Breakdown of prepaid gratuities

[SLCruisers]

Good morning,

 

There are some people asking in my FB group about the breakdown of the gratuities. I've looked and can't seem to find that information right now. We cruise out Sunday and there were a couple of people saying how they remove the gratuities but make sure to give that amount directly to certain people that serve them. I don't want to say the wrong thing to offend but I do want those first time cruisers to be aware that the money is spread out to others behind the scene that will miss out. Thank you all!

 

 

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[shof515]

in the carnival faq page:

Our recommended guideline to what is appropriate is $12.95 USD per person, per day for guests in standard stateroom accommodations and $13.95 USD per person, per day for guests booked in suites. The majority of the tipping amount goes to employees such as stateroom stewards, assistant stewards, dining room waiters and assistant waiters. A small portion goes to a mix of other personnel who are in guest-facing customer service positions within areas such as culinary and hotel services, along with certain key positions in entertainment and guest services.

Here is the breakdown, per day:

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites)

Dining Team: $6.40

Alternative Services: $2.50

[dmdiver]

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1123

 

Here's the link to the gratuity breakdown. I think what people don't stop to think about is the fact that there are many people they may not actually come into contact with that are part of the dining/housekeeping team. Plus, think about the servers in the buffet. Do they plan to tip each one individually?

 

I've also read that cash tips have to be pooled anyway, so what would be the point in tipping individually?

 

I find that it's just easier to let Carnival take the auto tips and distribute. We've given extra in cash, but who knows what happened to it after that?

[SLCruisers]

Thank you! It was stated in the thread that they take off the dining gratuity since they never eat in the MDR. It's their decision to do this but I just don't want these new cruisers who are asking to be misinformed.

 

 

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[cruisemom67]

Thank you! It was stated in the thread that they take off the dining gratuity since they never eat in the MDR. It's their decision to do this but I just don't want these new cruisers who are asking to be misinformed.

 

 

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Wow! Never seen people who DO NOT EAT on the cruise! Many dining room staff work on the lido deck during the day. Do those people think tipping $2 a day for buffet that these use 3+ times a day is reasonable? One way or another they are eating. If they can afford to cruise, they can afford the tips. Those workers work 16-18 hours a day. Don't cut their tips.

[SLCruisers]

Wow! Never seen people who DO NOT EAT on the cruise! Many dining room staff work on the lido deck during the day. Do those people think tipping $2 a day for buffet that these use 3+ times a day is reasonable? One way or another they are eating. If they can afford to cruise, they can afford the tips. Those workers work 16-18 hours a day. Don't cut their tips.

 

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

 

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[JVilleGal]

If they eat ANYWHERE on the ship their daily Gratuities go to ALL the dining staff ship wide... so unless they fast the entire cruise, well you get the picture.

 

 

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Edited June 7, 2017 by JVilleGal

[summersigh]

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1123 Here's the link to the gratuity breakdown.

I've also read that cash tips have to be pooled anyway, so what would be the point in tipping individually?

If you've left your auto gratuities on - the recipient of your cash "bonus" may KEEP that bonus tip for themselves.

If you've removed the auto gratuities - the recipient of any cash you tip them MUST turn that cash into the tip pool.

 

And, contrary to what some may say - an employee isn't going to risk getting fired for pocketing some little cash tip a passenger who opted out of paying the auto grats might slip them.:rolleyes:

[maryred]

I just want to further explain which personnel get a portion of each breakdown...

Here is the breakdown, per day:

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites) - this includes not only your head steward, but his/her 1-2 assistant stewards, the person that vacuums your particular passageway to your cabin, and the on call crew member from housekeeping that will come to clean up an unexpected mess or bring you extra towels outside of your steward team's normal work hours.

 

Dining Team: $6.40 - in addition to your head waiter his assistants this also covers, the runner that may be getting the meals from the galley to the wait team and the bus people that clear off the table when you are done redressing it for the next seating. Beyond dinner time it also covers those serving brunch and breakfast in the MDR (why do you think they ask your cabin # for open seating meals). Dining team members that serve on the Lido deck as wandering gratis drink servers and bus persons also get a bit out of this tip segment.

 

Alternative Services: $2.50 includes (but not limited to) the bathroom attendants, the general housekeepers for public areas that pick up the glasses, plates, or other trash left around the ship in public areas, and some of the entertainers like the pre-dinner musicians (any of the soloist or groups not selling CDs or other items).

 

Also each primary team member that services you for the cruise (steward team & dining team) will get a negative mark by adjusting down or removing tips so if they wish to tip in cash it is also recommended that a short Thank-You note also be included with an expression of how satisfied you were with the service provide to offset the negative. So those that wish to tip as they go should be advised to carry plenty of singles for the alternative service personnel they encounter daily, and have envelopes with notes made out to each individual service team member for end of cruise tipping. Since the advent of auto-gratuities team members are no longer required to share a tip given to them directly or left in a cabin or table.

[Doggielover68]

Thank you! It was stated in the thread that they take off the dining gratuity since they never eat in the MDR. It's their decision to do this but I just don't want these new cruisers who are asking to be misinformed.

 

 

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Many of the MDR dining staff work on Lido during breakfast and/or lunch, either behind the scenes of serving customers...so to me it seems unfair to remove those tips unless you don't eat at all.

 

 

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[gottaluvcruises12]

Don't they add gratuities at the end of the cruise anyway. I didn't think they had a choice. I am pretty it sure it says not to give them tips unless that's something you personally want to do. I would just tell them to beware it will show up at the end of the cruise. The employees on the ship really don't make a lot of money and all the money they make they send it home to there families that they never get to see. Regardless of where you eat. I feel it should be paid anyway. Personal opinion. Don't need the nayslayers to hound me.

[sc4125]

Don't they add gratuities at the end of the cruise anyway. I didn't think they had a choice. I am pretty it sure it says not to give them tips unless that's something you personally want to do. I would just tell them to beware it will show up at the end of the cruise. The employees on the ship really don't make a lot of money and all the money they make they send it home to there families that they never get to see. Regardless of where you eat. I feel it should be paid anyway. Personal opinion. Don't need the nayslayers to hound me.

 

They do add the gratuities to your S&S card, but you can go to Guest Services and have them adjusted or removed completely. I wish this was not an option as I think there are many young people who remove the tips regardless of the service they receive & use the $$ for drinks or whatever else they choose to spend it on. I think it should be just like some restaurants that add a 15 - 20% gratuity to your bill - if you don't want to tip, find another place to eat - perhaps McDonalds.

 

On a cruise last year we overheard a young lady (probably early 20's) telling her tablemates that she had removed the tips & told them how to do it as they thought you had to tip. I so wanted to walk over to her & tell her what I thought of her. If you don't want to tip, don't cruise - period. There is never a justification for removing tips - lousy service by one crewmember does not justify refusing to tip the others who share in that tip. If you're getting bad service - complain, don't screw over everyone else.

 

OK - I'm finished with the rant!!

[jma624]

Most people who remove the gratuities to pay them in cash fall into one of two groups.

1. Cheapskates who say they're removing gratuities to pay in cash but have no intention of doing so.

2. People who get some sort of thrill out of seeing the looks on workers faces when they hand them cash.

 

Carnival makes this so easy and one less thing to worry about on vacation. While I have on occasion tipped the room Steward or the wait staff a little extra, I love that for the most part I don't even really think have to about it.

[happy cruzer]

I know lots of young people who are good tippers. They used to or still work in a service job. Anyone who has lived on tips understands how it works.

[cb at sea]

The tips they charge to you daily cover ALL of the folks who are supposed to be tipped on your behalf for cabin and dining services.

[kendracruises]

Carnival and all other cruise lines can stop this removal of tips nonsense by making it a mandatory charge automatically added to the cruise fare with no chance of removal. Why they have not done so is beyond me.

To the OP: if you know these people who want to remove tips I feel you should explain to them exactly how it works and discourage them from doing so.

[cajunfla]

If you've left your auto gratuities on - the recipient of your cash "bonus" may KEEP that bonus tip for themselves.

If you've removed the auto gratuities - the recipient of any cash you tip them MUST turn that cash into the tip pool.

 

And, contrary to what some may say - an employee isn't going to risk getting fired for pocketing some little cash tip a passenger who opted out of paying the auto grats might slip them.:rolleyes:

 

I'm curious as to how anyone else knows if or even who I give a cash tip too, besides the recipient?

We prepay the tips, but usually give our room stewards and our MDR staff individuals extra cash. Once, we even bought a toy for our room stewards small child back in his home country.

[Saint Greg]

Don't they add gratuities at the end of the cruise anyway. I didn't think they had a choice. I am pretty it sure it says not to give them tips unless that's something you personally want to do. I would just tell them to beware it will show up at the end of the cruise. The employees on the ship really don't make a lot of money and all the money they make they send it home to there families that they never get to see. Regardless of where you eat. I feel it should be paid anyway. Personal opinion. Don't need the nayslayers to hound me.

 

You can go to guest services and have them removed. On a previous cruise a guy at the Sports bar on the first day was bragging to me about how he removed tips. I told him that taking money from hard working people wasn't anything to brag about. He told me he tips them more individually. So I gave him the spiel that's on all of these tip threads. I don't think it made a difference. He's going to do what he wants to do. I wouldn't be surprised if he lost money in the casino and said "well I don't have any money to tip now." Same guy used his cheers package to buy a lady at the bar a drink...blatantly right in front of the bartender.

[ray98]

Some people lack common sense and are unable to see the big picture unless they truly think every server works for free except when in the main dining room.

[hard_eight]

They should just charge it as part of the fare.

[sparks1093]

Carnival and all other cruise lines can stop this removal of tips nonsense by making it a mandatory charge automatically added to the cruise fare with no chance of removal. Why they have not done so is beyond me.

To the OP: if you know these people who want to remove tips I feel you should explain to them exactly how it works and discourage them from doing so.

 

They haven't changed it because the people most affected by it, i.e. the crew, haven't demanded it. The practice does work for the crew for the most part even with some people removing the gratuities because there are many that will leave extra for a good job done and the vast majority do leave the gratuities in place.

[sfaaa]

they never eat in the MDR.

 

 

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Such fools. They don't know what they are missing out.

[firestopr]

We do prepay for our entire family, then I typically tip an additional 10.00 each per day to our steward and waiter.

 

I could not imagine for a second not tipping.

 

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Edited June 7, 2017 by firestopr
Spelling

[maryred]

Carnival and all other cruise lines can stop this removal of tips nonsense by making it a mandatory charge automatically added to the cruise fare with no chance of removal. Why they have not done so is beyond me.

To the OP: if you know these people who want to remove tips I feel you should explain to them exactly how it works and discourage them from doing so.

For the same reason land restaurants do not roll a tip amount into the per item price. If they did the government would want the sales, convenience, or luxury tax applied and paid on it, making it the responsibility of the passenger to pay higher fares with additional taxes or decreasing the amount going to the crew member to cover taxes.

 

By having it as a mandatory yet editable charge the cruise line is able to keep government fingers out of the gratuity pie. That is of course unless the crew member's our nation declares they must include wages earned on tips as part of their income documentation.

 

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[Saint Greg]

They should just charge it as part of the fare.

 

They won't because that will make the cruise look more expensive. As long as they don't have a shortage of people willing to work for them there's no need to force the gratuity.