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  • Report:  #437371

Complaint Review: Carnival Cruise Lines - Miami Florida

Reported By:
- King of Prussia, Pennsylvania,
Submitted:
Updated:

Carnival Cruise Lines
www.carnival.com Miami, Florida, U.S.A.
Web:
N/A
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While Carnival does say that you can remove the autotip with the purser once you are on board, in my experience it was impossible to do. During a Carnival cruise in August 2006, I went multiple times to the purser during the voyage to request removal of the autotip feature from my account. I was rebuffed each time with the excuse that "the computers are down and they could not communicate with company HQ in order to remove the autotip." The purser claimed that they could not remove the autotip from my account locally.

Somehow, I find it hard to believe that company HQ would be out of communication with one of their vessels for several days. I finally gave up trying. I would like to comment that, in all the emails on this subject, no one seems to be holding the cruise line reponsible for ensuring that their employees are adequately compensated for their labors. I, as a passenger should not be in the position of ensuring someone's wage. I do not feel that I would be stiffing the crew if I did not pay the autotip. A tip is not a wage but, rather, it is something a little extra that is freely given to whoever should be rewarded for going aboe and beyond.

Pmartin

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

U.S.A.


4 Updates & Rebuttals

Calioch

Brentwood,
Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Auto Tipping

#2Consumer Comment

Wed, May 06, 2009

Dear Auto Tipping, I have a complaint on here about Carnival too. But I think your comments about auto tipping are unreasonable. Carnival always adds this autotip and it is a fair amount. Honestly, if you don't feel someone deserves $10 per day split between your waiters and cabin stewarts, you probably don't belong on a cruise and might want to look at other forms of vacation. While I'm upset with Carnival myself for other reasons, I have travelled with Carnival several times and this tip is very reasonable and in my experience it should be a starting place for a job well done on a cruise and not something you take away from. These workers stay on these ships for 9 months at a time, waiting on guests like you and me, over and over again all day long without a decent pay. I know from several trips that these people work very hard and go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure the trip is enjoyable. You also have the option to pre-pay the tip. If you were upset because of the money taken up on your room card - the solution might be to pay the tip in advance. We've done that and it works out well.


Dstone

Huntsville,
Texas,
U.S.A.
Autotipping

#3Consumer Comment

Wed, May 06, 2009

I have gone on 2 cruises with Carnival, one in August 2006, and one in April 2009. While I do have issues with Carnival, otherwise I would not be on this site, autotipping is not one of them. On both cruises, I adjusted my autotips according to how often I used the areas the autotips were for. Sometimes I increased, sometimes I decreased. Never did I have a problem working with the guest services department concerning the tips. I also chose to give the people who honestly tried to make my trips worthwhile a little extra out of my own pocket. These people work very hard for the little money that they do make, and I am sure that carnival probably screws them as much as they screw us, so I try to give them the tips they deserve.


Michael

Summerland Key,
Florida,
U.S.A.
Stay Away From Cruising

#4Consumer Comment

Sat, April 04, 2009

Do you have any clue what the operating cost of one cruise ship is? Fuel alone for a 1 week cruise is $500,000. If cruise lines paid full salaries to all the service crew, they would be out of business in a month. Tipping is part of your cruise, whether you pay in cash, or on your account. If you do not want to tip the people who serve you, stay the hell off cruises.


Dannyboy

Burlington,
Vermont,
U.S.A.
Cheapskate

#5Consumer Suggestion

Fri, April 03, 2009

So you are one of those cheap assholes who thinks that it is OK to go up to a bar, order a ten dollar drink and NOT leave a tip. Not cool at all. If you cannot afford to tip gratuity then you can not afford to go on a vacation. Have a little decency and class considering these employees don't even make minimum wage and rely on their tips. Get over yourself and really 15% that they "force" you to leave is not even that much. A good decent tip these days is 20%. I didn't hear you complain once that you had bad service. That autotip is in play for jerks like you.

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