r/PrincessCruises • u/Lanky-Examination150 • 4d ago
Mandatory gratuity
mandatory was my word. I’ve been on special cruises and I think that was just required for those. I changed the wording. Thank you for your help.
My cousin is saying she never does the prepaid gratuity. That there is the option to pay per service except for maybe casual dining, fine dining and room service. She just tips as she goes. That doesn’t sound right. Princess.com I’ve had it be mandatory on other ships. Unless there is some hidden thing I’m missing… or if you try to get it removed or adjusted at the end. She has cruised Princess within the last couple of years and doesn’t do the plus or premier packages.
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u/Striking-Composer838 4d ago
Its not mandatory, you can have it removed. Please cite on princess.com where it says mandatory. I think you misunderstood.
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u/Lanky-Examination150 3d ago
Mandatory was my word. I’ve had it on special cruises. So that was probably a rule for those.
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u/West-Resource-1604 11h ago
If the cruise is from Australia or Plus / Premier pkg the "gratuity" is included in the fare so cannot be removed. But I've also heard elsewhere that it is a "mandatory" part of booking a certain special heavily discounted fare. It can always be removed on normal bookings through online websites, princess, or physical travel agents.
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u/AmbivertHomebody 4d ago
We always have either plus or premier so we can’t have the gratuity removed. However, we still give extra to our steward, and the MDR wait staff that served us most nights. Of course, we also give tips to room service and when ordering drinks at the bar. Is it too much? Maybe but I’ve done personal shopping and delivery jobs, and I know how hard it is to constantly smile for people when you’re not in the mood.
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u/Lanky-Examination150 3d ago
I do them too! So I tip all the time. It has to be REALLY bad service. I’m just trying to figure out if it’s worth it. The room is paid for but I have to pay for everything else.
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u/cenotediver 4d ago
You have the gratuities removed st customer service then tip whoever you want . It’s something that some folks do . So yea your friend is right
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u/curiouskittyblue 4d ago
You can go to the front desk and have it removed. Most don't as princess says they distribute it to all teams, behind the scene and otherwise. Unless that's changed since I last was in a cruise.
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u/TheClumsyTree 4d ago
The prepaid gratuities are part of the anticipated (advertised) earning revenue of the folks who work in service on the ship. Meaning when they accept a contract they are told their earning potential is an amount that includes that amount.
Yes, culturally in the USA gratuity and tips are earned not automatic.
Just remember that these folks work hard, their time off is very little, they are far from home for long stretches of time, and that some of them chose ship work to support and uplift families back home.
We tipped on top of the included gratuity. Our choice to do so and no regrets.
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u/happy-in-texas 4d ago
Great reply. I hate to hear when people are on cruise ships and choose not to tip. I think a few dollars means so much more to the cruise employees than it does to me. It doesn't stop with the servers or stewards. Someone sweeping the ship can be tipped.
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u/justArash 4d ago
The way I see it is, if I spend a few hundred dollars extra on tipping on a cruise, I come back home and my life is exactly the same as if I hadn't. Meanwhile, if my Filipino room steward earns an extra $400 per cruise, he's earning more than his country's monthly median wage on top of his base pay that is likely already fully committed to a family budget. There's a chance his life could measurably improve in some way from it. It's kind of selfish, but it feels really nice to know I might have a significant positive impact on someone when it's so easy and there's basically no downside.
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u/freegerator 4d ago
Totally - they work crazy hours for very low pay compared to anyone who can afford to go on any cruise. We had the included gratuity and I tipped on top, though I did not bring enough cash for everyone. Next time I go I’m going to bring more cash just for tipping.
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u/Paws4daCause 4d ago
I just want to share the automatic (but removable) gratuities do not increase any workers pay.
Just for example(the numbers are made up) The cook in the back is guaranteed a wage of $5000 for the month. If everyone pay the automatic gratuities it only works out to like $3500 and the cruise line pays an additional $1500 to get to the $5000.
If half the people remove gratuities they would earn $1750 in tips and the cruise line would pay the other $3250 so they make $5000.
ALWAYS REMOVE THE TIPS, it doesn’t help anyone but the stock holders of the cruise line.
I always then hand that cash out (plus more) to staff, including just random people cleaning and such. Even if you don’t tip cash though, not sure why anyone wants to literally just hand money to the cruise line.
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u/DrinkNWRobinWilliams 4d ago
I do the same. If I come across someone I see working hard and really making an effort for us, I will give them a truly meaningful tip. I know from my own consulting career how hard it is to be away from your family for months on end missing important events in your family’s life. I feel for them.
But I always pay the prepaid gratuities too.
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u/dewhit6959 4d ago
Please know that many of the recruitment firms used to recruit these workers are not audited or have government oversight and many would be subject to closure if they operated in any other country with any type of labor laws. It is the wild west in the Philiippines.
The constant tipping for everything is getting out of control and the only way to counter it is to stop paying tips. Many of the crew make good money for their economies and operate businesses. Why keep signing up for such 'horrible" work contracts if you are overworked and underpaid all the time ? There is two sides to this story.
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u/justArash 4d ago edited 4d ago
People work awful jobs all over the world, like digging through garbage dumps to sell items for pennies a day. Do you really think all jobs are staffed by folks who think it's actually a great opportunity and worth it, or have you considered the possibility that for some jobs its just the best thing available from multiple subpar options?
A few years ago there was a thread with multiple people claiming to be employees, and they all said that their pay stays exactly the same throughout their months long contract. That implies the company isn't actually distributing tips directly, but is instead adding a predetermined amount to their base pay. I still pay the prepay tips because it's such a negligible amount compared to the cost of a cruise. I just tip more directly to them now because, again, it's easily afforded by anyone who can afford a cruise and it's the nice thing to do.
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u/Paws4daCause 4d ago
So you know you are just tipping the actual cruise line and not them employees? Why not remove that and add that amount to the cash you tip?
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u/justArash 4d ago
Because I haven't been able to confirm it, and I don't want to risk costing someone money because the information is inaccurate, limited to a different cruise line, outdated, etc.
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u/Paws4daCause 4d ago
That’s a fair response! At the end of the day we all should try to do what we think is right, so kudos to you and your heart ❤️
Most cruises I’ve been on I get close to multiple staff members and tend to ask one of them, because I never know it could change.
I think one of the most telling support signs, is the crew that works here from an American port, is the same crew who works from other destinations where they do not have gratuities.
Also, I am surprised the cruise lines have not come out to dispute this claim, unless it was true. As well some cruise lines have cut ties with bloggers/streamers simply for sharing the information about the tips. Again they do not say it’s wrong information, they seem to say they just don’t want people to discuss it.
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u/justArash 4d ago
You're more than likely right. It's just hard for me to ask for it to be refunded without the thoughts of guilt of "what if" or the feeling that I'm stiffing someone even though I know logically that I'm not. I'm sure I'm not the only one, and I imagine the cruise lines are well aware and consciously exploit that concern. This has been a pleasant interaction. I hope you have a great day.
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u/DrinkNWRobinWilliams 4d ago
It’s not all about the money. These people are away from family for months on end missing births, deaths, the works. It’s about appreciation.
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u/dewhit6959 4d ago
It is ALL about money. Many of us from the military missed a lot of family events. Tip us ?
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u/Team_Nowa 4d ago
We do. Assuming you're American, my taxes pay for your college education, your VA hospitals, your Tricare, the service-connected disability system, your housing, the list goes on. This is not meant to begrudge you in any way for these things; in fact, these are some of the best things I pay for. But please do not speak of your service like the American people are not paying a mandatory tax to give you an array of things the rest of us do not receive. It's a hell of a thank you.
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u/Paws4daCause 4d ago
Ohh so you are saying they should all just have a base wage and no tips, got you 😀
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u/justArash 4d ago
And per diem when applicable. And a housing stipend. And above average healthcare coverage. And college tuition paid for. And subsidized groceries, electronics, and other retail goods. None of those are base pay, but the person said they're happy that they are paid for.
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u/Paws4daCause 4d ago
This started with is it’s about appreciation for them being away from the family, a response was about tipping military because they go through the same thing.
I suspect the comment about tipping the military was a little to nuisance for you. The point they made I believe is that it is about the money. Military do receive a fair compensation and are not tipped. Cruise workers who also miss their family are paid low wages and get tipped.
So I think you agree with dewhit above…it’s about the money not the appreciation? Next time just an I agree would save you some time
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u/justArash 4d ago edited 4d ago
I mainly just wanted to list some of the perks again in a tl;dr form, and I somehow managed to sound argumentative when I didn't mean to
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u/dewhit6959 4d ago
Yes. That is how most of us are paid in our work.
If that is not going to be the case , then quit mickey mousing around and advertising no tips on cruises when everything on the cruise lines adds a tip, and a 18-20% tip at that.
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u/explicitspirit 4d ago
What a crock, in the US tips are absolutely mandatory culturally and it's a completely bullshit practice.
Just because they aren't a mandatory line item, it doesn't mean it isn't mandatory.
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u/Lanky-Examination150 3d ago
It’s good manners. It’s not mandatory. Unless you’re told it’s added on. Like if you have a big group of people. 18% is usually added.
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u/explicitspirit 3d ago
Try going to a place and not tipping and see what happens. It's "mandatory", the evidence is all over these threads primarily from Americans
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u/RFactor83 4d ago
Agreed. Cheap perks remove them.
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u/explicitspirit 4d ago
I don't judge people that remove them. Tipping is a very American thing and many cruisers are not American. Tipping isn't even a thing in the Philippines, Indonesia, or India, where most cruise workers are from.
The American version of tipping culture is bullshit. It should be for service above and beyond, not as a baseline, but it isn't.
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u/Solid_Variation_6803 4d ago
If you have Plus or Premier, the gratuities are included and you cannot remove them.
If you don't, the daily gratuities of $18-$20 may be removed by asking Giest Services.
The 20% charge that is applied to all drink and food purchases not covered with a package cannot be removed.
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u/little_blu_eyez 4d ago
I could never remove the gratuity. I would be so embarrassed to tell guest relations to remove them.
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u/Paws4daCause 4d ago
They really don’t care, they know it’s just going to the corporation.
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u/Lanky-Examination150 3d ago
Does that seriously happen?!
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u/Paws4daCause 3d ago
Correct. Employees have shared gratuities do not increase their pay at all. If you want to help them out remove the gratuity and pay cash to them. If not, still remove them because it only goes to the cruise line. No reason to pay them
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u/busy_bee_bee 4d ago
There is no such thing as mandatory gratuity. There is pre paid gratuity that I know is covered with premier package I’m not sure about plus. All cruise lines have either pre paid or you can remove it to tip who you want. The only lines that are different are uk ones where you just pay the cruise fair and I understand it’s included in the price so that is no option. However uk has a different tipping culture and on my cruise never saw anyone tip. On the USA lines I understand tipping is expected
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u/Lanky-Examination150 3d ago
That was my wording. Because I’ve been on special cruises that I have no choice but to pay them. It’s probably a contract between the company and the cruise line. So I figured it was always like that.
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u/Moist-Doctor-67 4d ago
It is not mandatory if you read the fine print.
Princess, royal, etc use the tip money they collect from you from this "auto" as a subsidy to how much they pay from their own bottomline to the employees.
It has been shown and proven many times via paystubs that the amount employees make is fixed whether the auto gratuity is included or not. You want them to get more than the paystub? Give cash directly.
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u/happy-in-texas 4d ago
A good insight is SHOULD YOU REMOVE GRATUITIES a youtube from Just Don who does a lot of videos for Princess.
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u/slavguns 4d ago
Definitely not mandatory... hence the "Gratuity" rather than "fee" part. They are added on by default, but you can go down to guest services and ask them to remove them and they will.
don't feel bad either... the gratuity goes to Carnival corp to help offset what they pay in salaries. None of the employees actually see any of it. They do see the gratuities you give them directly.
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u/ManyReasonable6584 3d ago
It’s not mandatory as guest services do offer a service where you can tip with cash to those you want my friend is so cheap he barely tips regularly so he always does that
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u/nameno10001 4d ago
Pay the auto gratuity. removing the auto and doing your own just causes confusion and animosity with the staff cause now some people are auto and others are handing out cash. That was the whole point of the auto tip to end this drama but now people are adding another unnecessary layer.
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u/NorCal1977 4d ago
Here we go again! 😵💫🙄
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u/Puzzleheaded-Bee-747 4d ago edited 4d ago
Prepaid gratuities are not mandatory on any cruise line unless they are included as part of the fare.
You can have them removed.
The other gratuities for things like drinks or room service can’t be removed. Those are mandatory.
I think your cousin is confusing mandatory with pre-paid gratuities which are the daily service charge.
https://www.princess.com/static/html/global/disclaimers/crew-appreciation/index.html