Gratuities Going Up $1 Per Day Effective May 21, 2019

[senior lady]

from Carnival.

Housekeeping...... $4.35 per day         Suites $6.35 per day

Dining team...........$6.89 per day

Alternative

Services.................$2.75 per day.

These are for the old rates, but it gives you a idea

        

 

[compozer]

1 hour ago, RMMariner said:

 

Agreed. Just make them a hotel charge. Do not know what percentage actually pull their tips, but just make it a mandatory charge. Tired of subsidizing the people who sneak down and pull their tips on the last day.

You are correct, we are subsidizing the people who go down the last morning and take the tips off.   Have you noticed the long lines??     I remember being down there one time when a vocal person from here who said it was terrible to take them off, was at the desk asking to have her tips removed.    It is time everyone pays their share.          And then,  there are the people who love anytime dining because they can get a different waiter every night and never have to tip them.                       We like to get to know the staff and they go above and beyond so I am happy to reward them but it is starting to really add up especially since we do long cruises most of the time.    Extra's at Sabitini's for breakfast, club class, room steward,  room service several times a day,  the bar and now it will be $33 a day.   

 

Maybe we should all start asking to have them taken off.  That would get their attention.      

[PescadoAmarillo]

2 hours ago, chamima said:

 

 

Jeannie

Just curious - are you thinking of prepaying tips for Tahiti 2020?

We're only on for 35 days (and we always add cash onto the prescribed tips) but I'm thinking that I'd still rather give the crew that extra $70 as part of that extra cash rather than have it included. (There's a cynical, suspicious part of me that always wonders if they get ALL of the "included" tips)

You'll be on for much longer so I'm curious what your thoughts are.

Hi Karen, no, we won’t be pre-paying. We usually seem to be able to catch a promotion before final payment that includes the tips, or, at a minimum, we like to use OBC to pay them once on board. If we’re on the Pacific Princess for 90 days (I have no idea how many days we actually have booked), it’s $180 more. In the big scheme of things (which are ridiculously sizable next year), that’s negligible. 

[antsp]

Tipping is such a personal thing, Princess recommends $14.50, if passengers want to increase or decrease them it’s upto them and no one else. 

[PrincessLuver]

13 minutes ago, antsp said:

Tipping is such a personal thing, Princess recommends $14.50, if passengers want to increase or decrease them it’s upto them and no one else. 

 

Agree it is an individual choice and right.....I am always amazed at how others on here seem to know what is going on all over the ship and who is doing what...I guess we are too busy enjoying the cruise adventure to worry about others and their business with Princess....and the crew and Princess will be just fine no matter what happens regarding tipping..... 🙂

[compozer]

23 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

, we like to use OBC to pay them once on board. 

So do we!

 

[compozer]

6 minutes ago, PrincessLuver said:

...I am always amazed at how others on here seem to know what is going on all over the ship and who is doing what...🙂

When someone goes on and on here about not taking tips off and how bad those people are  and you just happen to be right next to them at customer service,when they ask to have them removed.     And they did not know who I was from Adam.    No one has said they know what is going on all over the ship.  Just happens that many people hear and see things.    But remember, tipping has always been a big topic on CC. 

Edited April 26, 2019 by compozer

[zalusky]

Tips are a bogus way of obfuscating and advertising a cheaper price.  Charge the appropriate price and ditch the tips (Everywhere).

[Colo Cruiser]

48 minutes ago, compozer said:

When someone goes on and on here about not taking tips off and how bad those people are  and you just happen to be right next to them at customer service,when they ask to have them removed.     And they did not know who I was from Adam.    No one has said they know what is going on all over the ship.  Just happens that many people hear and see things.    But remember, tipping has always been a big topic on CC. 

On CC it  is not hard to figure out who removes them.

Each time one of these threads rages on they stand out more and more.  

[kywildcatfanone]

17 minutes ago, zalusky said:

Tips are a bogus way of obfuscating and advertising a cheaper price.  Charge the appropriate price and ditch the tips (Everywhere).

Yep, this is correct.  But it wont happen because the price is the draw.

[RMMariner]

8 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

On CC it  is not hard to figure out who removes them.

Each time one of these threads rages on they stand out more and more.  

 

Yes, but only here on the boards. I posted before that I have never heard anyone proudly tell their waiter or steward that they would not be tipped.

Some people are proudly defiant here; not so much in person on the ship. 

 

Make them a mandatory charge.

 

27 minutes ago, zalusky said:

Tips are a bogus way of obfuscating and advertising a cheaper price.  Charge the appropriate price and ditch the tips (Everywhere).

 

Absolutely agree. The cruise lines are partly to blame here.

 

 

 

 

[happy cruzer]

Really look for the promos with gratuities included as a perk or enough OBC, just don't like thinking about them when planning or during the cruise.   They're in price just one less thing to keep track of.

[Colo Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, RMMariner said:

 

Yes, but only here on the boards. I posted before that I have never heard anyone proudly tell their waiter or steward that they would not be tipped.

Some people are proudly defiant here; not so much in person on the ship. 

 

Make them a mandatory charge.

 

 

Absolutely agree. The cruise lines are partly to blame here.

 

 

 

 

I agree also to make them part of the cruise fare.

 

I look at it as keyboard courage. 

It is amazing what comes out when one is/thinks they are anonymous. 

[GUT2407]

So if you pre pay, aren’t you stuffing the crew on $1.

 

Just asking.

[kywildcatfanone]

38 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

Really look for the promos with gratuities included as a perk or enough OBC, just don't like thinking about them when planning or during the cruise.   They're in price just one less thing to keep track of.

Yes, but the cruise price will be higher to reflect the additional discount you are receiving, so you are still paying it, just like you are with any promotion.

[chamima]

30 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

So if you pre pay, aren’t you stiffing the crew on $1.

 

Just asking.

 

How do the cruise lines keep straight who pre pays at the lower rate and who at the new higher?

For example - our next cruise is, say, February of 2020. We can pre pay now at the current rate but also have  9 months after that to pre pay at the higher rate.

I'm all for the crew getting more income - I just don't trust the "system".

 

[VersaliusPrimus]

3 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

How do the cruise lines keep straight who pre pays at the lower rate and who at the new higher?

For example - our next cruise is, say, February of 2020. We can pre pay now at the current rate but also have  9 months after that to pre pay at the higher rate.

I'm all for the crew getting more income - I just don't trust the "system".

 

This should be relatively simple to keep track of within each booking.  A bit flag to represent gratuities have been paid i.e. 0 if unpaid, 1 if paid.  This flag need not keep track of the gratuity rate that was paid, just that gratuities are now covered.  Starting May 15th (presumably if all the details from OP's source remain true), when someone goes to prepay their gratuities the form to do so will reflect the new price.  The bit flag gets set to 1 after they do, whether they do so before or after May 15th doesn't matter.  At least, that's how I would code it...

[SmilesYourWay]

I recall reading somewhere on one of these boards that if you give a extra tip, say to your room steward, they can't keep it. They have to put it in a pool.  If they are found keeping it, they are in trouble.  I sure hope that is not true.  Because when I tip someone, it is for the one I tip. Not for everyone. A thank you. Here's a little "extra" for YOU, for doing a great job!   

[capriccio]

4 minutes ago, SmilesYourWay said:

I recall reading somewhere on one of these boards that if you give a extra tip, say to your room steward, they can't keep it. They have to put it in a pool.  If they are found keeping it, they are in trouble.  I sure hope that is not true.  Because when I tip someone, it is for the one I tip. Not for everyone. A thank you. Here's a little "extra" for YOU, for doing a great job!   

Should we forget (or more likely forget to tell those traveling with us to do so) our waiters and stewards have always reminded us to put our name and cabin number on the envelope.

[IrishLassie]

Our tips are a perk for us, so I'm not worried & we always give extra to our waiters & cabin steward.  RCI's rate is $14.50 so this is nothing new. 

[land lover]

5 hours ago, compozer said:

You are correct, we are subsidizing the people who go down the last morning and take the tips off.   Have you noticed the long lines??     I remember being down there one time when a vocal person from here who said it was terrible to take them off, was at the desk asking to have her tips removed.    It is time everyone pays their share.          And then,  there are the people who love anytime dining because they can get a different waiter every night and never have to tip them.                       We like to get to know the staff and they go above and beyond so I am happy to reward them but it is starting to really add up especially since we do long cruises most of the time.    Extra's at Sabitini's for breakfast, club class, room steward,  room service several times a day,  the bar and now it will be $33 a day.   

 

Maybe we should all start asking to have them taken off.  That would get their attention.      

LOL..and before auto tipping and Anytime, there were those people....who would not show up in the MDR for the last evening with a tip envelope. One reason why most cruise lines started auto tipping.

There are always those people....who cares about them...

 

BTW... we came back to cruising because of anytime dining.... like spontaneity...so  take exception with ur remark. When we started cruising we were young(37 years ago) Do you how unpleasant it is to sit with a demanding "traditionalist."

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by land lover

[Woobstr112G]

2 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

I agree also to make them part of the cruise fare.

 

I look at it as keyboard courage. 

It is amazing what comes out when one is/thinks they are anonymous. 

So very very true.....😊😊😊

 

Bob

[chamima]

43 minutes ago, SmilesYourWay said:

I recall reading somewhere on one of these boards that if you give a extra tip, say to your room steward, they can't keep it. They have to put it in a pool.  If they are found keeping it, they are in trouble.  I sure hope that is not true.  Because when I tip someone, it is for the one I tip. Not for everyone. A thank you. Here's a little "extra" for YOU, for doing a great job!   

 

 

If you leave your automatic gratuities on then the person gets to keep the cash.

If you remove them then they have to put the cash in the pool.

At least that's what has been widely reported on here.

[SmilesYourWay]

2 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

If you leave your automatic gratuities on then the person gets to keep the cash.

If you remove them then they have to put the cash in the pool.

At least that's what has been widely reported on here.

That makes absolutely no sense at all. So what? you give him/her a couple bucks, they have to put it in an envelope with your name, cabin number, keep it until the end of the cruise, however long it may be, then check the list to see if they can keep it or not?  Stewards will learn who you are and where you are staying. Servers, etc. don't know.  I realize that some people tip more than others. And some don't tip at all.  But I don't think it is right that all the tips must be split. I could be wrong, but I don't see anyone that would remove the automatic gratuities handing out extra own their own. Especially if they are all pooled and divided.   

[compozer]

1 hour ago, SmilesYourWay said:

I recall reading somewhere on one of these boards that if you give a extra tip, say to your room steward, they can't keep it. They have to put it in a pool.  If they are found keeping it, they are in trouble.  I sure hope that is not true.  Because when I tip someone, it is for the one I tip. Not for everyone. A thank you. Here's a little "extra" for YOU, for doing a great job!   

Room stewards and waiters only have to turn the money in if that passenger has taken their tips off.   That is why they ask you to put your name and cabin number on the envelope.