About being cheap

[MissDiva1]

2. Why doesn't the company just pay livable wages, so as not to put that burden on their customers (us)? Nobody here may have the answer to that, but is this how it is on all cruise lines or just Carnival?

 

Thanks in advance & I hope I don't get flamed, some of these responses seem kinda harsh!

 

 

What burden would that be:confused:

[gemsm]

I am from the USA and you are 100% correct. These people need to look up the definition of a "tip". They will tell you "they have never had bad service and even if they did they would still tip", that is not a tip. If you feel bad for these people for CHOOSING that line of work then donate your money to them, to come on here and call people cheap that don't tip when they get horrible service is a joke. Nothing worse then people lined up telling everyone how much extra they tipped because these poor people work so hard. Absolute JOKE, a tip is for going above and beyond and it's personal, none of your nose in the air bleeding heart guilty rhetoric. I worked as a waiter all thru college and I knew when I was off and didn't expect tips for lousy service, geez should of had you charity givers at my table. A complete snob to call people cheap for not tipping bad service. Mind your own business.:mad:

 

This is why they shouldn't call it a "tip" or a "gratuity" but rather a "service charge". People don't understand the difference on the "auto tip" cruise lines.

[wannago35]

No, it's $75 PER MONTH, not day

 

I guess my point is where is this info coming from and is it a reliable source? I've read several difference prices from high to low ranges.

[gemsm]

I'm a first time cruiser & after reading 2 pages of this thread I had to ask a couple questions,

 

We have traveled in almost every way possible (all inclusives, timeshares, booking the old fashioned way) except cruising. We're decent tippers, even at all inclusives where the tips are already included we tipped anyway.

 

Hubby & I discussed the auto tip thing (I"m assuming you all are talking about the $150 that will be charged at the end of the cruise?). I was willing to pay it up front and he is not because he doesn't want to pay in advance for services he hasn't received yet which is understandable - he didn't like the idea of the all inclusive either for the same reason but gave it a shot. Which leads me to

 

1. Is there anywhere online with solid evidence of what cruise employees make? Hubby doesn't believe they make $50/day (I see here many say its actually $75/day). We both did searches & came up with several different prices ranging from $25/day to $4000/month.

 

2. Why doesn't the company just pay livable wages, so as not to put that burden on their customers (us)? Nobody here may have the answer to that, but is this how it is on all cruise lines or just Carnival?

 

Thanks in advance & I hope I don't get flamed, some of these responses seem kinda harsh!

 

Here is a really good article...People who expect tips as part of their salary (room Stewards, waiters, assistant waiters) make as low as $50.00 a month base salary.

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/ot.html

[wannago35]

What burden would that be:confused:

 

I phrased that wrong. But for example when we do all inclusive we tip extra because we want to and/or feel the service deserves something extra.

 

I've never stayed at a non-all inclusive & been told I as a customer had to or should tip $___ because they aren't paying their staff enough - isn't that the bottom line here?

 

We've never gone on vacation & thought this much about tipping, we just did it (or did not if the service was really horrible but thankfully that has never happened). I'd think that just like salary information may incline some to tip more, it could have the opposite effect for those who feel its being forced on them.

 

So, is this the norm for cruising or is this a Carnival thing? As I said before this is my first time cruising for a relative's birthday who booked a group thing so I didn't investigate any other lines to see what they do and don't do.

 

Keep the flame low when you burn me ;)

[jerseyralph]

Understanding that the economy is in terrible shape and everyone wants to save a buck during their cruise, I personally have a "pet peeve" with those cruiser's who are just :mad:CHEAP:mad: !

My biggest pet peeve with those cheap cruiser's are those who remove all the auto-tips indicating that tipping should be voluntary based upon service and in reality these cheap cruisers really never tip at all !

What’s your experience involving the cheap cruiser ?

Thanks:)

 

I guess I mind my own business. I have never been compelled to ask anyone about how and what they tip and I have been on many cruises. Not my business. I am not waiting on them or servicing their room. The only time I have ever considered how others tip is when I read these boards and the subject comes up. Along those lines, are you completely versed in the norms of cultures beyond your own? A little education might alleviate some of your pet-peeved-ness.

Be well

[bodog402]

I guess I mind my own business. I have never been compelled to ask anyone about how and what they tip and I have been on many cruises. Not my business. I am not waiting on them or servicing their room. The only time I have ever considered how others tip is when I read these boards and the subject comes up. Along those lines, are you completely versed in the norms of cultures beyond your own? A little education might alleviate some of your pet-peeved-ness.

Be well

 

Hello jerseyralph-

Firstly, I thank you for replying and secondly, I do apologize for not fully understanding your reply. For the sake of brevity and clarity, my original post was solely directed to those cruisers who without hesitation remove their auto-tips during their cruise citing that they should be allowed to tip at their own discretion, AND subsequently never tip anyone, possibly not understanding that the mandatory tips charged by the cruise lines such as Carnival is added solely to supplement the employees base salary as their base salary amounts to slavery at best ! :p

Also, I have a summer home near Princeton Junction ! I love the area !Take care !

[MissDiva1]

Hello jerseyralph-

Firstly, I thank you for replying and secondly, I do apologize for not fully understanding your reply. For the sake of brevity and clarity, my original post was solely directed to those cruisers who without hesitation remove their auto-tips during their cruise citing that they should be allowed to tip at their own discretion, AND subsequently never tip anyone, possibly not understanding that the mandatory tips charged by the cruise lines such as Carnival is added solely to supplement the employees base salary as their base salary amounts to slavery at best ! :p

Also, I have a summer home near Princeton Junction ! I love the area !Take care !

 

Oh please:rolleyes: Slavery? Mandatory tips? Carnival does not charge mandatory tips.........and while I'm at it........all tip paying jobs supplement income......whether on land or sea.....

 

Is there a full moon? good lord.......

[Mrs.C05]

We do not remove our tips that we pre-pay for the staff. It's part of cruising for us! They are there to tidy up our room, cook our food (and serve it depending on where/what you eat) and serve us drinks! I wouldn't expect that for free!!

 

The only "cheap" thing I do is pre-pay for alcohol that I discovered on our last cruise. I took the plunge and bought a bottle of rum. Although it was quite pricey compared to here at home, it was well worth it!!!!! We only had a $250 sign and sail bill ($100 of that was a future cruise certificate, $50 was professional photo's and album) and I would do that in a heart beat!

 

But back to the main topic, we do not ask or hint at who does/doesn't auto-tip or tip at all. None of our business. All I care about is myself and DH. To each their own, and karma always comes back around ;)

[lroche_nf]

OMG I would never remove tips! The employees work way too hard to do that. My only cheapness is that I don't drink very much. Makes for a low bill.

[skylock]

Please keep the discussion about the individuals that the automatics gratuities apply to.

 

To discuss the salary of someone like the Captain and a Cabin Steward as the same thing is ridiculous.

 

I am solely refering to crew that are listed in the automatic gratuities.

 

Of course other employess on the ship make a salary...that is not the discussion here.

 

We are discussing the FACT that these individuals listed in the automatic gratuities only make a base of $70-75 a MONTH. That is fact.

 

I don't like the FACT that cruise lines (Carnival specifically) has the pay method for these cabin stewards and wait staff set up like this.

 

HOWEVER< as long as that is the case, then people should be educated to the FACT that IF they remove the "tips"....they are saying that these individuals should work for free.

 

Do you want to work for free? (or for $70-75 a month) I think not.

 

That is true...

 

that is why this financial transaction's name is incorrect.

 

A tip is "in addition to" a salary...for good service.

 

In the case of cruising...there is NO "in addition to" ....

 

that's what people need to understand.

 

Again, even when you were not productive at all at work one week...you still got PAID. When people do not "tip" on a cruise ship for whatever reason they have in their head....they are saying that these individuals did not deserve to EARN A SALARY that week.

 

The tipped staff on the ship are not US citizens. Many come from countries where $70 a month is twice or more what they would be making at home.

 

Do you realize that in many countries whole families live on less than $1 US per day?

 

So your are comparing apples to oranges. Yes paying someone from the US $70 a month would be outrageous. Paying someone from the phillipines $70 a month plus room and board is not too bad.

 

I suggest if you know how to torrent you look for a BBC show called hardest place to be a bus driver or something close to that. Or any of the BBC's doc on Africa. It should open your eyes on why cruise ship employment is so sought after. They become quite wealthy in a very short amount of time.

 

So when you think about things in the right context, the tip IS an ADDITION to their salary. (not their salary like you keep wanting to tell everyone)

[bodog402]

Oh please:rolleyes: Slavery? Mandatory tips? Carnival does not charge mandatory tips.........and while I'm at it........all tip paying jobs supplement income......whether on land or sea.....

 

Is there a full moon? good lord.......

 

WOW !

　

Yes dear, Carnival and a majority of the cruise industry does charge mandatory tips, they call it " pre-paid gratuities" & NOT True. Not all tip paying jobs supplement income, either on land or sea; your cabin steward, waiter, water boy and cleaners work on a LOW base salary and they rely on your tips for a majority of their income !

[MissDiva1]

WOW !

　

Yes dear, Carnival and a majority of the cruise industry does charge mandatory tips, they call it " pre-paid gratuities" & NOT True. Not all tip paying jobs supplement income, either on land or sea; your cabin steward, waiter, water boy and cleaners work on a LOW base salary and they rely on your tips for a majority of their income !

 

Are you yelling or just hard of hearing:confused: Pre paid tips are not mandatory on Carnival:rolleyes: A salary is a salary and tips are a supplement to that salary........and slavery.......you forgot that part:rolleyes:

[bodog402]

Are you yelling or just hard of hearing:confused: Pre paid tips are not mandatory on Carnival:rolleyes: A salary is a salary and tips are a supplement to that salary........and slavery.......you forgot that part:rolleyes:

 

Dear,

This old lady is finished with you as I am getting ready for a hopefully "productively" active night on South Beach tonight with a hopefully younger guy; actually any guy will do and if I may give you a suggestion for the remainder of this lovely evening ! With the money you saved by screwing your cabin steward from your last cruise, why don’t you spend the remainder of this lovely evening using that saved tip money and have a lovely night at WALMART ! Bye :):):)

[jerseyralph]

Hello jerseyralph-

Firstly, I thank you for replying and secondly, I do apologize for not fully understanding your reply. For the sake of brevity and clarity, my original post was solely directed to those cruisers who without hesitation remove their auto-tips during their cruise citing that they should be allowed to tip at their own discretion, AND subsequently never tip anyone, possibly not understanding that the mandatory tips charged by the cruise lines such as Carnival is added solely to supplement the employees base salary as their base salary amounts to slavery at best ! :p

Also, I have a summer home near Princeton Junction ! I love the area !Take care !

 

I love Mercer County, too. We live in Hunterdon. Had dinner in Princeton on Nassau on Saturday night.

 

I believe you are misinformed and your use of the term slavery is rather demeaning to those who really have been slaves. I do not know how your could step foot on a cruise ship if you truly believed that staff salaries could be compared to slavery. I am not going to head to peer reviewed journals to try and determine what cruise staff salaries are. So, I headed off to:

 

http://www.ehow.com/info_7835699_do-cruise-ship-jobs-pay.html

 

You might be surprised at what you read. In my original post I referenced culture because citizens of some nations outside of the USA view tipping differently than we do. Other posters on this thread have mentioned one or two, particularly the UK.

 

You know, we seem to walk through life judging others based on our own beliefs, histories, cultures, agendas and, often, incomplete or erroneous information. We often do not have the "rest of the story"!

 

Using words like "SLAVERY" is much like Rush Limbaugh calling the current administration a "REGIME". In earlier times he called feminists "FEMI-N**IS". His goal is to inflame and get people all fired up. It works and the guy has far more power and money than he deserves. And I, by the way, like many living in west-central NJ, am a Republican!

 

Was the point of this thread to arouse some passion and discord? Good work!

 

Still, be well.

[richstowe]

Here is a really good article...People who expect tips as part of their salary (room Stewards, waiters, assistant waiters) make as low as $50.00 a month base salary.

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/ot.html

Good article. Too bad the cheap divas will ignore it so they can continue to screw over others.

[MissDiva1]

Dear,

This old lady is finished with you as I am getting ready for a hopefully "productively" active night on South Beach tonight with a hopefully younger guy; actually any guy will do and if I may give you a suggestion for the remainder of this lovely evening ! With the money you saved by screwing your cabin steward from your last cruise, why don’t you spend the remainder of this lovely evening using that saved tip money and have a lovely night at WALMART ! Bye :):):)

 

LMAO!!! Must be time for homework or the street lights came on:D

And what does this have to do with me tipping? Nevermind you have not answered even one of my questions why would you now.........

[genegri]

I find smuggling a lot worse than tipping little because it's simply wrong and against rules. I don't mind cheap cruisers as long as they obey the rules. But actions against rules irk me.

 

Tipping is more of a personal judgement. I am not very picky and have never had services so bad that would make me remove auto tips. But I respect others who may have different standard.

[halos]

At the same time, I would never dream of removing tips unless the waiter pulled a knife on me.

 

:eek:

Well yeah, that would be a good enough reason. :eek:

LMAO :p

[Ceece911]

You know, if I had a job that paid for my residence, gave me 3 meals a day and sailed me around, all I would need is $75 a month. After my mortgage, gas, utilities, food and activities, I don't have $75 a month left. :p

 

J/K people, I know they need more money to send to their families and to save for their living expenses off the ship.

[wannago35]

Here is a really good article...People who expect tips as part of their salary (room Stewards, waiters, assistant waiters) make as low as $50.00 a month base salary.

 

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/ot.html

 

 

Thank you for sharing this article, definitely an eye opener and I will share with my hubby & travel companions. Read an article on this or another cruise board about a cruise employee possibly committing suicide & wonder if any of this stuff was a factor. I must say though as a first time cruiser, this article is definitely not complimentary to Carnival & isn't endearing me to cruise lines in general. I get it's all a business but damn.

[gemsm]

Thank you for sharing this article, definitely an eye opener and I will share with my hubby & travel companions. Read an article on this or another cruise board about a cruise employee possibly committing suicide & wonder if any of this stuff was a factor. I must say though as a first time cruiser, this article is definitely not complimentary to Carnival & isn't endearing me to cruise lines in general. I get it's all a business but damn.

 

If you put it into context i.e. the people working on the ship are probably making 4 times what they could make on land at $70.00 a month, then it isn't all that bad.

 

It is no worse than the American companies that move their factories overseas so they can hire labor for $.50 an hour instead of minimum wage here.

[wannago35]

If you put it into context i.e. the people working on the ship are probably making 4 times what they could make on land at $70.00 a month, then it isn't all that bad.

 

It is no worse than the American companies that move their factories overseas so they can hire labor for $.50 an hour instead of minimum wage here.

 

Agreed. One other thing is I wish there was a more up to date article, thie one is 10yrs old & two people we are traveling with already questioned if the info is accurate for today.

[LaJollaCruiser]

Those who suggest that cruise lines should pay a decent wage and not require tipping at all are the very same ones who would probably squawk the loudest when cruise fares went up 25% in order to increase wages! Then we would get threads advocating reducing the fares to the previous level and letting the passengers subsidize the crews' wages by tipping.

 

The crew has to be paid one way or the other: it can be done by tipping, or by incresed fares. Which would you prefer?

[MissDiva1]

Those who suggest that cruise lines should pay a decent wage and not require tipping at all are the very same ones who would probably squawk the loudest when cruise fares went up 25% in order to increase wages! Then we would get threads advocating reducing the fares to the previous level and letting the passengers subsidize the crews' wages by tipping.

 

The crew has to be paid one way or the other: it can be done by tipping, or by incresed fares. Which would you prefer?

 

I wouldn't matter to me....it would be a wash.....and be called a service charge.......