Gratuities refunded?

[sparks1093]

who are you tipping at a buffet restaurant, where you get your own tray, your own plate, and your own food? i want to be in that tip line. kinda like paying a caddy when you hire a golf cart.

 

and at taco bell, they do go one step further. it is they who put the food on my tray.

 

I tip the waitress who brings our drinks, clears our plates and cleans the table when we leave.

[halos]

you aren't following my logic.

 

your auto tip goes to your steward who in turn pays a portion to his assistant.

 

the extra cash you give your steward turns and gives a portion of that to his assistant.

 

and last, you pay the assistant directly, bypassing the steward..

 

thrice.

 

I don't bypass anyone. The steward gets extra as well (always more than the assistant) from us....

IF the steward has an assistant, It is not my concern how the assistant is paid and who pays him. He is there helping in my cabin. That is all I am concerned about. Anything else is not my business.

[halos]

nope.

 

and i clear my table the same way i do it at a micky d's or taco bell. you tip there?

 

LOL..so basically, you take their work away fromthem so you feel better about not tipping them??

 

I can imagine as a hairdresser, cutting someone's hair and then having them pick up the blow dryer and dry it themselves right there in the salon and tip me 1/2 because I didn't finish the job...that they were 'kind' enough to do it for me.

 

 

*sigh*

[doingme40]

well we didnt remove our tip we simple tipped ourself and that was to the person's that waited on us which was our room server and our dinner waitier and believe me we tipped them good. I just dont feel like the ship should determine how much of my tip goes to each person i want to do my own tipping.

[Zoedokey]

I tip the waitress who brings our drinks, clears our plates and cleans the table when we leave.

 

I do too.

[H82seaUgo]

I don't bypass anyone. The steward gets extra as well (always more than the assistant) from us....

IF the steward has an assistant, It is not my concern how the assistant is paid and who pays him. He is there helping in my cabin. That is all I am concerned about. Anything else is not my business.

 

and yet you didn't realize the steward was even paying him. out of your tips.

[H82seaUgo]

LOL..so basically, you take their work away fromthem so you feel better about not tipping them??

 

I can imagine as a hairdresser, cutting someone's hair and then having them pick up the blow dryer and dry it themselves right there in the salon and tip me 1/2 because I didn't finish the job...that they were 'kind' enough to do it for me.

 

 

*sigh*

 

i don't get that analogy.

 

if i paid a fee to use your salon, cut my own hair, blew it, and swept up after myself, who should i tip?

[donaldsc]

If you remove your tips, I would be wondering if someone maybe spit in your food, or put somebody else's dirty sheets or towels in your room (instead of cleaned ones).

 

They almost certainly do not - but they should.

 

It is what you deserve if you remove your tips.

 

DON

[halos]

and yet you didn't realize the steward was even paying him. out of your tips.

Yes, I didn't realize it and I shouldn't have to, nor should I care....Once I give tip money to someone, I don't care what they do with it.

 

If you truly tipped upon service rendered as you so claim, none of how anyone is paid or what they are paid would matter to you. All that would matter was the service you received....period.

 

i don't get that analogy.

 

 

 

if i paid a fee to use your salon, cut my own hair, blew it, and swept up after myself, who should i tip?

 

 

 

The point is, you take their work away from them so you have an excuse not to tip...YOU are taking away their job. Cleaning up after you is their job...people have jobs to earn money. They do not get hired by the cruise linen to watch the passengers clean up after themselves just to stiff them.

[serene56]

i.. The wait staff, not including extra tips, or those that stiff them, plus 75 per person salary, if serving 3 ten tops, will make 5099 dollars per month, tax free, free room and board. Divided by 3 is 1898 per person per month. 36,000 dollars tax free per year. I dont make that much and certainly bring home much less after taxes..

 

 

all nice and neat-- I know BUT many people do not tip. Many people remove their tips and do not tip in cash at the end.

Some people think the cruise lines should be covering their salaries.

Some people think that they paid enough for the cruise.

 

cabin stewards are off duty from 1pm til 5pm and from midnight til 5am

[Room7]

Sorry, but you are incorrect in this statement.

 

The salaries are not low....they are $75.00 a MONTH.

 

Individuals who cruise understand that the "gratuity" system is how mass market cruise lines (not just Carnival) pay the SALARY of their wait staff.

 

This is not a "tip" like we understand it in the United States. These individuals do not make $2.60 an hour plus tips.

 

This is their SALARY.

 

And those who want to enjoy the privilege of cruising should accept the responsibility of paying the wait staff their SALARY. If someone does not want to do this, then they should not cruise.

 

You are all over the place.

 

 

i know this wont sound good, but just thinking... If a cabin steward has 20 cabins,which I realize most dont, their tips would add up to 508. per week. Now, that is not counting those who pay above and beyond, which I have at times giving them something on the first day, and it doesnt include those that stiff them, for lack of a better word. So let's just say it is 508 per week. Plus 75 dollars a month, equals 2100 tax free dollars a month. Plus free room and board, and food. I don't bring that much home a month. And have been working for 38 years... The wait staff, not including extra tips, or those that stiff them, plus 75 per person salary, if serving 3 ten tops, will make 5099 dollars per month, tax free, free room and board. Divided by 3 is 1898 per person per month. 36,000 dollars tax free per year. I dont make that much and certainly bring home much less after taxes.

The only reason I am posting this is because we always hear the sob stories, but really, as long as they get their tips , they are doing fine... actually very well, when you consider the cost of living in their countries.

said that, I of course will continue to tip, but would like my dollars to be divided like I want them to be.

 

Say a Stateroom Services has 20 rooms (Ive personal heard they have anywhere from 20-28 rooms) with an average of 3 people they make $3.70pp/pd. Thats 3.70x3x7x20=$1554 per week long cruise or $80k+ in a year of tips with free room and board plus whatever their salary is.

 

Im not saying they dont deserve it, but the argument that they dont make that much money is a joke. I have friends who dont make that much in the US and they work hard too and in places with much higher costs of living then where these stewards go back to.

[PrettyBrownGirl86]

I was wondering is the Matre'd included with autotips. On my last cruise, we were told via loudspeaker he was not and that patrons should tip on their last night in the dining room. Any way I tip on top of the auto gratuities for anybody with exceptional service. (In the most non-judgmental tone) Seriously, nobody is washing my walls daily at home for my aesthetic pleasure or vacuuming my bed twice daily for food crumbs. I don't have to wash my towels or do my own dishes so I'm always pretty excited.

 

I know people will say it's their job, but they are quite a few people who don't do their jobs well or at all, (read: poor service on some of these reviews)

 

To play devil's advocate in this already lengthy post, I did read about someone saying they were adjusting their tips and not removing them just because they felt the amount they were paying in tips could not be justified, and the amount they were adjusting them to seemed somewhat fair in the grand scheme of things.

 

One last thing, I have only ever met one person to remove their autotips and yes I was disgusted by that person. The reason being was they told me they removed the tips so they could purchase cruise photos and "she didn't know where the money was going anyway", so being a CC fan, I stated the breakdown of the tips and she then said she would tip them personally. Well, that would have been fine had we not been off the cruise and in the airport on the way home.

[rferr]

If I did not eat in the main dining room at all I would remove that portion of the tips. Tips are for services provided that you partake of. If you do not partake of those services you should not pay the tip.

[cruzn buckeye]

all nice and neat-- I know BUT many people do not tip. Many people remove their tips and do not tip in cash at the end.

Some people think the cruise lines should be covering their salaries.

Some people think that they paid enough for the cruise.

 

cabin stewards are off duty from 1pm til 5pm and from midnight til 5am

I know they work hard, and work many hours, this is why on this same post, I stated that I tip and will continue to do so.

 

Also, I really dont know how many people do not tip. But, I also based my numbers on one person to a cabin, not 2 which most have at least, or 4 which some have. Someone else posted something more realistic with much higher dollars earned. That 508 per person times 4 is equal to 2000 in one week... that is a lot of cash... Even times 2 would be over a thousand a week, 52000 per year...

We always read it as 3.70 per person per day,and it does sound piddly... but look at the whole picture....

Yes they work hard and deserve their tips...

[H82seaUgo]

I was wondering is the Matre'd included with autotips. On my last cruise, we were told via loudspeaker he was not and that patrons should tip on their last night in the dining room

 

can we assume your last cruise was prior to 12.1.11?

[sparks1093]

The only trouble with trying to figure out what other people make is that we only have part of the equation- we don't know what the tipping out arrangements are for any of the positions but I doubt very seriously that a room steward gets to keep $80k per year (where do I sign up?;)). From all that I've read entry level positions onboard cruiseships make $2000 per month or less. (And while some crew members may enjoy tax free earnings a lot depends on their home country- many countries will tax wages regardless of where or how they are earned.)

 

In any event I don't worry about what others make at their job. I know that if I follow the tipping guidelines then the crew that is supposed to benefit from that will benefit from that by receiving what the cruiseline and the crew agreed to. How that all gets divvied up and to whom doesn't really matter to me, I will have done my part.

[cruise_girl2002]

i guess you can but why would you? those are the SAME people that work their butts off cleaning up after us on the lido deck too. can you say cheap? i dont agree with taking tips off at all!!!

[smc0320]

First, everyone please note that I stated a friend said this to me. Next I followed with I have never heard of such. I thank you all for your responses. I cant imagine how his family does this and I dont understand the reasoning behind it. To me it is worst to prepay the gratuities and then go and ask all of it back because you skipped the MDR....REALLY!!!:eek:

 

i REALLY wish you had added this little bit of info to your initial post.....I couldn't sleep last night because of what you psted....and you seem to have stirred the pot a bit....

[Gailerina]

I wonder if those who take the tips off...don't tip normally....

 

I have heard people say a waitress gets her money from what they pay when they eat....that always leaves me going :O

[fireofficer5]

kinda explains the norovirus outbreaks on cruiseships. any one ship hitting the news must have had a tiping issue.

Depends if the spit is before cooking or after.

[steve819]

The assistant waiters in the MDR also work in the buffet area during breakfast and lunch. And, on our last cruise on the Magic, our head waiter was responsible for the barbecue area during the day. On Embark and Debark days, he also supervised the Ocean Plaza area assisting passengers with many issues.

Not tip these folks??? I hand out extra money, as they work very hard and deserve it.

Steve

[twindaddy]

i know this wont sound good, but just thinking... If a cabin steward has 20 cabins,which I realize most dont, their tips would add up to 508. per week. Now, that is not counting those who pay above and beyond, which I have at times giving them something on the first day, and it doesnt include those that stiff them, for lack of a better word. So let's just say it is 508 per week. Plus 75 dollars a month, equals 2100 tax free dollars a month. Plus free room and board, and food. I don't bring that much home a month. And have been working for 38 years... The wait staff, not including extra tips, or those that stiff them, plus 75 per person salary, if serving 3 ten tops, will make 5099 dollars per month, tax free, free room and board. Divided by 3 is 1898 per person per month. 36,000 dollars tax free per year. I dont make that much and certainly bring home much less after taxes.

The only reason I am posting this is because we always hear the sob stories, but really, as long as they get their tips , they are doing fine... actually very well, when you consider the cost of living in their countries.

said that, I of course will continue to tip, but would like my dollars to be divided like I want them to be.

 

First, you do not take into account the people that screw them over.

 

So you dont make 36K a year? Me neither. But how many hours a week do you work? Do you have paid sick time? Good benefits? Paid Vacation? The crew has none of that. Only if you work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, does your analogy make any sense.

 

I just love reading the anti tippers twist themselves into knots justifying screwing over the crew. I have yet to hear one of the "I eat in the buffet every meal so F the MDR crew" explain who exactly is putting that food in the buffet warmers, cleaning up after them ECT at the buffet. It is the same MDR staff.

 

Like a wise man said a few posts back, these tip threads really bring out the worst in people!

[cruzn buckeye]

I just love reading the anti tippers twist themselves into knots justifying screwing over the crew. I have yet to hear one of the "I eat in the buffet every meal so F the MDR crew" explain who exactly is putting that food in the buffet warmers, cleaning up after them ECT at the buffet. It is the same MDR staff.

 

Like a wise man said a few posts back, these tip threads really bring out the worst in people!

 

I hope that last sentence was not directed at me... If you read my post, you would also read that I tip, and they work very hard, and deserve their tips. I was simply thinking aloud about how they always say they only make 3.70 pp per day.. it just sounds like so little. When it really isnt.

There are many threads that bring out the worst in people, almost every thread there is someone who is mean and nasty...

Like a wise woman says... read and understand the post before you jump all over someone...:)

[waiting4acruise]

sorta both...

 

you can get a refund of your gratuities if you go and complain and ask them to remove them. they will question you on it but eventually they will remove it if you want it....

 

BUT!!!!

 

there are SO many people that the gratuity goes to that unless you didnt sleep in your cabin and never ate at all (including buffets) you are cheating people that deserve tips.

 

It is VERY WRONG (IMO) to remove tips because you didnt eat in the MDR. It makes no sense and its wrong

How can it be wrong if Carnival gives you that option?

If the OP wants to remove the tips from the MDR if they don't eat there, he has everyone right to do so. Why should he have to pay something he did not use?

I would suggest that the OP add some tips to the alternative dining service.

[BadBozo]

kinda explains the norovirus outbreaks on cruiseships. any one ship hitting the news must have had a tiping issue.

 

Oh man, this is freakin' me out...