To think compulsory 'gratuities' on cruises should be banned?

[HormonalHeap]

I was under the impression gratuities should be just that- not to push up profits by effectively paying part of the crew's salary for them. Just seen an advert from cruise company offering "up to $300 gratuities" as an incentive to book. Makes my blood boil.

It's bleeding out the money I gave to the cabin steward on top of the gratuity on the cruise we were on. I never stopped to think my blood should be boiling. Probably a good thing, that doesn't sound good for you, either.

YY, Ilove, our cabin attendant was from the Philippines, the two waiters in the dining room who gave us amazing service the entire week were from India and China, the people who cared for our children were all from Latin American countries. They all worked very hard, the service was excellent.

The tipping 'culture' isn't just American. Many Latin American countries also work on such basis, as do Caribbean ones and Asian ones, so even though the gratuities were included, but we brought extra cash for them and also the guides on the excursions as it's the done thing.

Expat we give to the steward BEFORE the cruise. Always had good service So no, no problem with tipping, just would rather the company advertised the true price of the cruise if I'm paying that anyway, paid their staff and let tips be tips

I take loads of cadbury chocolate and hand it out to housekeeping, room service etc. Seems to go down well!

My kids both want to work on a cruise ship, although not in a tipped position. DS wants to work in the kids club - he is doing childcare at college with a view to something like this. DD wanted to do the same (but doesn't like kids!!), I've persuaded her that working in the shop would be better, as its a pretty easy job comparatively speaking - the shops aren't allowed to open when ship is in port, so they often get to go out as guides on the excursions. They only want to work on Disney Cruise Line though (only line we've been on and love it!).

Mine loved the kids' club, Ilove, and the staff were fabulous. DS has high-functioning autism and they handled him so well.

They were all bi-lingual, too.

Opt out, then, Hormonal.

We cruised on Royal Caribbean. My folks are members of the 'Silver Castaway' club with their line and like them best. Looking forward to our next adventure.

Thats great to hear expat. My DS is severely dyslexic, I just hope it doesn't hamper him too much and he is able to get to interview stage etc. He is fantastic with kids, his last placement was at a nursery and the kids all fell in love with him and cried when he left (as did he!). He is currently in reception year at a school, which he isn't enjoying quite so much, but its such a different setting to the nursery.

I hope he gets it! The staff was 50/50 male/female and we were really impressed. They were amazing with activities, exercise, fun on board. Sea days, of course, you collect them at lunch. We had a table in the dining room every evening, but you could put them in the club for dinner. Wasn't for us, we wanted to have family meals and the dress up nights were fun.

It is shift work, as they open at 7am and passengers can, if they pay extra after 10pm, leave the children in there until midnight (we collected them around 8 and, as we had a suite of rooms and balconies, my dad would sit in the living area or on balcony after we put them to bed and we would go to the shows, discos or casinos. My father is elderly and prefers quiet evenings).

I have to admit, I did not want to go on a cruise. The very thought really freaked me out.

Since DD1 passed away, I get anxious thoughts.

But my dad so wanted us all to go on one for their golden wedding anniversary.

They had to pull me down the gangplank and prise my fingers off the railings when it was over .

A lot of the staff on cruise ships are in effect indentured labour having had to pay vast amounts of money to an agency just to get the job in the first place. They have virtually no employment rights due to the fact, as someone up thread said, that the ships are registered in places where minimum wage and working time regulations etc don't apply. Personally that would bother me more about going on a cruise than being obliged to pay tips.

We factor in the 'gratuities' when we work out the cost of our cruises. The next one will have just under £8 added daily for the both of us and this includes all dining and housekeeping. Around £56 for the week. We don't like it (it is an American thing and not usual in the UK) but accept that if we cruise, we pay gratuities. We've always had very good service and haven't felt the need to get the amount reduced.

Never been on a cruise but my friend has. They had a cruise from Florida , two cabins one for them and one for the kids and then a week in a universal hotel in Orlando all singing , all dancing. Their two week break came to a lot but she said that when they Totted it up what they paid in tips they felt like they'd had another person with them. As well as paying the tips upfront like the OP said, they also tipped staff for bringing drinks to the pool etc.

'it is an American thing and not usual in the UK'

It is a poor country thing. Outside W. Europe this is how it is in very, very many places. The UK and W. Europe are about the only places where it is not usual, and they don't look good for not doing it when they chose to travel outside of this.

Most of these cruises stop in poor Caribbean and Latin American countries where tipping culture is the norm. As pointed out, the liners base themselves in banana republic countries to get out of paying, so you, the customer, gets a holiday at the price you pay.

Jesus wept! Anyone who travels outside W. Europe can tell you people expect tips and um 'tips' and to go prepared for that.

'Taking a stand' will not change this and really, it's a UK thing not to tip.

We were on the Navigator. It takes on $1m worth of food for each week. Your holiday is all-inclusive. I can only imagine the fuel bill. You must leave by 10am. They start boarding at noon. Only a few hours to turn over thousands of rooms and a ship made to hold thousands.

The service was amazing. One man, from Jamaica, was in the corridors, eternally hoovering. He would let DS, who has autism and was obsessed with hoovers, work his vacuum. Never a complaint out of him. 'Scotsman!' he would say when he saw him. His hair was going grey. He could have pretended not to speak English.

I can count on one hand the number of American staff on that ship.

I could have gone the entire week not speaking a word of English and got on just fine, I did often enough.

But yeah, tipping is American and bad.

People rich enough to rake regular cruises, from W Europe, want to take a stand by making very poor, very hardworking people,cleaning up their crap and serving them, even poorer.
Oh Bravo. Admirable principles.

True, countess, we sailed from Galveston. I was born near enough. Having paid the added gratuity and cash to supplement. The ports were all Caribbean/Latin American.

You bring extra money, in dollars, to tip in such places, which are not America .

Hell, my Russian friends even take dollars along when they travel back to their homeland.

My mother always packs extra money and 'gifts' of 14ct gold jewellery and silver.

"It's a UK thing not to tip" .expat it is also an Australian thing not to tip. In fact P&O Australia stopped the auto-tipping back in 2010 after 'customer feedback' made it clear that it was not popular.

I think part of the problem is a misunderstanding of the term 'tip'. Generally in UK and other countries, tipping is seen as an entirely voluntary amount of money paid to someone who has given good service. The amount is up to the giver. However, in the USA tipping is part of the culture and a minimum set percentage is expected.

I am used to the tipping thing on cruises now and prefer the auto gratuity method. At the end of the cruise I'll give the steward and waiters a thank you card and a small Scottish themed gift (no, not cans of Irn Bru!).

Thomson Cruises include tipping in the price of the cruise and so do other companies.

Well said countess!

I think the concern with prepaid gratuities is whether they actually get it or not, which is why some people prefer to give directly.