Tipping outside of Gratuities?

[Ontario Cruiser]

I Think the room service guy is included.At any rate we cancel auto tips and tip in cash.That way we can tip who we want.:)

 

You can do this but if you remove automatic tips the tips you give to the staff has to be given into the pool . If you leave the tips on you can give a little more to who you want

Ontario Cruiser

[debgreg]

I think tipping in the UK is very different to the US. We have a minimum wage that all employees must be paid and then any tips staff get are given by customers are on top of , not instead of. I think the tipping culture in the US, encourages these large companies to duck out of their responsibility to pay staff a fair wage and several restaurant chains have recently been told it is not appropriate here in the UK.

Does no one think its bizzare that cruise companies think they have a right to bill you for gratutities before you have even experienced the service. I know this is the norm on cruise ships, but should it be ? If no one challenges it, wont it just continue ?

 

I will tip who i want, when i want, like i do in the USA, Carribean etc and I wont be shamed into subsidizing a multi million company, who should pay staff a fair and decent wage.

[Grandma Dazzles]

I think tipping in the UK is very different to the US. We have a minimum wage that all employees must be paid and then any tips staff get are given by customers are on top of , not instead of. I think the tipping culture in the US, encourages these large companies to duck out of their responsibility to pay staff a fair wage and several restaurant chains have recently been told it is not appropriate here in the UK.

Does no one think its bizzare that cruise companies think they have a right to bill you for gratutities before you have even experienced the service. I know this is the norm on cruise ships, but should it be ? If no one challenges it, wont it just continue ?

 

I will tip who i want, when i want, like i do in the USA, Carribean etc and I wont be shamed into subsidizing a multi million company, who should pay staff a fair and decent wage.

 

Tipping is always so controversial on Cruise Critic, and I always try to avoid commenting. However, please do some research before making assumptions, especially regarding tipping wait staff in US.

 

In the US, varies from state to state, but waiters/waitresses make a minimum wage of around $3-4 per hour. Their tips are part of their salary and have to be declared and taxed. That's what makes up a large part of their wage. This is the law, whether you or I approve or like it.

 

Similar thing on cruise ships. Try to think of it as a service charge, if that makes more sense you. How would you decide what to pay/tax staff that literally sails all over the world and is so multinational.

[debgreg]

Tipping is always so controversial on Cruise Critic, and I always try to avoid commenting. However, please do some research before making assumptions, especially regarding tipping wait staff in US.

 

In the US, varies from state to state, but waiters/waitresses make a minimum wage of around $3-4 per hour. Their tips are part of their salary and have to be declared and taxed. That's what makes up a large part of their wage. This is the law, whether you or I approve or like it.

 

Similar thing on cruise ships. Try to think of it as a service charge, if that makes more sense you. How would you decide what to pay/tax staff that literally sails all over the world and is so multinational.

 

I would pay staff a fair days pay for the work they do regardless of where they are from. My niece danced on ships for years and didnt pay tax ?

 

In the UK minimum wage at present is $9.54 hour set to rise to $10.20 for over 25's from April. Staff here also have to declare tips to the tax man. I understand staff are paid badly and we always tip well but i cant get my head around cruise liners tying to force passangers to do it in the way they do and then making people feel uncomfortable if they ask for them to be removed. I have read some people say if you cant afford it dont cruise :mad:

Some people save long and hard for the experience and im sure to some with grown children accompanying them it would actually make it not an option if gratutities were compulsory, but im not actually sure legally they ever could be.