Interesting...tipping

[envy4u]

“Costa Cruises – €10 per person, per day

These gratuities will automatically be added to your account so unless you have nerves of steel at Guest Services when requesting to removethem, they're on your bill to stay”

 

just found this info. Very interesting for those that are dissatisfied. 

[alicat58]

Never bothered us paying the €10 pp daily service charge. We regard it as part of our cruise cost. Usually Costa is still way cheaper even with the service charge added. It looks as if most cruise lines are heading that way now. You will not be expected to tip any staff unless you feel that you had exceptional service. We usually give our cabin steward something and very occasionally a waiter or bar person.

 

I hope some of the service charge goes to those guys working their butts off that you might not have direct contact with. I don't know whether they get anything but ever hopeful.

 

Riana

[Lunenburg]

On the Costa website it is called a Hotel Service Charge not a tip. I do not believe you can ask for it to be removed even if you are unhappy.

[envy4u]

Apparently that is not true Lunenburg.

[Dancer Bob]

"just found this info"- this has been in the Costa USA Terms and Conditions for a long time. You need to have a very serious discussion with your travel agent, about hiding things like this in their quotes. If it's an Ontario agent, I hope TICO starts cracking down on guys like this. In some markets, Costa Gernany for sure, the HSC is required to be included in the quote. I'm told Costa France will be as of December, and it's expected to be rolled out in most other markets.

The USA seems to be the home of Wild West pricing for cruises. Costa will not be sailing out of Florida as of 2021, I'm not sure if they're closing their USA office.

 

[envy4u]

2 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

"just found this info"- this has been in the Costa USA Terms and Conditions for a long time. You need to have a very serious discussion with your travel agent, about hiding things like this in their quotes. If it's an Ontario agent, I hope TICO starts cracking down on guys like this. In some markets, Costa Gernany for sure, the HSC is required to be included in the quote. I'm told Costa France will be as of December, and it's expected to be rolled out in most other markets.

The USA seems to be the home of Wild West pricing for cruises. Costa will not be sailing out of Florida as of 2021, I'm not sure if they're closing their USA office.

 

Not sure what you are trying to say ?

[tenpin]

As Bob has said there are indeed some Countries where Costa's service charge is added to the cruise price not shown up as a daily charge on  the on-board account. (as in Service Charge included) 

 

The thing about this is during the last night on a lot of cruises previously so many never turned up for the final meal in MDR, thus not giving tips. Those guys work hard for little pay, surely 70 euros is so little to add on top of the cruise price.

[envy4u]

Agree, but there are times when legitimately part or all tips should be removed. The fact that one cannot disturbs some people. Principle!

[tenpin]

I far as I am concerned, I know the terms of the cruise line, if I don't like it, I don't book it.

 

'''''''Simples''''''''

[G.M.T.]

12 hours ago, envy4u said:

Agree, but there are times when legitimately part or all tips should be removed. The fact that one cannot disturbs some people. Principle!

You are penalising all crew members because of one bad apple.

[Lunenburg]

23 hours ago, envy4u said:

Apparently that is not true Lunenburg.

So this information on Costa does not apply to you?

TheCosta. UK site

For all hotel services provided on board, a mandatory service charge is added daily to the Guest's account. The actual payment will be at the end of the cruise and depends on the duration of the cruise. The predetermined daily amount depends on the currency in use on board and the date of the cruise.

 

From the Costa. com site

 The service charge is an integral part of the cruise and therefore the amount cannot be altered. The service charge will be added daily and depends on the duration of the cruise. The predetermined daily amount depends on the currency in use on board and the cruise.

 

[trout96]

can you pay in advance?

 

[Fuseman]

All cruise lines should pay all their staff a decent wage.  Its only the lower paid who rely on this "hotel charge".  Tips should be an addition to their salary not part of salary.  Scrap the mandatory tipping policy put the price on the cost of the cruise pay staff decently and then tipping can be an addition to what they take home

[Lunenburg]

Just off a transatlantic cruise with Costa. The wages topic came up with one of the servers in the main bar. She told me she was planning on working for Costa for another five years or so. She was quite pleased with her wages as she said they were paid in US dollars and the exchange rate had improved  her take home pay considerably  - she was from Brazil.

[tenpin]

What you have always got to consider is  that back home most of crew members paid less per week than us in the UK get daily even less in some Countries,.

 

Having cruised with Costa for many years & spoken to lots of crew members, the Service Charge seams to be fair for all crew members who receive a share of these 'Tips' even the guy who cleans the handrails & Toilets.

[BrianCruiser]

Most crew do 5years or less. Enough to buy a house back home. I think the salary when new is much better than what they could get in Philippines/India and they get to travel for free. After a few years the novelty of travelling is over and they've seen all the places. Pay rises are minimal so no real advantage of hanging around long term.

For Example commiss de cuisine trainee is $495usd/month for first contract. For second contract you are no longer trainee. You become commiss de cuisine and it jumps to $520usd/month

 

Having said that, the galley is the lowest paid area of the ship. I know waitresses clearing $1000usd/month and security slightly more.

 

Most the promotions go to the Italians and salaries also vary. The same position is different salary depending where you came from. But crew seem to understand that Europeans earn much more and that Europeans have larger expenses maintaining a house/family in Europe.

 

In addition POEA and mannking agency will mandate 40% of your salary is allotted and sent home. So what you keep is minimal. But there are tricks like allotting it to a card only you have access to. But in general they want to help there family and that 40% will happily go to parents and be spent. From the 60% they keep some will go on excursions and food and clothes and magnets. So the first couple contracts saving is hard but after a while you've been everywhere and the saving kicks in.

 

Crew moan about extensions because they want to go home. But in reality many actually ask for the additional month as it can be saved easier at the end. And the 2months between contracts often ends up more. With Smeralda delays I know people that waited 4months for the next contract embarking. And you only get leave pay that equates to base salary x 2months. And that leave pay is actually deducted each month anyway. So in example above you don't get 495$ they withhold $65/month x 8 months and give it to you at the end minus the allotment portion. Your first month on board also no allotment because its never a full month pay so allotment kicks in the second month. Salary is 10th of month.

[tenpin]

IMO whatever way they choose to add a service charge whether a fixed sum payable daily or on the cruise price it has to be better than the old way of tipping your butler/steward/waiters.

 

On the Costa Atlantica some years ago, a table of eight & one of six close to ours never turned up on the last night of the cruise, there was a marked abstance of quite a few passengers on other tables.

when I remarked on it to our waiter he said it was common on the last night (because of no need to tip)

 

I still think we should only ever give extra for any personal great service we get but report bad service. Even on the on-line comment form we can no longer name an outstanding crew member.

[panamapd]

Re service charge/hotel charge/tipping/gratuities - or whatever it is called!  In the UK, on average, we pay more for our cruise and the above is NOT included and has be paid at the end of the cruise.  For 2 adults and 1 child, that adds about £130 to the cost of the cruise.  In the past, I happily paid this as COSTA was often a lot cheaper/decorative ships (loved the Costa Mediterranea) and "more interesting" ports.

 

However, by chance, I was able to look at prices and what was included on a German travel agents website.  I found the particular cruise I was looking at was a lot cheaper in euros than pounds and the service charge was included.  From then on, I have only book via Germany and am very pleased.  From time to time I compare the UK prices to Germany and am aghast at the price differentials.  Added to this, the deposit is often cheaper and we have longer to the final payment date.

 

 

[bjoerne]

In Sweden Costa (I live in Sweden) recently changed model to include the service charge in the price. Seems to me that the cruise price did not increase equal to the service charge. I booked my upcoming 8 nights cruise from Singapore on Costa Fortuna in Premium outside cabin for USD $740 per person including service charge, Piu Gusto drink package and 250MB of internet. Was significantly more expansive on the Costa US site considering that the drink package did not include cocktails and service charge was not included

[gerryuk]

Posted this on another board, but relevant here......

 

All very interesting, it makes you wonder though. Taking the Costa Fascinosa as an example, the ship holds 3,780 guests and 1,110 crew. Rounding it up to 2,900 guests (no children just adults) that's €10 euros per guest per day in gratuities, that comes to €29,000 euros per day. Over 365 days in the year that's €10,585, 000 take per year, just in gratuities. Dividing the gratuities take by the number of staff that's €9,536 euros in tips for each staff member per year and that's before Costa pays them a wage. 

Taking into account that many customers also give their room stewards /bar tenders tips on top of the gratuities, one wonders just how poorly paid these crew are in reality. 

[tenpin]

Interesting enough it is even more as I have been told by an Officer that Bar Staff, Casino, Officers, Entertainment  and all engineering staff are not included in a share, & Bar staff get a percentage of the 15% added to drinks.

 

The later may well be different now, (giving some of the service we get) with the addition on packages given with cabins. 

 

That completing with  their average wage at home makes them well off, then consider they work 7 days a week sometimes double shifts and are away from home up to nine mouths, then it makes us think it is not a cushy job.

[BrianCruiser]

The issue isn't always about how much they its also about how much gets deducted by the manning agency. You basically cant get hired directly. The manning company gets a slice of everything. And mandatory allotment. And of course many positions don't come with tipping. Those that do are very well off though. I've seen some amazing houses purchased from 5-10 contracts.

 

Also they pay own medical and visa. The first contract you get reimbursed on board for that. Subsequent contracts you do not. Most start off in huge debt from BST (Basic Sea Training) and other job specific courses. And the waiting time between contracts though supposed to be 2months can often be much more and unpaid.

 

They get an allocation of water and that's about it. They pay for wifi and any nights out. They definitely aren't hard done by or they would all quit after one contract. But it usually works out at a couple dollars an hour only. Albeit tax free. If you quit mid contract you get flown home for free, black listed, and lose the vacation pay.