Why tip?

[laughoutloud]

Staff on cruise ships receive $50 a month as salary from the cruise line. ]

 

Who in the world told you that???

[jcs56]

I agree that tipping is essential. If you can't tip, then don't go.

 

 

My questions: Do you tip more than the recommended $10/day/person, and if so, how much more?

 

If you can't tip...dont go!! That's crazy. I am going to go and I CAN tip, but if it's not deserved I won't or I atleast won't give more.

 

Someone on another thread said that when a tip is automatic it becomes a "fee" and I agree with that. I have NO problem with the tips being automatic BUT if I don't feel I was served well or taken care of then I have no problem removing the tip. I also have no problem giving them ALOT more when I feel they deserve it.

By the way....I personally know someone that is an entertainer on a Disney Ship and he makes "over $100,000 a year" those were his words not mine. They are also set up on their flighs in first class. And he never complains about the food or anything else for that matter. As for the servers I am sure they don't make as much but they make an adequate salary from what I hear. Someone else said "they chose their profession" and I second that.

[vmom]

JCS 56

 

That's not what I meant. Sorry you misunderstood my meaning.

I was referring to those people who are too cheap to leave anything, even when the service is outstanding. hard to believe, but those people are out there.

 

I was NOT referring to either not tipping or lowering your tip due to poor service. I tip according to the service I recieve. Unfortunately, there are those out there (and I have met them) who either do not tip, or tip very little (cause they are too darn cheap), even when the service was excellent.

[imsulin]

MamaParrotHead - I am with you all the way!! I always overtip, because I feel that I am lucky to be able to travel/cruise the way I do! I have not been to nor lived in Indonesia or the Phillipines, etc., but do appreciate the hard work that the cruise staff does. I always carry around plenty of $1.00 bills, and often give a few to the guy who vacuums the hallway, the guy who pushes a cart full of dirty dishes, the guy who is working on fire hoses, etc. In other words, I also tip staff I see working who are not normally within the "tipping pool". Call me silly, but it's my way of saying, "Thank you for the hard and efficient work that you do". Without this kind of staff, NONE of us would be cruising!

[samsara]

Just to put my pennies worth in:

Its a well known fact over here in Ireland that if you go work on the cruise ships you will rake in the cash on tips!!!! Plus have the time of your life doing it.

So all this "ah poor staff only get this much or that much" PLEASE!

 

They are loving it! they would have beaten their way onto that ship.

 

They have their food and accommodation, the rest is expendable cash.

 

In saying all that I do think that they should be tipped for going out of their way to make your stay better but you shouldn't be forced or criticised for not to wanting to tip every Tom Dick & Harry that happens to provide some sort of service to you.

[Seago2]

I just posted a new thread about this, but in case you missed it... also, Samsara, being in Ireland... Do you think it would be a nice touch to tip with a phone card in addition to the mandatory gratuity? I would normally tip cash, so I am talking about the same amount, only in a phone card. That way the steward would not have to pool the tip- he wouldn't have to with cash either, I guess... I wonder if phone cards sold here can be used in Mexico, etc.

[samsara]

I think you may have something there!

[samsara]

Actually second thoughts, they're working on there for the nice cash they get.

 

I think your nice gesture of a couple of free phonecalls home might go down unappreciated!

[vmom]

Carlalena

 

Frankly I think your idea of a phone card is a good one. Some phone cards sold are only good in the US, some are good for international usage. Check the fine print on the phone card.

 

One thought tho, some of the employees from 3rd world countries may have families without phones...just wondering.

[Eliot Ness]

...........I always carry around plenty of $1.00 bills, and often give a few to the guy who vacuums the hallway, the guy who pushes a cart full of dirty dishes, the guy who is working on fire hoses, etc. In other words, I also tip staff I see working who are not normally within the "tipping pool"........

That is a GREAT idea imsulin! Tipping those people who aren't in the "tipping pool". Now I know how to get rid of some of those $1's. I usually get a bundle before we leave for room service, drink servers, etc. but always have more than we need.

 

John

[Square]

god forbid anyone break the "typical American" stereotype (gee, I wonder how all of us get THAT bad rep?) and have some compassion for others' situations, let alone fork over a few bucks to help out. :rolleyes:

What a bunch of crap. America is one of the most giving nations on the globe. Keep your self-loathing guilt to yourself. I consider us to be a very compasionate people (more so than any superpower in the history of man...but don't let the reality confuse you).

 

Anyway on topic. I think most of us can tell when somone is truly working hard and some are just "mailing it in". If they provide me with some really good service (I'm low maintenance, so usually it is just if they keep my wife happy)...I'll throw a couple twenties around at the end of the trip. If they just seemed to do the minimum...then, the auto-minimum is all they will receive.

[kitty9]

Who told me they get $50 a month? Every crew member I've ever spoken to on cruise lines like Carnival, RCCI, Princess and Celebrity. It's not a number I've made up. On cruise lines where tipping isn't expected like Seabourn or Silversea, the workers earn much more per month from the cruise lines. But those workers are often older and have many years experience on other cruise lines.

 

And this, which is from cruisejunkie.com "On ships where tipping is expected, waiters, busboys and room stewards can earn salaries as low as US$50 a month. In any case, almost two-thirds of those receiving tips earn monthly incomes of $1,000 or more. And then there are fees that some workers are forced to pay. " If you want to read the entire article go to

http://www.cruisejunkie.com/ot.html

 

Some cruise lines will give the new employee and "advance" on their salary for transportation to the ship, but then they have to pay all that back. They also have to pay for their uniforms. Some cruise lines deduct money each month for "breakage" of items. So, it's not all that perfect to work for a cruise line.

 

To the person who asked about phone cards, don't bother. The cards you purchase in the US do NOT work in the phones where the cruise ships stop. You have to purchase phone cards in each of the places you stop in order for them to work in the individual countries/islands.

[laughoutloud]

Darcie- I apologize. You're right on that one. (I had to google it for myself - hello, clackey) If you think that's bad, read about the lower workers on the cruise employee totem pole. WARNING: only sympathetic cruisers need apply. I've already been blasted off another thread because of feeling bad for the workers.)

 

From the NY Times, Dec. 1999

http://www.labournet.net/docks2/9912/cruise1.htm

[crazidude1400]

Tipping is not required by anyone at anytime, meaning that anyone can go on a cruise, if they can just afford the fare.

[vmom]

Crazidude1400

 

Do you go to a restaurant and not tip the waiter/waiterss if the service was good? (I'm not referring to lousy and substandard service.)

 

It's the same principal. Just as waiters make their living by their tips, some of the cruise personal (room stewards, wait staff) make their living by the tips they receive. There is a HUGE difference between the professional staff, including the entertainment and office type crew vs the wait staff such as stewards and waiters in how they are compensated for their work.

 

Technically a person can go on a cruise without tipping as long as long as the person pays the fare, however I would clasify the person who does not tip as CHEAP and other words I will not use.

 

(again I am referring to when service has been good, not referring to substandard service)

[KievCruiser]

Tipping is a huge source of friction between my wife and I. I'm the typical American tipper, she's from Eastern Europe and would tip 5% but not more if left to her devices. I do what's right for my culture, she for hers (She says she takes care of her family, first and foremost). That's why the automatic tipping - because some pax would never tip if left to their discretion ("I'll never see them again anyway, and my family comes first.")

[tribbs1]

Tipping will always be a touchy subject. It has also gotten out of hand. It seems like one is expected to tip everyone who gives service, ie: paperboy, barber or beautician, wait staff, etc. Isn't it their job to give service? Don't they get paid to do their job? My husband is a doctor. Yeah he makes a good salary, but he also saves lives w/his diagnosis. Does he get tipped for doing his job? I know that is somewhat simplistic, but it is just an illustration of how out of hand I think tipping is getting. One makes a choice of job. If it doesn't pay a good salary(wait staff) and is heavily reliant on tips then that is a chance they take because you can't control whether or not people will tip. Yes, we do tip the usual 15-20% for great service. Do I stiff them if their service is sub par? No, but I do not return to that place of service. I think a lot of people tip because it has become expected and they don't want to be looked on as being cheap. I know there are times when I have tipped because I felt this way.

[jewelea]

Ok, heres my take. Not that you care....but,

 

A person choses their employment right? These people have chosen to become wait staff. correct? Now their job is to? That's right! SERVE YOU. Do they receive a paycheck? Yes they do. Do I know how much they make? No I do not. I don't even know (or care) how much YOU make. What I do know however is that RCCL has guidelines for tipping these employees - and to be quite honest these guys/gals do not do so bad!

Suite attendant:$5.75 USDa day per guestStateroom attendant:$3.50 USDa day per guestDining Room Waiter:$3.50 USDa day per guest Assistant Waiter:$2.00 USDa day per guestHeadwaiter:$.75 USDa day per guest

 

 

I know tips are pooled. Does anyone know the number of dining staff per ship? I don't but even if it's as many as 500 (which I doubt) that leaves each employee with about $500 per week in tips. Not bad considering, as some have already noted, they do receive a salary and they do not have to pay for room, board, and meals.

 

 

 

Ok if tips are pooled then why do we have to sit at the same table every night? I just assumed it was cause it'd be easier for tipping?

[Roboat]

The OP asked why tip extra?

 

Thanks LOL. (I am the OP.) I should have included the word "Extra" in the title of my post, since that's what I meant - tips over and above the auto-tip. Sorry for confusion.

 

You know the one reason for above average tipping that I didn't mention, and I KNOW it applies to me?

It's the "What Goes Around Comes Around" reason, also known as Karma and LUCK!

 

It's my decidedly unscientific belief that, somehow, being overly generous to others during the good times will somehow ward off evil events, like me getting laid off or audited. :eek: ;)

[Roboat]

Just found this w google. I don't know if this is the "authority" but the web site is cruiselinejobs.com

www.cruiselinesjobs.com/eng/wages/

This site gives info about living conditions, hours, etc. Here's what they say. Looks like quite a range, some good, some not so good.

====================================================

 

Wages on Cruise Ships

 

The cruise ship staff are divided into two main groups - tipping personnel and non-tipping personnel.

 

Tipping personnel

 

Tipping personnel are the staff with direct contact with the guests who pay them "tips". There are specified amounts of tips per particular positions which are advised to guests prior to embarkation and which vary from one cruise line to another. Such personnel as waiters, busboys /assistant waiters, bar waiters/waitresses, bartenders, cocktail waitresses, etc. belong to this group. Tipping personnel have a small base salary. Most of their earnings are tips. Approximate sample earnings in this group are (in U.S. Dollars per month):

 

Waiter from $2500 to $4000

Busboy / Assistant Waiter from $1500 to $3000

Bar Waiter / Waitressfrom $1000 to $2500

Bartenderfrom $1500 to $3000

 

The applicant has to have a good command of English, good work experience and appropriate education (the latter is not obligatory if the applicant has enough experience) to qualify for this group.

 

Non-tipping personnel

 

Applicants who do not have enough experience or do not have very good command of English tend to be hired as non-tipping staff. They have a good chance to be promoted to be tipping personnel later.

 

The non-tipping personnel on cruise ships are those who serve the crew, i.e. the lower positions in the passenger area - Staff Waiter/Waitress, Snack Steward, etc. They have fixed salaries without tips and their earnings are from USD 350 to USD 500 per week.

================================================

End of article

[laughoutloud]

Roboat- don't believe everything you read. Remember, those are placement agencies that want to make the cruise salaries seem as attractive as possible. Sort of like, "make $2000/ week stuffing envelopes"...:rolleyes:

[Roboat]

Roboat- don't believe everything you read. Remember, those are placement agencies that want to make the cruise salaries seem as attractive as possible. Sort of like, "make $2000/ week stuffing envelopes"...:rolleyes:

 

Oh, I don't believe everything I read! But this is NOT just a placement agency.

They tell you to apply directly to the cruise line, or a placement agency. Totally different.

 

I'm not saying this is the golden bible, but it might be worthwhile to spend a little time on the site, and factor it in with other sources - like "hearsay," "speculation," and "a friend told me," "press clippings from 1999" or "the staff told me" .... ;)

[samsara]

Roboat I think your the only one making any sense on this thread

 

Who said they earn $50 a month YEAH RIGHT !!!!

Think they were lookin for some sympathy tipping off you mate !

[laughoutloud]

Roboat I think your the only one making any sense on this thread

 

Who said they earn $50 a month YEAH RIGHT !!!!

Think they were lookin for some sympathy tipping off you mate !

 

Sure. They earn $50 a month from the cruise line plus tips. (See link.)

I guess that's what the debate is about- supplementing their low wages with tips, or extra tips.

 

From the NY Times, Dec. 1999

http://www.labournet.net/docks2/9912/cruise1.htm

[Sisi]

In the first place, I don't actually understand the whole tipping thing (they do get a salary, and have chosen their jobs), and I would never even think of tipping extra on a cruise ship. I just the tip the amount that the cruise line suggests. I think the ritual of giving the envelopes personally to the waiter and others is quite awkward.