Tips with No credit cards and little cash??

[gerif]

Yep, the tipping system fails when one's financial situation changes. Why can't folk just pay their employees appropriate wages instead of going though this whole game.

 

Either way, you'd be paying for it in the end. If the cruiseline paid their employees more, they would, in turn, have to charge you more. All trickles down the same way.

[Almost Packed]

dh & i have faced a problem like this....but we are on the flip side.

 

I am giving my brother and his lovely wife a cruise as a thank you gift. we are going on the same cruise together. When dh & started planning it, we realized that it's not a gift if they have to keep paying for everything. We had a few talks about it. For some people, $100 might as well be $100,000. If it's out of reach, it's simply that....

 

Here's what we did. We told them we would pay for everything for them getting on to the ship with the exception of a passport if they chose that (vs a passcard). transportation to and from (Dallas to Florida) and hotel room pre & post cruise and transportation. We let them know they are responsible for their own gratuties and excursions of their choice. We booked them in the exact same cabin as ours on the other side of the ship. For Christmas, we plan to give them gift certificates to CCL to help them out.

 

Now I've been thinking about this...and wondering, did i do the right thing? of course i love them, I want to go with them. Did i do the right thing as in giving them a gift that might cost more than they could afford to spend at this particular time? I wish I could afford to pay for everything!!!! But I cannot.

 

they are in the same boat as the OP. They had no credit cards-they pay cash for everything. There home is paid for in full (cash)and so are their cars. So did I really give them a gift or a burden?

 

I truly hope they think of it as a gift and not a burden.

 

If i were the OP, i'd go on my cruise with my family. I'd certainly make sure I paid for my tips and made no changes to them unless service required it so....either way, up or down.

 

I would keep all spending to bare minimum. I am not one to tell people to go on vacations they cannot afford. However, cruising is not something some people can do all the time with a family of four (or whatever the number is because it's expensive) Talk to your brother, ask him for a loan. You can get a passcard instead of passports-they are way cheaper) Pay a kid in your neighborhood $20 to feed your pets. Drive to the port. Borrow the $'s from brother if he wants you there...

 

One should never not pay tips onboard unless the service warranted that action. Under no circumstances should they be removed because you cannot afford them. However, people should not feel guilted into paying gratuties to someone just because they are less fortunate, poor, etc. Tips-To Insure Proper Service! if i have poor service, you get a poor tip. I don't care if you are dirt poor and eating shi*t sandwiches with no bread. service is what is required for the tips. If every indigent person received tips (or any other freebie) for not doing the work, why bother doing the work. (see current U.S. economy nanny state for examples lol)

 

anyways, ask your bro for help. i bet he is willing to help. If not, decline the trip if you cannot have a garage sale, skip a car payment or whatever to raise the $'s. Chances are your bro. would rather help out than lose the entire cost of the cruise.

 

Sometimes a gift is not a gift.

 

Good luck, and please keep us updated. I hope your business turns around. It sure does sound like you could use a vacation. I hope you can get on that ship and relax some.

[Almost Packed]

p.s.

 

If my db & dsil came to me and said they just could not afford it, i'd find the way to pay for it....

[upstate_italian]

Either way, you'd be paying for it in the end. If the cruiseline paid their employees more, they would, in turn, have to charge you more. All trickles down the same way.

and if it was included in the cruise fare the OP would not be in this situation.

[G'ma]

Yep, the tipping system fails when one's financial situation changes. Why can't folk just pay their employees appropriate wages instead of going though this whole game.

 

1. Because the cruise rates would increase so much that the bottom line would suffer.

 

2. What we consider "appropriate" is not what someone from another country might consider.

 

3. Nobody is using forced labor and many shipboard employees have been working cruises for years, supporting their families back home and providing a good life for them.

 

4. If you can't afford to tip, don't ever travel anywhere...for tipping is part of the deal whether on a cruise ship, a U.S. hotel or resort, the taxi driver or the bellman.

 

5. We all know the deal, upfront. If tipping is abhorent, don't cruise. If you can't afford to tip, don't cruise.

[G'ma]

and if it was included in the cruise fare the OP would not be in this situation.

 

and, the fare would be so high, he probably would not have been gifted with a free cruise.

[happytravellers2]

Without wanting to get into a fight that doesn't involve me and getting whacked for the stupidity - as a non US resident it is interesting to view the attitude towards tipping. Guaranted tips is so accepted.

Hidden costs are the bane of modern living - pay the guys properly and put it into the published price - pay what you see. Tipping is fine, but should be according to service.

Having said that, where I live we also have a huge problem of exploitation of underpaid staff - and the hospitality industry is one of the worst offenders. My sensitivity towards tipping changed substantially after my son started waiting tables and his earnings were 95% tips - but I still resent fixed tips and want to have the opportunity to tip on service.

[upstate_italian]

and' date=' the fare would be so high, he probably would not have been gifted with a free cruise.[/quote']and that would have solved the OP's problem as well if he had not given it to them.

 

It wouldn't be that high actually. If you take a pretty normal rate of 300 bucks for a 5 day carnival caribbean cruise and add in the 50 bucks for the autotips you get 350. Not that much of a change. Only about 17% more. If you have a upgraded cabin category it makes the percentage even lower.

[dandro]

I agree with the poster that suggested that you start saving now. If you cut out any non-essentials and shop frugally, cook budget meals, eliminate going out to eat, no take out, no fast food, no theater, movie rentals, no specialty coffees, it's amazing the amount you can save, seriously. And if you smoke, cut down and put the all the money you save into a jar for your cruise. I'm sure that you can easily save $5 a day. Live like you are a college student all over again...even if you have to eat top ramen again. ;)

 

While on your ship you can easily not incur any additional expenses except for the auto tips.

 

Good luck, and hope you get to enjoy your cruise.

[crzycick]

Yeah, you really don't have to spend anything besides tips once you're onboard. On our first cruise we each bought 1 drink of the day and then I had a reaction to the sun and bought some benadryl for $6. This was the only extra expense besides the tips. Now, we did order room service and tipped them a $2-3 each time but we could have easily gone without. We did take 2 cheap excursions (one was $20 each) out of 4 ports and this was the only splurging we did as we didn't have a lot of money and we were just happy to be cruising. On our last cruise we did spend quite a bit on excursions (found our own, not through the ship) because we had the extra money but the only other onboard expenses besides tips was I bought a drink of the day card for $26 and bought him a coffee card for $12. That's all.

[kitty9]

Either way, you'd be paying for it in the end. If the cruiseline paid their employees more, they would, in turn, have to charge you more. All trickles down the same way.

 

If that would happen, the cruise fares would be so high that very few would be able to cruise. Seabourn's fares are four times the price of some of the mass markets, but they do have a no tipping policy. If you don't want to pay tips, you can go for $400 per person per day, and not worry about tips.

[mafig]

Thanks Kitty.

 

 

You put this thread in a whole different light.

 

 

I say be prepared to tip or don't go.

[pms4104]

If I were the OP, my inclination would be to have a chat with my generous brother ... tell him how much we appreciate his thoughtfulness and how much we truly would love to join the family on the sailing ... however, the rough economy has impacted our business and personal financial situation ... and we will not be able to join everyone, as the additional expenses are beyond our current means.

 

I would not ask him for anything more than the cruise fare he already has offered ... I would allow him the opportunity to offer to cover any/all additional expenses, whatever he wants to do. If he is not forthcoming with more monies, I would thank him for his thoughtfulness and generosity ... and move on.

 

That's just me.

[jefa]

camp637 that would be me too:)

[ehfl]

So sad, when you see people hurting hard working crew members, because they don't want to pay tips.

 

If I can't afford a vacation, I just don't go. I would never consider cheating people out of their earnings, as a viable option. I understand not being able to pay....I just don't understand the mentality of not being able to pay for something, yet going ahead and doing it anyway.

[cruiserbryce]

tough situation...although you probably wouldnt be too keen on the idea of getting reduced service all cruise...so probably should try to swing a way to recognize their great service

[blindrid]

The OP really gets me fired up on this one:

 

1) counting the money lost by a) closing the business for a few days; b) boarding critters; c) looking at booking excursions; etc, and,

 

2) whining about someone "stalking them"

 

3) wants to stiff the help

 

Moral of story is that you either cannot or is not willing to afford the cruise. Punt it. Situations change and maybe later is a better time. Trying to save a piddly sum to make the deal work, will not. My (two of us) typical bills for a week run about $1,000 +. What are you doing then? Excursion for a family of four can easily be $500+ a day and you're worrying about tips?????

 

I also think it's a bit petty to ask brother for additional $$'s for the expenses. I always try to help others financially but the day they ask for it/expect it is the day they received their last $$.

 

I'm curious about the particulars behind the lawsuit - if one lost, I would suggest someone is at fault. Things happen and would think insurance would protect liability issues.

 

To summarize:

1) don't take the cruise

2) if you take it, plan on spending your own money

 

One thing for sure your financial condition can change, whiners rarely change.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

If your situation is a dire as you state, maybe you should stay home and concentrate on running your business.

[cruiseco]

and if it was included in the cruise fare the OP would not be in this situation.

 

The $140 tipping question is the least of his/her problems.

[paul929207]

I think we did not give Diane the answer she wants (stiff the help), so she is gone.

[tel2]

Actually, we found ourselves in a similar situation about 10 years ago; family cruise that was a gift cooincided with personal financial crisis - no credit cards, no cash, and we came up with a pretty easy solution that still allowed us to go on cruise without stiffing anyone. After discussing it with the family member that gave us the gift and explaining our circumstances and making sure they would not be offended or upset, we called the travel agent that booked the group and asked to downgrade our outside cabin to the least expensive inside guarantee cabin available and apply the refund as an onboard credit. We stayed in a miniscule inside cabin, and some of our family thought I must really be on the outs with my mother -- who was the gift giver -- but the onboard credit paid for tips and drinks and even a bingo game or two. Worked out perfectly. Where there is a will there is a way.....

[CapeCodCruiser]

Actually, we found ourselves in a similar situation about 10 years ago; family cruise that was a gift cooincided with personal financial crisis - no credit cards, no cash, and we came up with a pretty easy solution that still allowed us to go on cruise without stiffing anyone. After discussing it with the family member that gave us the gift and explaining our circumstances and making sure they would not be offended or upset, we called the travel agent that booked the group and asked to downgrade our outside cabin to the least expensive inside guarantee cabin available and apply the refund as an onboard credit. We stayed in a miniscule inside cabin, and some of our family thought I must really be on the outs with my mother -- who was the gift giver -- but the onboard credit paid for tips and drinks and even a bingo game or two. Worked out perfectly. Where there is a will there is a way.....

 

That is the most helpful answer I've seen in this thread:)

[blindrid]

That is the most helpful answer I've seen in this thread:)

 

Agreed. Sure beat mine........

[mafig]

I agree.....a very good suggestion.

 

Where is the OP? I seem to recall that she had about 13 posts when this thread started and now it's up, so she is posting on CC, just not here. Also, her green light is on.

[WeBeGone]

There is no excuse to ever stiff the help on a cruise ship - the service is always wonderful.

 

If a person is not resourceful enough to save for the "spending" money, which includes gratuities, then they should not take a cruise vacation.