Automatic Gratuities

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Oh I am still putting it on my card..I am just telling Guest Services to reduce it by $300..give or take...and if Guest Services gives me a hard time..which I expect they will...then all the tips get removed and I tip the steward and waiter..we have traditional dining, btw, ...cash..in US dollars..which I will have neatly tucked away for just this sort of thing...

 

I am a big planner and always have plan B, C and D in the works....

 

It ain't the issue of not being able to pay it or have access to enough cash:D...it is paying an outrageous amount in tips...just because the ship wants you to pay for all of their operational employees as well as the stewards and waiters...

 

as far as I am concerned...waiters and stewards should be tipped..and well...just like I do every place else I travel to or eat at....so just because the ship wants me to pay the salaries of the back room workers...doesn't mean I have to...

 

I really hate the taste of "kool Aid", btw:D:rolleyes:

 

We are booked as a family of 6, 2 AA suites on the Dawn Princess 7/13/2013 90 day cruise from Sydney Australia.

 

Each suite is $134,322 so for the 2 suites it's costing me $268,644.

 

The tips for the trip are $6480. That's outrageous. I am going to have it adjusted to $2500. That's more than enough.:p

 

Bill

[INTERLINER13]

We are booked as a family of 6, 2 AA suites on the Dawn Princess 7/13/2013 90 day cruise from Sydney Australia.

 

Each suite is $134,322 so for the 2 suites it's costing me $268,644.

 

The tips for the trip are $6480. That's outrageous. I am going to have it adjusted to $2500. That's more than enough.:p

 

Bill

 

HAHA? I think

[coachpete]

Why bother posting on here? The nay-sayers are going to flame you for not tipping enough, and most of us could care less what you tip. It's a private thing, so you are better off not letting your blood pressure rise.

 

 

 

Oh I am still putting it on my card..I am just telling Guest Services to reduce it by $300..give or take...and if Guest Services gives me a hard time..which I expect they will...then all the tips get removed and I tip the steward and waiter..we have traditional dining, btw, ...cash..in US dollars..which I will have neatly tucked away for just this sort of thing...

 

I am a big planner and always have plan B, C and D in the works....

 

It ain't the issue of not being able to pay it or have access to enough cash:D...it is paying an outrageous amount in tips...just because the ship wants you to pay for all of their operational employees as well as the stewards and waiters...

 

as far as I am concerned...waiters and stewards should be tipped..and well...just like I do every place else I travel to or eat at....so just because the ship wants me to pay the salaries of the back room workers...doesn't mean I have to...

 

I really hate the taste of "kool Aid", btw:D:rolleyes:

[H82seaUgo]

Why bother posting on here? The nay-sayers are going to flame you for not tipping enough, and most of us could care less what you tip. It's a private thing, so you are better off not letting your blood pressure rise.

 

it's only a private thing until someone starts a thread on a message board entitled automatic gratuities.

[luvtheships]

Why bother posting on here? The nay-sayers are going to flame you for not tipping enough, and most of us could care less what you tip. It's a private thing, so you are better off not letting your blood pressure rise.

well the truth is that all of the tipping threads got me thinking....yep..about adjusting them downward...

 

and as a previous poster so nicely pointed out to me...if I remove them and tip in cash..they don't get to keep it:confused:..that is odd...just how will the ship know if I tipped in cash?

 

so either I will reduce the amount I feel is warranted..or maybe just leave them alone and not tip any extra...or maybe something different...who knows...but I will do what I feel is appropriate...one thing for sure...and it doesn't matter how wonderful..fabulous..special our steward or waiter are...if I leave the auto tip..that will be it.....no extra cash this time around...it is getting ridiculous!

 

to the poster who said they were paying close to $500 for tips for a small family...it just goes to show how much they actually force us to tip....

 

 

again..it is thanks to tip threads over the years and reading what other posters think that has given me the idea that I am not alone in reducing tips.....:D

[caredbasan]

does anybody know that the $11.50/day is divided by 5 person (crewmember). just for the sake of discussion if your steward is serving 20 passengers for the 7 day cruise and he gets $2 of the 11.50, that totals to $40/day. i hope you feel bad if you don't pay the person that cleans after you all day for $2.00/day.

[INTERLINER13]

does anybody know that the $11.50/day is divided by 5 person (crewmember). just for the sake of discussion if your steward is serving 20 passengers for the 7 day cruise and he gets $2 of the 11.50, that totals to $40/day. i hope you feel bad if you don't pay the person that cleans after you all day for $2.00/day.

 

I tried figuring out the amount of money they actually make by just multiplying the guests by 11.50 and dividing it to the total crew. Problem being I have no idea how many people actually receive tips as pay, as well as the percentage. But it comes out on a week cruise at capacity to be $160-$170,000 in tips on a Fantasy class ship. Assuming everyone just paid what is recommended.

[caredbasan]

I tried figuring out the amount of money they actually make by just multiplying the guests by 11.50 and dividing it to the total crew. Problem being I have no idea how many people actually receive tips as pay, as well as the percentage. But it comes out on a week cruise at capacity to be $160-$170,000 in tips on a Fantasy class ship. Assuming everyone just paid what is recommended.

 

the headwaiter, assistant waiter, steward, and assistant steward and i forgot the other one, they are the people that divide the 11.50. they usually served 30-50 passengers/ week, so its $2415-$4025/week divided by 5 crew members. crew members serving the drinks and those working in the bars get their pay from the automatic 18% from the tab.

[caredbasan]

well the truth is that all of the tipping threads got me thinking....yep..about adjusting them downward...

 

and as a previous poster so nicely pointed out to me...if I remove them and tip in cash..they don't get to keep it:confused:..that is odd...just how will the ship know if I tipped in cash?

 

so either I will reduce the amount I feel is warranted..or maybe just leave them alone and not tip any extra...or maybe something different...who knows...but I will do what I feel is appropriate...one thing for sure...and it doesn't matter how wonderful..fabulous..special our steward or waiter are...if I leave the auto tip..that will be it.....no extra cash this time around...it is getting ridiculous!

 

to the poster who said they were paying close to $500 for tips for a small family...it just goes to show how much they actually force us to tip....

 

 

again..it is thanks to tip threads over the years and reading what other posters think that has given me the idea that I am not alone in reducing tips.....:D

 

i am not trying to say that we all need to pay the automatic tip. what i am trying to point out here is that the if we can afford to pay it then it is nice,otherwise no one can force us. we all should keep in mind before we decide whether to pay the tip or just give them cash, that the waiters and stewards depend on the gratuity for their pay.

[glrounds]

I have a question. Aren't they collecting a double tip on the first and last days or am I mistaken?

 

Yes, definitely mistaken.

 

A 7 day cruise is essentially a ONE WEEK cruise LESS 2 HOURS. If you can board around noon and must be off at 10:00am, that leaves one roughly 2 hours short of being onboard a FULL WEEK.:)

 

[H82seaUgo]

does anybody know that the $11.50/day is divided by 5 person (crewmember). just for the sake of discussion if your steward is serving 20 passengers for the 7 day cruise and he gets $2 of the 11.50, that totals to $40/day. i hope you feel bad if you don't pay the person that cleans after you all day for $2.00/day.

 

this is incorrect.

 

if you autotip, 83% goes to your immediate service staff: $5.80 to your waiter and assistant waiter, and $3.70 to your room steward, daily, per person.

 

the other $2 per person per day goes into a new black hole, augmenting the salaries of entertainment, hotel staff and others.

 

if you pay in cash, whomever you give it to keeps 100% of it.

[quickrate]

if it weren't forced on me..which btw..it isn't...then maybe you are right..it is an OK deal..not great by any means....but since the cruiseline came up with the amount..not me...then I don't have to agree with it...

 

I guess it is just too bad then...because $600 is more than enough...

 

 

sorry it has to bother you...but $600 it will be for my family of 6....and if that sounds cheap to you...so be it!:D

 

and for the record...employees are taking pay cut all the time from their employers..due to the economy:rolleyes:...some employees take it and stay...some don't and quit.....we have decided to cruis...and to tip on our own terms....

 

FWIW..I am also considering removing all of the tips and tipping cash to the waiters and stewards....and let the cruiseline take care of everyone else...because I can't worry about that...

 

also FWIW...these threads have only helped to reinforce my thinking about this..because I now know I am not alone in removing tips and giving cash...I like this idea......

So basically you are saying a family of 6 is taking a 12 day cruise and you are quibbling over the $300 you say you are going to remove from the autograt?! That comes down to $25 a day for 6 of you which works out to a little over $4 a day per person. Sounds petty and cheap to me. Why make your hard working crew feel bad over such a small amount of money? To them, this isn't a small amount of money but the way they support themselves and their families.

Pat

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

We are all cheap, that is why we are cruising on Carnival.

 

Hmmm....not "all". Ive cruised several lines and just recently tried Carnival after many year. Loved it as much or more than cruises on other lines. I like value but despise cheap.

[croozluv]

I'd be happier if the cruise price were higher and no gratuities were accepted. (Similar to higher class all-inclusive resorts) Really, if the staff "needs" the gratuities so desperately, and the cruiselines are truly concerned by this need (hence the auto grats), they should MAKE SURE the staff gets what they need. The only way to do this is to raise the price of the cruise. And I'd be more than happy to pay that. Because it's upfront, honest, and lets me know what my true cost is to go on this cruise.

 

FWIW, the definition of gratuity:

Something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service

 

Auto-adding gratuities takes away the voluntary nature of the tip as well as adds a certain obligation to cruisers. Auto adding gratuities is not voluntary - hence, automatic - and moves the obligation from "tipping" to "removing tips".

 

In essence, by definition, Carnival has made gratuities, well.....not gratuities. Because they are neither voluntary nor beyond obligation.

 

Again, I'm not for or against gratuities in this race, I'm just saying I wish it were billed as part of the cruise since it's clearly not a "gratuity" in the purest sense of the word.

[glrounds]

I'd be happier if the cruise price were higher and no gratuities were accepted. (Similar to higher class all-inclusive resorts) Really, if the staff "needs" the gratuities so desperately, and the cruiselines are truly concerned by this need (hence the auto grats), they should MAKE SURE the staff gets what they need. The only way to do this is to raise the price of the cruise. And I'd be more than happy to pay that. Because it's upfront, honest, and lets me know what my true cost is to go on this cruise.

 

FWIW, the definition of gratuity:

Something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service

 

Auto-adding gratuities takes away the voluntary nature of the tip as well as adds a certain obligation to cruisers. Auto adding gratuities is not voluntary - hence, automatic - and moves the obligation from "tipping" to "removing tips".

 

In essence, by definition, Carnival has made gratuities, well.....not gratuities. Because they are neither voluntary nor beyond obligation.

 

Again, I'm not for or against gratuities in this race, I'm just saying I wish it were billed as part of the cruise since it's clearly not a "gratuity" in the purest sense of the word.

 

Simple marketing answer . . . more people will notice that INCREASED price of the cruise when comparing them with other lines, than those that will note that NO TIPPING is necessary.

 

[INTERLINER13]

Just curious. How does NCL do it with the dining they offer. I have never been on an NCL cruise, so I do not want to trickle over to that side of the boards.

[MrPete]

Just curious. How does NCL do it with the dining they offer. I have never been on an NCL cruise, so I do not want to trickle over to that side of the boards.

 

They have a service charge.

[halos]

Just curious. How does NCL do it with the dining they offer. I have never been on an NCL cruise, so I do not want to trickle over to that side of the boards.

 

They have a service charge.

 

yes. $15 pp/pd (if I remember correctly) OOOps, nope, it's $12