Tips on S&S card

[45014]

I know I'm getting old. Could someone refresh my memory about how the automatic tips go on the S&S card? Do we do that at embarcation when we are checking in or should it be taken care of before we leave from home? I'm so sorry if this seems repetitive, but I am just burned out lately and can't remember.

Thanks is advance.n

[zaandam_2]

they put them on immediatly, in one lump sum. you don't have to do a thing, except pay the bill.

[CruiseCentric]

I know I'm getting old. Could someone refresh my memory about how the automatic tips go on the S&S card? Do we do that at embarcation when we are checking in or should it be taken care of before we leave from home? I'm so sorry if this seems repetitive, but I am just burned out lately and can't remember.

Thanks is advance.n

What is the tipping policy onboard?

 

 

Guests can pay their shipboard gratuities in one of two ways:

1. Reverse Gratuity Policy - For our guests' convenience, we automatically add the recommended gratuities to the onboard Sail & Sign account on embarkation day.

Guests will have the discretion to adjust these gratuities based upon the level of service received during the cruise. This includes the option to adjust gratuities (up or down) for any individual on the Dining or Housekeeping staff. In order to do so, the guest will need to visit the Information Desk on board.

2. Pre-Paid Gratuity Policy - Gratuities are pre-arranged and paid at the time of booking or any time up to two weeks prior to the sail date.

All guests on each booking must prepay the gratuities, with the exception of children under two. Guests will have the discretion to adjust these gratuities based upon the level of service received during the cruise. This includes the option to adjust gratuities (up or down) for any individual on the Dining or Housekeeping staff. In order to do so, the guest will need to visit the Information Desk on board.

The dollar amount of the gratuities will appear in the Miscellaneous Charge field on the booking. The guest copy on the cruise ticket will indicate if gratuities have been paid.

The total amount will be $10 per guest, per day, which breaks down as follows:

• $5.50 pp/pd for Dining Team Service (Headwaiter and Waiter)
  
• $1 pp/pd for Bistro Service (Waiter/Cooks)
  
• $3.50 pp/pd for Cabin Services (Cabin Steward)

Tipping the Maitre D' is strictly at guest's discretion, based upon services rendered. For guests who wish to extend this gratuity in cash, an envelope will be available on the last evening of the cruise.

Tipping still applies regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or utilizing room service.

[momofzeke]

You don't have to do anything. They will appear on your S&S account immediately after embarcation.

 

If you prefer to pay the gratuities in advance, you can do that also. That way, they won't be on your S&S account. Call Carnival (or your TA) and they will put them on your credit card before you leave for your cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[45014]

Thank you all so much. That's what I thought but I guess I just needed someone to offer the info.

[steveaaaa]

I know I'm getting old. Could someone refresh my memory about how the automatic tips go on the S&S card? Do we do that at embarcation when we are checking in or should it be taken care of before we leave from home? I'm so sorry if this seems repetitive, but I am just burned out lately and can't remember.

Thanks is advance.n

 

Remove them all when you board!!!

Pay them in cash at the end. When they start billing you automatically for tips,soon all land based professions will.Imagine getting your hair cut and they add the tip in. When did they think we all got to stupid to do it on our own?

Steve

 

Include it in the fare!!!

[dan40]

Remove them all when you board!!!

Pay them in cash at the end. When they start billing you automatically for tips,soon all land based professions will.Imagine getting your hair cut and they add the tip in. When did they think we all got to stupid to do it on our own?

Steve

 

Include it in the fare!!!

 

 

A few issues here.

1.Tipping is for the service. S&S auto-tips are just entries on your S&S account, you are NOT charged for them [or any other expenditure on the cruise] until the cruise is OVER. So if there was a service problem, tips could be adjusted accordingly before the cruise ends.

2.Tips removed reflects badly on the crew members record. They have to explain what they did wrong to have the tip removed. Also any tip they receive after tips have been removed from the S&S must go into the ship wide tip pool. If tips stay on the S&S, any extra cash they receive is theirs to keep and the S&S amount gets credited to their own account, it DOES NOT go into the ship wide pool.

3. S&S auto-tips have NOTHING to do with us getting stupid. They have everything to do with the fact that fully half the people were NOT TIPPING A CENT in the cash days after cruising opened up to the masses.

4. ANYBODY that removes their tip from their S&S account, "TO TIP IN CASH," is NINETY TWO PERCENT certain to tip ZERO. The cruise line knows this from tracking the employees after cruise interviews.

5. The crew is informed when you take the tip off your S&S account. Even if your intentions are honorable, for a week or however long the cruise lasts, all your servers will be assuming you will stiff them.

 

Leave it on the S&S, on a per crew member per day basis, its too small to worry about.

 

Dan

[steveaaaa]

A few issues here.

1.Tipping is for the service. S&S auto-tips are just entries on your S&S account, you are NOT charged for them [or any other expenditure on the cruise] until the cruise is OVER. So if there was a service problem, tips could be adjusted accordingly before the cruise ends.

2.Tips removed reflects badly on the crew members record. They have to explain what they did wrong to have the tip removed. Also any tip they receive after tips have been removed from the S&S must go into the ship wide tip pool. If tips stay on the S&S, any extra cash they receive is theirs to keep and the S&S amount gets credited to their own account, it DOES NOT go into the ship wide pool.

3. S&S auto-tips have NOTHING to do with us getting stupid. They have everything to do with the fact that fully half the people were NOT TIPPING A CENT in the cash days after cruising opened up to the masses.

4. ANYBODY that removes their tip from their S&S account, "TO TIP IN CASH," is NINETY TWO PERCENT certain to tip ZERO. The cruise line knows this from tracking the employees after cruise interviews.

5. The crew is informed when you take the tip off your S&S account. Even if your intentions are honorable, for a week or however long the cruise lasts, all your servers will be assuming you will stiff them.

 

Leave it on the S&S, on a per crew member per day basis, its too small to worry about.

 

Dan

 

1..Where did you get that info? They debit it everyday.If you put down a $200 cash deposit for 4 in a cabin and spend nothing else,they will be shutting down all S&S cards on day 5. Last time I checked,tips are for a job well done or "to insure prompt service". Am I wrong?

 

2..Again,when did everyone get so stupid,why should we care how their workings internally work? Unless the tip is not a tip but wages instead.

 

3..So that is our fault again? It has everything to do with getting stupid.They assume that were are too stupid to do it,so they are going to do it for you.If it is to protect the wages,then it is not a tip.

 

4..Why is that our problem again? A tip is a tip.

 

5..That is really bad,they have a system to watch tips.How stupid is that?

 

When they stop calling it a tip and include it in the fare,is when the bull will stop. There is no reason that they should not be included except to make the price on paper look cheaper than other vacations.

All of your replies are correct, this is just all an advertising ploy. I am still waiting for the FL AGs office to make them include them.They did with the ports charges and these phoney tips are next.

When you look at it on the surface, such as tips for the le'bistro and the waiters,they are actually the same people. But they claim its those working behind the scene.When I go to Denny's, I don't tip the cook in back,that is what the business pays them for.

STeve

[WERA]

It's still a tip as long as you can go to the purser and have it removed.

[dan40]

1..Where did you get that info? They debit it everyday.If you put down a $200 cash deposit for 4 in a cabin and spend nothing else,they will be shutting down all S&S cards on day 5. Last time I checked,tips are for a job well done or "to insure prompt service". Am I wrong?

 

2..Again,when did everyone get so stupid,why should we care how their workings internally work? Unless the tip is not a tip but wages instead.

 

3..So that is our fault again? It has everything to do with getting stupid.They assume that were are too stupid to do it,so they are going to do it for you.If it is to protect the wages,then it is not a tip.

 

4..Why is that our problem again? A tip is a tip.

 

5..That is really bad,they have a system to watch tips.How stupid is that?

 

When they stop calling it a tip and include it in the fare,is when the bull will stop. There is no reason that they should not be included except to make the price on paper look cheaper than other vacations.

All of your replies are correct, this is just all an advertising ploy. I am still waiting for the FL AGs office to make them include them.They did with the ports charges and these phoney tips are next.

When you look at it on the surface, such as tips for the le'bistro and the waiters,they are actually the same people. But they claim its those working behind the scene.When I go to Denny's, I don't tip the cook in back,that is what the business pays them for.

STeve

 

I figured the facts would have no effect on you, don't know why the subject of tips causes such a rigid mindset in some people.

Hopefully my previous comments will sway someone who thought your post had some validity.

You don't want to tip, I understand.

 

Dan

[noblepa]

When I go to Denny's, I don't tip the cook in back,that is what the business pays them for.

STeve

 

Oh, yes, you do. Every restaurant I ever worked in as a kid, except McDonalds, required the servers to divide their tips with the busboys, bartenders, barmaids and the cooks. I even got a small share when I worked as a dishwasher. The servers usually had to distribute about half of the tips to the rest of the staff. Failure to do so (or cheat on the amount) would get them fired.

 

AFAIK, virtually all restaurants still do this.

 

If the cruise lines raised the fare to include the "tip", two things would happen: passengers (Americans at least) would still tip, its in our culture; you would no longer be able to register your dissatisfaction (in those rare occurences of truly deficient service) in quite as meaningful a way.

 

BTW, I've heard that on some European cruises, even Carnival changes the tipping policy. Europeans aren't accustomed to tipping everyone they see on vacation, the way Americans are, so they DO include the tips in the fare.

 

I won't argue that there could be a better way to handle this, but its not just an arbitrary thing that Carnival has come up with. It is at least partially (a large part) a result of the American cultural habit of tipping. Just about every cruise line does something similar. On NCL, the tip is MANDATORY (or so I've heard); you can't remove it.

 

Perhaps we shouldn't care about CCL's internal personel policies, but removing/reducing the auto-tips is the same as turning in a comment card that explicitly names your assigned staff as having given unacceptable service. I've heard from several crew members that, for a cruise that ends on Saturday, they will be called into their supervisor's office on Sunday to explain why a passenger removed the auto-tips. And it is not a pleasant experience.

 

So, by removing the auto-tips, even if you are one of the eight percent who follow through and tip in cash, you are not "sticking it to the MAN" (CCL) as a protest against the line's tipping policy; you are sticking it to the man (or woman) who busted their behind all week to make your vacation great.

 

I, like you, consider the tip to, in reality, be part of the cost of cruising. I budget for it, when I plan my cruise. To me, it makes no difference if I pay before I go, as part of the fare, or during the cruise, as a tip. I then sweeten the pot a little for those individuals who have gone "above and beyond" to give me truly excellent service.

 

Paul Noble

[noblepa]

That waiter/waitress at Denny's isn't paid anything close to minimum wage, either. Denny's probably pays them around $2.00 per hour. Should Denny's raise their prices so that they can pay minimum wage? Why are we being asked to pay the wages that Denny's should be paying (to use your reasoning)?

 

BTW, in some high-end restaurants, the waitstaff is paid ZERO! Nada, zip, the big goose-egg. They get 100 percent of their income from tips.

 

I'll be quiet now.

 

Paul Noble

[zaandam_2]

BTW, I've heard that on some European cruises, even Carnival changes the tipping policy. Europeans aren't accustomed to tipping everyone they see on vacation, the way Americans are, so they DO include the tips in the fare.

 

 

carnival does not include tips in europe. they'll appear immediatly on your S&S account in one lump sum.

[Kurbanfan]

2.Tips removed reflects badly on the crew members record. They have to explain what they did wrong to have the tip removed.

 

Tips removed upon boarding will not reflect badly on the crew members. Unless of course they receive nothing at the end of the cruise.

Tips removed after the first day or 2 should reflect the crew members.

[45014]

Sorry I started such an uproar. I just couldn't remember how the auto-tipping was handled. Thanks to everyone who answered my question with a simple answer.

[steveaaaa]

Oh, yes, you do. Every restaurant I ever worked in as a kid, except McDonalds, required the servers to divide their tips with the busboys, bartenders, barmaids and the cooks. I even got a small share when I worked as a dishwasher. The servers usually had to distribute about half of the tips to the rest of the staff. Failure to do so (or cheat on the amount) would get them fired.

 

AFAIK, virtually all restaurants still do this.

 

If the cruise lines raised the fare to include the "tip", two things would happen: passengers (Americans at least) would still tip, its in our culture; you would no longer be able to register your dissatisfaction (in those rare occurences of truly deficient service) in quite as meaningful a way.

 

BTW, I've heard that on some European cruises, even Carnival changes the tipping policy. Europeans aren't accustomed to tipping everyone they see on vacation, the way Americans are, so they DO include the tips in the fare.

 

I won't argue that there could be a better way to handle this, but its not just an arbitrary thing that Carnival has come up with. It is at least partially (a large part) a result of the American cultural habit of tipping. Just about every cruise line does something similar. On NCL, the tip is MANDATORY (or so I've heard); you can't remove it.

 

Perhaps we shouldn't care about CCL's internal personel policies, but removing/reducing the auto-tips is the same as turning in a comment card that explicitly names your assigned staff as having given unacceptable service. I've heard from several crew members that, for a cruise that ends on Saturday, they will be called into their supervisor's office on Sunday to explain why a passenger removed the auto-tips. And it is not a pleasant experience.

 

So, by removing the auto-tips, even if you are one of the eight percent who follow through and tip in cash, you are not "sticking it to the MAN" (CCL) as a protest against the line's tipping policy; you are sticking it to the man (or woman) who busted their behind all week to make your vacation great.

 

I, like you, consider the tip to, in reality, be part of the cost of cruising. I budget for it, when I plan my cruise. To me, it makes no difference if I pay before I go, as part of the fare, or during the cruise, as a tip. I then sweeten the pot a little for those individuals who have gone "above and beyond" to give me truly excellent service.

 

Paul Noble

 

Nice reply. Here in FL, the Denny's waitress (family member works there) gets $3.65 per hour plus tips. They do not split any portion with anyone.Elsewhere in the USA,I cannot say.The dishwashers here get minimum wage and the cooks get a decent pay also,about $10.85 to start which is great in our area.So here at least,management does pay all other staff.

 

NCL lines, (I was on there 7 weeks ago) you can get them removed.I went to the pursers and there is a form. We used the same waiter (we requested him) all week except one night in the specialty restuarant. They seemed to like cash better.

I wish the tips were included so I could deduct it as part of my Corporate meeting expenses without any fancy accounting.

Steve

[WERA]

I cooked for a number of years at a lot of restaurants hiugh and lower end, cooks never got a split of the tips. Bartenders and bussers yes.

[WERA]

I cooked for a number of years at a lot of restaurants hiugh and lower end, cooks never got a split of the tips. Bartenders and bussers yes.

[cathyz]

Nice reply. Here in FL, the Denny's waitress (family member works there) gets $3.65 per hour plus tips. They do not split any portion with anyone.Elsewhere in the USA,I cannot say.The dishwashers here get minimum wage and the cooks get a decent pay also,about $10.85 to start which is great in our area.So here at least,management does pay all other staff.

 

NCL lines, (I was on there 7 weeks ago) you can get them removed.I went to the pursers and there is a form. We used the same waiter (we requested him) all week except one night in the specialty restuarant. They seemed to like cash better.

I wish the tips were included so I could deduct it as part of my Corporate meeting expenses without any fancy accounting.

Steve

Sounds like your family member is getting the short end of the deal since the state minimum wage in Florida is $6.67. Good thing they don't have to split with anyone!

[rwilymz]

2..Again,when did everyone get so stupid,why should we care how their workings internally work? Unless the tip is not a tip but wages instead.

 

Because you like to eat out? to go on cruises? to partake of other 'service' type luxuries in which the people performing the service are not being paid a wage to live on and in order to keep such luxuries in existance those of us with the means to indulge ourselves provide a customary gratuity which 1] acknowledges our appreciateion, and 2] makes it possible for the low-wage hack serving our whims to continue to do so without starving to death?

 

Just a guess.

 

3..So that is our fault again? It has everything to do with getting stupid.They assume that were are too stupid to do it,so they are going to do it for you.If it is to protect the wages,then it is not a tip.

 

My, such cynicism. Usually that's my bailiwick.

 

The purpose behind the auto-tip program was to make it easier for indulgent slobs like me and, well, you to actually do the customary tipping without having to carry around huge wads of cash until the end of the cruise.

 

I cruised when they did that, and it's a nightmare.

 

 

When they stop calling it a tip and include it in the fare,is when the bull will stop. There is no reason that they should not be included except to make the price on paper look cheaper than other vacations.

 

Bingo.

 

You oughta be a hammer, since you're good at hitting nails on the head.

 

The cruise line is in business to -- I'll bet you'll never guess -- make money for themselves. They do that by appearing economical. Now you and I both know that to take our wives on a $600 cruise [per person, double occupancy] does not cost $1200, but also costs the $400 each r/t airfare, and also the approximately $30/day bar tab, and also the $100/day souvenirs and gifts we inevitably get for those family and friends left at home, and also $10/day for food we buy in ports of call, and also the $20/day for tips.

 

You wanna put that all in the fare so that schmucks like me and, well, you don't have to endure any messy and cynical bookkeeping? Well, guess what? You've just scared off a large portion of your potential customer base and you now aren't making money. Buh-bye cruises, particularly the discount, "Walmart" brand cruise lines catering to the middle class nebbishes who aren't used to the fineries and details of high-style living. Like tipping the bell captain a fiver just for looking at your luggage and to ensure that the bell staff will actually pay attention to where it goes while you're waiting for the room to get ready or the cab to arrive.

 

It's the way the world works, Che. The revolution may be coming, but it's got more important things to work out first.

[steveaaaa]

Sounds like your family member is getting the short end of the deal since the state minimum wage in Florida is $6.67. Good thing they don't have to split with anyone!

No,not at all.They are getting the good end.One 6 hour shift is a check of around $20 but the tips,which are left solely up to the diners adds another $12-18 per hour based on 6 tables.If they auto-added %15 it would be lousy.

Steve

[steveaaaa]

It's the way the world works, Che. The revolution may be coming, but it's got more important things to work out first.

 

Well put.:)

Steve

[jakieemma]

The purpose behind the auto-tip program was to make it easier for indulgent slobs like me and, well, you to actually do the customary tipping without having to carry around huge wads of cash until the end of the cruise.

 

I cruised when they did that, and it's a nightmare.

 

I just keep my "wad" in the safe.

I tip after service is rendered. On the occassion where I tip before service, like for a seat up front or a room with a view, it's just a bribe.