How is it possible?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

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.

 

Thank you for stating that. I was going to say, Why do you think they are working on cruiseships? The countries they come from are very poor or they wouldn't leave their families for months at a time and work 14-16 hour days, 7 days a week to provide for them.

 

Just because there is no mortgage on the ship their families must be living somewhere and have to be provided for.

 

Bill

[fliprcruzr]

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!

 

Did she think all the serving staff was just asking for her autograph on those carbonless register receipts? Surprised she found her way into the port in the first place.:eek:

[ryanpatricksmom]

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 have the same reaction every time that I check out at the Safeway lately....Do you want to contribute anything to....insert your favorite charity here...today? I wholeheartedly support several charities, however those that solicit at intersections or via the checkout line are losing my support. I hate the practice of attempting to "guilt" people because they are a captive audience.

[DrLookGood]

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.

 

The $4.65 is the minimum wage that Florida restaurants are required to pay to start with, but $7.67 is the minimum wage the server is entitled to receive. So, if by the end of the day his/her tips to do not cover the difference between $4.65 and $7.67, his/her employer is required to cover the difference.

 

Now, if the server consistently does not have enough tips to cover that difference, I suspect that worker is going to get let go. On the other hand, the expectations are that a decent server should be making in tips much more than minimum wage.

 

And yes, the above only applies to land based restaurants in US.

[Froufie]

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.

 

Liberty may home port in Miami - but is registered in Panama like the majority of Carnival ships - I don't think any of them would be 'registered' in the US for that matter!

 

As mentioned this means they do not have to adhere to any of the U.S. minimum wage laws

[Maine_Cruiser]

Oh well... our next cruise will just be my wife and I and not the two kids.

 

11.50 for two people is easy. four on the other hand is expensive when two of them are your dependants.

 

But, I suspect that when the horn blows and the cruise starts that none of this talk about tipping will mean much and I am just as certain that when I give a tip it will be appreciated by the recieving staff.

[DrLookGood]

Oh well... our next cruise will just be my wife and I and not the two kids.

 

11.50 for two people is easy. four on the other hand is expensive when two of them are your dependants.

 

But, I suspect that when the horn blows and the cruise starts that none of this talk about tipping will mean much and I am just as certain that when I give a tip it will be appreciated by the recieving staff.

 

We always travel with the kids, so we always have to pay for their tips. Believe me, after paying for the kids' airfare, cruise fare, excursions and after-hours Camp Carnival - tips are nothing.

 

P.S. Although, I still have a time paying for my teenager son steak house extra fee. He eats the entire steak, but I don't think he appreciates the difference between MDR and Steak House steak.

[Royalty X]

If you prepaid the tips for the relocation cruise when you booked, then you don't have to worry about tipping anyone else unless you want to give someone something extra. Anything you order from a bar will have a 15% gratuity automatically added to it, so the bartenders are taken care of as well. The only thing is, if you order room service, you might want to tip whoever delivers it $1-$3 (depending on how large the order is, at your discretion) as the room service attendants aren't covered in the tipping pool, as far as I know.

 

No worries, if your gratuities have been prepaid you are not expected to tip any more. You can, of course for excellent service but its truly not necessary. I always prepay my grats so as to eliminate that worry. Go, have a great cruise!

 

I agree with Kethry88 about room service tipping. One other area you might want to consider is tipping a dollar a bag at the port to the guys that handle your luggage. :)

Thanks to all of you for your advice. :)

[crzycick]

The only time we stay in hotels is for a night. We arrive at like midnight, get 6 or so hours of sleep, and back on the road. The only "mess" we leave is using the bed and towels. We rarely even put anything in the trash can. I have never tipped but not because I'm stingy, I didn't know I was supposed to. I was a waitress making $2.13 an hour for a few years so I never purposely don't tip. I tip a minimum of 15% even when the service isn't good because of my previous work. What would an appropriate tip be to change the linens and towels for the next guest for a 1 night stay?

 

 

 

 

Keep in mind that even if a worker on the ship makes $1200 a month, they work 2-2.5 times as many hours as a normal person which equals $600 a month or less for the amount of hours you work. Yes they have a closet to sleep in but 1, you can't work on a ship if you don't sleep on it, and 2, sharing a space about the size of my closest with 1-3 other people isn't exactly a perk. They should be paid extra just for the uncomfortable living situation. Their rooms are smaller than passenger rooms. From videos I've seen, I'd estimate 6-8 workers could live in a passenger room.

[Kethry88]

 

Housekeepers in most major hotels are tipped positions and tips are considered part of their pay. If you are staying in a hotel for over 3 days (or a cruise ship in this case) they deserve to be tipped after cleaning up after you every day.

 

 

I work at a hotel in Illinois, and housekeepers start at minimum wage, which is standard for all hotels in our city. Illinois state law allows tipped positions to be paid at 60% of minimum wage, and none of the housekeepeers I know are tipped consistantly enough for tips they would take home in a week to make up for the missing 40%. Most guests, even our frequent, Diamond level guests, simply don't tip housekeeping in hotels anymore.

[kazbar]

I booked my first US based cruise with a travel agent and was not told that tips were a required extra.

 

As stated, many other countries do not tip at all or very seldom. Is it any wonder people get muddled up with it all? There are plenty of differing opinions on when/how much/who etc to tip just on this thread alone and many of you grew up with the custom :confused:

[topofE]

Maybe a bit of a dead horse but as a server who is now in nursing school I wanted to point out that at least in MO and IL, that "pay differential" where if you don't make minimum wage, they have to pay extra...is calculated per pay period, not per night. It seems insignificant until you work 5 hours, get 1 table and leave with 10$ in your pocket knowing your pay will remain at $2.65p/h. And the managers (of course) know this which is why they are willing to keep you "on" despite not having tables...we're incredibly cheap labor as long as you do well at least one day a week...

[topofE]

Also, in at least MO and IL, housekeeping is considered "non tip earning employees" so they make at least minimum wage. Your tips (especially if you tip cash) should go directly to the person who picked it up that day....

[topofE]

Also, in at least MO and IL, housekeeping is considered "non tip earning employees" so they make at least minimum wage. Your tips (especially if you tip cash) should go directly to the person who picked it up that day....

[fishtaco]

Lol!!! Now, that's funny. I have told many people to order room service.. that it's free and had them stare at me all confused and in disbelief. But never heard anyone say they didn't know they could eat in the MDR. Hahaha.

 

 

I was on a cruise a few years ago and got to know a couple quite well over the 12 night cruise.

 

While having drinks with them after dinner on about the 7th night It was put to me that i must be spending a small fortune on meals in the MDR as we even had breakfast and lunch there as well!

 

They ate every meal after that in the MDR and didnt go near the Buffet again,they must have felt quite foolish though.

 

This is a true story,you would be amazed at the amount of first timers who think that only the buffet is included in the cruise price.

 

Den

[bobsfamily]

For someone to cruise and not know they are expected to pay tips? I was on the Fantasy last week, (had an awsome time btw)

Short question... how is the OLD girl (the Fantasy that is)... we live in Charleston and are thinking of taking a cruise on her soon...

[Vanessa L]

I understood it as s/he budgeted cash tips because s/he didn't know they were included but did not budget enough to satisfy people here who swear they tip room stewards $100 over.

 

You pretty much just scolded her/him like a child, based on an assumption.

 

Sent from my SGH-T589 using Tapatalk

 

And you just "scolded" me based on your assumption. See how this works? FWIW, based on the person's reply to me that I quoted, my "assumption" was spot on. Your's, not so much ;)

[spacepotatoes]

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.

 

Homeport doesn't matter, corporate headquarters don't matter, it's the ship's flag that matters. The only cruise ship that has to adjust their crew work schedules and pay according to US laws/standards is Norwegian's Pride of America because it is an American flagged ship. They also have to have a majority crew made up of US citizens for the same reason. The foreign flags aren't called "flags of convenience" for nothing ;)

[jagsfan]

Talking about "room and board" read the book Cruise Confidential to see the almost

subhuman living conditions the crew live in. The low wages, and horrific hours are

bearable because they can manage to support their families back home by accepting them.

If I can afford to cruise, I can manage to leave the tips on my card, and pay the bill

later. I tip the room service waiters a couple of dollars because they have to carry the

loaded tray all the way to my cabin. Tipping is a fact of life for Americans, and gradually

creeping around the world.

It would be lovely if employers paid a decent wage, but then the price to us would go up,

so either way......we're the ones paying the difference.

I wish Carnival still printed brochures.....there was a world of information available in them,

including tipping and what's included in the cruise price.

[LHP]

It seems that more and more people who have never traveled are discovering cruising.

 

Travel Agents and PVP should make it clear that tips will be added to their Sail and Sign account.

 

In fact, I think Carnival should have it in bold letters that you have to acknowledge before you are allowed to book on line.

[LHP]

Short question... how is the OLD girl (the Fantasy that is)... we live in Charleston and are thinking of taking a cruise on her soon...

 

She was doing fine May 2010, when we did the last 7 day out of Mobile.

[LHP]

Oh well... our next cruise will just be my wife and I and not the two kids.

 

11.50 for two people is easy. four on the other hand is expensive when two of them are your dependants.

 

But, I suspect that when the horn blows and the cruise starts that none of this talk about tipping will mean much and I am just as certain that when I give a tip it will be appreciated by the recieving staff.

 

We have paid tips for 4 on 25 cruises and tips for 3 on the other 25 cruises

....

 

yes, it is expensive, but we know that going in .....

 

no way would I stiff the staff.

 

If I could not afford that, I just would not cruise.

[thegreatmouton]

I was one of those first-time cruisers who had absolutely no idea. My husband and I went on a short 3-day when we were very young (I remember it was before I was 21) back before the pre-paid gratuities and it was a complete surprise. Not that we complained about it, but it wasn't something we knew about in advance.

 

To be honest, I hate tipping. I do tip, because it's the right thing to do, but it doesn't exactly feel like a gratuity if I'm being forced to do it because an employer chooses to pay an employee less than minimum wage or otherwise less than what the job is worth. Everyone expects a tip because they don't think they are being fairly compensated. I'm a middle school math teacher - maybe I should start demanding tips to make up for the fact that I am in no way being adequately compensated for the job I do :D

 

When I become ruler of the world, companies will just wrap the "tips" up in the price, pay their employees a decent wage and tell me what I have actually to pay. ;)

[babyblue78]

Short question... how is the OLD girl (the Fantasy that is)... we live in Charleston and are thinking of taking a cruise on her soon...

 

We REALLY enjoyed our cruise on her in August... the 7-day itinerary was great. Ship was is really good condition for her age, and great crew. If I lived in Charleston I would be cruising a whole lot more. :)

[maggieworkman]

If you prepaid the tips for the relocation cruise when you booked, then you don't have to worry about tipping anyone else unless you want to give someone something extra. Anything you order from a bar will have a 15% gratuity automatically added to it, so the bartenders are taken care of as well. The only thing is, if you order room service, you might want to tip whoever delivers it $1-$3 (depending on how large the order is, at your discretion) as the room service attendants aren't covered in the tipping pool, as far as I know.

 

Many people also tip the piano bar player if they request a song.

 

Maggie