Cruise automatic tips

[McGregor]

Does the automatic charge of $10-11 per person/per day that cruise lines add to your bill really go to the staff or is it additional profit for the cruise line? Seems like the staff sign 6-9 month contracts and I wonder if the ever see those tips?

[paul929207]

Yes, it does go to the employees who serve you and also those who help behind the scenes.

[wwinfl91]

I have asked crew members on cruises we have been on since they started this practice and they all agree that the tips do go to the employees. The one thing they also say is that they make less individually than they did before because the tips are divided among a lot of the back stage employees that you and I as cruise ship passengers never see (i.e. the people who do the laundry, people who wash the dishes, the crew who work with all the trash we generate, etc.). So the cabin steward and the dining room waiter make a little less and that difference is going to the back stage personnel.

 

Again this is my own experience in talking with our cabin stewards and waiters.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[CC Help Michell]

I agree with the above, and plain logic tells me so. We live in the age of the internet and blogs. If the crew weren't receiving those gratuities some crew member, somewhere, would have posted to say so -- I've never seen that, and occasionally when these threads arise I google it just to see if I can find one.

 

Every crew member I've ever discussed it with says they get the money, and they prefer the automatic tipping -- not so they can shirk on service, but because of people who just plain didn't tip under the old "envelope" system. Yes, hard as it may be to believe, grown people used to hide from their cabin stewards, and avoid the dining room on the last night of cruises, in order to avoid tipping, or looking cheap for not doing so. :rolleyes:

[cb at sea]

We like to tip in cash---that way, the employee can keep (or claim) as much of their tip as they want---the cruiseline has NO WAY to ascertain what we've given any individual. If they wish to "pool" their tips, it's up to them. If they want to claim that we've "stiffed" them (even tho we didn't!!!) it's up to them! By giving them the tips in cash, we give them control of their money!

[fann1sh]

CB at Sea, on Holland America Line your system will not work. The "front of the house" employees are given a list of those who remove auto-tips, and required to turn over cash tips from these people for distribution.

 

How do they enforce this? I'm not sure. But anyone claiming you "stiffed" them, and caught holding back cash, can and will be fired.

 

However, if you leave the auto tip in place, any extra cash can be kept, as an additional, personal tip.

[Arwenmark]

We like to tip in cash---that way, the employee can keep (or claim) as much of their tip as they want---the cruiseline has NO WAY to ascertain what we've given any individual. If they wish to "pool" their tips, it's up to them. If they want to claim that we've "stiffed" them (even tho we didn't!!!) it's up to them! By giving them the tips in cash, we give them control of their money!

 

No you give them the chance to be fired. Unless you slip this money totally out of sight of anyone they will and do turn each other in if cash is not turned in. As you probably know if you leave your auto tips in place and give cash, they turn it in but get it back again once it is clear you left the autotip in place.

 

To the OP I find it odd that your first post would be about whether employees get to keep tips. Just an odd thing to be so concerned about that it prompts a first post on a cruise board.

[iheartbda]

CB at Sea, on Holland America Line your system will not work. The "front of the house" employees are given a list of those who remove auto-tips, and required to turn over cash tips from these people for distribution.

That's pretty much the same on all the lines.

 

How do they enforce this? I'm not sure. But anyone claiming you "stiffed" them, and caught holding back cash, can and will be fired.

 

Honor system.:)

 

We like to tip in cash---that way, the employee can keep (or claim) as much of their tip as they want---the cruiseline has NO WAY to ascertain what we've given any individual. If they wish to "pool" their tips, it's up to them. If they want to claim that we've "stiffed" them (even tho we didn't!!!) it's up to them! By giving them the tips in cash, we give them control of their money!

Of course there's no way for the cruise line to know EXACTLY how much you gave them. That's not the point and it's a point that you will NEVER get no matter how many times it's explained. Like someone else pointed out, an employee is at risk of being fired for not turning in the tips. If there are no records of tips, those in charge of the employees take it as an indication they were not doing their job properly. At the very LEAST, you are putting the employee in the position of having to defend themselves as to why you seemingly did not tip.:(

[CC Help Michell]

That's pretty much the same on all the lines.

 

 

 

Honor system.:)

 

 

Of course there's no way for the cruise line to know EXACTLY how much you gave them. That's not the point and it's a point that you will NEVER get no matter how many times it's explained. Like someone else pointed out, an employee is at risk of being fired for not turning in the tips. If there are no records of tips, those in charge of the employees take it as an indication they were not doing their job properly. At the very LEAST, you are putting the employee in the position of having to defend themselves as to why you seemingly did not tip.:(

 

Not even that it's an honor system. It's that the crew members are part of one of the smallest communities you've ever met -- Peyton Place has nothing on a modern cruiseliner. EVERYONE knows everyone else's business -- and someone hiding what's been paid is not going to remain a secret for long, because it WILL be reported.

 

The only sane course for any crew member receiving tips from someone who has removed the auto tips (and YES THEY KNOW WHO DID THIS!) is to turn over all the money for pooling. If you want to avoid that, leave autotips in place and tip extra (which the employee can keep). I've seen the post above about "giving the crew control of their money" many times before -- but in today's cruise environment, it's really not going to happen. Even if the cash tip were $100 for a four night cruise, who in their right mind would risk their employment to take that cash and pocket it without reporting it? :rolleyes:

[Putterdude]

On a recent cruise when we tipped our waiters extra over and above the autotip they were carefull to write our name and cabin number on the envelope just to ensure that we hadn't done a last minute removal of the auto-tip. I have no idea how our cabin steward handled his extra tip.

[iheartbda]

The only sane course for any crew member receiving tips from someone who has removed the auto tips (and YES THEY KNOW WHO DID THIS!) is to turn over all the money for pooling. If you want to avoid that, leave autotips in place and tip extra (which the employee can keep). I've seen the post above about "giving the crew control of their money" many times before -- but in today's cruise environment, it's really not going to happen. Even if the cash tip were $100 for a four night cruise, who in their right mind would risk their employment to take that cash and pocket it without reporting it? :rolleyes:

The funny thing, and certainly not in a humorous way, is people think they are giving the employee MORE by removing the auto tip and handing it to them in person, when in fact, that person will now be getting less....unless they tipped MUCHO bucks.

 

I just wish everyone would leave the auto tips in place and give extra to those they think deserve more since that extra is theirs, free and clear.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Yes the crew do get those auto tips.

HAL's newest break down:

$3.50 is divided between your 2 cabin stewards.

$3.50 is divided between your 2 dining room staff.

$4 is divided between the kitchen staff, Pinnacle staff, laundry people, cleaners, etc. -- in other words -- al the "Behind The Scenes Staff".

[michmike]

It's time for the cruise lines to be upfront about what it is and CALL it a service charge instead of auto tips and to make it impossible to remove it. That way staff is adequately compensated and we as cruisers are still free to reward superior service above and beyond that w/o all the machinations of who gets what and encouraging staff to break the rules, etc.

 

Failing that, we need to accept that it IS a service charge, regardless of what the cruise lines continue to call it and just factor it into the cost of the trip along with our other incidental expenses. We keep getting hung up on the TIP aspect of it.. it is NOT a tip.. it's a service charge.. OK??????

 

As for building it into the price...... Have you stayed at a hotel lately? How about state and local taxes, convention bureau tax, "resort" fees and in big cities downtown, parking charges. All of the sudden what was quoted as a $120 a nite room becomes $180. Where is the hand wringing there?

 

We're all adults here.. it is what it is..

 

you want outrage, let's talk about $11 for popcorn and a pop at the movie theatre...