How is it possible?

[palmbaytish]

Found this about approximate pay for employees.

http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/hotel.htm

 

You see how those rates for a cabin steward are "depending on gratuities from passengers".

 

Even on the high end, that pay still sucks, and that's IF people tip like they should.

 

and a note of agreement to the above poster who says "Bear in mind it set up to hire new employees, so it will greatly inflate salaries". So VERY TRUE. They're not going to mention that thair saleries are also based upon the cruisers who like to go have the tips reduced at the end of the trip because they are ignorant cheapos.

[redraidersrule]

You see how those rates for a cabin steward are "depending on gratuities from passengers".

 

Even on the high end, that pay still sucks, and that's IF people tip like they should.

 

and a note of agreement to the above poster who says "Bear in mind it set up to hire new employees, so it will greatly inflate salaries". So VERY TRUE. They're not going to mention that thair saleries are also based upon the cruisers who like to go have the tips reduced at the end of the trip because they are ignorant cheapos.

 

Again Im new to cruising. Have never been on one but have one booked in July. The employees of cruise ships obviously live on the boat for months at a time. This means they are paying no mortgage/rent, no utilities, food, etc correct? Or does Carnival, RCI, etc take any money out of their check for this type of stuff. Whether they do or dont, 1200 a month for an assistant cabin steward does suck. But then again if they wanted something better they can always go to college. If they dont want that job, then get another one.

[palmbaytish]

Again Im new to cruising. Have never been on one but have one booked in July. The employees of cruise ships obviously live on the boat for months at a time. This means they are paying no mortgage/rent, no utilities, food, etc correct? Or does Carnival, RCI, etc take any money out of their check for this type of stuff. Whether they do or dont, 1200 a month for an assistant cabin steward does suck. But then again if they wanted something better they can always go to college. If they dont want that job, then get another one.

 

Most of the people hired by the cruise line are from foreign countries (Indonesia, Philippines, etc...) and college is not an affordable option where they are from. Heck, college is not an option for a lot of people in the United States with the prices these days (I work for a university that is $35K a year!) I don't know how the economy is in Texas but when people around the country with multiple college degrees have a hard time finding a job, how is an under educated foreigner going to find a higher paying one than what the cruise lines pay? Many of these workers are supporting families back home. It's not as black and white as you think.

[spiritfox]

I'm happy to pay the $11.50 a day--and we give our waiters and room staff additional tips above the minimum--they provide exceptional service and I'm happy to reward them for their tireless efforts. :)

[palmbaytish]

I'm happy to pay the $11.50 a day--and we give our waiters and room staff additional tips above the minimum--they provide exceptional service and I'm happy to reward them for their tireless efforts. :)

 

Rock on, Spirit Fox!!! I see you are from Melbourne, Fl...I'm in Palm Bay and work in Melbourne! :)

[redraidersrule]

I just think, again just an opinion here, that for an uneducated person getting $15-20K a year is justified. I agree with throwing them extra tips if we can but its not necessary.

 

Also for the record, I guess Im a bit of a cheapskate. Also because of the world we live in you cant trust anyone. Therefore when it comes to housekeeping, on a 7 day stay at a hotel or cruise I might have housekeeping come in a clean 3 times max. I dont want them in my room every day.

[spiritfox]

Rock on, Spirit Fox!!! I see you are from Melbourne, Fl...I'm in Palm Bay and work in Melbourne! :)

 

Haha--yeah--I guess we Bravardians appreciate our cruise staff. ;)

[CCLNCLRCICRUISER]

I just think, again just an opinion here, that for an uneducated person getting $15-20K a year is justified. I agree with throwing them extra tips if we can but its not necessary.

 

Also for the record, I guess Im a bit of a cheapskate. Also because of the world we live in you cant trust anyone. Therefore when it comes to housekeeping, on a 7 day stay at a hotel or cruise I might have housekeeping come in a clean 3 times max. I dont want them in my room every day.

 

You do realize 95% of what cabin stewards make is from tips.

[palmbaytish]

"I just think, again just an opinion here, that for an uneducated person getting $15-20K a year is justified. I agree with throwing them extra tips if we can but its not necessary.

 

Also for the record, I guess Im a bit of a cheapskate. Also because of the world we live in you cant trust anyone. Therefore when it comes to housekeeping, on a 7 day stay at a hotel or cruise I might have housekeeping come in a clean 3 times max. I dont want them in my room every day."

 

Just because a person is under or uneducated, doesn't mean they aren't very skilled in what they do and that they only merit low wages. This isn't Suzie Creamcheese working part time at McDonalds that we're talking about. It doesn't make them any less worthy when they bust their ass day in and day out to make sure you have a nice vacation. Maybe if they were paid more (tipped more) they could save and have the opportunity to advace themselves academically and find a less menial job.

[redraidersrule]

You do realize 95% of what cabin stewards make is from tips.

thought we covered this earlier. I have a hard time believing this because if so you are saying they only make like a dollar an hour? If 95% of what these people make are tips Im quitting my job and working on a boat because I would make over 100,000 a year easily.

[redraidersrule]

"I just think, again just an opinion here, that for an uneducated person getting $15-20K a year is justified. I agree with throwing them extra tips if we can but its not necessary.

 

Also for the record, I guess Im a bit of a cheapskate. Also because of the world we live in you cant trust anyone. Therefore when it comes to housekeeping, on a 7 day stay at a hotel or cruise I might have housekeeping come in a clean 3 times max. I dont want them in my room every day."

 

Just because a person is under or uneducated, doesn't mean they aren't very skilled in what they do and that they only merit low wages. This isn't Suzie Creamcheese working part time at McDonalds that we're talking about. It doesn't make them any less worthy when they bust their ass day in and day out to make sure you have a nice vacation. Maybe if they were paid more (tipped more) they could save and have the opportunity to advace themselves academically and find a less menial job.

yeah Im not talking about Suzie Creamcheese working part time at McDonalds. Im talking about Suze Cheddarcheese working full time at McDonalds.

[CCLNCLRCICRUISER]

thought we covered this earlier. I have a hard time believing this because if so you are saying they only make like a dollar an hour? If 95% of what these people make are tips Im quitting my job and working on a boat because I would make over 100,000 a year easily.

 

They arent paid by the hour. They are paid about $100 a month from Carnival and the rest of their salary is made up by tips. That's just the way it works..yes you are new, but those are the fact.

 

Cruise lines arent forced to adhere to US Labor laws when it comes to paying minimum wage.

[H82seaUgo]

They arent paid by the hour. They are paid about $100 a month from Carnival and the rest of their salary is made up by tips. That's just the way it works..yes you are new, but those are the fact.

 

Cruise lines arent forced to adhere to US Labor laws when it comes to paying minimum wage.

 

but they do get room and board. what's that worth?

[CCLNCLRCICRUISER]

but they do get room and board. what's that worth?

 

a lot..but it appears redraider thought Carnival was paying cabin stewards, waiters and bartenders an hourly wage.

[DrLookGood]

<bolding mine>

Where is this written and when was it implemented?

Apparently I've been stiffing the #$%^ out of hotel housekeepers, not knowing they were sub-minimum wage earners. (Or are they paid normally and this is part of the tipping growth phenomenon in the US?)

 

I've only ever tipped hotel housekeepers in the rare occassions where we left an out of the ordinary mess. On cruises I already know their wage scale assumes major tipping, but I've yet to see the hotel version breakout.

 

Don't worry, you have not been stiffing anyone. Housekeepers in land-based hotels are not tipped positions. My MIL used to work as a housekeeper in several major hotel chains. She did not make much (a little bit above minimum wage), but she understood why (no special skills are required). She did not expect to get tipped, although once in a while a guest left her a tip - it was considered a bonus by her and her workers.

[redraidersrule]

They arent paid by the hour. They are paid about $100 a month from Carnival and the rest of their salary is made up by tips. That's just the way it works..yes you are new, but those are the fact.

 

Cruise lines arent forced to adhere to US Labor laws when it comes to paying minimum wage.

I knew all the ships were registered in different countries. I just looked up Magic and the Dream and both are registered in Panama. Carnival is an American company. I just figured the minimum wage thing would at least come into effect for ships that have a home port in the US. For instance Liberty's home port is Miami for a company that is run out of the US. I guess none of that matters and they go by Panama's rules? I guess that makes sense.

[ryanpatricksmom]

but they do get room and board. what's that worth?

 

 

Soldiers get room and board too, but I'm not sure they qualify as perqs. ;)

 

I'm pretty sure that anytime a corporation requires your continued presence....think off-shore oil drillers for example, the room and board isn't factored into your annual wage.

[DrLookGood]

If this is true then I have no problem with 15%, and most of the time I make it almost 20%. I just thought bartenders got paid more than waiters/waitresses and were above minimum wage. Same for housekeepers at hotels.

 

I think the problem lies with educating people about who gets paid what. I think its common knowledge that waiters/waitresses are less than minimum wage. I had no clue bartenders and housekeepers were below minimum wage. Hotels and bars should put signs up telling you which employees make less than minimum wage.

 

Again i have absolutely no problem tipping those that make less and rely on tips. And like Snorkel2Much said, Im still not sure if I believe the housekeepers part. I need to see some proof before I tip a housekeeper.

 

By the way, waiter and and waitresses in US are guaranteed to by paid minimum wage. If the tips do not cover the difference between their pay and minimum wage, their employers are responsible to cover the difference. Also, in some states (for example Minnesota), the waiters and waitresses are paid minimum wage regardless of their tips.

[CCLNCLRCICRUISER]

IHMO

Tips are based on service,not the economic situation of the person rendering service. I tip because I get great service.

[palmbaytish]

By the way, waiter and and waitresses in US are guaranteed to by paid minimum wage. If the tips do not cover the difference between their pay and minimum wage, their employers are responsible to cover the difference. Also, in some states (for example Minnesota), the waiters and waitresses are paid minimum wage regardless of their tips.

 

Yes, but isn't the minimum wage for tipped positions lower than the standard minimum wage? In Florida minimum wage is $7.67. For tipped employees it is $4.65/hr.

 

When it comes to cruise ship pay wages it doesn't really matter, since they pay differently.

[redraidersrule]

Yes, but isn't the minimum wage for tipped positions lower than the standard minimum wage?

 

When it comes to cruise ship pay wages it doesn't really matter, since they pay differently.

Yes i think so. LIke minimum wages for waiters/waitresses was under $3 an hour last time I looked. It may be more now but probably not much. I guess I didnt realize cruise ship wages were different. Thanks for the help everyone!

[suzinva]

Rightly or wrongly, tips are optional. They are not required, anywhere. Even on Carnival, the bar tips (and all other tips) can be removed. Does it make you a bad person if you choose not to tip? No, I don't think so. I think that whoever the employer is should pay their workers a fair wage. American tip culture is getting way out of hand and I, for one, would be very glad to get away from it. I see tip jars everywhere I go and find most of them to be ridiculous. Some people are cheap, but they're cheap with everything and everyone, doesn't necessarily make them bad people. Some people take an ethical stand against tipping. Unfair to those who depend on tips? You bet. If more people did it, employers would have to come up with a better wage option and we could move away from this ridiculous notion of tipping everyone for everything all the time. Some people don't know they should tip and not everyone researches everything to death, some people just do wing it.

 

That being said, I do tip and tip well when the service merits it. But, if the service doesn't, I don't tip (or tip minimally). I do, however, tell the person and management why I'm not tipping.

 

Tip, don't tip, tip a lot, tip a little. Ultimately, it's your choice, your decision and your conscience and no one else's.

[elusiveunicorn001]

There are a ton of people out there roaming around and yes even driving on the streets and highways (including breeding!!!...lol)...that are very complacient and extremely lazy individuals who go around expecting others to do everything for them...

Refuse to lift one finger to even google something on a computer...it's too hard for them..takes up too much of thier time to actually research or read something....oh the shame...the ecpect the world to carry them just like their mommies did!!!

[Jeska loves to cruise]

On one of my cruises, one of our tablemates showed up crazy and beligerant every night, she was so loud. She ordered a drink and the expensive bottled water every night, but never stayed long enough to even oven the water. She had a new drink in her hand every time we saw her stumbling around the ship. On the last cruise day, we saw her screaming and crying at the information desk about a bill that was a few thousand dollars that she didn't know she was billed for...oops!

[palmbaytish]

I agree with you Suzinva. Tipping is not always required. It drives me freaking insane when I see a tip jar on the counter of my local Papa John's pizza place for the girls working behind the counter. THAT is not a tipped position...and I know that for a fact, as I did that job for years in high school. That, is people trying to "guilt" people into tipping them. Why in the hell am I going to tip you when I come to your business to pick up my own pizza? Because you answered the phone? No. That is an unskilled job and your minimum wage of $7.67 reflects that.

 

I am going to tip the delivery pizza driver $4 when he delivers that pizza because he is not getting that same $7.67 an hour, he is providing a service to me and is paying for gas out of his pocket to bring my lazy butt dinner. But for Suzie Creamcheese answering a phone and pulling pizzas out of the oven, don't start begging for tips. I don't get tips for doing my office job, but I don't expect them. Then again, I'm not busting my butt doing manual labor day in and day out taking care of people.