mandatory gratuity charges and bad service don't mix

[brighteyes00]

I'm sure that there are good reasons that I don't know about for mandatory gratuity charges. My experience on the Star Princess from Whittier to Vancouver last week have made me really come to resent the whole thing.

 

Not only do I not know the WHYS of this set up, I know nothing about HOW this charge is disbursed to crew members. I do know I resent having the choice of tipping for good service and vice versa being taken out of my hands.

 

My husband and I just returned from a 7 day cruise from Alaska to Vancouver last week. It was a family trip my mother in law put together because my father in law will not be able to travel much longer; it's simply becoming too difficult for him.

Unfortunately for me the date chosen meant I would be having my menstrual cycle for a good portion of the cruise. Not really a big deal normally, but without going into the gruesome details lets just say the bedsheets are REALLY REALLY white to a woman in my situation.

I took every precaution I could think of including putting a towel down when I slept, but there was still a minor mark on the bedding the first night of the cruise.

I was completely mortified by this already, but the situation was made even more embarrassing by our steward who happened to be coming out of the stateroom across from ours when we were returning from dinner the next day.

He was not even remotely friendly and told me that he saw the blood on the bed and that I'd better do something about it or the mattress would be damaged. Humiliating. And unnecessary since he left the towel I had put down on our bed (which had no marks after that 1st night.

 

I resent that we were charged 11.50 each per day to tip this guy for being a jerk about something that shouldn't have been brought up. Big surprise here, but he was unfriendly the whole time even though there were no more incidents after the 1st one.

 

Gratuities are supposed to be based on the quality of service. It's not supposed to be a mandatory supplemental income. What motivation does someone with bad customer service skills have to improve if they know they're getting the tip no matter what.

It also meant that I didn't have the money to give to the people I wanted to like our wonderful servers at dinner. (although that's not the cruise ships fault it still just one more reason to dislike the set up.)

[caribill]

The daily gratuity is shared by a number of the crew including cabin stewards, dining room personnel, room service delivery, buffet staff, etc.

 

Not included are bar personnel (every drink has 15% gratuity added to it), Spa staff and kids club personnel.

 

So only a portion of your daily service charge went to your cabin steward.

 

Your wonderful servers in the dining room did get to share in the daily service charge you paid.

 

If your cabin steward acted unprofessionally, then you should have spoken to his supervisor or to the staff at the Purser's desk.

Edited July 4, 2015 by caribill

[fishywood]

Assuming the OP is a relatively new cruiser genuinely asking about the whys and wherefores of automatic gratuities:

 

First of all they are not mandatory. You have the absolute right to go to the purser's desk and adjust them as you please. Though starting a thread here to report that you did so must be done wearing a fireproof suit.

 

Princess was the first cruise line with Anytime Dining starting in 2001; as the program was added to each ship in the fleet, automatic gratuities to cover the MDR staff were instituted. At the time they did not cover your cabin steward so you were still expected to prepare the dreaded envelope on the final evening. Eventually Princess added the stewards, buffet staff, and various behind-the-scenes personnel to the tipping pool. At that time there was a published breakdown of how each passenger's daily charge was divided up; this is no longer the case and any answer given on here would be speculation.

As the program of auto-gratuities spread among most all of the cruise lines public skepticism such as yours that it removed incentive for good service has waned and the consensus that the current system is far more convenient and less awkward that distributing envelopes on the last night of the cruise has taken hold. There was a thread on another board very recently from a passenger who found proffering cash each night at Anytime Dining was looked askance at by the servers.

 

Hope this was helpful. But I cannot leave without pointing out the contradiction in the final paragraph of the original post which unfortunately exposes the writer:

 

"It also meant that I didn't have the money to give to the people I wanted to like our wonderful servers at dinner. (although that's not the cruise ships fault it still just one more reason to dislike the set up.)"

If the $11.50 pp/pd charged to your onboard account lowered your ability to offer any additional tips to none...then how much would you have tipped if the cash-only regime was still in place? (Unavoidable answer is less than $11.50 pp/pd. Sorry that my logic trumped your outrage. Oh, and some anecdotes are better left far less descriptive...:o)

Edited July 4, 2015 by fishywood

[TracieABD]

A couple years ago, I was on a cruise when I had just started a new regime of oral chemo. One of the side effects was extreme sweating. I also happened to bring bright red jammies on this cruise, and each morning the sheets would be pink. Our cabin steward quietly changed out my sheets each morning, without comment or complaint.

 

Subsequently, I left the auto-tip in place and tipped him a big bunch extra. Professionalism goes a very long way with me.

 

Had he commented, I probably would have discussed this with his supervisor. But that is just me.

[ldlewis45]

A couple years ago, I was on a cruise when I had just started a new regime of oral chemo. One of the side effects was extreme sweating. I also happened to bring bright red jammies on this cruise, and each morning the sheets would be pink. Our cabin steward quietly changed out my sheets each morning, without comment or complaint.

 

Subsequently, I left the auto-tip in place and tipped him a big bunch extra. Professionalism goes a very long way with me.

 

Had he commented, I probably would have discussed this with his supervisor. But that is just me.

 

To me, there's a huge difference between something that is obviously dye transfer from clothing and a biohazard that could result in the loss of the mattress if it seeped through. Would you want to sleep on a mattress that had blood stains on it? This wasn't a surprise nosebleed in the middle of the night. Also, we're having to take the OP's word that the steward was rude. She may have read rudeness into his demeanor, simply because the topic of conversation was embarrassing for her. He was probably just as embarrassed as she was, to be honest. This is not a topic that most men wish to discuss, lol, especially with women that are strangers.

Edited July 4, 2015 by ldlewis45

[hansi]

I'm sure that there are good reasons that I don't know about for mandatory gratuity charges. My experience on the Star Princess from Whittier to Vancouver last week have made me really come to resent the whole thing.

 

Not only do I not know the WHYS of this set up, I know nothing about HOW this charge is disbursed to crew members. I do know I resent having the choice of tipping for good service and vice versa being taken out of my hands.

 

My husband and I just returned from a 7 day cruise from Alaska to Vancouver last week. It was a family trip my mother in law put together because my father in law will not be able to travel much longer; it's simply becoming too difficult for him.

Unfortunately for me the date chosen meant I would be having my menstrual cycle for a good portion of the cruise. Not really a big deal normally, but without going into the gruesome details lets just say the bedsheets are REALLY REALLY white to a woman in my situation.

I took every precaution I could think of including putting a towel down when I slept, but there was still a minor mark on the bedding the first night of the cruise.

I was completely mortified by this already, but the situation was made even more embarrassing by our steward who happened to be coming out of the stateroom across from ours when we were returning from dinner the next day.

He was not even remotely friendly and told me that he saw the blood on the bed and that I'd better do something about it or the mattress would be damaged. Humiliating. And unnecessary since he left the towel I had put down on our bed (which had no marks after that 1st night.

 

I resent that we were charged 11.50 each per day to tip this guy for being a jerk about something that shouldn't have been brought up. Big surprise here, but he was unfriendly the whole time even though there were no more incidents after the 1st one.

 

Gratuities are supposed to be based on the quality of service. It's not supposed to be a mandatory supplemental income. What motivation does someone with bad customer service skills have to improve if they know they're getting the tip no matter what.

It also meant that I didn't have the money to give to the people I wanted to like our wonderful servers at dinner. (although that's not the cruise ships fault it still just one more reason to dislike the set up.)

 

 

So why didn't you just remove it. It is discretionary you know.

[cruzsnooze]

The auto gratuity is not mandatory and can be removed at guest services. Had you asked you could have accomplished that goal and then used the cash to tip those you wanted. Next time you'll know and hopefully have a better cruise.

[eandj]

I'd have talked to a supervisor. Were you talking to your room steward or his helper?

After the fact "punishment" is never our response. Nothing is learned by the service provider. We talk to someone who can fix the complaint immediately. And everyone walks away satisfied.

Edited July 4, 2015 by eandj

[Colo Cruiser]

Stewart confronted you and demanded that you better do something about it??

 

Really?

 

As stated a visit to the passenger services desk would have yielded an explanation on how the auto tips work and you could have also removed them from your account.

 

This should have been addressed onboard, not post cruise.

[Loonbeam]

Okay a few practical notes - first, you could have adjusted the amount and explained why by going to passenger services. In this case, I would not have gainsayed you. Passenger services can adjust it so that the remainder of the fees go to other individuals like servers and laundry, etc.

 

Alternately, a request to speak to the supervisor may have resulted in them shifting stewards.

 

Issues like this are precisely one of the reasons WHY the system is set up as is. If they raised the fares to maintain the same level of compensation, you would have no control except to not add overage..

 

As to the mechanics:

 

From my FAQ:

 

Princess Hotel Charge (Auto-Tip) – Standard Policies

 

Official Princess standard guidelines as follows for ships other than those based in australia, however individual ship’s pursers have latitude to modify the process as appropriate for their ships.

 

1> The auto-tip added to your bill is pooled among dining servers and housekeeping and their support staff. If you remove the hotel charge any cash tips are put into the pool up to the pool amount. If you retain the hotel charge, the individual receives the additional amount. It is that individuals decision to ‘tip-out’ any support staff from the overage.

1a (added 4/25/14) – It has been reported that Princess now pools the hotel charge across ship classes in an effort to make things a little more consistent for crew members. A point system is in place that determines how gratuities are divided (the exact nature of the point system is not available). The individuals involved in the pool have not changed.

 

2> The 15% bar charge added to bills are pooled among the bar and bar support staff. I have not confirmed if this is across all bars or specific to venue. Cash tips given directly to a server or bartender are retained by that individual. Tip outs are at the discretion of the individual, tho most servers will feed a little back to the bartender, and the bartender often tips out to the support staff. It’s also not unheard of for bar staff to tip out a particularly productive server, hence the sometimes hard sell.

 

3> Casino tips are pooled among all dealers and cashiers (not sure if even split) and MUST be deposited in tip boxes by the dealer/host. Drink tips in the casino follow the rules above.

 

4> Servers in specialty restaurants receive a portion of the service charge (pooled). They would not tell me what this amount is. Additional tips may be kept or pooled depending on the policy at that particular venue and ship. There does not appear to be a corporate guideline for this.

 

5> Tips given to other activity/support staff (passenger services, kids programs, etc) are generally pooled by department but there is no set policy.

 

Again, I must stress these are Princess guidelines as confirmed by corporate, however specifics may vary from cruise to cruise based on ship operations policies. If you have questions on your cruise, the purser may be the best resource to ask.

[Northender]

It is too bad you are complaining after the fact here on Cruise Critic. Beforehand, we here could have supplied you with a wealth of information.:)

[caribill]

Okay a few practical notes - first, you could have adjusted the amount and explained why by going to passenger services. In this case, I would not have gainsayed you. Passenger services can adjust it so that the remainder of the fees go to other individuals like servers and laundry, etc.

 

I do not think that a passenger can specify where any part of an auto-tip goes to any particular department. If the total auto-tip amount is reduced by the passenger, what is left is still shared among all those who participate, just with a reduced amount going to each group.

 

 

 

From my FAQ:

 

Princess Hotel Charge (Auto-Tip) – Standard Policies

 

Official Princess standard guidelines as follows for ships other than those based in australia, however individual ship’s pursers have latitude to modify the process as appropriate for their ships.

 

 

 

1> The auto-tip added to your bill is pooled among dining servers and housekeeping and their support staff. If you remove the hotel charge any cash tips are put into the pool up to the pool amount. If you retain the hotel charge, the individual receives the additional amount. It is that individuals decision to ‘tip-out’ any support staff from the overage.

1a (added 4/25/14) – It has been reported that Princess now pools the hotel charge across ship classes in an effort to make things a little more consistent for crew members. A point system is in place that determines how gratuities are divided (the exact nature of the point system is not available). The individuals involved in the pool have not changed.

 

I checked with the Customer Services Director on a recent Princess cruise. I was told that the pooling of the "autotip" is just on each specific ship and not shared among ships.

[Colo Cruiser]

Okay a few practical notes - first, you could have adjusted the amount and explained why by going to passenger services. In this case, I would not have gainsayed you. Passenger services can adjust it so that the remainder of the fees go to other individuals like servers and laundry, etc.

 

Alternately, a request to speak to the supervisor may have resulted in them shifting stewards.

 

Issues like this are precisely one of the reasons WHY the system is set up as is. If they raised the fares to maintain the same level of compensation, you would have no control except to not add overage..

 

As to the mechanics:

 

From my FAQ:

 

Princess Hotel Charge (Auto-Tip) – Standard Policies

 

Official Princess standard guidelines as follows for ships other than those based in australia, however individual ship’s pursers have latitude to modify the process as appropriate for their ships.

 

1> The auto-tip added to your bill is pooled among dining servers and housekeeping and their support staff. If you remove the hotel charge any cash tips are put into the pool up to the pool amount. If you retain the hotel charge, the individual receives the additional amount. It is that individuals decision to ‘tip-out’ any support staff from the overage.

1a (added 4/25/14) – It has been reported that Princess now pools the hotel charge across ship classes in an effort to make things a little more consistent for crew members. A point system is in place that determines how gratuities are divided (the exact nature of the point system is not available). The individuals involved in the pool have not changed.

 

2> The 15% bar charge added to bills are pooled among the bar and bar support staff. I have not confirmed if this is across all bars or specific to venue. Cash tips given directly to a server or bartender are retained by that individual. Tip outs are at the discretion of the individual, tho most servers will feed a little back to the bartender, and the bartender often tips out to the support staff. It’s also not unheard of for bar staff to tip out a particularly productive server, hence the sometimes hard sell.

 

3> Casino tips are pooled among all dealers and cashiers (not sure if even split) and MUST be deposited in tip boxes by the dealer/host. Drink tips in the casino follow the rules above.

 

4> Servers in specialty restaurants receive a portion of the service charge (pooled). They would not tell me what this amount is. Additional tips may be kept or pooled depending on the policy at that particular venue and ship. There does not appear to be a corporate guideline for this.

 

5> Tips given to other activity/support staff (passenger services, kids programs, etc) are generally pooled by department but there is no set policy.

 

Again, I must stress these are Princess guidelines as confirmed by corporate, however specifics may vary from cruise to cruise based on ship operations policies. If you have questions on your cruise, the purser may be the best resource to ask.

 

 

It has been reported that Princess now pools the hotel charge across ship classes in an effort to make things a little more consistent for crew members.

 

Not accurate.

It is only within the same ships and is kept in house.

Edited July 4, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[M4dC0w]

All inclusive resorts have had prepaid gratuities for years. Most don't suffer from bad service, as the service providers know that they will get a bit extra if they provide the services expected.

 

Just like tipping a bartender onboard, I guarantee you won't need to look for one if you leave an extra tip. The actually start to hound you a bit if you do.

[KruzPrincess]

The OP should have reported this to a supervisor.

 

As for the cause of the confrontation... I don't mean to be skeptical, but this is not the first time this has happened and it won't be the last. Many people can have an accident that would soil bed linens. Imagine young children. Imagine someone spilling something like a glass of wine, etc. There are mattress pads, if not pillow tops, under the sheets that can be laundered. Ruining a mattress would take a lot. Secondly, the cruise ships carry extra mattresses in case something happens. Honestly, they should probably be replacing those mattresses more often.

 

As for gratuities: As mentioned, they are not mandatory. If the OP had reported the incident the problem would likely have been resolved. Also, she could have discussed the gratuities with the staff and deducted an amount if necessary.