I tipped at each specialty dining. I also tipped a $1 cash with every drink (alcohol and soda). I gave my room attendant a tip when I left as well. Tipped at paradise beach and to the taxi driver both ways. And $10 to the porters that took our bags pre-cruise.
We give our cabin steward a decent cash tip, and also tip bar servers a few bucks per drink, on top of the prepaid tips that we never remove. We also tip porters, cab drivers, and the person giving any spa/salon service I might get. I don’t go to the casino, but my husband does and he does what you do, Tony. My husband also tips street performers when we enjoy their work.
Prepaid tips purchased in advance plus cash tips to room steward, bar staff and/or anyone else who went above and beyond. Tip amount would be “commensurate” with the level of service experienced.
As a European I find this tipping thing extremely annoying. Always having to think about paying extra for every service! On my last cruise I did the prepaid gratuity and that was it. And I find it really gross that a company has the guts to threaten customers for not tipping! They're YOUR employees, not mine! So YOU have to pay them,. not me!!
@@barbarawwarren4554 you got it all wrong. I already paid them when I paidfor my cruise. And it shoulb be the cruise company's responsibility to pay their workers the amount they rightfully deserve.
@@barbarawwarren4554 You sound crazy. SMDH No one should demand for anyone to pay a tip. Tips are EARNED and on my last cruise half those workers who were rude and didn’t care. I paid and will ALWAYS pay those who I want to tip. Employers need to pay their workers a fair and living wage!!! Also, who’s to say how much the workers will recieve from the pre-paid gratuities?
Cruise staff should not have to rely on gratuities, they should be paid a livable wage and tips should be an extra perk for their hard work. Cruisers shouldn’t have to pay tips to supplement wages, it should be an extra perk for staff.
There is a you tube about pay. They stated that the base pay depends on what country you come from! In a country where people make (for example purposes only ..) 1$ per hour and the cruise ship pays them $4 per hour, that's a great wage. Part of the reason there are not many citizens from the USA in wait-staff and room service jobs. The USA wage per hour is too high for the cruise lines to pay us more than what we could make at home. Hope that makes sense. ALSO, I just passed on something I heard on a UA-cam channel. Can't verify the facts of the statement. Just thought it was interesting.
This is partially true however a lot of the services on the cruise ship are things you would tip for in real life like the dining. The hotel part is different because they charge way more than I would typically leave for the staff at a land based hotel but they do a good job.
I am Australian, and we don't have a tipping culture. Cruises in Australia include tipping, so they are expensive. If cruising elsewhere, we will tip individuals, but I take off the compulsory tipping. I know it is meant to go to behind the scenes people, but prove to me they get it. I have never seen any proof that the money is given out. If you tip at say a restaurant here, they usually have to pool it at the end of the day. Just pay people a proper wage.
@@alanwignall3016shouldn't be tipping in real life either. Also in real life my food, drinks, room, service are not all included in a daily fee I pay......
The question is why do employees of a multi BILLION dollar corporation need to rely on tips. It's passing the wages on to the middle and lower classes who don't make that much and many save up for MONTHS/YEARS just to take a cruise.
@@bettyb1581 I remind you you pay the salary via a tip or in a higher fare price. Adding daily gratuities as a fix rate does allow them to discount rooms more easily. Since the salary is fixed in the gratuity per person then are free to offer deeper discounts on rooms.
I hate how Tipping has become so twisted that it's become an entitlement. Tipping made sense back in the day as a means to help out small mom and pop businesses and reward service that went above and beyond - that was actually delivered. But we shouldn't be responsible for multi billion dollar companies paying their EXECUTIVES millions, while not paying their rank and file employees. While I always tip and used to feel good about it, now I feel like I'm being robbed blind and guilt tripped into it. Just raise your prices 20 percent and stop this "Oh the poor workers, BS"
The problem is, people don't want to pay 20% more in the bill. Even a 1% raise in prices causes people to leave some restaurants. It's crazy. While there I'll tip 15-20%, if its actually ON or in the bill, people go crazy.
@@SlipstreamVintagewhich is why laws need to be changed. Even cruiseships could be forced to follow a law or be restricted from porting in the US. In the end though if we changed tip culture in the US then cruising would follow as some cruise companies already include tips.
@@Laurie911 Spare me, this propaganda crap. I get the same quality of "Service" on a Cruise Ship as I do in most land hotels. Cruiseship employees don't do much of anything that sets them above land based wait staff and room attendants.
The gratuity issue is getting out of control. We have no problem tipping out wait staff, our state room attendant, the port people who take our luggage and even our bar servers who get to know us during our cruise and making sure we are taken care of. But these cruise lines expect the customers to tip even more by raising gratuities and now they are even cutting some services. So let me see if I get this, pay more and get less? Meanwhile the top executives are making large 6 figure salaries and want us to pay more. Here's an idea, why don't they take a little less and pay their people better. They know they can get away with it because there are thousands of people just waiting to get jobs on the cruise ships to support their families. This is why they register their ships in other countries so they can get around and avoid certain rules that are mandatory in the USA.
Yeah I've never paid the gratituties, I tip the wait staff personally!! But at yhe end of the cruise I'm in that line to take gratituties off!!! Yeah RCL made 1 Billion in 3 months, I think not!!!!
The only way you can change this is to stop cruising. You honestly can’t expect an “executive “ to give back money that he has been guaranteed to receive in his contract, can you? Would you EVER give money from your salary back to your employer?
@@Viewer2019 I'm not sure I agree with the argument that CEOs and upper management, the ones who decide how much everyone makes including themselves, shouldn't give back what they shouldn't have taken to begin with.
As an Australian - all this tipping is just not part of our culture (& should not be compulsory by Cruise Lines - who should pay their staff properly)! Tipping is a ‘bonus’ given to say ‘thank you’ for a job done well (not for simply performing your job)!😎
@@bbldrizzzzzy That is not the point I was making…….Cruise Lines should pay their staff properly = so that ‘gratuities’ are a bonus to their wages! (It is nothing to do with me ‘short changing’ anybody! It is nothing to do with me supposedly taking ‘a stand’! It is simply a general comment by me about ‘cultural differences’ at best.)
It goes beyond culture. In the U.S. tips are estimated and taxed by our Internal Revenue Service without proof they were ever received. It's assumed to be part of the income of certain types of work. I don't know what rotten politicians came up with the rule, but it goes back for generations.@@med6399
Totally agree! Better to pay the all up price in the first place instead of handing out money all the time. It has really gotten out of control. Nothing at all on taking a stand as was suggested!@@med6399
As an American tipping is getting stupid out of hand and is turning into a way for the rich to pit the poor against each other. We no longer blame the business for n not paying well we just blame each other. It’s crazy how people are manipulated like this. As the comment above shows tipping is now a weaponized test of if you’re a good person or not
I'm sorry but as soon as a tip is required it is no longer a tip a tip is "sum of money given voluntarily as a token of appreciation or goodwill for services rendered" if it is required it is not voluntary. The moment it is required it should just be added into the cruise fare
@@Laurie911 In my mind it's not forced bcos I tip with pleasure. My husband and I even double tip often when we go. We also enjoy knowing that there aren't any surprises as far as tips and gratuities are concerned.
Yup should legally be required for truth in advertising. NCL is now even hiding taxes and port fees until checkout now as well to try and mislead about True total cost of the cruise.
I totaled up all the tips I handed out on my last cruise a few weeks ago. 7 days to the Caribbean with pre paid gratuities and extra gratuities all totaled I paid $689.00 in tips. I think tipping has gotten out of hand.
@@ClutchingPearlz it is and I’m not a particularly excessive tipper. We were a family of 4, we had 5 bags tipped the luggage handler going in $20 because we brought all the bags to the intake area but tipped $40 going home because the baggage handler delivered our bags all the way to the car which was a ways. Other than that our tips are pretty Standard. We ate in the main dining room 6 of our 7 nights as well as every morning. Our wait staff was incredible and flawless in their jobs, maybe my tips are a little small for them but at what point do you say enough enough? Prepaid gratuities $324 Room attendant $100 Butler $100 Luggage handler $60 Wait staff 1 $25 Wait staff 2 $25 Wait staff 3$20 Wait staff 4 $15 Room service $10
Solution: Pay a fair wage, make the baseline cruise price reflect the true cost and only tip for exceptional service. Problem: Cruise lines financial models.
The reason why businesses are pushing tipping is so they can pay less or not at all. The holy grail for businesses in the service industry is to pay the “tipped minimum wage” of $2.13 and have their staff compensated by customers. Of course after they achieve that their goal will be independent contractors paying them to work.
Are you willing to pay 20% or more for your next cruise? People who say this are always the first to complain when prices rise significantly because of it, and they certainly will rise!
I completely agree. What I don't agree with is people who remove the automatic gratuities. Those gratuities provide a large portion of the very small wages many of the behind-the-scenes workers make for working very hard for extremely long hours. If you want to stand on principle and protest that method of compensation, there are cruise lines that pay their crews a living wage and don't charge automatic gratuities. Cruise with them. But to pay the lower rates and then cut the pay of the crew just to save money isn't standing on principle. It is being a cheapskate, and the only people affected are the hardworking crew whose wages you have cut.
@@werewolflover8636 It's not going to happen without regulatory compulsion - cruise companies are not benevolent organisations so, unless it applies to all cruising they're not going to do it. Virgin pricing comes closest and they are perceived as expensive.
Here is a concept. Pay the employees what they are worth instead of relying on customers to figure out what to pay their employees. I think having companies putting the expectation of tips or putting a policy that tipping is required should be banned. I feel if i tip is because i want to and it is because the person doing the service went out of their way to make me feel welcome and doing a great service. Forcing tipping before service is rendered is absurd. The point of tipping is showing gratitude to the person providing service. it is less of a hassle for me to not tip because of bad service then me trying to take a tip away before of bad service. Tipping has gone to far. Where tipping use to not be expected is now popping up everywhere. I am tired of Tablets being thrown in my facing asking how much i like to tip. I think asking for tips should be illegal. if tip is offered is one thing but asking or expecting tips is just wrong. Employers should just pay their employees a fair wage and if someone gets a tip its because they made a customer really happy.
5 bucks a bag! Wow, I want to be a luggage porter with an eye out for you Tony. I was always told customary was a buck a bag which I feel would add up after a day of embarkation.
The fact that it's not per cabin per day, it's per PERSON per day is outrageous. It's out of hand. Plus, they automatically add on an extra 18% to any drink you order, to hand you a donut, etc. I hope people realize that! On the bill, it doesn't say the word gratuity, it says service charge, so you are already paying forced tips. What I don't understand is why people stress so much over it. Just don't do it!
I have cruised quite a bit in the last 25 years and have ALWAYS handed my cash tips to those who have earned it! It is determined by ME and I’m not a cheap tipper…. I will bear the inconvenience of standing in that purser line to remove the “auto-tips” so that I can determine what each server deserves. It’s my vacation, my hard earned money and my decision.
Might be the norm in the US, but from the point of view of anyone outside the US that announcement from Carnival straight-up reads as "Yes, we acknowledge that we are exploiting our employees, and although we could do something about that, we refuse to because we don't care. You, the customer, should feel sorry for them".
As a US citizen the whole typing thing is such an obviously toxic manipulation of the working class against each other it’s truly depressing to see how well it works
You're super generous. The porters at cruise porte are union workers who are being paid a good salary. Your $20 for 5 minutes of work is quite amazing. I understand that bags can be heavy and lifting is hard, but they are also well paid. After a bad experience with one in Miami, we've gone to carrying on our bags ourselves. Yup, it is more work for me, but I'm not quite 70 yet, so I'll manage my own luggage for a while longer. I tip well on cruises where it is appropriate (I LOVE Virgin where tips are not expected), but probably not as much as you do! As important as tipping on a ship is naming outstanding employees in your evaluations--this leads to things like a little extra time off, a "better" shift, or..enough mentions can lead to promotions. On another subject, I'm really tired of the self serve kiosk at a local store asking if I want to tip.
I know, it's very annoying when you hear people talk about just wanting to pay more and more on top of what they already paid! This is the reason they keep raising the prices! BTW, they're raising the tips PER PERSON from $16 to $18. Plus, they automatically add on 18% for all drinks, handing you a donut, etc. But people want to pay more! Very annoying! I certainly don't do it.
I agree, very generous to the porters. We typically have two bags that are tagged appropriately and ready for the ship. We tip $5 for the couple minutes it takes to move our bags from the trunk to the cart for the ship.
I completely agree with you. Those porters made enough money, but they still dare to extort cruisers for more. In fact, I bet Tony wouldn't tip an airline luggage handler with the same amount of excessive gratuity. The only reason for me to tip them is that I don't want them to deliberately mishandle my luggages. Basically, they are holding our luggage hostage.
@@rbrevard On our last cruise out of Miami, we just carried our bags on board ourselves. A little awkward, but one bag is medial supplies, and couldn't risk anything happening to that one.
Agreed. Here in Europe it is still, mostly, under control, but as with other elements of the globalisation of US culture, it is only a matter of time until we get infected by this too.
That's built into most of the software they use these days. If they don't write their own, that is, and who does for card payment processing. Mind you, I'm not saying it's a good thing. Just that's how it goes.
As long as you can easily decline to add a tip to a retail purchase, it’s ok. I really hate it when you give a card to a waiter to pay your restaurant bill and they ask if you want to leave a tip or ask how much to add to the card for a tip. I always say no, I’ll leave cash. And I leave the appropriate tip… 10% for crappy service, 15% for adequate service and 20% for over and above excellent service (which I rarely get.)
I remember the days when the cruise lines provided " Suggested" gratuity amounts and little envelopes to hold the cash. You tipped based on service provided. I don't understand how Virgin Voyages can have no gratuities and the other major cruise lines can't!
I remember that too... and I also remember showing up for the last night of dinner and 90% of the mdr was empty (people avoiding tipping). Always felt sorry for the waitstaff
I when on virgin voyages this year and it was one of the most amazing experiences that I have had on Cruise ship. Virgin offer top notch service and you didn’t have worry about gratitudes and tipping was up to you
Tipping is out of control. Especially in the US. We live in a third world country where tipping is not normal. One of the reasons expats may be scorned is because they give big tips which creates expectations and unbalances the local culture. We give a small tip where warranted. We only double tip on cruises if a special service was provided or we make a special request. Who decides which job gets tipped? I worked extremely hard as a travel agent for minimum wage. Then I decided it was in my best interest to move to commission. I also tip a flat amount because percentage seems to be inappropriate in many cases. If my meal costs $10 or $50, it's virtually the same amount of effort depending on how many courses.
I agree. In the US it costs me $20 to get a 10 minute haircut. The chair is earning the shop or saloon $120 /hr to cover wages and overhead. If I tip 10% to my barber or hairstylist, they are now earning $12 /hr directly from me ($24/hr at 20% tip) plus whatever the owner is paying them. Now apply philosophy to everyone else who expect tips. Except for waitresses, who in most places in the United States are allowed to be paid less than minimum wage, why am I paying their wages instead of tipping them for good service? In 2019, pre-covid, you could opt out of room service at Disney World and save about $8 per day. My son's family opted out, my wife and I didn't. For $8 a we had our bed made and the trash left at the door. What was I paying for? Many hotels have carry that policy over post-covid and sometimes in the name of saving the environment or to protect their staff by cleaning only on request for multiple night stays. Post covid, when we do road trips and stay one night at a hotel, what am I tipping the maid for? For provide me with a clean room from the prior guest? What service did they provide me? If they don't provide a clean room, I am finding another hotel chain. If I stay more than one night and they actually do make up the room, then I'll leave a tip. We just finished a bus tour of Scotland and Ireland. For 10 days we never touched our bags from the bus to our room and from our room to the bus. We never saw anyone who moved our bags. Who do I tip? If they can do that work without a tip, why in the US am I tipping someone who lifts my bag into my transfer at the airport? And don't get me started on tipping when ordering at fast food joints. I used to enjoy giving big tips to people who deserved it because it was so hard for me to earn that money. Now, I am expected to pay their wage, it is no longer a tip.
I don't want to go on vacation and spend too much energy on figuring out who I have to hand money to several times a day. Just charge me something reasonable and let me relax!!
I have started a quiet revolt on the tipping culture, which has totally gotten out of hand. I'm a healthcare worker, and i don't expect tips for performing my job description. I shouldn't have to tip someone else for doing their job. If you need to pay your employees better, include the cost in my meal/service /cruise, etc. I have quit cruising because my most recent one ended up being 3x the "advertised" price.
Me to, left school at 15yrs old, worked until I was 65yrs old in UK, was never tipped in any job, so am concerned about my 1st cruise at 80 yrs of age.
I agree, when an electrician and other professions get paid double, triple, quad more than a healthcare professional it’s ridiculous and they complain, nurses don’t get paid 💩.
That sounds exhausting. I am considering cruises, but I am hesitant because I HATE 'creeping' costs that explode my budget. Excessive tipping (when the staff should be paid a salary) is one of them. Also, I hate the idea that my every interaction with somebody has to be so crassly monetized. That doesn't feel like a relaxing vacation.
Wife and I went on our first cruise this past June on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas (7 night cruise)….two of our adult children and their partners as well as my sister-in-law and her husband--8 of us total. I typically tip 20-25% in restaurants and $1-$2 for an alcoholic drink in a bar. I thought it was ridiculous that an 18% gratuity was added everything…including to all drinks…and then they expected an additional tip. If I’m already paying $16.52 for a cocktail (with the obligatory 18% gratuity). I’m not going to tip any extra. We did tip our cabin steward $60…and each room in our party tipped him $40-60 each. And we tipped the luggage handlers when we arrived and dropped off our luggage at the port…..we didn’t tip anyone else during the cruise (my wife and I, at least…).
Thanks! I always bring a gift for my room steward as well. So many are from the Phillipines so I bring them items made in their country and money as well. And I wear my La Lido Loca T-shirt :)
Tony's example just showed us how not to tip, especially those who already made a good union wage but decided to give super bad service, while still dare to demand gratuity from passengers
Loved our all inclusive trip to Jamaica. No tipping allowed. I prepaid our gratuities on our cruise. Beyond that only the room steward was tipped extra on board. We don't drink, gamble, or use any spa services. We mostly ate in the buffet and had different waiters every night. So no tip in MDR. We did tip our room service delivery person. On land we tipped porters, wheelchair pushers, excursion guide. We never tip the pier performers. We just walk by and don't stop to watch.
I’m really glad that you shared about the street performers. I’ll never forget on one of my first cruises that I had my husband take a picture of me with somebody in a dressy costume. I have no clue that that’s what they did for a living and so after they took the picture, they wanted a tip. I can completely understand, but like you, I did not have any cash. I felt horrible! So it’s good that you’re letting people know ahead of time so that they either stay away like you did or come prepared. Thanks for your info!
Tony, please address when cruise employees receive pre paid gratuities. About 7 years ago I researched this issue and found pre paid gratuities are not paid out at the end of a cruise but rather go to a corporate pool of all ships within the fleat. At some point they are dispersed fleat wide as a bonus. This can be a very large pool held at corporate level. Who collects interest on the funds?
Never been on a cruise but seems ridiculous to have to tip all these people. You've paid for the cruise, all the staff are getting paid!! Other minimum wage workers (retail staff for example)don't get a tip!!
@@B-ch6uk ... No one on a Cruise ship is making less than$1,000 a month cash... when you add that room and board is included, don't have electric, water or Cable TV bills, that amount increases to around $1,800 per month. They don't have car payments or car insurance, don't pay for gas, don't pay for a plumber if needed or any kind of technician, a/c or otherwise. They have internet on board at less than a dollar a day, can party in their own "Crew Disco or Night Club" where well drinks and beers cost only 1 dollar. When you take into account that they don't pay a cent in taxes because of "maritime law", they are making at least 2,500 bucks or more per month... Waiters in the Main Dining Room and Pool Area can earn up to 4 or 5K per month when you factor in extra tips. If you consider that the price of a house in the village where they come from may cost between 5 and 10,000 bucks, you realize that sometimes after just one or two full job contracts, roughly one year with a 30 days vacation in the middle, they can buy a house for their families. Of course every ship is registered in a "Country of Convenience" where the Big Company don't pay taxes, or very little... and those countries have more relaxed work laws. The thing is not that they don't pay fair wages, because they do, the thing id that crew members have to work week in and week out with no "off days". They ave "Off Hours", and that's why you see a lot of them walking around in the Ports of Call where the ship stops, but after 4 or 5 hours they have to return to get ready for work, sometimes 14/15 hours shifts with just a couple of 30 min. breaks... so, don't worry, they are happy to have that job, and there are many more back in their countries waiting to get a job with a Cruise Line... Of course they miss their family and friends back home, but no Job Contract is longer than 7 months, and the Cruise Line pays for their flights to and from their countries to the Port of embarcation... oh... and Yes... if they are not happy, they can quit anytime as there is no obligation to fulfill the "contract"... of course if they do quit in the middle of the contract, will be very difficult for them to find a job even with other Cruise Lines... but they are allowed to leave... they are not slaves... of course in this case (almost never happens) they'll have to pay their flights back home.
They make fair pay they are not in dire straits plus they have family at home that also work we all work to make a living. Why is it that only some jobs depend on tips.
You mentioned that anyone who sold you a drink on your cruise, got double tipped. I would submit that they actually got triple tipped. You paid a tip in advance - that's tip # 1. Then when you signed for your drink there was another tip already added into the total, that's tip # 2. Then if you fill out a tip in the blank line left for that purpose, that would be tip # 3. Seems a bit excessive to me - but others might not care.
I just got off an 11 day cruise and my room attendant told me that he made less than one dollar from the prepaid gratuity from our cabin. I cancelled my gratuity and gave him cash. He was so grateful and said that he did not have to share that tip with anyone, that was an eye opener!
@@Pochi1Oh? Do you work on a cruise? If so please explain why cruise lines are not paying enough and insist we tip people who have not earned it. I have no problem tipping those who interact with me. Why pay for people who I never see because cruise lines don't pay good wages?
I'd tried something new on our Mediterranean cruise last summer. I gave our Cabin Attendant 20 euros when he came by on the first day to introduce himself, then another 20 halfway through and a final 20 on the last night when we thanked him for his excellent service and promised him an all 10's survey. It might have been a coincidence but he was one of the best Attendants we've ever had.
My worst tipping experience was on a 5 star resort in Egypt where the lifeguards blocked the sun beds with towels and let you use them only if you tipped them. I'm quite used to tipping, but that behavior I simply found unacceptable. The same goes for the restrooms at the airport where there was a guy who literally pushed the tap button for me too wash my hands and expected a tip for that. I was quite irritated by this. On the other hand, I double tipped our waiter in the main dining room when we were on a cruise because he was really attentive and we actually had some good conversations. But as I see it, tips should be given after the service is rendered.
I actually like the idea of tipping for exceptional service. And I like the idea of NO TIP for lousy or rude service. If my expected tip is already figured in, then we are good with exceptional service and if it is lousy, then ask for it back. Lately it feels like everyone has their hand out in every situation. I am just starting to say no.
It's not that Doordash is de-prioritizing the tipless orders, they're just letting customers know that the drivers are less likely to pick up their order if they see it doesn't have a tip already included. As many others have pointed out, all of this could be avoided if workers were paid a fair wage for their services. If people want to tip, they should be given the option to do so after the service has already been provided. I always tip, but I hate tipping in advance, only to end up getting crappy service 🙃
I was raised by a waitress married to a cabbie so if anything I tend to over tip. As for door dash, no thanks. I like to give the tip directly to the driver than I know they get the full amount.
This is one of the reasons we are taking a break from cruising. I have no problem doing the daily gratuity or the automatic tip for room service. I tip the baggage guy. However, the service we had on Celebrity Summit was horrendous! The room steward managed to mess something up every day, different thing each day. The wait service in the MDR was frankly, horrible. And it wasn't just us. The woman at the table next to us asked for her drink 6 times during dinner. It finally arrived with desert. I gave up on getting anything to drink other than water because you were kucky to get it before the meal was over. After 3 days i implemented a protocol that if i needed something (salt, bread, butter, oce water) i would go to the staging area for our waiter and stand there until i got what i needed. Because i learned i wouldn't get it by waiting at the table Still no problem with the daily gratuity. However at the end of the cruise there was a lot of pressure to tip the room steward and mdr wait staff more. Which really upset me that i was supposed to go above and beyond when they clearly had not even done the minimum. So I'm taking a break from cruising.
A gratuity is something you give by choice! I don't need anyone telling me how much to give because that is something EXTRA BY CHOICE. This goes for a cruise or anything else. If I pay for my service, it's TOTALLY MY CHOICE AS TO WHETHER I WILL, OR HOW MUCH I GIVE. PERIODT!❤
I believe ALL tipping should be included in the daily gratuity fee, so long as the cruise line is honest and fair about the distribution. One exception is perhaps that of the cabin steward...the person seen most often on a one on one basis and will take special cabin requests. This suggested tipping practice would remove partiality. Remember all staff are expected to be exceptional and provide remarkable unbiased service...that is their JOB!
I rarely saw/interacted with my cabin steward. (There was nothing that I needed that wasn't provided in the background without interaction). I however spoke with and interacted with the main dining room staff EVERY day of the cruise. I did tip both the steward and the waitstaff extra because I chose to.
I used to work on the trains in the UK. I never got tipped even when helping Americans on the train with their luggage. I always gave the best and friendliest service that I could, and I was being paid by my company to do so.
Tipping prior to the service is rendered is not a tip, it is a fee. Why don't the cruise companies include whatever it costs to fairly compensate all workers in the price for a cruise. Let's stop playing these games.
We handle tipping exactly the same way to everyone you mentioned. We’ll sometimes give the room steward a tip early on if we have a special request like asking for ice each day or opening the balcony barrier when we have balcony rooms next to someone traveling with us. They always get something at the end of the cruise as well. We aren’t big spenders but give what we can afford on top of the prepaid gratuity which I know is appreciated.
They wouldn't need tips so bad. If the billion dollar industry they worked for would pay them more. But I guess no one wants to have that conversation.
So glad I live in Australia. Yes, when I travel to the USA and Canada I tip well but reluctantly. Pay people a living wage and get out of this tipping madness. Oh, and Australia is fast becoming a cashless society so we are already used to not having cash on us.
Yes, I did. Neither my husband, who has major health issues, nor myself were unlucky enough to contract CV. We fully supported our government and the hard and difficult stance they took to keep us safe. We are all entitled to our opinion and that is mine.
Hi Toni from Bristol U.K.! I like the pre-pay gratuities on cruises as I hope that all the hardworking crew that we don't see 'face to face' have a share. Being a 'Brit' we tend not to tip above that other than if we have the same wait/bar staff daily, room service, porter & of course our cabin steward! On the plus side though we are very polite, friendly, undemanding & appreciate every crew member we have contact with. We always keep our cabin tidy & also ask for 'no towel animals'! We also mention any crew who have given great service on the post cruise questionnaire.
First when did tipping become me paying for your employee this is why I don’t tip unless I get good service. Recently was at a major theme park had one of there 60 dollar caricatures breakfast the server brought coffee juice and pop no refill no nothing my husband had to take his cup and walked in the back for a refill when we left a 1 dollar tip this man came back and told us that we made a mistake on his tip we were willing to let this go but he stood there so I asked him to get his manager and asked her what mistake was made we were offered to comp our breakfast we told her no thank you just ask your employee to do there job
Tipping culture HAS to go. Pay your employees a livable wage. It shouldn’t be the customer’s responsibility to make sure your employees eat. And if they’re going to penalize you for not tipping, then that’s no longer a tip; it’s a bribe for preferential treatment. Let me just say, I always do tip and tip well, but the issue is getting out of hand.
on my last trip on the last day, I went to the buffet with $20-$30 in ones and I just started handing out a dollar or two to everyone I saw, it didn't matter if they were cleaning tables or carving food, or whatever, just everyone. They all loved it, and soon they were pointing out the people that I had just missed as I circled the whole room. This was one way to make sure people who did a lot of work, and sometimes never got tips Got a little something as well as a surprise. I also handled a little bit more to a couple of specific people who had given me extra service if I saw them. I really recommend doing this instead of just handing $20 or more to MDR servers who may not have even served you that much because you went to specialty restaurants, and always get tips from the prepaid gratuities. it really is fun and a good way to tip people who deserve it.
@gregdrivesdriver5104 during the pandemic when things started opening back up I did this a few places. I used the free monet from the government to pass along to the service people who got screwed through no fault of theirs. I believe they appreciated it.
Tipping is stressful to me because I worry so much about inadvertently not tipping or not tipping enough. Service folks need to be paid a full wage like the rest of us. Please just charge me more so can have an stress-free experience. Since people make decisions of employment based on overall compensation (wages+tips), in the long term, over-tipping creates an environment that enables low wages. Tipping is simply transferring the responsibility of compensation from the cruise line to the customer and doing nothing to help (and arguably hurting) the worker.
You are totally right. I went to NCL website and did a mock booking and it says "open bar gratuities" on the website invoice. I looked at my actual invoice and it says "Beverage service charge". Both charges are identical in price, so they are the same charge, just worded differently. The website makes it look more attractive to let you know the "tip" has been included but the actual invoice does not use the word 'gratuity', kind of deceptive if you ask me.
Thanks for the video Tony.. why response to this culture is.. why not tip the cashier at the market or the the sales lady at the dept store or the nurse and on it goes.. I nor my wife make tips on our jobs.. pay a livable wage and thank me for doing business with you
Double tipping. The world has gone crazy. It’s now out of control. What is the point of pre paying gratuities - $300 on our next cruise. So we’re now expected to tip again. Celebrity “all included” no longer includes gratuities. Not exactly all included then, is it ? Cruise lines need to start paying staff a decent wage.
When I worked at Starbucks we had regular daily customers that never tipped, but were kind or say thank you It's worth as much as money. Even street performers like applause,.
I appreciate you mentioning the bus drivers, Tony. Too many times, I've had people leave the bus, tip the tour guide, and walk off... who do they think just drove them around for four hours? And believe me, the tour guides do NOT share their tips with the drivers.
I definitely pre-tip with the cruise payment and Cheers package. Then I ALWAYS PRE-TIP the room steward, it goes a long way. I usually ask for Ice and extra towels to be done every day. I also find a waiter in the lounge or the casino or both to tip on the first couple days. I never search for a waiter or place to get a drink after that! Get ready Mardi Gras, I will see you this weekend!
When I first started cruising, I paid the pre-charged gratuities and left it at that. After my third cruise, I was convinced by my travel partners to pay gratuities to those who served me the most and discontinue paying the pre-charged grats as I had no way of knowing if the cruise line shared it out amongst the large group mentioned in their literature. I discontinued that practice after a few cruises as I felt it was unfair to other workers. Now I pay the pre-charged gratuity and trust the cruise ship company to pay it out to the pool of workers who they say share in this money. However, I don't pay cash grats to anyone else anymore except the baggage porter before embarking and for purchased drinks or food as I have taken the position that the cruise company has pre-determined the amount of the gratuity and who will share in it robbing me of the discretion as to who I could or should pay and if so, how much.
We arrived in Australia and one of the rules that the Custom's Officers said to us was NOT to tip the wait-staff. Everything for all the costs of food and drinks were inside the posted prices. For the cruise ships, we do the prepaid gratuity and then we also tip our room's steward as soon as we arrive to our room, and then tip our food server as soon as we're seated.
Coming from europe it seems to me people from the US are causing the problem themselves. Why all the aditional tipping, just stick with the pre tipping and that should be more then enough, that is why it is done like this. But now people are starting to add more tipp causing the cruise line to now call it service charge and now crew starts to expect additional tips again. Same goes for the normal restaurant bussiness in the US, the tips just keep going up, 15% was normal, then it was 20% and now 25% is becoming normal. Last time we even had to tip the guy putting a Donut in a box. This is all caused by over tipping, so I would say, just don't do that.
I don't consider door dash to be really tipping. It is more like bidding to have your order processed quicker. They are certainly going to take the best offers first to make more money, and with something like food, thats a good thing. But personally, I don't use door dash.
It should come in the order received no matter what. These services has a fee for priority service already. I had issues with my order being wrong where most places leaves a packing recipt attached to the bag. i had it where they did not grab a second bag or did not grab a drink and they refused to go back to grab it and fix their mistakes. Those people are just lazy and do not care about the customer. i am not talking about fries being left out of a bag as that they would not know about of course. i am talking about like the order shows like 2 sodas and he brings back 1 soda and when i question it i had them just shrug their shoulders and walk away without even apologizing. This is why tipping after will hold them accountable and if they then they get no tip because they did not care about me so why should i care about them kind of thing.
My friend Kurt has a neighbor across the street who uses DoorDash almost every night. He never answers the door. He told Kurt that he put a tip on the bill and thens cancels it and it gets subtracted from the driver. Unless they’ve changed it. You can do that up to three days later.
@@Voorhees-Jason that's why I don't use it. I'd rather go pick up the order that way I can check it and make sure I'm getting everything. My kids use it all the time and just roll with it if things are wrong.
@@Voorhees-Jason "It should come in the order received no matter what." Exactly (or within reason. Its impractical doing exact order if you have to go to opposite sides of town just to deliver in chronological order compared to if delivers 1 & 3 are within 2 blocks of each other, they can be delivered at the same time with 2 being delivered third). This whole, "if you dont tip then we wont deliver to you (in a timely manner)" why would anyone use their service then. And if their regular income isnt enough for people to do a good job then why would tips motivate people to do a good job. Tips used to be a bribe basically. Want to move to the front of the line, tip the host. Want the janitor to carry your bags for you, give them money besides what their employer is paying them. If the cost of something (which includes labor, electricity, etc) is $10 then thats what should be paid. You shouldnt be expected to pay $20 on a $10 item. This doesnt seem any different than panhandling.
"I don't consider door dash to be really tipping. It is more like bidding to have your order processed quicker." Okay but if I dont get my food for 5 hrs then I wont use your service. Theres a difference between being efficient with how things are delivered and going above and beyond. A downside to this is that its either going to benefit people who live near people who tip or drivers are going to waste a lot of time going from high tip to high tip and the tips probably wouldnt make up the waste of time. At that point you might as well just say that you want to get paid for driving and doing nothing else.
We do the assigned gratuities because those are essentially just part of their wages. Then we "double tip" those folks that either have to work harder than normal because of something we did or asked them to do like the time we spilled something in our room. But we are usually very easy on our room steward because we are neat and even before the lines started to go to once a day we only had them clean once a day. For the rest we tip based on how much they enhanced our trip by extra work. extra friendly. or getting us something special like a food item not on menu etc etc.
I do the pre cruise gratuity, then I tip my Stewart, I tip the luggage guy, I tipped out $1 per drink even though I bought the drink package and paid the extra gratuity. I tip for extra service if it’s warranted. I think I paid more in tips and gratuities this last cruise then I paid for the cruise.
I pre-pay gratuities and the first day, I look for the room steward and give them a $20, so they know me not having my room serviced doesn't mean they aren't going to be tipped. On the last day, I'll leave / give them another $50 (for a 7-day cruise). I treat the pre-paid gratuities as being part of the cost of the cruise. It just so happens that this part of it goes to (hopefully) bring the staff up to a livable wage. Then I tip whoever performs a service for me (not counting at the buffet since I've never seen a tip jar). The tipping thing has gotten ridiculous. Tips shouldn't be demanded, they should be earned. And they shouldn't be used to bring the employee's pay up to a livable standard. When I'm paying $18 for a burger, that should result in staff being given decent pay.
Thank you for giving specifics about tipping. We never knew if we were over tipping or not. We always tip a good room steward, drink server (especially if they brought it to me while I was seated in the theater), and dining room (if we don’t have the same server, we tip the one we had the most often). We are old school and tip on service. We have family members who work as servers so we know how hard it is to make 10.85 an hour and depend on tips to make a living.
I don't mind tipping when earned but the whole concept has gotten out of hand and is becoming an extra expected fee. Sometimes even tantamount to begging. When I first started cruising the lines provided a suggested daily gratuity for specific staff and they even placed envelopes in your stateroom. Now when I cruise I also prepay my gratuities. Then the cabin steward always gets a $50 upfront when they introduce themselves on the first day. I request extra towels and ice every day. It's a worthy investment as you do get extra attention. Then I always throw the bartenders a little extra. They remember your face and name and it reduces wait time for a drink. The same goes for waiters on the pool deck. If you get their attention on the first day they show their appreciation. I generally eat in the MDR saving a specialty restaurant for one special night. The waiter and wait staff will always earn an early tip also. These early offerings are a way of setting the tone. Most times it pays as they show appreciation by being even more attentive.
We hadn't been on a cruise for several years. I didn't really know how much cash to take when we went on a short cruise last month. We did pre-pay our gratuities. For a five day cruise, we decided to take $500. We had a bit leftover (I don't drink, hubby only had one or two drinks a day, we didn't do any excursions and I only played once in the casino)...but made sure to tip our MDR waiters (we sat in the same section every night and our servers were wonderful), our cabin steward (thank you for the bucket of ice every afternoon, Ian!) and the room service staff who brought me my coffee at 6 AM every morning. Also tipped the porters for taking our bags on embarkation and disembarkation. We're going on an 11 day cruise in June and a 14 day cruise in August next year. That should be interesting. I'm going to need an armored car to transport the cash!!
I cancel pre paid gratuities and hand out $100 bills to the staff I encounter. I don’t trust the greedy cruise line companies to disperse the money to the staff. I want to know the people that worked hard for me GOT the money directly. I’ve heard from a few crew that state they DO NOT see any increase in tips when the cruise line as a whole makes gratuity increases, which leaves me suspicious and disappointed.
Tell me again why we are tipping the longshoremen who handle your luggage? The average Longshoreman salary in Miami, FL is $59,265 as of October 25, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $53,465 and $65,482.
Gratuities are going up, but service is going down it used to be 2 times a day cleaning the cabin and now is only one time. Same in dining room, it used to be much more menu choices. Also, there are additional charges if you want more than one portion of some foods.
i hate the tipping system, the cruise line should advertise the real cost and pay decent wages, but i would never penalize the crew for it, so i always prepay, and if i get great service, i tip extra as i go and at the end of the cruise.
Tipping is out of control. It seems like a poorly defined pressure where no matter what you give and who you give it to it is not enough. I am not going to carry dollars around to give everyone I come in contact with. There are tip jars everywhere you go. There is a spot for a tip on every receipt you are given. I went into a local hamburger spot and the preprogrammed tip started at 25%. Now it typically it starts at 18%. Maybe if people didn’t cave to tip shaming people would get paid better. Pay your employees people. Oh and I pre tip and tip extra. But it doesn’t feel generous when you are shamed into it.
Easy solution with Door Dash, if they put you behind others and your food is cold, Door Dash has to partially refund your order. So this will backfire on them.
As a Brit....we aim for the company owner pay a decent wage rather than it being subsidised by customers. In the UK a person shouldn't be tipped just for doing their job, their employer should pay them a decent living wage for the job they are doing for them. I've been cruising for 30 years. Since gratuities have been included on cruises and they get it regardless, its basically just an automated tax, its no longer a reward for good service. And over the years I've cruised, its noticeably resulted in the standard of basic service declining massively.
We leave in just over 4 weeks for a Princess cruise, we upgraded to their Premier service which includes gratuities. I will tip the luggage porters when we embark but otherwise will only do it for what I consider exceptional service. I totally agree with other commenters that tipping is getting totally out of control.
Daily gratuities at Princess Cruises go 100% goes to the company to pay wages to employees. Employees do not get tips at all. We removed them last year and gave $ 300 to the staff of our choice. Why would you prepaid the service you did not receive yet?!
When people who don’t are left to move all their own luggage, clean their own cabins, the dining rooms all turn into buffets, and don’t forget to bus your table and clean it, or you won’t find a clean one next meal. Eventually no staff at all except those who run the mechanics and do the cooking (shoving the food out windows when cooked, for passengers to serve. ). Even making passengers cook for themselves. Since they can’t be trusted to make their own drinks alcohol will be discontinued or bartenders will be tipped quadruple the price of the drink. Just for making one of the four drinks allowed. Probably watered down. Those who do tip will get Premium service. What cruisers get now. 🤪
Listening to this as I do deliveries for Door Dash 😂 That delivery fee you pay is for Door Dash. They generally pay the driver just enough to cover costs. I’m glad to live in California where we passed proposition 22 to protect gig workers.
UberEats/DoorDash whatever, you have no idea how absurdly low some of the fares are. I just do it for a little side money but I’ve literally had orders pop up for $3 to do a Pizza Hut delivery halfway across town. I reject any order under $10 because it’s just not worth my time. It’s costing me more in gas and wear and tear than I’m even making for doing the pizza run.
@@bisho1pI use Uber eats. The minimum I tip in the App is 5.00 and when I get the food I give the delivery person a few extra dollars in hand. Where I live they deliver on bikes or scooters. The places I order from are not far away. But if it is I tip more.
@@bisho1p Amen. Once drove 28 miles (from where I was, to restaurant, to customer) for a banana shake. Yes, shake was $3. Guy didn't tip anything. Wasted hour of my life. I was new at Dashing and didn't know better. 😢
_QUESTION?_ - How do you tip on a cruise? Who do you normally tip?
stateroom attendant and bar staff
I tipped at each specialty dining. I also tipped a $1 cash with every drink (alcohol and soda). I gave my room attendant a tip when I left as well. Tipped at paradise beach and to the taxi driver both ways. And $10 to the porters that took our bags pre-cruise.
We give our cabin steward a decent cash tip, and also tip bar servers a few bucks per drink, on top of the prepaid tips that we never remove. We also tip porters, cab drivers, and the person giving any spa/salon service I might get. I don’t go to the casino, but my husband does and he does what you do, Tony. My husband also tips street performers when we enjoy their work.
Prepaid and then cash to room steward. Porters get a good tip as well as good drivers when taking a car in port.
Prepaid tips purchased in advance plus cash tips to room steward, bar staff and/or anyone else who went above and beyond. Tip amount would be “commensurate” with the level of service experienced.
Tipping should be a choice, not an obligation.
💯👍
Very true.
We should be paying staff enough to where they don't rely on them
If you remember when carnival went from 15 per cent to 18 percent, they said that 1.5 per cent went to them.
Tipping is no longer for a job well done. It has become extortion and BRIBES!!
As a European I find this tipping thing extremely annoying. Always having to think about paying extra for every service! On my last cruise I did the prepaid gratuity and that was it. And I find it really gross that a company has the guts to threaten customers for not tipping! They're YOUR employees, not mine! So YOU have to pay them,. not me!!
It's a perfect way for these companies to stick with low wages and force workers to chase tips. I agree, it's aggravating. I do tip.
So if you don't want to pay people for working 12 hours a day 7 days per week, maybe don't cruise.
@@barbarawwarren4554 you got it all wrong. I already paid them when I paidfor my cruise. And it shoulb be the cruise company's responsibility to pay their workers the amount they rightfully deserve.
@@barbarawwarren4554
You sound crazy. SMDH
No one should demand for anyone to pay a tip.
Tips are EARNED and on my last cruise half those workers who were rude and didn’t care.
I paid and will ALWAYS pay those who I want to tip.
Employers need to pay their workers a fair and living wage!!!
Also, who’s to say how much the workers will recieve from the pre-paid gratuities?
Cruise staff should not have to rely on gratuities, they should be paid a livable wage and tips should be an extra perk for their hard work. Cruisers shouldn’t have to pay tips to supplement wages, it should be an extra perk for staff.
There is a you tube about pay. They stated that the base pay depends on what country you come from! In a country where people make (for example purposes only ..) 1$ per hour and the cruise ship pays them $4 per hour, that's a great wage. Part of the reason there are not many citizens from the USA in wait-staff and room service jobs. The USA wage per hour is too high for the cruise lines to pay us more than what we could make at home. Hope that makes sense. ALSO, I just passed on something I heard on a UA-cam channel. Can't verify the facts of the statement. Just thought it was interesting.
This is partially true however a lot of the services on the cruise ship are things you would tip for in real life like the dining. The hotel part is different because they charge way more than I would typically leave for the staff at a land based hotel but they do a good job.
I am Australian, and we don't have a tipping culture. Cruises in Australia include tipping, so they are expensive. If cruising elsewhere, we will tip individuals, but I take off the compulsory tipping. I know it is meant to go to behind the scenes people, but prove to me they get it. I have never seen any proof that the money is given out. If you tip at say a restaurant here, they usually have to pool it at the end of the day. Just pay people a proper wage.
@@sues7227 By removing the tips, you're only hurting the individuals, not the company. What proof have you asked for? I'd probably guess none.
@@alanwignall3016shouldn't be tipping in real life either. Also in real life my food, drinks, room, service are not all included in a daily fee I pay......
The question is why do employees of a multi BILLION dollar corporation need to rely on tips. It's passing the wages on to the middle and lower classes who don't make that much and many save up for MONTHS/YEARS just to take a cruise.
Well said!!!
That's how they build new ships. We're paying their salary
@@bettyb1581 I remind you you pay the salary via a tip or in a higher fare price. Adding daily gratuities as a fix rate does allow them to discount rooms more easily. Since the salary is fixed in the gratuity per person then are free to offer deeper discounts on rooms.
I hate how Tipping has become so twisted that it's become an entitlement. Tipping made sense back in the day as a means to help out small mom and pop businesses and reward service that went above and beyond - that was actually delivered. But we shouldn't be responsible for multi billion dollar companies paying their EXECUTIVES millions, while not paying their rank and file employees.
While I always tip and used to feel good about it, now I feel like I'm being robbed blind and guilt tripped into it. Just raise your prices 20 percent and stop this "Oh the poor workers, BS"
I totally agree with you!
The problem is, people don't want to pay 20% more in the bill. Even a 1% raise in prices causes people to leave some restaurants. It's crazy. While there I'll tip 15-20%, if its actually ON or in the bill, people go crazy.
Agree 💯
@@SlipstreamVintagewhich is why laws need to be changed.
Even cruiseships could be forced to follow a law or be restricted from porting in the US.
In the end though if we changed tip culture in the US then cruising would follow as some cruise companies already include tips.
@@Laurie911 Spare me, this propaganda crap. I get the same quality of "Service" on a Cruise Ship as I do in most land hotels. Cruiseship employees don't do much of anything that sets them above land based wait staff and room attendants.
The gratuity issue is getting out of control. We have no problem tipping out wait staff, our state room attendant, the port people who take our luggage and even our bar servers who get to know us during our cruise and making sure we are taken care of. But these cruise lines expect the customers to tip even more by raising gratuities and now they are even cutting some services. So let me see if I get this, pay more and get less? Meanwhile the top executives are making large 6 figure salaries and want us to pay more. Here's an idea, why don't they take a little less and pay their people better. They know they can get away with it because there are thousands of people just waiting to get jobs on the cruise ships to support their families. This is why they register their ships in other countries so they can get around and avoid certain rules that are mandatory in the USA.
It aint a tip anymore... Its a SERVICE CHARGE...
RCL reported a $1 billoin profit last quarter, Carnival similar and NCL almost a $400 million profit last quarter.
Yeah I've never paid the gratituties, I tip the wait staff personally!! But at yhe end of the cruise I'm in that line to take gratituties off!!! Yeah RCL made 1 Billion in 3 months, I think not!!!!
The only way you can change this is to stop cruising.
You honestly can’t expect an “executive “ to give back money that he has been guaranteed to receive in his contract, can you?
Would you EVER give money from your salary back to your employer?
@@Viewer2019 I'm not sure I agree with the argument that CEOs and upper management, the ones who decide how much everyone makes including themselves, shouldn't give back what they shouldn't have taken to begin with.
As an Australian - all this tipping is just not part of our culture (& should not be compulsory by Cruise Lines - who should pay their staff properly)! Tipping is a ‘bonus’ given to say ‘thank you’ for a job done well (not for simply performing your job)!😎
Unfortunately it’s not the same everywhere so I hope you don’t short change these wonderful people just so you can take a stand
@@bbldrizzzzzy That is not the point I was making…….Cruise Lines should pay their staff properly = so that ‘gratuities’ are a bonus to their wages! (It is nothing to do with me ‘short changing’ anybody! It is nothing to do with me supposedly taking ‘a stand’! It is simply a general comment by me about ‘cultural differences’ at best.)
It goes beyond culture. In the U.S. tips are estimated and taxed by our Internal Revenue Service without proof they were ever received. It's assumed to be part of the income of certain types of work. I don't know what rotten politicians came up with the rule, but it goes back for generations.@@med6399
Totally agree! Better to pay the all up price in the first place instead of handing out money all the time. It has really gotten out of control. Nothing at all on taking a stand as was suggested!@@med6399
As an American tipping is getting stupid out of hand and is turning into a way for the rich to pit the poor against each other. We no longer blame the business for n not paying well we just blame each other.
It’s crazy how people are manipulated like this.
As the comment above shows tipping is now a weaponized test of if you’re a good person or not
I'm sorry but as soon as a tip is required it is no longer a tip a tip is "sum of money given voluntarily as a token of appreciation or goodwill for services rendered" if it is required it is not voluntary. The moment it is required it should just be added into the cruise fare
Henceforth why I cruise Virgin Voyages..tips are included
@@Laurie911 In my mind it's not forced bcos I tip with pleasure. My husband and I even double tip often when we go. We also enjoy knowing that there aren't any surprises as far as tips and gratuities are concerned.
Yup should legally be required for truth in advertising.
NCL is now even hiding taxes and port fees until checkout now as well to try and mislead about True total cost of the cruise.
@@Laurie911 No, they pay their employees enough
I totaled up all the tips I handed out on my last cruise a few weeks ago. 7 days to the Caribbean with pre paid gratuities and extra gratuities all totaled I paid $689.00 in tips. I think tipping has gotten out of hand.
Blimey
@@jackieaudus9829well said.
That’s ridiculous 😮
Almost $100 a day! That used to be the total cost for a low end cruise.
@@ClutchingPearlz it is and I’m not a particularly excessive tipper. We were a family of 4, we had 5 bags tipped the luggage handler going in $20 because we brought all the bags to the intake area but tipped $40 going home because the baggage handler delivered our bags all the way to the car which was a ways. Other than that our tips are pretty Standard. We ate in the main dining room 6 of our 7 nights as well as every morning. Our wait staff was incredible and flawless in their jobs, maybe my tips are a little small for them but at what point do you say enough enough?
Prepaid gratuities $324
Room attendant $100
Butler $100
Luggage handler $60
Wait staff 1 $25
Wait staff 2 $25
Wait staff 3$20
Wait staff 4 $15
Room service $10
Solution: Pay a fair wage, make the baseline cruise price reflect the true cost and only tip for exceptional service.
Problem: Cruise lines financial models.
The reason why businesses are pushing tipping is so they can pay less or not at all.
The holy grail for businesses in the service industry is to pay the “tipped minimum wage” of $2.13 and have their staff compensated by customers. Of course after they achieve that their goal will be independent contractors paying them to work.
Are you willing to pay 20% or more for your next cruise? People who say this are always the first to complain when prices rise significantly because of it, and they certainly will rise!
I completely agree. What I don't agree with is people who remove the automatic gratuities. Those gratuities provide a large portion of the very small wages many of the behind-the-scenes workers make for working very hard for extremely long hours. If you want to stand on principle and protest that method of compensation, there are cruise lines that pay their crews a living wage and don't charge automatic gratuities. Cruise with them. But to pay the lower rates and then cut the pay of the crew just to save money isn't standing on principle. It is being a cheapskate, and the only people affected are the hardworking crew whose wages you have cut.
@@phxees Exactly! And yet somehow it is the customers making up the shortfall with the tipping 'guilt tax'.
@@werewolflover8636 It's not going to happen without regulatory compulsion - cruise companies are not benevolent organisations so, unless it applies to all cruising they're not going to do it. Virgin pricing comes closest and they are perceived as expensive.
Would prefer that the cruise lines include gratuities in the upfront cost of the cruise.
Most cruise have that concept, they charge about 9 /10 euros a day person in the cabin (for European cruises
Here is a concept. Pay the employees what they are worth instead of relying on customers to figure out what to pay their employees. I think having companies putting the expectation of tips or putting a policy that tipping is required should be banned. I feel if i tip is because i want to and it is because the person doing the service went out of their way to make me feel welcome and doing a great service. Forcing tipping before service is rendered is absurd. The point of tipping is showing gratitude to the person providing service.
it is less of a hassle for me to not tip because of bad service then me trying to take a tip away before of bad service. Tipping has gone to far. Where tipping use to not be expected is now popping up everywhere. I am tired of Tablets being thrown in my facing asking how much i like to tip.
I think asking for tips should be illegal. if tip is offered is one thing but asking or expecting tips is just wrong. Employers should just pay their employees a fair wage and if someone gets a tip its because they made a customer really happy.
With the daily gratuities, you can figure out what a cruise actually costs. The advertised cost is not the actual cost.
5 bucks a bag! Wow, I want to be a luggage porter with an eye out for you Tony. I was always told customary was a buck a bag which I feel would add up after a day of embarkation.
Voirhees- SAY IT AGAIN, AGAIN and AGAIN!!!!!
👏👏👏👏👏
The fact that it's not per cabin per day, it's per PERSON per day is outrageous. It's out of hand. Plus, they automatically add on an extra 18% to any drink you order, to hand you a donut, etc. I hope people realize that! On the bill, it doesn't say the word gratuity, it says service charge, so you are already paying forced tips. What I don't understand is why people stress so much over it. Just don't do it!
RCL reported a $1 billoin profit last quarter, Carnival similar and NCL almost a $400 million profit last quarter.
I have cruised quite a bit in the last 25 years and have ALWAYS handed my cash tips to those who have earned it! It is determined by ME and I’m not a cheap tipper….
I will bear the inconvenience of standing in that purser line to remove the “auto-tips” so that I can determine what each server deserves. It’s my vacation, my hard earned money and my decision.
Might be the norm in the US, but from the point of view of anyone outside the US that announcement from Carnival straight-up reads as "Yes, we acknowledge that we are exploiting our employees, and although we could do something about that, we refuse to because we don't care. You, the customer, should feel sorry for them".
Couldn't have put it better myself.
No reads as that in the US as well don't worry.
Not just US culture... Canada is so bad.
As a US citizen the whole typing thing is such an obviously toxic manipulation of the working class against each other it’s truly depressing to see how well it works
Exactly, the bottomless greed of those corporates.
You're super generous. The porters at cruise porte are union workers who are being paid a good salary. Your $20 for 5 minutes of work is quite amazing. I understand that bags can be heavy and lifting is hard, but they are also well paid. After a bad experience with one in Miami, we've gone to carrying on our bags ourselves. Yup, it is more work for me, but I'm not quite 70 yet, so I'll manage my own luggage for a while longer. I tip well on cruises where it is appropriate (I LOVE Virgin where tips are not expected), but probably not as much as you do! As important as tipping on a ship is naming outstanding employees in your evaluations--this leads to things like a little extra time off, a "better" shift, or..enough mentions can lead to promotions. On another subject, I'm really tired of the self serve kiosk at a local store asking if I want to tip.
I know, it's very annoying when you hear people talk about just wanting to pay more and more on top of what they already paid! This is the reason they keep raising the prices! BTW, they're raising the tips PER PERSON from $16 to $18. Plus, they automatically add on 18% for all drinks, handing you a donut, etc. But people want to pay more! Very annoying! I certainly don't do it.
I agree, very generous to the porters. We typically have two bags that are tagged appropriately and ready for the ship. We tip $5 for the couple minutes it takes to move our bags from the trunk to the cart for the ship.
I completely agree with you. Those porters made enough money, but they still dare to extort cruisers for more. In fact, I bet Tony wouldn't tip an airline luggage handler with the same amount of excessive gratuity. The only reason for me to tip them is that I don't want them to deliberately mishandle my luggages. Basically, they are holding our luggage hostage.
@@rbrevard On our last cruise out of Miami, we just carried our bags on board ourselves. A little awkward, but one bag is medial supplies, and couldn't risk anything happening to that one.
It’s getting really crazy. I bought a $50 t-shirt at a concert. The card reader had a choice of tips for you. Why?!?!😑
Agreed. Here in Europe it is still, mostly, under control, but as with other elements of the globalisation of US culture, it is only a matter of time until we get infected by this too.
That's built into most of the software they use these days. If they don't write their own, that is, and who does for card payment processing.
Mind you, I'm not saying it's a good thing. Just that's how it goes.
Funny . I just bought shoes from an online store and the check out page asked for a tip
Where I live, they all do that if you pay by credit card
As long as you can easily decline to add a tip to a retail purchase, it’s ok. I really hate it when you give a card to a waiter to pay your restaurant bill and they ask if you want to leave a tip or ask how much to add to the card for a tip. I always say no, I’ll leave cash. And I leave the appropriate tip… 10% for crappy service, 15% for adequate service and 20% for over and above excellent service (which I rarely get.)
I remember the days when the cruise lines provided " Suggested" gratuity amounts and little envelopes to hold the cash. You tipped based on service provided. I don't understand how Virgin Voyages can have no gratuities and the other major cruise lines can't!
Yep
I remember that too... and I also remember showing up for the last night of dinner and 90% of the mdr was empty (people avoiding tipping). Always felt sorry for the waitstaff
@@dorothyh6382those people now go in an request their gratuities be removed :)
I when on virgin voyages this year and it was one of the most amazing experiences that I have had on Cruise ship. Virgin offer top notch service and you didn’t have worry about gratitudes and tipping was up to you
@@andrealifeasiknowit1554 It's reflexed the leadership of Sir Richard Branson whom always has new ideas and new ways of doing business.
People who tip the most, are generally the ones who least can afford it.
i am a retired tipped worker and i can vouch for that
Exactly!
Tipping is out of control. Especially in the US. We live in a third world country where tipping is not normal. One of the reasons expats may be scorned is because they give big tips which creates expectations and unbalances the local culture. We give a small tip where warranted. We only double tip on cruises if a special service was provided or we make a special request. Who decides which job gets tipped? I worked extremely hard as a travel agent for minimum wage. Then I decided it was in my best interest to move to commission. I also tip a flat amount because percentage seems to be inappropriate in many cases. If my meal costs $10 or $50, it's virtually the same amount of effort depending on how many courses.
RCL reported a $1 billoin profit last quarter, Carnival similar and NCL almost a $400 million profit last quarter.
I agree. In the US it costs me $20 to get a 10 minute haircut. The chair is earning the shop or saloon $120 /hr to cover wages and overhead. If I tip 10% to my barber or hairstylist, they are now earning $12 /hr directly from me ($24/hr at 20% tip) plus whatever the owner is paying them. Now apply philosophy to everyone else who expect tips. Except for waitresses, who in most places in the United States are allowed to be paid less than minimum wage, why am I paying their wages instead of tipping them for good service?
In 2019, pre-covid, you could opt out of room service at Disney World and save about $8 per day. My son's family opted out, my wife and I didn't. For $8 a we had our bed made and the trash left at the door. What was I paying for? Many hotels have carry that policy over post-covid and sometimes in the name of saving the environment or to protect their staff by cleaning only on request for multiple night stays.
Post covid, when we do road trips and stay one night at a hotel, what am I tipping the maid for? For provide me with a clean room from the prior guest? What service did they provide me? If they don't provide a clean room, I am finding another hotel chain. If I stay more than one night and they actually do make up the room, then I'll leave a tip.
We just finished a bus tour of Scotland and Ireland. For 10 days we never touched our bags from the bus to our room and from our room to the bus. We never saw anyone who moved our bags. Who do I tip? If they can do that work without a tip, why in the US am I tipping someone who lifts my bag into my transfer at the airport?
And don't get me started on tipping when ordering at fast food joints.
I used to enjoy giving big tips to people who deserved it because it was so hard for me to earn that money. Now, I am expected to pay their wage, it is no longer a tip.
I don't want to go on vacation and spend too much energy on figuring out who I have to hand money to several times a day. Just charge me something reasonable and let me relax!!
Hi Tony, my mom and I watch your show everyday because you’re hilarious, kind and intelligent. Never stop being awesome!
I have started a quiet revolt on the tipping culture, which has totally gotten out of hand. I'm a healthcare worker, and i don't expect tips for performing my job description. I shouldn't have to tip someone else for doing their job. If you need to pay your employees better, include the cost in my meal/service /cruise, etc. I have quit cruising because my most recent one ended up being 3x the "advertised" price.
Me to, left school at 15yrs old, worked until I was 65yrs old in UK, was never tipped in any job, so am concerned about my 1st cruise at 80 yrs of age.
Agree
I have worked hard all my life and never received a tip. CRUISE LINES " PAY YOUR EMPLOYEES"
I agree, when an electrician and other professions get paid double, triple, quad more than a healthcare professional it’s ridiculous and they complain, nurses don’t get paid 💩.
That sounds exhausting. I am considering cruises, but I am hesitant because I HATE 'creeping' costs that explode my budget. Excessive tipping (when the staff should be paid a salary) is one of them. Also, I hate the idea that my every interaction with somebody has to be so crassly monetized. That doesn't feel like a relaxing vacation.
Average 600 dollar extra
Just prepay your tips, and don't tip again. Enjoy your cruise.
Wife and I went on our first cruise this past June on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas (7 night cruise)….two of our adult children and their partners as well as my sister-in-law and her husband--8 of us total. I typically tip 20-25% in restaurants and $1-$2 for an alcoholic drink in a bar. I thought it was ridiculous that an 18% gratuity was added everything…including to all drinks…and then they expected an additional tip. If I’m already paying $16.52 for a cocktail (with the obligatory 18% gratuity). I’m not going to tip any extra. We did tip our cabin steward $60…and each room in our party tipped him $40-60 each. And we tipped the luggage handlers when we arrived and dropped off our luggage at the port…..we didn’t tip anyone else during the cruise (my wife and I, at least…).
Thanks! I always bring a gift for my room steward as well. So many are from the Phillipines so I bring them items made in their country and money as well. And I wear my La Lido Loca T-shirt :)
$5 to move a suitcase 20 ft. Wow. I need to switch careers.
Tony's example just showed us how not to tip, especially those who already made a good union wage but decided to give super bad service, while still dare to demand gratuity from passengers
Loved our all inclusive trip to Jamaica. No tipping allowed. I prepaid our gratuities on our cruise. Beyond that only the room steward was tipped extra on board. We don't drink, gamble, or use any spa services. We mostly ate in the buffet and had different waiters every night. So no tip in MDR. We did tip our room service delivery person. On land we tipped porters, wheelchair pushers, excursion guide.
We never tip the pier performers. We just walk by and don't stop to watch.
This is what we do too
I’m really glad that you shared about the street performers. I’ll never forget on one of my first cruises that I had my husband take a picture of me with somebody in a dressy costume. I have no clue that that’s what they did for a living and so after they took the picture, they wanted a tip. I can completely understand, but like you, I did not have any cash. I felt horrible! So it’s good that you’re letting people know ahead of time so that they either stay away like you did or come prepared. Thanks for your info!
Tony, please address when cruise employees receive pre paid gratuities. About 7 years ago I researched this issue and found pre paid gratuities are not paid out at the end of a cruise but rather go to a corporate pool of all ships within the fleat. At some point they are dispersed fleat wide as a bonus. This can be a very large pool held at corporate level. Who collects interest on the funds?
Never been on a cruise but seems ridiculous to have to tip all these people. You've paid for the cruise, all the staff are getting paid!! Other minimum wage workers (retail staff for example)don't get a tip!!
I could be wrong but I don't think the cruise staff is paid (our) minimum wage. I heard it was much less. Maybe Tony knows.
@@B-ch6uk that's why there are very few US workers, they don't have to pay minimum wage!!!!
@@704musicent Not what I heard
@@B-ch6uk ... No one on a Cruise ship is making less than$1,000 a month cash... when you add that room and board is included, don't have electric, water or Cable TV bills, that amount increases to around $1,800 per month. They don't have car payments or car insurance, don't pay for gas, don't pay for a plumber if needed or any kind of technician, a/c or otherwise. They have internet on board at less than a dollar a day, can party in their own "Crew Disco or Night Club" where well drinks and beers cost only 1 dollar. When you take into account that they don't pay a cent in taxes because of "maritime law", they are making at least 2,500 bucks or more per month... Waiters in the Main Dining Room and Pool Area can earn up to 4 or 5K per month when you factor in extra tips. If you consider that the price of a house in the village where they come from may cost between 5 and 10,000 bucks, you realize that sometimes after just one or two full job contracts, roughly one year with a 30 days vacation in the middle, they can buy a house for their families. Of course every ship is registered in a "Country of Convenience" where the Big Company don't pay taxes, or very little... and those countries have more relaxed work laws. The thing is not that they don't pay fair wages, because they do, the thing id that crew members have to work week in and week out with no "off days". They ave "Off Hours", and that's why you see a lot of them walking around in the Ports of Call where the ship stops, but after 4 or 5 hours they have to return to get ready for work, sometimes 14/15 hours shifts with just a couple of 30 min. breaks... so, don't worry, they are happy to have that job, and there are many more back in their countries waiting to get a job with a Cruise Line... Of course they miss their family and friends back home, but no Job Contract is longer than 7 months, and the Cruise Line pays for their flights to and from their countries to the Port of embarcation... oh... and Yes... if they are not happy, they can quit anytime as there is no obligation to fulfill the "contract"... of course if they do quit in the middle of the contract, will be very difficult for them to find a job even with other Cruise Lines... but they are allowed to leave... they are not slaves... of course in this case (almost never happens) they'll have to pay their flights back home.
They make fair pay they are not in dire straits plus they have family at home that also work we all work to make a living. Why is it that only some jobs depend on tips.
You mentioned that anyone who sold you a drink on your cruise, got double tipped. I would submit that they actually got triple tipped. You paid a tip in advance - that's tip # 1. Then when you signed for your drink there was another tip already added into the total, that's tip # 2. Then if you fill out a tip in the blank line left for that purpose, that would be tip # 3. Seems a bit excessive to me - but others might not care.
I just got off an 11 day cruise and my room attendant told me that he made less than one dollar from the prepaid gratuity from our cabin. I cancelled my gratuity and gave him cash. He was so grateful and said that he did not have to share that tip with anyone, that was an eye opener!
That true ❤
I always leave cash. He explained it about the same way
he lied
@@Pochi1Oh? Do you work on a cruise? If so please explain why cruise lines are not paying enough and insist we tip people who have not earned it.
I have no problem tipping those who interact with me. Why pay for people who I never see because cruise lines don't pay good wages?
Of course he told you that
I'd tried something new on our Mediterranean cruise last summer. I gave our Cabin Attendant 20 euros when he came by on the first day to introduce himself, then another 20 halfway through and a final 20 on the last night when we thanked him for his excellent service and promised him an all 10's survey. It might have been a coincidence but he was one of the best Attendants we've ever had.
We did that and it was the worst service, maybe he thought that’s all he’d get🤔
@@randijaffe-7665 I was thinking the same thing
My worst tipping experience was on a 5 star resort in Egypt where the lifeguards blocked the sun beds with towels and let you use them only if you tipped them. I'm quite used to tipping, but that behavior I simply found unacceptable. The same goes for the restrooms at the airport where there was a guy who literally pushed the tap button for me too wash my hands and expected a tip for that. I was quite irritated by this. On the other hand, I double tipped our waiter in the main dining room when we were on a cruise because he was really attentive and we actually had some good conversations. But as I see it, tips should be given after the service is rendered.
Just include it in the fair, problem solved
They do
I actually like the idea of tipping for exceptional service. And I like the idea of NO TIP for lousy or rude service. If my expected tip is already figured in, then we are good with exceptional service and if it is lousy, then ask for it back. Lately it feels like everyone has their hand out in every situation. I am just starting to say no.
It's not that Doordash is de-prioritizing the tipless orders, they're just letting customers know that the drivers are less likely to pick up their order if they see it doesn't have a tip already included. As many others have pointed out, all of this could be avoided if workers were paid a fair wage for their services. If people want to tip, they should be given the option to do so after the service has already been provided. I always tip, but I hate tipping in advance, only to end up getting crappy service 🙃
I give the pizza guy a big tip upfront and always get the food faster than expected.
I was raised by a waitress married to a cabbie so if anything I tend to over tip. As for door dash, no thanks. I like to give the tip directly to the driver than I know they get the full amount.
I tip door dash, Starbucks, restaurants in cash.
I have never ever and will never order food that will only be brought to me until I tip in advance.
Shame!
@@m.m.4645
You'll get it without a tip, just not quickly. And when it's cold, don't blame the driver.
This is one of the reasons we are taking a break from cruising. I have no problem doing the daily gratuity or the automatic tip for room service. I tip the baggage guy.
However, the service we had on Celebrity Summit was horrendous! The room steward managed to mess something up every day, different thing each day. The wait service in the MDR was frankly, horrible. And it wasn't just us. The woman at the table next to us asked for her drink 6 times during dinner. It finally arrived with desert. I gave up on getting anything to drink other than water because you were kucky to get it before the meal was over. After 3 days i implemented a protocol that if i needed something (salt, bread, butter, oce water) i would go to the staging area for our waiter and stand there until i got what i needed. Because i learned i wouldn't get it by waiting at the table Still no problem with the daily gratuity. However at the end of the cruise there was a lot of pressure to tip the room steward and mdr wait staff more. Which really upset me that i was supposed to go above and beyond when they clearly had not even done the minimum.
So I'm taking a break from cruising.
As one should! Don’t like tipping? Don’t cruise! It’s as simple as that!
@@werewolflover8636 Well I would rather have generous people like you supliment my cruising.
How exactly were you pressuered?
@@werewolflover8636 typical american culture behavior
A gratuity is something you give by choice!
I don't need anyone telling me how much to give because that is something EXTRA BY CHOICE.
This goes for a cruise or anything else.
If I pay for my service, it's TOTALLY MY CHOICE AS TO WHETHER I WILL, OR HOW MUCH I GIVE.
PERIODT!❤
I believe ALL tipping should be included in the daily gratuity fee, so long as the cruise line is honest and fair about the distribution. One exception is perhaps that of the cabin steward...the person seen most often on a one on one basis and will take special cabin requests. This suggested tipping practice would remove partiality. Remember all staff are expected to be exceptional and provide remarkable unbiased service...that is their JOB!
RCL reported a $1 billoin profit last quarter, Carnival similar and NCL almost a $400 million profit last quarter.
I rarely saw/interacted with my cabin steward. (There was nothing that I needed that wasn't provided in the background without interaction). I however spoke with and interacted with the main dining room staff EVERY day of the cruise. I did tip both the steward and the waitstaff extra because I chose to.
@@sirobin171As they should! They’re a business and have stockholders to answer too! Without profits the company would collapse!
I used to work on the trains in the UK. I never got tipped even when helping Americans on the train with their luggage. I always gave the best and friendliest service that I could, and I was being paid by my company to do so.
@@sirobin171 no wonder my RCL stocks are doing way better than NCL and CCL!
Tipping prior to the service is rendered is not a tip, it is a fee. Why don't the cruise companies include whatever it costs to fairly compensate all workers in the price for a cruise. Let's stop playing these games.
This is why all inclusives are looking better and better 😊
We handle tipping exactly the same way to everyone you mentioned. We’ll sometimes give the room steward a tip early on if we have a special request like asking for ice each day or opening the balcony barrier when we have balcony rooms next to someone traveling with us. They always get something at the end of the cruise as well. We aren’t big spenders but give what we can afford on top of the prepaid gratuity which I know is appreciated.
They wouldn't need tips so bad. If the billion dollar industry they worked for would pay them more. But I guess no one wants to have that conversation.
So glad I live in Australia. Yes, when I travel to the USA and Canada I tip well but reluctantly. Pay people a living wage and get out of this tipping madness. Oh, and Australia is fast becoming a cashless society so we are already used to not having cash on us.
Canada is pretty cashless as well, but now there is tip option on every cashless terminal :)
we need to protest about this we need cash Australia is too controlling now and wanting to know what we spend, constantly watching, cash is KING!!
So you enjoyed the tyranny there during cv??
Yes, I did. Neither my husband, who has major health issues, nor myself were unlucky enough to contract CV. We fully supported our government and the hard and difficult stance they took to keep us safe. We are all entitled to our opinion and that is mine.
Hi Toni from Bristol U.K.! I like the pre-pay gratuities on cruises as I hope that all the hardworking crew that we don't see 'face to face' have a share. Being a 'Brit' we tend not to tip above that other than if we have the same wait/bar staff daily, room service, porter & of course our cabin steward! On the plus side though we are very polite, friendly, undemanding & appreciate every crew member we have contact with. We always keep our cabin tidy & also ask for 'no towel animals'! We also mention any crew who have given great service on the post cruise questionnaire.
First when did tipping become me paying for your employee this is why I don’t tip unless I get good service. Recently was at a major theme park had one of there 60 dollar caricatures breakfast the server brought coffee juice and pop no refill no nothing my husband had to take his cup and walked in the back for a refill when we left a 1 dollar tip this man came back and told us that we made a mistake on his tip we were willing to let this go but he stood there so I asked him to get his manager and asked her what mistake was made we were offered to comp our breakfast we told her no thank you just ask your employee to do there job
Tipping culture HAS to go. Pay your employees a livable wage. It shouldn’t be the customer’s responsibility to make sure your employees eat. And if they’re going to penalize you for not tipping, then that’s no longer a tip; it’s a bribe for preferential treatment. Let me just say, I always do tip and tip well, but the issue is getting out of hand.
on my last trip on the last day, I went to the buffet with $20-$30 in ones and I just started handing out a dollar or two to everyone I saw, it didn't matter if they were cleaning tables or carving food, or whatever, just everyone. They all loved it, and soon they were pointing out the people that I had just missed as I circled the whole room. This was one way to make sure people who did a lot of work, and sometimes never got tips Got a little something as well as a surprise. I also handled a little bit more to a couple of specific people who had given me extra service if I saw them. I really recommend doing this instead of just handing $20 or more to MDR servers who may not have even served you that much because you went to specialty restaurants, and always get tips from the prepaid gratuities. it really is fun and a good way to tip people who deserve it.
@gregdrivesdriver5104 during the pandemic when things started opening back up I did this a few places. I used the free monet from the government to pass along to the service people who got screwed through no fault of theirs. I believe they appreciated it.
Tipping is stressful to me because I worry so much about inadvertently not tipping or not tipping enough. Service folks need to be paid a full wage like the rest of us. Please just charge me more so can have an stress-free experience.
Since people make decisions of employment based on overall compensation (wages+tips), in the long term, over-tipping creates an environment that enables low wages. Tipping is simply transferring the responsibility of compensation from the cruise line to the customer and doing nothing to help (and arguably hurting) the worker.
No tipping here in Australia, our hourly rate is $23 if I receive excellent service then I tip
If I am required to pay or pre-pay, it's not a gratuity. It's a service charge.
You are totally right. I went to NCL website and did a mock booking and it says "open bar gratuities" on the website invoice. I looked at my actual invoice and it says "Beverage service charge". Both charges are identical in price, so they are the same charge, just worded differently. The website makes it look more attractive to let you know the "tip" has been included but the actual invoice does not use the word 'gratuity', kind of deceptive if you ask me.
I remove the tips from my account and then tip as I see fit based on service.
Thanks for the video Tony.. why response to this culture is.. why not tip the cashier at the market or the the sales lady at the dept store or the nurse and on it goes.. I nor my wife make tips on our jobs.. pay a livable wage and thank me for doing business with you
Thanks! You make me laugh and I need that.
Double tipping. The world has gone crazy. It’s now out of control. What is the point of pre paying gratuities - $300 on our next cruise. So we’re now expected to tip again. Celebrity “all included” no longer includes gratuities. Not exactly all included then, is it ? Cruise lines need to start paying staff a decent wage.
When I worked at Starbucks we had regular daily customers that never tipped, but were kind or say thank you It's worth as much as money. Even street performers like applause,.
Thanks!
Thanks so much! Very kind thanks!
I appreciate you mentioning the bus drivers, Tony. Too many times, I've had people leave the bus, tip the tour guide, and walk off... who do they think just drove them around for four hours? And believe me, the tour guides do NOT share their tips with the drivers.
Tipping has gone out of control in north America.
I definitely pre-tip with the cruise payment and Cheers package. Then I ALWAYS PRE-TIP the room steward, it goes a long way. I usually ask for Ice and extra towels to be done every day. I also find a waiter in the lounge or the casino or both to tip on the first couple days. I never search for a waiter or place to get a drink after that! Get ready Mardi Gras, I will see you this weekend!
When I first started cruising, I paid the pre-charged gratuities and left it at that. After my third cruise, I was convinced by my travel partners to pay gratuities to those who served me the most and discontinue paying the pre-charged grats as I had no way of knowing if the cruise line shared it out amongst the large group mentioned in their literature. I discontinued that practice after a few cruises as I felt it was unfair to other workers. Now I pay the pre-charged gratuity and trust the cruise ship company to pay it out to the pool of workers who they say share in this money. However, I don't pay cash grats to anyone else anymore except the baggage porter before embarking and for purchased drinks or food as I have taken the position that the cruise company has pre-determined the amount of the gratuity and who will share in it robbing me of the discretion as to who I could or should pay and if so, how much.
We arrived in Australia and one of the rules that the Custom's Officers said to us was NOT to tip the wait-staff. Everything for all the costs of food and drinks were inside the posted prices.
For the cruise ships, we do the prepaid gratuity and then we also tip our room's steward as soon as we arrive to our room, and then tip our food server as soon as we're seated.
Totally agree with your tipping habits! Lois
Your tipping is totally out of control
Im American and totally agree
We always take the gratuities off our rooms and just tip the room person and the dinner service guy and tip anytime I get a drink
Coming from europe it seems to me people from the US are causing the problem themselves. Why all the aditional tipping, just stick with the pre tipping and that should be more then enough, that is why it is done like this. But now people are starting to add more tipp causing the cruise line to now call it service charge and now crew starts to expect additional tips again. Same goes for the normal restaurant bussiness in the US, the tips just keep going up, 15% was normal, then it was 20% and now 25% is becoming normal. Last time we even had to tip the guy putting a Donut in a box. This is all caused by over tipping, so I would say, just don't do that.
I don't consider door dash to be really tipping. It is more like bidding to have your order processed quicker. They are certainly going to take the best offers first to make more money, and with something like food, thats a good thing. But personally, I don't use door dash.
It should come in the order received no matter what. These services has a fee for priority service already. I had issues with my order being wrong where most places leaves a packing recipt attached to the bag. i had it where they did not grab a second bag or did not grab a drink and they refused to go back to grab it and fix their mistakes. Those people are just lazy and do not care about the customer. i am not talking about fries being left out of a bag as that they would not know about of course.
i am talking about like the order shows like 2 sodas and he brings back 1 soda and when i question it i had them just shrug their shoulders and walk away without even apologizing. This is why tipping after will hold them accountable and if they then they get no tip because they did not care about me so why should i care about them kind of thing.
My friend Kurt has a neighbor across the street who uses DoorDash almost every night. He never answers the door. He told Kurt that he put a tip on the bill and thens cancels it and it gets subtracted from the driver. Unless they’ve changed it. You can do that up to three days later.
@@Voorhees-Jason that's why I don't use it. I'd rather go pick up the order that way I can check it and make sure I'm getting everything. My kids use it all the time and just roll with it if things are wrong.
@@Voorhees-Jason "It should come in the order received no matter what."
Exactly (or within reason. Its impractical doing exact order if you have to go to opposite sides of town just to deliver in chronological order compared to if delivers 1 & 3 are within 2 blocks of each other, they can be delivered at the same time with 2 being delivered third). This whole, "if you dont tip then we wont deliver to you (in a timely manner)" why would anyone use their service then.
And if their regular income isnt enough for people to do a good job then why would tips motivate people to do a good job. Tips used to be a bribe basically. Want to move to the front of the line, tip the host. Want the janitor to carry your bags for you, give them money besides what their employer is paying them. If the cost of something (which includes labor, electricity, etc) is $10 then thats what should be paid. You shouldnt be expected to pay $20 on a $10 item. This doesnt seem any different than panhandling.
"I don't consider door dash to be really tipping. It is more like bidding to have your order processed quicker."
Okay but if I dont get my food for 5 hrs then I wont use your service. Theres a difference between being efficient with how things are delivered and going above and beyond.
A downside to this is that its either going to benefit people who live near people who tip or drivers are going to waste a lot of time going from high tip to high tip and the tips probably wouldnt make up the waste of time. At that point you might as well just say that you want to get paid for driving and doing nothing else.
Companies need to PAY THIER Employees!
We do the assigned gratuities because those are essentially just part of their wages. Then we "double tip" those folks that either have to work harder than normal because of something we did or asked them to do like the time we spilled something in our room. But we are usually very easy on our room steward because we are neat and even before the lines started to go to once a day we only had them clean once a day. For the rest we tip based on how much they enhanced our trip by extra work. extra friendly. or getting us something special like a food item not on menu etc etc.
I do the pre cruise gratuity, then I tip my Stewart, I tip the luggage guy, I tipped out $1 per drink even though I bought the drink package and paid the extra gratuity. I tip for extra service if it’s warranted. I think I paid more in tips and gratuities this last cruise then I paid for the cruise.
The last cruise I went on the tip was included in the price. My cabin steward was so great I wish I had left him extra. 😊
I pre-pay gratuities and the first day, I look for the room steward and give them a $20, so they know me not having my room serviced doesn't mean they aren't going to be tipped. On the last day, I'll leave / give them another $50 (for a 7-day cruise).
I treat the pre-paid gratuities as being part of the cost of the cruise. It just so happens that this part of it goes to (hopefully) bring the staff up to a livable wage. Then I tip whoever performs a service for me (not counting at the buffet since I've never seen a tip jar).
The tipping thing has gotten ridiculous. Tips shouldn't be demanded, they should be earned. And they shouldn't be used to bring the employee's pay up to a livable standard. When I'm paying $18 for a burger, that should result in staff being given decent pay.
I hope y’all had an amazing cruise!
You too!
Thank you for giving specifics about tipping. We never knew if we were over tipping or not. We always tip a good room steward, drink server (especially if they brought it to me while I was seated in the theater), and dining room (if we don’t have the same server, we tip the one we had the most often).
We are old school and tip on service. We have family members who work as servers so we know how hard it is to make 10.85 an hour and depend on tips to make a living.
I don't mind tipping when earned but the whole concept has gotten out of hand and is becoming an extra expected fee. Sometimes even tantamount to begging. When I first started cruising the lines provided a suggested daily gratuity for specific staff and they even placed envelopes in your stateroom. Now when I cruise I also prepay my gratuities. Then the cabin steward always gets a $50 upfront when they introduce themselves on the first day. I request extra towels and ice every day. It's a worthy investment as you do get extra attention. Then I always throw the bartenders a little extra. They remember your face and name and it reduces wait time for a drink. The same goes for waiters on the pool deck. If you get their attention on the first day they show their appreciation. I generally eat in the MDR saving a specialty restaurant for one special night. The waiter and wait staff will always earn an early tip also. These early offerings are a way of setting the tone. Most times it pays as they show appreciation by being even more attentive.
Kudos for giving a heads up to the street performers!
We hadn't been on a cruise for several years. I didn't really know how much cash to take when we went on a short cruise last month. We did pre-pay our gratuities. For a five day cruise, we decided to take $500. We had a bit leftover (I don't drink, hubby only had one or two drinks a day, we didn't do any excursions and I only played once in the casino)...but made sure to tip our MDR waiters (we sat in the same section every night and our servers were wonderful), our cabin steward (thank you for the bucket of ice every afternoon, Ian!) and the room service staff who brought me my coffee at 6 AM every morning. Also tipped the porters for taking our bags on embarkation and disembarkation. We're going on an 11 day cruise in June and a 14 day cruise in August next year. That should be interesting. I'm going to need an armored car to transport the cash!!
I cancel pre paid gratuities and hand out $100 bills to the staff I encounter. I don’t trust the greedy cruise line companies to disperse the money to the staff. I want to know the people that worked hard for me GOT the money directly. I’ve heard from a few crew that state they DO NOT see any increase in tips when the cruise line as a whole makes gratuity increases, which leaves me suspicious and disappointed.
Having tips already included in the price makes much more sense, P&O and Marella do this it’s definitely the way to go for both passengers and crew.
Agreed … (uk)
@@jackieaudus9829 And if you receive great service you can always leave an actual tip!
Then it's no longer a tip, which is a gift for a job well done.
@@JenAmazed42 Correct, having to pay a service charge isn’t a tip. I am happy to tip someone for doing something over and above what’s expected.
Thank you Tony. I don't tip, but I do appreciate people like you suplimenting my cruising.
Tell me again why we are tipping the longshoremen who handle your luggage? The average Longshoreman salary in Miami, FL is $59,265 as of October 25, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $53,465 and $65,482.
Where I live, that's not a high salary
Gratuities are going up, but service is going down it used to be 2 times a day cleaning the cabin and now is only one time. Same in dining room, it used to be much more menu choices. Also, there are additional charges if you want more than one portion of some foods.
i hate the tipping system, the cruise line should advertise the real cost and pay decent wages, but i would never penalize the crew for it, so i always prepay, and if i get great service, i tip extra as i go and at the end of the cruise.
Tony thank so much for this video l tip just like you my husband tell me l TIP too much. I this it is a blessing to them and me to TIP. ❤
Tipping is out of control. It seems like a poorly defined pressure where no matter what you give and who you give it to it is not enough. I am not going to carry dollars around to give everyone I come in contact with. There are tip jars everywhere you go. There is a spot for a tip on every receipt you are given. I went into a local hamburger spot and the preprogrammed tip started at 25%. Now it typically it starts at 18%. Maybe if people didn’t cave to tip shaming people would get paid better. Pay your employees people.
Oh and I pre tip and tip extra. But it doesn’t feel generous when you are shamed into it.
Our last and the next four cruises we have booked is with Regent Seven Seas. It’s all inclusive including gratuities. Problem solved.
Easy solution with Door Dash, if they put you behind others and your food is cold, Door Dash has to partially refund your order. So this will backfire on them.
exhausting
As a Brit....we aim for the company owner pay a decent wage rather than it being subsidised by customers. In the UK a person shouldn't be tipped just for doing their job, their employer should pay them a decent living wage for the job they are doing for them. I've been cruising for 30 years. Since gratuities have been included on cruises and they get it regardless, its basically just an automated tax, its no longer a reward for good service. And over the years I've cruised, its noticeably resulted in the standard of basic service declining massively.
Good info and suggestions for others. No judgement here. You’re pretty generous which is better than being pretty cheap 😊
We leave in just over 4 weeks for a Princess cruise, we upgraded to their Premier service which includes gratuities. I will tip the luggage porters when we embark but otherwise will only do it for what I consider exceptional service.
I totally agree with other commenters that tipping is getting totally out of control.
Check to see if they add tips when you get serves in the bar or coffee etc. They sneak it in
@kimbolek7646 Thanks, I plan to keep an eye on my on-board account.
Daily gratuities at Princess Cruises go 100% goes to the company to pay wages to employees. Employees do not get tips at all. We removed them last year and gave $ 300 to the staff of our choice.
Why would you prepaid the service you did not receive yet?!
Here’s a tip for the tip episode…love your show Tony!!! and your love caruissssing
Very nice! Thanks so much!
Tipping: where will it all end?
When people who don’t are left to move all their own luggage, clean their own cabins, the dining rooms all turn into buffets, and don’t forget to bus your table and clean it, or you won’t find a clean one next meal. Eventually no staff at all except those who run the mechanics and do the cooking (shoving the food out windows when cooked, for passengers to serve. ). Even making passengers cook for themselves. Since they can’t be trusted to make their own drinks alcohol will be discontinued or bartenders will be tipped quadruple the price of the drink. Just for making one of the four drinks allowed. Probably watered down. Those who do tip will get Premium service. What cruisers get now. 🤪
Umm no, this is ridiculous.
Listening to this as I do deliveries for Door Dash 😂
That delivery fee you pay is for Door Dash. They generally pay the driver just enough to cover costs.
I’m glad to live in California where we passed proposition 22 to protect gig workers.
I will never use DoorDash for this Poor Customer Service
So is Door Dash trying to hype their own revenue by threatening poor service?
We will use UberEats .
UberEats/DoorDash whatever, you have no idea how absurdly low some of the fares are. I just do it for a little side money but I’ve literally had orders pop up for $3 to do a Pizza Hut delivery halfway across town. I reject any order under $10 because it’s just not worth my time. It’s costing me more in gas and wear and tear than I’m even making for doing the pizza run.
@@bisho1pI use Uber eats. The minimum I tip in the App is 5.00 and when I get the food I give the delivery person a few extra dollars in hand. Where I live they deliver on bikes or scooters. The places I order from are not far away. But if it is I tip more.
@@bisho1p
Amen. Once drove 28 miles (from where I was, to restaurant, to customer) for a banana shake. Yes, shake was $3. Guy didn't tip anything. Wasted hour of my life. I was new at Dashing and didn't know better. 😢
Tipping is so stupid. Just charge me whatever it costs up front and don't bother me after that.
Cruise Tipping, not to be mistaken for Cow Tipping