The real question is if the cruise industry is stealing by hiring sub-minimal wage staff and expecting you to make it up.

Gratuity: Something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service. KEYWORD... VOLUNTARILY You CANNOT steal something that is not mandatory payment. Actually paying by credit card already loses 3% in card fees. 2. Gratuities & Tips are a way for COMPANIES to reduce wages THEY pay to workers

I regularly tip my room staff and diner staff on the last day of cruise as a thank you which goes over and above the standard gratuities.

I"m from the UK and find the whole idea of tipping anywhere very strange, except in VERY exceptional cases. How will workers ever get paid a living wage if a company duck's out of paying a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. I have worked in many jobs including catering and never had a tip, nor did I expect one because I got paid properly for doing my Job .Cruise companies should be truthful about the cost of a cruise and not expect me to pay for there dishonesty.

Gratuity is historically at the discretion of the customer, if/when the customer decides the service or the provider merit the disbursement of tip/gratuity. Not stealing if you decide not to pay. Everyone has a salary, no one works for free, but companies now rely on gratuities to supplement the employee salary being offered. No company or employee should count on gratuities. The gratuities should be seen as a bonus when received, not a given.

Back in olde tymes, when I first started cruising, there were no pre-paid gratuities. I'm not a fan of the program. I prefer to tip directly based on service and performance. I vote 'no', removing automatic gratuities is not stealing

Gratuities = Tips , Tipping someone you have never met = Salary. Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Frank Del Rio 2018 salary $22.6 million Carnival CEO Arnold Donald 2018 salary $13.5 million Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain 2018 Salary $12.4 million I think they can afford to pay their employees a living wage and let us decide who and how much to tip.

Hay here's an idea. How about the cruise line pay the staff better in the first place? Mine gets put to zero when I get on the ship and I pay for the people that serve me. Don't give two shits how if that's acceptable to other people or not, it's what I choose to do and that's it

What Carnival is trying to say. Is that all the money goes to the staff , none to the cruise line.

With the limited research I’ve done, it’s sounding to me like the crew ship companies are paying the crew members’ salaries with the passengers mandatory gratuities. Therefore, the mandatory “gratuities” don’t end up acting in the way that tips we are familiar with act. It’s not extra money on top of the crew members’ salaries until we give them cash. This is what my conclusion is based on the information I’ve come across. If this is true I can understand some people removing them and feeling we shouldn’t have mandatory gratuities to pay what the cruise companies should be paying. I can understand tipping the employees behind the scene if it’s truly a tip, but it does rub me the wrong way to pay a mandatory additional fee on top of what I paid just to cover some of the crew’s promised salary.

Definitely not stealing. I don't do it but if I did, it wouldn't be stealing. I'd feel guilty if I did tho.

I miss the envelope system. You tip based on the service you receive.

unpopular opinion.... I feel like the automatic gratuities they charge per person is stealing my money. I have cash on hand to tip when I choose when service is good and it can be more personal appreciation.

You bring up lots of good points Tony. As I found out, tips are being used to pay the people's salaries. For example, a bartender may make $2.00/day plus tips. That is true for most service positions on board. So, that is where all our tips go! Also, extra tips have to be shared in a specific manner (working team). It is what it is and the workers depend on them.

No way is it stealing anything. Tip literally means To Insure Proper Service. I never have agreed with the pre pay option. I've worked in the service industry myself and would make sure I went above with anything I did. Note, only Americans go through this crap. It was invented in the late 1800s so owners could cut the cost of paying hard working employees. If you pay a decent wage then tipping should only apply to above and beyond service.

You nailed my perspective at the end. It's not stealing to remove the gratuities but people work hard and I like to make sure they know I appreciate it so I pay pre-paid. Everyone gets their tip and I can just focus on enjoying my cruise without worrying about shirking anyone.

Virtually no cruise lines are registered in the US, so this is not an “American” thing. It is a cost shifting thing. Many cruise ship employees work only six months a year, and those tips help them take that time off. I don’t think I am responsible for subsidizing cruise employee life styles and I have had some abysmal service on some pretty high end ships. On my last Viking trip, they “suggested” $20 per day per person. It was ridiculous. I leave some on my account and tip some in cash. I think that is a good compromise.

I would like to hear from the worker, how do they get paid my gratuity from the company? what percentage do they get ALONG with their standard pay?

I would only remove them if I felt that the service was not good enough to deserve it. (Which so far, has never happened)

i must admit i do not know about cruising out of Australia but generally in Australia(and it should be the world over) the staff are paid at a rate where customers are not paying the staffs wages as is the case in America i believe where staff are paid at a very low rate so customers are kind of forced to pay them. Pay them a decent wage to begin with

Food for thought: There are lots of people you don't see on a cruise ship. Dishwashers, food prep staff, line cooks, laundry staff, etc.... there are many people that work together to make sure you are having the best vacation you can have. So asking for a gratuity up front which will be paid out to these individuals isn't that big of a deal. However, it's the same argument we have about food servers. I shouldn't have to pay for a meal and then pay my server on top of that because the restaurant doesn't want to pay servers a decent wage. These cruise ships seem to be doing the same thing and that bothers me. Think of the thousands of people that are paying these gratuities. We are all, not only paying for our cruise, but we are also paying the staff salary for the time we are on board the ship. I'm all for tipping a little extra for exceptional services but I don't appreciate being forced into paying someone's wages.

I always pay the prepaid gratuities and just leave it alone . I wouldn't ask for a refund

I think Carnival's policy means that 100% of your tips is split between the people you see and the ones you don't, but that Carnival doesn't keep any of it, like for a handling fee or something. It's not stealing to not tip or not tip as much as the cruise line recommends. I've done both. On our last cruise, we didn't go to the dining room at all and felt it was not right to have the tips split with them as they provided no service to us. We had them removed from getting any. So it all went to the room stewards and whomever else we don't see.

Always remove automatic gratuity and use tips to improve your experience. Tip to get that better table or that better room. Use tips as a bribe. A transaction that doesn't benefit you is a poor transaction. If giving people money really makes you feel good then I guess tip everyone in sight.

I remove the gratuities. Every time. When you don’t, they’re basically split between everyone.. not just the people who actually serve you. I’d much rather remove them and just individually tip the people that actually served me at the end of the cruise, like our waiter, room attendant, etc. I don’t feel bad removing, esp when every drink is automatically added a 15% tip. IMO, automatic gratuities are just a way for the cruise lines to get away with paying its employees less.

Definitely not stealing. Cruises should pay their employees more and take away gratuities. I’m fine with paying more for a cruise and not tipping. That way everyone wins.

No it is not stealing. The cruise line seems to nickel and dime you to death. They charge double for their excursions. The drink package is ridiculously priced. They charge you for room service. They charge you for everything. I am going on a cruise in July and I will be removing my gratuities and I will pay the people that directly interact with me personally. will not feel bad about it. Maybe the cruise line should pay them more or put th gratuities in the price of the cruise so that it is not separated out.

When we eat at restaurants in the US we don’t tip the people in the back!! We do t tip the chefs or managers!!! When we take a taxi we don’t tip the mechanics!!! I will tip who I get great service from and that’s my choice! When tips are predetermined there is no reason to give great service. My money my choice!!

When I first started cruising the cruise lines would place tipping envelopes with guidelines in the cabin on the last day of the cruise so that passengers could tip the room steward, waiter, busboy, wine steward, etc. Holland America also used to have a no tipping policy. In both cases we would tip the suggested amounts and most always more because of exceptional service. Pre-paid gratuities makes it easier to not have to worry about tipping and in most cases we also tip above & beyond for exceptional service. That being said, I'm still a believer in being able to tip someone on my own without having it dictated to me by an outside source (the cruise line). I also wonder if 100% of the prepaid gratuities are being distributed to the employees without a portion of it being skimmed off by the cruise line? Then there is the question of whether there is a deduction of taxes for the tips so that the employees are not getting a gross amount, but a net one? In the end, there's probably no one answer that will satisfy everyone so as long as passengers have the ability to forego automatic tipping by the cruise line in favor of tipping at the end of the cruise we should do what works best for us as an individual.

ill be honest i always remove the gratuities. i give everyone cash my waiter my housekeeper etc.. when we are on land and we go to a restaurant do you tip the waiter? now ask yourself this! what if that same restaurant tells you there is an automatic gratuity for the server, chef, barback, bartender etc... none of these people did anything for to serve you but you have to pay them?

Hmmmm 🤔‼️ I was thinking the same thing when you read Carnival’s statement! I’m not sure what to say - I was a cruiser before gratuities were added on & left cash in envelopes for my room steward & dining room staff. When the cruise lines started adding prepaid gratuities - I gladly did that - so much easier than making sure I had cash at the end of the cruise to leave for the people who I did interact with. But on my last cruise when my friend had to cancel just a few weeks before the cruise - so I was going to be cruising solo - Princess reimbursed the amount of her gratuities (which I had prepaid) right back to my credit card just a few days before I left for the cruise - I had planned on adding the amount back when I was on the ship -even though the cabin steward just had to take care of me - but then as it turned out that my cabin steward was a nice guy - but no too attentive to me (might have been a language barrier or maybe because I was a female solo cruiser) - and I also didn’t need him to clean the cabin twice a day (sometimes not at all - because I stayed in the cabin when I had a bass migraine)! He was pleasant & did give me new towels everyday- but didn’t refill my ice bucket (which he told me he would do if I left it out of the fridge) & he didn’t remove my room service tray with the dirty dishes (I had to leave it outside my cabin door)! I did try to speak to him - but he didn’t seem to understand (maybe he was intimidated by my mobility scooter?) Anyway - I didn’t add the $94.50 back onto my account - but I did leave him a cash tip (even though I didn’t see him the last morning of the cruise & I kept looking for him - but just left the cash on the desk in the cabin - I didn’t have any envelopes or a note card)! I’m a really good tipper & the room service people appreciated that, but I was in unknown territory for me as far as being a solo cruiser & the prepaid gratuities (and part of that had to do with my TA because she had told me that when my friend canceled I would be getting some money refunded - and at that time I didn’t realize it was the prepaid gratuities)! I wish I could have had a conversation with my cabin steward - but he was really aloof - and I wasn’t sure if it was because it was the first week of a new itinerary, or because on that cruise another crew member had committed suicide, or maybe my cabin steward was responsible for cleaning one of the owner’s suites - just a few doors down from my cabin??? I’m sure I’ll continue to prepay the gratuities & still give extra, although the extra will be more for the people who really do go above & beyond!

I’m with you Tony. I like having assigned gratuities so that I don’t have to carry extra cash. I do tip the room steward extra at the end of the cruise. I’ve never had bad service on a cruise ship, it’s always been exceptional. I don’t know why anyone would complain about the tips assigned to the staff for the joy that they bring in making a cruise vacation so special.

Great questions Tony!

I always remove it and then tip the individual people that personally did a great service

Keep the gratuities in place, and enjoy your vacation! 😊🍁

I know. Tips are very helpful(and the insane amount I calculate below will show you why you should never feel guilty when you take auto gratuities off. NEVER FEEL GUILTY SEE BELOW INSTEAD) I have had many jobs that relied on tips. so I really do know and understand. But it's not my job to pay someone who is hired to do their job... to actually... you know... do their job! That's the companies job. If I paid everyone's wages. I wouldn't have any money left to feed myself. HERES A TIP FOR THOSE FEELING GUILTY IF THEY DO NOT PAY AUTO GRATUITIES. If we all paid the auto gratuities for everyone unseen like tipping the captain for steering the boat. And the person who spoons food into the buffet dishes. Or washes the dishes. Then we ar paying them wages not a tip. As we didn't see them do their job and they didnt do anything specific for us. So that is not gratitude on our parts then(aka a tip). That is just us paying wages for a company who doesn't want to do that properly while they stuff their own pockets making millions. (And frankly as a hard worker of less than minimum/minimum wage. I say they can suck it and pay their workers properly.) Think of it this way if you feel guilty. 4,000 people pay 100 dollars a day for 4 days. The cruise boat does 30 rounds a year. 400x4000x30 = 48,000,000 yes if they only did 4 days and no 7 day or longer cruises. That means on average a large ship makes 48million(yes that's million) in gratuities if everyone pays the required amount. That's not adding for extra tips or any other types of generosity! Now tell me... do you honestly believe with all your heart. that the servers are getting 48million dollars in tips split between the maybe 1500 crew on board? Because that math means these workers get their minimum wage plus roughly 32,000 dollars in tips a year mimimum. I dunno about you but that sounds like a salary not a tip on your paycheck. Even if you divide the tips to each paycheck per month that's still an insane 2,667 dollar bonus on each paycheck. That sounds like we are paying their wages not blessing them. Especially since we know they are paid shit. Some of you will point out each boat is different. And YES Some boats hold less passengers, do less rounds, more rounds. More days or less days. But still 48million is a lot of money. So again. I am not required to pay the wages for workers! None of us should feel guilty if we choose not too. Just tip the people who earned it. I will always do this when they for sure have shown me kindness. So my staff will always be well compensated. Because I appreciate them. And that's what we all should do. Anything else. Is a Scam! So just remember to double think before you think ah all the workers unseen are getting these tips so I have to pay them. (Because they are not. There is no way any company on earth gives 48million in tips to 1500 employees EVER) In conclusion. Not stealing. But the ship companies really are stealing and that should be stopped!

Another good video. Thank you

Hi #TeamTony! First, the Carnival 100% policy is saying (badly) that ALL of the gratuities goes to the service personnel - those you see & those you don't - and none of the corporate folks get it. As to is it stealing to reduce or remove gratuities, I say YES. There are so many people working hard to make sure your cruise is wonderful and you may never see them. They deserve to be monetarily blessed, too. For every waiter who serves us in the MDR, there are 3 guys in the galley making & plating the food.

You said a mouthfull with the fuzzy math. I prepaid mine and will pay cash for fast curdious service. But i will in a heartbeat will zero it out if service is lousy or slow.

If they just incorporated all the taxes fees and gratuities into the fare, this wouldn't be an issue. Then no one can remove anything. Seems simple enough to me.

I love this series!

I like the old fashioned way of tipping on the cruise where they tell you a suggested amount for each person. We had a couple of people who went above and beyond and we increased their tip. We had someone who performed poorly that we slightly reduced. It's fair.

I always pre pay but it’s not stealing if you remove them

Assigned ,tips dose that include people at the bar and casino? And at the restaurants.? Or will I be tipping the casino, bar and restaurant twice.

I always take out the auto grat because I don't feel the way they divide it is what I would do. I rather bring extra cash and give it to them and receive better service. Last time we talked to the dining staff and got the break down. The HD Waiter has a higher rate but what if secondary is better won't you rather have control to give the one more?

Great videos Quick question I see you have Apple Watch Do you make any adjustments to keep watch on ship time or do you put your phone into Manual mode so it stays on ship time ?? Happy 4 th

I’m not a cruiser, I’ve only been researching since my mom is interested in going on a cruise. Gratuity is the issue that really makes me not want to cruise. I don’t understand the practice of automatic gratuity nor why can’t these cruise lines just pay a decent wage. Their employees should not have to depend on me to supplement their incomes. But I also don’t like going to restaurants and have to pay it there either. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I have a question. Are we being asked to tip the staff or pay them? Taking services or goods that you did not pay for is stealing. Not paying an assigned or suggested gratuity is not stealing, otherwise it is not a gratuity. I just booked a cruise and the line plans on charging me a nearly 35% $377 gratuity on my cruise fare. I will reduce it, but still plan on tipping over 20% $225 of my actual $1087 fare, not the taxes. If service is above and beyond, I will also give cash tips. I always have. I think it’s absurd that you access the same “gratuity” to someone in an inside cabin and another in a balcony. Would you leave the same tip for a $50. check and a $150. check? Ironically, In the US, tipping has been gradually waning for some time. Ask any server, younger people increasingly under tip or leave no tip. This is part of the reason many restaurants cannot staff, the wages are too low and servers can no longer rely on tips to get by. Some restaurants are now adding mandatory “gratuities” to all restaurants bills (not just for large parties), rather than pay their servers fairly. Same nonsense. If it’s mandatory, it’s not a tip.

I usually prepay my gratuities but this last cruise I took them off , the CS was meh. But I tipped my room attendant & wait staff graciously in cash

I'm sure I "could" get slacked for this but I have ALWAYS removed them! For my room person I give a gift upon meeting them with also cash and at the end I tip again and make a towel animal covered with money (for eyes mouth ears etc) to give them back for making them daily for us! I give our dinning staff both of our servers an envelope as for the "BAR" I leave that part on my account! I dont drink alot so what ever is charged I gladly leave that! I dont have a favorite bar tender only a favorite casino table employee maybe which there again should I win I tip then with chips! When I'm out eating I dont say heres your tio and could you give this to the dishwasher or staying at a hotel upon check out and say hey could you give this to the pool guy the water was so clear. I just think those " BEHIND" people should fall on that of the employer.

Always keep the automatic and add an additional for room steward and dining staff. Room Steward gets an additional $5 per day and dining staff get $2.50 each per day rounded to the highest 5 or 10. If I or my wife feel service is lacking then we adjust accordingly.

I have pre-paid my gratuities and have paid at the end of the cruise. Everyone deserves a tip even the people behind the scenes that make the cruise smooth for all of us.

Wow Tony yet another good topic. First I dont think its stealing as it is a ti and tips are subjective. There are a few folks that I see all the time like the 2 room stewards. On Carnival there are always 2 room stewards that take care of me. There are certain bar tenders I see all the time as in the atrium bar where I kinda call it home base where that is were I get my ginger ales. Then there is the dining staff that if I am at the same table the entire cruise then i take care of them more. So here is what I do. I pay the assigned gratuity, to me that is a starting point but never goes down. When I board I am platinum so I go straight to my room and drop my carry on stuff and put cameras together and get batteries charging but I find the 2 room stewards and call them over as this is the only time I find them together and introduce myself and give each of them an addition $50. I till them that I know what they do with their money, then send it all home to their families and rarely have any money from day to day. So I tell them this is for you to spend on this cruise on yourself to have a good time. I say the better time you have then the better time I have. From this act of kindness I dont think I have ever paid for a bottle of water on a cruise and on a 7 day cruise I drink from 4 to 5 bottles depending. They take great care of me. They work so hard and need to be greatly appreciated. THen the bar tenders at the atrium I always talk to and get to know and build a relationship. I have had one personally sing happy birthday to me on the Vista. If they are exceptional then I hit them up on the last day with an additional $20. The same for the wait staff in the dining room if I am using timed dining or sitting at the same table for your time dining with a group like Josh 1.0 and 2.0 I would give an extra $20 to each of them that serviced our table. That is it. If it were appropriate I would tip the Playlist Performers but they make great money and do not need it and my way of saying thanks is to record video of them and take thousands of pictures and they absolutely love that I do that for them. There are many ways of showing appreciation money being one. All I say is please show your appreciation in some form or fashion, to be ignored is hurtful and disrespectful. Remember they are human beings as well and deserve to be recognized.

After 26 cruises, I am fortunate to be able to say about 99% of my interactions with all cruise ship staff has met or exceeded my expectations. As a general rule for me, I prepay my gratuities and tip additionally where deserved. I'm always generous when it comes to the cabin steward. They work hard.

I have prepaid on NCL and was able to adjust it accordingly while on the ship. They don’t allow you to do it post cruise.

Looks like one thing everyone agrees on... not stealing. But after that, lots if open.

I've done both but lean towards taking them off and giving individual tips based on service. The biggest reason for this is that I want to hand something to the people that I've interacted with for the last week vs just shaking their hand and saying bye. Does the staff know you pays the prepaid gratuities and who doesn't?

On NCL if (let's say TA or PCC adds your gratuities) you can ask them to be removed and it's credited back to your CC

I read some comments on a similar video a while back and someone had spoken to their direct cleaning staff about how much they get from the tips. The person commented that their steward claimed they only got a miniscule amount of the tips while the large earning staff members kept more than half the tips from each room.

last cruise spain on norwegian - took off the tip and gave those who deserved a cash tip - especially since they increased those room gratuity rates - i personally feel its too high. and i think there are some not deserving that high amount.

The cruise fare, gratuities, port fees and taxes is the base price of the cruise... Add airfare, hotel, travel insurance, travel food, and tips (unlike gratuities) are other considerations when planning your cruise... It is not stealing, but is it fair to remove the gratuities?

If someone removed automatic gratuity from stateroom, on a particular cruiseline, how were you treated by staff on next cruise,

If you hand pay the gratuities. That money is handed in and goes into a pool on the ship. Then divided up in the same ratio as automatic gratuities. I’ve heard on some cruise lines the cash goes into a fleet wide pool not just the ship.

I remove mine and tip a reeeally good amount in cash to our room steward, my bartenders, waiter etc. we are a family of 5 (3 very young kids) and our gratuities alone were almost $650! if I left them on I would be spending well over $1000 in tips because not tipping face to face after receiving great service just doesn’t feel right. Lets not forget we still need to tip for the excursions, taxis, bus drivers, porters etc....And after many conversations with staff on board im 100% sure that those gratuities aren’t actually going to the staff 100% so I’d rather tip cash so my mind is at peace.

I was told by a crew member that any cash tips are supposed to be reported to their manager. Then they check to see if tips were paid via the account. They get to keep anything above the automatic policy, otherwise it is applied and distributed just like it was automatic.

We always tip extra. I see the assigned gratuities as the base fare. They are always worth extra. It really helps them support their families. It’s a blessing to bless others.

What if you adjust to 0 and then don’t tip at all... I saw someone saying they did that. I thinks that’s the same level as sneaking drinks on

We prepay our gratuities, and have never had to remove or reduce them. Of course we only cruise with Disney, so we've NEVER had bad service. DCLs customer service is second to none!❤

My question is do they get paid from the gratuties only ?Or is it above their wages??

I’m cruising in a few weeks. I will be old school. Take off the prepaid gratuities and pay in cash like I’ve always done. I don’t think I need to tip or have to split tips with workers I don’t interact with. If I give my cabin steward $50. I want him/her to keep the whole amount. Not split it.

I don't think I'd ever remove or reduce my pre-paid tips. However, the pre-paid and auto of 18% of drinks is a bit excessive, and I put myself through college bartending. $1 per drink is plenty.

Here's one comment I've read on the subject over and over that gets me. "I don't eat in the Dining Room, why should I tip?" Well, because the tips go to 'dining staff', NOT MAIN dining room staff. It goes to the guys on lido and anywhere else you are served food. Have you ever noticed that the MDR staff will be busing tables on Lido during the day!?

Another point, what other industry would get away with presenting me with a bill for a service, then another bill to pay staff wages. I can't think of one.

Yes Tony, people should check out last weeks episode if they want to see a... 'spirited' debate. :-)

It is a jerky thing to do but the tips are always listed as optional. Optional means you can pay them or not. As to people you don't see, think of laundry and food prep.

Cmon everyone, we all know that these people work so very hard for us to have an amazing vacation. Please don’t remove the gratuity from your accounts, and please consider extra tips for excellent service!!!!

So just curious the people behind the scene. So the crew that is cleaning the ship on the outside that works for carnival are they a part of that staff.

Not staling...stealing is a harsh word. I will never remove my gratuities, but that's me and again not stealing if you do

I really don’t understand RCL charging for an infant in the cabin. Children yes but infants not so sure. Have not travelled with an infant so this was news to me. Great Vlog

Oddly enough since my post below we have booked a holiday to the far east including a cruise on Quantum of the Seas. So that means paying gratuities. Coincidence indeed. I do have a question for you Royal cruisers, what are the costs of drinks like on board? Any reply gratefully received.

I think I would if I got poor service but 5 cruises in I have only had great service. and I would have questions like if your room Stewart was bad can I just remove that tip

So if I understand this right as someone who never has been on a cruise but is planning. Soon as I check in I can go to guest service and set these gratuities to zero. (Something I will think about doing as I like to cash tip if I think the person has proven themselves to me with excellent service) What is the 20% surcharge on the drinks package upgrade which is something I looking at. Is this 20% on everything i drink from the package or 20% of the cost of the upgrade. ????

Tony, I always pre-pay Gratuities and have never tried to lower that amount on the ship. The Gratuities do not appear on my sail and sign, they appear on my final bill from the cruise line with I make the final payment.. Any additional tips are given directly to the person such as Room Stewart or MDR staff. I do not think I would ever give less than the assigned gratuity. The additional tip is based on exceptional service as you mentioned. Thanks

I would like to know what percent goes to what position, or if it is split equally among all of the employees. It’s unfortunate the cruise lines are not open about this. I think they are ambiguous so customers feel that they need to pay the gratuities. Just my opinion.

I agree but they also leave envelopes in your room for more money?

I’ve prepaid and then just tip extra where I feel someone did above and beyond.

Carnival says part goes to the people behind the scenes however, recently they put out a statement saying part would go to the line itself. I do take my gratuity down to 0.00 and then pay out directly. Usually my room steward gets more from us than they would if Carnival pays them the tip and we tip the dinning room personal according to how often we use the dinning room. If we go to the lido deck, we have even tipped that staff that worked out section. I like to choose who to up. Service is high on my list.

When you prepay gratuities, you supposedly have tipped the bartenders already. Why do you have to tip them again when you purchase the drink package?

I miss preparing the tips envelopes, however since the changes several years ago... I always prepay the tips and don't adjust them during the cruise.

Last 3 cruises on carnival..... I couldn’t do a sit down dinner in regular dining room, without waiting in line for an hour. NOT GOOD SERVICE! in the future...I will be removing the days gratuity every time I’m told I have to wait to get a table

I'm planning a cruise. How do I turn off the tip thing. Because paying $2000 is enough already. I just heard him say customer service can make it 0%. Because $300 in tips is nuts for 7 days. Screw that. I'm not tipping no one while I'm enjoying my vacation.

I haven't ever removed them, but I do feel iffy about how honest the cruise lines are being about 100% goes to the staff

I talked to some of the guys like the guy painting trims and fixing light fixtures, they said they don’t see that gratuity in their paycheck.

I think the 100% refers to that they mean all the tip money goes to staff and the cruise line doesn't take a cut

And all tips are shared no matter what

I’m in the “not stealing” boat but now I’m even more skeptical especially since you mentioned the pre paids go to the bar. I’m not an experienced cruiser but the bar gets part, there is a18% on each drink and also an option to add an additional tip? Seems like the bar is getting more than their fair share but maybe I’m not seeing it correctly. Great video Tony as always...see you on the lido 👍

Now I may be wrong but I believe the people they say are behind the scenes employees are for example Buffet workers and the sort. Also the old way of tipping by envelopes does not work with anytime dinning in the old days it was all assigned early or late dinning. You had the same staff every meal. With anytime dinning you are bounced around to the next available empty seat. How would you tip all of those people?

Is the 18% tip charge added to Gift shop purchases? I was just at a cruise vlog that stated this as a fact. I don't believe that is true; I have not noticed that.

We will have an infant with us on our upcoming RC cruise. The stateroom attendant will likely get extra tips for having to deal with some diapers in our trash, etc. The dining staff will have the full amount removed from baby's portion of the gratuity since they will be doing very little, if anything, for the baby. That is the baseline we are starting with and will, as always, adjust according to the service provided.

What do you think about doing 1/2 and 1/2? $20.00 a day for Canadians is a lot of money. Also, you could do a calculation on how much tip money is made during a 1 week cruise! Do the amounts add up compared to their (lower) salaries?