My full Disney cruise review is now live! Check it out here to find out what I thought of the ship, the food, the entertainment and most importantly... if I thought it was worth the price I paid: ruclips.net/video/gX1f_R3Jmqk/видео.html
Yes that is weird. That kind of forces you to pay more. I have done cruises with the grats included but slipped some people who I see daily or has helped me tremendously a bit more on the side. With the names put on them....I wonder if the higher up people keep tabs on who is getting tips and who isn't to judge their performance.
I'm an American and I find that ackward and double dipping! Now with that said if I had a server that I felt gave us extrodinary service I may would give them a little extra at my own discretion. I guess I will never take a Disney Cruise because I don't like being made to feel like I didn't appreciate the servers because I didn't give extra.
As an American, I’m used to tipping. But this added envelope thing (when tipping is already included) is weird and unnecessary. It’s a deliberate attempt to get more money out of the passengers. Tricking them into adding a little bit more cash to the envelope when the cruise line itself should be paying the crew better.
I have only cruised from American ports (save 1). I actually think those little tickets are a great idea, as I never really feel confident that the crew is getting the tip I prepaid for them. Those tickets would give me assurance, knowing they saw the amount I tipped, plus if they gave accepting service I could add more to the envelope. those tickets and envelopes would make me not wish they'd go back to all cash tips. Never had the opportunity, but I like it!
When we went we added the suggested amounts into the envelop as we felt that this was what we were supposed to do, is that not the case? Sweet lord we paid about $1000 extra in those little envelopes!
The very best thing you can do in this situation is to go to guest services and tell them that it made you uncomfortable and left you with an awkward impression of the cruise experience. They need to hear this feedback. I know Disney cruisers who love this little ritual. They feel like it’s more personal. I find it weird, but I’m on the autism spectrum and I get very uncomfortable when I have to interact with anyone I don’t know well so I just skip things like this. I’ve let Disney know my feelings about it.
I’m from the US. I’ve never been on a Disney cruise before. I would find that very uncomfortable and awkward. If I paid automatic gratuity, I already paid tips. And if I wanted to give additional cash to any employee or server, I’d do exactly as I would any other time and just leave the cash at the table or give them the cash directly. Those envelopes are something that would actually make me consider not taking another Disney cruise because I’d feel like they were trying to guilt me into giving them more cash.
@@lindac6919 I guess the envelopes is a more discrete way, especially if a cruiser wants to give different amounts of money to the head waiter, assistant waiter and utensil/runner.
@@supertouring1 exactly i always gave more cash to the waiter and less to the head waiter who i never saw. It's like? umm 🤔 what did you do again? lol 😂 but i always gave em the basic amount just i over did it for the ones i actually saw busting their buts and helping my family
The whole purpose of me paying gratuities up front is to avoid the awkwardness around tipping. I'm horrified at Disney's blatant attempt to guilt trip their passengers+have been put off using Disney now
As someone who’s cruised with Disney for years, the envelopes are merely a left over from the times before they did automatic tipping; now that they do, the envelopes are merely there to give you the opportunity to either tip more or perhaps personally thank your servers for their service; you don’t have to do this or even interact with the slips or envelopes if that makes you uncomfortable, given the gratuities are automatically applied to your account (the papers also give you the opportunity to visit guest services and add or remove gratuities if you feel it’s necessary)
i'm an American. I haven't been on a cruise. But I find that really strange. My best guess is that either: 1. some employees felt it was unfair that the tips were split evenly between workers regardless of the quality of their service; or 2. management wanted a way to distinguish good workers from bad. But that method is very labor intensive and awkward. A better way would be an app that you could go into on your last day and re-apportion the automatic gratuity (if you wanted) if someone gave exceptional service. It would also allow for a personal message to be sent to the employee for good work or to management to alert them to great service. Avoids the awkwardness for the guest and the labor intensiveness of counting all those slips of paper. I wonder how many times those are left in the room and the room staff keeps them for themselves or split them with staff they like.
The slips already set the proportion of tips and are meaningless... so it doesn't solve either problem. You can't increase/decrease the amount or give it to someone else. And if you leave them in your room they'll just go into the trash because the tips are automatically split and added to their pay.
Disney has done this as far back as 2009 when I first went on a cruise. I think that they put out the envelopes to everyone because they don't know who has paid up front but also because maybe you might want to tip more for excellent service.
I feel the same about auto gratuity. If that is the approach the line is doing then let that be it and no envelopes. I do give extra but I prefer that to feel super voluntary and not compulsory. Thanks for sharing! - T
It feels (sounds) like you are just giving to particular people and not a tip pool for all. I like the idea of auto gratuity. Pay if up front and don’t worry about it again for the whole cruise. That’s my intake ( understanding) on this topic. Great video as always Emma. Hope to see you on my chats/ comments section in the near future. Happy cruising.
This sounds horrible, I’m an American and no stranger to tipping, but this is bizarre and awkward. I can’t imagine how this works for the crew, instead of just pocketing the tip they have to turn the slips in to redeem them, which they are likely then fully taxed on that income. I understand that that is technically how the system is meant to be, but being able to set aside a little of that income without taxes is the only benefit to the tipping system. If possible I’d opt out of Disney’s horrible system and choose to leave a cash tip. Seeing as only who I chose is going to get a tip anyways vs all the behind the scenes crew, which is the benefit to gratuities being included normally.
It’s not right that “tips” are used to subsidise a large corporations salary bill. Tips should only be given if service is above what is expected. It’s a thank you for exceptional service above the norm
In many cultures tipping is perceived as offensive as the service provider should always want to deliver quality and not have a 'tip carrot' waived over their head.
In America there are a lot of servers that do not get paid minimum wage as they are expected to make up the difference with the tip. Lots of workers ( especially food service and cabin stewards) on cruise ships get paid extremely low wages as well. While it would be great employees doing those jobs were paid better they aren’t. Even if they were you would be paying for it one way or another. Tips should be given if they have done their job. You increase the tip if they go above and beyond. The workers are working very hard for you!
@@jacquisplace1556 And that is precisely what is wrong with the tipping system. If the employers paid a decent wage in the first place tipping would be restricted to paying a little more for going above and beyond.
I've been on two Disney cruises felt side-swiped by this practice. It's a shame to leave a person feeling confused, awkward, and inadequate at the end of a fun cruise because it feels like maybe you missed something important. The service is so good and you become friends with the servers, so it feels really awkward just to ignore them. I felt like an idiot, but I just loaded the paper slips into the envelopes and handed them to our waiters, etc. So happy to hear that it's considered ridiculous by so many and I won't ever worry about them again! Thanks for mentioning it.
As an Australian, I'm not used to tipping unless we go overseas, and I always find it an awkward thing in any circumstances. I like autotipping for this reason. This would be enough to put me off the cruise line, honestly.
Honestly, The US should abandon the tip and just pay people a living wage. I lived on tips for over 5 years and it's just an excuse for the employer to pay less hourly.
@@priscillawagner4939 In the US a waitress can make as little as $2.13 per hour plus tips. As a delivery driver, I made $5 plus tips when I was on the road and $7.50 when inside.
@Epicurean Bard It seems as though the USA working class has generally reached its limit with accepting less-than-living-wage pay scales. And I say, good for them! (I'm retired, or I'd be saying, "Good for *us* !") I heard a comment by someone on one of the business-oriented TV shows recently: "The days of cheap labor are over!" So, apparently, they knew they were underpaying. And, as has been pointed out, that's the underlying reason for all the little sneaky methods of encouraging (yet *more* ) tipping.
You are absolutely right, I went on the Disney cruise line and in the end I did give out the little envelopes. It felt wrong for me not to do so, However other people did not... and there was real incomprehension from the waiters and the people concerned that they didn't get the envelope. As an European this was really an uncool moment on a extremely wonderful cruise.
I was miffed on an Australian based cruise to find that I and every non Australian guest were charged auto grats and Australians weren't. I paid them as I would feel awkward having them taken off
When I went to Australia, I was told the travel industry was trying to encourage tipping in order to improve service. Kinda strange but I will say that service at Australian cafes was very "laid back" like waaay back, so maybe they had a point.
Yeah, I met an Aussie & wife on a 28 day cruise and they told me they don't get dinged the auto gratuity because of where he's from. I was surprised. He told me I could get them removed with a trip to Guest Services & I could do my own tipping. I ended up leaving mine in place. He assured me he leaves just as much if not more unless he is unhappy with the overall cruise. btw I'm Canadian
Phillip Hobson..If you were on an Australian based cruise, I’m sure you will find that the Australian people actually paid more for their cruise than you did, when you paid in the country that you came from. I can tell you on just about every cruise that I’ve ever been on, I paid more for cruises, both ocean and river cruises,Then the people who had come from the UK and the USA.
@@hobsonp67 gratuities are included in our fare as Australian, I think it might be to do with our consumer laws and not charging above advertised fares. So the way around it is to charge Australians more with gratuities included in the fare.
This tipping „game“ is awful to begin with. Pay your emplyoyees good wages (Not only on cruises 🚢, but also in restaurants etc) Then let guests/customers choose IF they want to leave a tip and how much. But the service personnel is NOT dependent on tips. It’s just a little extra if they went the extra mile. Automatic gratuity seems very odd. And this envelope situation doesn’t make it any better. I work in the service business myself and I am so happy we are not even allowed to accept tips. We get paid decent wages! Tipping is awful. As a customer I know personnel is only friendly bc they need my tipps …
@@nemmrrc Yes. Yes they would. They'd have to pay what they should be paying anyway by tipping appropriately. It just allows the employer to put lower prices on the menu because the people who get screwed are the waitstaff not the owners.
I've never cared why someone is friendly. Since they are doing me a service, not trying to be my friend, their motives need not be pure. Plus, I don't think sour people can be friendly. Many people do enjoy the service industry's.
@@chrisg.7681 why do I sound bitter? I just have an opinion. And yes I am friendly. If the customer is nice. But I will not be friendly just because I am dependent on a tipp… And as a customer: I don’t care much about servers or other personell being nice or friendly. They do their job and they don’t need to kiss my …. And yes I do Tipp. Generously. All the time. But I HATE the general idea of HAVING to Tipp. What is so strange about the idea of paying decent wages and no tipping at all. Japan is a very good example topping is not necessary. There you get excellent service with no obligation. On the contrary: it is just not done. Now please have a nice day and don’t feel obliged to give me tipps should you ever cross my way. (Very unlikely😉)
I think it’s Disney’s Corporate way of reminding staff of their tips being part of their wages. I am American and find this practice weird too. My wife and I prepay tips and end up tipping even more when we are wowed by staff. My wife bought a gift from a nice shop in Cozumel for our room steward as a gift once and added a $50 bill on our last cruise. The girl was nearly in tears and gave us a big hug.
Yeah that's weird. Even here in a tipping culture, it's considered a bit tacky to talk about it, point it out, or make overt gestures. It's meant to be subtle, a transaction exclusively between the customer and serviceperson. It'd be more pleasant to have a little card in the room that says "Sam was your server. Ann was your housekeeper. (cabinkeeper?) They appreciate your generosity. If they've made your trip extra-magical, we invite you to leave them a thank you note, here's some cute notecards." Or something.
I love your idea. Sometimes so many people are involved with your stay you dont know what to do with tipping. Having a name like you suggested makes it so much easier, because you may not of even seen your cabin keeper at all let alone their name. Good idea.
You're correct. That was weird. I would feel very awkward finding that letter and those envelopes in my cabin. Like you, I pay my gratuities up front at the suggested rate by the cruise line. The workers work hard and they deserve the gratuities they get. But to leave a letter and envelopes in my cabin, almost expecting me to "give more", practically shaming me to "give more" is over the line and I would complain to the cruise company about this practice. As I have done on many cruises, if a staff member has done an exceptional job for me or my family during the cruise, I will privately give them cash and thank them for making our cruise so enjoyable, but this attempt at extorsion is very uncalled for. Complain to Disney Cruise line and make your thoughts known. Thank you for bringing this to the public eye.
Surely, if you paid upfront, as they deserve the money, there should be no upfront gratuity and instead just a fare for the stay (inclusive tips), and the hotel staff paid properly? Does any tip get to the engineer staff, the matelots?
I agree with you 100% i think it was strange for them to do that. I always give extra cash as tips but i dont need them to give me an envelope and make me ripped the paper and put it inside and show my servers how much their getting from me, it should go directly to their paycheck and the extra cash that i give shld go straight their pockets.
@@blatherskite9601 Workers get paid to work. Why should they be paid additional gratuities for doing their job? If they gave outstanding service, (above and beyond the call of duty) I don't mind tipping them but I will NOT be compelled.
Disney doesn't give a damn about complaints about their greed now. I am older and remember what Disney used to be...magical. NOT NOW, they have priced all the middle-class families out of going, and they simply don't care.
@@bettierusso5410 this is what i'm hearing about the parks now. i've never gone before and have always wanted to from what i've heard, but now i think i'll spend my money at universal instead.
We stopped the automatic tipping and informed our steward that we will be tipping direct , they just gave us a smile and kept us stocked up with biscuits in our cabin
Emma, those extra 'tip envelopes" are an affront. On the cruise line I prefer, which has automatic gratuities, you would never see a "double dip" envelope ! If a passenger wants to offer an "extra" gratuity, she/he can do that without prompting !
Carnival does prepaid gratuities, and they have tip envelopes ... but you pick those up yourself at guest services and only if you want to give extra tips. I use the envelopes because I find it awkward to hand cash to someone when they can see how much it is. I'd rather they open the envelope in private. Plus, I always add a little personalized note on it. I know these get tossed out, and it could be that many of them don't even read it, but ... It's my thing.
it's not extra. it's just away to be able to personally thank your staff and it's not mandatory. too many people forget the simple idea of thanking someone who serviced you.
@@michellesantiago2799 If truly a simple thank you, it wouldn't require preprinted names and instructions. If paper and pen is left in a hotel drawer, I write a simple thank you to the housekeeping staff for such a wonderfully clean and stocked room, then leave it with my tip. I personally would find the approach in this video very awkward and confusing. I would be less inclined to leave additional tips.
Tipping isn't required on the Australian cruises I've taken, but most folk will pay cash to their room steward(s), favourite waiters, bar staff etc. One bar guy told me that while a cash gift was welcome, acknowledging good service by naming the crew member to the cruise line (in this case Carnival) was of great benefit to crew.
We’ve tipped extra. We were just on a 33 day Tahiti cruise and the automatic gratuity was just under $1,000. Even so we tipped a little extra for our room stewards and one waiter. But I think you’re right. My wife especially, might have found the envelopes and the commiserate suggestion, borderline offensive.
I’m an American and this is strange and I’ve experienced it too on Disney. First, while US tipping culture is odd to begin with, cruise line tipping culture is at the extreme of odd. There’s no longer ANY pretense of voluntariness to it. Second, this Disney thing is unique - no one else does that little coupon thing. I think it has everything to do with Disney cruisers tipping MORE on average than the required amount and staff concerned that they would get less without the handover ceremony. The envelopes and coupons are designed to put you in that uncomfortable position of handing them an envelope that does not include more.
Can I say as a service industry personnel person, I am always so embarrassed when someone hands me a tip. I would rather they left it in a cabin , Or left it on the table. Placing it into my hand makes me feel very uncomfortable, and embarrassed. And to be honest most people giving it to you seem to be embarrassed as well
You are right, Disney cruisers tend to leave more than the base amounts. You don’t need to use the envelopes at all if your using the auto tip amounts and have no special thanks. Frequent cruisers (like me) complained when they did away with the envelopes largely because there was no vehicle to leave extra without the inconvenience of standing in line at Guest Relations. They were making it too hard to tip their staff extra. During the envelope drought I wanted to tip our housekeeper extra but the line at Guest Relations was too long. I ended up leaving a note and cash in our room because It was our housekeeper’s day off. I never felt comfortable about that…. It really cheapened the experience. Obviously, Disney is listening to their cruisers!
@@happytraveller2122 I've gotten very uncomfortable looks from cabin stewards when I've handed extra cash to them. Very awkward and comes off as feeling ungrateful but fortunately, I know it's just a cultural thing. Lately, I just leave cash in the room on the last day with a thanks written.
I’m an American and I’m also considered a generous tipper. I do find this unusual and wouldn’t add a tip unless someone did something that was extremely far and above expectations.
That is very strange. Judging by the size of the envelope and the size of the voucher, I think you are absolutely right that they are just hoping for bigger tips. This reminds me of when my church put a chart on the back of their donation envelopes that basically said "If you earn this much, you should donate this much." I felt like I am already donating what I can and don't need any extra pressure or guilt when I walk by to shake the priest's hand at the end of service.
I remember when we were pressured by United Way to pay our "fair share" and they had a chart showing how much was "fair" for what salary. They never got a dime from me!
It never stops with the gratuities, the servers got a raise to $15hr. that was supposed to cover gratuities but no, cost of food goes up bill higher and still a 20% tip. I don't like that Fast Food now has a screen that the cashier shoes you with 3 different tips and a decline button. Why do I have to give 20% tip on fast food, I'm starting to refuse places that are doing this.
@@DCo923 From what I read, many states have a tipping wage for restaurant staff. So while the state for example mandates a $15/hr min wage, owners can pay 50% of the min wage ($7.50) and then expect the workers to earn tips to make up the other $7.50 to make the min state wage. So if the worker gives excellent service, the owner technically only pays $7.50/hr cause the staff member earned $7.50/hr in tips on their own. If the staff member can only earn $3.50/hr in tips, the owner has to top off another $4hr to make up the min wage. So the owner has to pay $7.50/hr tipping wage+$4/hr top off=$11.50/hr plus the restaurant worked earns $3.50 themselves in tips to make the up $15 state min wage. So if the owner is always having to top off for the worker, they probably won't be pleased. If there's lots of potential workers, the owner will likely fire the existing staff member and then hire someone who earn their own way in tips. In a tight labour market, the worker doesn't need to worry cause the owners are desperate for staff and be more willing to top off.
@@supertouring1 this was years ago but my aunt used to be a waitress and got paid like 2.5$ because she got tips. ill have to ask what state though since this was about a decade ago but yeah some states allow tipped workers to earn less in hourly wage. it works out if ur at a resturant where u make a lot of tips but what if ur working the graveyard shift at a 24 hour ihop?
@@supertouring1 Calypso is talkin about fast-food not a sit-down restaurant with a waitress. Fast food workers are paid at least minimum wage to now $15 per hour. Waitresses make less and need the gratuity to make up for it.
I'm American. It's unusual to me too, especially since a gratuity is already included and it's not presented as for something extra for special setvice.
"Odd" sounds like the right term... As I recall, on Princess (which has pre-paid gratuities, a practice I'm fine with), at the end of the cruise there was a little envelope for giving an extra tip to the person (can't remember her exact title) who made up the room every day. Which I was also fine with, since she was quite friendly, learned quite quickly (without my asking) little things that I liked (like extra ice) and seemed to go above and beyond to make everything better. The idea of having the whole staff laid out with amounts...it almost looks like an invoice. Seems a bit heavy-handed.
We’ve had envelopes left in our cabin but never the pieces of paper. The envelopes were blank and there was a note that said something to the effect of “If somebody made your cruise extra special please use one of these envelopes to show them your appreciation”. I much prefer this approach…you’re not feeling obligated to tip but they’ve made it easy to do so if you want to.
The only cruise I've been on was the Disney one so when they gave me those I was like "Oh, okay, this is how we do it". I did give the tip to my server at the dining room because she was from Glasgow and I was from 10miles NW yet we met in Florida LOL. We got a long great and it was fun to give her that (and a bit more). The others I left in the cabin. I also left a bit extra for the housekeeping lady. She was so sweet, she saw my birthday badge when I got there and that night, when she did turn down she drew a little picture and 'happy birthday' on it. I was on the cruise solo as a total detox from a horrid 3 years (death of both parents and a few other bonus things). She didn't know that but, crew or staff or servers everywhere...no good deed goes unnoticed. You just never know when you'll be the only good thing that person hears that day.
It happened to me this past Monday and I was surprised by it as well! I paid my gratuities ahead of time and wasn't worried about tipping more than that. The last day before disembarking, I received the exact same paper and envelopes and felt really awkward and weird about giving them envelopes without any additional monies in them!😶 I left it to my ten year old to hand them out and even he said it was kind of embarrassing!
I think it's not that bad of an idea. In the past I have heard that the cruise company kept part or most of the automatic gratuity. Now the workers get to see the amount you left them and plus you get to know that the money went to the workers. It also gives you a chance to give a little extra if you feel like it. By the way I'm from America and I'm used to tipping culture.
I am a custom to automatic when booking my cruise in addition I give $10.00 daily to my room stuart and little more before disembarkation. I don't feel comfortable tearing up paper and placing in an envelope feels like a guilt trip.
This reply chain is going 2 give me an involuntary grammer/spelling lesson when I head off now to double check that I really know the difference between Stuart and steward ... Good times 🤣
Or.... you could expect the employer to pay them properly seeing as you're paying 1000's for the trip and not have these charges which misrepresent the original cost of the cruise.
Totally agree Emma. Most of the US cruise lines see pre-paid gratuities as a "basic", with additional tips in cash being very much encouraged. I've seen bundles of $ notes passing hands so many times, to bar staff, dining room staff etc, usually at the end of a cruise. What Disney have done goes a step too far - it would certainly put me off cruising with them.
It's actually a corporate scheme to maximize profits by shifting part of the tax burden onto their workers. Money given as "gratuities" (even if the gratuity is obligatory) isn't subject to corporate taxes; instead, that money is taxed as part of the worker's income. This allowed the cruise lines to lower worker pay because the difference was being made up by a "fair division" of the obligatory gratuity, simultaneously lowering the corporation's tax exposure. The "voluntary 'guilt' gratuity" being encouraged by the little envelopes is a way for the corporation to further reduce worker wages and shift even more of the tax burden, because now they can skim a portion of the "obligatory gratuity" off and use it as bonuses from "happy customers" to ship's officers and company representatives. Do a little research on the life of ship's crew (plenty of videos here on RUclips about it) and you'll find that their living conditions aboard ship are terrible and their pay is considerably below going rates for similar work ashore. Gratuities (like tips for waiters/waitresses at a restaurant) are simply a way to maximize corporate profits at the expense of the workers.
I've worked with Disney in the past and can say that their corporate culture considers you an exceptional employee if guests call out your name in feedback (comment cards, making a trip to guest services just to give compliments to a cast member, etc). What this feels like is forcing an interaction between the guest and cast member so that the "cream of the crop" rises to the top. This lets Disney boast publicly about guests that searched the whole ship just to hand the tip to the cast member in person. Is it awkward? Hell, yeah it is. I understand the automatic tip deduction, since it allows you to roam around the ship and make purchases without worrying about the crew's compensation. And I understand the feeling of wanting to tip a certain crew member a little more because they took care of you above and beyond. But, for a cruise line to 1. withdraw the crew tips automatically, per policy and, then 2. turn around and print out symbolic vouchers for a forced interaction is a little too far in my book.
You're an american? Only Australians and Brits say cheers. America'ns only say cheers when you toast someone with beer or wine. I'm an American I should know.
Mandatory automatic gratuities is basically a labor surcharge for the crew. I've always believed a tip/gratuity is to be earned by going above and beyond.
I agree, why tip automatically before said above and beyond service is given? I resent mandatory gratuities. I always tip unless the service is substandard. When I see mandatory tips that's all they get, regardless if they would have gotten a larger tip otherwise.
@@beccagee5905 maybe if the company paid them enough to live on without begging you would get a better standard of service. It's how pretty much every other country operates.
@@catherinekilgour2563 but no one told them they HAVE to work there -if you take a position/job/employment, you took it fully knowing your compensation up front. Now I agree -I don't like big Corps putting that cost on the patron. Tips are defined as 'a sum of money given to someone as a reward for their services', "reward" being the key word. Personally I feel tips should be optional in all scenarios.
Its an American thing... ever since the US minimum wages started allowing reduced wages for tipped employees. Since its allowed by custom -- all the lines here happily use it to reduce their overhead.
Back in the 90's this was done where I worked. It was actually done at the request of the passengers because back then usually about only 10 to 15% of passengers prepaid the gratuities and a lot them felt like they were being judged (not so much by the crew who knew at the beginning of the cruise who had prepaid but by other passengers) for not handing out an envelope. I had no idea cruise lines were still doing this but it was started with good intentions.
I believe the purpose is to personally thank the person face to face and present the tip in person as a way to say thank you. As an American, we like the personally touch for good service vs just an anonymous tip.
I have never cruised Disney (and never will) but have cruised mostly Royal and Celebrity. In the early 1990's it was common to find envelopes in your cabin near the last day of the cruise. Then when automatic tipping began the envelopes were still provided along will printed slips like the ones you got so that (if we wanted) we could hand an envelope to the appropriate people on the last day of the cruise. We did it maybe once or twice and then found that it was unnecessary so we never did it again. We did not feel like the cruise line was trying to squeeze more money for the staff but just provide an avenue that many old time cruisers were familiar with. It never bothered me at all.
Yes, I would find that weird. There are people behind the scenes who deserve some of the gratuity but you don't know who they are (people who launder the sheets, prepare/serve food in the buffet, etc. I like the automatic gratuity where I know it is being divided up among all people who contributed to my experience, not just the handful who are visible to me. That creates awkwardness if you don't give an envelope to your dinner server. I would really dislike this approach.
...always felt if you wanted to see tips ... then you worked front of the house ... better wages but no tips in the back of the house ... just how it all used to be ...
But the good thing is, it is the last day and you don't have to give anything extra and you can just walk off the ship. What are they going to do, trip you for not tipping more? HA HA HA
Ironically just called and pre-paid our automatic gratuities for our upcoming DCL sailing today. We actually make thank you notes for our servers, stateroom attendants, etc. and place the envelopes in there. We've added additional money for some over the years and given just the paid amount. At the end of a 7-night cruise, we've usually gotten to know them well and try to make our farewell more personal. I've only sailed Disney and we've also given tips to more crew than the ones that get the autogratuities.
We agree Emma - Royal has done that. I think it’s to prompt one to give addt’l $$ since just the paper is pointless. I think they should send a letter to each cruiser, acknowledge all gratutities have been prepaid, and let you know that if you would like to tip above for excellent service, envelopes are available either at concierge or library, etc. if someone wants to tip above, they will make the effort to get the envelopes. The current manner like you encountered leaves a bad taste in the mouth, which you would think is the last thing they would want a guest to be feeling as they disembarked. But big companies aren’t known for having common sense, lol. So throw away those slips!
I agree with everything you said, except 99% of the population would not go to the concierge to get those envelopes to give extra tip. Giving tipping envelopes to each passenger encourages passenger to give more. It's service industry in the US Business 101. Big companies became big by knowing their business.
For me it isn't the envelopes it's the slip of papers that would feel awkward and like an over reach guilt trip. I'll tip randomly just based on service excellence. Just leave the envelopes in the room. Available on the desk or in the vanity drawer day one.
I thought about leaving envelopes in the room that guests could use for “above & beyond” service, as we have added $$ when deserved. That’s prob the best compromise available - guests have the means to give extra, envelopes available the entire cruise, and no bitter aftertaste. Thanks for bringing it up.
Has Royal started doing this post-COVID? I'm Diamond on Royal and have never gotten slips of paper to put in envelopes. I've had envelopes left in the room to be used at my discretion on some cruises, but never a letter explaining to give a piece of paper to crew members.
@@debbiheiser7492 we'll be Diamond+ after our Nov cruise. It's been 2 years since we've cruised, but I recall receiving envelopes and a page of printed slips with head waiter, etc already printed, for over and above tips. I don't recall an attached letter, but it was either that or mentioned in the Cruise Compass.
There are so many people behind the scenes the customers rarely see (technical staff, etc.) who make the experience beautiful and I thought the auto-gratuities ensure the 'team' shared tips / appreciation for a job well done. Disney could easily put those cards in your arrival packet as a 100% optional gesture should one wish to use them. I would like Disney and others state unequivocally that 100% of the gratuities are never used to subsidize the salaries they pay staff but are shared as a gift from you (the customer). Transparency is always a good thing.
Seems like this is the cruise line's attempt at allowing people to actually hand something to the crew they appreciated all week. I think there are some passengers that feel something missing when they can't hand something to the crew.
... personally I wish the crew had generic business cards they could put their name on ...their names misspelled often happens I bet too ... hard to remember a name later ...
@@pebmets hmm maybe, I'm sure the crew are getting much more now than they used to get. :) Who would want to be a dancer/cleaner/cook/kitchen help on the ship when a waiter brings in the big bucks in tips. Not really a great idea to only tip 2-3 people on the ship instead of pooling the tips.
That is very strange, but being required to give gratuitous is strange. I think the lines should pay their staff more and add the traditional gratuity on the ticket price. It's just another hidden cost that they don't want to pay.
Automatic gratuities are convenient for everyone! These envelopes are just a bit too extra 😅 It makes it super awkward, especially if there is a system that takes care of that. It’s a waste of paper, too 🤷🏻♂️ If it’s the gesture, it’s understandable… but still weird. 🤣 Thank you, Emma! Great video!
I think the purpose is for you to go to the individual people and thank them face to face. As an American, we feel a need to say thank you to the person and not just being an anonymous tip.
I believe it is mostly gesture which gives that personal touch to the tipping that disappeared when automatic tipping started. Some people feel guilty for not adding more which I do not know how to get around but it is not required.
@@pebmets I am American, and I understand that. But, the piece of paper is just weird. We can still tip actual money, or personally say thank you! I don’t know… this feels forced, while most of us do it “our way” very naturally. 😅
@@Fernanufret It's the Disney thing to do 😊. They love participation. I kind of like the personal touch. Paying for tips ahead of time is a good thing and there is a better chance the crew gets something. In theory tips should not be forced, To Insure Promptitude is the true meaning. I don't know. I believe that most of the people that don't understand what Disney did are also not accustom to how Americans TIP. Some Americans do not like it because it may put the extra pressure to give more. I kind of see both sides of the argument.
Me & my travel partner always cruise with RCL & always include our tips when we book the holiday. That way we hope the kitchen staff & crew get them as well as the bar & dining staff. If we have had a good service from our cabin stewards we always leave them ‘something extra’ in an envelope with their name on & we leave it in our cabin as we disembark for the final time. I would feel too embarrassed to give it in person. Most weird with the DIsney envelopes……it’s as if they expect you to give more.
I think you are the first vlogger to point this out. I was so mad when I saw these envelopes. First of all it was work to cut them up and put them in the envelopes and write their titles on the outside. And I call it “work” because I’m on vacation. I didn’t feel like doing anything that I didn’t want to do. Which is why I prepaid so that I wouldn’t have to go to guest services to settle gratuities. Second, I felt it was a manipulative move and caused me to feel guilty if I don’t add more to the envelopes. No body went over and beyond what they were expected to do. I did not ask for any special requests nor did I receive any. I was happy to prepay my tips to those who are deemed to receive them. I paid a lot of money for Disney cruises and the more you spend the higher the prepaid tips. The envelopes should be given upon requests. I was sure to let Disney know this on my comment card.
That is weird. Similar thing happened to me on RC, even though I paid gratuities before hand. I still tipped since the house keeper was very nice, but it still felt a little pressured and awkward. Made me feel like the staff were not getting paid well enough. Not sure how the gratuities are split when you pre pay, but hopefully it all does go to the amazing staff.
The tipping issue is getting out of hand. I object to the cruise line charging me to give the crew members money they should be paying them in a decent wage. We do not have this added to our charge. You can opt out of it on Disney and Princess, not sure about the other cruise lines. Then I have the choice of whom I would like to tip. I personally like to tip our steward and waiters myself. Other crew members that go above and beyond we tip them as well. Usually it ends up more than what they tack on your bill but that’s fine with me if they have done an exceptional job.
You miss tipping people that worked for you that way though. Those tips also pay people washing your sheets and folding your towel animals and things. When you tip only your steward, they may or may not share with those that supported them. Same with your dining staff. They are being supported by others behind the scenes that get tips out of the prepaid tips. So you cheat those people by opting out. Please don't do that anymore. The behind the scenes people deserve tips too.
@@jennylynne4414 Or the company can pay them a proper wage and charge accordingly. If the business can't afford to pay folk a proper wage then they can't run a business and they should resign from the slave world.
@@jonathanfinan722 If you felt that strongly about this, you wouldn't cruise. Your conscience wouldn't let you. Those people make decent money on these ships or they wouldn't work there. Nobody is forcing them to accept these contracts. Which tells me, they are making what they should be.
@@jennylynne4414 On Disney, the tips only go to 4 positions(not the entire support staff. Per person per night is Head Server( maitre'd ) 1.00, Server (main wait person) 4.50, Asst. server (drink person really) 3.50, Room steward 4.50 ....... Any other person that gets tipped would be through the auto added tip on drink purchases or any cash tip you give room service delivery people.
@@scottross637 Interesting - on Carnival ships you always have three servers. Head waiter, team waiter and assistant waiter. I haven't been on Disney, but I don't know why they'd be different. So what I'm saying is, your breakdown wouldn't work on a carnival ship. And that is why ... I kinda think you're making that up.
I am Australian and we have the gratuities built into the cruise fare, however I always give extra to the cabin steward. I was told by my steward whilst on a P&O cruise that all tips received by envelope must be declared and are shared among the crew or added to the steward's income and taxed accordingly, depending upon the policy of the particular ship. I always pay extra tips in cash and not in the envelope as these are not declared as income and the crew member keeps the entire amount. I must say that the crew member did not volunteer this information to me but responded to my enquiry regarding the envelopes.
We went to the cruise recently , we found the envelopes a little bit odd, as well; however, it was transformed to a personal letter to say thanks! Our children spontaneously draw figures to all the envelopes, wrote their names and gave them directly to each member. The crew was genuinely happy by the gesture. They are part of the magic and amazing experience we had. For us the additional tips are totally worth it. Thanks for your videos
Something to consider...post covid cruises are running at lower capacity, maybe 60-70 percent. The overall prepaid gratuity is also 60 % lower. So crew income from tipping is less than a fully booked ship. If you can afford a little extra...be generous
The envelope is for the experienced cruiser who misses the emotional handing the tip to the staff and the option to add more cash for the tip. Otherwise, just leave the envelope in the cabin.
It may be time to get over this quaint and outdated notion. Should the technician who insures you Internet connection is speedy not be acknowledged with a tip packet? What about the persons who deal with emergency COVID issues on the ship - should they not receive a tip packet? Share tips equitably as 'it takes a village' to keep a cruise ship running smoothly.
Yep that's weird. Here in Paraguay and I'm sure many other countries, you just leave the money on the table or give it to the server personally, no cards or envelopes.
Perhaps it is designed to let you see how much each person is receiving. In some cases, you may have a crew member that you particularly appreciate, and then you can judge for yourself whether you want to give them more than their ‘share’ of the total gratuity. I am sure this leads to more people getting extra tips. Having said that, I am personally not favor of mandatory tips, whether they are prepaid or at the time of service. It is just a way, IMO of letting the cruise lines cut the base salary and put the responsibility on the clients to make sure the crew has a fair salary. Instead, the crew lines should just up the costs of of the cruises and make it clear that tips are not required or expected by the crew, except as a real measure of appreciation for someone who has gone above and beyond the expectations of the job. Of course to adopt that bus8ness model, one must trust the cruise lines to actually increase the base salary of the crew.
@@kimc555 the legal options to actually force crew to be treated more fairly are pretty limited as most cruise lines intentionally fly a "flag of convenience" to get around US and European labor laws.
I agree with your assessment. Personally I wish tipping was verboten everywhere. I went to Italy and Germany about 4 years ago and it was great in most places, tips weren't expected. You got great service and paid a fair price for today. Except, public restrooms....I was shocked. They charge a Euro or half Euro to use the toilet in areas where tourism is the bread & butter of the economy (though that phrase wouldn't mean anything to the Italians because they don't butter TY TY their bread). Then, if it wasn't a required charge, there was an attendant in the restroom basically badgering you for a Euro. My wife almost didn't get out of the German restaurant restroom because she had no change in her pockets (for safety we had only a little cash anyway). Luckily I was standing standing close and handed in a coin. All that said, pay a decent wage based on the job and give promotions so folks can earn raises.
Based on the premium pricing I thought Disney paid their staff more generously than other cruise lines. This approach makes me uncomfortable and makes me think Disney is no better than the cruise lines that reputedly pay horribly low wages.
That is both rude and offensive. What the cruise line is doing is trying to guilt you into giving more tips, by having you give it to them at dinner , they know that servers will compare the amount they got from different tables. Watch out because this will effect how they treat you at breakfast or throughout the meal if you give it to them at the beginning. I've never liked the idea of automatically giving a tip based on what someone else thinks is appropriate. If they know they are getting a good tip no matter what they do, why try? I was in the service industry for years... Saw it all the time, oh auto tip, great. No need to be polite. Sucked for those who still tried to be helpful
No, I don;t think that is what they are doing. I think they are asking her to divide up the prepaid tip amongst the various service personnel - hence the pieces of paper. I contend that if she has to do that, they shouldn't have collected the tip(s) from her up front. If the cruise line is going to collect the tips, they should be put in a pool and everyone gets an equal share - NOT a good system IMO.
I am Canadian, and older, but I feel the same as you. It fits in tho, with a culture that is ravenous for recognition. Or perhaps the cruise company thinks it's one way to promote employee job satisfaction. Emma, you are such a good presenter. I have never cruised and have little desire to, but I like your videos and feel ready to go on a cruise anytime I should change my mind. Thanks!
As a fellow brit, who recently came of Harmony of the Seas in the Med, I actually feel I would have preferred that way of tipping. We felt awkward that we didn’t know quite where our tips were going and actually did give extra cash tips given the current world situation, which is unusual for us. This time, I think I would have preferred to know who was getting what and to personally thank them for their service.
I remember when tipping was a choice…it was for service above and beyond. It’s ridiculous now. Everyone is looking for a tip. I keep looking for a tip jar to show up in my dr’s office.
I agree. It’s a bit strange to be handing those out in your cabin. When we feel like giving extra tips, we go and grab some envelopes at the purser’s office …or personally hand them the cash and thank them 😀
My understanding is that US based cruiselines offer the crew & staff a “guaranteed” minimum weekly salary… based on a combination of gratuities & a payment from the cruise line (usually the minimum wage of whatever country the ship is registered to e.g. Panama or Bahamas). The more money paid as gratuities, the less money the cruise line has to pay.
According to my servers from two separate Disney cruises, their base pay is $50/week. This is just servers, entertainment cast make a bit more based on the number of shows they do.
@@traceydriver3171 that's appalling!!! There is no tipping culture in my country, Portugal. People get paid normal salaries, tipping is seen as a possibility and not as mandatory.
My family and I have been on three cruises so far, two on Carnival and one on Disney. I learned about the 'extra gratuities' from some videos I watched here on YT before we went on our first trip (Carnival), so I was familiar with the subject. I definitely felt awkward with the whole envelope thing when we went on the DCL trip, I agree with other comments that say that it feels like DCL really is trying to motivate you to give more $$ to their employees. I have joined the DCL group fans FB group and reading on many comments there, I've gotten the idea that most of their customers are hardcore Disney fans and they won't cruise on any other line, so they believe that Disney is superior and that their employees service is non-par with any other company, which seems kind of egocentric to me, as most them have never experienced the service other companies' employees give to their customers. You get the idea that most of the DCL customers do not feel weird about this technique used by DCL to push people to hand out cash to their employees, because this people truly believe they just had an service experience no other cruise line could dream to provide. I gotta say that I'm not against showing gratitude towards someone who really made your vacation extra special, but you shouldn't feel obligated to fill up the salary gap this employees have because DCL won't pay them enough to begin with.
I cruise exclusively Disney. I have never felt this was awkward at all. I always want to thank the crew members for taking such good care of me! There are times where I was lucky to just cover the tips and had no extra. Then there are the times I’m able to tip extra. It’s never seemed odd to me.
@@mawti not sure about that. I’m an American who thinks the practice of automatic gratuity AND leaving a letter with envelopes is VERY strange. I cruise a lot, albeit never with Disney, and I feel like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I agree, never awkward because we tip extra when we feel that the person went beyond normal for great customer service. Plus it's a great way to leave a personal note as well. Usually it's so crazy saying goodbyes; this gives the person time to read how much they meant to us on our cruise off duty.
I'm a Canadian and we cruised on Disney Dream a few years ago! We didn't think this was a strange thing at all. We loved every aspect of the DCL and so appreciated all of the work and care the Cast and Crew put into making our cruise that much more special than other Cruise lines. We did not mind giving extra to everyone and in fact, we wanted to give/say our thanks in person! I know that the crew members do not make a lot on any of the cruise lines so to receive a little bit extra with a thank you note is a great thing in our books! We'll gladly do it again! Hope you enjoyed your first Disney cruise, Emma!
That is outrageous! I am an American and I would immediately go to the desk and ask for a superisor. I would suggest to the supervisor that we speak behind closed doors as I was very angry. Upon entering the office, I would hand the "extortion" notes to the supervisor and ask who got the tips the cruise line already charged. I would explain that they know darn good and well that this was unacceptable and would likely have some words about Disney in general. When I got home, I would write a letter (no e-mail) to the President, and CEO of Disney and Disney Cruise explaining why I would make sure neither I, nor any of my friends, would sail with them again. I would also ask, just as an aside, if they plan to make sure families can no longer afford to bring their children to Disney parks, since they have made it almost impossible for families to do so now. I would send the letters, "Certified Mail with Signature Confirmation," which shows when it was mailed, when it was received, and the signature of the addressee. If you hadn't guessed, that sort of garbage ticks me off (angers me greatly.) Either give the employees the money you already forced me to pay, or let us pay as we go.
I have been on Disney a couple of times even out of England and I don't find it strange at all cause we had such an amazing time that we gave a little bit more to the staff as they truly went way above to make our cruise totally amazing.
Being an American and not knowing any better, I did not find it weird. I have had several crew members that were fantastic and made my cruise a lot better, I used those sheets/cards to give extra. But I like telling people thanks even when it is not necessary.
What about the rest of the crew whom you don't see? The chefs, the people in the laundry, the people making sure the engine works to perfection, and many others. I am sure they are fantastic too. But do they get this extra thanks and gratuities? I am from Norway and here people actually get paid proper wages and do not have to rely on gratuities, So I don't really understand this. Not that we cannot tip at all, but it is actually no need for it.
@@TravellingTorunn I agree that there is no need. I am pretty sure that the rest of the crew is well compensated. I would love to say thanks to all the crew but that is not practically possible.
I'm from the US and I think the tipping thing you experienced is very weird, too. Definitely awkward. I would be annoyed by that because I would then feel obligated to give the envelopes. They definitely do that to get additional tips.
I worked youth staff on a different cruise line. We are not included in the “tip-out” bc not all passengers have kids & utilize our kids club services, and most passengers don’t know this. We never ask for tips, but sometimes grateful parents have given us tips on the last day, which we split equally among the youth staff team. It is appreciated bc our daily pay is peanuts!
I have definitely tipped the youth staff more than anyone else because of their long working hours and it is the only time my husband and I have ever had a break for a couple of hours alone. Also we never eat at the fancy nightly restaurant on the ships where waiters serve you and prefer the buffet all day cafe so we don't have to dress up. I would prefer my tips to go to the buffet staff and kids club staff because why do I need to pay tips for the nightly fancy restuarant to which we never attend? You kids club staff are awesome and we moms appreciate everything U do.
Oh wow, i never knew that. We use the kids clubs everytime we go and never thought of tipping the kids club staff. They're great people in there. We'll have to start tipping them then.
Wow! That is really unfair. I get that the cruise is stating childcare is included, but you should still be getting a market salary as a center gives. Is there enough staff for the number of children in your care? Is there a nurse on staff?
What Disney Cruise line does is "old school" or "old fashioned" but not what I personally find weird. As an example, my first cruise with Celebrity was in 2007 and during that cruise, the same sort of envelopes were placed in my cabin to hold cash tips to be handed to housekeeping and dining crew members in person if possible. Celebrity seems to have since gotten rid of that practice. (I have not cruises with them lately). My first cruise was in 1985, and the same sorts of envelopes were delivered so cash tips could be given to housekeeping and dining servers. In past video Emma, I remember you mentioning one difference between American and British/European cruise lines seemed to be that on American ships it seemed standard for passengers and dining room servers to socialize during dinner, but on European ships that is not the norm. I think this tipping in person tradition is similar in that it is perhaps more American or old-school. Disney still holds on to the fixed dining times, bucking the trend for anytime and anywhere dining, and part of that tradition is diners and waiters/waitresses possibly getting to know each other well. So tipping in person fits in with that tradition, I think. Granted, you certainly could have just left the tipping envelop on your table after the last dinner and when it comes to housekeeping, just left the tip on the bed. Or, as you said, I understand it's fine to recycle the sheet of "tips" and envelopes and the relevant crew members would still have gotten the same pay. In person tipping isn't required; it's just and old custom that Disney has retained for those who choose to join in. Have you asked your Gran if she previously used tipping envelopes like that in the past on cruises? Depending on when she started cruising, she might have much experience with them. Also, I think it might help to remember that when Disney Cruise Line was first instituted, it was partially meant to be a throwback to the 1950's, but updated; a "modern classic." So this is perhaps a good example of a custom from the previous century being retained. Some people like the old customs, and some do not. A difference cruise experience for different personalities.
I must agree with your feeling put to an unnecessary step of having to hand out individual vouchers to individual crew members to permit them to claim their gratuities. I made an inquiry with a business associate at one of the major cruise lines and the explanation I received was as follows. The policy of automatic gratuities has been a source of trouble with crew and passengers. Most upper-level cruise lines include the gratuity, although others provide passengers the option of opting out of automatic gratuities. This is especially true on cruise lines that promote themselves as luxury all-inclusive. However, other cruise lines pool all automatic gratuities, and crew members have to present those gratuity vouchers you displayed in your video to claim their gratuities. After all gratuity vouchers have been redeemed any unclaimed gratuities are distributed to all crew members
This is for the performative part of US tipping culture. It’s for “being seen” to tip so you get the elevated service and “personal connection” that is expected by tipping in America. I’m betting a number of Americans use the automated tipping for convenience but worry they won’t get the same level of service and attention without the physical transaction and this is the solution.
I'm American and I've never seen this! That is awkward and not at all what I want to do. I agree with you that this is exactly the opposite of what I want when I pay automatic gratuities. Back in the 70's & 80's, yes, I enjoyed giving the tips out individually. But since automatic gratuities became the norm, I would NOT be happy to have this happen to me.
The only cruise that I've ever been on to date was on Royal Carribean way back in 2011. At that time, I think they did this, but maybe then pre-paying for the gratuities was optional? So perhaps not everyone prepaid back then. We pre-payed for sure, but we also got these envelopes so that we can have that "token" interaction and possibly we could even give a bit more. I guess it allowed pre-paying guests to show that they had tipped alongside the other guests that preferred to hand out cash tips as they went. Even so, it felt awkward even back then. Just pay your employees and have a good system for registering complaints for poor service. Let the tippers tip on their credit cards at the end of the cruise if need be to provide "well earned" gratuities.
The "gratuity" system is a major deterrent for us taking our first cruise. Customers should not be held, even indirectly, responsible for paying the staff. The line, or restaurant, or hotel, should pay them a decent wage and not try to lay it all off on people who just want to enjoy their facilities. It has reached a point of ludicrous when you are implicitly "guilted" into paying even more. It's like picking up a discard rock and squeezing it as hard as you can to get more blood out. Yes, I feel strongly this is coercive and morally wrong. It destroys the very purpose it is purported to defend, that is, showing plaudits for good service. If it is "built in" to fares, then it is not even noticed by servers. It encourages expected handouts for nothing (extra), and probably leads to disappointment for the very people who should be paid for what they are going.
I have travelled independently in East Asia and simply got used to paying the amount shown on the restaurant or hotel bill. The attraction to me of taking a cruise or visiting an all-inclusive is dimmed if I am forced to pay gratuities to people whom I never meet or only interact with in passing. Since I don't tip the aircraft attendant or the ship captain, I don't see why I am forced to tip the washroom attendant or table cleaner. An adequate wage should be enough.
@@canadagood if the crew where paid a wage equal to where you live, then your cruise price would increase. Remember that the flag of convenience the ship flies is the law from that country like Liberia which the minimum wage and working conditions are atrocious. The min pay is about 2-3 per hour (not US funds), so if pay decent wages, your cruise price will increase. cant have it both ways
@@ga1175 Of course. I just think the cruise line owes their staff at least as much as I do. I would rather pay the increased ticket price if everybody else did. The staff would be getting a good wage, and I would be getting exactly what I'm getting now for the same cost.
We all know what should happen, but if you choose to cruise on a ship where tipping, ambiguous as it might be, takes place, don't blame and punish the front line worker for a cruise line's decision! Tip generously. Take another cruise line, if it is such an affront to your sensibility.
Automatic to me = never see again. I would be horrified if I had your experience Emma. I cruised with Holland America on a Mediterranean cruise some years ago. They had automatic gratuities which were invisible (other than on the bill). As a Brit, my attitude is pay the staff properly in the first place, so no 'tips' are necessary at all for routine service when people do their job. I worked in the UK for an American company for all my working life, but no-one gave me any 'tips' when I delivered a new computer system or a report on time, nor did I expect it, because they paid me well. Whether this is 'just' a US vs UK culture difference or a preference on the US side to treat service staff in a patronising manner I do not know, but it feels wrong to me and always has.
There are three separate issues going on here. Tipping is supposed to be a system where service people work for you, not the company, so there is incentive for them to serve one master, YOU! The second issue is automatic charging of tips. That does somewhat defeat the purpose of the first concept, but evens out the cash flow to make the expectations and responsibilities of the customers more consistent. Then there is the third issue of "included gratuities" then hitting you up a second time for tips. This is where I draw the line and say what, are gratuities included or not? If they are included, I paid them, if not, then don't tell me thay are, this is a shake down.
As a traveler, you should adjust to local customs. IT's just good manners. Like be aware women in the US sometimes drive cars alone and wear sleeveless shirts and gay people exist and kiss.
I'm with you on the awkward side - it feels like they're just hoping you'll tip even more. A more underlying problem I see is that normally gratuities would be split among *all* people working on the ship, visible to you or not. So does this now take income away from the invisible ones? Oh, and secondly, I have a profound problem with the "gratuity" thing in general. Cruise lines, please simply pay your staff a normal wage and price that in in lieu of something you call "gratuities" but which is simply "we don't pay our staff normally, so you have to pitch in explicitly". WTF?
I completely agree. I pre-pay for gratuities and I don't want to have to think about it again. One of the charms of cruising is that you have the option to put your wallet and your phone in the safe when you get there and leave it until you get off. I love that because it's almost ceremonial and it represents forgetting about work and money for 8 days or whatever. This feels like they're jamming it back in your face. Most cruise lines have ways for you to adjust how much you give to certain people, but they keep it out of your face.
I have never seen something like this. I am an American and we tip anything that moves (and a few that don't) and find this strange. I prepay my gratuities to avoid having to think about them again. I have tipped my room steward a bit extra but would not go track down others to tip?? How strange.
First time hearing and seeing those tipping slips. That is crazy. Thanks for sharing this with us. I have seen more attempts by a few companies to get us consumers to recognize individual employees who stood provided really outstanding service. Problem with that, I do know know their names. So often service providers do not outwardly provide their name or wear name tags much, (if at all), anymore. Good day to you. Your videos are really good and informative.
I used to love many forms of Disney entertainment, especially while raising my son. However, when I realized the great staff members in their park who made our experience so nice we're not being paid a living wage I was outraged! Especially since their amusements have become so pricey to enjoy- I will expect their employees to be paid well. I suspect they are forcing you to tip twice, so their employees are paid once! It seems the built-in gratuities disappeared somewhere into Disney's own coffers.
Webster's definition of Gratuity: A gift given voluntarily or beyond obligation. Something given without claim or demand. Something given for performance above and beyond expectation. Notice it does NOT say a "Seizure of capital by a business too cheap to pay their employees a living wage, who try laying guilt trips on their customers if they don't pay employees what the Cruise Line is unwilling to pay. If I'm on a cruise ship, walk up to a bar and do not use the services of a waiter, why should I put money in the kitty jar for the waiters? What service above and beyond normal am I being coerced into paying? How is this in any way a "gift from the heart" when it's automatically taken from me "for my convenience"? Where's the "above and beyond expectation of service"? I pay for a can of beer, and someone hands it to me. How is that above and beyond expectation? Yet, on a cruise ship, I have no choice but to allow a 15% "gratuity" to be taken from me. Therefore it is NOT a gratuity or tip by any definition. It is a seizure of capital. So, to answer your question: HELL NO I don't prepay gratuities in advance. How can anyone evaluate the merit of a tip BEFORE receiving service? I wait to see how deserving the room steward, or wine steward, or whoever actually provides me a service. Then I pay cash, and I KNOW they're getting the tip, instead of the corporation.
Hmm... so, I guess if there's an emergency you're okay with those waiters etc serving the customers who tip best ahead of you? You have no idea what those staff members do in addition to studying their waiting for you to allow them to serve you. You're paying for their to BE a cruise for you to go on. That includes ALL of the staff it takes to run the ship. Not just the people who wait on you personally.
I asked a Disney cast member about the gratuity envelopes with the little receipts on my last cruise with them. She said Disney provides them so guests who go on a lot of cruises don't feel like they are forgetting to tip their room stewards and waiters. She called it a "cruise tradition." I don't know how true that is or not. My theory is that it's a psychological trick to make guests feel like their money is going directly to someone they have a closer relationship to. The receipts each say the tip amount so my guess is that guests mentally subtract that amount from their bills: "Ah, that money goes to Mary, our room steward! She's so nice, she deserves it." Or the envelope is a chance for guests to add more tip for exceptional service. It's definitely a psychological trick for the guests to think/feel... something. It's NOT for the crew, since they get paid either way but it might make the crew a little more tip money... sometimes.
I am from America and I find that weird. We've not cruised with Disney but we have booked a sailing on the Disney Wish for next year so I'm glad to know about this beforehand! It's definitely NOT you... that's an awkward position to put people in; I think they should definitely tell you about that beforehand and maybe give you an opt-out button prior to sailing so they could just distribute the tips like they will anyhow without having you designate who gets what.
I don't know about other cruiselines, but with MSC you can "opt out" of auto-tip...but you have to line up at the Customer Service Line (sometimes those lineups are VERY long) to opt out.
I'm in the same boat (from Arizona). I like the pre-paid gratuities and prefer that, but I do have a friend that is all about personally paying such things. I think he's in the minority though, and if anything, it should be an opt in and not the normal thing when pre paying.
I think Gratuities is BASE, and I dislike being compelled to pay anyone a tip; who does not deserve it. I remember going to lunch with my late sister and her family in Santa Cruz (California). The meals were not that cheap but we were expected to pay serving staff a 20% tip. Bollocks to that! I would be happy to give a cabin steward a good tip if that steward earned it, but randomly paying tipping is not in my DNA. My father was a Chief Engineer with P & O & Orient Line back in 1961. Back then; our family ended up being moved to Ceylon (now Siri Lanka) for 12 months, as dad's job took him there. Back then; it was normal to give your cabin Steward £1.0.0. and they never expected any more, for a trip between Tilbury and Sydney. My dad resigned from P & O and When it came time for us to leave Ceylon; rather than go all the way back to the UK, we sailed from Colombo to Melbourne; a 10 day trip. Our cabin steward was a young Scot named Joe Judge, who was quite a character. It was nice to have a fellow Scot looking after us. We (my brother and I who shared a cabin on E Deck - E101) gave Joe permission to come in any time and read our comics. He was like an older brother to us and as usual we'd take the mickey. On disembarking at Melbourne, my dad gave him £15.0.0. and told him: "Joe, after putting up with my three; you earned it" Joe was a real champ and said to dad that was more than what he was paid for a weeks work, but dad appreciated the way he looked after my brother sister and I. His service was excellent and he was worth that tip. However; I don't like being compelled to pay gratuities.
I had to do this on my two cruises with Royal Caribbean (although that was about 5 years ago - things might have changed). We had to physically hand over the slips of paper. I thought that's how it was done so didn't think much of it. I've always auto-tipped and then some with the cruises I've been on. The staff have been incredible. Went on P&O Iona this year where tipping is included in the cruise fare and I felt this was a much better system for me personally. Everyone was paid upfront and I can give extra (which I did) to staff who went above and beyond.
Back in the day, when Royal was transitioning from suggested cash tips to ship account based tips, those who opted to have the gratuities added to the account got a printout and envelopes for the crew members so they could participate in the ritual of handing out envelopes without looking like a jerk while everyone else tipped.
I agree with you !!! When I have cruised I also pay AUTOMATIC GRATUITIES. Many times… I have decided to not go to the last meals. I just don’t feel like interacting with staff anymore. Those envelopes would make me feel weird also!!
Those envelopes are actually meant to coerce you into leaving extra gratuity. I like the idea of prepaid gratuity, but after that I don't think it should be mentioned again. I had a Jamaican waiter on Royal once who started about 3 days from the end of the cruise talking about his extra gratuities. He cracked a lobster for me and said "Think about THAT when you give me my extra gratuity, mon!" And he was saying it to everyone at the table over and over, about every time he did anything. I just get tired of that pandering. Also don't like the upsell- you go to the spa for a $60. treatment, they try to sell youo something more expensive, THEN you basically have to ARGUE with them about the products they want to sell you. Go to the spa for stress relief, and after all of that come out with more stress than you went in with!
I despise automatic gratuity. In fact when I discover a restaurant uses this method, I never tip on top, and never go to that restaurant again. Tipping is a choice, as a reward to exceptional service. I always tip well for exceptional service, as well as good service. I feel that automatic gratuities rewards below standards.
If that had happened to me even once, I'd have asked to not have him as a server again. Nope. I wouldn't make a fuss, he'd be liable to spit in your food or something, but would request different seating if possible to avoid them ever again.
I really find the forced gratuities offensive plus the fact that the forced minimum gratuity is at the excessive American rate of 18%. On top of that, there are also the double gratuities on drinks and specialty dining (you are still paying the gratuity those days for MDR and buffet). The other shocking thing was learning that the management gets the lion's share of the automatic gratuities, not the people who actually give you service. So we usually take off half of the automatic gratuities at customer service (reducing the base to a bit over 10%) and get gratuity envelopes from customer service and tip the staff who give us service directly. We may rethink that for the next few cruises due to what the crews have been through.
I asked about this on Holland America. The individuals only get to keep the amount over the standard gratuity. For example, if the standard rate was $14 a day and you cut it to $7 and gave $7 to crew individually, They would have to turn over the $7 to the ship for widespread distribution. If you gave the $8, they could keep a dollar. Crummy.
The whole point of automatic gratuities is you don't have to deal with it. If passengers want to give extra, that's great, but you don't need envelopes to do so. Or the cruise line could give you a letter saying everyone is getting their gratuities (and even list everyone who is getting them and how much), then provide envelopes JUST IN CASE you want to give them more, but also make it clear that it's not required. If I'm going to have to pass out those envelopes anyway I'd rather just give cash tips because then the workers get more of the tip once all is said and done.
My full Disney cruise review is now live! Check it out here to find out what I thought of the ship, the food, the entertainment and most importantly... if I thought it was worth the price I paid: ruclips.net/video/gX1f_R3Jmqk/видео.html
How was the room service cookie??
@@live2skide1 huge!!!! 😂💕
Yeah that was really weird and actually kind of creepy if it was automatic gratuities all of the employees should get paid equally
Yes that is weird. That kind of forces you to pay more. I have done cruises with the grats included but slipped some people who I see daily or has helped me tremendously a bit more on the side. With the names put on them....I wonder if the higher up people keep tabs on who is getting tips and who isn't to judge their performance.
I'm an American and I find that ackward and double dipping! Now with that said if I had a server that I felt gave us extrodinary service I may would give them a little extra at my own discretion. I guess I will never take a Disney Cruise because I don't like being made to feel like I didn't appreciate the servers because I didn't give extra.
As an American, I’m used to tipping. But this added envelope thing (when tipping is already included) is weird and unnecessary. It’s a deliberate attempt to get more money out of the passengers. Tricking them into adding a little bit more cash to the envelope when the cruise line itself should be paying the crew better.
I have only cruised from American ports (save 1). I actually think those little tickets are a great idea, as I never really feel confident that the crew is getting the tip I prepaid for them. Those tickets would give me assurance, knowing they saw the amount I tipped, plus if they gave accepting service I could add more to the envelope. those tickets and envelopes would make me not wish they'd go back to all cash tips. Never had the opportunity, but I like it!
Nailed it
As an American I love this idea! It provides a final goodbye and the knowledge that you did tip their service and the amount.
@MRmanbearpig1993 they definitely wouldn't go bankrupt lol but they do get paid with traveling so it might be a win for them?
When we went we added the suggested amounts into the envelop as we felt that this was what we were supposed to do, is that not the case? Sweet lord we paid about $1000 extra in those little envelopes!
The very best thing you can do in this situation is to go to guest services and tell them that it made you uncomfortable and left you with an awkward impression of the cruise experience. They need to hear this feedback.
I know Disney cruisers who love this little ritual. They feel like it’s more personal. I find it weird, but I’m on the autism spectrum and I get very uncomfortable when I have to interact with anyone I don’t know well so I just skip things like this. I’ve let Disney know my feelings about it.
I’ve told 180,000+ on the internet now ha ha 😂❤️
@@EmmaCruisesI like your subtle approach 😂❤
Well said, Dave.
I’m from the US. I’ve never been on a Disney cruise before. I would find that very uncomfortable and awkward. If I paid automatic gratuity, I already paid tips. And if I wanted to give additional cash to any employee or server, I’d do exactly as I would any other time and just leave the cash at the table or give them the cash directly. Those envelopes are something that would actually make me consider not taking another Disney cruise because I’d feel like they were trying to guilt me into giving them more cash.
As an American well-versed in the awkward art of handing out gratuities, I find that practice to be quite bizarre.
It's weird. I would ignore the envelopes, and if I want to give something to my servers I give it to them. I don't need a special time or envelope.
@@lindac6919 I guess the envelopes is a more discrete way, especially if a cruiser wants to give different amounts of money to the head waiter, assistant waiter and utensil/runner.
The word bizarre, is what popped into my head as well (American)
@@supertouring1 exactly i always gave more cash to the waiter and less to the head waiter who i never saw. It's like? umm 🤔 what did you do again? lol 😂 but i always gave em the basic amount just i over did it for the ones i actually saw busting their buts and helping my family
Yeah, but it somehow doesn't shock me from Disney.
The whole purpose of me paying gratuities up front is to avoid the awkwardness around tipping. I'm horrified at Disney's blatant attempt to guilt trip their passengers+have been put off using Disney now
Bit over the top
I agree. I’m gonna cancel my trip to avoid this. They’re already over priced anyway
As someone who’s cruised with Disney for years, the envelopes are merely a left over from the times before they did automatic tipping; now that they do, the envelopes are merely there to give you the opportunity to either tip more or perhaps personally thank your servers for their service; you don’t have to do this or even interact with the slips or envelopes if that makes you uncomfortable, given the gratuities are automatically applied to your account (the papers also give you the opportunity to visit guest services and add or remove gratuities if you feel it’s necessary)
My husband loves to tip, I guess it just makes him happy but this would even turn him off.
i'm an American. I haven't been on a cruise. But I find that really strange. My best guess is that either: 1. some employees felt it was unfair that the tips were split evenly between workers regardless of the quality of their service; or 2. management wanted a way to distinguish good workers from bad. But that method is very labor intensive and awkward. A better way would be an app that you could go into on your last day and re-apportion the automatic gratuity (if you wanted) if someone gave exceptional service. It would also allow for a personal message to be sent to the employee for good work or to management to alert them to great service. Avoids the awkwardness for the guest and the labor intensiveness of counting all those slips of paper.
I wonder how many times those are left in the room and the room staff keeps them for themselves or split them with staff they like.
The slips already set the proportion of tips and are meaningless... so it doesn't solve either problem. You can't increase/decrease the amount or give it to someone else. And if you leave them in your room they'll just go into the trash because the tips are automatically split and added to their pay.
Disney has done this as far back as 2009 when I first went on a cruise. I think that they put out the envelopes to everyone because they don't know who has paid up front but also because maybe you might want to tip more for excellent service.
Love the idea of paying through an app
I feel the same about auto gratuity. If that is the approach the line is doing then let that be it and no envelopes. I do give extra but I prefer that to feel super voluntary and not compulsory. Thanks for sharing! - T
Yeah absolutely, it's like... just decide one way or another. ha ha. Thanks for watching Tony!! We must chat soon, miss you! ❤
@@EmmaCruises same here! We need to catch up!
It feels (sounds) like you are just giving to particular people and not a tip pool for all.
I like the idea of auto gratuity. Pay if up front and don’t worry about it again for the whole cruise. That’s my intake ( understanding) on this topic. Great video as always Emma. Hope to see you on my chats/ comments section in the near future.
Happy cruising.
Yeah, that is odd. I've never seen a cruise line do that before.
This sounds horrible, I’m an American and no stranger to tipping, but this is bizarre and awkward.
I can’t imagine how this works for the crew, instead of just pocketing the tip they have to turn the slips in to redeem them, which they are likely then fully taxed on that income. I understand that that is technically how the system is meant to be, but being able to set aside a little of that income without taxes is the only benefit to the tipping system.
If possible I’d opt out of Disney’s horrible system and choose to leave a cash tip. Seeing as only who I chose is going to get a tip anyways vs all the behind the scenes crew, which is the benefit to gratuities being included normally.
It’s not right that “tips” are used to subsidise a large corporations salary bill. Tips should only be given if service is above what is expected. It’s a thank you for exceptional service above the norm
In many cultures tipping is perceived as offensive as the service provider should always want to deliver quality and not have a 'tip carrot' waived over their head.
In America there are a lot of servers that do not get paid minimum wage as they are expected to make up the difference with the tip. Lots of workers ( especially food service and cabin stewards) on cruise ships get paid extremely low wages as well. While it would be great employees doing those jobs were paid better they aren’t. Even if they were you would be paying for it one way or another. Tips should be given if they have done their job. You increase the tip if they go above and beyond. The workers are working very hard for you!
@@jacquisplace1556 And that is precisely what is wrong with the tipping system. If the employers paid a decent wage in the first place tipping would be restricted to paying a little more for going above and beyond.
I would not be happy with that!
@@CarlaHMaryKay You'd be unhappy if staff were paid a decent wage? Really?
I've been on two Disney cruises felt side-swiped by this practice. It's a shame to leave a person feeling confused, awkward, and inadequate at the end of a fun cruise because it feels like maybe you missed something important. The service is so good and you become friends with the servers, so it feels really awkward just to ignore them. I felt like an idiot, but I just loaded the paper slips into the envelopes and handed them to our waiters, etc. So happy to hear that it's considered ridiculous by so many and I won't ever worry about them again! Thanks for mentioning it.
As an Australian, I'm not used to tipping unless we go overseas, and I always find it an awkward thing in any circumstances. I like autotipping for this reason. This would be enough to put me off the cruise line, honestly.
Honestly, The US should abandon the tip and just pay people a living wage. I lived on tips for over 5 years and it's just an excuse for the employer to pay less hourly.
Canada's waitress would make 10 hr plus tips
@@priscillawagner4939 In the US a waitress can make as little as $2.13 per hour plus tips. As a delivery driver, I made $5 plus tips when I was on the road and $7.50 when inside.
EXACTLY!!!
@Epicurean Bard
It seems as though the USA working class has generally reached its limit with accepting less-than-living-wage pay scales. And I say, good for them! (I'm retired, or I'd be saying, "Good for *us* !")
I heard a comment by someone on one of the business-oriented TV shows recently: "The days of cheap labor are over!" So, apparently, they knew they were underpaying. And, as has been pointed out, that's the underlying reason for all the little sneaky methods of encouraging (yet *more* ) tipping.
How much is a 'living wage?'
You are absolutely right, I went on the Disney cruise line and in the end I did give out the little envelopes. It felt wrong for me not to do so, However other people did not... and there was real incomprehension from the waiters and the people concerned that they didn't get the envelope. As an European this was really an uncool moment on a extremely wonderful cruise.
Coming from Australia I don't like the tipping culture. I believe everyone should be paid a proper wage. But each to there own 🍻👍🇦🇺
I was miffed on an Australian based cruise to find that I and every non Australian guest were charged auto grats and Australians weren't. I paid them as I would feel awkward having them taken off
When I went to Australia, I was told the travel industry was trying to encourage tipping in order to improve service. Kinda strange but I will say that service at Australian cafes was very "laid back" like waaay back, so maybe they had a point.
Yeah, I met an Aussie & wife on a 28 day cruise and they told me they don't get dinged the auto gratuity because of where he's from. I was surprised. He told me I could get them removed with a trip to Guest Services & I could do my own tipping. I ended up leaving mine in place. He assured me he leaves just as much if not more unless he is unhappy with the overall cruise. btw I'm Canadian
Phillip Hobson..If you were on an Australian based cruise, I’m sure you will find that the Australian people actually paid more for their cruise than you did, when you paid in the country that you came from. I can tell you on just about every cruise that I’ve ever been on, I paid more for cruises, both ocean and river cruises,Then the people who had come from the UK and the USA.
@@hobsonp67 gratuities are included in our fare as Australian, I think it might be to do with our consumer laws and not charging above advertised fares. So the way around it is to charge Australians more with gratuities included in the fare.
This tipping „game“ is awful to begin with. Pay your emplyoyees good wages (Not only on cruises 🚢, but also in restaurants etc) Then let guests/customers choose IF they want to leave a tip and how much. But the service personnel is NOT dependent on tips. It’s just a little extra if they went the extra mile. Automatic gratuity seems very odd. And this envelope situation doesn’t make it any better. I work in the service business myself and I am so happy we are not even allowed to accept tips. We get paid decent wages! Tipping is awful. As a customer I know personnel is only friendly bc they need my tipps …
The consumer would have to pay more for the price of a meal if the employer paid wait staff the equivalent of a wage plus the tips.
@@nemmrrc Yes. Yes they would. They'd have to pay what they should be paying anyway by tipping appropriately. It just allows the employer to put lower prices on the menu because the people who get screwed are the waitstaff not the owners.
I've never cared why someone is friendly. Since they are doing me a service, not trying to be my friend, their motives need not be pure. Plus, I don't think sour people can be friendly. Many people do enjoy the service industry's.
I could be mistaken, but you sound more than a little bitter Claudia. Could not someone who works in the service industry just BE friendly??
@@chrisg.7681 why do I sound bitter? I just have an opinion. And yes I am friendly. If the customer is nice. But I will not be friendly just because I am dependent on a tipp… And as a customer: I don’t care much about servers or other personell being nice or friendly. They do their job and they don’t need to kiss my …. And yes I do Tipp. Generously. All the time. But I HATE the general idea of HAVING to Tipp. What is so strange about the idea of paying decent wages and no tipping at all. Japan is a very good example topping is not necessary. There you get excellent service with no obligation. On the contrary: it is just not done. Now please have a nice day and don’t feel obliged to give me tipps should you ever cross my way. (Very unlikely😉)
I think it’s Disney’s Corporate way of reminding staff of their tips being part of their wages. I am American and find this practice weird too. My wife and I prepay tips and end up tipping even more when we are wowed by staff. My wife bought a gift from a nice shop in Cozumel for our room steward as a gift once and added a $50 bill on our last cruise. The girl was nearly in tears and gave us a big hug.
Yeah that's weird. Even here in a tipping culture, it's considered a bit tacky to talk about it, point it out, or make overt gestures. It's meant to be subtle, a transaction exclusively between the customer and serviceperson.
It'd be more pleasant to have a little card in the room that says "Sam was your server. Ann was your housekeeper. (cabinkeeper?) They appreciate your generosity. If they've made your trip extra-magical, we invite you to leave them a thank you note, here's some cute notecards." Or something.
Discreet
I love your idea. Sometimes so many people are involved with your stay you dont know what to do with tipping. Having a name like you suggested makes it so much easier, because you may not of even seen your cabin keeper at all let alone their name. Good idea.
You're correct. That was weird. I would feel very awkward finding that letter and those envelopes in my cabin. Like you, I pay my gratuities up front at the suggested rate by the cruise line. The workers work hard and they deserve the gratuities they get. But to leave a letter and envelopes in my cabin, almost expecting me to "give more", practically shaming me to "give more" is over the line and I would complain to the cruise company about this practice. As I have done on many cruises, if a staff member has done an exceptional job for me or my family during the cruise, I will privately give them cash and thank them for making our cruise so enjoyable, but this attempt at extorsion is very uncalled for. Complain to Disney Cruise line and make your thoughts known. Thank you for bringing this to the public eye.
Surely, if you paid upfront, as they deserve the money, there should be no upfront gratuity and instead just a fare for the stay (inclusive tips), and the hotel staff paid properly? Does any tip get to the engineer staff, the matelots?
I agree with you 100% i think it was strange for them to do that. I always give extra cash as tips but i dont need them to give me an envelope and make me ripped the paper and put it inside and show my servers how much their getting from me, it should go directly to their paycheck and the extra cash that i give shld go straight their pockets.
@@blatherskite9601 Workers get paid to work. Why should they be paid additional gratuities for doing their job? If they gave outstanding service, (above and beyond the call of duty) I don't mind tipping them but I will NOT be compelled.
Disney doesn't give a damn about complaints about their greed now. I am older and remember what Disney used to be...magical. NOT NOW, they have priced all the middle-class families out of going, and they simply don't care.
@@bettierusso5410 this is what i'm hearing about the parks now. i've never gone before and have always wanted to from what i've heard, but now i think i'll spend my money at universal instead.
We stopped the automatic tipping and informed our steward that we will be tipping direct , they just gave us a smile and kept us stocked up with biscuits in our cabin
Emma, those extra 'tip envelopes" are an affront. On the cruise line I prefer, which has automatic gratuities, you would never see a "double dip" envelope ! If a passenger wants to offer an "extra" gratuity, she/he can do that without prompting !
Carnival does prepaid gratuities, and they have tip envelopes ... but you pick those up yourself at guest services and only if you want to give extra tips. I use the envelopes because I find it awkward to hand cash to someone when they can see how much it is. I'd rather they open the envelope in private. Plus, I always add a little personalized note on it. I know these get tossed out, and it could be that many of them don't even read it, but ... It's my thing.
John. it looks like it was not an extra gratuity, but rather a symbol representing the gratuity. Which I find weird...
it's not extra. it's just away to be able to personally thank your staff and it's not mandatory. too many people forget the simple idea of thanking someone who serviced you.
@@michellesantiago2799 If truly a simple thank you, it wouldn't require preprinted names and instructions. If paper and pen is left in a hotel drawer, I write a simple thank you to the housekeeping staff for such a wonderfully clean and stocked room, then leave it with my tip. I personally would find the approach in this video very awkward and confusing. I would be less inclined to leave additional tips.
@@jennylynne4414 BC VI
Tipping isn't required on the Australian cruises I've taken, but most folk will pay cash to their room steward(s), favourite waiters, bar staff etc. One bar guy told me that while a cash gift was welcome, acknowledging good service by naming the crew member to the cruise line (in this case Carnival) was of great benefit to crew.
We’ve tipped extra. We were just on a 33 day Tahiti cruise and the automatic gratuity was just under $1,000. Even so we tipped a little extra for our room stewards and one waiter. But I think you’re right. My wife especially, might have found the envelopes and the commiserate suggestion, borderline offensive.
If you don’t mind me asking how much does a 33 day cruise cost?
I would say it has definitely passed into offensive.
I’m an American and this is strange and I’ve experienced it too on Disney. First, while US tipping culture is odd to begin with, cruise line tipping culture is at the extreme of odd. There’s no longer ANY pretense of voluntariness to it. Second, this Disney thing is unique - no one else does that little coupon thing. I think it has everything to do with Disney cruisers tipping MORE on average than the required amount and staff concerned that they would get less without the handover ceremony. The envelopes and coupons are designed to put you in that uncomfortable position of handing them an envelope that does not include more.
Can I say as a service industry personnel person, I am always so embarrassed when someone hands me a tip. I would rather they left it in a cabin , Or left it on the table. Placing it into my hand makes me feel very uncomfortable, and embarrassed. And to be honest most people giving it to you seem to be embarrassed as well
You are right, Disney cruisers tend to leave more than the base amounts. You don’t need to use the envelopes at all if your using the auto tip amounts and have no special thanks. Frequent cruisers (like me) complained when they did away with the envelopes largely because there was no vehicle to leave extra without the inconvenience of standing in line at Guest Relations. They were making it too hard to tip their staff extra.
During the envelope drought I wanted to tip our housekeeper extra but the line at Guest Relations was too long. I ended up leaving a note and cash in our room because It was our housekeeper’s day off. I never felt comfortable about that…. It really cheapened the experience. Obviously, Disney is listening to their cruisers!
@@happytraveller2122 I've gotten very uncomfortable looks from cabin stewards when I've handed extra cash to them. Very awkward and comes off as feeling ungrateful but fortunately, I know it's just a cultural thing. Lately, I just leave cash in the room on the last day with a thanks written.
I’m an American and I’m also considered a generous tipper. I do find this unusual and wouldn’t add a tip unless someone did something that was extremely far and above expectations.
That is very strange. Judging by the size of the envelope and the size of the voucher, I think you are absolutely right that they are just hoping for bigger tips. This reminds me of when my church put a chart on the back of their donation envelopes that basically said "If you earn this much, you should donate this much." I felt like I am already donating what I can and don't need any extra pressure or guilt when I walk by to shake the priest's hand at the end of service.
I remember when we were pressured by United Way to pay our "fair share" and they had a chart showing how much was "fair" for what salary. They never got a dime from me!
i remember mum getting an envolope at church like that, we already gave to the plate
i dont think we went back after that
It is strange! I never cruise Disney and wouldn’t like getting envelopes after I paid my auto gratuity.
It never stops with the gratuities, the servers got a raise to $15hr. that was supposed to cover gratuities but no, cost of food goes up bill higher and still a 20% tip. I don't like that Fast Food now has a screen that the cashier shoes you with 3 different tips and a decline button. Why do I have to give 20% tip on fast food, I'm starting to refuse places that are doing this.
@@DCo923 From what I read, many states have a tipping wage for restaurant staff. So while the state for example mandates a $15/hr min wage, owners can pay 50% of the min wage ($7.50) and then expect the workers to earn tips to make up the other $7.50 to make the min state wage. So if the worker gives excellent service, the owner technically only pays $7.50/hr cause the staff member earned $7.50/hr in tips on their own. If the staff member can only earn $3.50/hr in tips, the owner has to top off another $4hr to make up the min wage. So the owner has to pay $7.50/hr tipping wage+$4/hr top off=$11.50/hr plus the restaurant worked earns $3.50 themselves in tips to make the up $15 state min wage.
So if the owner is always having to top off for the worker, they probably won't be pleased. If there's lots of potential workers, the owner will likely fire the existing staff member and then hire someone who earn their own way in tips. In a tight labour market, the worker doesn't need to worry cause the owners are desperate for staff and be more willing to top off.
@@supertouring1 this was years ago but my aunt used to be a waitress and got paid like 2.5$ because she got tips. ill have to ask what state though since this was about a decade ago but yeah some states allow tipped workers to earn less in hourly wage. it works out if ur at a resturant where u make a lot of tips but what if ur working the graveyard shift at a 24 hour ihop?
@@supertouring1 Calypso is talkin about fast-food not a sit-down restaurant with a waitress. Fast food workers are paid at least minimum wage to now $15 per hour. Waitresses make less and need the gratuity to make up for it.
@@supertouring1 I think it's sickening to do this to workers
I'm American. It's unusual to me too, especially since a gratuity is already included and it's not presented as for something extra for special setvice.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
"Odd" sounds like the right term... As I recall, on Princess (which has pre-paid gratuities, a practice I'm fine with), at the end of the cruise there was a little envelope for giving an extra tip to the person (can't remember her exact title) who made up the room every day. Which I was also fine with, since she was quite friendly, learned quite quickly (without my asking) little things that I liked (like extra ice) and seemed to go above and beyond to make everything better. The idea of having the whole staff laid out with amounts...it almost looks like an invoice. Seems a bit heavy-handed.
We’ve had envelopes left in our cabin but never the pieces of paper. The envelopes were blank and there was a note that said something to the effect of “If somebody made your cruise extra special please use one of these envelopes to show them your appreciation”. I much prefer this approach…you’re not feeling obligated to tip but they’ve made it easy to do so if you want to.
The only cruise I've been on was the Disney one so when they gave me those I was like "Oh, okay, this is how we do it". I did give the tip to my server at the dining room because she was from Glasgow and I was from 10miles NW yet we met in Florida LOL. We got a long great and it was fun to give her that (and a bit more). The others I left in the cabin. I also left a bit extra for the housekeeping lady. She was so sweet, she saw my birthday badge when I got there and that night, when she did turn down she drew a little picture and 'happy birthday' on it. I was on the cruise solo as a total detox from a horrid 3 years (death of both parents and a few other bonus things). She didn't know that but, crew or staff or servers everywhere...no good deed goes unnoticed. You just never know when you'll be the only good thing that person hears that day.
It happened to me this past Monday and I was surprised by it as well! I paid my gratuities ahead of time and wasn't worried about tipping more than that. The last day before disembarking, I received the exact same paper and envelopes and felt really awkward and weird about giving them envelopes without any additional monies in them!😶 I left it to my ten year old to hand them out and even he said it was kind of embarrassing!
Yeah!! 😂😂
It’s not right, up to you if you want to give extra, but to me it is like begging.
Why would you give them empty envelopes? I would have just left the envelopes in the room (or trash can).
I think it's not that bad of an idea. In the past I have heard that the cruise company kept part or most of the automatic gratuity. Now the workers get to see the amount you left them and plus you get to know that the money went to the workers. It also gives you a chance to give a little extra if you feel like it. By the way I'm from America and I'm used to tipping culture.
I have been reading these replies and think yours gets to the heart of it. Something that makes you feel awkward / embarrassed is not right.
I am a custom to automatic when booking my cruise in addition I give $10.00 daily to my room stuart and little more before disembarkation. I don't feel comfortable tearing up paper and placing in an envelope feels like a guilt trip.
cabin steward not room stuart
@@smmenci Voice to text.
@@BoltRM - you'd be surprised how many people called the person the cabin or room stuart or stewart. They are not all voice to text.
This reply chain is going 2 give me an involuntary grammer/spelling lesson when I head off now to double check that I really know the difference between Stuart and steward ... Good times 🤣
Or.... you could expect the employer to pay them properly seeing as you're paying 1000's for the trip and not have these charges which misrepresent the original cost of the cruise.
Totally agree Emma. Most of the US cruise lines see pre-paid gratuities as a "basic", with additional tips in cash being very much encouraged. I've seen bundles of $ notes passing hands so many times, to bar staff, dining room staff etc, usually at the end of a cruise. What Disney have done goes a step too far - it would certainly put me off cruising with them.
Pre-paid gratuities that are baked into the price are no longer gratuities, they're just an additional charge.
It's actually a corporate scheme to maximize profits by shifting part of the tax burden onto their workers. Money given as "gratuities" (even if the gratuity is obligatory) isn't subject to corporate taxes; instead, that money is taxed as part of the worker's income. This allowed the cruise lines to lower worker pay because the difference was being made up by a "fair division" of the obligatory gratuity, simultaneously lowering the corporation's tax exposure. The "voluntary 'guilt' gratuity" being encouraged by the little envelopes is a way for the corporation to further reduce worker wages and shift even more of the tax burden, because now they can skim a portion of the "obligatory gratuity" off and use it as bonuses from "happy customers" to ship's officers and company representatives.
Do a little research on the life of ship's crew (plenty of videos here on RUclips about it) and you'll find that their living conditions aboard ship are terrible and their pay is considerably below going rates for similar work ashore. Gratuities (like tips for waiters/waitresses at a restaurant) are simply a way to maximize corporate profits at the expense of the workers.
I've worked with Disney in the past and can say that their corporate culture considers you an exceptional employee if guests call out your name in feedback (comment cards, making a trip to guest services just to give compliments to a cast member, etc). What this feels like is forcing an interaction between the guest and cast member so that the "cream of the crop" rises to the top. This lets Disney boast publicly about guests that searched the whole ship just to hand the tip to the cast member in person.
Is it awkward? Hell, yeah it is. I understand the automatic tip deduction, since it allows you to roam around the ship and make purchases without worrying about the crew's compensation. And I understand the feeling of wanting to tip a certain crew member a little more because they took care of you above and beyond. But, for a cruise line to 1. withdraw the crew tips automatically, per policy and, then 2. turn around and print out symbolic vouchers for a forced interaction is a little too far in my book.
As an American, I am comfortable with traditional tipping. This scheme I find odd, so, you are justified in calling it weird. Cheers Emma!
You're an american? Only Australians and Brits say cheers. America'ns only say cheers when you toast someone with beer or wine. I'm an American I should know.
Mandatory automatic gratuities is basically a labor surcharge for the crew. I've always believed a tip/gratuity is to be earned by going above and beyond.
I agree, why tip automatically before said above and beyond service is given? I resent mandatory gratuities. I always tip unless the service is substandard. When I see mandatory tips that's all they get, regardless if they would have gotten a larger tip otherwise.
@@beccagee5905 maybe if the company paid them enough to live on without begging you would get a better standard of service. It's how pretty much every other country operates.
@@catherinekilgour2563 but no one told them they HAVE to work there -if you take a position/job/employment, you took it fully knowing your compensation up front. Now I agree -I don't like big Corps putting that cost on the patron. Tips are defined as 'a sum of money given to someone as a reward for their services', "reward" being the key word. Personally I feel tips should be optional in all scenarios.
Its an American thing... ever since the US minimum wages started allowing reduced wages for tipped employees.
Since its allowed by custom -- all the lines here happily use it to reduce their overhead.
Back in the 90's this was done where I worked. It was actually done at the request of the passengers because back then usually about only 10 to 15% of passengers prepaid the gratuities and a lot them felt like they were being judged (not so much by the crew who knew at the beginning of the cruise who had prepaid but by other passengers) for not handing out an envelope. I had no idea cruise lines were still doing this but it was started with good intentions.
this is very interesting insight IMO...thank u
Yeah, that’s weird. What was the point? I assume auto gratuities are distributed appropriately and thus not on my last day to-do list!
Ha ha, yeah me too that's the cruise lines job not mine ;)
I believe the purpose is to personally thank the person face to face and present the tip in person as a way to say thank you. As an American, we like the personally touch for good service vs just an anonymous tip.
I was happy to hand something over to them, it was a nice way of showing appreciation.
I have never cruised Disney (and never will) but have cruised mostly Royal and Celebrity. In the early 1990's it was common to find envelopes in your cabin near the last day of the cruise. Then when automatic tipping began the envelopes were still provided along will printed slips like the ones you got so that (if we wanted) we could hand an envelope to the appropriate people on the last day of the cruise. We did it maybe once or twice and then found that it was unnecessary so we never did it again. We did not feel like the cruise line was trying to squeeze more money for the staff but just provide an avenue that many old time cruisers were familiar with. It never bothered me at all.
Yes, I would find that weird. There are people behind the scenes who deserve some of the gratuity but you don't know who they are (people who launder the sheets, prepare/serve food in the buffet, etc. I like the automatic gratuity where I know it is being divided up among all people who contributed to my experience, not just the handful who are visible to me. That creates awkwardness if you don't give an envelope to your dinner server. I would really dislike this approach.
...always felt if you wanted to see tips ... then you worked front of the house ... better wages but no tips in the back of the house ... just how it all used to be ...
No, that's a total dealbreaker for me. It's like they're trying to guilt trip you.
Glad I'm not the only one confused by it :')
But the good thing is, it is the last day and you don't have to give anything extra and you can just walk off the ship. What are they going to do, trip you for not tipping more? HA HA HA
I really appreciate how you break up subjects about different nuances on 1 cruise. Thank you
Thank you! 😁❤️
Ironically just called and pre-paid our automatic gratuities for our upcoming DCL sailing today. We actually make thank you notes for our servers, stateroom attendants, etc. and place the envelopes in there. We've added additional money for some over the years and given just the paid amount. At the end of a 7-night cruise, we've usually gotten to know them well and try to make our farewell more personal. I've only sailed Disney and we've also given tips to more crew than the ones that get the autogratuities.
We agree Emma - Royal has done that. I think it’s to prompt one to give addt’l $$ since just the paper is pointless. I think they should send a letter to each cruiser, acknowledge all gratutities have been prepaid, and let you know that if you would like to tip above for excellent service, envelopes are available either at concierge or library, etc. if someone wants to tip above, they will make the effort to get the envelopes. The current manner like you encountered leaves a bad taste in the mouth, which you would think is the last thing they would want a guest to be feeling as they disembarked. But big companies aren’t known for having common sense, lol. So throw away those slips!
I agree with everything you said, except 99% of the population would not go to the concierge to get those envelopes to give extra tip. Giving tipping envelopes to each passenger encourages passenger to give more. It's service industry in the US Business 101. Big companies became big by knowing their business.
For me it isn't the envelopes it's the slip of papers that would feel awkward and like an over reach guilt trip. I'll tip randomly just based on service excellence. Just leave the envelopes in the room. Available on the desk or in the vanity drawer day one.
I thought about leaving envelopes in the room that guests could use for “above & beyond” service, as we have added $$ when deserved. That’s prob the best compromise available - guests have the means to give extra, envelopes available the entire cruise, and no bitter aftertaste. Thanks for bringing it up.
Has Royal started doing this post-COVID?
I'm Diamond on Royal and have never gotten slips of paper to put in envelopes. I've had envelopes left in the room to be used at my discretion on some cruises, but never a letter explaining to give a piece of paper to crew members.
@@debbiheiser7492 we'll be Diamond+ after our Nov cruise. It's been 2 years since we've cruised, but I recall receiving envelopes and a page of printed slips with head waiter, etc already printed, for over and above tips. I don't recall an attached letter, but it was either that or mentioned in the Cruise Compass.
I agree with you. It's awkward and then pointless if they get the tips anyway. Plus, saying thank you, knowing you've already paid for tips, is fine
There are so many people behind the scenes the customers rarely see (technical staff, etc.) who make the experience beautiful and I thought the auto-gratuities ensure the 'team' shared tips / appreciation for a job well done. Disney could easily put those cards in your arrival packet as a 100% optional gesture should one wish to use them.
I would like Disney and others state unequivocally that 100% of the gratuities are never used to subsidize the salaries they pay staff but are shared as a gift from you (the customer). Transparency is always a good thing.
Seems like this is the cruise line's attempt at allowing people to actually hand something to the crew they appreciated all week. I think there are some passengers that feel something missing when they can't hand something to the crew.
A better attempt would be simply to have envelopes at reception. This seems clunky and confusing.
Agreed, that personal touch disappeared when the cruise lines began automatic tipping.
... personally I wish the crew had generic business cards they could put their name on ...their names misspelled often happens I bet too ... hard to remember a name later ...
@@pebmets hmm maybe, I'm sure the crew are getting much more now than they used to get. :) Who would want to be a dancer/cleaner/cook/kitchen help on the ship when a waiter brings in the big bucks in tips. Not really a great idea to only tip 2-3 people on the ship instead of pooling the tips.
no cruise line stops you handing tips to their crew???
That is very strange, but being required to give gratuitous is strange. I think the lines should pay their staff more and add the traditional gratuity on the ticket price. It's just another hidden cost that they don't want to pay.
Automatic gratuities are convenient for everyone!
These envelopes are just a bit too extra 😅
It makes it super awkward, especially if there is a system that takes care of that. It’s a waste of paper, too 🤷🏻♂️
If it’s the gesture, it’s understandable… but still weird. 🤣
Thank you, Emma! Great video!
I think the purpose is for you to go to the individual people and thank them face to face. As an American, we feel a need to say thank you to the person and not just being an anonymous tip.
I believe it is mostly gesture which gives that personal touch to the tipping that disappeared when automatic tipping started. Some people feel guilty for not adding more which I do not know how to get around but it is not required.
@@pebmets I am American, and I understand that. But, the piece of paper is just weird. We can still tip actual money, or personally say thank you! I don’t know… this feels forced, while most of us do it “our way” very naturally. 😅
@@Fernanufret It's the Disney thing to do 😊. They love participation. I kind of like the personal touch. Paying for tips ahead of time is a good thing and there is a better chance the crew gets something. In theory tips should not be forced, To Insure Promptitude is the true meaning. I don't know. I believe that most of the people that don't understand what Disney did are also not accustom to how Americans TIP. Some Americans do not like it because it may put the extra pressure to give more. I kind of see both sides of the argument.
Me & my travel partner always cruise with RCL & always include our tips when we book the holiday. That way we hope the kitchen staff & crew get them as well as the bar & dining staff. If we have had a good service from our cabin stewards we always leave them ‘something extra’ in an envelope with their name on & we leave it in our cabin as we disembark for the final time. I would feel too embarrassed to give it in person. Most weird with the DIsney envelopes……it’s as if they expect you to give more.
I think you are the first vlogger to point this out. I was so mad when I saw these envelopes. First of all it was work to cut them up and put them in the envelopes and write their titles on the outside. And I call it “work” because I’m on vacation. I didn’t feel like doing anything that I didn’t want to do. Which is why I prepaid so that I wouldn’t have to go to guest services to settle gratuities. Second, I felt it was a manipulative move and caused me to feel guilty if I don’t add more to the envelopes. No body went over and beyond what they were expected to do. I did not ask for any special requests nor did I receive any. I was happy to prepay my tips to those who are deemed to receive them. I paid a lot of money for Disney cruises and the more you spend the higher the prepaid tips. The envelopes should be given upon requests. I was sure to let Disney know this on my comment card.
That is weird. Similar thing happened to me on RC, even though I paid gratuities before hand. I still tipped since the house keeper was very nice, but it still felt a little pressured and awkward. Made me feel like the staff were not getting paid well enough. Not sure how the gratuities are split when you pre pay, but hopefully it all does go to the amazing staff.
The tipping issue is getting out of hand. I object to the cruise line charging me to give the crew members money they should be paying them in a decent wage. We do not have this added to our charge. You can opt out of it on Disney and Princess, not sure about the other cruise lines. Then I have the choice of whom I would like to tip. I personally like to tip our steward and waiters myself. Other crew members that go above and beyond we tip them as well. Usually it ends up more than what they tack on your bill but that’s fine with me if they have done an exceptional job.
You miss tipping people that worked for you that way though. Those tips also pay people washing your sheets and folding your towel animals and things. When you tip only your steward, they may or may not share with those that supported them. Same with your dining staff. They are being supported by others behind the scenes that get tips out of the prepaid tips. So you cheat those people by opting out. Please don't do that anymore. The behind the scenes people deserve tips too.
@@jennylynne4414 Or the company can pay them a proper wage and charge accordingly. If the business can't afford to pay folk a proper wage then they can't run a business and they should resign from the slave world.
@@jonathanfinan722 If you felt that strongly about this, you wouldn't cruise. Your conscience wouldn't let you. Those people make decent money on these ships or they wouldn't work there. Nobody is forcing them to accept these contracts. Which tells me, they are making what they should be.
@@jennylynne4414 On Disney, the tips only go to 4 positions(not the entire support staff. Per person per night is Head Server( maitre'd ) 1.00, Server (main wait person) 4.50, Asst. server (drink person really) 3.50, Room steward 4.50 ....... Any other person that gets tipped would be through the auto added tip on drink purchases or any cash tip you give room service delivery people.
@@scottross637 Interesting - on Carnival ships you always have three servers. Head waiter, team waiter and assistant waiter. I haven't been on Disney, but I don't know why they'd be different.
So what I'm saying is, your breakdown wouldn't work on a carnival ship. And that is why ... I kinda think you're making that up.
I am Australian and we have the gratuities built into the cruise fare, however I always give extra to the cabin steward. I was told by my steward whilst on a P&O cruise that all tips received by envelope must be declared and are shared among the crew or added to the steward's income and taxed accordingly, depending upon the policy of the particular ship. I always pay extra tips in cash and not in the envelope as these are not declared as income and the crew member keeps the entire amount. I must say that the crew member did not volunteer this information to me but responded to my enquiry regarding the envelopes.
We went to the cruise recently , we found the envelopes a little bit odd, as well; however, it was transformed to a personal letter to say thanks! Our children spontaneously draw figures to all the envelopes, wrote their names and gave them directly to each member. The crew was genuinely happy by the gesture. They are part of the magic and amazing experience we had. For us the additional tips are totally worth it. Thanks for your videos
Something to consider...post covid cruises are running at lower capacity, maybe 60-70 percent. The overall prepaid gratuity is also 60 % lower. So crew income from tipping is less than a fully booked ship. If you can afford a little extra...be generous
That is a good point! Lots of ships still have full crew and less guests. :-)
The envelope is for the experienced cruiser who misses the emotional handing the tip to the staff and the option to add more cash for the tip. Otherwise, just leave the envelope in the cabin.
It may be time to get over this quaint and outdated notion. Should the technician who insures you Internet connection is speedy not be acknowledged with a tip packet? What about the persons who deal with emergency COVID issues on the ship - should they not receive a tip packet?
Share tips equitably as 'it takes a village' to keep a cruise ship running smoothly.
"Experienced cruiser", "misses the emotional handling". Boy do you sound pretentious!
When you say "experienced" do you mean elderly? I am an experienced cruiser and never had the "emotional handing the tip to the staff option."
@@FunandBudget 😆🤣🤣
@@queens6583 I think it was meant to be condescending, not pretentious.
Yep that's weird. Here in Paraguay and I'm sure many other countries, you just leave the money on the table or give it to the server personally, no cards or envelopes.
Perhaps it is designed to let you see how much each person is receiving. In some cases, you may have a crew member that you particularly appreciate, and then you can judge for yourself whether you want to give them more than their ‘share’ of the total gratuity. I am sure this leads to more people getting extra tips.
Having said that, I am personally not favor of mandatory tips, whether they are prepaid or at the time of service. It is just a way, IMO of letting the cruise lines cut the base salary and put the responsibility on the clients to make sure the crew has a fair salary. Instead, the crew lines should just up the costs of of the cruises and make it clear that tips are not required or expected by the crew, except as a real measure of appreciation for someone who has gone above and beyond the expectations of the job. Of course to adopt that bus8ness model, one must trust the cruise lines to actually increase the base salary of the crew.
Agreed. But that will never happen here. Service industries, unless regulated are only viable because staff make a pittance.
If they raised cruise fares and said no tipping, people would still complain because the prices had gone up.
@@kimc555 the legal options to actually force crew to be treated more fairly are pretty limited as most cruise lines intentionally fly a "flag of convenience" to get around US and European labor laws.
I agree with your assessment.
Personally I wish tipping was verboten everywhere. I went to Italy and Germany about 4 years ago and it was great in most places, tips weren't expected. You got great service and paid a fair price for today. Except, public restrooms....I was shocked. They charge a Euro or half Euro to use the toilet in areas where tourism is the bread & butter of the economy (though that phrase wouldn't mean anything to the Italians because they don't butter TY TY their bread). Then, if it wasn't a required charge, there was an attendant in the restroom basically badgering you for a Euro. My wife almost didn't get out of the German restaurant restroom because she had no change in her pockets (for safety we had only a little cash anyway). Luckily I was standing standing close and handed in a coin. All that said, pay a decent wage based on the job and give promotions so folks can earn raises.
Based on the premium pricing I thought Disney paid their staff more generously than other cruise lines. This approach makes me uncomfortable and makes me think Disney is no better than the cruise lines that reputedly pay horribly low wages.
That is both rude and offensive. What the cruise line is doing is trying to guilt you into giving more tips, by having you give it to them at dinner , they know that servers will compare the amount they got from different tables. Watch out because this will effect how they treat you at breakfast or throughout the meal if you give it to them at the beginning. I've never liked the idea of automatically giving a tip based on what someone else thinks is appropriate. If they know they are getting a good tip no matter what they do, why try? I was in the service industry for years... Saw it all the time, oh auto tip, great. No need to be polite. Sucked for those who still tried to be helpful
No, I don;t think that is what they are doing. I think they are asking her to divide up the prepaid tip amongst the various service personnel - hence the pieces of paper. I contend that if she has to do that, they shouldn't have collected the tip(s) from her up front. If the cruise line is going to collect the tips, they should be put in a pool and everyone gets an equal share - NOT a good system IMO.
I am Canadian, and older, but I feel the same as you. It fits in tho, with a culture that is ravenous for recognition. Or perhaps the cruise company thinks it's one way to promote employee job satisfaction. Emma, you are such a good presenter. I have never cruised and have little desire to, but I like your videos and feel ready to go on a cruise anytime I should change my mind. Thanks!
As a fellow brit, who recently came of Harmony of the Seas in the Med, I actually feel I would have preferred that way of tipping. We felt awkward that we didn’t know quite where our tips were going and actually did give extra cash tips given the current world situation, which is unusual for us. This time, I think I would have preferred to know who was getting what and to personally thank them for their service.
I remember when tipping was a choice…it was for service above and beyond. It’s ridiculous now. Everyone is looking for a tip. I keep looking for a tip jar to show up in my dr’s office.
Seriously when I got to get frozen yogurt, smoothies, pizza, sandwiches like fast food and such to go, they flip the screen over to ask for a tip!!!
There is also an automatic %18 gratuity on adult drinks.
I agree. It’s a bit strange to be handing those out in your cabin. When we feel like giving extra tips, we go and grab some envelopes at the purser’s office …or personally hand them the cash and thank them 😀
Yess, that's lovely! :)
I alway prepay my gratuities and most times I give additional tips but only to those who go above n beyond.
My understanding is that US based cruiselines offer the crew & staff a “guaranteed” minimum weekly salary… based on a combination of gratuities & a payment from the cruise line (usually the minimum wage of whatever country the ship is registered to e.g. Panama or Bahamas). The more money paid as gratuities, the less money the cruise line has to pay.
According to my servers from two separate Disney cruises, their base pay is $50/week. This is just servers, entertainment cast make a bit more based on the number of shows they do.
@@traceydriver3171 that's appalling!!!
There is no tipping culture in my country, Portugal. People get paid normal salaries, tipping is seen as a possibility and not as mandatory.
My family and I have been on three cruises so far, two on Carnival and one on Disney. I learned about the 'extra gratuities' from some videos I watched here on YT before we went on our first trip (Carnival), so I was familiar with the subject. I definitely felt awkward with the whole envelope thing when we went on the DCL trip, I agree with other comments that say that it feels like DCL really is trying to motivate you to give more $$ to their employees. I have joined the DCL group fans FB group and reading on many comments there, I've gotten the idea that most of their customers are hardcore Disney fans and they won't cruise on any other line, so they believe that Disney is superior and that their employees service is non-par with any other company, which seems kind of egocentric to me, as most them have never experienced the service other companies' employees give to their customers. You get the idea that most of the DCL customers do not feel weird about this technique used by DCL to push people to hand out cash to their employees, because this people truly believe they just had an service experience no other cruise line could dream to provide. I gotta say that I'm not against showing gratitude towards someone who really made your vacation extra special, but you shouldn't feel obligated to fill up the salary gap this employees have because DCL won't pay them enough to begin with.
I cruise exclusively Disney. I have never felt this was awkward at all. I always want to thank the crew members for taking such good care of me! There are times where I was lucky to just cover the tips and had no extra. Then there are the times I’m able to tip extra. It’s never seemed odd to me.
I guess it's only some Americans that are so used to this tipping culture, and don't fell it's awkward. Very interesting.
@@mawti not sure about that. I’m an American who thinks the practice of automatic gratuity AND leaving a letter with envelopes is VERY strange. I cruise a lot, albeit never with Disney, and I feel like this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
I agree, never awkward because we tip extra when we feel that the person went beyond normal for great customer service. Plus it's a great way to leave a personal note as well. Usually it's so crazy saying goodbyes; this gives the person time to read how much they meant to us on our cruise off duty.
agreed, never awkward, but my Dad and I have been lucky so we tip extra
I'm a Canadian and we cruised on Disney Dream a few years ago! We didn't think this was a strange thing at all. We loved every aspect of the DCL and so appreciated all of the work and care the Cast and Crew put into making our cruise that much more special than other Cruise lines. We did not mind giving extra to everyone and in fact, we wanted to give/say our thanks in person! I know that the crew members do not make a lot on any of the cruise lines so to receive a little bit extra with a thank you note is a great thing in our books! We'll gladly do it again! Hope you enjoyed your first Disney cruise, Emma!
That is outrageous! I am an American and I would immediately go to the desk and ask for a superisor. I would suggest to the supervisor that we speak behind closed doors as I was very angry. Upon entering the office, I would hand the "extortion" notes to the supervisor and ask who got the tips the cruise line already charged. I would explain that they know darn good and well that this was unacceptable and would likely have some words about Disney in general. When I got home, I would write a letter (no e-mail) to the President, and CEO of Disney and Disney Cruise explaining why I would make sure neither I, nor any of my friends, would sail with them again. I would also ask, just as an aside, if they plan to make sure families can no longer afford to bring their children to Disney parks, since they have made it almost impossible for families to do so now. I would send the letters, "Certified Mail with Signature Confirmation," which shows when it was mailed, when it was received, and the signature of the addressee.
If you hadn't guessed, that sort of garbage ticks me off (angers me greatly.) Either give the employees the money you already forced me to pay, or let us pay as we go.
This comment wins the internet. A true golden oldie!
I have been on Disney a couple of times even out of England and I don't find it strange at all cause we had such an amazing time that we gave a little bit more to the staff as they truly went way above to make our cruise totally amazing.
Being an American and not knowing any better, I did not find it weird. I have had several crew members that were fantastic and made my cruise a lot better, I used those sheets/cards to give extra. But I like telling people thanks even when it is not necessary.
100% agree!
I agree. As an American, most like to personally thank people one on one and presenting the tip in person.
What about the rest of the crew whom you don't see? The chefs, the people in the laundry, the people making sure the engine works to perfection, and many others. I am sure they are fantastic too. But do they get this extra thanks and gratuities? I am from Norway and here people actually get paid proper wages and do not have to rely on gratuities, So I don't really understand this. Not that we cannot tip at all, but it is actually no need for it.
@@TravellingTorunn I agree that there is no need. I am pretty sure that the rest of the crew is well compensated. I would love to say thanks to all the crew but that is not practically possible.
I'm from the US and I think the tipping thing you experienced is very weird, too. Definitely awkward. I would be annoyed by that because I would then feel obligated to give the envelopes. They definitely do that to get additional tips.
I worked youth staff on a different cruise line. We are not included in the “tip-out” bc not all passengers have kids & utilize our kids club services, and most passengers don’t know this. We never ask for tips, but sometimes grateful parents have given us tips on the last day, which we split equally among the youth staff team. It is appreciated bc our daily pay is peanuts!
I have definitely tipped the youth staff more than anyone else because of their long working hours and it is the only time my husband and I have ever had a break for a couple of hours alone. Also we never eat at the fancy nightly restaurant on the ships where waiters serve you and prefer the buffet all day cafe so we don't have to dress up. I would prefer my tips to go to the buffet staff and kids club staff because why do I need to pay tips for the nightly fancy restuarant to which we never attend? You kids club staff are awesome and we moms appreciate everything U do.
Oh wow, i never knew that. We use the kids clubs everytime we go and never thought of tipping the kids club staff. They're great people in there. We'll have to start tipping them then.
As a childless couple we always tip out the kids club crew. We are so grateful for you!
Wow! That is really unfair. I get that the cruise is stating childcare is included, but you should still be getting a market salary as a center gives. Is there enough staff for the number of children in your care? Is there a nurse on staff?
I did not realize kids club didn’t share in the tips. We will definitely start tipping then. The staff in the kids clubs have always been outstanding.
What Disney Cruise line does is "old school" or "old fashioned" but not what I personally find weird.
As an example, my first cruise with Celebrity was in 2007 and during that cruise, the same sort of envelopes were placed in my cabin to hold cash tips to be handed to housekeeping and dining crew members in person if possible. Celebrity seems to have since gotten rid of that practice. (I have not cruises with them lately).
My first cruise was in 1985, and the same sorts of envelopes were delivered so cash tips could be given to housekeeping and dining servers.
In past video Emma, I remember you mentioning one difference between American and British/European cruise lines seemed to be that on American ships it seemed standard for passengers and dining room servers to socialize during dinner, but on European ships that is not the norm. I think this tipping in person tradition is similar in that it is perhaps more American or old-school.
Disney still holds on to the fixed dining times, bucking the trend for anytime and anywhere dining, and part of that tradition is diners and waiters/waitresses possibly getting to know each other well. So tipping in person fits in with that tradition, I think.
Granted, you certainly could have just left the tipping envelop on your table after the last dinner and when it comes to housekeeping, just left the tip on the bed. Or, as you said, I understand it's fine to recycle the sheet of "tips" and envelopes and the relevant crew members would still have gotten the same pay. In person tipping isn't required; it's just and old custom that Disney has retained for those who choose to join in.
Have you asked your Gran if she previously used tipping envelopes like that in the past on cruises? Depending on when she started cruising, she might have much experience with them.
Also, I think it might help to remember that when Disney Cruise Line was first instituted, it was partially meant to be a throwback to the 1950's, but updated; a "modern classic." So this is perhaps a good example of a custom from the previous century being retained. Some people like the old customs, and some do not. A difference cruise experience for different personalities.
I must agree with your feeling put to an unnecessary step of having to hand out individual vouchers to individual crew members to permit them to claim their gratuities. I made an inquiry with a business associate at one of the major cruise lines and the explanation I received was as follows.
The policy of automatic gratuities has been a source of trouble with crew and passengers. Most upper-level cruise lines include the gratuity, although others provide passengers the option of opting out of automatic gratuities. This is especially true on cruise lines that promote themselves as luxury all-inclusive.
However, other cruise lines pool all automatic gratuities, and crew members have to present those gratuity vouchers you displayed in your video to claim their gratuities. After all gratuity vouchers have been redeemed any unclaimed gratuities are distributed to all crew members
This is for the performative part of US tipping culture. It’s for “being seen” to tip so you get the elevated service and “personal connection” that is expected by tipping in America. I’m betting a number of Americans use the automated tipping for convenience but worry they won’t get the same level of service and attention without the physical transaction and this is the solution.
I'm American and I've never seen this! That is awkward and not at all what I want to do. I agree with you that this is exactly the opposite of what I want when I pay automatic gratuities. Back in the 70's & 80's, yes, I enjoyed giving the tips out individually. But since automatic gratuities became the norm, I would NOT be happy to have this happen to me.
Yeah, it just feels like one way or another. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
The only cruise that I've ever been on to date was on Royal Carribean way back in 2011. At that time, I think they did this, but maybe then pre-paying for the gratuities was optional? So perhaps not everyone prepaid back then. We pre-payed for sure, but we also got these envelopes so that we can have that "token" interaction and possibly we could even give a bit more. I guess it allowed pre-paying guests to show that they had tipped alongside the other guests that preferred to hand out cash tips as they went.
Even so, it felt awkward even back then. Just pay your employees and have a good system for registering complaints for poor service. Let the tippers tip on their credit cards at the end of the cruise if need be to provide "well earned" gratuities.
The "gratuity" system is a major deterrent for us taking our first cruise. Customers should not be held, even indirectly, responsible for paying the staff. The line, or restaurant, or hotel, should pay them a decent wage and not try to lay it all off on people who just want to enjoy their facilities. It has reached a point of ludicrous when you are implicitly "guilted" into paying even more. It's like picking up a discard rock and squeezing it as hard as you can to get more blood out. Yes, I feel strongly this is coercive and morally wrong. It destroys the very purpose it is purported to defend, that is, showing plaudits for good service. If it is "built in" to fares, then it is not even noticed by servers. It encourages expected handouts for nothing (extra), and probably leads to disappointment for the very people who should be paid for what they are going.
I have travelled independently in East Asia and simply got used to paying the amount shown on the restaurant or hotel bill.
The attraction to me of taking a cruise or visiting an all-inclusive is dimmed if I am forced to pay gratuities to people whom I never meet or only interact with in passing. Since I don't tip the aircraft attendant or the ship captain, I don't see why I am forced to tip the washroom attendant or table cleaner.
An adequate wage should be enough.
If they actually paid a correct wage for folks, people would complain that the cruise fares have gone up a lot. It can't be both ways.
@@canadagood if the crew where paid a wage equal to where you live, then your cruise price would increase. Remember that the flag of convenience the ship flies is the law from that country like Liberia which the minimum wage and working conditions are atrocious. The min pay is about 2-3 per hour (not US funds), so if pay decent wages, your cruise price will increase. cant have it both ways
@@ga1175 Of course. I just think the cruise line owes their staff at least as much as I do. I would rather pay the increased ticket price if everybody else did. The staff would be getting a good wage, and I would be getting exactly what I'm getting now for the same cost.
We all know what should happen, but if you choose to cruise on a ship where tipping, ambiguous as it might be, takes place, don't blame and punish the front line worker for a cruise line's decision! Tip generously. Take another cruise line, if it is such an affront to your sensibility.
Automatic to me = never see again. I would be horrified if I had your experience Emma. I cruised with Holland America on a Mediterranean cruise some years ago. They had automatic gratuities which were invisible (other than on the bill). As a Brit, my attitude is pay the staff properly in the first place, so no 'tips' are necessary at all for routine service when people do their job. I worked in the UK for an American company for all my working life, but no-one gave me any 'tips' when I delivered a new computer system or a report on time, nor did I expect it, because they paid me well. Whether this is 'just' a US vs UK culture difference or a preference on the US side to treat service staff in a patronising manner I do not know, but it feels wrong to me and always has.
There are three separate issues going on here. Tipping is supposed to be a system where service people work for you, not the company, so there is incentive for them to serve one master, YOU! The second issue is automatic charging of tips. That does somewhat defeat the purpose of the first concept, but evens out the cash flow to make the expectations and responsibilities of the customers more consistent. Then there is the third issue of "included gratuities" then hitting you up a second time for tips. This is where I draw the line and say what, are gratuities included or not? If they are included, I paid them, if not, then don't tell me thay are, this is a shake down.
As a traveler, you should adjust to local customs. IT's just good manners. Like be aware women in the US sometimes drive cars alone and wear sleeveless shirts and gay people exist and kiss.
@@whatthestuffisthis THEY DO NOT!
I'm with you on the awkward side - it feels like they're just hoping you'll tip even more. A more underlying problem I see is that normally gratuities would be split among *all* people working on the ship, visible to you or not. So does this now take income away from the invisible ones? Oh, and secondly, I have a profound problem with the "gratuity" thing in general. Cruise lines, please simply pay your staff a normal wage and price that in in lieu of something you call "gratuities" but which is simply "we don't pay our staff normally, so you have to pitch in explicitly". WTF?
I completely agree. I pre-pay for gratuities and I don't want to have to think about it again. One of the charms of cruising is that you have the option to put your wallet and your phone in the safe when you get there and leave it until you get off. I love that because it's almost ceremonial and it represents forgetting about work and money for 8 days or whatever. This feels like they're jamming it back in your face. Most cruise lines have ways for you to adjust how much you give to certain people, but they keep it out of your face.
I have never seen something like this. I am an American and we tip anything that moves (and a few that don't) and find this strange. I prepay my gratuities to avoid having to think about them again. I have tipped my room steward a bit extra but would not go track down others to tip?? How strange.
First time hearing and seeing those tipping slips. That is crazy. Thanks for sharing this with us. I have seen more attempts by a few companies to get us consumers to recognize individual employees who stood provided really outstanding service. Problem with that, I do know know their names. So often service providers do not outwardly provide their name or wear name tags much, (if at all), anymore. Good day to you. Your videos are really good and informative.
I used to love many forms of Disney entertainment, especially while raising my son. However, when I realized the great staff members in their park who made our experience so nice we're not being paid a living wage I was outraged! Especially since their amusements have become so pricey to enjoy- I will expect their employees to be paid well. I suspect they are forcing you to tip twice, so their employees are paid once! It seems the built-in gratuities disappeared somewhere into Disney's own coffers.
Into the hands of management and the CEO.
Webster's definition of Gratuity: A gift given voluntarily or beyond obligation. Something given without claim or demand. Something given for performance above and beyond expectation.
Notice it does NOT say a "Seizure of capital by a business too cheap to pay their employees a living wage, who try laying guilt trips on their customers if they don't pay employees what the Cruise Line is unwilling to pay.
If I'm on a cruise ship, walk up to a bar and do not use the services of a waiter, why should I put money in the kitty jar for the waiters? What service above and beyond normal am I being coerced into paying? How is this in any way a "gift from the heart" when it's automatically taken from me "for my convenience"?
Where's the "above and beyond expectation of service"? I pay for a can of beer, and someone hands it to me. How is that above and beyond expectation?
Yet, on a cruise ship, I have no choice but to allow a 15% "gratuity" to be taken from me.
Therefore it is NOT a gratuity or tip by any definition. It is a seizure of capital.
So, to answer your question: HELL NO I don't prepay gratuities in advance.
How can anyone evaluate the merit of a tip BEFORE receiving service?
I wait to see how deserving the room steward, or wine steward, or whoever actually provides me a service.
Then I pay cash, and I KNOW they're getting the tip, instead of the corporation.
Hmm... so, I guess if there's an emergency you're okay with those waiters etc serving the customers who tip best ahead of you? You have no idea what those staff members do in addition to studying their waiting for you to allow them to serve you. You're paying for their to BE a cruise for you to go on. That includes ALL of the staff it takes to run the ship. Not just the people who wait on you personally.
@@IDMike2008 reading comprehension isn't your strong suit.
I asked a Disney cast member about the gratuity envelopes with the little receipts on my last cruise with them. She said Disney provides them so guests who go on a lot of cruises don't feel like they are forgetting to tip their room stewards and waiters. She called it a "cruise tradition." I don't know how true that is or not. My theory is that it's a psychological trick to make guests feel like their money is going directly to someone they have a closer relationship to. The receipts each say the tip amount so my guess is that guests mentally subtract that amount from their bills: "Ah, that money goes to Mary, our room steward! She's so nice, she deserves it." Or the envelope is a chance for guests to add more tip for exceptional service. It's definitely a psychological trick for the guests to think/feel... something. It's NOT for the crew, since they get paid either way but it might make the crew a little more tip money... sometimes.
It feels like double dipping by the cruiseline to me, however that could be because tipping is not the norm here in NZ.
Me too
I am from America and I find that weird. We've not cruised with Disney but we have booked a sailing on the Disney Wish for next year so I'm glad to know about this beforehand! It's definitely NOT you... that's an awkward position to put people in; I think they should definitely tell you about that beforehand and maybe give you an opt-out button prior to sailing so they could just distribute the tips like they will anyhow without having you designate who gets what.
Phew!! Thank you, just wanted to check I wasn't being crazy :')
I don't know about other cruiselines, but with MSC you can "opt out" of auto-tip...but you have to line up at the Customer Service Line (sometimes those lineups are VERY long) to opt out.
I'm in the same boat (from Arizona). I like the pre-paid gratuities and prefer that, but I do have a friend that is all about personally paying such things. I think he's in the minority though, and if anything, it should be an opt in and not the normal thing when pre paying.
I think Gratuities is BASE, and I dislike being compelled to pay anyone a tip; who does not deserve it. I remember going to lunch with my late sister and her family in Santa Cruz (California). The meals were not that cheap but we were expected to pay serving staff a 20% tip. Bollocks to that! I would be happy to give a cabin steward a good tip if that steward earned it, but randomly paying tipping is not in my DNA. My father was a Chief Engineer with P & O & Orient Line back in 1961. Back then; our family ended up being moved to Ceylon (now Siri Lanka) for 12 months, as dad's job took him there. Back then; it was normal to give your cabin Steward £1.0.0. and they never expected any more, for a trip between Tilbury and Sydney. My dad resigned from P & O and When it came time for us to leave Ceylon; rather than go all the way back to the UK, we sailed from Colombo to Melbourne; a 10 day trip. Our cabin steward was a young Scot named Joe Judge, who was quite a character. It was nice to have a fellow Scot looking after us. We (my brother and I who shared a cabin on E Deck - E101) gave Joe permission to come in any time and read our comics. He was like an older brother to us and as usual we'd take the mickey. On disembarking at Melbourne, my dad gave him £15.0.0. and told him: "Joe, after putting up with my three; you earned it" Joe was a real champ and said to dad that was more than what he was paid for a weeks work, but dad appreciated the way he looked after my brother sister and I. His service was excellent and he was worth that tip. However; I don't like being compelled to pay gratuities.
I had to do this on my two cruises with Royal Caribbean (although that was about 5 years ago - things might have changed). We had to physically hand over the slips of paper. I thought that's how it was done so didn't think much of it. I've always auto-tipped and then some with the cruises I've been on. The staff have been incredible. Went on P&O Iona this year where tipping is included in the cruise fare and I felt this was a much better system for me personally. Everyone was paid upfront and I can give extra (which I did) to staff who went above and beyond.
Back in the day, when Royal was transitioning from suggested cash tips to ship account based tips, those who opted to have the gratuities added to the account got a printout and envelopes for the crew members so they could participate in the ritual of handing out envelopes without looking like a jerk while everyone else tipped.
I agree with you !!! When I have cruised I also pay AUTOMATIC GRATUITIES. Many times… I have decided to not go to the last meals. I just don’t feel like interacting with staff anymore. Those envelopes would make me feel weird also!!
Those envelopes are actually meant to coerce you into leaving extra gratuity. I like the idea of prepaid gratuity, but after that I don't think it should be mentioned again. I had a Jamaican waiter on Royal once who started about 3 days from the end of the cruise talking about his extra gratuities. He cracked a lobster for me and said "Think about THAT when you give me my extra gratuity, mon!" And he was saying it to everyone at the table over and over, about every time he did anything. I just get tired of that pandering. Also don't like the upsell- you go to the spa for a $60. treatment, they try to sell youo something more expensive, THEN you basically have to ARGUE with them about the products they want to sell you. Go to the spa for stress relief, and after all of that come out with more stress than you went in with!
I despise automatic gratuity. In fact when I discover a restaurant uses this method, I never tip on top, and never go to that restaurant again. Tipping is a choice, as a reward to exceptional service. I always tip well for exceptional service, as well as good service. I feel that automatic gratuities rewards below standards.
If that had happened to me even once, I'd have asked to not have him as a server again. Nope. I wouldn't make a fuss, he'd be liable to spit in your food or something, but would request different seating if possible to avoid them ever again.
That is so rude. I can't believe a waiter would say that to you.
That was my first (and last for that exact reason) experience at a spa on a ship itw as all about flogging you their extra stuff.
I really find the forced gratuities offensive plus the fact that the forced minimum gratuity is at the excessive American rate of 18%. On top of that, there are also the double gratuities on drinks and specialty dining (you are still paying the gratuity those days for MDR and buffet). The other shocking thing was learning that the management gets the lion's share of the automatic gratuities, not the people who actually give you service. So we usually take off half of the automatic gratuities at customer service (reducing the base to a bit over 10%) and get gratuity envelopes from customer service and tip the staff who give us service directly. We may rethink that for the next few cruises due to what the crews have been through.
I asked about this on Holland America. The individuals only get to keep the amount over the standard gratuity. For example, if the standard rate was $14 a day and you cut it to $7 and gave $7 to crew individually, They would have to turn over the $7 to the ship for widespread distribution. If you gave the $8, they could keep a dollar. Crummy.
The whole point of automatic gratuities is you don't have to deal with it. If passengers want to give extra, that's great, but you don't need envelopes to do so. Or the cruise line could give you a letter saying everyone is getting their gratuities (and even list everyone who is getting them and how much), then provide envelopes JUST IN CASE you want to give them more, but also make it clear that it's not required. If I'm going to have to pass out those envelopes anyway I'd rather just give cash tips because then the workers get more of the tip once all is said and done.
I don't like businesses giving me a chore. I would throw that mess in the trash.
IMO u hit the nail on the head...this "chore" is like when airbnb ask u to take the trash out, wash your towels and sheets ...leave them in the dyer..
I don’t mind it, actually. By the end of the trip we are so friendly with the staff so we quite enjoy taking the time to thank them personally.
I would feel the same as you from the UK and fine it very awkward.