not-enough-cruising

No sir, those folks get their very generous GUARANTEED salary. Clean laundry and dishes are included as part of my fare. If one day I get a towel that is extra clean, I will track down the responsible party and tip him; short of that, I am just fine focusing on those I interact with directly.

Thank You my good man. Well said

Absolutely yes, has been documented on these boards several times. Confirmed at Schooners

the cruise line covers the tip for the bartender on a C&A voucher drink

I put cash directly into the pockets of those that interact with me face to face, and make a difference.

Fantastic observation on the correlation between the upcoming salary increase and the the new auto gratuity rate.

I paid their salary with my cruise fare. gratuities are for extra service, and I can’t pay that until I receive the service. I will decide that amount, not the cruise line.

Tips on the cruise fare are, by definition, no longer “tips”

A very real world attitude. Anyone given the opportunity to make 2-3 times their annual potential in 9 months is very very fortunate.

Agreed, this elevated income on the ships helps the entire family.

When you are deployed you are paid an agreed upon contractual amount, just like the crew. (USAF here as well) The crew are making 2X-3X what they would at home doing the same type work. Their life is MUCH improved by this arrangement.

Luxury does not enter the equation. In these calculations, it is FREE room and board. Nothing more

You have to wonder?? Seriously??

Ok, let’s use their place of work as an indicator of living wage. $0 housing $0 food $0 transportstion $0 for anything In this instance they are paid WELL above living wage. The entire world bases living wage based on the place wages are being spent of the individual in question. Refusal to accept this as fact just means there can be no further fruitful discussion on the matter.

Yes. The Maritime Labour Convention mandates and controls the minimum wages and hours of the crew. Living wage for every country in the world can be found online. I posted the exact numbers earlier this morning.

The baseline indicator must be the living wage as dictated by the crew member’s home country, no doubt

Thinking about it is a good thing.

Well said!

We all have our opinions, and justifiably so. it makes no difference to me what people do. What I can not tolerate, however, is misinformation being posted that could improperly influence someone’s decision. I just put out the facts, debunk the nonsense, and let folks do what they wish.

Lots of misleading or incorrect o formation here. GUARANTEED MINIMUM wage for a crew member is $658 per month (going to $666 on Jan 1) The cre gets this amount regardless of tips. 288 hours is the MAXIMUM that can be worked in a month, as governed by international law (not 360) Using the Philippines as an example, since they are one of the highest ethnicities represented on cruise ships; the average salary for a job such as housekeeping is $175 USD per month. Median salary in the Philippines is USD $308. The guaranteed minimum on the ship is over DOUBLE what could be made at home (and working similar hours). I suppose that is why you run into so many crew members that spend decades working on the ships. Stop making it sound like the crew is being taken advantage of or not compensated fairly. Stop viewing the financials of the crew through a North American or Western European eye. I will tip, in cash, those that I interact with directly. Those “behind-the-scenes” people are doing just fine, and do not, in my opinion, warrant a gratuity from me.

Crew members on cruise ships do make a living wage

No one on the ship is working over 100 hours a week; the Maritime Labour convention limits work hours to “no more than 14 hours on a 24 hour period and no more than 72 hours in a 7 day period”

Silly argument

You are incredibly generous

The purpose of the casino is to separate you from your money.