Tipping and Holland America???

[I Luv Crusin]

I am booking for friends an Alaskan Cruise/Tour with RCI(a timeshare company). The agents informed me that the passengers do NOT need to tip. I had heard this YEARS ago in the 80's but didn't think it was true now. He said that tips can be pre-paid but that you can remove them if you want and it's not necessary to tip.

I've seen on other boards the discussion of how the staff depends on tips for most of their income.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks

[peaches from georgia]

I am booking for friends..... The agents informed me that the passengers do NOT need to tip..... He said that tips can be pre-paid but that you can remove them if you want and it's not necessary to tip.......
What are your thoughts?

Yes, HAL puts $10/per person/per day on your ship account as a gratuity. You can ask to have it removed. Tipping has never been 'required' on a HAL ship.

But more importantly, what are your friends thoughts on tipping? Would they want to remove pre-paid gratuities from their ship account and tip nothing for good service? Would you advise them to do so? How do they and you feel about tipping at home? Do you tip on your cruises?

[I Luv Crusin]

Yes, HAL puts $10/per person/per day on your ship account as a gratuity. You can ask to have it removed. Tipping has never been 'required' on a HAL ship.

But more importantly, what are your friends thoughts on tipping? Would they want to remove pre-paid gratuities from their ship account and tip nothing for good service? Would you advise them to do so? How do they and you feel about tipping at home? Do you tip on your cruises?
Before Cruise Critic I never thought about it. I tipped the "required" amount and that was it. Now that I've been educated I plan on tipping more for better service. It just disturbed me that this travel professional is suggesting that tips aren't required and that you can "just" remove them if you wish. Unless HAL pays it's staff more than some of the other cruise lines I've read about, tips are most of their pay!!

I understand NCL's Hawaii cruises are staffed by American's and are salaried. They are getting PAID to do their job and I'd probably tip for service above and beyond.

[Kami's pal]

I am booking for friends an Alaskan Cruise/Tour with RCI(a timeshare company). The agents informed me that the passengers do NOT need to tip. I had heard this YEARS ago in the 80's but didn't think it was true now. He said that tips can be pre-paid but that you can remove them if you want and it's not necessary to tip.

I've seen on other boards the discussion of how the staff depends on tips for most of their income.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks

Do a seach on HAL and/ or tips or gratuities. There is so much on this board about HAL's new (since May, 2004) gratuities policy that I'm not going to repeat it.

I would be very wary about a TA that isn't aware of such a huge policy change. If wrong about this, what other things might (s)he be wrong about?

[peaches from georgia]

The TA said nothing that isn't true. On HAL ships pax do NOT have to tip, tips are now pre-paid and put on your ship account, but they CAN be removed at your request and it is not necessary to tip. The choice is up to you. The agent was totally correct about the new policy.

[JDee]

In view of the tipping advice from the TA, would be very leery of accepting any other advice from that same TA as gospel. Double (or triple) check any other advice you get. Did the TA sell used cars before becoming a TA????

Happy cruising....

[sail7seas]

What Peaches posted is true. The automatic tip of $10 pp per day is applied to your shipboard account. You may have it removed if you wish and tip nothing. (IMO.....the only reason one would do that is if they were the very rare, highly unusual passenger who received truly awful service and was extremely dissatisfied.)


What the TA said is technically correct.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Also advise your friends that if they do have the automatic $10 per day per person tips removed from their shipboard account AND should they decide to tip certain individuals separately, those people can not keep the tips - they are required to turn in those tips to the front desk and the tips are then pulled among all crew members. The crew are notified how has the tips removed.

[PEFER33]

I notice that you are also taking a land tour. We did this with HAL several years ago. At that time "tipping is not required" policy was in affect on their ships. We tipped on the ship and also tipped the tour hostess. I can't remember if there was a suggested tip amount included with our documents for the land portion, but I think there was. In any event, she did a great job and we would have tipped her anyway. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of this during your planning.

Phil