mls918

9 hours ago, euroguy said:

@KeithG @Kendall James-Vargas @3Sisters @Tootie Im sure i wont win any friends with this but its a honest and frank perspective from my view.

I do wish the gratuity discussion had more informative depth.  For example the "mandatory" gratuity, is it being split up between cabin steward and others or is theirs 100% the cabin stewards? I believe some time ago I heard it gets split by cabin steward and their assistant by some %.

With all that said, I do have a bit of an issue with a mandatory gratuity.

#1 I do feel that CCL and probably all cruise lines offer lower pay scales and tell the prospective employee how they will make much more due to the gratuity system.

#2 if i go and stay at a nice hotel for a week i would receive daily house keeping similar to what happens in our cabins and hotel doesnt have a mandatory gratuity for doing the job thwy are paid to do.

#3. If I stay some place or eat somewhere and get bare bones or crappy service I'm less inclined to tip. again you are already getting paid a wage for the work you do and have done nothing extra. I can't even go to a drive thru food or coffee without being hit up for tip....really all you did was hand me my food or drink Tipping has become a pre set expectation vs. Earned.

On my last cruise a few months ago I saw my steward a couple of times... only made towel animals 3 out of 7 nights and did minimal housekeeping duties, not even a turn down at night. And the 2 times I saw him he said hello, not even how are you doing g, having fun... nothing.

#4 to make it clear I have no problem tipping and can be very generous but go out of your way just a little..make a little effort to show you give a s**t. An example was the dinner wait staff in the MDR my main table waiter made sure I had my regular drink every night after the 1st night, welcomed me personally by name every night. If I wasn't happy with the dish I ordered, I wouldn't complain i simply wouldnt eat it and just let it sit there, he promptly would ask if everything was okay and then took care of it by offering a different suggestion or getting the original dish done properly. He also became personable as well by asking what I did for the day and showing an interest.  That is doing extras that is the kind of stuff that earns a tip in my book.  Ultimately he received a $100 tip on the last night. The look of.appreciation from him was amazing and I thanked him for great service and making  me feel welcomed.

Conclusion.. NO I don't think mandatory gratuities should exist. 

I agree with you 100%. I don't mind tipping. I'd rather tip the ones I have direct contact with and interactions are key for me.