Cruisin Dovers

Anyone done this. If so, feedback would be appreciated.

Anyone ever done this excursion? Would love feedback.

I never said I was not going to tip. I said I want control who and how I tip and to know ahead of time how it all works instead of being surprised. I am also saying that there are multitudes of other ways to bless a cruise member than just money. 
 

i do not have to justify anything with anyone. 

i will say it for the last time. What matters is st the end of the day each of us should use our gifts, talents, finances to bless others who serve us. How we do it is material. There is no right or wrong. What matters is if the staff feels appreciated and not being taken advantage of.
 

PD Based upon what I read at Indeed (very reliable organization) at the end of the year the hours the work ends up being the same as 40hrs a Lweek when it is averaged out. 
What I am challenging is the mindset that unless a owrdin gives a big tip, they are somehow stingy or cheap or robbing the staff. Just trying to bring balance.

Bye.

31 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Are you basing this on a 40 hour work week? Cruise ship employees work more than 8 hours a day and more than 5 days a week.

The most recent glimpse I have seen was a pay of a little under $1400 a month for a 29 week contract.  That $32K figure may be an average when you count officer level staff who do make more.

Based upon the link I gave which was on and annual income basis.

2 hours ago, Mike n Ky said:

Personally, the mandatory tipping is not for me as I prefer to provide tips directly according to service. However, too many would be woefully short so I accept it to ensure that a far amount is received by those who serve. We have decided to consider it a minimum and then tip additional where we feel it is deserved.

And then there are those who wouldn't get a nickel of the daily....

Back in January we were on the Allure for an 8 day. There was a room steward that was taking care of cabins closer to the elevator on our deck that we passed several times a day. Great guy, always singing and greeted us by name (we had stopped and briefly chatted with him on day 2) without fail. He wasn't taking care of our cabin but the day before we got back to Lauderdale I tipped him because he added so much to our experience. Without knowing what was in the envelope he expressed his gratitude and thanked us for the interactions during the week. I told him that when we got our survey we would mention him and to please keep that cheerful personality on full display as the world needed more of it. The next morning back in Lauderdale we got another big smile and a song.

Just for some clarification almost all cruise ship workers earn a minimum of around $32,000 year which is around $16hr. That is not including cash tips, free meals, lodging, and other benefits.

$16hr is more than the minimum wage in most States. Here in Arkansas it is $11hr. 
 

This does not mean they should not get tips for a job done well, especially if they go out of their way to provide a great service. It does mean they are not getting ripped off working on a cruise ship . (They are not victims of a having a very low wage.) Yes they may work hard and do a great job. Just like others in other fields and make much less money.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/pay-salary/how-much-do-cruise-ship-workers-make

PS the increase in ‘minimum gratuity price’ is certainly reasonable.

Hmm, I never heard of tipping cooks, dishwashers at restaurants. Never heard of tipping laundry staff, maintenance staff at hotels. I obviously hang with people who have little money. But it is nice that those who have the money are helping out in that way. 

What my wife and I will do is: be polite, kind, respectful to the crew. We will do what we have done for decades: be a listening ear, encourage, show compassion, give counsel, pray, just plain ole give of our time, and give our personal phone number that they can call 24/7. 

We may not give a big tip at the MDR but we will give them our room number that they can drop by anytime or meet up with us somewhere if they need encouragement, counsel, or pray. 

Being able to bless someone with money is a great thing! Blessing someone with a part of your life is a great thing.

Lets all give what we have been blessed with and not hoard it. 

You are correct about ‘cheapskates’ comments not on this thread. Was on another one several times.

That is great to hear

I do not see anyone complaining about paying gratuities, it’s more of how they’re being charged. 

i find the phrase cheapskate being thrown around is very judgmental when no one here knows the heart or actions of another.

Also the comment if you can pay for a cruise you can afford to pay whatever fees there are, is not totally accurate. Easy to say for anyone who can afford a cruise every year and especially be able to get a suite. FYI, not everyone is sitting on big 401ks.

For my wife and I now on a fixed income It has taken years for us to be able to afford a cruise, and sleeping in our car many times on vacations just to save money. An extra $150 means something to us. If we can save $50-$75 by only tipping for the services we partake of that helps cover other costs.

PS I realize that some that are paying for a suite had to save up for years to be able to do it. I am sure they’re not the ones calling people cheapskates. 

Also I think most working on the cruise line are making more than our combined Social Security even without tips. But I am not against tipping what I can afford.

Is there Verizon cell phone service in Puerto Costa Maya and Cozumel. Or at least texting ability since my wife and I are going on different excursions and need to be able to meet up before getting back on ship.

I see on the various excursion opportunities in the cruise planner that you should have local currency. So in Mexico, pesos. Where do you obtain local currency? In  Puertio Casa Maya and Cozumel do many of the places take credit cards?

“We personally have all gratuities removed and chose who deserves tips, etc.”

i am confused how gratuities work. I thought gratuities was based upon what services you used. So a person who uses less services pays less. But then I got the email and it says the new automatic daily rate. Automatic means you ‘have to pay’ the daily rate regardless of services used. 
 

i am more confused when I saw the quote. Sounds like there is no mandatory minimum daily charge.

Can someone explain how gratuities work? (I do understand additional gratuities for speciality restaurants, spa.

In the cruise planner will the excursion discounts change at all the closer you get to sailing date? Less discounts or greater discounts?

Can a person get a better deal by going to vendor sites directly?

Example: I only want Internet on two days of my 5-dat sailing. Can I just buy it for Day 2 and Day 4.

Same thing on beverage packages. Also on them does both guests have to buy a package? Can I buy a beverage package for just one day?

On the larger ships like Allure how many cases of Covid is going to cause a lockdown in your room? 

i assume in a 5-day sailing you could be locked down the entire trip if an outbreak.

Does the RC insurance cover any of this? Any kind of partial refund?