craig al

Has carnival made tipping mandatory on all of its ships?If so what process must you go through to have these charges removed so tipping can be made to your discretion?Doesnt this practice undermine quality of service?

Michelle

Craig,<BR>Just came back-2 days ago, sailed Carnival Triumph for 7 days to Caribbean. When we recieved are "sign and sail cards", we were automatically charged for tips for the entire 7 days. I do not know about removing the tips, but I do have to say that we recieved excellent service. The last night, we tipped our main dining team extra, by giving them cash. You will see that most of the staff are foreign, and seem to have a very good work ethic. My family and I discussed whether or not the staff actually does recieve the gratuity, or if it goes to Carnival-we think Carnival is pocketing it. When you purchase anything from the bar a 15%gratuity is added. I hope I was some help.

Paul Therault

Hi Craig,<BR><BR>Some Carnival ships have mandatory tipping and some do not. Ask your travel agent.<BR><BR>My last sailing on the Destiny I requested to have my tips charged to my on-board account since it saves me quite a bit of time getting the proper change and stuffing envelopes. They responded "no."<BR><BR>I believe Carnival and other assorted cruise lines are going this route so as not to have so many of the crew not receiving tips from the majority of passengers.<BR><BR>There is, of course, no hard and fast rule that states tips must go to the crew (such as the U.S. laws) but I am sure if the line is stiffing the crew, they will eventually find out and the line will be hard pressed to find employees.<BR><BR>It is very simple to have the tips taken off your account or have the amount adjusted up or down by visiting the info desk at any time during the cruise. Just find an appropriate time when, as you are walking by, see no one in line.<BR><BR>Paul<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Kay

Does anyone know if Disney has mandatory tipping or if the tips can be removed?

snorkelman

i just returned 2 days ago from carnival fantasy. i believe that the automatic tipping policy has resulted in poorer service. i will soon post my review of this cruise.

xxx

Why would you people want to remove tips? These people work their asses off and receive only $3-5 per day from the Cruise Line. The tips are just about all they receive. Most of them promptly send the money back to their families in 3rd World Countries.<BR>If you cannot afford to tip the staff for the service you receive, you should not take the trip.<BR>If the service is lousy and you are being ignored, reduce the amount of the tip at the Pursers office.<BR>I believe the Cruise Lines ARE giving their employees this Money.<BR>I personally know Carnival takes VERY good care of its employess. After touring their Reservations office, complete with on-site Child Care and a huge GYM, I asked if I could work their.

ED

I think it is the funniest thing author xxx? makes the comment "they work their asses off(obvious redneck)and they only recieve 3 to 5 dollars a day" then goes on to say "Carnival takes VERY good care of their workers" yea their lucky Carnival pays them at all.This mandatory tipping is just another tool Carnival uses to take the burden off themselves.I believe as you do Craig that poor service should not be rewarded,but on the other hand so should good service be reconized.But let me decide .

Geoff

I have just come off Carnival and my tips were included in the cruise and I had vouchers. <BR>I dislike the system of tipping. If I wish to tip someone for great service then I do - if not then that should be up to me NOT anyone else. <BR>The arguement that these people get little pay and have to rely on tips to exist does not hold water. If cruise lines, hotels, restaurants etc didn't pay staff and people didn't supplement the wages of these staff then how long would these places have employees? The other arguement that " if you don't tip and the cruise line had to pay then the cruise would cost $1000's more" is also bunkum. They would soon adjust things when people stopped using the ships. There are plenty of cruise lines that don't have tipping. The mere fact that there is to be yet another Carnival Cruise ship soon is arguement enough to show that they must be making sufficient profits to continue buying ships. The cost of drinks on board should cover any cost of paying their employees some sufficient wage - its extortion!<BR>Finally if Americans were really supportive of tipping then they would do so in countries where tipping does not exist - but they don't. So the issue is ' If its an American company who is not paying its staff then thats OK for everyone to put his hands into his pockets and help pay the wage - if its not American then good service doesn't get rewarded at all.<BR>

Gene

I agree with ed and geoff poor service poor tip,excellent service excellent tip LET ME DECIDE.As far as the tipping it is mandatory on carnival but can be removed.

Paul Therault

As I posted previously, not all Carnval ships have mandatory tipping. Disney does not have mandatory tipping. Princess does have mandatory tipping.<BR><BR>Of all the cruises I have taken you can usually tell who the passengers are that do not tip .... they are strange people. <BR><BR>You will hear it all on this tread. It has been discussed ad infinitum on previoius threads. It will be the same here.<BR><BR>Paul<BR>

Kay

I am not cheap or trying to get out of tipping. But it should be for good service and at my discretion. I just came back from an all-inclusive in Jamaica where 'tipping is strictly prohibited' and I tipped constantly--because of the excellent service.

John

Paul:<BR>I object to you saying that "people who don't tip are strange people - and you can tell who they are" <BR>For your information not EVERYONE is an American and not EVERYONE is used to tipping as, whether you know it or not, tipping is not widespread throughout the world and is looked on as discourteous in most Asian countries. <BR>If America wishes to work on a system of not paying their employees properly that should not be a reason for having to tip. You have a different outlook from other people - why don't you tip nurses, doctors, dentists? Where and why is there a cut off? What about a whip-around for the Captain? But why is it that where tipping is not 'compulsory' Americans are the first not to do it - if you are so enthused with it why don't you do it EVERYWHERE?<BR>

Paul Therault

Hi John,<BR><BR>I sailed most ships and I make it a point to talk to as many passengers as possible. The complainers do not tip or tip very little. The blowhards do not tip. The high almighty do not tip. You will hear them on this thread.<BR><BR>John, we are not talking about customs here. When in the United States, do as the U.S. citizens do. When on a ship, do what is advised. If you do not like it .... don't cruise. But do not make a big stink about it (not you in particular).<BR><BR>Paul

John

Paul: I would agree with you if it weren't for the fact that when Americans are overseas they do not follow the customs of other places - eating customs for instance to name only one item. You must agree that what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Therefore most people when they go on a cruise might not feel that they have to follow American customs when the only thing that is American about the cruise is the port the ship left from. These ships are registered in Liberia or Panama, have mostly foreign ( to Americans) crews and are sailing in waters that are not American - now what did I get wrong here - what part of this is American and which bit of whose custom should we follow?

Faina

What's wrong with me, I can't get this expression: mandatory tips. I looked up word "gratuity" in Webster, this is what I got: 'something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service; especially : TIP'. Voluntarily, NOT MANDATORY!!!!! And the respectable Fodorites discuss it like it's normal for a tip to be mandatory? I wonder if a cruise line warns you that a tip will be included in your bill like they do it in some restaurants now? I always tip, but hate when I'm forced to do so and would never go back to the place which extorted additional money from me. A note advising on tipping would be appropriate, but not the tipping racket.

Paul Therault

See what I mean about how this thread is going to be blown way out of proportion. Now we are going to discuss European customs and American customs and who owns what ship and why we are forced to tip.<BR><BR>I send you all to a nice hotel on a nice island and you can tell the room service person you refuse to pay the gratuity that is included in the bill.<BR><BR>Just stay home!<BR><BR>Paul

John

Spit the dummy if you want Paul but it won't change the fact that you are expecting people to pay tips under American customs on ships which are not in American waters/ Registered as American ships etc so the whole arguement that one should follow "custom" when in America is not an issue - we are not in America. If you are such a stickler for custom then you should be humble enough to accept that some people from some countries have different ones from you and perhaps you are not 100% right all the time - Might is not always right Paul - sorry about that. <BR>Further it is also no good saying that what is "done" on a cruise should be accepted by the customer. May I assure you that the three times I have cruised I have not been told that I have to tip UNTIL I am on the ship. NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND NOT "INFORMED CONSENT" if you want the legal definition.

xxx

Ah just give them all your money. They're gonna nickel and dime you 'til they get it anyway.

Albert

I agree with Paul, and I think John has a strange idea of what goes on in the rest of the world. In most of Western Europe, for example, "mandatory gratuities" (if that's what you wish to call them) are added to restaurant bills, and "voluntary tipping" on top of that is probably done mostly by Americans (who are uncomfortable with the idea of not adding something extra). I dare say that most passengers on cruise ships in the Carribean, or up in Alaska, are Americans and follow American customs most of their lives. Some lines add the tips to the cruise price, others don't. If service is lousy, see the purser's office, but all of the literature (and I mean brochures circulated before you book) mention tips on those lines where it is the custom -- and if the first trip was a surprise for John, how can he claim to be surprised the next two times?

xman

The problem with comparing European practices with cruise line practices is that they are truly two different worlds. The European waiter on the whole is a professional (and acts as such as is treated as such). Whereas the cruise line waiter is usually just passing through.<BR><BR>It would be like comparing a Porsche to a Chevy both are functional, but I don't mind paying for the extra performance I get out tof the European model.