Are Royal Caribbean and Celebrity crew suffering financially when sailing in Aus?

[korky1]

As Carnival, P&O, and Princess no longer apply daily auto gratuities to our account, I assume their Cabin Stewards and Dining Staff are still paid a "reasonable wage" as the cruise line compensates them for the lack of auto tips. . I like to think most Australians generously tip their Cabin Steward and Dining room waiters on their last night on these ships so hopefully they do OK but the cruise lines can't be sure about that.

 

Now, what about Royal Caribbean and Celebrity staff? I believe most Australians remove the daily auto gratuities from their accounts on these ships as that is the reason the other cruise lines removed them in the first place, so are the staff on their ships solely relying on the generosity of us guests on the last evening or are RCI and Celebrity compensating them in some way? It seems so unfair if the crew on RCI and Celebrity end up earning less when sailing in Australia that the crews on the other cruise lines.

[goodycruising]

I would dispute that most Australians remove the auto gratuities. Sure there is a bit of a lineup at guest services the first few days, but we saw that on RCI cruises before the auto gratuities came on. So many of those are just asking other questions. I would also say that many people prepay them and take it as the overall cost of the cruise.

 

I still maintain that I just don't have customers interested in my renumeration. Never. Not once does anyone feel sorry for what I earn, and debate it endlessly.

[megsie]

I don't believe that most Aussies remove grats on RCI or Celebrity. In fact most of the diners we have been with, give extra for their waiters and most probably their room stewards.

I think everyone seems to be appreciative of a job well done.

Only one lady that we have come across on a recent cruise was very critical and intended removing her grats and her whinging was not with the waiters or stewards.

We had to put up with her one dining lunch and we made a quick exit. Was quite rude to everyone not just the crew.

Even with the grats factored into the price we have been on some very well and competitively priced cruises lately.

[GUT2407]

Our last cruise was Princess, so no Auto grats in place for Aussies

 

Every time I was at the pursers desk someone was removing them.

 

Now they weren't Aussies, but they had accents, normally American.

 

So the common claim that Aussies remove them en mass while Americans wt al leave them in place is plain wrong.

 

I saw many Aussies also handing out envelopes on the last day.

[GUT2407]

As to are the crew suffering financially, no idea, I've only had the ine Celebrity cruise in Aus and all I can say is that the crew gave great service and seemed as happy as...

[rkmw]

i havent cruised RCI for a few years but when i did the staff in the buffett said if they didnt get any gratuities they only got $50 per month

[joandian]

Our last cruise was Princess, so no Auto grats in place for Aussies

 

Every time I was at the pursers desk someone was removing them.

 

Now they weren't Aussies, but they had accents, normally American.

 

So the common claim that Aussies remove them en mass while Americans wt al leave them in place is plain wrong.

 

I saw many Aussies also handing out envelopes on the last day.

 

I agree with this. We have always, so far, cruised on ships where the majority were Americans and they were always lining up with some excuse or another to remove tips. I think most Aussies I've met on cruises are very generous to the crew. We always do the prepaid gratuities to get it done before we cruise but drop some extra on the cruise.

Edited January 4, 2016 by joandian

[OzKiwiJJ]

I also dispute that most Aussies remove the auto gratuities and on our recent Celebrity cruise I had much more interesting things to do than to hang around Guest Services checking out who was.

 

The staff on Solstice seemed to be very happy and the service was excellent.

 

We always prepay our gratuities where required, and usually give a little extra at the end of the cruise to stewards and waiters that have given us great service throughout the cruise.

[GUT2407]

I also dispute that most Aussies remove the auto gratuities and on our recent Celebrity cruise I had much more interesting things to do than to hang around Guest Services checking out who was.

 

The staff on Solstice seemed to be very happy and the service was excellent.

 

We always prepay our gratuities where required, and usually give a little extra at the end of the cruise to stewards and waiters that have given us great service throughout the cruise.

 

But sometimes you visit the pursers desk for other reasons and see what's going on while you're waiting in line or being attended to.

[Haoie]

So the tips are priced in for the Carnival umbrella, that I understand.

 

I got a few quotes from TAs for RCI lately and they've all had the autotips already included in the quote. Is that normal practice?

[GUT2407]

So the tips are priced in for the Carnival umbrella, that I understand.

 

I got a few quotes from TAs for RCI lately and they've all had the autotips already included in the quote. Is that normal practice?

 

Firstly it is only for Aussies booking Aussie cruises that they're built in with those "Carnival Umberella" lines.

 

Secondly it seems to be common for Celebrity and RCCL to want pre-paid tips. Even in America it seems that they are pushing people to book ATD where ore paid Grats are required, but then letting them change to traditional once in board, effectively getting tips pre paid.

[Russell21]

Well all I can say is that there are international standards for the crews pay and that if the crew didn't like what they were being paid they wouldn't be working for the company.

On our last cruise the head waiter, waiter, and ass waiter were all Filipinos, and having lived in the Philippines we had some good conversations.

One subject was about the different areas they had worked, and between them they had done the lot. They all agreed that the Aus region was the best, with Europe second, and the US third. The Asian region was last.

[Aus Traveller]

Well all I can say is that there are international standards for the crews pay and that if the crew didn't like what they were being paid they wouldn't be working for the company.

On our last cruise the head waiter, waiter, and ass waiter were all Filipinos, and having lived in the Philippines we had some good conversations.

One subject was about the different areas they had worked, and between them they had done the lot. They all agreed that the Aus region was the best, with Europe second, and the US third. The Asian region was last.

Your comment is very interesting. Stewards have told us they love working on the Australian ships.

 

I have heard (and also read on this forum) Americans claiming that the only people who work on the Australian ships are those who can't get a job elsewhere :rolleyes: and that we get very poor service. I believe that these types of comments are a way to support their 'tipping mentality'. They do not seem to believe that a person can do a good job unless they get a tip. I find that attitude insulting.

[GUT2407]

Your comment is very interesting. Stewards have told us they love working on the Australian ships.

 

I have heard (and also read on this forum) Americans claiming that the only people who work on the Australian ships are those who can't get a job elsewhere :rolleyes: and that we get very poor service. I believe that these types of comments are a way to support their 'tipping mentality'. They do not seem to believe that a person can do a good job unless they get a tip. I find that attitude insulting.

 

Crew have also told us they love working Aussie ships as one put it "You treat us like equals not slaves."

 

I don't know if we get the worse of the worse, but never had bad service, also never had issues getting served and no I don't pre tip or even tip as I go, but I do have a joke when they're not busy and use those magic little words, Please and Thank You. They seem to go a long way. Never ceases to amaze how some walk up and as "Give me a ..." not a sign of please or a greeting or even a smile, then walk away without so much as a grunt let alone a thanks.

 

I too find that attitude insulting, gosh my old man'd be likely to job 'em for thinking he wouldn't do the job without a bribe (oops sorry tip) my grandfather worked bars part time and after he retired, heaven help the bloke who hinted he wouldn't do his job just for the pay he signed on for.

[Brisbane41]

As Carnival, P&O, and Princess no longer apply daily auto gratuities to our account, I assume their Cabin Stewards and Dining Staff are still paid a "reasonable wage" as the cruise line compensates them for the lack of auto tips. . I like to think most Australians generously tip their Cabin Steward and Dining room waiters on their last night on these ships so hopefully they do OK but the cruise lines can't be sure about that.

 

Now, what about Royal Caribbean and Celebrity staff? I believe most Australians remove the daily auto gratuities from their accounts on these ships as that is the reason the other cruise lines removed them in the first place, so are the staff on their ships solely relying on the generosity of us guests on the last evening or are RCI and Celebrity compensating them in some way? It seems so unfair if the crew on RCI and Celebrity end up earning less when sailing in Australia that the crews on the other cruise lines.

 

If they were getting poor pay they would not be working on the cruise ship wold they. Poor pay would be enough for me to up and leave and it would be the same for any other human being.

 

Celebrity draws in too many international guests for the tipping system not to work on those ships. The style of Celebrity is a bit too much for the average Australians that frequent here.

[Haoie]

Firstly it is only for Aussies booking Aussie cruises that they're built in with those "Carnival Umberella" lines.

 

Secondly it seems to be common for Celebrity and RCCL to want pre-paid tips. Even in America it seems that they are pushing people to book ATD where ore paid Grats are required, but then letting them change to traditional once in board, effectively getting tips pre paid.

 

Yes thanks, that's what I meant, the local Carnival etc ones all have them built in.

 

RCI's AU website leave the prepaid tips towards the middle of the booking process, after room selection.

[Very Frequent Flyer]

If they were getting poor pay they would not be working on the cruise ship wold they. Poor pay would be enough for me to up and leave and it would be the same for any other human being.

 

Celebrity draws in too many international guests for the tipping system not to work on those ships. The style of Celebrity is a bit too much for the average Australians that frequent here.

 

Don't forget though there is next to no spending required for the crew. Normal everyday expenses such as paying for food, laundry, transport costs, etc, would not be required while they are living on board the ships.

[joandian]

Don't forget though there is next to no spending required for the crew. Normal everyday expenses such as paying for food, laundry, transport costs, etc, would not be required while they are living on board the ships.

 

Well I do know they have to do their own laundry on RCI, or they did up until a year ago. On one of our longer cruises we became friends with a young English barman and he often complained about having to do his laundry in the few hours he had off between shifts.

[Russell21]

In addition to what I posted before, our waiter mentioned that the Xmas coming up a couple of weeks after our cruise would be the 5th in a row that he had missed having with his family, and I know he has several children with the oldest being 10.

You don't do that if the money isn't good, particularly if you were to understand how Filipinos love kids.

I know of more families than I can remember where the father has worked overseas in Saudi Arabia for 4 or 5 years straight, trading their home leave and fares for cash, and coming home with enough cash to build their own home and start a small business.

The jobs on cruise ships are golden positions so far as the crews are concerned, and many more of you would understand this if you had lived and worked among the poverty like I have.

You would also understand my negative attitude to professional dole bludgers, not the genuine unemployed just the bludgers.

[OzKiwiJJ]

But sometimes you visit the pursers desk for other reasons and see what's going on while you're waiting in line or being attended to.

 

True, but every time we've visited the pursers desk on a cruise there has hardly been anyone else there ;)

[OzKiwiJJ]

Celebrity draws in too many international guests for the tipping system not to work on those ships. The style of Celebrity is a bit too much for the average Australians that frequent here.

 

:confused:

 

We found the style of Celebrity not a lot different to that of Princess. It was difficult to compare the two cruise lines exactly as we have only cruised on the smaller Princess ships - Sun and Dawn - but I would say that Princess has a slight edge over Celebrity in style. However I will be very interested to compare the two again after we have finished our Golden Princess cruise in April.

 

You seem to have a strange perception of the type of Australians who frequent this forum, Brisbane41.

[BrissyCruiser]

Firstly it is only for Aussies booking Aussie cruises that they're built in with those "Carnival Umberella" lines.

 

Secondly it seems to be common for Celebrity and RCCL to want pre-paid tips. Even in America it seems that they are pushing people to book ATD where ore paid Grats are required, but then letting them change to traditional once in board, effectively getting tips pre paid.

 

You no longer have to prepay tips for MTD on RCI ships....

[Brisbane41]

:confused:

 

We found the style of Celebrity not a lot different to that of Princess. It was difficult to compare the two cruise lines exactly as we have only cruised on the smaller Princess ships - Sun and Dawn - but I would say that Princess has a slight edge over Celebrity in style. However I will be very interested to compare the two again after we have finished our Golden Princess cruise in April.

 

You seem to have a strange perception of the type of Australians who frequent this forum, Brisbane41.

 

Its about perception. I see Princess as traditional and I see Celebrity as modern and trendy. They are both great lines. It is hard to compare but Celebrity is a step above Princess in some areas and Princess does better than Celebrity in others. It all comes down to what a persons taste is.

 

On Celebrity the cabins are much better. You have bathrooms with sliding perspex shower shields, glass cabinets and wood lined cupboards, on Princess you have shower curtains and a plastic module. Celebrity cabins are a step up from Princess. Go to the Martini Bar on a Celebrity ship and the counters are chilled for effect, the waiters put on a juggling presentation when serving drinks and make the style more modern and trendy. The bars on Princess tend to be more traditional in style. It is clear Celebrity aims at the younger crowd.

 

Re Australian style of cruising. My mental image of the traditional Australian cruiser is the singlet top, shorts and thongs wearing beer drinking, feet up on chair passenger. These are things I have witnessed first hand. I have actually been on cruises where the cruise director made lengthy announcements reminding "Australians" of appropriate dress code and that they were not welcome in parts of the ship if the dress code was not followed.

 

Take a look at the cruise lines promo images. They all depict slim/athletic models wearing modern and trendy clothing and although not formal but dressed to impress. Take a look at the real photos of real passengers and they are sloppily dressed, hunched over and overweight. When docked in Sydney if you walk a few hundred meters over to the Opera House Bar you will see the young trendy crowd who are much better dressed and depict more closely the style presented in advertising brochures.

 

I should clarify I have cruised on ships before it became popular to Australians and I have cruised on traditional British ships, traditional American ships and finally the ships full of Australians.

[OzKiwiJJ]

I agree that the Celebrity Solstice cabins are great. So far we've only been on Sun and Dawn Princess, which are much older builds than Solstice, so it may be unfair to compare those cabins with our Solstice one. However we did notice that the Celebrity cabins weren't as sound-proof as we expected, the walls between cabins seemed thinner. We heard noise from cabins on either side and our TV turned itself on twice, after the people in the adjacent cabin turned their TV on/off. Every day we were disturbed by the thundering of little feet in the corridor outside our cabin or in the corridor on the deck above.

 

I never take any notice of the people on advertising. They are always far from reality. I've seen just as many people elegantly dressed on Princess as I did on Celebrity, even though our Princess cruises were in much warmer climates than our Celebrity cruise.

 

Certainly the young trendy ones of today do dress well but I can recall sitting at a restaurant at Darling Harbour some years ago and despairing at the ugly, sloppy dress of the young ones then. Fashions change. Unfotunately the dress designers of today seem to focus on the young with their fashions, and it is difficult to find elegant clothing suitable for the middle-aged figure. I would look ridiculous in the type of skimpy little dresses my eldest grandaughter looks fantastic in. Are you saying that cruising should only be for the young and beautiful?

 

Admittedly I obviously haven't cruised as much as you, but the only cruise where I saw your example of what you see as the typical Aussie cruiser was on Rhapsody of the Seas. I think it does very much depend on the cruise line chosen, and so far we appear to have mostly chosen well.

Edited January 5, 2016 by OzKiwiJJ

[Brisbane41]

Prior to the GFC when everyone lost their money the cruise lines were marketed differently. There was mass market, premium and luxury. Celebrity was always categorised as premium and Princess was always categorised as mass market, however Princess was always known to be a step above the rest of the mass market lines. These days the average Australian thinks all cruise lines are the same.

 

These days after the GFC and the face that cruises are getting cheaper there is no longer the style that it used to be in the past. The topic here seems to question of crew are suffering because of non-tipping Australians. If Celebrity has a tip based pay system it is doubtful the amount of Australians not tipping would even cause a difference given most of their clients are anything but Australians.

 

Tipping on cruise ships coming here was never compulsary in the past. P&O World Cruises were always popular with Australians. Back from the 1990's to about 2008 onwards things changed for them. Originally P&O was not auto-tipping and the brochures said not to worry about it and suggested something very low like GBP 1.30 per day. As soon as that line gets brought into the Carnival corp the tipping policy gradually changes.

 

2008 also sees the arrival of Sun Princess starting here. Originally on that ship it was tips deducted from accounts. Princess obviously found it so bad that they removed this policy for Australians and included it in the fare.

 

I think the evidence is there that Australians do not tip otherwise Princess would not have changed their policy to make an all inclusive fare. The thing to remember is that Princess can sail with up to 90% Australian passengers around our country and Celebrity will have over 50% Americans with probably just as many British, Europeans making up the remainder with the smallest nationality on board being Australians.

 

Tipping only ever became an issue after the GFC when cruise prices crashed and it became accessible to the average person who lives in a non tipping culture. Prior to that I don't ever recall tipping being a hot topic on cruise ships. I admit years before it became popular it was much more expensive than it is today.