Gratuities and barmen

[happy daze john in oz]

On most cruise lines now passengers are expected to pay a daily gratuity, this is around $11.50 US per person of all ages so for a family of five on a two week cruise this will add about$800 to their account. With the exception of a couple of Norwegian companies the fee can be 'Waived' by signing a form. Like most of the British on the last cruise, as well as most of the Australians, I signed a waiver. The young lady on the service desk was from Japan and disturbed by the practice as in Japan, like Australia, they do not tip, not part of the culture. She told me she found it very hard to keep up with the practcie as it varied between countries but hated most the USA practice.

On this cruise, as with all, I attempt to speak with as many of the crew as possible, most are willing and enjoy the exchange of information.

I got freindly with one of the bar waiters in the 'Wheelhouse', one of the most popular on board, a very good English speaking Croatian by the name of Oliver.

Wages came up at one point and he explained to me how it works now. The rate of pay depends on the position a crew members is employed in, where the cruise is going also has a bearing on this as well.

He could not elaborate on the scale for other departmenst but explained about bar crew. For a six month contract the company will pay him $300US, yes the pricely sum of $50US per month. Exploitation I hear you cry, no better than in our day. But he then went onto explain why the pay is so low for him and all barcrew. Whilst we can sign the waiver for daily gratuities it is not taken off anything else, all bar items and all other
goods attract a gratuity of 15%. The average price of a drink is about $8 giving a gratuity of about $1.20. That money goes to the waiter who takes the order. Oliver explained that on average he sold about 40 to 50 drinks on a normal day and up to 80 on a busy day. The hours worked are 11 on a sea day, 12 on an in port day and 13 on a sailing day of the cruise. This money is paid to them at the end of each cruise.

Up on the pool deck on this ship was the 'Mermaids Tail' a smaller bar than on some of the companies ships, but as this ship has twice as many bars as some others it is sufficient. Kingston, not his real name but the one I gave him as he hails from Jamacia, works the bar for about 80% of the day on his own. He sells up to 500 drinks per day. One of the most popular is the 'bucket of beer', five bottles of beer in an ice bucket for around $35. Cocktais, some non alcoholic sell from $12 upwards so he is making a very good wage. having been with the company for some 14 years he has no doubt earned the right to man this bar.
As Oliver tells it, there is a waiting list, avery long list, of crew who want to work the bars.

[Captain Kong]

Hi John
In Cunard and Holland America ships, you can sign a waiver on Gratuities so you do not pay any.
In Cunard I always signed the waiver so I only gave an end of voyage tip to the BR Steward and the Table Steward.
In Holland America, HAL. I always pay the Gratuities $11.50 a day each for the two of us.
reason? In Cunard I never once got a free up grade. I always book the cheepest inside cabin, why? how much time do you spend in the cabin.? sleep, shower get changed, done and then outside.
I try not to sail Cunard any more, I find the HAL ships are better and have far better itineries.
In Holland America I have always had a free upgrade from the cheap inside cabin to an outside cabin costing up to a thousand pounds more than an inside. Last year was a good one, a real good cabin way up on the prom deck. no extra charge from paying for an inside.. so I pay the gratuities, worth it.
Hope it works again when I join the Statendam on 13 February. But again I also get $200 free spending money for being a regualr customer.
Cheers
Brian

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI John
Who pays his wages if the ship is booked for a cruise by alcoholics anonymous.
Cheers Des

[Captain Kong]

It was reported last week that a cruise was hired by Nudists. All the passengers NAKED.!!!!
Must have been some `orrible sights, some look horrible when they are dressed.
A Filipino steward got a little excited and attacked a nude lady, He was hiding on her balcony and when she returned to her cabin he lept upon her, There was a lot of screams, people were hammering on the door, he hit her with a lap top and hair dryer and then jumped off her balcony to another and made his way down to his own cabin.
His cabin mate told him to give himself up.
.
They do have some strange cruises..

The cruise before the very last World Cruise on QE2 was for Homosexualls and Lesbians only, a Waitress who lives near me told me the Staff had to be sworn to secrecy about it, so she told me.
.Brian

[John Gill]

#4-I never signed the official secrets act when i signed on the Capetown Castle Kong.
Quite a traumatic experience for a young innocent waiter, probably scarred me for life.
Gilly

[John Arton]

The head barman on the Empress of Canada was about the wealthiest on the ship. Passenger prices for drinks were astronomical compared to what we paid in the crew and officers bars. If we ever drank in the passenger lounges {only allowed once a crossing for us lower ranks, above 1st Officer you were allowed free rein and expected to mingle with the passengers} you still had to pay passenger prices from which the head barman was taking a cut. He was always 1st down the gangway in Liverpool with two cricket kit bags full of booze that he had purloined by various means from the ships bars and was selling to the local pubs around the area where he lived. He was the only guy on the ship who drove a jaguar.
The amount of stuff that certain people took off that ship to sell to business's around there home was amazing and led in part to C.P. selling them of. Even the shore staff were in on it. C.P. had a huge warehouse in, I think, Bootle, full of carpets,crockery, silver service cutlery etc. and when the Empress's were sold one of the catering head whallahs in the Head Office purchased this warehouse contents for a song and then proceeded to auction it all off for a vast profit.
ON the other ships in the fleet we only had a strip of carpet in each cabin but in this warehouse there were rolls an rolls of carpets of the finest quality and design, yet we never saw an inch of them. Likewise cutlery and crockery. We had to put up with cheap Japanese cutlery and crockery on all the new building's whilst sterling silver services , al embossed with the C.P. logo were flogged off by this guy. Some of the silver even ended up in a care home in Bournemouth where a purser pal of mine discovered it whilst visiting a relative of his who resided there. He filched a number of C.P. teaspoons from the place as proof. Many in C.P. said it was a sad day for Liverpool when the Empress boats went with not only the loss of many seaman's jobs but also the loss of supply of cheap, top quality meat, fish, alcohol etc. to many business's around the area.
rgds
JA

[vic mcclymont]

On UCL ships the barmen watered down the passenger beer.

[robpage]

on the Pendennis the weakest wettest beer was in the pig , only leading hands had straight beer .l believe mix was 4 or 5 beer to 1 water

[Doc Vernon]

On UCL ships the barmen watered down the passenger beer.

Well I never heard of that before Vic,I think that if that were done a lot of the Ships Barmen wou;d have been out of a job pretty fast!
Most of the Beers and other Drinks sold on the Castle Ships were Bottled and opened in front of the passenger!

We as you may recall used to do the Beer Carries in the Mornings to stock up,and it was all above board!

Possibly in the Pig it may have been watered down a wee bit.but that again is questionable, as I remember the Beer I used to drink in the Pig was certainly not watered down!
Cheers

Just my own experience above,there could have been some hanky panky on some Ships !! Well I know there was plenty amongst the other sorts! LOL

[vic mcclymont]

Hi Doc, On the VAAL, in one of the bars, the pumps were located in a room off of the main bar. It was well known that the bar attendants water down passie beer.
Didn't do it with the crew.