EXCREWCRUISER

Yes it does!!! Thank you!!!

Yep i completely agree!! Hand your waiter and room attendant  cash every night and you’ll see excellent service. 

 And knowing the crew they are not turning it into a pool even if it stated in a policy. 

The good old $20 / $50 handshake does wonders and you’ll see surprises other cruisers will not see. 

20 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

My preference absolutely matters when I am deciding  whether or not a tip is earned and how  I will distribute it.  

Yes Not-Enough-Cruising, the tipping pool is a corrupt system. We as cruisers deserve the right to decide who we tip and when we tip. That is how our American gratuity system works. Until enough cruisers realize that there is something wrong with the prepaid gratuity system and start pulling out to force them to start paying salaries that are competitive like normal USA business do. What some one really should get there hands on is not the tipping policy but rather the breakdown of who receives money from the prepaid gratuity pool. You will be shocked to see upper management dips their hand into it. 

It is honestly pure laziness on a guests behalf to use a prepaid tipping pool and it is ignorance to think the crew is benefiting from it. It is called good old recognition of service well deserved when you hand a crew member cash and say thank you directly to them compared to some inhuman automated prepaid gratuity system that has no interaction with the individual and to say you were great but you only deserve $4 tip. 

   So there are people who are lazy and socially inept who like the prepaid system but i would prefer the system to be changed that allows us the guest to reward good service where we see fit and do something to tell the cruise line the gratuity system is broke and that it shouldn’t be a given expected part of the salary. If it is then just add it to the cost of the ticket and don’t call it a gratuity. When was the last time you went into a restaurant and gave the waiter the tip before you even got to the restaurant or decided before you had the service how much you were going to tip? 

58 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

That's your personal opinion and there is no reason to think it reflects to wishes of the crew.  

What new cruise lines are those?  

I don’t know your background but I’m guessing your experience is from sitting onboard the ship as a guest. I worked for years onboard the ship representing the crew and understand their struggles and fought for them and anyone of them on cruises over 7 days or in Europe would say they are screwed by the policy and by the Pre tip practice. I had lines outside of my office complaining because of ignorant guests pulling out of the gratuity process and because the old system was gone they ended up with $4.00 for a whole cruise. So believe what you like. And you are sharing your own opinion but you spend 8 months onboard working and listening to them as whole departments and you’ll know and honestly they feed you the guest whatever you want to talk about and will follow your dialogue because that is what they are paid for. 

Don’t need to. 

The premise is the prepaid system is corrupt and good service should be rewarded the way tipping is meant to be to the person providing it directly. The back of the house should be paid a competitive salary based on  labor provided like any other USA hospitality business. 

I like the new lines that are coming out that are completely getting rid of the prepaid tipping thing. Up front pricing!! 

Plus per the contract if the guests don’t pay the prepaid the company is required to make up the difference. 

5 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I don't think that is 'wrong information'.  Too many people have reported it to be true.  A few copies of the crew contract also support that.  All we have from you are your personal claims to have insider information.  Tell you what, post a copy of the crew contracts that support  your contentions.

So you are spreading gossip because someone else has told you? Where is your copy? 

The system is corrupt. 

Why does a senior manager (3 stripes) deserve a dip in that pool? 

Ask to see the tip pool and how it is divided and who partakes in it. You’ll be shocked. 

5 minutes ago, EXCREWCRUISER said:

 

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

And, those you give cash will have to surrender that cash to the ships tipping pool where it will be distributed as required by the contract with the crew.  So, what have you accomplished?

On 8/8/2019 at 12:41 PM, realtorgranny said:

I don’t think we will ever forget our first cruise (1999) on Carnival Destiny. We had a two top table next to a family of four. Every night that family was so loud and demanding we felt bad for our Servers. On the last night, when you customarily gave your Servers their “envelopes” the family of four was a no show. Twenty years later I still feel bad for how hard they worked to please everyone.

And that table probably went to the front desk and pulled out of the prepaid tips as well. 

That tipping pool thing that keeps coming up is lies.... the crew gets to keep it. Trust me i know for at least Royal Carribbean and Carnival. 

Good for all of you who pull out from the corrupt tipping system and pay them cash. 

But this automatic gratuity system is not a USA standard it is something the cruise industry made up to not pay a decent wage and to make the crew work hard for a good tip. 

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I've been criticized on this board for my tipping policy which is: "Tip early, tip often, tip generously."  We consider the cruise line gratuity to be the minimum gratuity.  Funny thing.  We never have to wait for a table.  By the second night, the bartender will reach for my favorite bourbon when I walk in.    

 

Another funny thing.  Those who have worked in the services industries usually have a much different attitude towards tipping than those who have not.  I've shined shoes in a barber shop and worked as a car hop at a drive in.  We actually enjoy tipping.

Your quote is awesome!!!

That is the way to ensure a cruise that is above standards!!!

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

The fact that cash tips must be turned into the tipping pool has been established multiple times on cruise critic.  Try searching. 

How do you know that the 'older crew' isn't trying to influence you to get higher ratings on reviews?

If the crew is receiving 'good money' then what does it matter to you how they're compensated.

I was senior hotel management onboard. 

They would come to me with their issues and i know the policy and how it works. 

They are not manipulating me as a guest because i know the system from their side.  It really bothers me that people don’t tip based on the quality of the service received rather just give some generic amount to the cruise line. When I’m in a restaurant shoreside and i get really good service i tip more, if i get bad service i tip less but the cruise line has flatlined this to say “guest this is what the crew deserves nothing less and nothing more and you don’t have to worry about it. Plus because we are saying an average tip we are going to give you average service now.” This is why now you get a room steward assigned to you that has many more rooms to service then before some have up to 20 to do per cruise. Or in my time dinning the waiter doesn’t care who you are because they are not working for that gratuity because you already paid it and that waiter also has multiple tables now. I’m fine with lazy passengers that just think that i have prepaid the gratuity and that is good enough for the crew because when I’m dropping a fifty dollar bill the first day of the cruise to the room and table steward and then through out the week for their service and I’m getting special requests full-filled that is fine and the average cruiser who thinks a prepaid $2.00 tip for a five course meal is good and they get what they get at an average speed that is fine too. 

I’m giving this advice for you to see the difference of service. You don’t need to do but from cruising for the last 40 years of my life and working as senior management onboard I have a good understanding of things and the psychology of the crew. 

17 minutes ago, myra711 said:

One other issue that I don't think I've seen here: now that there is open seating, how would you tip waitstaff?  Per meal?  Much easier to have gratuities included.

As i said in my statement you carry cash to tip each night. Open seating waiter will want you back if you tip them cash if not your considered one of those lazy tippers giving them the generic prepaid amount. 

You said it “easier” meaning you tip on quality or service just they get what they get. 

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

On most cruise lines, cash given directly to the crew must be turned in to the tipping pool.  

 

BTW, if the tip pool is such a bad deal, then why do so many want to be crew on cruise ships?

That is false statement about the money given to the tipping pool. If you give a cash tip to a crew member that is theirs to do what they want. Some share with those who help him/ her with achieving excellence. 

Talk to some off the older crew they use to make a lot more money because they worked for the tips. 

Why so so many want to work on ships?? Well most the crew come from India, Philippines or Indonesia where making $700 to $2000 a month is good money. They will take whatever money they can get. 

Completely agree!! 

This policy is for cheap and lazy cruisers. I recommend waiving the fee and carrying a wad of cash and tip those crew who give you that excellent services. 

The cruise line is trying to use this as an excuse not to pay the crew directly. 

Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival use this corrupt practice. You should ask for the break down you’ll be scandalized that the management is included in the pool. 

If you tip crew cash directly you will get exceptional service because they know you care compared to that lazy slob that thinks they only deserve three dollars a day for a five course meal.