Important note about gratuities!

[wallyb]

Most people in tipped positions (waiters, etc.) do not make minimum wage. The wages DCL pays are fairly standard for the cruise industry and anyone signing up for one of those jobs knows the pay details in advance.

Servers generally make about $30,000 per 6 month rotation. They work 3 rotations in a 2-year period (6 months on + 2 months off = 8 months, 3 8-month periods in 2 years) so they, essentially, make $45,000 per year. That sounds like good money, until you factor in their 7am - 11pm days with little time off. It is an incredibly demanding job, but one that pays far more than a job in their home countries. This is why you see so few Americans in the Server roles. They simply do not want to work so hard for so "little".

And this is what kind creeps me out.
I feel like I'm aiding and abetting slave labor of sorts.
I know it's their choice - I just wish there was more equitable balance.
And just who's getting all the money we payed for this trip.
Guess I don't want to know how that pie chart looks.

 

[CraftyMouse]

And just who's getting all the money we payed for this trip.
Guess I don't want to know how that pie chart looks.

No, probably not.

I assume that the cost of running a cruise line is staggering. Port fees, fuel costs, crew members not in tipped positions (officers, Cruise Staff, Guest Services, Behind-the-Scenes Staff), terminal costs, main office costs, etc. all add up. And I'm guessing that DCL makes some sort of profit. () As for the tipped positions, yes, it is their choice. Our favorite server has worked in that position for 8 years. Our most recent assistant server left after one contract. It all comes down to your attitude about the job and whether it is a good/great income compared to what you could make at home.

 

[slg]

I believe that DCL does pay a base salary that is far and above $50 a month, but that room and board, plus taxes etc are taken off.

Room and board can add up, so that is why the salary ends up being about $25 a week (this is what I remember from this discussion last year).

They still do fairly well. I know Canadians who have worked cruiselines and they end up with loads of money. Mainly because there is no where to spend it!

 

[Tarabra]

Yea, I always sort of calculate what they are making per person, per table, per week, and it is a pretty decent amount, but calculating it hourly w/ breakfast, lunch and any extras, it's not very much per hour. But as others have said in the countries where most of the crew are from it is a fortune! We had an HR Officer sit at our table for dinner one cruise and he said that most of the crew and their entire families are "set for life!" They also don't have the time or reason to spend their money frivolously while onboard. Yes, they may stop off at a port or two but really how much can they spend on a weekly basis? I used to work at a resort island, worked 6 days a week, NONstop customers, free meals, and cheap board. I saved SO much money that summer. (Oh, and that was AFTER I got a promotion and raise to $4.50/hr., yes, it was awhile ago )

As far as getting only 4 hours of sleep a night, that just doesn't seem possible for the room steward. How late could they be allowed in the rooms to clean? I know that some of the servers have late nights with the buffets and then have to be up early for breakfast. I'm not doubting OP, just that it seems the truth may have been stretched a tad by the host.

 

[tinkerone]

Most people in tipped positions (waiters, etc.) do not make minimum wage. The wages DCL pays are fairly standard for the cruise industry and anyone signing up for one of those jobs knows the pay details in advance.

Servers generally make about $30,000 per 6 month rotation. They work 3 rotations in a 2-year period (6 months on + 2 months off = 8 months, 3 8-month periods in 2 years) so they, essentially, make $45,000 per year. That sounds like good money, until you factor in their 7am - 11pm days with little time off. It is an incredibly demanding job, but one that pays far more than a job in their home countries. This is why you see so few Americans in the Server roles. They simply do not want to work so hard for so "little".

as a wife, mother and 9 to 5 worker i (as well as many others who have posted) work a 7 to 11 job and its not just 6 months on, 2 off. i know i don't make 45,000 a year.
i think we can all agree that the money they make is not bad money at all. what we will not agree on is if it is a fair wage. do i think so? dam right. yes the work is hard but if they are making two or three times what they would at home (and by some accounts 10 x's) then they are doing alright. if i was young and single again i might go this route. seems a great way to make more money than i could at home.
i do doubt that many people stiff them for tips and if you take into acount that so many people say they leave more than recomended i would think this would make up for any that don't leave tips. they do alrright.
just my thoughts

 

[MassDisLovers]

Whether their pay is per week or per month, what bothers me about this is that a stateroom host would stretch the truth to try to get more from the customers. I find that to be very "un Disney-like" behavior. He knew what he was doing. If I was eating in a restaurant at home and the waiter tried to tell me that he made such a tiny base pay and needed tips to survive, I'd be very put off and would probably tell the manager. The stateroom host probably tells his finely crafted story to all his passengers every week and I bet it works out quite nicely for him!

As has been posted on these boards before, (particularly in the "chair saving" posts ) there are nice people who cruise and dishonest/rude people who cruise. I guess that must be the same for the cruise workers!

 

[love2travel]

People could debate this kind of topic for hours. My opinion is if someone is doing you a service and especially good service, they deserve to be tipped and tipped well. Regardless of how much they make or don't make, it is a tipped position. These people that work on cruise ships work hard and deserve to be recognized. Thanks to all of them for there hardwork!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Whether their pay is per week or per month, what bothers me about this is that a stateroom host would stretch the truth to try to get more from the customers. I find that to be very "un Disney-like" behavior. He knew what he was doing. If I was eating in a restaurant at home and the waiter tried to tell me that he made such a tiny base pay and needed tips to survive, I'd be very put off and would probably tell the manager. The stateroom host probably tells his finely crafted story to all his passengers every week and I bet it works out quite nicely for him!

As has been posted on these boards before, (particularly in the "chair saving" posts ) there are nice people who cruise and dishonest/rude people who cruise. I guess that must be the same for the cruise workers!

I honestly don't know. He didn't volunteer me his story - I asked all the questions, and he wasn't trashing Disney at all. And I'm sure he was honest in saying that sometimes people don't tip (which I brought up, not him). He seemed really sincere Maybe he wasn't, but he did do a great job and we tipped him well.

I honestly didn't realize this was a hot topic. I guess noone knows for sure what they get paid, so there's no point in debating it.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Whether their pay is per week or per month, what bothers me about this is that a stateroom host would stretch the truth to try to get more from the customers. I find that to be very "un Disney-like" behavior.

Whether the base pay is $50, $75, or $100 per month, the dining room servers and stateroom hosts essentially earn their salaries from passengers, not from the cruise lines.

The following article is about cruise crews out of Port Canaveral:

"Low-paid foreign help keeps cruise liners afloat" -- http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Jan/01/bz/FP601010311.html

Here are a few paragraphs from the article:

The ship starts reminding passengers to tip the workers.

"Remember the great service you have received here and all the hard work that went into putting this meal together," someone announces over the loudspeaker. "Let them know you appreciate it."

Rodrigues' monthly base salary — like that of most waiters and housekeepers — ranges from $50 to $75 per month.

But with tips, he pulls in about $2,300 a month. From that, he must pay for his own visas, airfare, uniforms and supplies. Carnival Corp. withholds a $500 deposit as insurance that employees will complete their contracts.

Passengers' tips are the lifeblood for Rodrigues and his entire family. And it is devastating to wait on a group of people all week, only to get stiffed.​

The article is not specifically about Disney Cruise Line. But anyone who thinks that Disney pays a base salary of $1,600 to $2,000 per month to stateroom hosts/hostesses while other cruise lines pay $50 to $75 per month is mistaken.

The salary ranges shown on various cruise job websites show what a tipped crew member typically earns, primarily from tips.

 

[MassDisLovers]

Stephanie,
But didn't he tell you that he wasn't paid by Dinsey at all? It seems that is not really true?

I agree that they should be tipped at least the recommended minimum, and they should be tipped very well when they have gone "above and beyond". Also, it's miserable when they work hard for a whole cruise and get nothing (and I bet that happens more often than we Dissers would want to believe).

Someone who is cruising in the near future should get a straight answer from a crew member and then report back to us so that we'll all know !

 

[orlandothebeagle]

I dont mean to be mean but I really dont care, it is there choice,free country and all that, I will always tip them even if they are rubbish, more if they are good. I am an emergency nurse in scotland. I start work at 12pm sat I do not finish till 8.30 am mon. People feel sorry for me. It is my choice, nobody forces me to do it, I earn enough in that shift to have the rest of the week off.

 

[JerseyBelle]

I believe in the tipping and tipped appropriately on our cruise. I am sorry if guests sometimes stiff them; however I do not appreciate the little speech we received from our waiter on the cruise reminding us to tip. He also tried to tell us how to fill out the survey card. He did it in a humorous manner but he was preaching to the choir and it was kind of a turn off.

 

[michellem1118]

Just out of curiousity - is DCL not bound by federal minimum wage laws? Because minimum wage for service positions (those who receive tips) is $2.25/hr, which if you assume 8 hour days, works out to ~$90/week. Yes, its still low, but its quite a change from $50/month some pp's have reported. I'm not trying to stir anything up, I'm genuinely curious about this...

 

[inkkognito]

I don't know what the base pay is, but I do know that the crew members in service can make a decent wage (especially by many international standards) if they hustle. One of our stateroom hosts was from the Philipines. He told us he was originally in an engineering position but switched positions because he could actually make more money as a host. I suspect you'd be surprised at the education levels of many of the crew members. We love to chat with them on our cruises and many their stories are quite amazing. For example, one of our servers was onboard to get fluent in English slang so he could become a translator; he had learned the language academically but of course they don't really teach the slang part, and he said the ship was the perfect place to learn it.

 

[MicCheckOneTwo]

Ya know, I'm taking my personal philosophy to tipping along with me on the cruise that we're on in May. I personally don't care what the person makes, I always tip 30 - 40% unless the service is absolutely appalling and then I'll probably still leave 20%. I've found that with the way I tip, my group generally gets very good service when we return places or order more room service, quicker drink service at bars, etc etc.

I feel blessed to be able to afford to tip the way I do so I really love to pass it on.

I know this is my 2nd post here and all but I've done my fair share of travel and dealt with enough people in my line of work to know that a little extra generosity is a great thing.

Cheers to all!

 

[keishashadow]

Cruise ships aren't registered in the US & aren't bound by our labor laws, keeps the profit margin high & fares reasonable.

perhaps OT, but, i will share...

on cruise in Dec. (Legend); we went on a tour of the galley; preceeded by a short Q & A period...did you know on Carnival that:

1) Servers all initially sign on for a year wherein they train & only serve the crew...they never leave the ship during that time period

2) If their contract is renewed, they get a 4-6 week vacation; then are assigned as an asst waiter; with the hope for advancement.

3) The cabin steward is paid a salary; his assistant (if he wants one) is directly paid by him.

fyi, I was told by two head waiters on the Wonder (India) & the Legend (Phillipines); that they expected to retire to their respective native country in ten years or so...as very wealthy & respected individuals. evidently their cost of living is low. The man from India made me sad when he stated his oldest son was my son's age @ the time (12) and that he looked forward to seeing his family every year and hoped to be back home before he married.

 

[slindamood]

Just out of curiousity - is DCL not bound by federal minimum wage laws?

No. DCL ships are not registered in the U.S. CMs are not covered by U.S. labor laws, workers comp, federal income taxes, etc.

 

[Grandma4ever]

I took a 5,000 amount for a month of service and divided it by 360 hour and got 13.88 per hour. Now we all know that they average more than 12 hours of work per day. How many of us work work 7 days a week for 4 to 6 months at a time for 14 .00 an hour even with a bed and food?

When I hear 5,000 it seems like a whole lot be when you break it down it sure seems like a whole lot less. Lois

 

[tinkerone]

I took a 5,000 amount for a month of service and divided it by 360 hour and got 13.88 per hour. Now we all know that they average more than 12 hours of work per day. How many of us work work 7 days a week for 4 to 6 months at a time for 14 .00 an hour even with a bed and food?

i started at 6:30 this morning and it is now 11 p.m. i did have some down time today but as a rule....cooking, cleaning, getting to work, working, getting home from work, cooking supper, cleaning house ,laundry, dishes, book keeping, etc. 12 months a year. i think a lot of people work this much. we are just looking at it from a different point of view. i don't get paid for my extra hours.
and if i could work for 5 years, 12 hour days and then start my own business you want to believe i would and i'd work plenty hard.
again, just my thoughts.

 

[imheather]

I took a 5,000 amount for a month of service and divided it by 360 hour and got 13.88 per hour. Now we all know that they average more than 12 hours of work per day. How many of us work work 7 days a week for 4 to 6 months at a time for 14 .00 an hour even with a bed and food?

i started at 6:30 this morning and it is now 11 p.m. i did have some down time today but as a rule....cooking, cleaning, getting to work, working, getting home from work, cooking supper, cleaning house ,laundry, dishes, book keeping, etc. 12 months a year. i think a lot of people work this much. we are just looking at it from a different point of view. i don't get paid for my extra hours.
and if i could work for 5 years, 12 hour days and then start my own business you want to believe i would and i'd work plenty hard.
again, just my thoughts.

LOL me too!

Signed Mom who just folded 4 loads of clothes, unloaded dishwasher, walked the dog, checked homework and made lunches for tomorrow.