GRATUITIES/TIPS/DAILY SERVICE CHARGE – ULTIMATE GUIDE

[cruisegus]

On 8/31/2024 at 10:32 AM, Guindalf said:

It would be great if this could be a sticky in every cruise line. Please feel free to comment if I've missed anything. There is no need to go over old ground and debate whether or not you should partake. that's for another thread. 

 

Let’s try to end all the questions about the policies and actions concerning when and how much to tip and when to remove gratuities (if at all).

I Do not intend to preach or tell you what you should or should not do. That’s your decision, but I hope I can help you draw your conclusions with your eyes open and not with half-truths, rumors and downright lies.

 

We’ll start with a clarification of terms.

 

1.        Daily Service Charge (DSC).

 

This is the amount added to your account each day and is intended to supplement the income of various members of the crew including stateroom attendant and assistant, wait staff and people behind the scenes that you don’t see. The actual distribution of the DSC is not and should not be your concern. It’s usually something around $15-20 per day but can vary depending on the class of cabin, etc. Compare this to a ‘resort fee’, often charged by hotels, especially in tourist areas like the beach or Las Vegas.

 

The DSC is often called ‘gratuities’ or ‘tips’, which is technically inaccurate and adds to the confusion. Only education of the terms will help.

 

Maybe we should start the clarification of terms and education with the head office.

 

Since everyone of my invoices call it "Gratuities"

 

[OceanCruise]

For what its worth...Our waiter in Luminae told us the tips for waiters are allocated, in part, based on the reviews. He said picture it like pizza---the staff with better reviews "get a larger slice" in addition to receiving other perks. 

[DaKahuna]

50 minutes ago, OceanCruise said:

For what its worth...Our waiter in Luminae told us the tips for waiters are allocated, in part, based on the reviews. He said picture it like pizza---the staff with better reviews "get a larger slice" in addition to receiving other perks. 

 

 Interesting.  That would infer, or is it imply I always confuse them, that some staff does not get the coveted 10 (please no off topic flame wars).  

 

 

[wrk2cruise]

I've also been told that the amount pool an individual receives is based on performance.

[ExArkie]

29 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Interesting.  That would infer, or is it imply I always confuse them, that some staff does not get the coveted 10 (please no off topic flame wars).  

 

 

The person doing the speaking (or writing) would be the one to imply, while the person doing the listening (or reading) would be the one to infer. So, you would infer from what they implied. 

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, OceanCruise said:

For what its worth...Our waiter in Luminae told us the tips for waiters are allocated, in part, based on the reviews. He said picture it like pizza---the staff with better reviews "get a larger slice" in addition to receiving other perks. 

I believe tips in Luminae are pooled.

In Anytime Dining the tips are allocated nightly based purely on the number of guests each waiter their assistants have served.

One of the tasks the "check in" staff has is to ensure that each group of tables gets roughly the same number of guests each night which is why guests are often asked to wait when the can see there are empty tables.  For example a guests on a 2 top may choose to eat quickly/not have desert and leave but that table will not be reused until the allocated time for it has elapsed.

When you check in the staff produce a slip of paper which has to functions: first it shows the staff which table to escort you to and secondly it's the waiters record so they can check that they have been allocated the correct tips. If you arrive without the slip just watch how quickly the waiter goes to the desk to get a copy. Due to my wife's mobility issues we are always allocated the same table of 6 (we share with 4 others) and go direct to our table without being escorted but I always collect the slip and hand it to the waiter. It becomes something of a standing joke.

After the covid restart when passenger numbers were very few Silhouette (and possibly other ships) came up with a novel way of making sure the waiters got an equal share of the tips - they gave the waiters/assistant waiters whole days off - something that was much appreciated especially on port days. 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

I believe tips in Luminae are pooled.

 

 That is correct, with the exception of the sommelier who does not participate in the Luminae wait staff gratuity pool. 

[the penguins]

6 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 That is correct, with the exception of the sommelier who does not participate in the Luminae wait staff gratuity pool. 

Thanks.

I think the sommeliers get a 20% gratuity on every bottle/drink you order. 

[JeanieC,Aston]

On 9/2/2024 at 4:39 PM, the penguins said:

Sorry where do you live?

We are from the UK and neither we nor any of our UK friends ever remove/cancel the auto grats.

By all means make your objections/comments/suggestions to Celebrity but in the meantime don't penalise the hard working crew by removing or reducing what is in effect part of their wages.

If you don't like X's system don't book with X - there are lots of alternatives

You are correct in your final sentence,,,that’s why after 10 Celebrity cruises in now cruise P&O and Marella.

[hcat]

18 hours ago, OceanCruise said:

For what its worth...Our waiter in Luminae told us the tips for waiters are allocated, in part, based on the reviews. He said picture it like pizza---the staff with better reviews "get a larger slice" in addition to receiving other perks. 

Is this only for Luminae.

We usually dine in BLU or 4 mdrs ( E Class) and do not do reviews or surveys anymore, so do our servers get nothing?

 

Tired of the begging for good ratings!

[DaKahuna]

30 minutes ago, hcat said:

Is this only for Luminae.

 

 I do not believe Luminae is the exception.  I would assume the same goes for Blu and the MDR but we have not inquired in either since we have not dined in any of those venues since 2018. 

 

30 minutes ago, hcat said:

We usually dine in BLU or 4 mdrs ( E Class) and do not do reviews or surveys anymore, so do our servers get nothing?

 

 I would think not.  If what was stated was true then I think any waitstaff who receive complaints would be the ones to receive less.  However, I do not know for sure.  I do know that when we have used feedback on the ship to call out those who we felt went over and above, they had the comments we made read at their team meeting.  One was even given a shore excursion in one of the ports.. 

 

30 minutes ago, hcat said:

Tired of the begging for good ratings!

 

I could not agree more.  When I think they are about to start in on it, I stop them, tell them that we have sailed many times and understand  the importance of the survey.  That usually stops any further discussion of the subject. 

 

[the penguins]

6 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

You are correct in your final sentence,,,that’s why after 10 Celebrity cruises in now cruise P&O and Marella.

Great it works for you - choice is wonderful.

The shame with Marella is that although it is 50% owned by Royal we don't get any Shareholder Benefit from it although the profits do contribute to the Dividends.

We would be happy to try M but unfortunately the bulk of our cruising is TA's and it just doesn't have those itineraries.

 

 

[manmachine]

Hello, all!

 

Great news for those who like the way tips are allocated by Celebrity to the ‘behind the scenes” staff.  
 

I asked at one of our local restaurants last week if I could add an additional gratuity and have it specifically go the the people ‘behind the scenes’ at the restaurant.  It confused my (otherwise excellent) waiter, who brought out the manager.  The manager wasn’t sure how to do this, either, but promised me a call from the owner… which I received only minutes later.

 

Initially confused, the owner, once she learned I wanted to recognize in a monetary fashion the ‘behind the scenes’ crew who helped make my meal enjoyable— the dishwashers, the janitorial staff, the crew who helped unload the truck, the maintenance people who changed the lightbulbs that contributed towards the wonderful ambience, and the person who did such a great job of cleaning the window by our table so we could enjoy the view— was VERY enthusiastic.  She said that I could absolutely do this and that, in fact, she was part of the local restaurant association and was sure that everyone else who was part of that organization would embrace my idea as well.  The only person she felt was undeserving was the window cleaner.  She agreed this person did a great job, but the washing was done by a separate company and she could not ensure my extra gratuity would go to them.  She did guarantee all other money would be distributed to employees on her payroll.

 

Again, she was most enthusiastic and supportive. 

 

So much so that  am presenting this idea at the next meeting of the local restaurant association!

 

Of course, for the convenience of restaurant guests, I am also suggesting that this fee be automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.  

After all:  Who would not want to recognize these hard-working people?  I am sure we are all in agreement.

Edited September 6 by manmachine

[JeanieC,Aston]

28 minutes ago, manmachine said:

Hello, all!

 

Great news for those who like the way tips are allocated by Celebrity to the ‘behind the scenes” staff.  
 

I asked at one of our local restaurants last week if I could add an additional gratuity and have it specifically go the the people ‘behind the scenes’ at the restaurant.  It confused my (otherwise excellent) waiter, who brought out the manager.  The manager wasn’t sure how to do this, either, but promised me a call from the owner… which I received only minutes later.

 

Initially confused, the owner, once she learned I wanted to recognize in a monetary fashion the ‘behind the scenes’ crew who helped make my meal enjoyable— the dishwashers, the janitorial staff, the crew who helped unload the truck, the maintenance people who changed the lightbulbs that contributed towards the wonderful ambience, and the person who did such a great job of cleaning the window by our table so we could enjoy the view— was VERY enthusiastic.  She said that I could absolutely do this and that, in fact, she was part of the local restaurant association and was sure that everyone else who was part of that organization would embrace my idea as well.  The only person she felt was undeserving was the window cleaner.  She agreed this person did a great job, but the washing was done by a separate company and she could not ensure my extra gratuity would go to them.  She did guarantee all other money would be distributed to employees on her payroll.

 

Again, she was most enthusiastic and supportive. 

 

So much so that  am presenting this idea at the next meeting of the local restaurant association!

 

Of course, for the convenience of restaurant guests, I am also suggesting that this fee be automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.  

After all:  Who would not want to recognize these hard-working people?  I am sure we are all in agreement.

Can we guarantee that the enthusiastic and supportive restaurant owner won’t reduce the base wage to save themselves on payroll costs?

Or is there a legal minimum wage enforced in the US?

Edited September 6 by JeanieC,Aston

[Liao]

37 minutes ago, manmachine said:

Hello, all!

 

Great news for those who like the way tips are allocated by Celebrity to the ‘behind the scenes” staff.  
 

I asked at one of our local restaurants last week if I could add an additional gratuity and have it specifically go the the people ‘behind the scenes’ at the restaurant.  It confused my (otherwise excellent) waiter, who brought out the manager.  The manager wasn’t sure how to do this, either, but promised me a call from the owner… which I received only minutes later.

 

Initially confused, the owner, once she learned I wanted to recognize in a monetary fashion the ‘behind the scenes’ crew who helped make my meal enjoyable— the dishwashers, the janitorial staff, the crew who helped unload the truck, the maintenance people who changed the lightbulbs that contributed towards the wonderful ambience, and the person who did such a great job of cleaning the window by our table so we could enjoy the view— was VERY enthusiastic.  She said that I could absolutely do this and that, in fact, she was part of the local restaurant association and was sure that everyone else who was part of that organization would embrace my idea as well.  The only person she felt was undeserving was the window cleaner.  She agreed this person did a great job, but the washing was done by a separate company and she could not ensure my extra gratuity would go to them.  She did guarantee all other money would be distributed to employees on her payroll.

 

Again, she was most enthusiastic and supportive. 

 

So much so that  am presenting this idea at the next meeting of the local restaurant association!

 

Of course, for the convenience of restaurant guests, I am also suggesting that this fee be automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.  

After all:  Who would not want to recognize these hard-working people?  I am sure we are all in agreement.

Yawn...

[manmachine]

21 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Can we guarantee that the enthusiastic and supportive restaurant owner won’t reduce the base wage to save themselves on payroll costs?

Or is there a legal minimum wage enforced in the US?

Hmmm… all good points but the restaurant owner was VERY ENTHUSIASTIC and virtually GUARANTEED all the other owners would be as well.

 

You aren’t suggesting they are motivated by the thought of SAVING money by passing along payroll expense to me, are you?  

Edited September 6 by manmachine

[canderson]

@manmachine

Ah ... see what you did there ... I think.

[alexandria]

So the OP calls this an "Ultimate Guide" and seeks that it be prominently posted at the top of every cruise line forum apparently as some sort of authoritative source of information?

 

And yet the first section wants to clarify and educate members here on what OP considers correct terminology but which is not consistent with terminology used by Celebrity and some other cruise lines.

 

And a significant part OP's post consists of their opinion? 

 

Not an authoritative guide, not anything to "sticky", just another tipping thread.  😒

 

 

[the penguins]

47 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Can we guarantee that the enthusiastic and supportive restaurant owner won’t reduce the base wage to save themselves on payroll costs?

Or is there a legal minimum wage enforced in the US?

I believe the answer is that the "mandated minimum wage in the US for staff who don't get tips is  $7.25 an hour".

The highest minimum is in Washington DC $17, California  and New York are both $16.

For staff who get tips of at least $30 per month the minimum pay is $2.13 per hour. If wages and tips don't equal the minimum of $7.25 an hour the employer has to make up the difference.

For comparison the minimum for adults (over 21) in the UK is £11.44 - approx $14.50) and you can earn £12,570 (approx $15,700) per year before paying any tax. Tips do not count towards the minimum in the UK i.e. they are extra.

 

[billc23]

1 hour ago, manmachine said:

Hello, all!

 

Great news for those who like the way tips are allocated by Celebrity to the ‘behind the scenes” staff.  
 

I asked at one of our local restaurants last week if I could add an additional gratuity and have it specifically go the the people ‘behind the scenes’ at the restaurant.  It confused my (otherwise excellent) waiter, who brought out the manager.  The manager wasn’t sure how to do this, either, but promised me a call from the owner… which I received only minutes later.

 

Initially confused, the owner, once she learned I wanted to recognize in a monetary fashion the ‘behind the scenes’ crew who helped make my meal enjoyable— the dishwashers, the janitorial staff, the crew who helped unload the truck, the maintenance people who changed the lightbulbs that contributed towards the wonderful ambience, and the person who did such a great job of cleaning the window by our table so we could enjoy the view— was VERY enthusiastic.  She said that I could absolutely do this and that, in fact, she was part of the local restaurant association and was sure that everyone else who was part of that organization would embrace my idea as well.  The only person she felt was undeserving was the window cleaner.  She agreed this person did a great job, but the washing was done by a separate company and she could not ensure my extra gratuity would go to them.  She did guarantee all other money would be distributed to employees on her payroll.

 

Again, she was most enthusiastic and supportive. 

 

So much so that  am presenting this idea at the next meeting of the local restaurant association!

 

Of course, for the convenience of restaurant guests, I am also suggesting that this fee be automatically added to the bill at the end of the meal.  

After all:  Who would not want to recognize these hard-working people?  I am sure we are all in agreement.

You may write in jest, but where I live it is a practice at a few restaurants. Called a service fee for the back of the restaurant employees. I quote:

 

"In an effort to help support our non-tipped team members, we apply a 3.5% Kitchen Appreciation Fee to all checks. This fee is voluntary and can be removed if you would prefer to opt out."

 

 

[PTC DAWG]

35 minutes ago, alexandria said:

So the OP calls this an "Ultimate Guide" and seeks that it be prominently posted at the top of every cruise line forum apparently as some sort of authoritative source of information?

 

And yet the first section wants to clarify and educate members here on what OP considers correct terminology but which is not consistent with terminology used by Celebrity and some other cruise lines.

 

And a significant part OP's post consists of their opinion? 

 

Not an authoritative guide, not anything to "sticky", just another tipping thread.  😒

 

 

And not a very good one at that..

[canderson]

12 minutes ago, billc23 said:

You may write in jest, but where I live it is a practice at a few restaurants. Called a service fee for the back of the restaurant employees. I quote:

 

"In an effort to help support our non-tipped team members, we apply a 3.5% Kitchen Appreciation Fee to all checks. This fee is voluntary and can be removed if you would prefer to opt out."

 

 

Seeing that in many places now.  Here's another:

 

"A 4% Kitchen Living Wage (KLW) surcharge will be added to your final bill. This fee goes directly to our kitchen staff to help offset the wage disparity between our restaurant team members. Thank you for your support!"

 

However, there's a reason for doing it that way instead of just adding it to the menu prices, at least in some tax jurisdictions.  The extra 4% isn't included in the pre-tax total, so the customer isn't paying any tax on that 4%.  If the restaurant added it into the price of the items sold, it would be subject to whatever local restaurant/sales taxes apply. 

 

Edited September 6 by canderson
clarity

[manmachine]

39 minutes ago, canderson said:

Seeing that in many places now.  Here's another:

 

"A 4% Kitchen Living Wage (KLW) surcharge will be added to your final bill. This fee goes directly to our kitchen staff to help offset the wage disparity between our restaurant team members. Thank you for your support!"

 

However, there's a reason for doing it that way instead of just adding it to the menu prices, at least in some tax jurisdictions.  The extra 4% isn't included in the pre-tax total, so the customer isn't paying any tax on that 4%.  If the restaurant added it into the price of the items sold, it would be subject to whatever local restaurant/sales taxes apply. 

 

My suggestion to all of this:  don’t go there.

[sofietucker]

On 9/6/2024 at 1:40 PM, manmachine said:

My suggestion to all of this:  don’t go there.

Love your nod to Lou Reed, also...

[Pushka]

On 9/7/2024 at 1:49 AM, alexandria said:

So the OP calls this an "Ultimate Guide" and seeks that it be prominently posted at the top of every cruise line forum apparently as some sort of authoritative source of information?

 

And yet the first section wants to clarify and educate members here on what OP considers correct terminology but which is not consistent with terminology used by Celebrity and some other cruise lines.

 

And a significant part OP's post consists of their opinion? 

 

Not an authoritative guide, not anything to "sticky", just another tipping thread.  😒

 

 

And doesn't apply to everyone who cruises so pointless.