Cruise Staff Salaries, Tips

[okbowler]

I believe that I have seen somewhere in CC a report that HAL is no longer using the word gratuities but now calling it a Hotel Service Charge. Same amount of money, and for the present at least it can be adjusted if one feels that their service was not up to par. Bill

[tnsail]

JMO, I believe that the cruiselines have set the tipping policy as a way to monitor the service that the staff extends to the passengers. Someone who's dissatisfied enough to go to the desk and lower the "automatic" tips is a dissatisfied passenger. Most likely will not return to your cruiseline. If you have a huge number of passengers doing this each cruise, you might have a problem that you need to address NOW.

 

I know from experience that there are some that wouldn't be happy if they won the lottery and the cruiseline mostly likely does too. But if enuff folks complain by lowering the tips the crew gets the message too.....

[sandy toes]

I believe that I have seen somewhere in CC a report that HAL is no longer using the word gratuities but now calling it a Hotel Service Charge. Same amount of money, and for the present at least it can be adjusted if one feels that their service was not up to par. Bill

When we cruise, one of the first things I do is visit the pursers' desk. I find out if the "tips" are added in automatically or not. If they are, those ships give you little slips of paper with that info on them so you can put something in the "tip" envelopes that last night. If they are not, I want to make certain I set aside the correct amount of cash, to make acceptable payments for the service I will receive during the cruise. This past Sept we actually "tipped" a room steward down the hall. She NEVER actually "did" anything for us but each time she saw my grand daughter (age 3) she would take a moment to say hi. By the end of our 9 days, they were giving hugs and my GD was sharing her candy or cookies. Some "service" is more from the heart than just making up a bed. IF you ever have "poor" service, speak directly to management. Things will change for the better. They do follow up, checking the cabin condition and even asking you if you are still having any issues. I love to cruise, rarely finding any problems. I know that the individuals on ship are doing a job I would never want to do. I appreciate their hard work and long hours to make my holiday one to remember.

[LARGIN]

Think a small detail has been omitted.. These people work on salary not a hourly rate. Their normal work day varies from 12 to 16 hours, 7 days a week unless in port where some might get off for 4-6 hours.. You might want to add that into the equation. Kinda drops the hourly rate down a bit.

[BruceMuzz]

Tipped employees on nearly all mass market cruise ships are paid between 85 cents and $1.15 PER DAY (that's an 18 hour day as mentioned earlier) plus any tips they receive.

You can like it or not, but that's the way it has been for most of the last century. It will probably continue that way for most of the next century.

 

With that in mind, you - the consumer - get to decide how much these people earn. If you believe they did a good job, you can reward them appropriately. If you believe they did a poor job, you can with hold their wages and they can starve.

Can anyone think of a better incentive to do a good job???

[okbowler]

There is an article on CC that gives a pretty good idea of who is paid and how much. Go to CC home page , click on features, then under the captains table, then gratuities. If I read this article correctly, employees are given a guarantee of X number of dollars per month. This guarantee is including tips. Only if guarantee is made do they get extra money.Maximum hours and conditions are set by an international board and cruise lines are suppose to follow guidelines. These may not be guidelines that the US follows but when crew signs on they do so understanding that this is part of the job. Bill

[Sally Forth]

Most cruise crews are from countries where $24000/year is an ENORMOUS amount of money. I am not trying to justify what the cruise lines pay, AT ALL. BUT realize that a college graduate can expect to make $500/YEAR in India. The outsourcing of many major companies customer service to places like India has been very popular with college grads of the area...they can make several thousand dollars a year. (see how much less the companies must pay these reps compared to US?)

 

Sorry...I digress. The hours are excrutiating on a cruise ship...often split shifts, MAYBE one day off/week, for many months at a time. BUT we have spoken to a couple of different crew members who have said that they will work 5 years on a cruise ship and be set for LIFE in their home country. A couple spoke of opening a business when they "retired" from the cruise life.

 

Also helps one realize why there are SOOO few Americans working on cruise ships...

Here's a frame of reference for salaries.... my job got outsourced to people with Masters degrees making $3000 a year in India.

 

Viv

[BruceMuzz]

okbowler,

 

You got it more of less right.

The Guarantee kicks in if the tipped employee makes less than the guaranteed minimum salary. But then the question asked is "Why didn't he make the guarantee?"

If it happened because the ship was in a dry dock and there were no passengers onboard, that's OK. If is happened because he did a lousy job and wasn't tipped, he will be "home early for the holidays".

Great incentive to do a great job........

[Bobbareeno]

I am in full agreement with you, I also wish the cruiselines would just add the $10.00 pp per day to the fare. Cruise gratuities are one of the least understood nuances of cruising by modern day cruisers, IMO. I find the lines themselves carry a heavy burden of the blame for this. It is very strange that, even with the advantage of the internet and other resource materials, this subject is so widely misunderstood. It was always understood years ago and the stiff rate was about zero vs. today's 25 - 30% or so. I just don't get it....

 

 

Could you tell me where you got the figure of "today's 25 - 30%" for a stiff rate? I have always tipped above the recommended amount because my service received has been great. I can't imagine someone not tipping for the great service we've always received, especially nearly 1/3 of todays mass market cruise ship passengers!!

 

 

Bob

[daveco58]

Oops, my mistake. I thought that was salary, not tips included. Although

$2000 a month is definitely not slave wages (my son-in-law brings that home after taxes).

 

I do wish the cruiselines just included it as part of the cost of the cruise, instead of calling it a tip though. It is not a tip, when it is automatically added on to you shipboard account.

 

A tip is something you feel you want to leave whether it is for restaurant services or hotel services. On the cruise ship you don't really have a choice, so then it becomes part of the cruisefare.

 

And when anyone tells me I HAVE TO TIP, that tends to make me say, OH NO I DON'T! Although I do leave the auto tips in place, it sometimes rubs me the wrong way.

 

 

When it is added to your account automatically it is a "service charge", common enough in many countries. Y'all need to get out more

[Crzr4Lyf]

After reading all of the replies to this thread I just hadda respond. I am a straight forward person so on my 1st cruise, I asked my room steward what he made. He said that Carnival paid him $100 a month with free food, room and board. He had to spend $ on toiletries and anything extra. The $10 a day tip that cruise lines impose on us is in fact a salary supplement and they can do this because they register the ships in various countries to avoid US Labor Laws that govern minimun wage, overtime and the like.

 

On my 3rd cruise I asked a waitress and she said the same thing and this one was on Princess. But she went on to say that they get 1 full off day once every 2 weeks, having worked split shifts for the entire time. She mentioned that she had to spend her own money on pantyhose, sanitary products and the such. So when i see these hard workers, knowing that they probably haven't had a day off in a while, I don't mind the $10 a day and definetely give MORE at the end of my cruise.

 

The cruise lines are very effecient and know how to keep costs down so people like me can afford to cruise. Just think if there were a bunch of us working on the ship asking to take our mandatory breaks and lunch hours, complaining about working 14 days in a row and then griping about buying pantyhose and tampax. Hmmm, it may not make for a fun vacation.

 

So my hat off to the cruise lines for employing people who are thankful for the work and tending to people who are thankful for getting away from work.

 

Kim

[okbowler]

I thought-- that since all tips are pooled that the guarantee would have to be made for all tipped crew before they would have surplus to distribute. If guarantee to tipped crew is x dollars the tips would go guarantee first to cover x then to crew based on what was given to them by passengers for exceptional service. I agree those who tip income is small it will be Hasta La Vista Baby.Just my thoughts, I'm used to being wrong. Bill:confused:

[Happy ks]

I find it a bit odd that people are interested in the income of others, but then I perused the whole Parade insert in the Sunday paper with "What People Earn". It was interesting, especially to read what small salaries some people here in the US make.

 

You cannot really know what a cruise ship employee, those who depend on tips for wages, is earning. It depends on the bookings and the generosity as well as the stinginess of the pax. There are sometimes charters who pay more than the "regular" passengers, there are sometimes people from countries who do not believe in tipping at all. Not every sailing is fully booked, while other sailings are full to capacity.

 

I'd never bring myself to be so nosy as to ask a direct question of the staff, as I prefer to treat others as I would like to be treated myself. I'm also very sure that those who are asked are not going to be fully honest about it, perhaps hoping to increase their take with sympathy for the hard work they do.

 

We tip the minimum suggested for an average job, more if the service warrants it. I'm happy to say we've always felt the service was deserving of extra.

[JolieMadam]

Am in agreement with HappyKS...what business is it of ours to discuss with an employee of a cruise ship how much he/she earns. It absolutely makes me bristle when I am around passengers who do this and think nothing of it. Typically, this is unmannerly and crude to be so open in these matters with citizens of other countries....no wonder we get labeled "the ugly American."

[bonoriffic]

Am in agreement with HappyKS...what business is it of ours to discuss with an employee of a cruise ship how much he/she earns. It absolutely makes me bristle when I am around passengers who do this and think nothing of it. Typically, this is unmannerly and crude to be so open in these matters with citizens of other countries....no wonder we get labeled "the ugly American."

I would have agreed with you except just the other day I had a very uncomfortable conversation with two Chinese individuals who are training at my company to start up a division back in China. (Or more than likely, outright take my job in 3 years or so) They were quite curious to know how much my car cost, house cost, etc. It seems Americans aren't the only ones with a natural interest in comparing the cost of living with people of other countries.

[isujim]

You cannot really know what a cruise ship employee, those who depend on tips for wages, is earning.

We tip the minimum suggested for an average job, more if the service warrants it. I'm happy to say we've always felt the service was deserving of extra.

 

I'm glad you realize that this isn't tips.......it is wages.......salary supplement as I call it. and I have no problem with that.........but like to call it as it is...........it isn't tipping in the traditional sense..........when they expect you to pay it........it is salary supplementation.:)

[yellowbird23]

Kurbanfan>>>well said. God bless our troops and their families!!

[Happy ks]

It would be lovely if the ship paid their employees a decent living wage and then the tips could be a gratuity, a gift given by those who truly appreciate great service. That some lines are now including it as a service charge is a good thing, I think the workers pay has increased because of it.

 

Although some cultures don't tip (and I'm fine with that) the fact that ship workers are toiling for tips makes me angry when people don't tip, for whatever reason. To not tip is (to me) expecting another human being to be a slave to me. Even if they don't do the greatest job, or your personalities don't mesh, they still have served you in some way. If a person from another culture who is unfamiliar with tipping cruises, they should add it to their cruise cost, if it's a charter, the sponsor should increase the cruise cost to cover these expenses. I have heard of charters where the ship employees (the tipped ones) work all week for no other compensation than their wages.

 

I'm a firm believer that leaving a small, or no tip, to any service personnel that works for gratuities just makes a person look cheap. It doesn't do much to "teach a lesson" to the worker who is stiffed. A note to, or a talk with, their supervisor goes a lot further.

 

Stepping off the soapbox now ;)

[isujim]

It would be lovely if the ship paid their employees a decent living wage and then the tips could be a gratuity, a gift given by those who truly appreciate great service. That some lines are now including it as a service charge is a good thing, I think the workers pay has increased because of it.

 

Although some cultures don't tip (and I'm fine with that) the fact that ship workers are toiling for tips makes me angry when people don't tip, for whatever reason. To not tip is (to me) expecting another human being to be a slave to me. Even if they don't do the greatest job, or your personalities don't mesh, they still have served you in some way. If a person from another culture who is unfamiliar with tipping cruises, they should add it to their cruise cost, if it's a charter, the sponsor should increase the cruise cost to cover these expenses. I have heard of charters where the ship employees (the tipped ones) work all week for no other compensation than their wages.

 

I'm a firm believer that leaving a small, or no tip, to any service personnel that works for gratuities just makes a person look cheap. It doesn't do much to "teach a lesson" to the worker who is stiffed. A note to, or a talk with, their supervisor goes a lot further.

 

Stepping off the soapbox now ;)

 

Agree 100% so don't get off your soapbox;) ........on our last cruise on the Jewel of the Seas 3 weeks ago I particularly paid attention to the number of people that didn't show up the last night of the cruise at dinner. I was surprised to find that maybe 15% of the tables were empty........now maybe they came and paid and went off to the Windjammer to eat.......but there were certainly some no shows that last night of the cruise.

[Crzr4Lyf]

Am in agreement with HappyKS...what business is it of ours to discuss with an employee of a cruise ship how much he/she earns. It absolutely makes me bristle when I am around passengers who do this and think nothing of it. Typically, this is unmannerly and crude to be so open in these matters with citizens of other countries....no wonder we get labeled "the ugly American."

 

 

In response with yours and Happys quote, since we are Americans and are used to certain freedoms, I feel it is Ok to ask someone what they make. But I am prepared for them to decline or say it's none of my business. Just because you guys don't have the GUTS to ask, don't judge me for asking. Why do you think this is unmannerly and crude? It's just a question. Sheesh!!!!!!!!!!

[Happy ks]

I don't think it takes guts to ask a question like that, I don't think guts has anything to do with it. Do you mind if someone asks you about your income? You may be different and not mind at all. Personally, I take offense to someone coming up to me and asking such a personal question. I just give others the same courtesy that I expect to receive from them.

[LHT28]

In response with yours and Happys quote, since we are Americans and are used to certain freedoms,

 

HUH!!

It is not a freedom it is just plain bad manners.

[phoenix1181]

So Crzr4Lyf, how much do you make?