pre paid tips ? Why do some not pay

[Blk_Amish]

Forgetting about cruising specifically, this is the bit I struggle with. In the UK employees get a minimum wage above that which is received in the US. A tip is for good service on top of just doing your job. I hear from my US friends how the tipping culture encourages good service, but if you tip however bad the service is, I don't really understand how that can be the case?

 

For the record I pay the recommended tips, but as a European I do feel deceived about the way it is described because I know it should really be called "Staff Wages". ;)

 

Yes, lets forget cruising for a second because it seems the word cheap has replaced common sense and respect. Name calling is known to be rude among people who don't cruise:D.

 

I have worked as a waitress (a long time ago) and we do not get the minimum wage. Tips are factored in to bring your wage up to the minimum and many times over. In cruising it seems tips are a big part of the pay/wage, which I think is wrong, not for how much bacon I have seen some consume. All other vacations, not restaurants, I pay a rate (yes sometimes higher than cruising) and tip who I wish and please. The culture of tipping is getting so bad, every where you shop there is a can for tips. What most here fail miserably to acknowledge and focus on is that majority of people tip at or above the recommended amount, really creating a balancing effect. I guess it makes them feel better to label the ones who exercise their right not to do something that is recommended. IMOP, really no need for the name calling, if at the end people get what's coming to them, as we all should in so many ways:D I am not American so a different take!

 

Pre-tipping can result in a change in service but overall many servers take pride in their jobs and it's not all about the tip. I would suggest pre-tipping if you want that extra pound of bacon extra crispy.

Edited October 21, 2013 by Blk_Amish

[Retiringworkingstiff]

As someone else said, I think you're attaching a meaning from a different context i.e. a government social welfare program. Welfare - for the well-being and support of.

 

"Crew welfare program" is a direct quote from NCL's terms and conditions. I believe the programs include things like parties for the crew. Quote "A portion of the service charge collected by Carrier is also used for fleet-wide crew welfare programs" http://www.ncl.com/csimages/75/492/Combined_Final_Land%20_Sea_TCs.pdf

 

 

 

It's just something I was taught from one of those old etiquette columns ... Anne Landers or Miss Manners or something. I think the rational is that tipping 10% for poor service, you aren't denying the waiter of making a minimum wage, but you aren't rewarding them either. You will however complain to their manager and leave it up to them to discipline their employees. In the US, employers may pay waiters below minimum wage and the waiter then must earn the rest through gratuities.

 

In a practical sense, I would never tip 0% at any restaurant I plan to ever visit again because it may result in vindictive action by the waiter i.e. saliva or worse in your food and you can bet that happens (been a waiter, know waiters, they admit to it). I wonder if cruise lines add notes to passenger dossiers when they remove gratuities/service charges.

Thanks for the clarification.

[vols_159]

Never cAnceled tips never will inless I have a major major major issue and I mean major.. People cancel tips because they are cheap, spend to much on alcohol or loose to much in the casino mostly because they are cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap. My personal opinion is if u cancel tips without a good reason than next cruise ccl should make you pre pay without the option of removing or kick u off carnival for life... Last thought if everybody paid there tips they could go down? Think about it carnival prolly includes a small extra in the 11.50 to cover the cheap people who cancel there tips they probably know about how many on each sailing that will be cheap

[Tithonus]

Never cAnceled tips never will inless I have a major major major issue and I mean major.. ap

 

According to your logic, if you have some major major major happen where you decide to reduce tips, you are still cheap. How would we know your reasons should we be present when you do so after we have made your tipping process our business?

[storm78]

Never cAnceled tips never will inless I have a major major major issue and I mean major.. People cancel tips because they are cheap, spend to much on alcohol or loose to much in the casino mostly because they are cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap. My personal opinion is if u cancel tips without a good reason than next cruise ccl should make you pre pay without the option of removing or kick u off carnival for life... Last thought if everybody paid there tips they could go down? Think about it carnival prolly includes a small extra in the 11.50 to cover the cheap people who cancel there tips they probably know about how many on each sailing that will be cheap

 

of course they do, if they didn't and there were people that did not earn the minimum wage they would most likely be required to pay them the difference

[Blk_Amish]

Never cAnceled tips never will inless I have a major major major issue and I mean major..

 

What's your definition of major, major, major issue. In my entire life I have had one incident that came close that, double open heart surgery. What standard do you have before saying this service is unacceptable. I would assume the ship sinking that would qualify as major, major, major? No let's call the ship sinking a free open sea excursion to frolic with Jaws, really?

 

Yes, if people are given the option to tip and they don't then it's the employers' responsibility to cover the difference. Do they do it, I really don't know!

Edited October 21, 2013 by Blk_Amish

[awhcruiser]

Nonsense!

According to your logic, if you have some major major major happen where you decide to reduce tips, you are still cheap. How would we know your reasons should we be present when you do so after we have made your tipping process our business?

[Crusin6]

I never remove tips and usually give extra. But what has happened now is that the cruise lines are sharing your tips with crew members that go unseen by pax and crew that pax would not ever tip.

 

Charging 12 per pax per day is a way for the cruise to have the pax subsidize the back room crew so the cruise line can pay them less and in turn charge less for your cruise which allows you to think you are getting a deal on the cruise

 

I don't care for forced tipping as it is socialistic IMHO but few will agree with me on that point

 

Regardless I leave the tips on and still give a little extra to steward and waiters if we are on td but do not give extra for freestyle dining. That is my personal choice and I am not interested in others opinions on my dining tipping methods

[Crusin6]

We cancel automatic tips also...

 

Several reasons.

 

First, on a 7 day cruise, we might only eat in the MDR once or twice for dinner. (never breakfast) I'm not tipping the MDR staff when I eat in the steakhouse or room service because now I'm double tipping. At the end of the cruise we'll tip the appropriate amount for what we did in the MDR. Of course, steakhouse and room service are tipped at the time of service.

 

I give the room steward some cash at the beginning of the cruise and tell him/her I'll settle up the rest at the end of the cruise.

 

You state this very well.

[Crusin6]

I actually think in the future I will continue to keep auto tips but stop giving anything extra

 

Btw my auto tips last time for a 12 day med cruise for my family of 6 were almost $800

 

That is ridiculous any way you look at it and please don't start with. Well if you can afford a 12 day cruise. It is my choice what I do with my money. But if only the ones that services us like the steward and waiter got our cash tips I would have only spent about $300 and that would have been more than sufficient

 

Of course with auto tips I am forced to tip the coal stoker the brass polisher the entertainment staff and guest services among others

 

I leave auto tip on but wish I had the guts to remove some of that $800 I paid last cruise

[Pine Bluff]

I never remove tips and usually give extra. But what has happened now is that the cruise lines are sharing your tips with crew members that go unseen by pax and crew that pax would not ever tip.

 

Charging 12 per pax per day is a way for the cruise to have the pax subsidize the back room crew so the cruise line can pay them less and in turn charge less for your cruise which allows you to think you are getting a deal on the cruise

 

I don't care for forced tipping as it is socialistic IMHO but few will agree with me on that point

 

Regardless I leave the tips on and still give a little extra to steward and waiters if we are on td but do not give extra for freestyle dining. That is my personal choice and I am not interested in others opinions on my dining tipping methods

 

That was me.

 

I knew exactly why they started the auto tip when they did. I did an evaluation at that time, and found it did work "for my convenience", and went along with it.

 

But once they took advantage of "my convenience", I went back to their and my old method.

 

I don't need to help pay the staff of Crnival employees in non tip jobs.

 

And sure enough, they doubled the take.

[Kamloops50]

I actually think in the future I will continue to keep auto tips but stop giving anything extra

 

Btw my auto tips last time for a 12 day med cruise for my family of 6 were almost $800

 

That is ridiculous any way you look at it and please don't start with. Well if you can afford a 12 day cruise. It is my choice what I do with my money. But if only the ones that services us like the steward and waiter got our cash tips I would have only spent about $300 and that would have been more than sufficient

 

Of course with auto tips I am forced to tip the coal stoker the brass polisher the entertainment staff and guest services among others

 

I leave auto tip on but wish I had the guts to remove some of that $800 I paid last cruise

 

Only the room steward, his assistant , table steward , his assistant and some of the kitchen staff get the gratuities. The rest of the staff don't get any of the gr annuities. Just check the cruise line website for the actual breakdown gratuities.

 

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[Tithonus]

Only the room steward, his assistant , table steward , his assistant and some of the kitchen staff get the gratuities. The rest of the staff don't get any of the gr annuities. Just check the cruise line website for the actual breakdown gratuities.

 

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Yeah. It says guest services, entertainment, and hotel staff. And they don't get tips. So that money is going directly to Carnival to help pay those position's salaries. Your fare already went to that, so they're hitting some twice. And that gets Carnival about an extra $650,000 a week. I wonder when they will thank you?

[Lovefuninthesun]

So I was reading A thread on here someone complaining about her neighbors and she said when she was in line at guest services 20 people in front of her were canceling there pre paid gratuities .. I m new to cruising Why would people do this ? When we went We had excellent service and provided an extra tip at the end 11.50 a day is hardly enough for all the staff it extends too ? I Have seen this mentioned before as well Do they wait to see if service is up to standard ??? Im just curious :confused:

 

Because they are cheap.

No matter what they say.

[jimbo5544]

That was me.

 

I knew exactly why they started the auto tip when they did. I did an evaluation at that time, and found it did work "for my convenience", and went along with it.

 

But once they took advantage of "my convenience", I went back to their and my old method.

 

I don't need to help pay the staff of Crnival employees in non tip jobs.

 

And sure enough, they doubled the take.

I have read this post three times and still have no idea what it is saying.:confused:

[vols_159]

Why would you tip anything if you were unsatisfied? Just curious your reasoning for this. To me, and I am not saying you are wrong because everyone has their own opinion, tipping for bad service is simply rewarding bad behavior. If a dog doesn't bite you, you reward him with a treat. If he does bite you should you give him a smaller treat?

 

I go into a resturant tipping 15% if they are great I normally go 18% if they are average they get 15% if they are far below average I may go less don't think I've ever stiffed anybody

[vols_159]

It is my money and I will do with it as I see fit.

 

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When I booked my first cruise at age 25 my parents told me if you can't afford the daily tips don't take the cruise.. So I'll share my parents advice to you.. If you can't afford the 11.50 a day go camping or something

[awhcruiser]

They can find a million different ways to get around the truth!

Because they are cheap.

No matter what they say.

[maggie cruises]

Yeah. It says guest services, entertainment, and hotel staff. And they don't get tips. So that money is going directly to Carnival to help pay those position's salaries. Your fare already went to that, so they're hitting some twice. And that gets Carnival about an extra $650,000 a week. I wonder when they will thank you?

 

that is what I thought also. Many more workers than just the usual are getting tipped these days. Just a way to have us subsidize the salaries. Isn't our cruise fare supposed to do that?

 

oh yeah, it's all marketing...sell the pax on a cheap fare to fill the ships and they are of course counting on pax to not cancel because of the tipping mandate.

[cobynana]

The simple answer is that majority of people who remove their automatic gratuities are cheap. That's it: Cheap.

 

People can rationalize their reasoning all they want but if they pull their tips they are only hurting the people who provided service to them and not Carnival or any other cruise line.

 

If you don't like the current system then write the nastiest letter you can to Gary Cahill, start a boycott, stop cruising or contact the media and have them do an expose. However, if you cruise, don't take the "salary" away from the people who serve you. That's just mean. Sort of like someone who doesn't approve of public breast feeding and slaps the baby for doing it.

 

Back in the early part of the century, (around 2002) NCL did a very good job of finding out who paid the gratuity and who didn't. Of the people that removed the gratuity, saying that they wanted to pay in person, only 20% of them actually gave gratuities. The rest of them just stiffed the service personnel.

 

For those who complain that .50 to $1.00 of their gratuity may go to a galley or engine room worker(s) as a bonus for good work then you have a strange set of priorities or are just rationalizing being cheap.

 

If you do receive poor service then bring it to the attention of a superior, or guest services, immediately. They will do their best to resolve the issue. If they can't then you are more than entitled to remove that portion of the gratuity.

 

For those who would love to see the gratuity just rolled into the price of the cruise it would make things much more simple. However, I wonder how many people would not cruise when the low end price of the cruise was no longer $399 and increased to $489. I think a number of people would think this was too much and not sail. This would hurt the company's bottom line and no one would cruise.

 

The current system is in place and if you want to cruise than pay the gratuity. Otherwise you can just stay home or cruise a line like Regent, Azamara or Crystal where gratuities are included. With the increased price I think you would prefer to pay the gratuity.

 

Take care,

Mike

 

IM CHEAP!!! (otherwise i wouldnt be cruising with carnival:D) that said

I AGREE with this post ... I have never cruised before and was SHOCKED at the low price i paid for an eight day cruise... so although I have been advised by more experienced cruisers that i can remove the gratuity I WILL NOT!! i dont care who its goin to (coal burners or staff in restaurants i did not visit) if the boat stayed afloat... 12 bux a day aint much to ask for so all you OTHER cheapskates should stay home if you dont want to pay the ppl in charge of your life and limbs a living wage

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

IM CHEAP!!! (otherwise i wouldnt be cruising with carnival:D) that said

I AGREE with this post ... I have never cruised before and was SHOCKED at the low price i paid for an eight day cruise... so although I have been advised by more experienced cruisers that i can remove the gratuity I WILL NOT!! i dont care who its goin to (coal burners or staff in restaurants i did not visit) if the boat stayed afloat... 12 bux a day aint much to ask for so all you OTHER cheapskates should stay home if you dont want to pay the ppl in charge of your life and limbs a living wage

 

Funny post. Cruising is a tremendous value. Regardless of cruiseline. You will be pleasantly surprised. Ive cruised several lines and Carnival doesn't "feel" cheap at all to me. Disney is much more and they have the worst food (except Paolo..paid restaurant...and the fact they have lobster tails on the buffet on lobster night although I'm not the biggest lobster fan). Most lines are more similar than different. The passengers are what I see as the biggest variable from line to line. Not being negative as ive taken 10 or so Carnival cruises in the past two years so not being judgmental...just an observation.

Edited October 21, 2013 by rickechambers1@aol.com

[rlkubi]

We always leave the auto tips on and have always given more because of good service. When at home I give 20% for very good service. I have always had fantastic service on Carnival cruises and will continue. I, too, always told my children......if you can't afford to tip don't go to restaurants, go to fast food. That would also apply to cruises. It's part of the cost IMO.

[Phlybice]

We always leave the auto tips on and have always given more because of good service. When at home I give 20% for very good service. I have always had fantastic service on Carnival cruises and will continue. I, too, always told my children......if you can't afford to tip don't go to restaurants, go to fast food. That would also apply to cruises. It's part of the cost IMO.

 

Or you can just serve yourself in the lido.

[jimbo5544]

Or you can just serve yourself in the lido.

Not a factor....

[Crusin6]

Only the room steward, his assistant , table steward , his assistant and some of the kitchen staff get the gratuities. The rest of the staff don't get any of the gr annuities. Just check the cruise line website for the actual breakdown gratuities.

 

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Actually I believe that is incorrect per the ships website