact is that the rest of the staff, who also work very hard to make our cruises safe and enjoyable, benefit nothing. What about the laundry workers?  Cooks? Engine room? Maintenance?  By pooling the gratuities, everyone benefits. Cruise companies are registered outside of the US so they can pay low wages. If this outrages you, I suggest you either stop cruising or add to the daily gratuity for ALL workers.  We pay the daily gratuity and additionally tip the face-to-face waitstaff and stewards. If we can afford to take a cruise, we can afford to be generous with the low income workers who make the cruise possible. 

There are only a handful of posters here that admit to removing the CA, and they will defend themselves vigorously.   I have met a few of them onboard, and their defenses have been laughable.  They always claim to be extremely generous, and to really know how the crew feel, etc, etc.  In all my years, it is difficult to recall co-workers or acquaintances that think they shouldn't be paid more, including myself.    I'm sure the crew would and do say the same; especially to those who might choose to remove CA and tip directly.  The tip removers are just cheap and try to rationalize their choice to everyone who will listen.  We choose to pay the CA and reward great service directly.  We have stayed with multiple crew members in various countries whose living standard surpasses our own thanks to the wages and tips they make,  and they are extremely thankful.

[Retired-N-Happy]

43 minutes ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

 The tip removers are just cheap and try to rationalize their choice to everyone who will listen.  

👏👍👏👍👏👍

[voljeep]

23 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

👏👍👏👍👏👍

 

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, Me&Red said:

The problem with tipping only the staff members with whom we interact is that the rest of the staff, who also work very hard to make our cruises safe and enjoyable, benefit nothing. What about the laundry workers?  Cooks? Engine room? Maintenance?  By pooling the gratuities, everyone benefits. Cruise companies are registered outside of the US so they can pay low wages. If this outrages you, I suggest you either stop cruising or add to the daily gratuity for ALL workers.  We pay the daily gratuity and additionally tip the face-to-face waitstaff and stewards. If we can afford to take a cruise, we can afford to be generous with the low income workers who make the cruise possible. 

Engine room, maintenance personnel are on the ship side and not part of the pool.

 

The CA pool is limited to workers on the hotel side as indicated to the FAQ. That does include the laundry workers that do passenger laundry, as well as the towels and sheets, etc.

[Retired-N-Happy]

38 minutes ago, voljeep said:

 

Cat got your tongue? Still being frugal?

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

There are only a handful of posters here that admit to removing the CA, and they will defend themselves vigorously.   I have met a few of them onboard, and their defenses have been laughable.  They always claim to be extremely generous, and to really know how the crew feel, etc, etc.  In all my years, it is difficult to recall co-workers or acquaintances that think they shouldn't be paid more, including myself.    I'm sure the crew would and do say the same; especially to those who might choose to remove CA and tip directly.  The tip removers are just cheap and try to rationalize their choice to everyone who will listen.  We choose to pay the CA and reward great service directly.  We have stayed with multiple crew members in various countries whose living standard surpasses our own thanks to the wages and tips they make,  and they are extremely thankful.

The funny thing is why they think they need to rationalize it and attack the CA program.

 

They have the option to reduce or remove. No one else's business if they do. Until they decide to post about it in public and then make it other people's business.

 

 

[Retired-N-Happy]

1 minute ago, TRLD said:

Until they decide to post about it in public and then make it other people's business.

There are multiple posters on this thread who have shown and typed that they remove the CA.  Luckily with 75% of people getting the Plus or Premier, that eliminates 75% of potential cheapskates from removing the CA.

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, Retired-N-Happy said:

There are multiple posters on this thread who have shown and typed that they remove the CA.  Luckily with 75% of people getting the Plus or Premier, that eliminates 75% of potential cheapskates from removing the CA.

i value the PLUS package at $60 for beverages - once that rises, or we no longer find that value, we will reconsider our choices of a package or paying individually for our beverages

[Retired-N-Happy]

29 minutes ago, voljeep said:

i value the PLUS package at $60 for beverages - once that rises, or we no longer find that value, we will reconsider our choices of a package or paying individually for our beverages

Glad to hear it.  At 60, it's the best value at sea.  Of course it was really great at 40.  But with the other inclusions, including CA being gravy, the 60 is a bargain compared to what Carnival, RCI, etc charge for just the drink package.

[Me&Red]

21 hours ago, TRLD said:

Engine room, maintenance personnel are on the ship side and not part of the pool.

 

The CA pool is limited to workers on the hotel side as indicated to the FAQ. That does include the laundry workers that do passenger laundry, as well as the towels and sheets, etc.

Good to know, TRLD. Thanks for that clarification. I'm guessing all the cooks would be included, also. That's still a lot of people providing services, and we never see them. 

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, Me&Red said:

Good to know, TRLD. Thanks for that clarification. I'm guessing all the cooks would be included, also. That's still a lot of people providing services, and we never see them. 

Some you do not see, but all involved in providing for the passengers either directly or by providing things to those in direct contact. Some are doing work directly for passengers, even if not seen, such as the person that doesn't help laundry you send in.

 

You may not see the cooks, but you know if the food is plated correctly and tastes good. 

 

If any of those departments do not do their job it would make for a not so nice cruise.

[Incognito1]

After reading a few of the more bitter posters among us, I've never been more happy for the ignore feature...

[Retired-N-Happy]

2 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

After reading a few of the more bitter posters among us, I've never been more happy for the ignore feature...

If you're going to use the ignore button on every poster that does the right thing and just leaves the CA the way it is and doesn't remove tips like some do, then there will only be a handful of posters you'll be able to read. 🤔

[vjmatty]

3 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

After reading a few of the more bitter posters among us, I've never been more happy for the ignore feature...

Telling people you’re ignoring them isn’t really ignoring them. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 7/2/2024 at 2:12 PM, Iamcruzin said:

Where I come from that's a bribe not a tip.

Call it what you want, but let’s face it. CA being distributed to engine room crew isn’t exactly a tip either.  

[Retired-N-Happy]

42 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Call it what you want, but let’s face it. CA being distributed to engine room crew isn’t exactly a tip either.  

But if Scotty wasn't down there doing his job, the ship would go nowhere.

[dog]

Crew Appreciation remains discretionary on Princess ships for those on standard fare.

Easier to just pre pay it online and forget about it or use your OBC.  Not a bad g deal and I do not see a lot of passengers high tailing it to GS on the last night like we use to.  Those packages have helped in that regard.

[JimmyVWine]

There is a very easy way to end the debate about removing the CA and tipping only the people who visibly performed services for the guests. Just imagine a scenario where everyone on the cruise did this. 

Thousands of people dine in the MDR and order cocktails or glasses of wine. The MDR servers bring all of the orders promptly and accurately. They gave every guest “great service” so the guests tip the customer facing servers. But the MDR servers didn’t make the cocktails or open the bottles of wine and pour the glasses. And they didn’t wash the glasses that were sparkling clean, or haul up the loads of ice to the bars where the drinks were made and that went into the cocktails.  Rinse and repeat over the length of the cruise. By the end of the cruise, the MDR servers are rolling in cash and none of the other crew members who participated in the MDR cocktail/wine service will have received a penny. 
 

Thousands of guests get fancy coffee drinks each day at the International Cafe. For each order, a customer facing person takes the orders and charges the appropriate cabins. In the background, one server operates the espresso machine to make hot drinks and another server is off to the right making iced coffee beverages. And another server is plating up pastries and sandwiches. The guests order at the cash register and hand over a tip to the person working there. But that person doesn’t make the drinks that the guests all swoon over. Or get the food from the back kitchen or plate the food. So by the end of the cruise the people actually making the drinks and handling the food receive nothing and the person at the register makes a fortune. (And please don’t argue that cash tippers reach over the counter to hand dirty, unsanitary bills or coins to the servers actually making the drinks or handling the food because that has never happened and would be gross if it did.)

 

So by the end of this cruise, 10% or so of the people who interacted with the thousands of guests received 100% of the tip money and the other 90% of the people who assisted in making the service prompt and efficient got nothing. Which all goes to show that the people who remove the CA and claim that they are tipping (generously) the individuals who actually served them are free-riders when it comes to all of the behind the scenes people who contribute to the services provided. And again, please don’t try to claim that you seek out the bar back who keeps the ice flowing and who makes sure that the glasses are spotless, or that you inquire who it was that actually made your Manhattan that was served to you in the MDR to tip them because a) you aren’t and b) I don’t think it would be possible to find any of this out. 

Edited July 7 by JimmyVWine

[Retired-N-Happy]

29 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

There is a very easy way to end the debate about removing the CA and tipping only the people who visibly performed services for the guests. Just imagine a scenario where everyone on the cruise did this. 

Thousands of people dine in the MDR and order cocktails or glasses of wine. The MDR servers bring all of the orders promptly and accurately. They gave every guest “great service” so the guests tip the customer facing servers. But the MDR servers didn’t make the cocktails or open the bottles of wine and pour the glasses. And they didn’t wash the glasses that were sparkling clean, or haul up the loads of ice to the bars where the drinks were made and that went into the cocktails.  Rinse and repeat over the length of the cruise. By the end of the cruise, the MDR servers are rolling in cash and none of the other crew members who participated in the MDR cocktail/wine service will have received a penny. 
 

Thousands of guests get fancy coffee drinks each day at the International Cafe. For each order, a customer facing person takes the orders and charges the appropriate cabins. In the background, one server operates the espresso machine to make hot drinks and another server is off to the right making iced coffee beverages. And another server is plating up pastries and sandwiches. The guests order at the cash register and hand over a tip to the person working there. But that person doesn’t make the drinks that the guests all swoon over. Or get the food from the back kitchen or plate the food. So by the end of the cruise the people actually making the drinks and handling the food receive nothing and the person at the register makes a fortune. (And please don’t argue that cash tippers reach over the counter to hand dirty, unsanitary bills or coins to the servers actually making the drinks or handling the food because that has never happened and would be gross if it did.)

 

So by the end of this cruise, 10% or so of the people who interacted with the thousands of guests received 100% of the tip money and the other 90% of the people who assisted in making the service prompt and efficient got nothing. Which all goes to show that the people who remove the CA and claim that they are tipping (generously) the individuals who actually served them are free-riders when it comes to all of the behind the scenes people who contribute to the services provided. And again, please don’t try to claim that you seek out the bar back who keeps the ice flowing and who makes sure that the glasses are spotless, or that you inquire who it was that actually made your Manhattan that was served to you in the MDR to tip them because a) you aren’t and b) I don’t think it would be possible to find any of this out. 

👏👏👏 Bravo! Spot on summation.