JaneHughes Posted March 8, 2010 #1 Share Posted March 8, 2010 We have just returned from a Royal Carribean cruise and a few of the staff advised that the majority of their compensation came from tips. Does anyone know if this is the same situation on a Disney cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivrier Posted March 8, 2010 #2 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Our server in the last cruise explained to us that their income is based on the tips just like any other cruise. Being under Bahamas contract, they keep every cent which means that they don't pay any tax at all. Our server also stated that there will be times when they do not receive any tip at all. Many guests do not show up for breakfast and suddenly disappear without leaving them any tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intotheoh Posted March 8, 2010 #3 Share Posted March 8, 2010 I have to believe it is similar to my experience working as a server in a major chain restaurant a few years back. You get a very small base pay (2.50/hr) and your income is based mostly on a tip. Granted they do also get other perks, probably, free food, board, and great tax laws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieO Posted March 14, 2010 #4 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I think a great thing is the pre-paid gratuities...on the Disney cruise we took last month we did this. I guess however you still must put the little stub in the envelope and give that to your server or room attendant...they in turn must have to give this to "someone" to get their pay. We felt the service was worth way more than what we had for the pre-paid tips and added more $'s in each envelope. They all work so hard and truly gave the best service of any line I've sailed on (including Regent). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truck1 Posted March 14, 2010 #5 Share Posted March 14, 2010 It depends on the area they are assigned/contracted for.From what I understand, its alot like the parks and college program. Tip oriented areas such as wait staff, and room stewards, generally get a fairly low base pay, and the balance is made up in tips.As posted above. Areas such as guest relations,or entertainment get a higher base pay since they do not have a tip oportunity.Other areas that you dont ever see such as laundry personel or cooks would be in the same group. I think, though I cant swear to it off hand, that Disney may take a certain amount back, for room and board.Much like the college program.They also pay for things like alcohol onboard, and things from a crew only store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mong1114 Posted March 14, 2010 #6 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week. Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Mick Posted March 14, 2010 #7 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week. Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree. They work harder than a hotel houskeeper. At a hotel, they'll do your room once per day. On a ship, it's usually twice plus the towel animals, turndown and the frequent guest requests. Knowing people that have worked in both jobs, I know that ship guests use their room a lot more than hotel guests and thus create more work for the staff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mong1114 Posted March 14, 2010 #8 Share Posted March 14, 2010 They work harder than a hotel houskeeper. At a hotel, they'll do your room once per day. On a ship, it's usually twice plus the towel animals, turndown and the frequent guest requests. Knowing people that have worked in both jobs, I know that ship guests use their room a lot more than hotel guests and thus create more work for the staff. I guess we were the exception then. We spent very little time in our room; we were only there to sleep and get ready for dinner. They came in once to clean up (I don't think they change the sheets daily like they do in a hotel) in the afternoon and a second time to turn down the bed and put the animal in the room. We also cleaned up after ourselves everyday. Maybe we are not the typical guests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keishashadow Posted March 14, 2010 #9 Share Posted March 14, 2010 I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week. Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree. only if every cabins tips the suggested gratuity. Im sure there are many who stiff them:(. fyi, the stewards (and all employees) pay for their own transport to/from employment on the ship and have families back 'home' to support including medical, food & housing, etc. They do far more than make the beds in the cabins, your bathroom is cleaned everyday. fyi, many of the stewards employ assistants (those who work in other capacities about the ship & are moonlighting) to help them get all the work they are expected to complete done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtn2005 Posted March 16, 2010 #10 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Mong, One more thing, the way I understand it these people work cruises back to back with little time off. Is that correct? Sorry your cruise on the Magic was not better. We have only been on 1 cruise on the Magic, last year, and it was incredible.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise newbie127 Posted March 16, 2010 #11 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Furthermore, the wait staff not only serve guests at dinner, they work the other venues for lunch and breakfast as well - such as the BBQ on Castaway Cay, and the "fast food" places. Your tips pay them for that as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majesty Fan Posted March 17, 2010 #12 Share Posted March 17, 2010 Husband used to work for RCI as a waiter. Yes they make about $50 per month w/o tips. They aslo have to pay for thier laundry room cleaning fee, internet, etc. Some people tip the suggested amt some do not and some do not tip at all. There is no off days off. The wait staff may get a breakfast or lunch off but never a day. They work 6 mo contract and pay for thier ticket. The wait staff tips are not pooled but the CS not so sure as on the Magic we had 2 people. Lexi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattypatty03 Posted January 28, 2013 #13 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week. Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree. A housekeeper in a hotel also makes at least minimum wage. Stateroom Attendants do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmoo here Posted January 28, 2013 #14 Share Posted January 28, 2013 A housekeeper in a hotel also makes at least minimum wage. Stateroom Attendants do not. So you had to bring up a thread from 3 years ago to make this comment? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravlGrl Posted January 28, 2013 #15 Share Posted January 28, 2013 So you had to bring up a thread from 3 years ago to make this comment? :) I'm betting MattyPatty was doing a search for something, this thread came up, and he/she didn't realize it was a REALLY OLD thread upon replying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJoluv2cruz Posted January 28, 2013 #16 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Not sure what the purpose of this thread is??? No one is being made to work these cruise ships. I'm sure the work is hard and the hours are long, but the employees choose to do it. Many of them are young and do it for the excitement before moving on to other careers and others are making much more money then they could ever make in their home country. It's nice to be concerned for their well being but please stop with the guilt trips. :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzyworld Posted January 28, 2013 #17 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I think a great thing is the pre-paid gratuities...on the Disney cruise we took last month we did this. I guess however you still must put the little stub in the envelope and give that to your server or room attendant...they in turn must have to give this to "someone" to get their pay. What I was told was thet they get their money/tips even without the ticket stub. There are records of what was charged to the room for their tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzyworld Posted January 28, 2013 #18 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Not sure what the purpose of this thread is??? No one is being made to work these cruise ships. I'm sure the work is hard and the hours are long, but the employees choose to do it. Many of them are young and do it for the excitement before moving on to other careers and others are making much more money then they could ever make in their home country. It's nice to be concerned for their well being but please stop with the guilt trips. :mad: I get what you are saying. I used to feel badly for the staff. But when you come across some that have been with DCL for many cruises, I figured if it was that bad they wouldn't renew their contract. They do work very hard though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducklite Posted January 28, 2013 #19 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) I think a great thing is the pre-paid gratuities...on the Disney cruise we took last month we did this. I guess however you still must put the little stub in the envelope and give that to your server or room attendant...they in turn must have to give this to "someone" to get their pay. We felt the service was worth way more than what we had for the pre-paid tips and added more $'s in each envelope. They all work so hard and truly gave the best service of any line I've sailed on (including Regent). If you are sailing concierge they take care of it all for you. You only need to fill out the amounts on the sheet and sign the bottom. We didn't tip extra on our three day as we only ate in the MDR once for dinner and twice for lunch, never for breakfast. We did tip the servers in Palo and Remy as well as the sommelier in both and room service. Edited January 28, 2013 by ducklite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonka's Skipper Posted January 28, 2013 #20 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) I think some of the recommended tips are ridiculously high. For instance, the stateroom attendant gets $28 per person, so for my family of four that is $112, or $16/day to make a bed and put clean towels and an origami towel animal on the bed. In the best hotels, I tip housekeeping $5/day and they are putting clean sheets on the bed as well. How many rooms does each attendant service? Same with the wait staff...they told me they generally service about 16 people per seating, so 32 total, times $28=$896 a week. Some may tip less, but some also tip more. If that is tax free and they get free room and board, that's a pretty decent salary for a job that doesn't require a college degree. ]There is alot of work behind the scenes they do as well, not to mention bring and taking away your lugage. Honestly these CM's, all of them work hard, long hours, to give us tha excellent cruise and deserve every penny they get.:D If you can effort a cruise,you should not be complaining!:confused: JMHO AKK Edited January 28, 2013 by Tonka's Skipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted January 28, 2013 #21 Share Posted January 28, 2013 This comes up on every cruise line's forum. Here's the long and short of it. Consider the auto tip part of the fare. If the employees were compensated the same amount as salary, they would have to pay more fees and taxes on it PLUS it would be factored into the cruise fare. Round numbers: If employees make $5 per day plus $10 in tips, they earn $15 per day. That means Disney pays 1000 crew $5000 per day for a 3000 passenger ship plus $30000 from the passengers. If Disney just paid them $15 per day, Disney would pay the full $35000, divided up among 3000 passengers, with a markup to handle taxes and admin, your price per cruise would be about $14 per day higher, MORE than you pay with auto-tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducklite Posted January 28, 2013 #22 Share Posted January 28, 2013 It depends on the area they are assigned/contracted for.From what I understand, its alot like the parks and college program. Tip oriented areas such as wait staff, and room stewards, generally get a fairly low base pay, and the balance is made up in tips.As posted above. Areas such as guest relations,or entertainment get a higher base pay since they do not have a tip oportunity.Other areas that you dont ever see such as laundry personel or cooks would be in the same group. I think, though I cant swear to it off hand, that Disney may take a certain amount back, for room and board.Much like the college program.They also pay for things like alcohol onboard, and things from a crew only store. On the ship there is no money taken for room and board. Uniforms are provided and cleaned for free. On some lines, all personal laundry is also cleaned for free, others either provide discounted laundry service or a self-serve room for crew. Most lines provide healthcare while on the ship for free, officers and higher level hotel staff (reception, etc.) entertainment, and certain technical services (I/T, A/V, etc.)get health insurance as if they were working for any land based organization. Items of a personal nature such as Internet, alcohol, toiletries, etc. can be purchased through the crew store which usually has no or minimal mark up. It all varies by ship and cruise line. Some are pretty notorious for treating their crew like dirt, others are known for taking great care of them. DCL is in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ticktoneer Posted January 29, 2013 #23 Share Posted January 29, 2013 only if every cabins tips the suggested gratuity. Im sure there are many who stiff them:(. fyi, the stewards (and all employees) pay for their own transport to/from employment on the ship and have families back 'home' to support including medical, food & housing, etc. They do far more than make the beds in the cabins, your bathroom is cleaned everyday. fyi, many of the stewards employ assistants (those who work in other capacities about the ship & are moonlighting) to help them get all the work they are expected to complete done. Re: travel costs for the staff.........a number of DCL staff have told us they pay 50% towards their travel home costs :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmoo here Posted January 29, 2013 #24 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Re: travel costs for the staff.........a number of DCL staff have told us they pay 50% towards their travel home costs DCL pays for CMs to get all the way home when their contract ends. Some other cruiselines only pay to nearest airport. And others, not even that much. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigano Posted January 30, 2013 #25 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Entertainers are on a totally different pay situation than the rest of the boat. My cousin is an Equity performer currently playing Ensign Benson on the Wonder. Her contract is for 9 months (1 month was for rehersals in Toranto- where she had her own 1 bedroom apartment overlooking CN Tower) Disney has paid for all her airfare (from NYC to Toronto, Toronto to LA, and from Miami to whereever she decided to go in May). She lives in a room alone with a porthole. She doesn't pay for any room/board/or laundry. (she does pay for internet access). She started making $900 a week, but now she is up to $1200- plus some bonuses for sticking out the contract for certain times (a bonus after the first 6 weeks, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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