Gratuity Confusion

[tonyfall1]

Hello,

I am new to cruising. I am comparison shopping for a Caribbean cruise between MSC and other lines. It will depart from Florida. I know with the American based lines add gratuities to your final bill.  I have heard different things about MSC. I have heard they are European based so they do not add on gratuities. Then I saw a youtube video where they said they add all of the gratuities to the bill like other lines. Which is it?

[Tierun]

They add gratuity at the end 

[carlmm]

They add daily gratuities to the final bill (unless one paid before or have a grauity included rate as some Europeans have by default) and to individually paid drinks.

Yet, beyond these no tipping is required or even welcome. It is discouraged by MSC.

[sidari]

The UK has the daily service charge as MSC call it added into the cruise price, as others have said the charge is added daily and paid for at the end of the cruise.

[jbrown111]

I found the automatic gratuities on MSC to be inexpensive.

 

We always bring cash for the room steward, waiters, and bar service. We typically leave something for the waiter and room steward on the final night of every cruise. Not everyone does this but I think its appropriate. 

[capriccio]

Check out  https://www.msccruisesusa.com/manage-booking/before-you-go/service-chargesttps://www.msccruisesusa.com/faq/on-board-information. 

 

The information is presented by area:

 

• THE BAHAMAS & CARIBBEAN
• MEDITERRANEAN, NORTHERN EUROPE, SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN, EMIRATES, MSC WORLD CRUISE & RED SEA
• SOUTH AFRICA CRUISES
• SOUTH AMERICA CRUISES
• ASIA (CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA)

 

And then further delineated by regular vs grand voyages, and age (adults 12 and older, child two and over, and child under 2).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Td6462]

13 hours ago, tonyfall1 said:

Hello,

I am new to cruising. I am comparison shopping for a Caribbean cruise between MSC and other lines. It will depart from Florida. I know with the American based lines add gratuities to your final bill.  I have heard different things about MSC. I have heard they are European based so they do not add on gratuities. Then I saw a youtube video where they said they add all of the gratuities to the bill like other lines. Which is it?

On Seascape now for 2 weeks. $14.50 per adult per day. Our kids 4 & 11 are each charged $7.25 per day. On our account they have added the "service charge" in one lump sum for each week.

[KarimaJ]

15 hours ago, carlmm said:

They add daily gratuities to the final bill (unless one paid before or have a grauity included rate as some Europeans have by default) and to individually paid drinks.

Yet, beyond these no tipping is required or even welcome. It is discouraged by MSC.

I read that gratuities are automatically added when you purchase a drink, is that true?

[Morgsmom]

53 minutes ago, KarimaJ said:

I read that gratuities are automatically added when you purchase a drink, is that true?

Yes

[Morgsmom]

16 hours ago, carlmm said:

They add daily gratuities to the final bill (unless one paid before or have a grauity included rate as some Europeans have by default) and to individually paid drinks.

Yet, beyond these no tipping is required or even welcome. It is discouraged by MSC.

Tipping (at least in the US market) is ALWAYS welcome.

[GA Dave]

19 hours ago, carlmm said:

They add daily gratuities to the final bill (unless one paid before or have a grauity included rate as some Europeans have by default) and to individually paid drinks.

Yet, beyond these no tipping is required or even welcome. It is discouraged by MSC.

On USA-based cruises, most passengers tip for good service in cash.  I always tip my Butler, Junior Butler, Sommelier, Servers, Bartenders, etc.

[carlmm]

2 hours ago, GA Dave said:

On USA-based cruises, most passengers tip for good service in cash.  I always tip my Butler, Junior Butler, Sommelier, Servers, Bartenders, etc.

Only those US-Americans unaware of or not willing to recognize European and MSC customs do tip above the norm.

[Bobbiegentry]

3 minutes ago, carlmm said:

Only those US-Americans unaware of or not willing to recognize European and MSC customs do tip above the norm.

And some I’ve heard remove the daily grats entirely. 

[morpheusofthesea]

Actually there is quite a study of this.

“The establishment of tipping in the United States, for example, is attributed to travelers who brought the custom from Europe (Segrave 1998)”

“Kerry Segrave

McFarland, 1998 - History - 190 pages

Though the history of tipping can be traced to the Middle Ages, the practice did not become widespread until the late 19th century. Initially, Americans reviled the custom, branding it un-American and undemocratic. The opposition gradually faded away and tipping became an American institution. The government was fairly quick to recognize tips as taxable income, but were far slower to use them in the calculation of unemployment insurance payments and social security benefits. Individuals came to grudgingly accept the practice, but many remain uncomfortable in tipping situations. From its beginnings in Europe to its development as a quintessentially American trait, this work provides a social history of tipping customs and how the United States became a nation of tippers.”

[morpheusofthesea]

 I was unsure about a lot of things, so I went in search of information and found this university study on tipping. The common feature of all forms of tipping is the voluntary and discretionary nature of the tip: the consumer is free to choose how much to tip, if at all. This definition excludes service charges, imposed gratuities, and imposed tips which have nothing in common with voluntary tipping. 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23748777_The_Social_Norm_of_Tipping_A_Review

Tipping in advance was traditionally the way most people used to tip, to insure promptness and most service providers actually respond best to this form of tipping. Especially useful when one is competing for the attention of over-worked short staffed service providers.

  I did tip in advance last year on a cruise only to discover that the maitre d' was switched a day after i had tipped him. Then we went through 3 different butlers that were taken out of service due to covid and one steward.

  On our most recent cruise I met with the maitre d' to express my desires and then asked him if he was going to be our maitre d' for the entire cruise. He assured me he was and to 'express' my 'appreciation' that everything would be as I requested, I tipped him. Just at the moment of his hand and mine clasping an officer approached and witnessed the act. I asked the officer if he had anything to do with the dedicated restaurant and he said he was the manager of all the restaurants. I proceeded to go into my pocket again for another tip 'in kind' when the officer stopped me and said for him it is not necessary. The maitre d' chimed in and said "whenever you feel the urge to tip my boss to give it to me. I will make sure he gets it."

[mscdivina2016]

On 1/23/2023 at 6:21 PM, Tierun said:

They add gratuity at the end 

I got off a msc ship 9 days ago.  The Gratuity was added on day 5 for the whole 7 nights.

[no1talks]

3 hours ago, carlmm said:

"Only those US-Americans unaware of or not willing to recognize European and MSC customs do tip above the norm."

Yes, I'm blessed to be in a position to tip in a magnanimous fashion.

MSC's daily rate is one of the lowest in the cruise business. Even Carnival has better tips. To wit:
"Starting April 1, the company will automatically charge guests $16 per person, per day for standard staterooms, and $18 per person, per day for suites, a Carnival spokesperson confirmed to Travel + Leisure. That is an increase of $1.50 per person, per day for each category."  

So, three cheers for, "Over-dressed, over-paid, and over here!" (Well, I'm still over-dressed anyway, even if most of my fellow Yanks are not. 😉) 

[Morgsmom]

17 hours ago, carlmm said:

Only those US-Americans unaware of or not willing to recognize European and MSC customs do tip above the norm.

But the fallacy in this Euro-centric approach is that 99.9% of the hard-working employees on the ships are NOT European; they are working 9 month contracts to send money back to their home country. That $20 to them is gold.  Literally.  Their salary does not change when in Europe because of a non tipping culture and they sure as heck aren't going to decline a gratuity.

 

The well paid mostly European officers and staff earn more of a living wage, enjoy higher privileges, etc.  They can, and should, refuse tips.

[no1talks]

1 hour ago, Morgsmom said:

"But the fallacy in this Euro-centric approach is that 99.9% of the hard-working employees on the ships are NOT European; they are working 9 month contracts to send money back to their home country."

 

[JAGR]

6 hours ago, no1talks said:

 

We need to get you a few more applause memes! Lol

 

[Morgsmom]

23 minutes ago, JAGR said:

We need to get you a few more applause memes! Lol

 

Yes, but they MUST be properly attired!!! 🙂  It's very hard to find someone in a tux actually applauding something  (bwhwhahahahah)

 

[no1talks]

24 minutes ago, JAGR said:

We need to get you a few more applause memes! Lol.

 

 

I have several, but one cannot go wrong with William Powell.

 

Some of the other gifs might be off-putting, like these:

 

[morpheusofthesea]

23 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

I got off a msc ship 9 days ago.  The Gratuity was added on day 5 for the whole 7 nights.

I guess MSC varies when they post the gratuities. Ours was day 3. Please notice that gratuities are titled "Hotel Service Charge".

[morpheusofthesea]

22 hours ago, no1talks said:

So, three cheers for, "Over-dressed, over-paid, and over here!"

Never over-dressed !  

"The well dressed man never stands out in a crowd; his elegance sets him apart."Oscar de la Renta

Edited January 25, 2023 by morpheusofthesea

[no1talks]

28 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"Veni, vidi, Venchi."
- Morpheusofthesea, on day five of this cruise.