Tips to the Wait staff

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

It interesting that in the point o

 

It interesting that that the crew member says that it would be better to have higher salaries than gratuities. I guess the tax exempt status of the gratuities does not make up for the people who remove them.

No, he just said that he wants a raise.

[Schoifmom]

On 8/24/2019 at 11:22 PM, ilikeanswers said:

I guess cruisers want to know that when they pay their fare it is going to the right place. I don't think there is anything wrong with trying to understand how your money is distributed. Whenever I travel I try to spend in a way that I hope will give the most positive benefit to a community.

 

You simply need to go to the parent company's website and view their 10K (SEC filing) and you can see their annual financial statements, if you are concerned about what a company does with their money.  I think that what you are trying to say, though, is that you want to be sure that your gratuities actually go to those who have earned them?  If so, you should know that all US corporations are subject to specific SEC regulations which require a working system of internal controls and must (1) attest that those controls are working on an annual basis and (2) have an external audit validation of those controls.  What that means is that if a corporation has employment contracts with their employees and those contracts stipulate the distribution of gratuities, then the company must comply with those contracts.  Any deviation in internal controls is noted in the 10K.

[mac66]

18-20% (depending on the cruise line) in prepaid gratuities is plenty for the expected service. No sense or point in tipping twice.

[c-boy]

that was a good interview and article 

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, mac66 said:

18-20% (depending on the cruise line) in prepaid gratuities is plenty for the expected service. No sense or point in tipping twice.

 

So you have never had a waiter in a land based restaurant provide such good service that you felt he/she earned more than the standard tip? Same would apply to ship based service staff. Or do you never reward over-and-above service? 

[GUT2407]

7 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

https://cruiseradio.net/from-gratuities-to-sex-cruise-ship-crew-member-tells-all/?fbclid=IwAR2g1uho1uWw_a-TSLNDwPImbUi7zQFTS-OYT88VeS2EdpKSENKlxAjD7W0

 

Picked this up from another site.

So much fo4 the frequent claim that including tips in the fare would hurt the crew. This crew member says that would be their preference.

 

Also the frequent claims that they know who pulled tips while you are still onboard, this person says the list is distributed after the guests leave.

[SantaFeFan]

19 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

So much fo4 the frequent claim that including tips in the fare would hurt the crew. This crew member says that would be their preference.

 

Uh, no. Here is what he actually said: "Gratuities should exist like this, and it is okay if guests remove them......That is why I say that they shouldn’t be called “gratuities.” It should be made clear that this is part of the crew’s salary, so people know what it is." 

 

Do words have different meanings where you live? 

 

Quote

Also the frequent claims that they know who pulled tips while you are still onboard, this person says the list is distributed after the guests leave.

 

His comment was in regards to the line at the end of the cruise when 85% or more of the "stiffers" remove the tips. They are also notified when it happens during the cruise, even if on the first day.

 

He also says that he believes that people who remove the tips think they are taking that money from the company, not the employees. And he also states: "If the guests pay, the money goes straight to the salary of crew members."

 

Your cherry picking only partial information to support your biased views is kinda comical. 

Edited August 26, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[ilikeanswers]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

No, he just said that he wants a raise.

"Gratuities should exist like this, and it is okay if guests remove them. But we crew members believe that our basic salary should be provided by the company, and it should be higher. Then these issues with gratuities would not be a problem."

 

I understood that the crew member wanted a raise but from the statements above I thought the crew member was saying it would be preferred to gratuities because of the inconsistent nature of  the current payment system. Maybe I have misunderstood, unfortunately I can't ask the interviewee to clarify😕. 

[mac66]

2 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

So you have never had a waiter in a land based restaurant provide such good service that you felt he/she earned more than the standard tip? Same would apply to ship based service staff. Or do you never reward over-and-above service? 

 

I expect good service when I pre pay gratuities and usually get it. I don't expect to pay gratuities twice.

Edited August 26, 2019 by mac66

[RocketMan275]

6 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

"Gratuities should exist like this, and it is okay if guests remove them. But we crew members believe that our basic salary should be provided by the company, and it should be higher. Then these issues with gratuities would not be a problem."

 

I understood that the crew member wanted a raise but from the statements above I thought the crew member was saying it would be preferred to gratuities because of the inconsistent nature of  the current payment system. Maybe I have misunderstood, unfortunately I can't ask the interviewee to clarify😕. 

About the only thing one can read into that is he would like the cruise lines to pay more for their base salary.  I'm sure anyone in the service industry would prefer that.  I wonder though if he's considered there might be a trade-off?  There have been many articles about the push to raise service industry base pay in the US to $15 per hour.  It has had devastating effects on employment levels.  

[Cruzaholic41]

4 hours ago, mac66 said:

No sense or point in tipping twice.

 

You forgot to add “in my opinion” at the end of your post. 

 

Just because you don’t see the point doesn’t mean others cant see it. 

[ilikeanswers]

16 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

There have been many articles about the push to raise service industry base pay in the US to $15 per hour.  It has had devastating effects on employment levels.  

 

I always hear that argument but I do wonder if that is true? If I am running a business I would employ the number of people I need. I would not employ an extra person I don't need that I have no tasks for just because the wage is less. 

[SantaFeFan]

57 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 

I expect good service when I pre pay gratuities and usually get it. I don't expect to pay gratuities twice.

 

Of course you don't. Whether receiving the basic service everyone gets, or the personalized service one will get when specialized requests are made, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason to give more to those who do extra for you. Perfectly rational, or so you say. 🙄

 

You aren't paying gratuities twice as you claim - you are rewarding someone for doing extra for you by ADDING to the suggested amount of tips you are giving them. What a silly concept that must be to you!!!! 

Edited August 27, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I always hear that argument but I do wonder if that is true? If I am running a business I would employ the number of people I need. I would not employ an extra person I don't need that I have no tasks for just because the wage is less. 

Depends upon how much you have to pay for that extra person.  There's a big difference between $2. and $15 per hour.  Plus it very much depends upon the type of business.   If say it's a restaurant and you're paying $2 an hour and business is slow that's a different situation if you're paying $15 an hour.  You can afford to keep paying $2/hour if business is slow.  Not so if the rate is $15.

[ilikeanswers]

53 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Depends upon how much you have to pay for that extra person.  There's a big difference between $2. and $15 per hour.  Plus it very much depends upon the type of business.   If say it's a restaurant and you're paying $2 an hour and business is slow that's a different situation if you're paying $15 an hour.  You can afford to keep paying $2/hour if business is slow.  Not so if the rate is $15.

 

You might be able to afford it but not employing someone you don't need is still more money in your pocket. I just can't see why any business would be motivated to employ more people then they need. 

[K32682]

13 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Also the frequent claims that they know who pulled tips while you are still onboard, this person says the list is distributed after the guests leave.

 

But they do know and could reasonably be expected to remember them should they come back.  I worked in restaurants going through university and we remembered the people who stiffed the servers for a long time.   It might be prudent for the cheapskates who pull the auto gratuities at the end of a cruise to not sail the same line twice or at least let sufficient time pass to ensure a crew turnover.  

[ilikeanswers]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

But they do know and could reasonably be expected to remember them should they come back.  I worked in restaurants going through university and we remembered the people who stiffed the servers for a long time.   It might be prudent for the cheapskates who pull the auto gratuities at the end of a cruise to not sail the same line twice or at least let sufficient time pass to ensure a crew turnover.  

 

I would be impressed if they did remember. Some of these cruise ships hold upwards of three thousand passengers and the passengers are always changing. The average cruiser might do one a year at most so if they do return it would be at least a year before they are seen again (that is tens of thousands of passengers later). On top of that I doubt all the crew members have personal interactions with all the customers. A name on a list isn't enough lots of people have the same name and as a crew member would you really want to risk making that mistake? 

 

 

 

[SantaFeFan]

24 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I would be impressed if they did remember. Some of these cruise ships hold upwards of three thousand passengers and the passengers are always changing. The average cruiser might do one a year at most so if they do return it would be at least a year before they are seen again (that is tens of thousands of passengers later). On top of that I doubt all the crew members have personal interactions with all the customers. A name on a list isn't enough lots of people have the same name and as a crew member would you really want to risk making that mistake? 

 

The name list also includes the cabin numbers. 

[K32682]

3 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I would be impressed if they did remember. Some of these cruise ships hold upwards of three thousand passengers and the passengers are always changing. The average cruiser might do one a year at most so if they do return it would be at least a year before they are seen again (that is tens of thousands of passengers later). On top of that I doubt all the crew members have personal interactions with all the customers. A name on a list isn't enough lots of people have the same name and as a crew member would you really want to risk making that mistake? 

 

 

On a cruise ship you dine in the same place for a set period of time whether it's a few days or many weeks.  Servers get to know you.  Furthermore, there is a client file held by the line with your preferences and past cruises. Skinflints should not take for granted their cruise line server isn't aware of their miserly past. 

 

I've worked at moderately upscale restaurants that turned over 200 covers a night which also totals tens of thousands customers in a year.  These were more or less different diners each night not a weekly turnover nor did we have customer files.  The staff didn't remember every cheapskate that stiffed a server but you can bet we did remember some even if it had been months since they were last in.  

 

[ilikeanswers]

4 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

The name list also includes the cabin numbers. 

 

The cabin numbers are irrelevant if the staff get the information after the cruise has finished. 

 

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

 

On a cruise ship you dine in the same place for a set period of time whether it's a few days or many weeks.  Servers get to know you.  Furthermore, there is a client file held by the line with your preferences and past cruises. Skinflints should not take for granted their cruise line server isn't aware of their miserly past. 

 

 

Do all the crew ship staff have access to the client file? It sounds like something only management would have access to. Also aren't there more than one dining option these days on most ships? If people keep dining at different places you would less likely form any relationship with server staff. Another thing I can't help wondering in comparison to a restaurant, the service staff there know at the end of the meal if you tipped or not whereas according to the article the information isn't provided till the end of the cruise. You would have to try and remember who is who long after they have left. 

 

One last question but do the auto gratuities go to house keeping staff as well? I know because of the OPs question a lot of the comments have been focused on restaurant servers but since we are discussing auto gratuities I just want to check if they apply to staff that don't generally have face-to-face contact with the customers? 

[mom says]

25 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

One last question but do the auto gratuities go to house keeping staff as well? I know because of the OPs question a lot of the comments have been focused on restaurant servers but since we are discussing auto gratuities I just want to check if they apply to staff that don't generally have face-to-face contact with the customers? 

No. They go to your cabin  steward (and assistant steward if there is one). Housekeepers responsible for the public areas aren't tipped positions.

[Aquahound]

51 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

The cabin numbers are irrelevant if the staff get the information after the cruise has finished.  

 

That's the first I'm hearing the staff finds out afterwards.  I've always heard to the contrary.  In fact, I remember someone here posting a list they saw on a behind the scenes tour....I think it was Carnival....of the people who removed their gratuities. 

[sloopsailor]

2 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

The cabin numbers are irrelevant if the staff get the information after the cruise has finished. 

 

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

That's the first I'm hearing the staff finds out afterwards.  I've always heard to the contrary.  In fact, I remember someone here posting a list they saw on a behind the scenes tour....I think it was Carnival....of the people who removed their gratuities. 

 

Clearly ilikeanswers doesn't actually like answers if they don't agree with his opinions. 😲

 

The list is posted daily. It is updated each morning and posted in crew areas where any crew member can see it. Makes no difference when you remove the gratuities - the crew will know as soon as it is done, whether the first or last day, or any day in between. This is standard practice of virtually all cruise ships - whether ilkeanswers likes that answer or not. 😉

 

And yes, most people remove the tips at the very end even though they knew they would do so well before they even boarded the ship. They are playing the system by giving the staff the impression they will pay the tips so they won't receive poor service, and then when the cruise is over and they have gotten all that good service, they jump in and remove the tips when it is too late for the crew to possibly react negatively to their selfishness. Very unethical. But to those that do it, ethics is not something they care about. And we all know what countries have this problem. 🙄

Edited August 27, 2019 by sloopsailor

[K32682]

2 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

Do all the crew ship staff have access to the client file? It sounds like something only management would have access to. Also aren't there more than one dining option these days on most ships? If people keep dining at different places you would less likely form any relationship with server staff. Another thing I can't help wondering in comparison to a restaurant, the service staff there know at the end of the meal if you tipped or not whereas according to the article the information isn't provided till the end of the cruise. You would have to try and remember who is who long after they have left. 

 

It doesn't need to be the entire crew.  Do you have a food allergy, a special diet, a cabin preference?  All of that and more would be available fairly far down the service chain.  All it would take is a quiet word to a server that a return passenger canceled the auto gratuities before departure on his last cruise.  It is something for those who cancel auto gratuities at the last minute to consider when they shovel a forkful of food into their face on their return cruise on the same line.    

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by K32682

[wowzz]

As more and more cruise companies in the UK remove the autotips,  and others like Princess are offering "tips included" promotions on virtually every cruise next year to UK cruisers, us Brits will no longer have to spend precious hours on the last day removing the autogratuitues. (joke, just so you know)