Auto Gratuities- Yes or No?

[snaefell]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

Your maths are way out. Cabin Steward gets a share of the daily grats (you can get the exact split from Guest Relations) of around 💲2.50 X 7 x 2 gives 💲35 a week a long way short of your £50.

No cruise line can afford to pay EU wage rates and EU benefits.

Is it really OK for a company to operate in an area where they can't t afford to pay the ' going rate'?

[the penguins]

4 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Is it really OK for a company to operate in an area where they can't t afford to pay the ' going rate'?

What going rate?

If you mean EU rates then  I would guess it would need  twice the crew just to meet the "working time directive" rules - staff on board work a typical 8 hour day 7 days a week and never have a full day off throughout their contacts. Add on the EU 28 days annual leave for full time staff and the situation would be worse.

70% of Celebrity crew came back as ships restarted (sorry don't know the figures for Royal) so they must be doing something right 

Our policy is to accept the way the cruise is marketed and the costs split. Wether it's part tips or no tips the price would be the same. Tip over and above for the crew we actively interact with. Take a few gifts for others (biscuits for Guest Relations, Chocolates for the girls on check in at Select Dining, these are just examples. Above all be appreciative of the service and smile.

[MsMidge]

5 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

I think it does come down a lot on culture/where you are from. 

 

BUT you should follow the customs of the country you are visiting and not where you are from. 

They start following US labor laws, and we will start following US tipping customs.  Oh, its not customary to give your tip to the owner of a company to do with whatever they want.  The voluntary  tip goes directly to the server, housekeeper etc.

[shari3]

On 5/15/2022 at 8:03 PM, BennyBrun said:

See that’s the thing … when you get new staff it takes time for them to get into the grove and that’s where you will run into a little growing pain.  I can’t say enough how great my servers have been.  They know what I want to have for dinner before I do lol…

 

6 hours ago, LGW59 said:

You’re on a foreign flagged ship, data protection acts don’t apply and crew do know who has removed tips/gratuities 

How do they know?  Do they distribute a naughty list daily?

[FamilyCruiserUK]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

Your maths are way out. Cabin Steward gets a share of the daily grats (you can get the exact split from Guest Relations) of around 💲2.50 X 7 x 2 gives 💲35 a week a long way short of your £50.

No cruise line can afford to pay EU wage rates and EU benefits.

I was talking about the extra people leave for their cabin stewards on top of the auto grats. 

 

Spot on..hence why they employ people from countries with a lower cost of living and pay them an ammount which reflects that.  

[not-enough-cruising]

3 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Royal can't add the tips to the cruise fare, unless EVERY cruise line  did the same. People price ship. 

 

In my opinion, guests should NOT be allowed to remove auto gratuities.   It is the cost of cruising, like port fees. 

M

The fact that do allow you to remove them proves that it isn't the cost of cruising.

You can not remove port fees and taxes, therefore that IS the cost of cruising.

[not-enough-cruising]

33 minutes ago, snaefell said:

Is it really OK for a company to operate in an area where they can't t afford to pay the ' going rate'?

The workforce is beating down the doors to get these jobs at the "current rate"

[Itried4498]

19 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

The food prep workers, the folks who do the laundry, the staff that keeps the public restrooms clean and filled with towels, the folks who bus the Lido tables, the folks who keep the beautiful public areas clean and polished.

It's more than your room attendant, waiter/server or wine steward (folks who generally interact on a daily basis with passengers).

Imagine the outrage if every business added auto gratuities to “reward” the employees who worked behind-the-scenes.  Your total at Target today includes $16.43 in auto gratuities, which will be distributed equally amongst the staff!

 

I realize cruising is some people’s happy place, but we wouldn’t accept this in our daily lives and I’m not going to tolerate it here, either.  I could careless if staff knows I removed the gratuities — I generously directly tip those who enhanced my vacation and if the cruise lines need me to subsidize the wages, then add it to the cruise fare and let me decide.

[mjkacmom]

22 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

Imagine the outrage if every business added auto gratuities to “reward” the employees who worked behind-the-scenes.  Your total at Target today includes $16.43 in auto gratuities, which will be distributed equally amongst the staff!

 

I realize cruising is some people’s happy place, but we wouldn’t accept this in our daily lives and I’m not going to tolerate it here, either.  I could careless if staff knows I removed the gratuities — I generously directly tip those who enhanced my vacation and if the cruise lines need me to subsidize the wages, then add it to the cruise fare and let me decide.

“Couldn’t” care less I’m guessing.

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

I was talking about the extra people leave for their cabin stewards on top of the auto grats. 

 

Spot on..hence why they employ people from countries with a lower cost of living and pay them an ammount which reflects that.  

In which case I think you are way off there as well. Lots of posts on different threads showing extra tips for cabin stewards as 💲5 on cruises of less than 5 nights and 💲10 for longer ones.

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, Itried4498 said:

Imagine the outrage if every business added auto gratuities to “reward” the employees who worked behind-the-scenes.  Your total at Target today includes $16.43 in auto gratuities, which will be distributed equally amongst the staff!

 

I realize cruising is some people’s happy place, but we wouldn’t accept this in our daily lives and I’m not going to tolerate it here, either.  I could careless if staff knows I removed the gratuities — I generously directly tip those who enhanced my vacation and if the cruise lines need me to subsidize the wages, then add it to the cruise fare and let me decide.

In which case you should only be booking cruises that charge and "pay" the staff in that way e.g. Viking. Not a line like Royal where your actions are simply depriving a large number of staff of part of their "pay".

[hotsauce126]

5 hours ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Royal can't add the tips to the cruise fare, unless EVERY cruise line  did the same. People price ship. 

 

In my opinion, guests should NOT be allowed to remove auto gratuities.   It is the cost of cruising, like port fees. 

M

 

Why couldn't they do that? Virgin Voyages already does

[time4u2go]

10 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

Given that the auto-gratuities have not increased much since the old days where we handed cash to those four people (steward, waiter, asst. waster and head water), it seems odd that the cruise line would make them now share tips with all these other crew members. That would be a pay cut for them.

 

On land, people who are not in customer-facing tipped positions (cooks, dishwashers, laundry, etc.) are paid a higher hourly wage.  Lifeguards are generally paid even better due their training and skill requirements.  BTW, on a cruise ship, the assistant waiter buses tables, and that is a tipped position (or was traditionally, back when we handed out cash tips). 

 

I am still very skeptical that these behind-the-scenes people are part of the tip pool, but that does not change my mind about accepting the fact that gratuities are part of my cruise expense.  

I agree.  If musicians and lifeguards and others are now paid from the tipping pool, that represents a HUGE pay cut for stateroom attendants and wait staff.  I would hope that isn't the case.

[Seville2Cabo]

3 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

Imagine the outrage if every business added auto gratuities to “reward” the employees who worked behind-the-scenes.  Your total at Target today includes $16.43 in auto gratuities, which will be distributed equally amongst the staff!

 

I realize cruising is some people’s happy place, but we wouldn’t accept this in our daily lives and I’m not going to tolerate it here, either.  I could careless if staff knows I removed the gratuities — I generously directly tip those who enhanced my vacation and if the cruise lines need me to subsidize the wages, then add it to the cruise fare and let me decide.

Isn’t your cash tip subsidizing wages?  No different than tipping at a restaurant 

[CruisingHogFan]

4 hours ago, Itried4498 said:

Imagine the outrage if every business added auto gratuities to “reward” the employees who worked behind-the-scenes.  Your total at Target today includes $16.43 in auto gratuities, which will be distributed equally amongst the staff!

 

I realize cruising is some people’s happy place, but we wouldn’t accept this in our daily lives and I’m not going to tolerate it here, either.  I could careless if staff knows I removed the gratuities — I generously directly tip those who enhanced my vacation and if the cruise lines need me to subsidize the wages, then add it to the cruise fare and let me decide.

This comment just shows you don’t know what you are talking about. A Target employee makes a wage level that doesn’t include tips….

 

I hope the staff does find out you remove tips and gives you the horrible service you deserve!!!

Edited July 9, 2022 by CruisingHogFan

[Itried4498]

2 hours ago, the penguins said:

In which case you should only be booking cruises that charge and "pay" the staff in that way e.g. Viking. Not a line like Royal where your actions are simply depriving a large number of staff of part of their "pay".

Few people think twice about the low wages Walmart, McDonalds, etc. pay their employees (or that many of their FT employees are collecting government aid), yet they become emotionally invested in cruise employees earn.  
 

The base wages and benefits are highly competitive… have you ever researched wages in India, Columbia, etc.?  These people aren’t working for tips, although I’m sure they appreciate them.  

[Itried4498]

2 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

This comment just shows you don’t know what your are talking about. A Target employee makes a wage that doesn’t include tips….

 

I hope the staff does find out you remove tips and gives you the horrible service you deserve!!!

No, it shows you completely didn’t understand my point.

[Jarmo]

13 minutes ago, Itried4498 said:

No, it shows you completely didn’t understand my point.

Pointless point is pointless.

[Itried4498]

25 minutes ago, Jarmo said:

Pointless point is pointless.

 

Valid points do not become "pointless" when you disagree.  

[not-enough-cruising]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

In which case you should only be booking cruises that charge and "pay" the staff in that way e.g. Viking. Not a line like Royal where your actions are simply depriving a large number of staff of part of their "pay".

WRONG 

The staff (the entire staff) is paid an international standard salary and is GUARANTEED regardless of gratuity. 
No one is being deprived of anything, they are getting EXACTLY what their contract says 

[John&LaLa]

FWIW, back when Royal listed the breakdown, the behind the scenes folks got around 10% of that $14.50. But it adds up when multiplied by 4000 per day 

[billslowsky]

21 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

It shouldn’t matter what they make in their home country. 

Of course it matters.  Unless you believe that guy serving hot dogs in the Windjammer has given up the lucrative opportunity to be a chef at a Michelin rated restaurant in Paris.

 

The workers weight their alternatives.  A tenured university professorship at Stanford is typically not in the cards.

[Jt4428]

On 7/6/2022 at 5:24 PM, CruisingHogFan said:

People removing gratuities is also my biggest pet peeve for the cruise industry!! Most cruise lines use America’s type of pay scale for the service industry so the majority of the staffs income is from tips.

I just don’t see how someone can justify in their mind it’s ok not to pay the people that make their vacation enjoyable. Very selfish type of people I guess. 

I agree with you 110%!! People please think about what % $14.50 for housekeeping 2x a day plus meals is.  It's nothing compared to tipping 20% on a dinner if you go out at home.  I shake my head at the people who would take the tips off their bill. We do auto pay plus cash at the end.

[rrraydon]

OP:

I get what you're referring to. I enjoyed that last night when we handed out the envelopes loaded with cash--before they changed the policy to auto gratuity. No, I'm not going to pay auto gratuity AND tips on the last night.... Not anymore than I'm going to add more than the 18% gratuity than is already on the bar bill.

 

To each their own.

[Itried4498]

 

This illustrates the point I was making.  The guaranteed wage your housekeeper is making is far more than he/she would make in their home country.  There's a reason why so many of them have iPhones, Apple Watches, etc.  For many waitresses back home, that 20% will go a lot further.  People just aren't as emotionally invested - we're programmed to think the waitress at home should get a "real job," but we shower the waitresses on the ship with lavish tips.

 

23 minutes ago, Jt4428 said:

I agree with you 110%!! People please think about what % $14.50 for housekeeping 2x a day plus meals is.  It's nothing compared to tipping 20% on a dinner if you go out at home.  I shake my head at the people who would take the tips off their bill. We do auto pay plus cash at the end.