Cruise ship tips and gratuities

PompeyPete

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

I'm not sure I understand that pov - each member of staff will have worked for them so whether they're related or not seems irrelevant.

5 members of the same family averaging say £200 in tips per week EACH = £1,000 per week. That's a lot on money even before salary comes in to it. If they repatriate that money back home then they'll be living in some luxury.

I took the £200 out of the air btw. But if I tip one person US$50 over a 2 week cruise, that's £20 a week from one cabin. If each steward services say 30 cabins, most will tip, some quite generously.

KonkyWonky

PompeyPete wrote: »

But it's not unusual to have several memebers of the same family working on a Cruise Ship. So pool the tips together, and they're quids in.

I don't understand the relevance. Are you suggesting that if a company employs two or three members of the same family there is only a requirement to pay one of them?

PompeyPete

KonkyWonky wrote: »

I don't understand the relevance. Are you suggesting that if a company employs two or three members of the same family there is only a requirement to pay one of them?

No, because it's impossible to know that.

What I am saying is that they don't need to rely too much on tips because there are so many of them from the same families. They remit their tips back home and live in a lot of comfort.

heatherw_01

It is automatically billed

https://www.cruiseandmaritime.com/before-you-sail/general-information

zilla6

Thanks for all the above replies. Some interesting comments!

[Deleted User]

I’m going on a two week cruise in August. After booking and paying up front, I discovered that each person is charged $14.5 per day gratuity and all drinks purchased on board will also have a 20% gratuity added! This seems extortionate and initially adds over £600 to the cost of the cruise if we stay tea total! I think I shall decline to pay and tip those I consider have deserved it.

NoodleDoodleMan

Go to the Guest Services desk (aka Purser) as soon as you get onboard and ask to opt out of the prescribed gratuities.

Don't leave it, or you'll be charged for those days, no retrospective opting out.

No avoiding the added on drinks % in my experience. There may be a happy hour - ask when you get settled in.

You should be able to get an envelope from CS and deposit a sealed universal tip donation at the end of the cruise if you prefer that.

As for tipping individual staff - beware that at least one cruise line we've sailed with implement a policy that all such gratuities are pooled into a general tips fund. The staff are obliged to follow this and are unlikely to tell you that.

Incidentally, some cruise lines let you pay tips up front when you book, at a modestly discounted rate.

Katiehound

For future reference not all cruise lines slap on a % service charge for drinks. Fred.Olsen certainly don't and I don't think Cruise & Maritime do either (didn't buy any drinks there so can't be sure!)
In both of these you can opt out of paying the fixed gratuities, fill in a form and say why!

The crew work extrememly hard- it's a shame they are not paid the same rates as the officers. I don't think £5 per day, shared between cabin & restaurant staff, is OTT but I'd rather it was included in the price.

(Of course that would bump the cruise price up- not good for marketing!)

BarryBlue

You should always check the tipping rules as they do vary between lines. It is correct that P&O have abolished charging tips now, but you are of course free to tip your cabin steward if you wish. Tipping waiters is a less precise art now that most people don't have the same table and waiters every night. I believe there are a couple of lines that still don't let you remove automatic gratuities.

Tipping for drinks is a contentious issue and seems to be on all $US ships. It's usually around 18% and unavoidable. £UK ships tend not to charge, as well as drinks being much cheaper anyway. You should always do your homework before booking.

NoodleDoodleMan

The crew work extrememly hard- it's a shame they are not paid the same rates as the officers.

The crew (the ones that sail and maintain the ship) don't benefit from tips, they are on different employment contracts.

Officers' salary will reflect their qualifications and the years of study and training to achieve their rank.

The service staff do indeed work very hard, it's not tipping in principle that causes diffences of opinions, it's the way the rates are set and implemented by the cruise line.

A prescribed daily rate of gratuities is a service charge by another name.