Thinking of a Cruise

[happy daze john in oz]

Now Rob I am surprised at you, since when were shipping companies ever honest? But I agree with your comments,but to be fair Royal Caribbean when you book here in Oz give an account with a complete breakdown of all costs, even to the extent of port charges, gratuities, fuel surcharge if one is due, but all bar prices include a 15% gratuities charge.

[robpage]

Well i have endured Halloween , July the fourth , Disney's versions of history , but i cannot encompass the American idea of 15% tipping . I dont have a problem with a gratuity for good service , but i still have a free will , are the tips spread out to the deck department for ensuring decks are clean , and rough seas avoided , to the engine Room for making sure that the trips are on time and the lights stay on . I wonder if the Chief Steward gets a bigger share than he barman . I just do not get the idea , AND as for trusting Shipping Companies , I know how many three month trips I did that were six or longer , with the personnel manager's promise ringing in my ears . Trust them , I would rather trust a politician !!!

[Glan Phillips]

Robpage.........having spent the last 15 years of my sea service on cruise ships operating from the USA, I can assure you that the deck & engine dept's did not benefit from tips and the food and beverage usually made better money than the deck and engine ratings, dependent on tips of course.
Also the 'hotel manager' (formally there were no 'hotel managers') they were chief pursers, made more than the master, due to the perks.
Cheers......Glan

[jimmys]

Around Glasgow eateries and drinkeries there seems to be a ten per cent service charge if you are getting table service, I dont think the waiters see it all maybe part. If you are at the bar there is no service charge.

I have been seeing a few companies with the all inclusive cruise, I cant remember which companies but I think tied up with Thomson Holidays. I think it said no tips or service charges.

I dont know if down in Oz, maybe just the Meddy.

regards
jimmy

[robpage]

I was in a local pub for a meal and went to add the tip to the bill , the girl serving said , i wouldn't do that , we never see the tips , the landlord keeps them , he claims he cannot separate them off his Visa payment , She got a cash tip , but i wondered if it was true , I suspect it was . So my thought is if you tip $15 a day to the bedroom steward by the ships bill , how much of it do they get and how much gets set aside for the hotel management team . The rich get richer and the poor get robbed !! life doesnt change does it !!!

[jimmys]

Reading Glan's post at # 113, I would think the Chief Pursers or now they have been promoted to Hotel Managers would be expert at the "syphoning off" of a goodly part of gratuity. They were not called "belly robbers" at sea for nothing. You need to be a certain type of person to have the snout in the trough.
In Blue Flu when I was a boy,the first thing you learned was robbing the bellies of seaman built large villas down in the Wirral.

regards
jimmy

[robpage]

I naievly thought that after all these years , honesty may have won , and the chance to cream off the top layer of the cash , may just not happen , I thought the tips might just go to those who earned them . When I was with Union Castle , the Laundry manager , suggested if we wanted our Blues back before we got to Las Palmas , he would receive a bottle of Scotch Whisky . The senior Second Engineer turned off his steam supply for repairs to the pipe-line , our blues came back ever so quickly after that , the thought of not getting the " Bloods " gear back and collecting his back handers was too much to bear .

[Kevin Mercer]

I have just found out what Holland America do about tips on their ships, as follows:- (quote) "To ensure that the efforts of all our crew members are recognized and rewarded, a daily Hotel Service Charge of Eleven US dollars per passenger is automatically charged to each guest's shipboard account. if our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of the cruise. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining wine purchases"
So there you have it! Why can't the staff who rely on this system of blackmail be simply paid a decent wage like every one else and if they are no good at the job, get the sack..........like every one else.
Mystified Matelot

[Albert Bishop]

One good thing about tankers. No one worried about who was getting the tips, and who wasn't. Because we all wasn't
Cheers, Albi.

[Captain Kong]

The only Tip I ever got at Sea was

"Get Wise To yourself"