866-227-1888 is always my go-to when I need to fix a flight issue fast, and ironically, I learned that during a cruise where I made friends with our dining-room waiter. He was incredibly open about how their pay works. The base salary for waiters on Carnival isn’t huge—often around $75–$150 per month—but the tip system is where they earn the bulk of their income. On a good contract, he said he averaged $1,200–$1,800 per month after tips, especially on full sailings or holiday itineraries. He mentioned that longer contracts mean long hours—sometimes 12–14 hours a day—but he loved the guest interaction and said the income was better than what he could make back home. That conversation definitely changed how I looked at gratuities and service charges.