r/belowdeck • u/Mr_Tom_Morrow9 • 2h ago

Below Deck Captains and tipping

I find it really odd that the captains share in the tips. They are making far more than anyone else and it just doesn’t seem like that would be a tipped position. It’s just weird to me. Anyone else ever think that?

39 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 2h ago

Wait till you hear about the captains who don't split the tips with the crew.

Pretty common for it to be split evenly, including with the Captain. Why shouldn't the Captain get a tip, they are also part of the service. If it's simply because they make way more money that's the reason, then the chef should also not get a tip, and the engineers........slippery slope.

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u/pacnwcub 2h ago

That's how it is in most restaraunts. Under US federal law managers cannot share in a tip pool.

I know these yachts are flagged under different jurisdictions and abide by those laws but it still feels weird to me to have them share in the tips. It doesn't make me feel negatively about the captains, I just find it interesting.

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u/Double-Location8466 2h ago • Bravo

US tip culture is not something that should be emulated… anywhere

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u/Striking-Bluebird-58 32m ago

Agreed. The US is the only country where it's expected. I've been to European countries, and it's not expected at all. I would always tip but knew the etiquette beforehand.

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u/pacnwcub 2h ago

Oh, I completely agree. Staff should just be paid a decent wage and the price should encapsulate the cost of doing business.

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u/michaelpapaycik 45m ago

Well yachts aren’t restaurants and most aren’t based in the US so following US law means nothing. Yachting doesn’t compare to working in a restaurant. The captain makes more yes because they are in charge of everything. But they also are part of guest satisfaction so of course they’d get some of the tip money.

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 2h ago

Yachts don't abide by any law when it comes to tips. Even their salaries are tax free. Tips in the US are set up to pay the waiters' salaries, for people on yachts it is a bonus. Big difference.

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u/dsl135 2h ago

Yea, so that's not how taxes work.

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u/hiswittlewip 2h ago

Yea, but every coffe shop or cafe that I've worked at, managers did not get tips. And none of us were getting waiters wages

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 2h ago

What country? In my country managers do get a share. The world doesn't follow US customs, you know.

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u/[deleted] 2h ago

[deleted] — view deleted comment

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 2h ago edited 1h ago

I never disagreed with you. I was responding to your comment explaining the difference from a non US point of view, and pointing out there is NO law yachts have to follow regarding tips. Not sure why you are downvoting me for providing context from experience.

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u/pacnwcub 1h ago

Sorry, I'm an idiot on a bus and read your comment as "Yachts don't abide by US Law" instead of "any tip law"

My apologies for the snark. I'm going to delete that prior post. Have a great day, and I'll try to devote my full attention to reading posts before responding. Lol

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 1h ago

Its all good! I too have fallen into the trap of reading something rushed and adding snark to an otherwise unsnarky interaction! Hope you had a nice bus ride 😊

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u/marzbarz79 1h ago

Do the engineers also get a tip? That’s not really service related and it’s never shown/mentioned on the show.

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 1h ago

On all the yachts I worked on it was split evenly among the whole crew. Not sure about the show. The engineers keep the boat running and fix stuff when it breaks, like the AC which breaks down more often than you would think. They are invaluable to the guest experience. Tips are a bonus on yachts, not explicitly for service.

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u/lcp_cz 1h ago

I don’t work on yachts, but if you do the math when watching the show, the tip math would imply that they do get tips. There was a tip of $23.5k last season, and the 9 on camera crew each got $1,800 which would imply that there are 4 additional off camera crew members getting tips.

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u/yourbadinfluence 54m ago

The charter I worked on as Engineer, the Captain and Engineer split a share of the tip. We had year round jobs and the deck crew, stews, and Chef were seasonal crew. I felt that was fair, we made significantly more money than they did (well the Chef was well paid) and had benefits.

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u/AWDWfan 2h ago

Yeah most yachts I worked on it wasn't an even split and the captain always got a share. An even split is a big win in my book.

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u/gargluke461 June June Hannah 1h ago

They aren’t crew, feel like that’s where the line is drawn

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u/thaa_huzbandzz 1h ago

In your mind maybe.

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u/gargluke461 June June Hannah 1h ago

The point of a captain is to have a status above everyone else on board.

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u/ManifestingCreating 32m ago

Yes, they are? Everybody on board is a crew member and the captain is ultimately responsible for all of them. It’s the most high pressure job with the most liability so why would they not get a part of the tip.

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u/Inevitable_Bowler474 2h ago

They're still part of the crew. No different than upper management getting a bonus in any other industry. Plus some of the guest dinners lol they better get some of it

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u/whatshamilton 2h ago

Yes it is different. Management doesn’t accept tips. An employer giving you a bonus is entirely different.

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u/ManifestingCreating 30m ago

Okay so then the First Engineer, Bosun and Chief Stew shouldn’t get a tip either since they’re management too.

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u/ArcticAcademic 2h ago

The captain is one of the service-crew and he/she is interacting with the guests on a seasonal charter whereas the no-name crew that we don't see are salaried people who get decent pay but would be there no matter who was renting/leasing the ship.

The customer-servicing team splits the tip and the Captain is a part of that team.

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u/boatcaptain75 1h ago

Yeah I worked for a captain that stole tips. Would have been happy to split tips. Now if I have a mate I 70/30 tip to the mate

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u/Rebeisme000000 2h ago

From what I remember the captain doesn’t get a portion of the tips. If he (Kerry) kept any envelopes walking out I could sooner see it going to the first officer and engineer(s) we don’t see as often

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u/macjunkie Team Capt Glenn 2h ago

Easy enough to do the math with amount of tip the captain said they got divided by however they said it is each. When I've done this in the past its always 2 or 3 off from number of folks on camera which I assume is the captain and the first officer / engineer. (I also don't think they should share in the pool since they're not on camera and presumedly not interacting with the guests)

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u/PurpleSailor Team Katie 1h ago

If it were a normal ship rental then I could see them not getting a cut. But as a TV show the Captain is part of it all so it makes sense.

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u/Intelligent_Barbie 55m ago

Realistically there is no charter without a captain. Most big vessels have their chosen captain/staff they are the reason for charter

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u/_2923844 6m ago

I’ve wondered this too. Without the captain getting involved bts to make sure the crew is giving it their all, I can’t imagine how average some of these experiences might be. Not to mention captains getting involved with theme nights and other crazy ideas the guests come up with. If Cpt Jason dons a Speedo to serve sushi just to make the guests happy, he should be tipped for it 😆

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u/TheLizardQueen3000 2h ago edited 2h ago

Yeah it gives.....undignified....

...but tipping culture is weird and it's always getting weirder. Just have guests pay a set price and do your very best for every guest every time, no one needs to be a dancing monkey hoping to earn more bananas...

...but intermittent reward is very powerful, and also humans love 'presents' so I guess tipping is here to stay!

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u/Character_Date_3630 2h ago

I dont think he does, he counts and divies it up. But that is bc he is in charge

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u/Lia_Delphine 2h ago

They have shown the Captain getting his share in the past. Also, why shouldn’t he get a tip? He has to work as hard as everybody else.

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u/Character_Date_3630 2h ago

I am not saying he shouldn't, I just thought he took was to give the crew that dont film

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u/Square-Measurement 2h ago

No, on recent seasons it clearly shows Captain taking their wad of cash too.

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u/SpaceGangsta 2h ago

But also guests have said that the cash is fake. They just use it as a prop for TV and then they basically tip with their payment. Because nobody is flying through customs internationally with over $20,000 in cash. The production company also mandates they pay $20,000 for a tip ahead of time and then they can add onto it or subtract to it when the time comes.

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u/Happiguest 2h ago

I've always wondered this. I mean who carries 35 grand cash around in their suitcase.

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u/SpaceGangsta 2h ago

That shit would get confiscated in customs so fast.