Cruise Gratuities

So I was reading a blog about the salary for on-board staff who work almost 16 hour days. And my was it shocking to see what little money they actually earn’t for the hard work they provide. Taking into account most cruise lines will charge staff for uniforms and certain allowances on-board it surprises me how little they actually earn compared to us Brit’s.If you have ever cruised before you will understand just how hard the staff work on-board these ships and how they are always so upbeat and pleasant, taking into account they work such long hours over a long period of time before having any time off to themselves.In most recent years of selling cruise holidays I have seen a significant increase of customers asking for their pre-paid gratuities to be removed and they will tip at their own discretion. Most customers explain to me they feel that the pre-paid gratuities are either not shared equally among staff or that they should not be payingfor a staff members tipsfor a service that they are not receiving directly. However as you can imagine all staff on-board are part of the overall process of making your cruise anexperience you will remember.

As pre-paid gratuities are not compulsory it is purely down to a customers own discretion as to whether or not they pay these. But could you imagine doing all that hard work they do, providing exceptional customer service for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for 8 or 9 months non stop for less than the UK minimum wage? The English would certainly not tolerate this hence why the staff on-board are from a foreign country less fortunate that us here in the UK.So maybe next time when you cruise you might bear this in mind. What are your thoughts on this matter?Click the link below to view the blog I was reading. http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-blogs/embarkwithedward/2014/11/24/celebrity-cruises-pay-1-50-an-hour-to-their-waiters/