How can we be sure of where our tip money goes?

[tripman]

With all the discussion recently regarding lines making a large majority of their profits onboard and not with the ticket itself, how can we really be certain that the money we put towards gratuities actually goes to whom it is intended to go to?

 

I have no problem tipping, I generally tip somewhat above what is customary. But with all the corporate greed that is now so well known in all industries...how can we really be sure that some of it isn't being skimmed off the top and going into others pockets?

 

Just wondering if anyone else has ever thought of this.

[VICKIVICKI]

One Of My Sons Friends Worked For Norwegian Last Year And She Said That There Is A Certain Percentage Of The Tips That Are Kept By The Cruisline For A Proccessing Fee. I Am Going To Tip Directly To My Servers And Cabin Steward.

[tripman]

One Of My Sons Friends Worked For Norwegian Last Year And She Said That There Is A Certain Percentage Of The Tips That Are Kept By The Cruisline For A Proccessing Fee. I Am Going To Tip Directly To My Servers And Cabin Steward.

 

I Don't Intend This To Be Offensive, But You Have An Interesting Use Of Capital Letters.

 

And if that is in fact true about the processing fee...that is pretty crappy of the cruise line. I'm sure that they didn't do that before when you gave tips directly to the person.

 

Has anyone else heard of this processing fee? This must be why the cruise line really wants you to tip through your onboard account, that is pretty awful if true.

[Jim Gallup]

The best assurance of where the money goes is the mathmatical and book-keeping abilities of the crew.

They know how much is charged to each Guest.

They know how many guests are on each cruise.

They know what percentages are given each crewmember.

They know how many crewmembers are onboard.

The crew knows - right down to the penny - exactly where all the tip money has gone. And how much exactly is missing.

 

Unfortunately for NCL they thought they could get away with a little skimming off the top without anybody noticing. The crew figured it out in about 10 minutes - and they are not too happy about it.

 

The other cruise line companies are a bit smarter and give ALL the tip money to the crew to share. Ask a crewmember on your next cruise. He will give you all the details. On most cruise ships, at the end of the cruise, a report is sent to all departments with all tipping details, spelling out exactly who tipped and who did not, as well as the breakdown by department and position of the shares of the tipping pool.

[Cotton]

I've talked with many different crew members on several cruises. If I ask how much of the automatic tips do YOU personally receive from my tips...... the answer has always been (from cabin stewards) $3.50 per day, and (from waiters) $5.50 per day.

 

Which is exactly the way Carnival says the tips are distributed. (Nothing kept for the cruiseline.)

 

$5.50 per person per day to dining room waiter and assistant.

$3.50 per person per day to cabin steward.

$1.00 per person per day to Lido dining personnel.

 

SO - Just ask your cabin steward or waiter next time. Where else would you get the most honest answer?:)

[MrsPete]

I have no problem tipping, I generally tip somewhat above what is customary. But with all the corporate greed that is now so well known in all industries...how can we really be sure that some of it isn't being skimmed off the top and going into others pockets?

I've been thinking about this too. I've always given cash straight to the waiter (or I've left it on the sink for the cabin steward). I've always felt this was a sure-fire way to know that it got into his hands, and whatever happened to it from there was none of my business -- he could report it, not report it, whatever.

 

Now I've got an RC credit card, and any cruise purchases garner DOUBLE POINTS towards my next cruise. That adds up to savings for me, so I might go with the credit-card tip thing. i don't want to hurt those who've given me good service, but I'm not sure whether it makes any difference to them, and those double points would make a difference to me. Undecided at this point.

[larie]

My father, who has been on numerous cruises, just read an article on the internet that says some of the cruise lines (don't know which ones) are taking the pot of money from the credit card tips , and dividing it up as they see fit. Since he is not a drinker, he is not happy his tip money may be going to the bartended. He is considering going back to the envelopes so he knows exactly where his money is going. Not a bad idea.

[chasetf]

My father, who has been on numerous cruises, just read an article on the internet that says some of the cruise lines (don't know which ones) are taking the pot of money from the credit card tips , and dividing it up as they see fit. Since he is not a drinker, he is not happy his tip money may be going to the bartended. He is considering going back to the envelopes so he knows exactly where his money is going. Not a bad idea.

If you take off the auto tipping from your account, then the crew person is obligated to turn it in to the pool. They can lose their job if they don't.

 

We have had waiters ask our cabin number so they could put in on the envelope we handed them with the extra tip in it. That way it was checked to make sure we had not deleted our auto tip.

 

I now always add the cabin number to the envelope so there is no question. :)

[PurpleCow]

My father, who has been on numerous cruises, just read an article on the internet that says some of the cruise lines (don't know which ones) are taking the pot of money from the credit card tips , and dividing it up as they see fit. Since he is not a drinker, he is not happy his tip money may be going to the bartended. He is considering going back to the envelopes so he knows exactly where his money is going. Not a bad idea.

I expect that the bar staff's tips are taken from the 15% or 18% tip automatically added to beverage purchases, not from the pool designated for the cabin stewards and wait staff.

[sblahars]

If you take off the auto tipping from your account, then the crew person is obligated to turn it in to the pool. They can lose their job if they don't.

 

 

...which, by the way, in my opinion, is another way the cruiseline can cheat you and them out of the tip money. The cruise line basically forces you to us the auto tip system, because that way the money HAS to go through them and they can do what they want with it, you have no idea what happens. It is awful I think to what amounts to a threat to passengers who want to hand the tip to the person instead of using the auto tip system.

 

Don't othes have this problem as well?

[kitty9]

I never, ever tip using the sign and sail card, always in cash, handed to the crew member. That way, no one can skim any money from them. Why should the cruise line get money that's intended for the hard work of a crew member? Processing fee? That's bull. The crew should get every cent of a tip.

[KK_Cruisin]

I've been thinking about this too. I've always given cash straight to the waiter (or I've left it on the sink for the cabin steward). I've always felt this was a sure-fire way to know that it got into his hands, and whatever happened to it from there was none of my business -- he could report it, not report it, whatever.

 

Now I've got an RC credit card, and any cruise purchases garner DOUBLE POINTS towards my next cruise. That adds up to savings for me, so I might go with the credit-card tip thing. i don't want to hurt those who've given me good service, but I'm not sure whether it makes any difference to them, and those double points would make a difference to me. Undecided at this point.

 

 

An easy way to still pay cash and get your double points. When you get on the ship, go to the casino and get cash there. The amount will get charged to your onbaord acct which you will get double points on and you can still tip cash directlly to those who deserve it. The best of both worlds.

[sblahars]

I never, ever tip using the sign and sail card, always in cash, handed to the crew member. That way, no one can skim any money from them. Why should the cruise line get money that's intended for the hard work of a crew member? Processing fee? That's bull. The crew should get every cent of a tip.

 

The problem with doing that is that they cruiseline tells you that the person is required to turn in the amount and do not get to keep it. That is the worst of all of this, they are threatening you into using the auto tip so they can steal from the person who the tip is intended.

 

Terrible terrible terrible.

[MrsPete]

An easy way to still pay cash and get your double points. When you get on the ship, go to the casino and get cash there. The amount will get charged to your onbaord acct which you will get double points on and you can still tip cash directlly to those who deserve it. The best of both worlds.

You are brilliant! I'll do that!

[PurpleCow]

I don't believe the cruise lines would stoop so low as to steal from their underpaid employees. Well, some might try it, but I don't think they'd get away with it for long. I leave the auto tip in place and tip additionally in cash.

[Cotton]

I don't believe the cruise lines would stoop so low as to steal from their underpaid employees.

 

Thank you, Purple.

 

I don't think any of the above posters read a word of what I said in my post. Carnival does NOT do this...and the employees verified it to me. They get every penny of the automatic tips! Geez.:rolleyes:

[jcruise67]

I never, ever tip using the sign and sail card, always in cash, handed to the crew member. That way, no one can skim any money from them. Why should the cruise line get money that's intended for the hard work of a crew member? Processing fee? That's bull. The crew should get every cent of a tip.

 

Here, Here, Kitty...I agree. I've been on enough cruises to know how the cruise staff gets cheated. Its not like the cruise line doesn't make enough money on the cruise fare alone. And...most cruise line stock has a positive increase. Screw the auto-tipping. Its your cash, tip those staff members that have personally made your trip a memorable one. I apologize if this sounds crass, but I've seen the faces of staff when they receive your tip personally, and its priceless.

 

JCRUISE

[Texas_Diver]

With all the discussion recently regarding lines making a large majority of their profits onboard and not with the ticket itself, how can we really be certain that the money we put towards gratuities actually goes to whom it is intended to go to?

 

I have no problem tipping, I generally tip somewhat above what is customary. But with all the corporate greed that is now so well known in all industries...how can we really be sure that some of it isn't being skimmed off the top and going into others pockets?

 

Just wondering if anyone else has ever thought of this.

 

The only way to know is to cancel your automatic tip and pay the crew member individually.

 

D.

[CanuckCFAN]

I am not going to share my own personal opinion on this topic however I have attached a link to a "blog" which may be of interest to some of you...

 

Created and maintained by a Princess employee (Computer Officer)... I believe he answers or at least addresses some of our fellow cruisers concerns... I especially found his answers on auto-tipping very insightful and informative!

 

For those of you who have yet to see this "BLOG"

 

http://crewoffice.blogspot.com

 

Cheers!

CCFAN

[chasetf]

...which, by the way, in my opinion, is another way the cruiseline can cheat you and them out of the tip money. The cruise line basically forces you to us the auto tip system, because that way the money HAS to go through them and they can do what they want with it, you have no idea what happens. It is awful I think to what amounts to a threat to passengers who want to hand the tip to the person instead of using the auto tip system. Don't othes have this problem as well?

If you want to tip extra for great service, then leaving the auto tip on and handing the crew the extra is the way they get to keep the extra. If you take the auto off, take that and add extra, they have to pool all of it.

 

The system evolved this way to make it fair to the buffet workers and others who were not sharing. It also was a way to ensure the crew was not being stiffed like so many did in the past... (i.e. skip the last dinner) :eek:

[jcruise67]

I am not going to share my own personal opinion on this topic however I have attached a link to a "blog" which may be of interest to some of you...

 

Created and maintained by a Princess employee (Computer Officer)... I believe he answers or at least addresses some of our fellow cruisers concerns... I especially found his answers on auto-tipping very insightful and informative!

 

For those of you who have yet to see this "BLOG"

 

http://crewoffice.blogspot.com

 

Cheers!

CCFAN

 

JUST A POINT OF INTEREST...

 

DW AND I SAILED THE GOLDEN PRINCESS LAST APRIL. WE ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS SHIP AND ESPECIALLY, THE POOL STAFF. HAVE A GREAT CRUISE.

 

JCRUISE