Tips increasing

[prmssk]

44 minutes ago, Tulsacoker said:

And is the compensation ($14,706) just for the contract length? which is typically 5-7 months ?

It's all interesting to see these figures but I am a bit at a loss of how I (from my very US centric mindset) interpret a crew member's salary.  Most are making money to send back home and return back to their home country.  So to have any meaningful discussion about what is an appropriate salary, we would have to analyze what the cost of living is in those countries and how far such a salary goes in covering both essentials and those things that make life a bit nicer.  A high paying salary is going to look very different in the US than it is in the Philippines or Mexico or many other countries.

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, Tulsacoker said:

And is the compensation ($14,706) just for the contract length? which is typically 5-7 months ?

It says total compensation for 2021 not per contract. I was told the contract length for the bartenders, room stewards, and those levels were more in the nine month range.

[Tulsacoker]

1 minute ago, grandgeezer said:

It says total compensation for 2021 not per contract. I was told the contract length for the bartenders, room stewards, and those levels were more in the nine month range.

but not aware of any employee that works 12 months on the ship ...so I can guess it is per contract. Everyone I've ever talked to goes home after their contract is up of r a few months until the next contract starts  

[grandgeezer]

1 minute ago, Tulsacoker said:

but not aware of any employee that works 12 months on the ship ...so I can guess it is per contract. Everyone I've ever talked to goes home after their contract is up of r a few months until the next contract starts  

Again it says total compensation for 2021, that doesn’t mean they worked all twelve months. I understand about the time off between contracts, my comment about the nine month contract was referring to your comment of 5-7 months. Depending on your job, contract lengths differ. I know for a fact the captain works two months on and two months off, at least they did pre pandemic.

[Tulsacoker]

30 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Again it says total compensation for 2021, that doesn’t mean they worked all twelve months. I understand about the time off between contracts, my comment about the nine month contract was referring to your comment of 5-7 months. Depending on your job, contract lengths differ. I know for a fact the captain works two months on and two months off, at least they did pre pandemic.

Thanks grandgeezer, that makes sense 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Tulsacoker

[drowelf]

22 hours ago, Orator said:

I favor this if it helps the crew, but I think it might result in the reduction of “extra” tips that might result in the crew getting fewer $$. In the past some waiters have said that only stateroom attendance received the increases. Only time will tell.

With the demise of fixed dining, we have not been tipping the dining room staff over the past several cruise. The main reasons being that we don't have the same staff always serving us and across all the lines we have sailed, service has been in a major decline. When I sit down at a table and ask for ice tea or soda and it does not arrive for 15 minutes, I'm not pleased with that level of service. 

 

The only staff we always tip are our room stewards and anyone who delivers food to our room. Other additional tips are made based on service received during the cruise. On our last cruise I tipped a couple of the bar staff locations, as they learned my preferences during the cruise after a few days. Entertainers that I really appreciate and attend several performance also get some tips. Other than that, the $$ we throw into the general pot as part of our daily charge are what they get. 

[Dancing Shoes]

Thanks for the heads up. When I repriced our cruise, the agent forgot to include the prepaid gratuity.  It's not much, but hey, will buy something on the ship.

[dlh015]

So happy for you...🤯

[canderson]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Cruise lines pay to get them from their home country to the ship, many couldn’t afford the airfare

Cruise line pays or is it the agency the crewmember hired on through that foots the airfare?  

[canderson]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

duplicate post...

Edited October 4, 2022 by canderson

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 minutes ago, canderson said:

Cruise line pays or is it the agency the crewmember hired on through that foots the airfare?  

The real question is, does X typically pay the crew’s airfare to the agency?

[Orator]

Many officers and crew told me that waiters and stateroom attendants pay their own fare to fly from their hometown to join the ship for the reason I mentioned. I don't know that there are individual are

arrangements with crew by their agencies. There might, but I doubt it.  If interested just ask waiters and stateroom attendants who pays the tab for getting to the ship.

[mcrcruiser]

17 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Seriously? $2 more a day is enough to make you decide to stop cruising? Or just stop cruising with X? 

 

Well, good luck with that, because I don't care what line you cruise with, expenses are only going to go up.

This is the real bottom line , As cruises become more expensive  less people will be able to afford them  . The  real Facts speak loudly   The  working public is getting 5% salary increases  while  inflation is more than double those raises   .It doesn't take a rocket scientist  to figure out that sooner or sooner  later less people can afford less amenities in their lives  .First comes the rent or mortgage , electric & gas for heating  then food then clothing ue in that pecking order . How about those higher &  higher gas prices  .

 

Yes cruise prices will go up but ,if people can no longer afford cruises who will fill the ships & if the ships can be filled then who pays the  huge debt that has to pay interest on ? Called debt service 

 

 

[prmssk]

9 minutes ago, Orator said:

Many officers and crew told me that waiters and stateroom attendants pay their own fare to fly from their hometown to join the ship for the reason I mentioned. I don't know that there are individual are

arrangements with crew by their agencies. There might, but I doubt it.  If interested just ask waiters and stateroom attendants who pays the tab for getting to the ship.

I can't find a similar FAQ for Celebrity, but Princess actually has a Cruise Ship Employment FAQ posted on their website on this very topic that says Princess Cruises provides the flight from the crew member's designated airport to their assigned ship.  I can't believe Celebrity would be able to compete in getting staff if they weren't routinely doing the same.

[mcrcruiser]

15 minutes ago, prmssk said:

I can't find a similar FAQ for Celebrity, but Princess actually has a Cruise Ship Employment FAQ posted on their website on this very topic that says Princess Cruises provides the flight from the crew member's designated airport to their assigned ship.  I can't believe Celebrity would be able to compete in getting staff if they weren't routinely doing the same.

A lot of the pre pandemic staff either found local employment  or figured out that they  would not be making the same amount in tips because  the ships are not carrying the  same  number of pax as they did pre pandemic  .In either case  the cruise lines are scrambling to replace  people .Then there is the problem of training 

 

 I can tall you first hand that Princess   Cruises has very green /untrained  land personnel . I for one will not  cruise with them because of the frustration I  personally went through with over 6 hours on the phone & no solution to their "Ocean Ready " tech garbage   .I threw the  $935  FCC into the round file & booked a Holland America cruise where the info was on line the old fashion way   .

Edited October 4, 2022 by mcrcruiser

[NutsAboutGolf]

23 minutes ago, Orator said:

Many officers and crew told me that waiters and stateroom attendants pay their own fare to fly from their hometown to join the ship for the reason I mentioned. I don't know that there are individual are

arrangements with crew by their agencies. There might, but I doubt it.  If interested just ask waiters and stateroom attendants who pays the tab for getting to the ship.

They must be pulling your chain.  I asked a third person just now who said something like “Of course Celebrity pays our flights, all of us can’t afford a last minute expensive flight”

[dlh015]

10 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

This is the real bottom line , As cruises become more expensive  less people will be able to afford them  . The  real Facts speak loudly   The  working public is getting 5% salary increases  while  inflation is more than double those raises   .It doesn't take a rocket scientist  to figure out that sooner or sooner  later less people can afford less amenities in their lives  .First comes the rent or mortgage , electric & gas for heating  then food then clothing ue in that pecking order . How about those higher &  higher gas prices  .

 

Yes cruise prices will go up but ,if people can no longer afford cruises who will fill the ships & if the ships can be filled then who pays the  huge debt that has to pay interest on ? Called debt service 

 

 

Wow...$2 is the real bottom line...sure, ok. 

 

If an additional $28 (assuming a 14 day cruise) breaks the bank, you shouldn't even be *thinking* about cruising.

 

You sure brought a long a lot of baggage to call out a $2 daily increase...

[Orator]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

They must be pulling your chain.  I asked a third person just now who said something like “Of course Celebrity pays our flights, all of us can’t afford a last minute expensive flight”

Perhaps they changed the policy that they had before Covid. I would believe that since all lines have problems filling vacancies. Wouldn't at all surprise me.

[Denny01]

I dont ask people what the get paid; I dont ask people what other compensation their company provides them…..its None of My Business. And has No impact on whether I think of some raise in gratuities or my extra tipping. Would you actually not tip or provide a staff person less because they make more than another staff person because of their seniority or such?

 

Whats the point of this discussion on how much the staff gets. Its so general, it isnt of any worth. One one cruise, we had a waiter who had been a lead Matre de but came on this ship as a waiter because he had more flexibility of which which ship he could contract on and therefore which itinerary (this was on a ship working the Med and the Black Sea and he was from Turkey). His choice, but you’d assume he made less than what he did prior, but with his experience, more than the other waiters. Should I have given him a less extra tip because I Assume he made more than the others?? Or more because he wasnt making as much as he did prior? None Of My Business. 

 

If someone agrees to a contract, they so it because I assume it meets what they and their family need. Again, None of My Business.

 

I will continue to tip extra as I think best; I will respect those that provide me personal services and treat them as the professional they are…..which has Nothing to do with what they are paid and I would Never ask or try to Google or whatever. 

 

Just me a guess. Enough.

 

Den

 

[cw2go]

7 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

I dont ask people what the get paid; I dont ask people what other compensation their company provides them…..its None of My Business. And has No impact on whether I think of some raise in gratuities or my extra tipping. Would you actually not tip or provide a staff person less because they make more than another staff person because of their seniority or such?

 

Whats the point of this discussion on how much the staff gets. Its so general, it isnt of any worth. One one cruise, we had a waiter who had been a lead Matre de but came on this ship as a waiter because he had more flexibility of which which ship he could contract on and therefore which itinerary (this was on a ship working the Med and the Black Sea and he was from Turkey). His choice, but you’d assume he made less than what he did prior, but with his experience, more than the other waiters. Should I have given him a less extra tip because I Assume he made more than the others?? Or more because he wasnt making as much as he did prior? None Of My Business. 

 

If someone agrees to a contract, they so it because I assume it meets what they and their family need. Again, None of My Business.

 

I will continue to tip extra as I think best; I will respect those that provide me personal services and treat them as the professional they are…..which has Nothing to do with what they are paid and I would Never ask or try to Google or whatever. 

 

Just me a guess. Enough.

 

Den

 

Couldn't have said it better! This post took a tacky turn! 

 

Thank you, Patty

[Denny01]

6 minutes ago, cw2go said:

Couldn't have said it better! This post took a tacky turn! 

 

Thank you, Patty

You are soooo brilliant!!

 

den

[Denny01]

I think Ive completely messed up!

 

Den

Edited October 4, 2022 by Denny01

[Denny01]

9 minutes ago, cw2go said:

Couldn't have said it better! This post took a tacky turn! 

 

Thank you, Patty

And my name is Den, Not Patty!! (I just Loved ‘Airplane’!)

 

den

[Denny01]

Ooops, another duplicate. This is what happens when you get too cute!

Edited October 4, 2022 by Denny01

[Cruise Junky]

$47 a day Canadian in tips definitely puts a check mark in the land trip column vs cruise in areas without a tipping culture.