I went to one of those "ask the captain and staff questions" sessions on one cruise and I asked about tipping and why the cruise line doesn't just pay the staff a fair wage? I queried the registry of the cruise ship in x country yet the main offices are in Florida (U.S.) wouldn't that mean that US Wage Law was in play with minimums, etc.? Well, the crew who gave me the mic was excited to hear the answer but as expected the Captain said he couldnt talk about salary issues. I followed up with "you are expecting guests to cover your wage costs" so it's important to us to know why. He refused and took another question. The luxury ships will discourage tipping but the mass market ships look at guests to pay via tips or "mandatory charges".