@@almoemason I think what Sam sitar is saying, they are asking their already paying customer to additionally supplement their employees salary. The cruise company are paying them a lower wage and telling them it can be made up in tips. Tips are optional so they should not be considered to supplement wage, it should be extra money for the staff.
@@Plum_bird I do not disagree with that. And my comment has nothing to do with that. All am saying is not matter what the payment system is, the customer pays for it. Don't overthink my statement.
If you don’t have a choice it is not a gratuity, it is a FEE. Period. Even if the cruise line wants to have a lower advertised fare, they should call it what it is. A compulsory service fee in addition to the fare.
From my perspective (as an Australian), I find it offensive to tip. I have paid for the service and the goods - it's the owners responsibility to ensure that they pay THEIR employees (not MY employees) a living wage. It is strange how this "custom" came from one narrow part of the world and is now an encompassing expectation. I will pay for exceptional service (above and beyond) but not for services that I would normally expect to be provided.
Latteral Thinker we have a minimum wage system in the US but this doesn’t apply to waiters/people that receive tips. They get paid much less and tips are supposed to make up most of their wages
Oh now I get the answer to why Australians never tip us guides after a whole day or week of tour guiding them around. I used to think I did something wrong with them. Didn't know this.
yeah, sorry @@oliviasalibacauchi .. ours is not a tipping culture because employees pay a reasonable wage here, and the service/item we are purchasing has pretty much been factored into the price..if we do not tip it's not because of you or how hard you have worked but because it is something we are not used to doing OR rather don't know HOW much to pay..l have been to the States twice now and always found it uncomfortable tipping cause l don't know how much I'm supposed to tip without feeling offensive..
I worked on cruise 4 years and you dont get it , if you dont hit your tafget in specific area my area was spa , you will not get that tip , company will take it
I used to work on princess and pretty much all my salary was based on tips and believe me, For most of the general staff every dollar counts. Its a hard job, but I had so much fun then, and now 15 years later Im about to go on my second cruise as a passenger
@@PianoKwanMan that's a good question. I'm not sure what to say about what percentage . I'm from what it's popular to call, a third world country as so as many staff members on cruise ships. Around 2005 I used to make like 750 a month, in today's usd could be like a thousand. Back then I was young and with my college degree could make that same amount of money with significant less effort in my country but for a person without any kind of degree it's more money than they could make on a monthly basis. And the plus is that if you don't want to spend a single buck on board you have a bed and 3 daily meals. Many people from different countries used to save almost everything to build a house back in their countries, specially the people from Philippines. So it's hard, yes. You get tips on a weekly basis, yes at least on princess. Would I do it again? If I were younger, sure but now, I enjoy just being a passenger
Also, a gratuity is a bonus given for service provided... Paying to have the maitre d’ change your table or similar “services” are a bribe, not a gratuity.
Also, a gratuity is a bonus given for service provided... Paying to have the maitre d’ change your table or similar “services” are a bribe, not a gratuity.
Also, a gratuity is a bonus given for service provided... Paying to have the maitre d’ change your table or similar “services” are a bribe, not a gratuity.
Fady Shia I'm pretty sure all cruise lines allow you to drop the automatic tips charged to your account. You just go to the pursers desk and tell them. Then you can tip who you choose on the last night of your cruise. I've done this on several different lines.
The cruise lines say the workers work very hard so they deserve a gratuity. If they work that hard then why doesn't the employer pay them accordingly? Instead the cruise line places the onus on the customer to subsidize their payroll.
Well the customer always subsidizes the payroll. If the autoadded gratuities were rolled into the fare, the price would appear higher. Virgin cruises actually has rolled the gratuities into the fare. What I do like about the autoadded gratuities is that I can say "this person was rude, I dont want them to receive my gratuity for today" If the gratuity is rolled into the fare, then I cant really say that. At restaurants the staff get a horrendously low wage and rely on tips to supplement their income and many come out far better than if they were paid a full wage. In the end, the ultra low fares shown on the websites, dont consider that price as your actual cruise price. Add in the gratuities, add in taxes and port fees, and then you get something closer to a more realistic fare.
Because if the cruise lines paid the staff more, the cheapo inside-cabin dwellers such as yourself could no longer afford to board. Stay home and entertain yourself.
Randolph Wellington are you also one of those inside dwellers? Some individuals spend very little time awake in their cabin. They simply spend their money wisely. I would rather spend my money on shore excursions, dining, the spa etc. To each his own. Happy cruising to you. Nine more months before my Disney Alaska Cruise. And yes I did purchase an inside cabin AGAIN which has nothing to do with what I can afford and all to do with getting the best bang for my money. For the most part, dressing and sleeping is what my cabin is used for because I’m out living my best life.
@@melodymakingmelodies4896 That's what all you cheap inside-cabin dwellers pretend to claim. I get it - you're a cheapo, you don't tip. You probably sneak your own booze on board, and stuff your suitcases full of buffet food during the last day of the cruise.
Randolph Wellington you are such a snob. 😋 I always tip no matter what room I end up buying....I pay a gratuity as well as cash the first day and more of the same on the last day which has always guaranteed me wonderful services throughout. I don’t drink or gamble so I can afford that extra tip. Mostly I’m a balcony cruiser because I just like hanging out on the balcony....best cruise I ever went on was 14-night NCL, inside room...so peaceful and perfect every night, and a big room. Gratuities is more than a tip...part of that expense goes to a crew fund for emergencies such as illness, family death, flights etc. I don’t mind contributing.
As a person from no-tip culture all of this sounds like an awkward nightmare of expectations and feelings of guilt. Also cruise lines are using confusopoly(hiding the total prize of a product to make prize comparisons harder etc.)
@@holdencawffle626 yea I agree. I'm also from a tip culture. I hate that cruise gratuities are so high, it makes the cruise way more expensive. On top of that nobody knows if all these gratuities go to the staff or just a portion of it. Some cruise operators are not known to be trustworthy or honest. But I heard that you can have it removed or reduced, just go to the front desk a day before.
We recently went on a 49 night cruise of South America with Princess Cruises....As Aussies we already balk at the idea of gratuities at the best of time, we live in a country that has a minimum wage and this tipping culture is NOT PART OF OUR CUSTOM.....we don't factor in the extra cost of supposed tipping for service they should provided as part of the JOB.... so we of course didn't pay the encouraged tipping of $13.95 a day per person...equates to almost $2,000.00 aussie dollars EXTRA.....Not something we would do as we already paid a large sum for the cruise... We always go down on the first day and have it taken off our account and we DON"T CARE WHAT THEY THINK....we of course tip our waiters and cabin stewart, and feel this is enough in the way of extra service payments.....the shipping company should not expect customers to supplement the wages of their staff...this should be done by them......
As I mentioned above if you sail on Princess on a ship based in Australia (Sea Princess for example) as a Australian you are not expected to pay gratuities, however other nationalities are - at AUD 17 per day it certainly adds up!!!
I remember a comedian once saying, "Oh, it says here on my dinner bill that the tip has automatically been added to my bill for my convenience, well, for their convenience, I'll put as much of their silver ware in my jacket pockets so as to save them from having to wash them."
On our last cruise we prepaid gratuities. We had a specialty dining package for 3 nights and were told that this included the gratuity. At the end of our meal the waiter shows up with a tablet and starts explaining how we are to add our tip. We told him we understood that we prepaid them. Basically we were bullied in to giving him a tip. We promptly went to the desk to make sure that we had in fact prepaid and that nothing more was expected of us, we had. The next evening we ate at the same restaurant and this time our waiter shows up with his supervisor trying to explain to us that our prepaid gratuities did not cover the meal. It was more bullying and we were made to feel very uncomfortable. We ended up tipping an extra $20 at each of our specialty meals. It made for a very stressful and unpleasant evening.
I guess this is another reason why 'gratuities' are controversal - if the cruise line isn't crystal clear what they cover and don't cover, the passengers are left disgruntled and will leave reviews like this, which is a fair one. Having a system of 'gratuities' where some services are included and others are not just leads to the passengers having to think about things much more than they should - a cruise is supposed to a holiday, not a memory test.
I would have informed the cruise line that I was now seeing them for fraud and if they didn't stop their billing I would force docking on the entire line by the coast guard. Untill they learned maritime law. Billing on board a ship while 12 miles out from land is a CRIME.
$20 tip? So, would the meal had been worth $100 to you, without drinks, if you purchased it at the same type and quality of specialty restaurant back home? You could easily pay $100 for a melt-in-your-mouth 16oz New York Strip plus sides at Ruth's Chris, but $30-$35 for the same meal, a bit more gristly though, at Outback or Texas Roadhouse.
Gratuities are always a sore spot with us and we do not feel it is our responsibility to tip housekeeping, cooks, waiters, and table cleaners. The only person who gave us any personal attention was our room steward, and we tip him well. Some cruise line stopped providing towels if we didn't tip as suggested. Tipping should be treated as appreciation for a good services and not to supplement staff' salaries
Which is fine but then you need to pay a higher price for the product. Taking the product and then choosing to not tip says more about you than the cruise line.
@@marjiegirl If I remember correctly, cruise companies didn't lower their prices when they went from tipping to auto-tipping. Hence, they shouldn't go up if they were introduced into the fare
We’ve gotten to know some of the staff while cruising. We were disgusted to find how very little they get paid! We said, “Why do you do it?” He said, “It’s a poor country. We get to get away. Everything helps our family.” We paid cash to the staff who made up our beds; brought our room orders, etc. The guy who made our beds, straightened up our room was so grateful that we took the time to talk to him, got to know his name, greeted him warmly, thanked him for his hard work...that he would just light up when he saw us. We took photos with him. When we left, we shook his hand warmly, and my husband gave him $50. To us, it was worth it. He was working so hard for so little.
You are disgusted by the fact that a Filipino cruise worker makes twice what the average Filipino doctor makes? Plus free rent and food on top of that? You can't view it from an American point of view. These jobs are treasured by these workers. The disgusting part is the cruise lines benefit from hiring workers from poor countries, but then charge ridiculous gratuities to the customers and we don't get the same benefit.
I worked 4 years as a headwaiter for carnival cruise lines. The gratuities are your salary. The auto gratuities go to your dining room server and assistant, as well as your head cabin steward and his assistant. They go straight to them and yes there are lists, but you will only find out after the cruise if your assigned guests have paid or not.
Since they told me (on RCI) that the tip was split between cabin steward, waiter, waiter assistant, and head waiter in the main dining room I went there every night. I figured I was already paying for it...
Thank you, @Jeroen. Of the vids I've watched on the topic, I was still confused. I've been a waiter in Vegas for 17 years; tipping is part of my entire lifestyle. I'm goin' on an 8-day Virgin cruise in November and was thinking about bringing $5oo in $5 bills (just in case).
I spoke with a few NCL crew members over the years, and not a single penny the company collected as auto gratuities goes to any employees. I don't believe Carnival or any other cruise lines are any different. It's just the company's unethical profits booster if not illegal. That's why if you ask for a full refund of auto gratuity or refuse to pay, they don't even ask why. Because it's legally indefensible.
This is great to get the real story. I worked for many years in the service industry in spas and when I vacation I want to make sure the servers are tipped properly. It literally stresses me out. I always prepay with RCCL which is the cruise line I usually take and then I give an extra tip to the person who tends to my room.
They need to call this what it is, it is just "another" tax. I HATE, HATE, HATE the whole concept of forced tipping / forced gratuities. You are guilted into paying a whole lot of extra money because the Company isn't paying a decent wage. You don't pay "extra" to your Nurse, Doctor, Dentist, Fireman, Police Officer etc., even though they may have saved your life. You don't pay extra to your local politician because they did a good job. So why should I pay extra for someone who delivered my drink in time (and hopefully didn't spit in it)? But then I seldom eat out and don't go on cruises anymore and this isa primary reason!
I have never walked into a restaurant and be charged a tip before I even get service. Why the hell would I pay for tips on a cruise before I even walk onto the ship?
Global Flyer777, the server in your restaurant very likely makes $2.22/hr federal minimum wage for servers and the house doesn't have to pay her any more money unless the total of her $2.22/hr wages plus the tips she earned turn out to be less than federal minimum $7.25. A restaurant worker is not a good example for you to pick in this situation.
Jack Soceka Sir, I’m not saying I do not tip. I do remember the days when we tipped at the end of our cruise. In fact, I believe in tipping very generously. My problem paying for the tip before hand and not getting the service for it. I’ve had a few cruises with that situation. I however cannot bring myself to remove those tips at the customer service center.
Because this poor people get paid almost nothing and they work so hard. We always pay plus we add extra cash when we live . Try to talk next time with people why work and maybe you will learn how hard they work for you to have good time and enjoy your vacation.
Personally I believe that gratuities have become too expected both by staff and business owners. The businesses (whether cruise lines or land businesses) use gratuities as a way to supplement their bottom line by paying staff very low wages. The staff expect the gratuities because their wages are low and they need the extra to be able to live decently. Too many businesses are now automatically adding gratuities to the bill. Staff aren't giving the service that they should to earn that extra because to them it's part of their wages. I think it's disgusting that a business expects extra income from customers because they're too cheap to pay their staff properly. I've seen where the gratuities are put into a pot and the owner takes half of that pot and then divides the rest among staff. This idea of automatically adding a tip has gone too far in my opinion. It is something that became normal in the U.S. so that businesses could pay their staff lower than minimum wage... and has spread out, making it expected everywhere else. If I go to a grocery or other store, I am not expected to tip the staff no matter how exceptional their service is... and the business has to pay them properly. When have you ever tipped the checkout person at the grocery store? I shouldn't be [expected] to tip anyone anywhere. Only certain areas expect to be tipped and the rest are left with whatever their wage is. As a secretary, no one ever thought to tip me and my wages weren't any higher than what the local wait-staff were getting. They supplemented their wage with tips... and I never had that privilege. Businesses should have to pay their staff properly no matter what their job is. I know that the base price of a cruise would rise, but the overall cost would likely remain the same or perhaps even a bit lower. I'd like to see tipping go by the wayside entirely... unless customers are willing to tip EVERYone that serves them... including store staff, nurses, receptionists, managers, secretaries, assistants... and anyone who works that you encounter. If people were expected to tip everyone, no one would want to tip at all. So why are there only a select few jobs that we are forced to give extra to?
I am with you. Its really a cost that needs to get added to cover paying the right wages up front and also get rid of all that uncomfortable feeling if one is doing the right thing or not.....
You make some interesting points. Your grocery store example reminded me of trips to the corner grocery with my granny (I'm 65 so this would have been a while back) where it was customary to have your groceries carted out by an employee who loaded them into your car. She always tipped. The employee never asked, it was just part of the transaction. Similar story with my aunt who, when she was still driving, went to (probably) the only gas station in driving range that would pump your gas, clean your windows, check your oil, all that old-school stuff. And she always tipped...just part of the transaction. My granny's generation has died out and my aunt's generation is almost gone, but I'm gonna bet a kazillion baby boomers are going to keep tipping for some time to come.
@@53pittmanjt Yes... baby boomers and younger have had tipping ingrained into them... in some countries. However, in other countries, like Japan, tipping is considered an insult. To them, you are saying that the company the person works for is too cheap to pay their employees properly (so has no honour) and that the person you are trying to tip can't afford to keep themselves and/or their family properly. I remember when gas was pumped for you and all the service was there and it was never expected that you would tip anyone. I'm not putting your relatives down for their generosity, but I would bet that they never thought to tip the person who checked their groceries through... and I have to wonder how this discrimination developed. Why was it a good idea to tip the person who set the groceries into the car, but not the one who checked each item through. The checkout person works harder, puts up with more guff, and both positions are being paid the same wage, in all likelihood. It's a very curious development to me.
I hear you. My grandmother and later my aunt lived in different worlds than the one we live in now Stuff evolves. Today's customs will seem as odd/quaint/weird in 50 yrs as those things currently seem to us.
Seems like cruising is as complicated as car shopping with high pressure and up sells, indecipherable sales jargon, subversive add ons and hidden fees. I thought I was planning an affordable vacay for my husband and I, but the price tag keeps growing! Thanks for all your heads-up videos!!
Went on a cruise, gratuities were charged, yet the waiters were still expecting us to tip them at the end of the cruise, they had been bugging us - clearly thinking they went above and beyond - all week and all we wanted was to be left alone so didn't give any extra but was still annoyed. This whole dilemma leaves you with a bad taste at the end of the cruise.
Your comment brings up an interesting point. That is, what is the line between them doing their job and truly going above and beyond.... As a side note, I’d be extremely pissed if they started what I like to call “tip fishing” like that... and I would not give them... I already have them more than I’d like through auto tip! Which they really should just call a “service fee”.
Wow....they can expect the auto and a "real gratuity" all they want but just for being disrespectful and thinking they're entitled they're not going to get it. I can see adding more money on if someone truly provides exceptional service. If they do, they won't need to fish for tips like that.
Now our stateroom attendant was great--in the beginning--but towards the end? We could hardly find him to get simple things like towels. We left him $20. Not sure if he expected more, but that's too bad. Good service = good tip AND we're paying it anyway in the MANDATORY gratuities of 18%-20%.
Cecilia Nilsson- this is the part that really irritates me. People have saved $ to go on vacation.....then theyr expected to pay even more from people expecting more than their salary. This has gotta stop!
Auto tip charging is a scam that should not be happening. A tip is a reward for exceptional service. As as no one complains, it will continue to happen.
They are not gratuities anymore. They are a way of trying to make a cruise look cheaper than it really is. They advertise the $699 per person per cabin price, but then you have another $15 per person per day to add on to that which is an extra $105 for a 7 day cruise. They really should just charge $799 and let gratuities be what they were always supposed to be but that would make the cruise look more expensive.
Australian P & O, its not compulsory. , In Australia, we don't use tipping in the service industry. we have many of the best paid service jobs in the world, ie McDonalds. ( we have enforced minimum wage system) Reply
Giving tips should be discontinued. The basic wages should be reasonable and not reliant upon "extras". In a lot of cases I have heard that the waitress, barman, chambermaid, etc. do not get the tips. The company keeps them. So to ensure the right person gets the tip they deserve you end up tipping TWICE. Quote the TRUE price of the cruise. Pay your staff decent wages. ..and absolutely NO EXTRAS
I believe it should be done individually at the time of service or end of cruising. The cruise lines should be forced to pay fair wages. If they don't then make it illegal to use them.
Lynn Hardy ... It’s a beautiful thing. Don’t rob yourself of a wonderful vacation & experience. Be smart, do some researching & you’ll be fine. The gratuities can be removed at the front desk & you can tip who you want, as much as you want. Enjoy 😉
@B B : Yeah, resort fees should be illegal unless they are advertised / displayed / noted with equal prominence along with the advertised price. Otherwise it's just fraud.
We opt-out of the automatic gratuities. We don't feel that it is our responsibility to take up the slack in crew compensation created by the cruise line. We also don't feel guilty for not doing what the cruise line is not doing. They should pay them more, charge accordingly for the cruise and drop the whole "gratuity scam" used to hide the true cost of the cruise. We tip individuals (generously) if/when warranted. Frankly, if more cruisers took our position, good help on cruise ships would eventually be hard to find due to the low pay. At that point, they would have to raise compensation in order to stay in business and maybe the misnamed "gratuities" would fall by the wayside. "Back in the day," the standard for tipping was 10%. Now, it's 20%+. However, the cost of goods and services have risen with the economy so a 10% tip today is actually equivalent to a 10% tip back in 1960. 20% is a 100% raise above the previous norm. I've never understood the (ir)rationale behind raising the percentage.
Do You feel the same when you go to a restaurant on land? Coming from being a bartender and server for 12 years, I know I was being paid 2.13 hr plus tips. I worked my ass off and was good at it. In return and being in this industry, I make sure all is taken care of.
@@dougreandmore As I mentioned, we tip individuals generously. When I go to "a restaurant on land," I do not tip the entire staff...hostess, cooks, diswashers, etc. That is the way the cruise ship industry has things arranged. Frankly, I seriously doubt that all the money paid for gratuities on cruise ships is distributed to the crew members. Where's the accounting? Who's to say how much was collected vs distributed? I'd be interested in hearing from a crew member about this.
While that may be what the cruise lines should do it isn't what they do which your aware of, so basically your ok with exploiting someone's labor....shame on you if you don't approve of a companies practices don't use the company, choosing to use the service and just exploit the workers isn't ok.
@@marjiegirl Don't try to lay the exploitation of the crew on me. I'm exploiting no one. Cruise line employees knew the wage schedule before they signed on. They have the right to quit if/when they feel they are being taken advantage of. I also have a big problem with the "shotgun" (alleged) distribution of gratuities to the crew as a whole. (Assuming there really is a distribution) When I go to a restaurant, I don't tip the receptionist, cook or dishwasher. Why would I do so on a cruise ship? Last point: Where's the accountability? Where's the talley of "gratuities" taken in vs amounts distributed to the crew? If you believe that all that money is disbursed to the crew, you're very naive and by succumbing to the cruise line's "extortion by guilt" premise, YOU are being exploited!
Gratuity is a sales tax, where the shipping company is taking bigger profits and forcing the passangers to deal with underpaying of the staff by telling that it is the passangers fault if the crew dont get paid. Its a greedy and a shady business.
True. There are two problems though, for one many employer don't have a problem with exploiting and then there are many people traveling nowadays who actually can't afford it.
Australian P & O, its not compulsory. , In Australia, we don't use tipping in the service industry. we have many of the best paid service jobs in the world, ie McDonalds. Reply
fellow Aussie here @@latteralthinker5992 ..if I'm cruising within/close to Australian waters am l expected to tip staff when it's something we don't do on land..?? l think l will look at getting the gratuity removed at start of cruise and then tip in cash..that way l KNOW that they are getting ALL that money rather than paying the cruise company and lining their pockets..
We were very surprised when the “gratuity” envelope was left in our room on the last day. Some in our party had stretched their budget just for the cruise fee and had no funds to pay the extra charge. To avoid any embarrassment I paid their fee for them. It left a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth. On subsequent cruises, we asked about this fee before booking. This practice stinks because you pay no matter what service you get.
They shouldn't have been surprised - the issue of 'gratuities' in the cruising industry is well known. I've never been on a cruise, but I know that you are expected to tip the staff.
@@tlangdon12 where the hell does that expectation come from? Tipping has always been optional predicated upon service expectations - now your telling me these people expect it. NO! Hell No.
@@tlangdon12 I really don’t know what you mean about people knowing when even I. This video it is communicated that every line has a different method. I prepay my gratuities on RCCL because they offer that and then I tip my room person extra for cleaning my room but if I took a different cruise I wouldn’t know I would ask before I cruised but it sounded in this instance that these patrons asked and were not informed there shouldn’t be any surprises for the customer that’s just bad business
Once on board I have the auto tip removed. I tip personally for the staff that I actually use. First and foremost my room steward who does everything for me. If I have the same waiter I tip him personally too. The staff prefers it too. They get paid the same salary with or without auto tipping. Giving it to them personally gives them cash above what they already make.
Under Australian consumer law all costs to be billed to the customer must be included in the advertised price. In Aust we refer to it as the 'drive away price' (referring to auto sales). So all the cruise lines which service Australia are guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct under the code when so called gratuities or hotel fees are automatically billed daily - where cruises are advertised in Australia. Australians hate the practice of coercive unauthorised billing of so called gratuities. At the counter you are required to opt out of the practice as soon as you board and sign off accordingly. This is an extremely stressful process as cruise staff hate you for doing this and usually treat you like dirt. If everybody were to opt out, the cruise lines would soon change the system. They should pay staff a fair wage without them taking advantage of the 'flag of convenience' registration and comply with the fair work laws instead of gaming the system. Its a bloody con and should be stopped. We like long cruises so on a 21 or 28 day cruise it adds up to almost $1000 aust - which is ridiculous when you are retired.
While I agree that the cruise lines should pay their staff a fair wage, when this 'con' is stopped, the cost your cruise will increase by $1000, so it's not going to save you money.
I really don’t care what people think about the way I tip as its not their money, it’s mine. I take off gratuities and give cash according to the service provided. I don’t like that it’s mandatory on some ships as that diminishes the idea of great service gets a great tip, poor service gets a poor tip. To everyone else’s opinion I say, Cruise your Cruise.
It does diminish that idea and that is a shame, but it also removes the free rider effect whereby some cheap skates just don’t tip (or tip far below what is recommended) and don’t worry about it because they know the majority will tip. Also for jobs that rely on tips, much of the time reality is that it is not their level of service that dictates how much tips they make but really just luck, since they can’t chose their customers and some will end up being more free riders than others, so that gets rid of employees just having unlucky days (or entire cruises) where they get tipped much less than what would be expedited (and what they may well need to make ends meet) due to bad luck and cheap, selfish people.
@@briancline7349 I agree...the staff can't choose their customers and avoid the freeloaders. And yes, exactly, the ones that don't tip "don’t worry about it because they know the majority will tip" and the rest of us gets stuck supporting the staff and making up for the ones that are too cheap to tip. It wouldn't surprise me if the staff kept lists of which cabins took off the gratuities. You either pay the "cost" of the cruise one way or the other...low staff wages + tips, or regular wages + no tips...both equal the same overall cost for the cruise. Low wages + no tips (or only for "special service"...means almost no tipping) just screws the staff in the end.
America has been ripping off its servers for years even have different rates of wagesin newyork. Were you get all tips or part tips in the end just bar owners and restaurants gettingyou to pay there wage bill.
As an Australian who does not tip, I have a huge problem with gratuities. I am also a solo traveller and have already paid a huge single supplement, to be also slugged gratuities when I do not get any better service, really annoys me. I tend to travel on luxury cruise lines where gratuities are included. But the Americans on board still tip the crew even though there’s no need to. I agree with you that it is really a tax.
I agree with your comment. In the US wait staff is paid less than half of minimum wage so they do rely on tips. I guess that’s why we’re so anxious to tip. I think it’s unethical that a billion dollar boat company can expect passengers to help pay salaries but it is what it is.
@@Kni0002 I'm Australian but I still give tips for exceptional service. It's my choice and cash handed to the person intended to receive it. USA disgusts me the way people are virtual slaves. Customers and patrons should not be paying the wages. Employers should.
I like to make sure the intended person actually gets my tip. I give it to them personally. I am not paying a tip to spa personal when I don’t utilize those services. I think it is unprofessional for them to automatically add a tip. I’m going cruising this weekend and I always have them remove the automatic gratuities and tip on my own!
We just travelled on the Celebrity Summit in the Caribbean, this is our 5th time on this ship and our 24th cruise. I’ve always paid the gratuities, but on this sailing things changed. My wife and I decided to use the Ocean View Café on deck 10 and just leave our elegant dress cloths at home. We found it less Cruise Controlled, we just ate when we wanted. I didn’t see why I should pay the maître d, head waiter, assistant waiter, and every other fancy title for a service I never saw. On the last day of the cruise, I went to customer service and asked the attendee to remove all gratuities from my wife’s account. I thought it was fair to pay gratuities for one person not two. I gave my room Stewart $30 for excellent service, and $25 to two bar tenders who did an excellent job. I felt no guilt for removing $101.50 from our account.
$30 for the steward and $25 for great bartenders is good for a two night cruise. It's okay for a three night cruise. However, if they really did that well of a job and deserved a tip, those amounts are very low for anything longer than three nights. That being said, I appreciate that you do have the mindset to tip, because that is the main source of income for a lot of people in the service and hospitality industries. And, you do it the right way. Auto gratuities for all services and amenities across the board is wrong. If you don't use the spa, you shouldn't have to tip the masseuse.
Excellent, I do the same thing. We've cruised over 70 times and we always remove gratuities for one of us and cash tip specific people who go above and beyond to make our cruise fell special.
Michael Gram cruise employees aren't always paid minimum wage, mostly because most of them are foreign and cruiselines can legally get away with paying them less. They rely on the tips to get by. It's simple economics. Let's say you give a bartender a $25 at the end of a seven night cruise. The rule of thumb for a bartender is $1 per drink. If you went to the bar everyday, and the bartender poured 6 drinks for you each day, that would be 42 drinks. That $25 tip is extremely low in this case. You should be tipping the bartender a minimum of $42 for the cruise. Now, if you didn't drink on this cruise, then you shouldn't have to tip the bartender. Fuck your cheap ass ignorance and pay the people who serve you, dumbass.
We actually told our cabin steward and table waiters that we had stopped the daily gratuity and would be paying it direct to them and the service we received seemed to get even better . We did this because we were told that the gratuity was paid out on a seniority basis .
I think a gratuity is something you give a person for exceptional service. I think the cruise staff expects the 15-18 percent plus a cash tip .I've been driving truck for 20 plus yrs and only remember once being given cash for for literally killing myself getting a load delivered on time driving through snow storms. Most times it's what's your excuse for being late, never mind I've heard them all. I think the cruise lines should pay a decent wage and if you think someone is going above and beyond then you can tip them
@@arlysveen7774 Good question! If the service that you are tipping for has a costs, like the cost of a meal, a drink, or a spa treatment, then it is easy as it is 15-18% of the cost of the service, but if the service is cleaning your cabin, when is the cost of this service?
I think a point that is being missed is "front house" and "back house". When you hand an envelope to your waiter and cabin steward, you're rewarding those two crew members who you had contact with. What about the chefs who prepared your food, the bus boy, the guy who washes dishes? Or the baker who starts to work at 3 am so that you have fresh bread when you wake up? They're all part of your experience, not only the waiter who served your table. Same is true for cleaning. Your steward took good care of you, but what about the laundry men who work in a tiny hot room and you never see? Or the utilities that sleep during the day and come out at night to clean all the public areas, make sure the ship is clean when you wake up? Clean the pools, the miles of windows, polish the brass. On the new tipping policy the tip is usually shared with the crew who do essential work, but is seldom seen. In some ships the tips are divided only among Jotel and Cruise departments, but in other ships the tips are split among ALL the crew - to include the deck hands who do maintenance of the outside of the ship, man the tenders and do shifts in the bridge as well as with the Engine department: those guys who make sure that everything moved smoothly and that you actually can get from point A to B. They deserve to be tipped too. I always ask *how* the tips will be distributed. In the end you might be surprised how little they make in tips at the end.
Sorry gratuities are SO wrong. Making sure the crew gets a fair wage is up to the employer not the guest. The more people pay the extra the less the responsibility lies on a corporation to pay their staff a fair wage for a fairs day work . It is purely exploitation.
This is actually going to be my first cruise and in Australian waters gratuities are NOT paid or probably allowed. I am not mean and it should be up to me if I wish to pay.
Quote from Hurtigruten cruise line. "Gratuities are neither expected, nor required", well that will confuse the yanks eh. This is a cruise i WOULD book.
@@raymondwong7674 We did a cruise to the Antarctic with Hurtigruten out of Chile in 2005, no Cabaret shows but great informative lectures on the subject of our cruise, (the Antarctic Continent), perfectly adequate, the food and service was excellent as we're the daily shore excursions. The best cruise we've ever been on, and we've been on many before and after that one. Great cruising isn't always about how much food you can cram in all day how much alcohol you can guzzle and being entertained till the small hours.
If it is a gratuity, then you should be able to give what you want to whom you want. If it’s the scam that I believe it to be, then they should just add it to the initial cost of the cruise. I would feel better with one price. The cruise lines could then pay a decent wage. At this point if you feel someone did Extra. Then give a tip. I don’t think a tip should be for the things that I paid for when I purchased the Cruise. I’m not going to clean my own room or cook and serve myself. That being said, I always pay the “gratuities “ in advance. I’ve cruised 30 times with 2 more booked but I think I’m going to give it a rest. Thank you for the video.
Australian P & O, its not compulsory. , In Australia, we don't use tipping in the service industry. we have many of the best paid service jobs in the world, ie McDonalds. Reply
We have them removed at the end of every cruise. I’m not being charged for tips. I give them to whom I feel deserve them. Period. If this ever becomes mandatory I will not cruise.
@@terrikatz4854 It's not really hard, especially if it's clear that you intend to reward specific workers. Often we'll take off one passenger's (such as mine) gratuity and keep the other (my wife's) to cover the behind the scenes folks. Then we directly reward our steward, wait staff, and others who provided us exceptional service. RCL and Carnival have different ways of doing it, but it's not hard. I recommend doing it at least two or three days before the end of the cruise to avoid the long lines -- if Guest Services is not swamped, the workers are more relaxed (I don't think they ever have bad feelings, but if they're swamped with guests I imagine they get "less friendly")
I was told by my waiter that they shared the gratuity but not equally. Management and supervisors get the most and the waiters, room stewards, etc get much less. It should be the other way around. On the other side before they started requiring gratuities ,many people never tipped. Some didn't show up for dinner the last night of the cruise to avoid tipping.
Damani Baraka tipping should not be expected anyway. It should be voluntary and only if service was great. And then still, only voluntary at the guests discretion. Side note: a lot of wait staff still expects tips, even with auto tips! So specialty dining, buffet or room service it is!
Lobster,surf and turf along with the best deserts along with a free glass of wine used to be served on the last night,so passengers will show and have their envelopes ready.In this electronic age things has gone from bad to worst especially the service.The cruise ship staff were mostly people from the Caribbean because of their jovial behavior,but they started jumping ship and the cruise lines got fined for that.Now it's mostly Asians and Eastern Europeans on the ships.The Indian are now running the kitchens.
Damani Baraka, I was told the same by the maître d. I don't think it's fair for the ones that really work for it and don't get what they deserve. Management and supervisors get paid well and should not really get a share of the gratuities.
It's get REALLY OLD hearing them tell us " don't forget to leave a tip." EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND, they're saying this. It makes me feel like NOT LEAVING A TIP.
That's weird Rhonda because I've been on 25 cruiseships and I've never had an employee ask me for tips. They do remind me to do the survey when it arrived thru email.
Yeah I remember reading a book in elementary school about a kid who has to start a business. There's a part where one of her customers doesn't tip her and when she calls him greedy she's scolded and told it's up to the customer if they want to tip and should never expect one. What happened to that kind of mentality?
i always turn off the auto-gratuity (They usually allow you to do that the day before you are done with your cruise) and I prefer to give them individually, those who served me
NEVER prepay your Gratuities!!! It goes straight to the Cruise Lines bottom line and if you think it will find its way to the people who actually serve you, you are a fool, it doesn’t! Have it removed from your account and reward excellent service individually in cash directly to the server. Please.
do you do that at the beginning of your cruise? I was stunned by Celebrity when they charged us $15 per person in each room at the end when I was checking out. I hadn't cruised before so I didn't realize that was going to happen. I paid it but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
rich1383yt I have been told by employees of several lines that only a portion goes to the waiter or cabin attendant. You can probably guess where the remainder goes...
@@rich1383yt I know 2 cruise workers personally. Back in the good old cruising days you would put cash in the envelope, and give it directly to the person in their hands. Now with the new prepaid methods, or charged to ruise card method, the cruise companies have changed wage regulations to supposedly benefit the employees. But you can only take the cruise line word on how the money trickles down. I'm sure the employees still get some...but it's not as clear cut as cash on hand.
The first time I ever went on a cruise, I resented "being told" that I had to tip basically. However, once the cruise was over I suddenly wanted to not only tip what the suggested amount was but I also paid over that amount on an individual basis. These crew members work hard to give us a good vacation experience and they make very low wages in most cases.
They are poorly paid and are expected to work very hard, but the forced tips are not used to increase their wages ,but to pay their low wages. The cruise line is not required by any law to give them any extra money from enforced tips, so it’s just another income for the cruise lines.
It's irritating but I knew this was something I would have to accept or deal with when I booked my cruise. What does irritate me is the "per person gratuity" is the same for the couple in the "Owner's Suite" as the senior citizen couple with an inside cabin who after years of saving, get to take their once in a lifetime trip.
those tips are suggestions, we base tips on service, for instance, the head guy in the dinning room, nope, our waiter, if he has been good, we tip accordingly. our room attendant, we tip them, the end.
I always stop my gratuities. On princess you're treated the same regardless. If staff want a tip, they shall earn it and provide me with exceptional service and I'll give them one. It's that simple.
Thanks for this, I'm not so off put now !may like a lot of people hearing this info to reconsider cruising with princess ! Hope princess reads this and takes note!
Here's a suggestion you can always stop cruising until something changes or complain to the cruise lines they can't make money if people stop going but they know that alot of people don't care about paying the automatic gratuities and as long as those people don't care the cruise lines will continue to rip people off tell the right people complain enough and who knows maybe there will be a change.
The thing is, I have cruised many years. Since they have started prepaid gratuities, service has started to decline. When first starting to cruise the staff was always exceptional with superb service. Now it is subpar. My opinion is it is because they know they are getting them whether they do well or not.
As a travel agent and on NCL as we speak, I had my gratuities removed yesterday due to poor service EXCEPT for the room steward. I will tip him seperately as he did a good job. I do not want to reward the poor service in some of the restaurants, hostesses and non existent sommelier. Not impressed with the experience so far.
Just had the same experience on NCL. Wish they would've used my gratuity to purchase fresh food; if wager a guess that 75% or more of the food on the Norwegian star was prepackaged. First time I cruised for 8 days where I actually LOST weight! The entertainment and room staff was excellent though. I tipped extra to room attendant. Next time is rather tip directly.
I have it removed on day one and tip accordingly. cruise lines are just taking advantage of the fact that people don’t like to cause a fuss so they pay it. Don’t!!!...tip those who deserve it and make sure they get it....the cruise lines get enough....it’s a rip off!
Ceci Chapa just got home from my cruise and yes that’s exactly what i did,told them i wanted the automatic gratuities to be removed in order to tip the workers i interact with by myself and they just removed it (even tho i had to repeat it three times lol)
Most cruise lines working from Australia 🇦🇺 have done away with this , but we still like to give our cabin steward and the dinning waiters for their service
Just like when you get airport transfers and when you get to your hotel the rep on the coach says dont forget to tip your driver for getting you here safely why do they expect tips for something you have already payed for them to do . Just wait for the day when you go shopping and the checkout lady expects a tip for serving you
Remember when a TIP was for good service ? Now.. it's just HAND US THE $$$ and we, the Cruise Company will decide what to do with them !! So no... these 'charges' should be removed by travelers immediately when they get on the cruise. Added - they think they can charge this 'tip' per person per day. What I find more disgusting is the 'gratuity' that they apply for a drink - someone serves you a bottled drink and there is a nearly 20% 'charge' for that ?? Remember when drinks on cruise lines were cheap because they didn't pay duty - now it's about finding more ways to extract your dollars from you.
U shouldnt have to pay for a person doing their job! I dont get tips at my job, therefore it is up to the employer to pay higher wages instead of depending on consumers to do so.
It really depends on the job... like it or not the pay structure of some jobs are clearly based on reliance on tips... for example some jobs like waiters are even allowed to be paid an hourly rate lower than minimum wage. If you can’t afford to tip at such establishments or have a problem with doing so, you should view it as you can’t afford to go in the first place. Also keep in mind that if a cruise ship for example relies on gratuities to pay for say 25% of the income employees need to make in order to be willing to work those jobs (and to not be impoverished as a result), then if gratuities were abolished you would just end up paying that much more on your initial bill so the difference would be the same. That said I would agree that there are some sorts of jobs, especially those that provide nonessential service many don’t even want (like bathroom attendants), then it should just be up to employers to pay them and not rely on guests. But you not getting tips at your job is a bad justification to use for your point of view.
Any industry that relies on tipping to subsidize wages would necessarily have to increase costs directly to consumers if they increased pay and ended tipping. If you think businesses like restaurants are “pocketing” the “extra” money being paid by consumers tipping that they don’t pay in wages, then you have never run a business or signed the front of a paycheck.
One cruise line offers $600 per person less than another. That cruise line doesn’t pay its employees properly. Do you choose the cruise ,one that charges a higher fee? Do you care about the plight of those workers? Of course you don’t. You buy the cheaper cruise. You are why this exists.
Jeff Are we comparing apples to apples here? I think it could be an illogical assumption that ticket price automatically equates to employee wages. It might or it might not. The cheaper cruise line may be a less well appointed ship, worse ports of call, less attentive service, or be hiding the fact that they get the $600 out of you in other ways, like watered down booze or cheaper food. You have to compare value per dollar, not dollar for dollar. There would really be no way to relate the $600 difference to actual employee pay unless you could look at the wage reports of both cruise lines. You could also argue that the staff on a cheaper cruise line can’t or won’t give the same service as a more expensive one and therefor don’t deserve the same pay. Does a fast food cashier deserve to make the same as a waiter at a 5 star steak house? I realize your comment may have been directed at Mae. Her logic is very flawed and she wants to not tip based on the rules of an imaginary world. If her job is not in a industry where tips are customary than she logically has no expectation of a tip so the first part of her statement has no bearing on the second. In the second part she is not tipping based on the rules of an imaginary world where wages are higher and tipping isn’t a thing, without accounting for the fact that in that world she would be paying more for the service. She needs to act based on the world we live in, the tipping world. The tipping world is better (not counting people like Mae) because the employee and the customer have much more control over the cost of the service and potential wages. A mandatory course in basic economics in high school would help a lot of people understand these issues better.
I think the auto gratuity should be charged per cabin and not per person. It seems crazy to me that two people in two cabins or one person in four cabins pay the exact same amount as four people in one room.
Why? The workers are serving EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERSON ON BOARD, so why shouldn't every individual be represented in the grat? The base fare is per person per day, the grat should be as well. That being said, I do hate the auto-grat, and think it should be rolled into the cost of the cruise, so you are paying one full price for an all-inclusive package (with a fine-print foot note on the receipt dictating who gets the grat portion of the fare and how much % for each recipient). Basically, the cruise lines need to be more transparent with how they charge passengers and distribute the money.
1 person in 4 cabins? Poor analogy. It's more like 4 people in 1 cabin. And families with toddlers deserve the hit. Yep they should pay more, just look at the floor around little kids when they dine. Filthy
After my last cruise I sat at the fort Lauderdale airport for a few hours. There were a bunch of cruise workers sitting next to me. I asked them if the pre-pay gratuities were divided up and given to them. They said no. They said no. The prepaid gratuities are kept by the company and given to the workers as part of their low salary. They said that they get their base salary no matter what. If a traveler gives them cash they get to keep it no matter what. I believe there's a lot of misinformation and a lot of lies associated with this. I have never removed prepaid gratuities but I am tempted to.
Glenn Turner I have toddlers that eat very little and have to use a little area of the splash pad because they are not fully potty trained. I bring their pack and play to sleep and I am the one entertaining them all day because there is almost nothing for them based on their age. I remove the gratuities for them every time because I’m the one doing all the work.
Despite the fact that I don't agree with the tip culture (where employees depend on it) vs the company paying a living wage, I appreciate the ease of automatically adding gratuities to my bill. However, it's ridiculous that cruise lines aren't transparent about exactly who all that money is going to. I'll definitely be thinking about this for our next cruise and consider tipping individual employees instead.
I went on a P&O cruise last November 12 days cost £3000 for the two of us we went straight to reseption and asked for the gratuitys to be removed They then gave us a form to fill out as to why we wanted them removed I just wrote (don't you think £3000 is enough) This year I've booked the same cruise and when booking I was told the gratuity system has been removed so I think the message has got through
My fourth and fifth cruises coming up this April and May. I have always gone directly to the booking desk and asked to have our gratuities removed. I do pay my favourite staff members individually, usually the stewards. This system suits us fine and I would rather ensure that the ppl I wanted to get the cash, actually got it.
Except there are people behind the staff you interact with who support them in providing you the excellent service. Think of the chef in the kitchen of a fine restaurant. You don’t see them but what they do or don’t do reflects on the server’s ability to provide you with a positive experience. You are unlikely to be overly generous with the tip when your lobster dinner was overcooked.
I went to a smoothie bar and at the end of the transaction she asked me how much of a tip did I want to give her? I told her 0, you accepted a job from the smoothie bar to make smoothies what are you doing over and beyond your job description? Of course she couldn’t answer. This forced tipping is going way to far here in the USA. It’s a bonus for going above and beyond your job description not an addition. I now only tip no matter the business when you’ve gone above and beyond exceptional service, not just for doing what you were paid to do! If you don’t like the wage don’t except the job offer just the same as us in corporate America if we don’t like the salary then we don’t take the job!
You're heart is obviously 2 sizes too small. If you don't agree with the tipping culture then don't go to places that require tipping. Go have a nice night out at McDonalds. You're "moral stand" is only hurting the working poor while you in corporate America are still making their share. You're just morally justifying your own greed.
@@harveythepooka you're insane, if you take a job knowing there is no guarantee you will be tipped and you don't get tipped.... What's the problem. You can't just make something real by adding "culture" to the end of it
I used to run valet at a casino and would encounter people like you. It could be -15 degrees outside, there would be no valet charge, and I would run to their car so quickly that their car would be nice and toasty by the time they got to the waiting area, and they’d walk right past me without saying a word, slam their door in my face and drive off. No tip. No thank you. Not even a momentary consideration for the person serving them.
Because of the whole catch 22 over gratuity, seems the most effective way to deal with this would be to have you auto gratuity lowered from the 18-20% to maybe 7-12%. This way you can ensure to subsidize the wages of the unseen crewmen while giving an actual direct gratuity to people actual serving you. Love this channel, great for amateur cruisers.
I call it false advertising. You get one price for cruise but that is not the true price. If I did that in my contracting business I would not be in business very long. How would you feel if I quoted you price of $ 15k for a bath remodel and upon completion I asked you for $3k more to pay my minimum wage employees? We need a class action lawsuit!
In certain states, your contractor's license would be revoked, you would have to pay a fine for fraud and be stricken from doing anymore jobs in the state--sometimes for an amount of time--and other times permanently. How do I know this? Because Jersey is our home state (no longer living there) and that's what happened to dozens of "contractors" who literally took the money and ran. This was during Superstorm Sandy--which by the way, that area is exactly where we came from.
@@tiredofchurchs7407 Ah, I don't think my husband can sneak a new $5 shower head and tell me that the bathroom has been remodeled, lol. Actually this is a brand new house and I HATE the master bathroom: those fiberglass or acrylic surrounds AND glass doors--Easy for THEM to install it and think it looks nice--BUT guess who has to clean all that--all that bending and twisting? Me--with a bad back, bad knees and not a young woman anymore. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have told the builder NOT to install this type of shower. We are actually thinking of getting rid of this whole thing. Give me a shower curtain any day. I don't have to get undressed or put on crummy clothes just to do the shower--I can just reach in and clean AND the shower curtain can go in the wash. Much easier!
I understand what you are saying but when you go to dinner and the steak is 15.00 that doesn't include tax and tip which MOST people pay 20%. So that could be called false advertising...same when buying say groceries...furniture..you pay tax..so that could be false advertising also. That would make it that they should add tax to each item on the shelf.b
As an Australian this really annoys me. It gets included in our overall fare so we don’t get any opportunity to remove the gratuity and we end up paying more for our cruise than travellers form other countries. Having said that, we still have to remember to check that they don’t automatically add MORE gratuity to our final charge. In my opinion tipping should be on an individual basis, paid directly to a person who has provided above average service.
I live in the US and tipping is one of those expected things. Although on a cruise it might be an extra expense. I myself like to prepay it because when I get on board I want to know I already paid everything, including excursions. It’s one less thing for me to have to be concerned. But that’s me.
Thanks for this honest take on a very controversial topic. I am always relieved to hear travel agents call things as they are, but many are afraid to proverbially bite the hand that feeds them.
This issue puts me off taking a cruise - when I book a holiday (like a month in Australia) I already know how much it will cost, and I choose to pay the cost. The cruise lines should pay a fair wage and increase the cost of the cruise. With many systems on ships it looks like the legal definition of extortion - I am not joking. The staff are working, they are not doing the fare paying passengers a favour - just pay them a reasonable wage.
I would like hear from some one who actually works for the cruise ship how much of the $27 a day I paid they actually received The cabin steward was really the only one that deserved anything
Me too..!! I went to CS desk and asked my gratuities to be decreased., to Zero!! Then I tipped each one of them who have been given us service directly, although I ended up spent a lot more then the gratuities charged but I feel more satisfied that way.
1:57 Rumours?? I've been receiving the list two days after my passengers boarded the ship. My supervisor was giving them to me and every other cabin steward. They were called 'cancellation lists' and to this day I'm surprised people treat it like some kind of conspiracy theory 😳 Of course the crew knows these things, we even were informed about how often particular couple/person 'cancelled' on all previous cruises.
@@bethmariefigueroatorres2926 You go to Guest Services at the start of your cruise and tell them that they need to remove the automatic tipping because you'll be paying individuals who serve you in cash. Make sure you stay there and see that they've removed it from your account. If possible, get a receipt or some kind of proof that you've taken this step in case you ever need to prove what you did.
We are pretty inexperienced in the world of travel. A few years ago, we were lucky enough to book a cruise with our 4 kids with another family who helped us so much with the process. So much of the planning I just followed by paying when I needed to. I didn’t ready anything about cruising or payment details, etc. we LOVED our trip and it was beyond out wildest expectations. No regrets. However, on our last day we received, under our door a bill for gratuities that was, at the time astronomical thought I don’t remember what it was. We were charged the same fee for 6 of us, including 3 minors. We truthfully were tipping everyone who did anything for us all along the way. The cruise was quite a stretch for us financially so, we were really stressed about it. We spoke with guest services about our situation and paid a portion of the bill but we’re really left feeling like a bunch of cheapskates. I wrote to the cruise line afterward to express my feeling that this felt like a dirty trick to play on guests at the end when people are not sometimes thinking clearly having enjoyed the all inclusive drinks all week. It was awful to feel like you’ve failed the staff when they’ve been so wonderful. We just didn’t have it to spare.
So far I’ve only cruised with Princess and have always taken the daily gratuity off the bill but given money to specific staff. I too had heard rumours about how this worked so I asked our waiter and also the Maitre’D. In the kitchen area they have a list of diners who have removed the automatic gratuity. If you keep your pre-added daily cabin gratuity then what you give to the waiter goes to the waiter. BUT if, like me, you remove that gratuity the waiter is obliged to hand in whatever cash you give to go into a central pot to be divided amongst the staff. It’s so underhand and I feel conned by Princess. It’s unfair on hard working staff and it’s unfair on well-meaning passengers.
In high school, my daughter worked at a place (not a cruise ship) where they auto-added gratuities to the customer bill. She and the other employees rarely received their tips because most days management pocketed them. She didn't stay there long. I always wonder what portion of the prepaid tips I pay actually ends up with the people who take care of me. So I still tip my dining room table crew and my room steward. Though admittedly not as generously as I did before this prepaid tipping stuff started.
I have to agree I always do the prepayment and then tip my steward but how do we really know the service people are receiving this money. It really bothers me.
I now do a spreadsheet for each holiday (vacation) which includes the base price, expected gratuities, daily spend on board, shoreside spends, expected cost of any excursions I fancy taking, speciality restaurants, cost of getting to port etc etc. In all what I expect the real total cost of the holiday right down to new clothes. I can then compare between different companies and depending on my choice can work out a monthly budget to save the total cost. It goes automatically each payday into a 4month notice account. If researched properly then no horrible surprises and credit card bills. Insurance should cover in case of etc so make sure I am well covered. One tip, declare everything on your insurance quote. Horror stories abound where people neglect to mention something to save a few shackles up front and then don’t get paid out when the worst happens! Perhaps this is a video for Gary?
I've only cruised twice, but each time the gratuity ends up being added into the fare before completing the purchase. The customer needs to go out of their way to remove it, so they just end up not doing that. You're right, It's just a scam where the cruise line advertises one fare, but you end up paying more (about $10 - $12 a day per person) for the gratuities that are automatically stuck in before paying. The cruise lines should all end this nonsense. Advertise an all-inclusive fare, that includes paying their employees a decent wage, and state everything is included. Then say tipping is not expected. Stop this gratuity nonsense.
I have cruised the Nile a few times. It was explained to us that leaving tips with reception ensured that all the crew got a share. By all means tip individually as you like, if they share, that’s up to them. I have usually ignored the extortionate suggested rates of US$ per person per day. In the UK we are not used to tipping that way.
I never go to the dining room. I always remove those from my bill. I feel that if I don't use it. Why am I tipping you? I ALWAYS keep the Lido tip. I will take off the tip of the housekeeper. Then, I will personally tip the main person and helper, if one. I tip more than what they were going to in the first place.
@@fuckedupfridays9288 the dining room is where you go to have the sit down meal. You know fancy dress night and you wait on a table and stuff.. Not the buffet but the main dining room. I hope this helps. If not, I can try to resolve more.
On my first cruise which was on the Queen of Bermuda for seven days, my dad taught us that on boarding or the first night, spread a little "grease" around to the room steward and helper, waiter and shi assistant and you head waiter, etc. They will know that you are aware of how the game is played and that you will reward good service. At the end of the cruise, more tips. I have done this to this day and always get the best service. Always added a tip on a bar service and the like. Even with the add ons, I still tip those who put forth. I am sure the cruise lines are pocketing a lot of the tips. If they do not make enough, raise the fare. Like resort fees, this is a slimy way to soak people. So now I am rethinking cruising on regular lines and going to the more upscale lines. Pack them in and soak them.
Sounds like con artist scams by these cruise lines. There are no gratuities or any tips at any hotels or restaurants when we took our trip to Japan. Their customer service told us upfront!
Same all over Korea... no tipping, not in restaurants, hotels, vehicles, hairdressers or full service gas stations. I have now seen discussions about how much you should be tipping your landlord in the USA.. Dude what????
Dear Japan has never had a tipping in their culture. Ships with Japan as a base ( as in most Asia countries) DO NOT TIP AS ITS INSULTING . always check out cruise countries of origin and check out their culture rules.
@@carlblaskowitz7817 anyone demanding a tip from me better be barter. Because I want the full price up frount. If you expect more called a tip you will get bartered down to a LOWER PRICE TOTAL.
Totally agree, pay the staff properly and make tips something extra again, for those that go above and beyond. If the service is an integral part of what you are buying then it should be an integral part of the bill. When you buy clothes you don't get one bill for the clothes and an additional gratuity charged for the staff member that actually handed them over to you. Why is this normalised for folk handing food over to you?
Another tip: once you're home check your credit card statement and make sure no additional charges were made after your trip. I've had one charge made a week after & I disputed it. Don't trust when they have your cc on file!
I am glad I watched this video and read the comments. I found a super deal to fly to Sydney next year. Now I am planning my activities. I was thinking of the Carnival Great Barrier Reef 9 day cruise. After reading the many comments about gratuities. I am turned off by hidden charges, taxes and gratuities. I have a choice and I am going to exercise my right not to cruise! I will find another suitable activity that does not include all this nonsense. Many thanks to the veteran cruisers for their comments. You helped me decide to forego Carnival and spend my hard earned cash elsewhere. I do not enjoy getting squeezed for gratuities and bushwhacked on the bill. I do not know anyone that does. Thanks everyone for saving me all the aggravation and $$$$.
Thanks for this video Gary. As an Australian without the culture of tipping, I do find it confusing and embarrassing when I’m not sure what to do. I do agree that it is more of a “service charge” these days and I prefer it to be included in the fare or auto added. My mum, who has cruised a lot more often than me, is vehemently against the auto added tipping and requests it be removed every single time. She then tips her room steward and her dining staff but I worry about the staff who miss out with this approach. BTW, I’m not sure if you noticed that the thumbnail for this video has a typo. 🧐
Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts and experiences. I am with you!! Thanks also for spotting the error. I sort of felt something was wrong but you know how it is when you see what you thunk you are seeing not what is there... so have changed before too many people see my shoddiness thanks :-) !!
Many thanks for this video and many thanks for this comment. I’m from Germany and I’m also unsure about tipping because it’s uncommon here. I only did german cruises till today were all the gratitude’s are included til. Anyway we do tip the state room steward and the restaurant stuff additional. Now we are looking forward to our first Alaska cruise in July next year on Island princess. I’m still confused how to handle. Especially when I hear and read that the crew expects cash tipping additional to auto added gratitude. We will do a minisuite state room with two adults and two teens so I expect them to ask for about $60 per day. On the other hand when we tip only our stewards and our dining staff what about the people working for us in the background? The stuff in the laundry doing our sheets and towels and the stuff in the kitchen cooking our wishes and doing the dishes for us. Often they do a great work also... Any suggestions for me how to handle this next year ? Thomas, Germany
We are going on a Carnival cruise next month and will be removing all gratuities. If somebody goes above and beyond we'll tip them a few extra quid, sometimes handsomely, but it is not my role to pay their salary. If the cruise line doesn't pay enough, that's down to them to fix. We will tip when appropriate, but never when expected.
We cruise with Princess & we have our state room gratuities removed usually on the first sea day after the rush of embarkation day is over - It is backdated to the start of the cruise - you have to fill out a small bit of paper work but its worth it - we prefer to tip the staff that we feel have given us great service - We have never had a problem doing this once we knew we could do it - It has also meant that we can afford to continue cruising, as the price advertised is critical in deciding whether we can take a particular cruise or not - thanks for this video to help new travellers - as we say "you learn some thing new about cruising on every cruise" - safe travels everyone
Good on you. Nobody knows if these tips even go to the staff, maybe it just additional income to the cruise line. Like the resort fees that almost hotels add on per night even hotels that are not really 'resort'. Too much scamming all around!
Gary, another excellent video. Well done. In our case we tend to cruise on Seabourn (where gratuities are not expected) but even so, on one cruise, the cabin steward kept suggesting how nice it would be if she were to be given a gratuity. While we didn’t buy into her whining (which is how this came across) we did often receive excellent service from various staff who really and seriously ‘busted their butts.’ When I eventually discovered was that they had a crew fund to which we could contribute. It took care of purchasing things like bicycles for crew when they had a day off or helping crew with unexpected medical or family issues. Senior staff were delighted by our desire to contribute to this fund. Of course we have to trust the cruise line but since there were so many very high functioning staff who provided excellent service day in and day out, we didn’t know how to tip every single one, and even then what about all those ‘back of house’ people with whom we never came into contact? So this was our ethical or moral compromise. But then we still leave cash on a hotel bed when we stay, for the housekeeping people. An old but elegant approach we still appreciate.
A few quick observations. First, cruise lines are a for profit business. This means that passengers are always going to pay the salaries and wages of all the company employees, irrespective of how they choose to label it in the bookkeeping. That said, I find the use of the term "gratuity" in reference to anything that is not fully voluntary to be annoying in the extreme. A true gratuity is for service above and beyond the norm. If a service charge is paid in advance then onboard tipping should be discouraged in all but the most unusual circumstances. IMO the solution is for the developed states (i.e. the US ,UK and EU) to pass laws that restrict port access to cruise lines that conform to basic labor standards. Edit: Typo
Yes absolutely the guests are covering the wages and as you say the lines should just have fares that have the right charge instead of charging the “gap” in the so-called gratuities !!!
But the question is what basic standards based on which country. If the pay rate is at or above the pay rate for that persons home country isn't that fair? just a question because we have service industry workers in America who make min wage and are on food stamps and we argue over having a living wage law
OH YES. The crew is informed if you remove the gratuities. After I had removed the gratuities at Guest services from a cruise on Carnival 3 crew members approached me outside my cabin to see if everything was OK and if i was pleased with their service.
I've traveled to many places. 'Gratuities' were paid with the sale of the ticket. So early on I didn't tip. Before long I asked a server about 'tipping' and it being paid in advance. Her reply was, "We never see any of that money paid to Newman's Tours." I'm sure this is not the only time this happened with other agencies. So now, I tip. But be careful here. In come cultures a gratuity is taken as an insult, so study up before you leave to anywhere.
I noted you mentioned bus drivers, since I am a tour coach driver this applies to me. I am always amazed if I take a group on a trip several days long ( this is not a shore excursion), people will give a few dollars tip. Unfortunately tour companies have also subscribed to the idea of "Since your getting tips you can get half or less pay then any other driving job". Motor coach operators throughout the US are facing this daily reality regardless of what company they work for ( this does not apply to limo or line (greyhound) drivers). I have done shore excursions and some companies will build in tips to the drivers, but mostly you get what you can in cash from the passengers. Typically day excursions tip generally better on a day to day basis then longer tours, but the longer tours are far more fun. So, a word for the wise remember your coach drivers, you would be amazed on just how little we bring home in our paychecks. Just FYI from someone that's been in the tour and travel biz for more than 30 years, a tip for a coach driver is generally $2 - 5 per day per person. Although it sure would be nice if we got what the ships charge, what a rip off!
I worked on ships as youth staff in kids club. I can tell you that youth staff are NOT included in the gratuities pool, bc not all guests use our services. So when parents tip us at end of cruise, it is greatly appreciated. We split the tips equally between our small team (maybe 6-10 ppl).
Everyone I know who has ever taken a cruise ALWAYS pay gratuities in cash, directly to the people which they feel deserve a tip. This eliminates ALL speculation.
I just returned from a Holland America Alaskan Cruise and did not pay the added daily service charge. I paid my 2 waiters (both were phenomenal) and my 2 stewards tips in cash with hand written notes on the last day. They were very appreciative. The cruise line was accommodating as well in taking the charge off my onboard acct. It didn't seem like a problem to them, I even felt like a savvy traveler asking them to remove it. And they did right away.
Companies like to add gratuities because many of them will keep 50%. I was part of a class action lawsuit because the company I worked with was doing this, the company lost.
Cash for service! We cruised MSC last April on the Seaside in the Yacht Club with a group of 12. Everyone loved their room steward, but we were fortunate enough to have the butler that went above and beyond the rest of our party. He took better care of our 4 other rooms than their personal butlers did. He was amazing to the point of my husband getting a phone call in the YC Lounge on his "break/dinner" apologizing for him not being there to get us back on the ship from that port. (I was even a little freaked out he knew where to find us:) He was absolutely amazing and the rest of my family (who all had different butlers), were floored by his service. He got a good tip, but it was the first time I wished I could have tipped more than HUGE! It was certainly above and beyond service.
Gary, your videos are always helpful and this one particularly speaks to me. I've been diagnosed as an over-tipper. I always chip into the communal tip bucket via daily billing but also use tips as bribes. If I tip a barkeep or waiter in cash beginning on day one, s/he will quickly learn my name and preferences and usually put me at the front of the queue when I show up. I have a traveling companion who likes a fresh bucket of ice in her cabin every morning and evening; she gives her cabin attendant a handsome tip on the first day and is treated like royalty from then on. I call this strategic tipping because I'm hoping for something out of the deal, but I often find myself overdoing it and the points you made give me a little focus.
I bribe tip, too 😉. Bartenders, wait staff and room stewards can and will do some extraordinary things for you when you have shown to be a "generous" guest. I personally don't mind tipping extra. That mandatory prepaid gratuity charge is viewed as a tax in my eyes. I would never think or want to remove them. I go on board with a stack of cash tip envelopes knowing that I will be doing the real tipping during the actual cruise. I tip the room steward twice daily. All three members of my wait team get tipped individually and nightly. Bartenders get cash tips on every round, with the first round being the largest. Specialty dining servers also get tipped individually and at the end of the meal. Cruising is great and tipping is part of the cost of an amazing vacation.
Last year our daughter celebrated her birthday with her husband and two small children on a Disney Cruise. My wife and I went as well as our son-in-law's parents. Disney required gratuities as part of the package, but the last night, when I gave them the slip showing their gratuitiy, I had gotten some note cards and envelopes from the purser and wrote a little note and included an additional amount because they had done such a great job to help our 5 day cruise so memorable. I am happy to reward those that go to extremes to do their job.
Cruise liners need to pay their staff not expect the customers to pay their salaries
they have the money for it.
AGREED
Think about what you are saying, no matter what the system, the customers always pay everyone's salary.
@@almoemason I think what Sam sitar is saying, they are asking their already paying customer to additionally supplement their employees salary. The cruise company are paying them a lower wage and telling them it can be made up in tips. Tips are optional so they should not be considered to supplement wage, it should be extra money for the staff.
@@Plum_bird I do not disagree with that. And my comment has nothing to do with that. All am saying is not matter what the payment system is, the customer pays for it. Don't overthink my statement.
If you don’t have a choice it is not a gratuity, it is a FEE. Period.
Even if the cruise line wants to have a lower advertised fare, they should call it what it is. A compulsory service fee in addition to the fare.
cruise lines should label it as such.
Exactly.
From my perspective (as an Australian), I find it offensive to tip. I have paid for the service and the goods - it's the owners responsibility to ensure that they pay THEIR employees (not MY employees) a living wage. It is strange how this "custom" came from one narrow part of the world and is now an encompassing expectation. I will pay for exceptional service (above and beyond) but not for services that I would normally expect to be provided.
felikso2 wish it was like this in the U.S.. 😕
is Aus the only western nation to have a minimum wage system ?
Latteral Thinker we have a minimum wage system in the US but this doesn’t apply to waiters/people that receive tips. They get paid much less and tips are supposed to make up most of their wages
Oh now I get the answer to why Australians never tip us guides after a whole day or week of tour guiding them around. I used to think I did something wrong with them. Didn't know this.
yeah, sorry @@oliviasalibacauchi .. ours is not a tipping culture because employees pay a reasonable wage here, and the service/item we are purchasing has pretty much been factored into the price..if we do not tip it's not because of you or how hard you have worked but because it is something we are not used to doing OR rather don't know HOW much to pay..l have been to the States twice now and always found it uncomfortable tipping cause l don't know how much I'm supposed to tip without feeling offensive..
I dont trust them adding them on ticket. It should be given in person. Why because there is no proof that the employees are actually getting that tip.
I worked on cruise 4 years and you dont get it , if you dont hit your tafget in specific area my area was spa , you will not get that tip , company will take it
I used to work on princess and pretty much all my salary was based on tips and believe me, For most of the general staff every dollar counts. Its a hard job, but I had so much fun then, and now 15 years later Im about to go on my second cruise as a passenger
My thought exactly, and I know of a business that takes tips when paid on credit cards. There should be some documentation.
@@homerogprados But how much of the auto tip were you given? Could you live in Auto tips and your wage?
@@PianoKwanMan that's a good question. I'm not sure what to say about what percentage . I'm from what it's popular to call, a third world country as so as many staff members on cruise ships. Around 2005 I used to make like 750 a month, in today's usd could be like a thousand. Back then I was young and with my college degree could make that same amount of money with significant less effort in my country but for a person without any kind of degree it's more money than they could make on a monthly basis. And the plus is that if you don't want to spend a single buck on board you have a bed and 3 daily meals. Many people from different countries used to save almost everything to build a house back in their countries, specially the people from Philippines. So it's hard, yes. You get tips on a weekly basis, yes at least on princess. Would I do it again? If I were younger, sure but now, I enjoy just being a passenger
automatically adding tip is NOT a tip, its a charge. ITS RIDICULOUS that cruise line or anyone automatically adds 'tip"
using tips to hide a higher price should be illegal.
Also, a gratuity is a bonus given for service provided... Paying to have the maitre d’ change your table or similar “services” are a bribe, not a gratuity.
Also, a gratuity is a bonus given for service provided... Paying to have the maitre d’ change your table or similar “services” are a bribe, not a gratuity.
Also, a gratuity is a bonus given for service provided... Paying to have the maitre d’ change your table or similar “services” are a bribe, not a gratuity.
Fady Shia I'm pretty sure all cruise lines allow you to drop the automatic tips charged to your account. You just go to the pursers desk and tell them. Then you can tip who you choose on the last night of your cruise. I've done this on several different lines.
The cruise lines say the workers work very hard so they deserve a gratuity. If they work that hard then why doesn't the employer pay them accordingly? Instead the cruise line places the onus on the customer to subsidize their payroll.
Well the customer always subsidizes the payroll. If the autoadded gratuities were rolled into the fare, the price would appear higher. Virgin cruises actually has rolled the gratuities into the fare. What I do like about the autoadded gratuities is that I can say "this person was rude, I dont want them to receive my gratuity for today" If the gratuity is rolled into the fare, then I cant really say that.
At restaurants the staff get a horrendously low wage and rely on tips to supplement their income and many come out far better than if they were paid a full wage.
In the end, the ultra low fares shown on the websites, dont consider that price as your actual cruise price. Add in the gratuities, add in taxes and port fees, and then you get something closer to a more realistic fare.
Because if the cruise lines paid the staff more, the cheapo inside-cabin dwellers such as yourself could no longer afford to board.
Stay home and entertain yourself.
Randolph Wellington are you also one of those inside dwellers? Some individuals spend very little time awake in their cabin. They simply spend their money wisely. I would rather spend my money on shore excursions, dining, the spa etc. To each his own. Happy cruising to you. Nine more months before my Disney Alaska Cruise. And yes I did purchase an inside cabin AGAIN which has nothing to do with what I can afford and all to do with getting the best bang for my money. For the most part, dressing and sleeping is what my cabin is used for because I’m out living my best life.
@@melodymakingmelodies4896 That's what all you cheap inside-cabin dwellers pretend to claim. I get it - you're a cheapo, you don't tip. You probably sneak your own booze on board, and stuff your suitcases full of buffet food during the last day of the cruise.
Randolph Wellington you are such a snob. 😋 I always tip no matter what room I end up buying....I pay a gratuity as well as cash the first day and more of the same on the last day which has always guaranteed me wonderful services throughout. I don’t drink or gamble so I can afford that extra tip. Mostly I’m a balcony cruiser because I just like hanging out on the balcony....best cruise I ever went on was 14-night NCL, inside room...so peaceful and perfect every night, and a big room. Gratuities is more than a tip...part of that expense goes to a crew fund for emergencies such as illness, family death, flights etc. I don’t mind contributing.
As a person from no-tip culture all of this sounds like an awkward nightmare of expectations and feelings of guilt. Also cruise lines are using confusopoly(hiding the total prize of a product to make prize comparisons harder etc.)
I totally agree.
I come from a tipping culture, and I think tipping is total bullsh*t. I will tip, but the "automatic" expectation of tipping is so ridiculous.
@@holdencawffle626 yea I agree. I'm also from a tip culture. I hate that cruise gratuities are so high, it makes the cruise way more expensive. On top of that nobody knows if all these gratuities go to the staff or just a portion of it. Some cruise operators are not known to be trustworthy or honest. But I heard that you can have it removed or reduced, just go to the front desk a day before.
We recently went on a 49 night cruise of South America with Princess Cruises....As Aussies we already balk at the idea of gratuities at the best of time, we live in a country that has a minimum wage and this tipping culture is NOT PART OF OUR CUSTOM.....we don't factor in the extra cost of supposed tipping for service they should provided as part of the JOB.... so we of course didn't pay the encouraged tipping of $13.95 a day per person...equates to almost $2,000.00 aussie dollars EXTRA.....Not something we would do as we already paid a large sum for the cruise... We always go down on the first day and have it taken off our account and we DON"T CARE WHAT THEY THINK....we of course tip our waiters and cabin stewart, and feel this is enough in the way of extra service payments.....the shipping company should not expect customers to supplement the wages of their staff...this should be done by them......
of course!
As I mentioned above if you sail on Princess on a ship based in Australia (Sea Princess for example) as a Australian you are not expected to pay gratuities, however other nationalities are - at AUD 17 per day it certainly adds up!!!
UhUK UK
.
Totally agree
I remember a comedian once saying, "Oh, it says here on my dinner bill that the tip has automatically been added to my bill for my convenience, well, for their convenience, I'll put as much of their silver ware in my jacket pockets so as to save them from having to wash them."
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😋
Was that George Carlin? Sounds like something he'd say. 😂
so funny!
Maybe we should add a "Suggested Customer Discount" in response to the suggested gratuitu
🤣
On our last cruise we prepaid gratuities. We had a specialty dining package for 3 nights and were told that this included the gratuity. At the end of our meal the waiter shows up with a tablet and starts explaining how we are to add our tip. We told him we understood that we prepaid them. Basically we were bullied in to giving him a tip. We promptly went to the desk to make sure that we had in fact prepaid and that nothing more was expected of us, we had. The next evening we ate at the same restaurant and this time our waiter shows up with his supervisor trying to explain to us that our prepaid gratuities did not cover the meal. It was more bullying and we were made to feel very uncomfortable. We ended up tipping an extra $20 at each of our specialty meals. It made for a very stressful and unpleasant evening.
What cruise line was this?
I guess this is another reason why 'gratuities' are controversal - if the cruise line isn't crystal clear what they cover and don't cover, the passengers are left disgruntled and will leave reviews like this, which is a fair one. Having a system of 'gratuities' where some services are included and others are not just leads to the passengers having to think about things much more than they should - a cruise is supposed to a holiday, not a memory test.
I would have informed the cruise line that I was now seeing them for fraud and if they didn't stop their billing I would force docking on the entire line by the coast guard. Untill they learned maritime law. Billing on board a ship while 12 miles out from land is a CRIME.
Buffaloing
$20 tip? So, would the meal had been worth $100 to you, without drinks, if you purchased it at the same type and quality of specialty restaurant back home? You could easily pay $100 for a melt-in-your-mouth 16oz New York Strip plus sides at Ruth's Chris, but $30-$35 for the same meal, a bit more gristly though, at Outback or Texas Roadhouse.
Gratuities are always a sore spot with us and we do not feel it is our responsibility to tip housekeeping, cooks, waiters, and table cleaners. The only person who gave us any personal attention was our room steward, and we tip him well. Some cruise line stopped providing towels if we didn't tip as suggested. Tipping should be treated as appreciation for a good services and not to supplement staff' salaries
Which is fine but then you need to pay a higher price for the product. Taking the product and then choosing to not tip says more about you than the cruise line.
@@marjiegirl If I remember correctly, cruise companies didn't lower their prices when they went from tipping to auto-tipping. Hence, they shouldn't go up if they were introduced into the fare
We’ve gotten to know some of the staff while cruising. We were disgusted to find how very little they get paid! We said, “Why do you do it?” He said, “It’s a poor country. We get to get away. Everything helps our family.” We paid cash to the staff who made up our beds; brought our room orders, etc. The guy who made our beds, straightened up our room was so grateful that we took the time to talk to him, got to know his name, greeted him warmly, thanked him for his hard work...that he would just light up when he saw us. We took photos with him. When we left, we shook his hand warmly, and my husband gave him $50. To us, it was worth it. He was working so hard for so little.
You are disgusted by the fact that a Filipino cruise worker makes twice what the average Filipino doctor makes? Plus free rent and food on top of that? You can't view it from an American point of view. These jobs are treasured by these workers. The disgusting part is the cruise lines benefit from hiring workers from poor countries, but then charge ridiculous gratuities to the customers and we don't get the same benefit.
I worked 4 years as a headwaiter for carnival cruise lines. The gratuities are your salary. The auto gratuities go to your dining room server and assistant, as well as your head cabin steward and his assistant. They go straight to them and yes there are lists, but you will only find out after the cruise if your assigned guests have paid or not.
Since they told me (on RCI) that the tip was split between cabin steward, waiter, waiter assistant, and head waiter in the main dining room I went there every night. I figured I was already paying for it...
Thank you, @Jeroen. Of the vids I've watched on the topic, I was still confused. I've been a waiter in Vegas for 17 years; tipping is part of my entire lifestyle. I'm goin' on an 8-day Virgin cruise in November and was thinking about bringing $5oo in $5 bills (just in case).
So you don't get wages at all from the cruise line?!! That's criminal!
I spoke with a few NCL crew members over the years, and not a single penny the company collected as auto gratuities goes to any employees. I don't believe Carnival or any other cruise lines are any different. It's just the company's unethical profits booster if not illegal. That's why if you ask for a full refund of auto gratuity or refuse to pay, they don't even ask why. Because it's legally indefensible.
This is great to get the real story. I worked for many years in the service industry in spas and when I vacation I want to make sure the servers are tipped properly. It literally stresses me out. I always prepay with RCCL which is the cruise line I usually take and then I give an extra tip to the person who tends to my room.
They need to call this what it is, it is just "another" tax. I HATE, HATE, HATE the whole concept of forced tipping / forced gratuities. You are guilted into paying a whole lot of extra money because the Company isn't paying a decent wage. You don't pay "extra" to your Nurse, Doctor, Dentist, Fireman, Police Officer etc., even though they may have saved your life. You don't pay extra to your local politician because they did a good job. So why should I pay extra for someone who delivered my drink in time (and hopefully didn't spit in it)?
But then I seldom eat out and don't go on cruises anymore and this isa primary reason!
I have never walked into a restaurant and be charged a tip before I even get service. Why the hell would I pay for tips on a cruise before I even walk onto the ship?
Good analogy and point !!
Global Flyer777, the server in your restaurant very likely makes $2.22/hr federal minimum wage for servers and the house doesn't have to pay her any more money unless the total of her $2.22/hr wages plus the tips she earned turn out to be less than federal minimum $7.25. A restaurant worker is not a good example for you to pick in this situation.
Jack Soceka Sir, I’m not saying I do not tip. I do remember the days when we tipped at the end of our cruise. In fact, I believe in tipping very generously. My problem paying for the tip before hand and not getting the service for it. I’ve had a few cruises with that situation. I however cannot bring myself to remove those tips at the customer service center.
Good point! I also think they charge too much for gratuities.
Because this poor people get paid almost nothing and they work so hard. We always pay plus we add extra cash when we live . Try to talk next time with people why work and maybe you will learn how hard they work for you to have good time and enjoy your vacation.
Personally I believe that gratuities have become too expected both by staff and business owners. The businesses (whether cruise lines or land businesses) use gratuities as a way to supplement their bottom line by paying staff very low wages. The staff expect the gratuities because their wages are low and they need the extra to be able to live decently. Too many businesses are now automatically adding gratuities to the bill. Staff aren't giving the service that they should to earn that extra because to them it's part of their wages. I think it's disgusting that a business expects extra income from customers because they're too cheap to pay their staff properly. I've seen where the gratuities are put into a pot and the owner takes half of that pot and then divides the rest among staff. This idea of automatically adding a tip has gone too far in my opinion. It is something that became normal in the U.S. so that businesses could pay their staff lower than minimum wage... and has spread out, making it expected everywhere else.
If I go to a grocery or other store, I am not expected to tip the staff no matter how exceptional their service is... and the business has to pay them properly. When have you ever tipped the checkout person at the grocery store? I shouldn't be [expected] to tip anyone anywhere. Only certain areas expect to be tipped and the rest are left with whatever their wage is. As a secretary, no one ever thought to tip me and my wages weren't any higher than what the local wait-staff were getting. They supplemented their wage with tips... and I never had that privilege. Businesses should have to pay their staff properly no matter what their job is.
I know that the base price of a cruise would rise, but the overall cost would likely remain the same or perhaps even a bit lower. I'd like to see tipping go by the wayside entirely... unless customers are willing to tip EVERYone that serves them... including store staff, nurses, receptionists, managers, secretaries, assistants... and anyone who works that you encounter. If people were expected to tip everyone, no one would want to tip at all. So why are there only a select few jobs that we are forced to give extra to?
I am with you. Its really a cost that needs to get added to cover paying the right wages up front and also get rid of all that uncomfortable feeling if one is doing the right thing or not.....
You make some interesting points. Your grocery store example reminded me of trips to the corner grocery with my granny (I'm 65 so this would have been a while back) where it was customary to have your groceries carted out by an employee who loaded them into your car. She always tipped. The employee never asked, it was just part of the transaction. Similar story with my aunt who, when she was still driving, went to (probably) the only gas station in driving range that would pump your gas, clean your windows, check your oil, all that old-school stuff. And she always tipped...just part of the transaction.
My granny's generation has died out and my aunt's generation is almost gone, but I'm gonna bet a kazillion baby boomers are going to keep tipping for some time to come.
@@53pittmanjt Yes... baby boomers and younger have had tipping ingrained into them... in some countries. However, in other countries, like Japan, tipping is considered an insult. To them, you are saying that the company the person works for is too cheap to pay their employees properly (so has no honour) and that the person you are trying to tip can't afford to keep themselves and/or their family properly.
I remember when gas was pumped for you and all the service was there and it was never expected that you would tip anyone. I'm not putting your relatives down for their generosity, but I would bet that they never thought to tip the person who checked their groceries through... and I have to wonder how this discrimination developed. Why was it a good idea to tip the person who set the groceries into the car, but not the one who checked each item through. The checkout person works harder, puts up with more guff, and both positions are being paid the same wage, in all likelihood. It's a very curious development to me.
I hear you. My grandmother and later my aunt lived in different worlds than the one we live in now Stuff evolves. Today's customs will seem as odd/quaint/weird in 50 yrs as those things currently seem to us.
Very well said..I agree!!
Seems like cruising is as complicated as car shopping with high pressure and up sells, indecipherable sales jargon, subversive add ons and hidden fees. I thought I was planning an affordable vacay for my husband and I, but the price tag keeps growing! Thanks for all your heads-up videos!!
Went on a cruise, gratuities were charged, yet the waiters were still expecting us to tip them at the end of the cruise, they had been bugging us - clearly thinking they went above and beyond - all week and all we wanted was to be left alone so didn't give any extra but was still annoyed. This whole dilemma leaves you with a bad taste at the end of the cruise.
I have had that too where they made it clear they expected the auto and then a "real" gratuity..... its really not pleasant as you say
Your comment brings up an interesting point. That is, what is the line between them doing their job and truly going above and beyond....
As a side note, I’d be extremely pissed if they started what I like to call “tip fishing” like that... and I would not give them... I already have them more than I’d like through auto tip! Which they really should just call a “service fee”.
Wow....they can expect the auto and a "real gratuity" all they want but just for being disrespectful and thinking they're entitled they're not going to get it. I can see adding more money on if someone truly provides exceptional service. If they do, they won't need to fish for tips like that.
Now our stateroom attendant was great--in the beginning--but towards the end? We could hardly find him to get simple things like towels. We left him $20. Not sure if he expected more, but that's too bad. Good service = good tip AND we're paying it anyway in the MANDATORY gratuities of 18%-20%.
Cecilia Nilsson- this is the part that really irritates me.
People have saved $ to go on vacation.....then theyr expected to pay even more from people expecting more than their salary. This has gotta stop!
Auto tip charging is a scam that should not be happening. A tip is a reward for exceptional service. As as no one complains, it will continue to happen.
I complain, or as I like to do add my own "Suggested customer discount" to the same value of the automatic tip
if someone is waiting on you and cleaning up after you everyday you tip. that is just plan stupid
They are not gratuities anymore. They are a way of trying to make a cruise look cheaper than it really is. They advertise the $699 per person per cabin price, but then you have another $15 per person per day to add on to that which is an extra $105 for a 7 day cruise. They really should just charge $799 and let gratuities be what they were always supposed to be but that would make the cruise look more expensive.
Don't forget port charges
Australian P & O, its not compulsory. , In Australia, we don't use tipping in the service industry. we have many of the best paid service jobs in the world, ie McDonalds. ( we have enforced minimum wage system)
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Giving tips should be discontinued.
The basic wages should be reasonable and not reliant upon "extras".
In a lot of cases I have heard that the waitress, barman, chambermaid, etc. do not get the tips. The company keeps them. So to ensure the right person gets the tip they deserve you end up tipping TWICE.
Quote the TRUE price of the cruise.
Pay your staff decent wages.
..and absolutely NO EXTRAS
Your absolutely correct! The majority of the tips goes towards the supervisor and the managements~
I believe it should be done individually at the time of service or end of cruising. The cruise lines should be forced to pay fair wages. If they don't then make it illegal to use them.
The cruise lines get around paying fair wages because they all operate under a flag of convenience.
All the extra added fees make me not want to go on a cruise at all.
Its not that different from resort fees my thing is i think the gratuities are getting a but out of control 11.50 $ a day should be plenty
Lynn Hardy ... It’s a beautiful thing. Don’t rob yourself of a wonderful vacation & experience. Be smart, do some researching & you’ll be fine.
The gratuities can be removed at the front desk & you can tip who you want, as much as you want.
Enjoy 😉
@@chadclark3704That is why I don't stay in the type of hotels that have resort fees.
@B B : Yeah, resort fees should be illegal unless they are advertised / displayed / noted with equal prominence along with the advertised price. Otherwise it's just fraud.
Lynn Hardy it’s so confusing I don’t even want to cruise no more.
We opt-out of the automatic gratuities. We don't feel that it is our responsibility to take up the slack in crew compensation created by the cruise line. We also don't feel guilty for not doing what the cruise line is not doing. They should pay them more, charge accordingly for the cruise and drop the whole "gratuity scam" used to hide the true cost of the cruise. We tip individuals (generously) if/when warranted. Frankly, if more cruisers took our position, good help on cruise ships would eventually be hard to find due to the low pay. At that point, they would have to raise compensation in order to stay in business and maybe the misnamed "gratuities" would fall by the wayside.
"Back in the day," the standard for tipping was 10%. Now, it's 20%+. However, the cost of goods and services have risen with the economy so a 10% tip today is actually equivalent to a 10% tip back in 1960. 20% is a 100% raise above the previous norm. I've never understood the (ir)rationale behind raising the percentage.
It's just stiffing you for more money. The only rationale for doing it is that it increases profits.
Do You feel the same when you go to a restaurant on land? Coming from being a bartender and server for 12 years, I know I was being paid 2.13 hr plus tips. I worked my ass off and was good at it. In return and being in this industry, I make sure all is taken care of.
@@dougreandmore As I mentioned, we tip individuals generously. When I go to "a restaurant on land," I do not tip the entire staff...hostess, cooks, diswashers, etc. That is the way the cruise ship industry has things arranged. Frankly, I seriously doubt that all the money paid for gratuities on cruise ships is distributed to the crew members. Where's the accounting? Who's to say how much was collected vs distributed? I'd be interested in hearing from a crew member about this.
While that may be what the cruise lines should do it isn't what they do which your aware of, so basically your ok with exploiting someone's labor....shame on you if you don't approve of a companies practices don't use the company, choosing to use the service and just exploit the workers isn't ok.
@@marjiegirl Don't try to lay the exploitation of the crew on me. I'm exploiting no one. Cruise line employees knew the wage schedule before they signed on. They have the right to quit if/when they feel they are being taken advantage of. I also have a big problem with the "shotgun" (alleged) distribution of gratuities to the crew as a whole. (Assuming there really is a distribution) When I go to a restaurant, I don't tip the receptionist, cook or dishwasher. Why would I do so on a cruise ship? Last point: Where's the accountability? Where's the talley of "gratuities" taken in vs amounts distributed to the crew? If you believe that all that money is disbursed to the crew, you're very naive and by succumbing to the cruise line's "extortion by guilt" premise, YOU are being exploited!
Gratuity is a sales tax, where the shipping company is taking bigger profits and forcing the passangers to deal with underpaying of the staff by telling that it is the passangers fault if the crew dont get paid. Its a greedy and a shady business.
The Crew should be paid a decent salary otherwise it is just exploitation. This is a relic of the days when only the very rich went on cruises
True. There are two problems though, for one many employer don't have a problem with exploiting and then there are many people traveling nowadays who actually can't afford it.
Australian P & O, its not compulsory. , In Australia, we don't use tipping in the service industry. we have many of the best paid service jobs in the world, ie McDonalds.
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So why dosen't THEIR EMPLOYER do this?
fellow Aussie here @@latteralthinker5992 ..if I'm cruising within/close to Australian waters am l expected to tip staff when it's something we don't do on land..?? l think l will look at getting the gratuity removed at start of cruise and then tip in cash..that way l KNOW that they are getting ALL that money rather than paying the cruise company and lining their pockets..
I'm actually surprised the airlines have not tried this shit.
We were very surprised when the “gratuity” envelope was left in our room on the last day. Some in our party had stretched their budget just for the cruise fee and had no funds to pay the extra charge. To avoid any embarrassment I paid their fee for them. It left a very bad taste in everyone’s mouth. On subsequent cruises, we asked about this fee before booking. This practice stinks because you pay no matter what service you get.
They shouldn't have been surprised - the issue of 'gratuities' in the cruising industry is well known. I've never been on a cruise, but I know that you are expected to tip the staff.
@@tlangdon12 You are basically being served by slave labor.
@@tlangdon12 where the hell does that expectation come from? Tipping has always been optional predicated upon service expectations - now your telling me these people expect it. NO! Hell No.
@@tlangdon12 I really don’t know what you mean about people knowing when even I. This video it is communicated that every line has a different method. I prepay my gratuities on RCCL because they offer that and then I tip my room person extra for cleaning my room but if I took a different cruise I wouldn’t know I would ask before I cruised but it sounded in this instance that these patrons asked and were not informed there shouldn’t be any surprises for the customer that’s just bad business
Once on board I have the auto tip removed. I tip personally for the staff that I actually use. First and foremost my room steward who does everything for me. If I have the same waiter I tip him personally too. The staff prefers it too. They get paid the same salary with or without auto tipping. Giving it to them personally gives them cash above what they already make.
Kathy Giannakopoulos hg
Once you remove it once on board and u pay them in cash how u get proof that u pay them the tip so the cruise don’t charge u twice?
Under Australian consumer law all costs to be billed to the customer must be included in the advertised price. In Aust we refer to it as the 'drive away price' (referring to auto sales). So all the cruise lines which service Australia are guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct under the code when so called gratuities or hotel fees are automatically billed daily - where cruises are advertised in Australia. Australians hate the practice of coercive unauthorised billing of so called gratuities. At the counter you are required to opt out of the practice as soon as you board and sign off accordingly. This is an extremely stressful process as cruise staff hate you for doing this and usually treat you like dirt. If everybody were to opt out, the cruise lines would soon change the system. They should pay staff a fair wage without them taking advantage of the 'flag of convenience' registration and comply with the fair work laws instead of gaming the system. Its a bloody con and should be stopped. We like long cruises so on a 21 or 28 day cruise it adds up to almost $1000 aust - which is ridiculous when you are retired.
While I agree that the cruise lines should pay their staff a fair wage, when this 'con' is stopped, the cost your cruise will increase by $1000, so it's not going to save you money.
I really don’t care what people think about the way I tip as its not their money, it’s mine. I take off gratuities and give cash according to the service provided. I don’t like that it’s mandatory on some ships as that diminishes the idea of great service gets a great tip, poor service gets a poor tip. To everyone else’s opinion I say, Cruise your Cruise.
You pay one way or other. Your cruise fare will cost more if the corporation pays higher wages. Consumers always pay the cost.
It does diminish that idea and that is a shame, but it also removes the free rider effect whereby some cheap skates just don’t tip (or tip far below what is recommended) and don’t worry about it because they know the majority will tip. Also for jobs that rely on tips, much of the time reality is that it is not their level of service that dictates how much tips they make but really just luck, since they can’t chose their customers and some will end up being more free riders than others, so that gets rid of employees just having unlucky days (or entire cruises) where they get tipped much less than what would be expedited (and what they may well need to make ends meet) due to bad luck and cheap, selfish people.
@@briancline7349 I agree...the staff can't choose their customers and avoid the freeloaders. And yes, exactly, the ones that don't tip "don’t worry about it because they know the majority will tip" and the rest of us gets stuck supporting the staff and making up for the ones that are too cheap to tip. It wouldn't surprise me if the staff kept lists of which cabins took off the gratuities. You either pay the "cost" of the cruise one way or the other...low staff wages + tips, or regular wages + no tips...both equal the same overall cost for the cruise. Low wages + no tips (or only for "special service"...means almost no tipping) just screws the staff in the end.
America has been ripping off its servers for years even have different rates of wagesin newyork. Were you get all tips or part tips in the end just bar owners and restaurants gettingyou to pay there wage bill.
As an Australian who does not tip, I have a huge problem with gratuities. I am also a solo traveller and have already paid a huge single supplement, to be also slugged gratuities when I do not get any better service, really annoys me. I tend to travel on luxury cruise lines where gratuities are included. But the Americans on board still tip the crew even though there’s no need to. I agree with you that it is really a tax.
Great points. I am with you on this !
I agree with your comment. In the US wait staff is paid less than half of minimum wage so they do rely on tips. I guess that’s why we’re so anxious to tip. I think it’s unethical that a billion dollar boat company can expect passengers to help pay salaries but it is what it is.
Never witnessed a Tip in Australia, because there is no need. Employees are already paid a decent wage.
It is called a daily service charge.
@@Kni0002 I'm Australian but I still give tips for exceptional service. It's my choice and cash handed to the person intended to receive it. USA disgusts me the way people are virtual slaves. Customers and patrons should not be paying the wages. Employers should.
I like to make sure the intended person actually gets my tip. I give it to them personally. I am not paying a tip to spa personal when I don’t utilize those services. I think it is unprofessional for them to automatically add a tip. I’m going cruising this weekend and I always have them remove the automatic gratuities and tip on my own!
The1GoldenRule EXACTLY what we’ve begun doing.
Exactly, I don’t drink so why would my gratuity go to the bartender?
What cruise lines let you remove the auto grat?
I do the same thing. I have them remove the gratuities then give cash to staff that gave me great service.
Really do you tip the laundry people?
We just travelled on the Celebrity Summit in the Caribbean, this is our 5th time on this ship and our 24th cruise. I’ve always paid the gratuities, but on this sailing things changed. My wife and I decided to use the Ocean View Café on deck 10 and just leave our elegant dress cloths at home. We found it less Cruise Controlled, we just ate when we wanted. I didn’t see why I should pay the maître d, head waiter, assistant waiter, and every other fancy title for a service I never saw. On the last day of the cruise, I went to customer service and asked the attendee to remove all gratuities from my wife’s account. I thought it was fair to pay gratuities for one person not two. I gave my room Stewart $30 for excellent service, and $25 to two bar tenders who did an excellent job. I felt no guilt for removing $101.50 from our account.
totally agree
$30 for the steward and $25 for great bartenders is good for a two night cruise. It's okay for a three night cruise. However, if they really did that well of a job and deserved a tip, those amounts are very low for anything longer than three nights.
That being said, I appreciate that you do have the mindset to tip, because that is the main source of income for a lot of people in the service and hospitality industries. And, you do it the right way. Auto gratuities for all services and amenities across the board is wrong. If you don't use the spa, you shouldn't have to tip the masseuse.
Excellent, I do the same thing. We've cruised over 70 times and we always remove gratuities for one of us and cash tip specific people who go above and beyond to make our cruise fell special.
Michael Gram cruise employees aren't always paid minimum wage, mostly because most of them are foreign and cruiselines can legally get away with paying them less. They rely on the tips to get by. It's simple economics. Let's say you give a bartender a $25 at the end of a seven night cruise. The rule of thumb for a bartender is $1 per drink. If you went to the bar everyday, and the bartender poured 6 drinks for you each day, that would be 42 drinks. That $25 tip is extremely low in this case. You should be tipping the bartender a minimum of $42 for the cruise. Now, if you didn't drink on this cruise, then you shouldn't have to tip the bartender. Fuck your cheap ass ignorance and pay the people who serve you, dumbass.
Glenn Turner : In most western countries they call it extortion to add an amount to an invoice without previous agreement and expect people to pay.
We actually told our cabin steward and table waiters that we had stopped the daily gratuity and would be paying it direct to them and the service we received seemed to get even better . We did this because we were told that the gratuity was paid out on a seniority basis .
Great idea
@@tipsfortravellers Hi, How did you stop the daily gratuity to be automatically added to your account?
Speak to guest services once you board and ask for it to be removed.
I think a gratuity is something you give a person for exceptional service. I think the cruise staff expects the 15-18 percent plus a cash tip .I've been driving truck for 20 plus yrs and only remember once being given cash for for literally killing myself getting a load delivered on time driving through snow storms. Most times it's what's your excuse for being late, never mind I've heard them all. I think the cruise lines should pay a decent wage and if you think someone is going above and beyond then you can tip them
But 15-18% of how much $$ to tip?
@@arlysveen7774 Good question! If the service that you are tipping for has a costs, like the cost of a meal, a drink, or a spa treatment, then it is easy as it is 15-18% of the cost of the service, but if the service is cleaning your cabin, when is the cost of this service?
I think a point that is being missed is "front house" and "back house".
When you hand an envelope to your waiter and cabin steward, you're rewarding those two crew members who you had contact with.
What about the chefs who prepared your food, the bus boy, the guy who washes dishes? Or the baker who starts to work at 3 am so that you have fresh bread when you wake up? They're all part of your experience, not only the waiter who served your table.
Same is true for cleaning. Your steward took good care of you, but what about the laundry men who work in a tiny hot room and you never see? Or the utilities that sleep during the day and come out at night to clean all the public areas, make sure the ship is clean when you wake up? Clean the pools, the miles of windows, polish the brass.
On the new tipping policy the tip is usually shared with the crew who do essential work, but is seldom seen. In some ships the tips are divided only among Jotel and Cruise departments, but in other ships the tips are split among ALL the crew - to include the deck hands who do maintenance of the outside of the ship, man the tenders and do shifts in the bridge as well as with the Engine department: those guys who make sure that everything moved smoothly and that you actually can get from point A to B.
They deserve to be tipped too.
I always ask *how* the tips will be distributed. In the end you might be surprised how little they make in tips at the end.
Forced gratuity is the one issue that keeps me from cruising.
Sorry gratuities are SO wrong. Making sure the crew gets a fair wage is up to the employer not the guest. The more people pay the extra the less the responsibility lies on a corporation to pay their staff a fair wage for a fairs day work . It is purely exploitation.
Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts and experiences. I am with you!!
Corporations are publicly owned. You know. Your retirement plan.
If you feel that way then why do you cruise? You really need a lesson in basic economics.
poor of your servers, whatever you go all the staff work for tips no matter the country you come from, if you don't tip, that's mean you are cheap!
This is actually going to be my first cruise and in Australian waters gratuities are NOT paid or probably allowed. I am not mean and it should be up to me if I wish to pay.
Quote from Hurtigruten cruise line. "Gratuities are neither expected, nor required", well that will confuse the yanks eh. This is a cruise i WOULD book.
But Hurtinguton provide almost no entertainment ,only 3 meals a day and price is very high.
@@raymondwong7674 We did a cruise to the Antarctic with Hurtigruten out of Chile in 2005, no Cabaret shows but great informative lectures on the subject of our cruise, (the Antarctic Continent), perfectly adequate, the food and service was excellent as we're the daily shore excursions. The best cruise we've ever been on, and we've been on many before and after that one. Great cruising isn't always about how much food you can cram in all day how much alcohol you can guzzle and being entertained till the small hours.
bob nicholson Do... because it is a fabulous cruise! Xx
If it is a gratuity, then you should be able to give what you want to whom you want. If it’s the scam that I believe it to be, then they should just add it to the initial cost of the cruise. I would feel better with one price. The cruise lines could then pay a decent wage. At this point if you feel someone did Extra. Then give a tip. I don’t think a tip should be for the things that I paid for when I purchased the Cruise. I’m not going to clean my own room or cook and serve myself. That being said, I always pay the “gratuities “ in advance. I’ve cruised 30 times with 2 more booked but I think I’m going to give it a rest. Thank you for the video.
Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts and experiences. I am with you!!
You can. That's the beauty of it.
Australian P & O, its not compulsory. , In Australia, we don't use tipping in the service industry. we have many of the best paid service jobs in the world, ie McDonalds.
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We have them removed at the end of every cruise. I’m not being charged for tips. I give them to whom I feel deserve them. Period. If this ever becomes mandatory I will not cruise.
But does the company give you a hard time to have the fee removed? Long lines, fighting with the workers, etc.?
Terri Katz no, you simply tell them that you are going to tip those who have helped you very well!
@@terrikatz4854 It's not really hard, especially if it's clear that you intend to reward specific workers. Often we'll take off one passenger's (such as mine) gratuity and keep the other (my wife's) to cover the behind the scenes folks. Then we directly reward our steward, wait staff, and others who provided us exceptional service. RCL and Carnival have different ways of doing it, but it's not hard. I recommend doing it at least two or three days before the end of the cruise to avoid the long lines -- if Guest Services is not swamped, the workers are more relaxed (I don't think they ever have bad feelings, but if they're swamped with guests I imagine they get "less friendly")
yes, I don't know why anyone would remove it upfront - starts off bad with crew; remove at end
Yes, we tip those who give us service. Not the cruise line.
I was told by my waiter that they shared the gratuity but not equally. Management and supervisors get the most and the waiters, room stewards, etc get much less. It should be the other way around. On the other side before they started requiring gratuities ,many people never tipped. Some didn't show up for dinner the last night of the cruise to avoid tipping.
A lot of people miss that last dinner..........
Damani Baraka tipping should not be expected anyway. It should be voluntary and only if service was great. And then still, only voluntary at the guests discretion.
Side note: a lot of wait staff still expects tips, even with auto tips!
So specialty dining, buffet or room service it is!
Lobster,surf and turf along with the best deserts along with a free glass of wine used to be served on the last night,so passengers will show and have their envelopes ready.In this electronic age things has gone from bad to worst especially the service.The cruise ship staff were mostly people from the Caribbean because of their jovial behavior,but they started jumping ship and the cruise lines got fined for that.Now it's mostly Asians and Eastern Europeans on the ships.The Indian are now running the kitchens.
Damani Baraka, I was told the same by the maître d. I don't think it's fair for the ones that really work for it and don't get what they deserve. Management and supervisors get paid well and should not really get a share of the gratuities.
@@horsewithnoname12345 Noob question. Other than specialty dining, buffet or room service, what is the left over service staff that demands tips? Thx
It's get REALLY OLD hearing them tell us " don't forget to leave a tip." EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND, they're saying this. It makes me feel like NOT LEAVING A TIP.
Exactly :-)
That's weird Rhonda because I've been on 25 cruiseships and I've never had an employee ask me for tips. They do remind me to do the survey when it arrived thru email.
@@RETIREMAJORPAIN I was on a Carnival Cruise and THEY DID.
@Elyse George Good for you, I DID.
Yeah I remember reading a book in elementary school about a kid who has to start a business. There's a part where one of her customers doesn't tip her and when she calls him greedy she's scolded and told it's up to the customer if they want to tip and should never expect one. What happened to that kind of mentality?
i always turn off the auto-gratuity (They usually allow you to do that the day before you are done with your cruise) and I prefer to give them individually, those who served me
NEVER prepay your Gratuities!!! It goes straight to the Cruise Lines bottom line and if you think it will find its way to the people who actually serve you, you are a fool, it doesn’t! Have it removed from your account and reward excellent service individually in cash directly to the server. Please.
do you do that at the beginning of your cruise? I was stunned by Celebrity when they charged us $15 per person in each room at the end when I was checking out. I hadn't cruised before so I didn't realize that was going to happen. I paid it but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Many cruises now do not give you the option of not pre-paying.
I'm afraid this is becoming more like the norm.
Do you have any evidence, or is this just your opinion about what happens with the gratuities?
rich1383yt I have been told by employees of several lines that only a portion goes to the waiter or cabin attendant. You can probably guess where the remainder goes...
@@rich1383yt
I know 2 cruise workers personally.
Back in the good old cruising days you would put cash in the envelope, and give it directly to the person in their hands.
Now with the new prepaid methods, or charged to ruise card method, the cruise companies have changed wage regulations to supposedly benefit the employees.
But you can only take the cruise line word on how the money trickles down.
I'm sure the employees still get some...but it's not as clear cut as cash on hand.
The first time I ever went on a cruise, I resented "being told" that I had to tip basically. However, once the cruise was over I suddenly wanted to not only tip what the suggested amount was but I also paid over that amount on an individual basis. These crew members work hard to give us a good vacation experience and they make very low wages in most cases.
They are poorly paid and are expected to work very hard, but the forced tips are not used to increase their wages ,but to pay their low wages. The cruise line is not required by any law to give them any extra money from enforced tips, so it’s just another income for the cruise lines.
@@jimvanelswyk2791 interesting.
It's irritating but I knew this was something I would have to accept or deal with when I booked my cruise. What does irritate me is the "per person gratuity" is the same for the couple in the "Owner's Suite" as the senior citizen couple with an inside cabin who after years of saving, get to take their once in a lifetime trip.
On Princess its 14.50 for cabins, 15.50 for mini-suites, and 16.50 for suites; most I've seen charge more per day for suites - though not much.
@@jenniferlindquist6525 Princess charges 14:50 per person NOT per cabin
those tips are suggestions, we base tips on service, for instance, the head guy in the dinning room, nope, our waiter, if he has been good, we tip accordingly. our room attendant, we tip them, the end.
I always stop my gratuities. On princess you're treated the same regardless. If staff want a tip, they shall earn it and provide me with exceptional service and I'll give them one. It's that simple.
tom williams how do you stop the gratuities ?
Karina go down to guest services and have them put tips on cash instead of card.
Thanks for this, I'm not so off put now !may like a lot of people hearing this info to reconsider cruising with princess ! Hope princess reads this and takes note!
How do you know how much to tip in cash if you take off the gratuities off?
@@maggi0903 It becomes up to you to determine how much they deserve.
Here's a suggestion you can always stop cruising until something changes or complain to the cruise lines they can't make money if people stop going but they know that alot of people don't care about paying the automatic gratuities and as long as those people don't care the cruise lines will continue to rip people off tell the right people complain enough and who knows maybe there will be a change.
The thing is, I have cruised many years. Since they have started prepaid gratuities, service has started to decline. When first starting to cruise the staff was always exceptional with superb service. Now it is subpar. My opinion is it is because they know they are getting them whether they do well or not.
As a travel agent and on NCL as we speak, I had my gratuities removed yesterday due to poor service EXCEPT for the room steward. I will tip him seperately as he did a good job. I do not want to reward the poor service in some of the restaurants, hostesses and non existent sommelier. Not impressed with the experience so far.
Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts and experiences. I am with you!!
Just had the same experience on NCL. Wish they would've used my gratuity to purchase fresh food; if wager a guess that 75% or more of the food on the Norwegian star was prepackaged. First time I cruised for 8 days where I actually LOST weight! The entertainment and room staff was excellent though. I tipped extra to room attendant. Next time is rather tip directly.
Cruised on NCL in 2013 not impressed at all. Unless you eat at their restaurants ( which you have to pay as an add on) the food isn't of good quality.
I have it removed on day one and tip accordingly. cruise lines are just taking advantage of the fact that people don’t like to cause a fuss so they pay it. Don’t!!!...tip those who deserve it and make sure they get it....the cruise lines get enough....it’s a rip off!
That's what I did. I had it removed, when I got a bill. I tipped when I got great service or when I chose to tip.
may i ask u how did u remove it exactly please ? did you just ask them to remove it?
@@rounab8853 You go to Guest Services and have them remove it. The line may be long but wait.
And you just let them know you want it have them removed?
Ceci Chapa just got home from my cruise and yes that’s exactly what i did,told them i wanted the automatic gratuities to be removed in order to tip the workers i interact with by myself and they just removed it (even tho i had to repeat it three times lol)
Most cruise lines working from Australia 🇦🇺 have done away with this , but we still like to give our cabin steward and the dinning waiters for their service
Yes it is better when included like from Australia. Then (as you say) one can give a real tip for anyone who gives above expectations service
Just like when you get airport transfers and when you get to your hotel the rep on the coach says dont forget to tip your driver for getting you here safely why do they expect tips for something you have already payed for them to do . Just wait for the day when you go shopping and the checkout lady expects a tip for serving you
Remember when a TIP was for good service ? Now.. it's just HAND US THE $$$ and we, the Cruise Company will decide what to do with them !! So no... these 'charges' should be removed by travelers immediately when they get on the cruise. Added - they think they can charge this 'tip' per person per day. What I find more disgusting is the 'gratuity' that they apply for a drink - someone serves you a bottled drink and there is a nearly 20% 'charge' for that ?? Remember when drinks on cruise lines were cheap because they didn't pay duty - now it's about finding more ways to extract your dollars from you.
U shouldnt have to pay for a person doing their job!
I dont get tips at my job, therefore it is up to the employer to pay higher wages instead of depending on consumers to do so.
I totally agree with you.
It really depends on the job... like it or not the pay structure of some jobs are clearly based on reliance on tips... for example some jobs like waiters are even allowed to be paid an hourly rate lower than minimum wage. If you can’t afford to tip at such establishments or have a problem with doing so, you should view it as you can’t afford to go in the first place. Also keep in mind that if a cruise ship for example relies on gratuities to pay for say 25% of the income employees need to make in order to be willing to work those jobs (and to not be impoverished as a result), then if gratuities were abolished you would just end up paying that much more on your initial bill so the difference would be the same.
That said I would agree that there are some sorts of jobs, especially those that provide nonessential service many don’t even want (like bathroom attendants), then it should just be up to employers to pay them and not rely on guests. But you not getting tips at your job is a bad justification to use for your point of view.
Any industry that relies on tipping to subsidize wages would necessarily have to increase costs directly to consumers if they increased pay and ended tipping. If you think businesses like restaurants are “pocketing” the “extra” money being paid by consumers tipping that they don’t pay in wages, then you have never run a business or signed the front of a paycheck.
One cruise line offers $600 per person less than another. That cruise line doesn’t pay its employees properly. Do you choose the cruise ,one that charges a higher fee? Do you care about the plight of those workers? Of course you don’t. You buy the cheaper cruise. You are why this exists.
Jeff Are we comparing apples to apples here? I think it could be an illogical assumption that ticket price automatically equates to employee wages. It might or it might not. The cheaper cruise line may be a less well appointed ship, worse ports of call, less attentive service, or be hiding the fact that they get the $600 out of you in other ways, like watered down booze or cheaper food. You have to compare value per dollar, not dollar for dollar. There would really be no way to relate the $600 difference to actual employee pay unless you could look at the wage reports of both cruise lines. You could also argue that the staff on a cheaper cruise line can’t or won’t give the same service as a more expensive one and therefor don’t deserve the same pay. Does a fast food cashier deserve to make the same as a waiter at a 5 star steak house? I realize your comment may have been directed at Mae. Her logic is very flawed and she wants to not tip based on the rules of an imaginary world. If her job is not in a industry where tips are customary than she logically has no expectation of a tip so the first part of her statement has no bearing on the second. In the second part she is not tipping based on the rules of an imaginary world where wages are higher and tipping isn’t a thing, without accounting for the fact that in that world she would be paying more for the service. She needs to act based on the world we live in, the tipping world. The tipping world is better (not counting people like Mae) because the employee and the customer have much more control over the cost of the service and potential wages. A mandatory course in basic economics in high school would help a lot of people understand these issues better.
I think the auto gratuity should be charged per cabin and not per person. It seems crazy to me that two people in two cabins or one person in four cabins pay the exact same amount as four people in one room.
Why? The workers are serving EVERY INDIVIDUAL PERSON ON BOARD, so why shouldn't every individual be represented in the grat? The base fare is per person per day, the grat should be as well.
That being said, I do hate the auto-grat, and think it should be rolled into the cost of the cruise, so you are paying one full price for an all-inclusive package (with a fine-print foot note on the receipt dictating who gets the grat portion of the fare and how much % for each recipient).
Basically, the cruise lines need to be more transparent with how they charge passengers and distribute the money.
I agree!!
1 person in 4 cabins? Poor analogy. It's more like 4 people in 1 cabin. And families with toddlers deserve the hit. Yep they should pay more, just look at the floor around little kids when they dine. Filthy
After my last cruise I sat at the fort Lauderdale airport for a few hours. There were a bunch of cruise workers sitting next to me. I asked them if the pre-pay gratuities were divided up and given to them. They said no. They said no. The prepaid gratuities are kept by the company and given to the workers as part of their low salary. They said that they get their base salary no matter what. If a traveler gives them cash they get to keep it no matter what. I believe there's a lot of misinformation and a lot of lies associated with this. I have never removed prepaid gratuities but I am tempted to.
Glenn Turner I have toddlers that eat very little and have to use a little area of the splash pad because they are not fully potty trained. I bring their pack and play to sleep and I am the one entertaining them all day because there is almost nothing for them based on their age. I remove the gratuities for them every time because I’m the one doing all the work.
Despite the fact that I don't agree with the tip culture (where employees depend on it) vs the company paying a living wage, I appreciate the ease of automatically adding gratuities to my bill. However, it's ridiculous that cruise lines aren't transparent about exactly who all that money is going to. I'll definitely be thinking about this for our next cruise and consider tipping individual employees instead.
I went on a P&O cruise last November 12 days cost £3000 for the two of us we went straight to reseption and asked for the gratuitys to be removed
They then gave us a form to fill out as to why we wanted them removed
I just wrote (don't you think £3000 is enough)
This year I've booked the same cruise and when booking I was told the gratuity system has been removed so I think the message has got through
My fourth and fifth cruises coming up this April and May. I have always gone directly to the booking desk and asked to have our gratuities removed. I do pay my favourite staff members individually, usually the stewards. This system suits us fine and I would rather ensure that the ppl I wanted to get the cash, actually got it.
Except there are people behind the staff you interact with who support them in providing you the excellent service.
Think of the chef in the kitchen of a fine restaurant. You don’t see them but what they do or don’t do reflects on the server’s ability to provide you with a positive experience. You are unlikely to be overly generous with the tip when your lobster dinner was overcooked.
I went to a smoothie bar and at the end of the transaction she asked me how much of a tip did I want to give her? I told her 0, you accepted a job from the smoothie bar to make smoothies what are you doing over and beyond your job description? Of course she couldn’t answer. This forced tipping is going way to far here in the USA. It’s a bonus for going above and beyond your job description not an addition. I now only tip no matter the business when you’ve gone above and beyond exceptional service, not just for doing what you were paid to do! If you don’t like the wage don’t except the job offer just the same as us in corporate America if we don’t like the salary then we don’t take the job!
You're heart is obviously 2 sizes too small. If you don't agree with the tipping culture then don't go to places that require tipping. Go have a nice night out at McDonalds. You're "moral stand" is only hurting the working poor while you in corporate America are still making their share. You're just morally justifying your own greed.
@@harveythepooka you're insane, if you take a job knowing there is no guarantee you will be tipped and you don't get tipped.... What's the problem. You can't just make something real by adding "culture" to the end of it
I used to run valet at a casino and would encounter people like you. It could be -15 degrees outside, there would be no valet charge, and I would run to their car so quickly that their car would be nice and toasty by the time they got to the waiting area, and they’d walk right past me without saying a word, slam their door in my face and drive off. No tip. No thank you. Not even a momentary consideration for the person serving them.
@@AV57 I mean you did do your job lol what did you expect?!?!
Samuel Noel, to be paid for the work I do. Do you work for free?
Because of the whole catch 22 over gratuity, seems the most effective way to deal with this would be to have you auto gratuity lowered from the 18-20% to maybe 7-12%. This way you can ensure to subsidize the wages of the unseen crewmen while giving an actual direct gratuity to people actual serving you. Love this channel, great for amateur cruisers.
I call it false advertising. You get one price for cruise but that is not the true price. If I did that in my contracting business I would not be in business very long. How would you feel if I quoted you price of $ 15k for a bath remodel and upon completion I asked you for $3k more to pay my minimum wage employees? We need a class action lawsuit!
Fred Reim 15k , I’ll just replace my shower head for 5$ and tell my wife to be 😃
@@tiredofchurchs7407 LOL. But you do get his point, right?
In certain states, your contractor's license would be revoked, you would have to pay a fine for fraud and be stricken from doing anymore jobs in the state--sometimes for an amount of time--and other times permanently.
How do I know this? Because Jersey is our home state (no longer living there) and that's what happened to dozens of "contractors" who literally took the money and ran. This was during Superstorm Sandy--which by the way, that area is exactly where we came from.
@@tiredofchurchs7407 Ah, I don't think my husband can sneak a new $5 shower head and tell me that the bathroom has been remodeled, lol.
Actually this is a brand new house and I HATE the master bathroom: those fiberglass or acrylic surrounds AND glass doors--Easy for THEM to install it and think it looks nice--BUT guess who has to clean all that--all that bending and twisting?
Me--with a bad back, bad knees and not a young woman anymore.
If I had known this ahead of time, I would have told the builder NOT to install this type of shower. We are actually thinking of getting rid of this whole thing. Give me a shower curtain any day. I don't have to get undressed or put on crummy clothes just to do the shower--I can just reach in and clean AND the shower curtain can go in the wash. Much easier!
I understand what you are saying but when you go to dinner and the steak is 15.00 that doesn't include tax and tip which MOST people pay 20%. So that could be called false advertising...same when buying say groceries...furniture..you pay tax..so that could be false advertising also. That would make it that they should add tax to each item on the shelf.b
As an Australian this really annoys me. It gets included in our overall fare so we don’t get any opportunity to remove the gratuity and we end up paying more for our cruise than travellers form other countries. Having said that, we still have to remember to check that they don’t automatically add MORE gratuity to our final charge. In my opinion tipping should be on an individual basis, paid directly to a person who has provided above average service.
I live in the US and tipping is one of those expected things. Although on a cruise it might be an extra expense. I myself like to prepay it because when I get on board I want to know I already paid everything, including excursions. It’s one less thing for me to have to be concerned. But that’s me.
Thanks for this honest take on a very controversial topic. I am always relieved to hear travel agents call things as they are, but many are afraid to proverbially bite the hand that feeds them.
This issue puts me off taking a cruise - when I book a holiday (like a month in Australia) I already know how much it will cost, and I choose to pay the cost. The cruise lines should pay a fair wage and increase the cost of the cruise. With many systems on ships it looks like the legal definition of extortion - I am not joking. The staff are working, they are not doing the fare paying passengers a favour - just pay them a reasonable wage.
I would like hear from some one who actually works for the cruise ship how much of the $27 a day I paid they actually received The cabin steward was really the only one that deserved anything
I pay the staff in cash like we used to do. This way, I know whose getting my money.
Right!
if you don't pay regular gratuties, those money are taken from crew by their bosses to pool
Me too..!! I went to CS desk and asked my gratuities to be decreased., to Zero!! Then I tipped each one of them who have been given us service directly, although I ended up spent a lot more then the gratuities charged but I feel more satisfied that way.
@@eriskooo, nothing is deducted from the crew's pay. They are given a salary. The gratuity is EXTRA or added pay for the crew.
So do i!!
1:57 Rumours?? I've been receiving the list two days after my passengers boarded the ship. My supervisor was giving them to me and every other cabin steward. They were called 'cancellation lists' and to this day I'm surprised people treat it like some kind of conspiracy theory 😳 Of course the crew knows these things, we even were informed about how often particular couple/person 'cancelled' on all previous cruises.
I remove gratuities at the start of the cruise but do pay it to individuals that give me extra service
atmm89 and how do the cruise know you paid them ? So they don’t charge you twice after u leave?
@@bethmariefigueroatorres2926 You go to Guest Services at the start of your cruise and tell them that they need to remove the automatic tipping because you'll be paying individuals who serve you in cash. Make sure you stay there and see that they've removed it from your account. If possible, get a receipt or some kind of proof that you've taken this step in case you ever need to prove what you did.
We are pretty inexperienced in the world of travel. A few years ago, we were lucky enough to book a cruise with our 4 kids with another family who helped us so much with the process. So much of the planning I just followed by paying when I needed to. I didn’t ready anything about cruising or payment details, etc. we LOVED our trip and it was beyond out wildest expectations. No regrets. However, on our last day we received, under our door a bill for gratuities that was, at the time astronomical thought I don’t remember what it was. We were charged the same fee for 6 of us, including 3 minors. We truthfully were tipping everyone who did anything for us all along the way. The cruise was quite a stretch for us financially so, we were really stressed about it. We spoke with guest services about our situation and paid a portion of the bill but we’re really left feeling like a bunch of cheapskates. I wrote to the cruise line afterward to express my feeling that this felt like a dirty trick to play on guests at the end when people are not sometimes thinking clearly having enjoyed the all inclusive drinks all week. It was awful to feel like you’ve failed the staff when they’ve been so wonderful. We just didn’t have it to spare.
So far I’ve only cruised with Princess and have always taken the daily gratuity off the bill but given money to specific staff. I too had heard rumours about how this worked so I asked our waiter and also the Maitre’D.
In the kitchen area they have a list of diners who have removed the automatic gratuity. If you keep your pre-added daily cabin gratuity then what you give to the waiter goes to the waiter. BUT if, like me, you remove that gratuity the waiter is obliged to hand in whatever cash you give to go into a central pot to be divided amongst the staff.
It’s so underhand and I feel conned by Princess. It’s unfair on hard working staff and it’s unfair on well-meaning passengers.
We're Elite on Princess but they are now just rip off merchants. Wont cruise on them again
In high school, my daughter worked at a place (not a cruise ship) where they auto-added gratuities to the customer bill. She and the other employees rarely received their tips because most days management pocketed them. She didn't stay there long. I always wonder what portion of the prepaid tips I pay actually ends up with the people who take care of me. So I still tip my dining room table crew and my room steward. Though admittedly not as generously as I did before this prepaid tipping stuff started.
Some cruise lines are thieves. I doubt that all the gratuities paid by passengers are all given to the staff, maybe just a portion of it.
I have to agree I always do the prepayment and then tip my steward but how do we really know the service people are receiving this money. It really bothers me.
If in doubt you can reduce your daily tips & then you can tip as you want to the actual staff that served you.
I now do a spreadsheet for each holiday (vacation) which includes the base price, expected gratuities, daily spend on board, shoreside spends, expected cost of any excursions I fancy taking, speciality restaurants, cost of getting to port etc etc. In all what I expect the real total cost of the holiday right down to new clothes. I can then compare between different companies and depending on my choice can work out a monthly budget to save the total cost. It goes automatically each payday into a 4month notice account. If researched properly then no horrible surprises and credit card bills. Insurance should cover in case of etc so make sure I am well covered. One tip, declare everything on your insurance quote. Horror stories abound where people neglect to mention something to save a few shackles up front and then don’t get paid out when the worst happens! Perhaps this is a video for Gary?
I've only cruised twice, but each time the gratuity ends up being added into the fare before completing the purchase. The customer needs to go out of their way to remove it, so they just end up not doing that. You're right, It's just a scam where the cruise line advertises one fare, but you end up paying more (about $10 - $12 a day per person) for the gratuities that are automatically stuck in before paying. The cruise lines should all end this nonsense. Advertise an all-inclusive fare, that includes paying their employees a decent wage, and state everything is included. Then say tipping is not expected. Stop this gratuity nonsense.
Absolutely 😀
I have cruised the Nile a few times.
It was explained to us that leaving tips with reception ensured that all the crew got a share.
By all means tip individually as you like, if they share, that’s up to them.
I have usually ignored the extortionate suggested rates of US$ per person per day.
In the UK we are not used to tipping that way.
I never go to the dining room. I always remove those from my bill. I feel that if I don't use it. Why am I tipping you? I ALWAYS keep the Lido tip. I will take off the tip of the housekeeper. Then, I will personally tip the main person and helper, if one. I tip more than what they were going to in the first place.
Is the dining room where you pay for the meal, not the free buffet?
@@fuckedupfridays9288 the dining room is where you go to have the sit down meal. You know fancy dress night and you wait on a table and stuff.. Not the buffet but the main dining room. I hope this helps. If not, I can try to resolve more.
@@renattaashley9420 it did! Thank you!
On my first cruise which was on the Queen of Bermuda for seven days, my dad taught us that on boarding or the first night, spread a little "grease" around to the room steward and helper, waiter and shi assistant and you head waiter, etc. They will know that you are aware of how the game is played and that you will reward good service. At the end of the cruise, more tips.
I have done this to this day and always get the best service. Always added a tip on a bar service and the like. Even with the add ons, I still tip those who put forth. I am sure the cruise lines are pocketing a lot of the tips. If they do not make enough, raise the fare. Like resort fees, this is a slimy way to soak people.
So now I am rethinking cruising on regular lines and going to the more upscale lines.
Pack them in and soak them.
Sounds like con artist scams by these cruise lines. There are no gratuities or any tips at any hotels or restaurants when we took our trip to Japan. Their customer service told us upfront!
Same all over Korea... no tipping, not in restaurants, hotels, vehicles, hairdressers or full service gas stations.
I have now seen discussions about how much you should be tipping your landlord in the USA..
Dude what????
Dear Japan has never had a tipping in their culture.
Ships with Japan as a base ( as in most Asia countries) DO NOT TIP AS ITS INSULTING .
always check out cruise countries of origin and check out their culture rules.
@@carlblaskowitz7817 anyone demanding a tip from me better be barter. Because I want the full price up frount. If you expect more called a tip you will get bartered down to a LOWER PRICE TOTAL.
Totally agree, pay the staff properly and make tips something extra again, for those that go above and beyond. If the service is an integral part of what you are buying then it should be an integral part of the bill. When you buy clothes you don't get one bill for the clothes and an additional gratuity charged for the staff member that actually handed them over to you. Why is this normalised for folk handing food over to you?
Another tip: once you're home check your credit card statement and make sure no additional charges were made after your trip. I've had one charge made a week after & I disputed it. Don't trust when they have your cc on file!
I usually freeze the credit card I take with me on my return home so they can’t do this
I am glad I watched this video and read the comments. I found a super deal to fly to Sydney next year. Now I am planning my activities. I was thinking of the Carnival Great Barrier Reef 9 day cruise. After reading the many comments about gratuities. I am turned off by hidden charges, taxes and gratuities. I have a choice and I am going to exercise my right not to cruise! I will find another suitable activity that does not include all this nonsense. Many thanks to the veteran cruisers for their comments. You helped me decide to forego Carnival and spend my hard earned cash elsewhere. I do not enjoy getting squeezed for gratuities and bushwhacked on the bill. I do not know anyone that does. Thanks everyone for saving me all the aggravation and $$$$.
Thanks for this video Gary. As an Australian without the culture of tipping, I do find it confusing and embarrassing when I’m not sure what to do. I do agree that it is more of a “service charge” these days and I prefer it to be included in the fare or auto added. My mum, who has cruised a lot more often than me, is vehemently against the auto added tipping and requests it be removed every single time. She then tips her room steward and her dining staff but I worry about the staff who miss out with this approach.
BTW, I’m not sure if you noticed that the thumbnail for this video has a typo. 🧐
Thanks for watching and leaving your thoughts and experiences. I am with you!! Thanks also for spotting the error. I sort of felt something was wrong but you know how it is when you see what you thunk you are seeing not what is there... so have changed before too many people see my shoddiness thanks :-) !!
Many thanks for this video and many thanks for this comment.
I’m from Germany and I’m also unsure about tipping because it’s uncommon here.
I only did german cruises till today were all the gratitude’s are included til. Anyway we do tip the state room steward and the restaurant stuff additional.
Now we are looking forward to our first Alaska cruise in July next year on Island princess.
I’m still confused how to handle. Especially when I hear and read that the crew expects cash tipping additional to auto added gratitude.
We will do a minisuite state room with two adults and two teens so I expect them to ask for about $60 per day.
On the other hand when we tip only our stewards and our dining staff what about the people working for us in the background? The stuff in the laundry doing our sheets and towels and the stuff in the kitchen cooking our wishes and doing the dishes for us. Often they do a great work also...
Any suggestions for me how to handle this next year ?
Thomas, Germany
good for her..
crew have fixed salary according to what is stated on thier work contract. most of this gratuities just go to the cruiseline pocket
We are going on a Carnival cruise next month and will be removing all gratuities.
If somebody goes above and beyond we'll tip them a few extra quid, sometimes handsomely, but it is not my role to pay their salary.
If the cruise line doesn't pay enough, that's down to them to fix. We will tip when appropriate, but never when expected.
We cruise with Princess & we have our state room gratuities removed usually on the first sea day after the rush of embarkation day is over - It is backdated to the start of the cruise - you have to fill out a small bit of paper work but its worth it - we prefer to tip the staff that we feel have given us great service - We have never had a problem doing this once we knew we could do it - It has also meant that we can afford to continue cruising, as the price advertised is critical in deciding whether we can take a particular cruise or not - thanks for this video to help new travellers - as we say "you learn some thing new about cruising on every cruise" - safe travels everyone
I wonder if that would is doable on a Celebrity Cruises?
Good on you. Nobody knows if these tips even go to the staff, maybe it just additional income to the cruise line. Like the resort fees that almost hotels add on per night even hotels that are not really 'resort'. Too much scamming all around!
Gary, another excellent video. Well done. In our case we tend to cruise on Seabourn (where gratuities are not expected) but even so, on one cruise, the cabin steward kept suggesting how nice it would be if she were to be given a gratuity. While we didn’t buy into her whining (which is how this came across) we did often receive excellent service from various staff who really and seriously ‘busted their butts.’ When I eventually discovered was that they had a crew fund to which we could contribute. It took care of purchasing things like bicycles for crew when they had a day off or helping crew with unexpected medical or family issues. Senior staff were delighted by our desire to contribute to this fund. Of course we have to trust the cruise line but since there were so many very high functioning staff who provided excellent service day in and day out, we didn’t know how to tip every single one, and even then what about all those ‘back of house’ people with whom we never came into contact? So this was our ethical or moral compromise. But then we still leave cash on a hotel bed when we stay, for the housekeeping people. An old but elegant approach we still appreciate.
A few quick observations. First, cruise lines are a for profit business. This means that passengers are always going to pay the salaries and wages of all the company employees, irrespective of how they choose to label it in the bookkeeping. That said, I find the use of the term "gratuity" in reference to anything that is not fully voluntary to be annoying in the extreme. A true gratuity is for service above and beyond the norm. If a service charge is paid in advance then onboard tipping should be discouraged in all but the most unusual circumstances. IMO the solution is for the developed states (i.e. the US ,UK and EU) to pass laws that restrict port access to cruise lines that conform to basic labor standards.
Edit: Typo
Yes absolutely the guests are covering the wages and as you say the lines should just have fares that have the right charge instead of charging the “gap” in the so-called gratuities !!!
But the question is what basic standards based on which country. If the pay rate is at or above the pay rate for that persons home country isn't that fair? just a question because we have service industry workers in America who make min wage and are on food stamps and we argue over having a living wage law
OH YES. The crew is informed if you remove the gratuities. After I had removed the gratuities at Guest services from a cruise on Carnival 3 crew members approached me outside my cabin to see if everything was OK and if i was pleased with their service.
I've traveled to many places. 'Gratuities' were paid with the sale of the ticket. So early on I didn't tip. Before long I asked a server about 'tipping' and it being paid in advance. Her reply was, "We never see any of that money paid to Newman's Tours." I'm sure this is not the only time this happened with other agencies. So now, I tip. But be careful here. In come cultures a gratuity is taken as an insult, so study up before you leave to anywhere.
I noted you mentioned bus drivers, since I am a tour coach driver this applies to me. I am always amazed if I take a group on a trip several days long ( this is not a shore excursion), people will give a few dollars tip. Unfortunately tour companies have also subscribed to the idea of "Since your getting tips you can get half or less pay then any other driving job". Motor coach operators throughout the US are facing this daily reality regardless of what company they work for ( this does not apply to limo or line (greyhound) drivers). I have done shore excursions and some companies will build in tips to the drivers, but mostly you get what you can in cash from the passengers. Typically day excursions tip generally better on a day to day basis then longer tours, but the longer tours are far more fun. So, a word for the wise remember your coach drivers, you would be amazed on just how little we bring home in our paychecks. Just FYI from someone that's been in the tour and travel biz for more than 30 years, a tip for a coach driver is generally $2 - 5 per day per person. Although it sure would be nice if we got what the ships charge, what a rip off!
I worked on ships as youth staff in kids club. I can tell you that youth staff are NOT included in the gratuities pool, bc not all guests use our services. So when parents tip us at end of cruise, it is greatly appreciated. We split the tips equally between our small team (maybe 6-10 ppl).
Everyone I know who has ever taken a cruise ALWAYS pay gratuities in cash, directly to the people which they feel deserve a tip.
This eliminates ALL speculation.
Charlie Odom EVERY Cruise passenger should do this
I've been on many cruises and I have yet to see exceptional service it's just friendly service I disagree with gratuities
I just returned from a Holland America Alaskan Cruise and did not pay the added daily service charge. I paid my 2 waiters (both were phenomenal) and my 2 stewards tips in cash with hand written notes on the last day. They were very appreciative. The cruise line was accommodating as well in taking the charge off my onboard acct. It didn't seem like a problem to them, I even felt like a savvy traveler asking them to remove it. And they did right away.
I like that idea! Wait until the last day. I don't pay up front and i have it taken off.
Companies like to add gratuities because many of them will keep 50%. I was part of a class action lawsuit because the company I worked with was doing this, the company lost.
Cash for service! We cruised MSC last April on the Seaside in the Yacht Club with a group of 12. Everyone loved their room steward, but we were fortunate enough to have the butler that went above and beyond the rest of our party. He took better care of our 4 other rooms than their personal butlers did. He was amazing to the point of my husband getting a phone call in the YC Lounge on his "break/dinner" apologizing for him not being there to get us back on the ship from that port. (I was even a little freaked out he knew where to find us:) He was absolutely amazing and the rest of my family (who all had different butlers), were floored by his service. He got a good tip, but it was the first time I wished I could have tipped more than HUGE! It was certainly above and beyond service.
Gary, your videos are always helpful and this one particularly speaks to me. I've been diagnosed as an over-tipper. I always chip into the communal tip bucket via daily billing but also use tips as bribes. If I tip a barkeep or waiter in cash beginning on day one, s/he will quickly learn my name and preferences and usually put me at the front of the queue when I show up. I have a traveling companion who likes a fresh bucket of ice in her cabin every morning and evening; she gives her cabin attendant a handsome tip on the first day and is treated like royalty from then on. I call this strategic tipping because I'm hoping for something out of the deal, but I often find myself overdoing it and the points you made give me a little focus.
I bribe tip, too 😉. Bartenders, wait staff and room stewards can and will do some extraordinary things for you when you have shown to be a "generous" guest.
I personally don't mind tipping extra. That mandatory prepaid gratuity charge is viewed as a tax in my eyes. I would never think or want to remove them. I go on board with a stack of cash tip envelopes knowing that I will be doing the real tipping during the actual cruise.
I tip the room steward twice daily. All three members of my wait team get tipped individually and nightly. Bartenders get cash tips on every round, with the first round being the largest.
Specialty dining servers also get tipped individually and at the end of the meal.
Cruising is great and tipping is part of the cost of an amazing vacation.
How much do you tip them?
Last year our daughter celebrated her birthday with her husband and two small children on a Disney Cruise. My wife and I went as well as our son-in-law's parents. Disney required gratuities as part of the package, but the last night, when I gave them the slip showing their gratuitiy, I had gotten some note cards and envelopes from the purser and wrote a little note and included an additional amount because they had done such a great job to help our 5 day cruise so memorable. I am happy to reward those that go to extremes to do their job.
After watching some of your videos I've started thinking, maybe I shouldn't go on a cruise.
I'll just end up feeling ripped off. Lol.