To tip or not to tip that is the question

A number of years ago there was a Documentary on cruise ships which featured Mickey Arison, boss man at Carnival.
Cabin staff on board were paid $1 a day (true) but the system of tipping meant that a bedroom steward working 12 plus hours a day was making over $4000 per month, which they seemed very happy with.
The system that at the time, Carnival were working, was that on boarding you immediately had to give $200 per person cash or a credit card swipe for the same amount. This covered all gratuities on board. In one episode it showed an American family of 5 who had saved hard for the trip of a lifetime, paid the full whack and thought that they would only then need some money for trips ashore as food and accommodation had all been paid for. On boarding the cruise staff demanded the above $200 per person for on board gratuities, which the family did not have. Big argument ensued and the end result was that they were refused to take their part on the cruise and lost all there money.
Mickey Arison was renowned as one of the most hard boiled American business men and when interviewed about the crew wages and his gratuities policy basically said, tough, like it or lump it, that's the way I operate.
rgds
JA

The main point now is that they cannot enforce the tipping of passengers as a compulsory item. Most ships sailing from Oz now make it quite clear that to tip is an optional extra for the passenger to consider, it cannot be forced. Royal Caribbean, the company of whom I have spoken, being an American company with most ships sailing from US ports does try it on. However most of the passengers sailing from Oz are smart enough to know the score when it comes to tips.
I believe P&O sailing from UK now adopt a policy of non compulsory tips, and if you read the fine print in your sailing contract, nowhere does it mention tips as a compulsory, it only suggests you consider the service recieved and reward accordingly.

I have stated it before here , If I pay for a cruise , I don't expect to pay the catering staff as an extra , just because the ship owner cannot be bothered to pay a decent living wage .

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Originally Posted by robpage

I have stated it before here , If I pay for a cruise , I don't expect to pay the catering staff as an extra , just because the ship owner cannot be bothered to pay a decent living wage .

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###have cruised a couple of times wont have anything on my account but ....pay for good service always ask firstly for a table for the two of us then can choose who we would like to sit with so many yanks shouting there heads ...really pisses me off ....but had a really good phillipino waiter who looked after us really well..ie could have lobster or fillet steak choice of .....he brought os both ie surf and turf .....well he was worth looking after .the guy in the bar had the drinks delivered before we sat down every one a double for the price of a single ....dont mind paying if im looked after enjoy cruising but mucho novo virus about makes you think.....if your in your cabin ill ......just to many peoplestuck together like geese

the only cruise i ever fancied was on the old banana boats, believe had just a dozen passengers, and never new where you were going exactly or for how long, KT

Keith
It is still possible to cruise on a cargo ship. Columbus Line (German) actually built extra passenger accommodation on some of their ships rather than increase the container carrying capacity as income from passengers was far more than containers. They ran down to South America and when ever I was in Antwerp locks with them they always had a fair amount of passengers on board watching from the monkey island.
rgds
JA

in new york in china town with friends 5 years ago we decided to eat of course chinese.....inside was only chinese and we thought well this should be good a magnificent restaurant ...lokking at the menu it was all in chinese.....so to be daring we said what is the favourite meal and we will have it four four of us...after a while a massive bowl arrived and we each got a large soup plate .......sticking out the bowl a large ladle .....my beloved played mother and dipped the ladle and poured into the friends soup bowl a large helping which consisted of a glutinous soup and about12 ducks webs in one ladle full.....the looks of horror.were a site to see and to be honest the thing tasted awful.....we humbly paid up and ended up in a mcdonalds which was not much better

I was on the AMSTERDAM of Holland America this year,
The waiters in the Lido Cafe were on $500 a month for a 12 hour day, they were Javanese and Balinese, all first trippers, so I guess the BRs and Restraurant waiters were on more.
Tips were $11.50 per person per day. but you could sign a waiver to this by the mid cruise time.
In Cunards Queens I always signed the waiver, I did object to having my money given to some pig ignorant unhygenic arrogant eastern european waiter.
So I have stopped cruising with Cunard, Holland America is far better,
Now this trip I have just done, 38 days was over $400 so I paid up as I had been given a £2000 each upgrade for free, so I saved £4000 so I thought it was worth it.
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Hi HD John, did you meet the Cyclone ITA on your trip?
Cheers
Brian

John S. That is my point exactly that say the bus carried thirty passengers and with a 30% tip would mean that the driver was on $1080 a trip plus his normal wage. Would only have to work two trips a week to live a bloody good life on tips alone. Same equation can be said for cruises. How the public has been conned by this yanky system beats me.

Do not tip and will be the one shouted at for not tipping but at the end of the bloody day I do not intend to use the service anymore or meet up with the person demanding a tip. As for it being a Oz thing as I recall lit is the same in the UK when I was there. I do know that they have a glass on the bar top at most pubs out here for loose change and the coins in them seem to mostly be pre decimal and not many of them either.

As said Les, you do not have to tip if you do not want to. It is not compulsery. Just sign a waiver form and not a penny is paid. most cruisers do not realise this and do pay up.
I enjoy cruising as it gets me back to sea where I belong, and also I go to many places I have missed in all the years I was seafaring. This year I added Pitcairns Island and met Jacqi Christian decendent of Fletcher, then Easter island another place I always wanted to go to, I also get to meet my many mates in the States, and Tahiti, Moorea, NZ and in Australia and Singapore, etc., I couldnt do it by plane. and also visit many many other places around the planet that I never ever got to in the past. I take my own booze so I do not pay their prices.
Cruising can be very good if you plan it properly and get the right ship on the right itinery
It is a far more civilised way of travelling.
Cheers
Brian.