Gratuities/Tips or Commission/Subsidies!! which is it??

[Gablin]

I've usually been a pretty good tipper, as my children earned money while in school by working in jobs where tips were the major part of their income.

 

My granddaughter worked in restaurants in both Florida and Washington State, and found things very different in those two states. In Florida, she was paid less than $3 per hour by the restaurant. In Washington, she was paid over $8 per hour. Her tips were about the same in the two states. This was a big lesson to a college student!

 

Way back when HAL did not "require" tips, I still tipped for extra service. It was hard to get envelopes from the purser's office then, but possible. Once they were sold to Carnival, the tipping thing changed.

 

I go along with the automatic tips, and add a bit if it seems appropriate. I do not tip extra for towel animals or napkin waving dances.;)

[David&Heather]

If the US based cruise lines want to increase their European business, which appears to be the case evidenced by the number of ships being deployed in Europe, they will inevitably need to make a few changes. Whilst the present system works for those from the US it is both off putting and confusing to others with people not booking due to worries about how much extra it will cost and loss of repeat business from those who are stung by unexpected charges which are well hidden in the brochure and not explicitly mentioned by TA's.

I pay for my cruise in GB£ not US$ so why not extend that to offering me the opportunity to pay for my whole holiday, including the staff's wages, upfront at the point of sale in GB£?

 

I am not saying that the US way of doing this is wrong but it differs to our ways and the US cruise lines need to recognise this. Just as most lines now offer traditional and any time dining options they could also offer diffrent options to pay for the 'hotel charge' and maybe even offer on board account billing in your preferred currency. Net result even more happy customers and more repeat business.

[Pochahontas]

Being patriotic has nothing to do with accepting cutoms of host countries you visit or even cruiselines from a different country. If you want the discretionary $11/day gratuity removed, you have every right to do it. You also have every right to stiff waiters in restaurants in the US because that is YOUR custom. You are right about that. You don't have to accept the customs of host countries or cruise ships. I just don't understand your argument about what your country "stands for" when it comes to how you act as a guest in another country or on a cruiseline based in a different country. Oh, and there should be no confusion about Princess ships being "from Bermuda" because you know full well that Princess is an American company using a system of American currency.

 

 

Be prepared to be educated then.........

 

P&O Princess Cruises PLC (UK)

- Proposed DLC Combination with Carnival Corp (USA)

 

http://www.ftse.com/tech_notices/2003/06532_20030313_PandO-Carnival.jsp

 

In response to the part highlighted in red, thank you for recognising the individuals right to remove the charge in any way they see fit Princess( btw it is $10.50 unless you book a mini suite or full suite, but I am just being picky now) . I would prefer to see the charge inclusive of the price. Oh and by the way I have never put one toe onto American soil, if you want to call St Thomas American soil then include that, but to be honest with you I personally do not want to visit a country that still has the death penalty - but I digress, in trying to explain that is in part what my country stands for but that is another story.

 

I am not going to debate further to this, either you accept that Princess is a UK owned company that has done rather well over in America and is now coming home, has installed a discretionary gratuity/hotel charge/tips which you admit is available to be "adjusted" interpreted by the UK market as a removable charge, or continue in a pointless debate about "stiffing the crew" when the majority of UK posters in this thread have already stated that they would like to see a more transparent pricing system that includes this hidden charge in the base price................ not stiffing really is it?

:rolleyes::cool:

[Cruisin_on_th_net]

:eek: wow yet another "tipping" thread that has degenerated into countries and customs etc. So many misleading quotes and posts.

 

I'd like to see the "discretionary tips" (or what ever it is called) become part of the fare, and I'd like to see ONE fare costed / charged for everyone based on who they book through, NOT their nationality.

 

I still believe that IF EVERYONE who cruised in a nominated time frame. "stiffed" "refused to tip" "used their discretion and removed the discretionary hotel charge" (what ever you want to call it) didn't pay the tip! The staff and their union/s would soon step up and demand better pay.

 

"be careful what you wish for" LMAO! Yearh you might just get charged UK & Aus prices. No wonder the cruising majority just happen to be the ones who can pick up the cruises mega discounted and massively cheaper :rolleyes: who would have guessed that's just a mere coincidence and neither has a bearing on the other!!!!!

 

Bring on equal pricing and we'll see some different attitudes to tipping! ;)

[smeyer418]

...

 

I'd like to see the "discretionary tips" (or what ever it is called) become part of the fare, and I'd like to see ONE fare costed / charged for everyone based on who they book through, NOT their nationality.

 

I still believe that IF EVERYONE who cruised in a nominated time frame. "stiffed" "refused to tip" "used their discretion and removed the discretionary hotel charge" (what ever you want to call it) didn't pay the tip! The staff and their union/s would soon step up and demand better pay.

 

"be careful what you wish for" LMAO! Yearh you might just get charged UK & Aus prices. No wonder the cruising majority just happen to be the ones who can pick up the cruises mega discounted and massively cheaper :rolleyes: who would have guessed that's just a mere coincidence and neither has a bearing on the other!!!!!

 

...

 

absolutely brilliant(not).

There was an anti-tipping movement in the US around 1900. Spearheaded by the Unions(I am not old enough to remember this- someone else reported it). It failed miserably. Even the head of the Unions in the US admitted he tipped.

Your solution is to "teach" the cruise lines a lesson by deliberately stiffing the crew...I respectfully disagree. All it does is allow the people who really want to stiff to hide with an air of superiority. "We are teaching the cruise lines a lesson.- We know best".

As for everyone having the same rules, does that mean we all have the same rules as the EU? or Australia, or Pago pago for that matter?

In the US we have 50 states with 50 rules. Many of them contradictory. Sometimes there is a federal rule that over rules the state individual rules but some states don't even have the same form of law(Louisiana for an example is a civil law state-like France- and the rest of the country is common law like England). We applaud differences. Individual states protection are sometimes different. In the health care law debate(Obama care) one of the things the Republicans wanted to allow insurance companies to be able to sell across state lines without having to be licensed in the state the residents reside. So that the lowest protected state which would have the lowest cost and fewest protection would compete against those states that have enacted more comprehensive protection for its citizens. More protection= more cost. For a group of people who pride themselves in individual states( or countries) right to protect the citizens as they see fit it seems contra-indicated(this not taking a side it explains what it means).

With the protection(one rule) you get higher costs if you chose the state that has the highest protection or the lowest cost with the least protection. You don't get to pick and chose what you like best(higher protection with lower cost doesn't work). If you want a specific protection/cost structure you can always get that by moving there(although don't try moving to the US or Australia if you are over 40).

 

But until the custom changes.....

[smeyer418]

http://www.nydailynews.com/travel/2010/04/23/2010-04-23_florida_ritzcarlton_obliges_british_guests_demand_to_be_served_by_whites_only_su.html

 

I am not saying this in fact happened only that it is being reported and look at the comments which suggest its ok.... it is after all the NY Daily News

there are sometimes customs that are so reprehensible that they should not be followed...

 

BTW 18% of people in the poll think its ok to give in to the guests demands.

[Cruisin_on_th_net]

:eek:

***** have "rules" in the states of US got to do with international pricing of cruises?

 

Charge the price of a cruise based on what a TA/ Cruise Co. is prepared to sell it for, NOT based on where you live. Don't and won't ever give a toss about the "rules" in the US - none of my business!

 

As for feeling superior about stiffing the crew?????? Geez I see everyone scrambling at the discounted cruises as the ones stiffing the crew :D but try telling those cruisers that! So easy to feel superior for tipping when you're still thousands of dollars in front from the inital outlay of your cruise!

 

Oh and correct me if I'm wrong (as no doubt you will :p) but I do believe things have changed a wee bit since the 1900's... :rolleyes:

[smeyer418]

:eek:

***** have "rules" in the states of US got to do with international pricing of cruises?

 

Charge the price of a cruise based on what a TA/ Cruise Co. is prepared to sell it for, NOT based on where you live. Don't and won't ever give a toss about the "rules" in the US - none of my business!

 

As for feeling superior about stiffing the crew?????? Geez I see everyone scrambling at the discounted cruises as the ones stiffing the crew :D but try telling those cruisers that! So easy to feel superior for tipping when you're still thousands of dollars in front from the inital outlay of your cruise!

 

Oh and correct me if I'm wrong (as no doubt you will :p) but I do believe things have changed a wee bit since the 1900's... :rolleyes:

 

the rules for what consumer protection applies is based upon where you live(reside). EU rules applies to EU citizens. US rules depend on both the country AND the state.

One of the reason that cruise lines charge more to the people in Europe is because of the EU rules. Some of the cruise lines enforce the TA selling to specific people because of those rules. My point about the anti-tipping movement is that it was once in the US too and failed....but it was definitely before my time. You know you can have it both ways low price and consumer protection but clearly what you want is what you want.

 

and BTW there is in fact different pricing for some of the states in the form of resident only specials....but you clearly don't want to know that

[Cruisin_on_th_net]

Why don't I want to know that???

 

Seriously I get the local residents special concept of marketing. We have that here, even when pay the minimum wage :D LOL

 

"some of the cruise lines" That somes it up for me. THEIR choice to charge more. They aren't doing it BECAUSE international (or otherwise) law says they HAVE to.....

 

I do agree about the coments re voting with your feet. HOWEVER if we all did that, the staff would be completely NOT paid as the cruise ships would go broke based on the fact we all protested on the disparity of pricing (assuming we did ofcause ;)) Then who'd be feeling superior for stiffing the crew?