Pre Tipping: Who gets the tip?

[zlato]

It is not my intent to start a thread about the pros and cons of pretipping. My question is simply as follows: Given the system of automatically adding a daily tip to a patron's account, if one gives a gratuity to our stateroom steward at the start of the trip (in addition to tips at the end of the trip), does the stewart get to keep the entire tip, given the fact that he does not yet know if I will opt out of the automatic tip (which I will not!)?

[sail7seas]

Maybe any pre-tipped funds are 'put on hold' until the end of the cruise. Perhaps they are held until it becomes clear who has left the automatic tip in place??? I don't know. I am only presenting what I think to be possible.

[NoNoNanette]

I WOULD HOPE that the room steward, bartender, etc. would stick my "extra" tip directly into his pocket! By individualy tipping, I'm rewarding an INDIVIDUAL. (I've vocalized this ..... softly..... from time to time)

Let them split the automatic tips...:)

[sail7seas]

One would assume he could be fired for being dishonest and not reporting tips that he might be required to pool. Even if not fired.......there is a definite honesty issue here.

[dakrewser]

I WOULD HOPE that the room steward, bartender, etc. would stick my "extra" tip directly into his pocket! By individualy tipping, I'm rewarding an INDIVIDUAL. (I've vocalized this ..... softly..... from time to time)

I do wish it were that way, but unfortunately it isn't. All tips get reported and pooled. If the auto-tip is left in place then it's handed back over again to the 'tipee'. And Sail is quite right - they risk getting fired for holding back....

[Krazy Kruizers]

Right now, the cabin steward gets $3.50 and the dining staff split $3.50 and the other $3 is pooled among the other crew.

Still don't believe in pre-tipping.

[Vic The Parrot]

So the extra 'large note' I slipped to my cabin steward was ripped in God knows how many pieces, to share ???


:confused:

[babyher]

See that is what I have a problem with all this tipping.

I board the ship, get to my cabin, and "AL" my cabin steward introduces himself. I have a special request that I need during my cruise that goes a little beyond the call of duty for him. Right off the bat I slip him a little extra something and ask that he sees to it. All cruise long he makes sure it gets taken care of.

That is an arrangement between me and him for my cabin only. I am willing to compensate him for that extra service, he is willing to do it.

Why does he need to share that tip with anyone else?

yes, yes, yes I know "Because that is HAL policy"

But its an unfair policy, in my opinion.

[gizmo]

See that is what I have a problem with all this tipping.

I board the ship, get to my cabin, and "AL" my cabin steward introduces himself. I have a special request that I need during my cruise that goes a little beyond the call of duty for him. Right off the bat I slip him a little extra something and ask that he sees to it. All cruise long he makes sure it gets taken care of.

That is an arrangement between me and him for my cabin only. I am willing to compensate him for that extra service, he is willing to do it.

Why does he need to share that tip with anyone else?

yes, yes, yes I know "Because that is HAL policy"

But its an unfair policy, in my opinion.

I feel the same way. I think the sharing policy is wrong. :mad:

[sail7seas]

So the extra 'large note' I slipped to my cabin steward was ripped in God knows how many pieces, to share ???


:confused:

IF YOU LEAVE the AUTOMATIC TIP in place, he gets to keep anything additional you give him.

[sail7seas]

See that is what I have a problem with all this tipping.

I board the ship, get to my cabin, and "AL" my cabin steward introduces himself. I have a special request that I need during my cruise that goes a little beyond the call of duty for him. Right off the bat I slip him a little extra something and ask that he sees to it. All cruise long he makes sure it gets taken care of.

That is an arrangement between me and him for my cabin only. I am willing to compensate him for that extra service, he is willing to do it.

Why does he need to share that tip with anyone else?

yes, yes, yes I know "Because that is HAL policy"

But its an unfair policy, in my opinion.


I don't necessarily disagree with you but I agree with what I think to be the reason this new policy had to be put in place.

We saw way, way, way too many people who did not tip at all in the past. Too many stewards were receiving hardly any tips at all.

We heard many people over many cruises argue the point that tipping not required meant they were not going to tip.

So.......HAL had to do something to keep these fine crews happy to return to HAL ships. Money. Do all of the stewards like this new plan? I think probably not all. But, sooo many of the same stewards are still on the ships so they can't hate it no matter how many tales we hear of the Asst Dining Steward or cabin steward or whoever may have said they don't like it. They keep returning. They could apply to other cruiselines and most of us believe any HAL experienced steward is easily hired by other cruiselines if/when they apply.

[babyher]

Sail,

I agree with you on that. I know there are a lot of cheapies out there and I am sure the staff was getting stiffed more than we think. So I can see where HAL or any other line was coming from with setting up the auto tip.

[gizmo]

But the cheapos can go to the desk and have the auto tips removed.


So.......HAL had to do something to keep these fine crews happy to return to HAL ships. Money. Do all of the stewards like this new plan? I think probably not all. But, sooo many of the same stewards are still on the ships so they can't hate it no matter how many tales we hear of the Asst Dining Steward or cabin steward or whoever may have said they don't like it. They keep returning. They could apply to other cruiselines and most of us believe any HAL experienced steward is easily hired by other cruiselines if/when they apply.

A lot of dining and cabin stewards did leave Hal because of this along with other changes.

[zlato]

Thanks for the responses; however, there is still no definitive answer to my question although putting the pretip "on hold" is a possibility. Again, it is not my intent to start the old debate about this practice; I simply want to know what happens to the pretip money. I have never removed the automatic tipping from my accounts, and I usually leave extra tips at the end of the cruise. I also usually pretip for special services rendered; hence, my question. Perhaps, I should just verbally indicate to my stewart that extra tips will be forthcoming for special service; however, would not this verbal gesture be a bit patronizing? If anyone has an authoritative answer to my question, I would appreciate your response.

PS. I do prefer the former system. I have always been a generous tipper
for good service, and I do not like having to subsidize the salaries of
all the staff members. Why not increase their salaries instead? When
I go to a restaurant and leave a tip, to my knowledge, none of that
tip goes to the various cooks in the kitchen, etc.etc.etc.etc.

[dlbutler5]

Zlato

Having worked many times bussing and waiting tables, most establishments now do the pooling of tips. It is one way of making sure they all get nearly the same salary.

[sail7seas]

But the cheapos can go to the desk and have the auto tips removed.




A lot of dining and cabin stewards did leave Hal because of this along with other changes.

There were always some staff/crew who switch to other cruiselines for a myriad of reasons. An overwhelming huge percentage of stewards remained with HAL. For anyone who has been sailing with HAL, we all know we see so many of the same people cruise to cruise, year to year, ship to ship. Many, many, more chose to stay with HAL than those who chose to leave. There will always be some attrition for any number of reasons.

[twinkletoes4445]

I understand that the regular tip that will be added to our account will be pooled and then shared. I can see why they would do this. There are a lot of cheapies out in the world. However, if I give someone a tip above this regular tip, I would like to see the person I gave it to...keep it. It was given to them because they went above and beyond what was expected. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that person keeping the extra I gave him or her.

[sail7seas]

I understand that the regular tip that will be added to our account will be pooled and then shared. I can see why they would do this. There are a lot of cheapies out in the world. However, if I give someone a tip above this regular tip, I would like to see the person I gave it to...keep it. It was given to them because they went above and beyond what was expected. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that person keeping the extra I gave him or her.


Twinkletoes........

HAL agrees with you and they have set up the system for exactly that to happen.

IF YOU LEAVE YOUR AUTOMATIC TIP IN PLACE ----you DO NOT have it removed from your account-----

THEN any and all additional tips you give to anyone on the ship are theirs to keep. They do not have to pool it.

ONLY when someone removes the automatic tip from their account are those tips shared. ONLY then does a steward have to turn into the pool funds (tips) he received directly from a passenger.

[gizmo]

Sails,

I remember being on a ship around the time this was all taking place. Crew were going to have to pay for their flights home and their uniforms along with the new tipping policy being implemented. There were a lot of unhappy stewards. Many had just left and more were leaving.

Of course people leave a job for different reasons, but during this time frame the number that left was much higher than a normal turnover.

[twinkletoes4445]

Twinkletoes........

HAL agrees with you and they have set up the system for exactly that to happen.

IF YOU LEAVE YOUR AUTOMATIC TIP IN PLACE ----you DO NOT have it removed from your account-----

THEN any and all additional tips you give to anyone on the ship are theirs to keep. They do not have to pool it.

ONLY when someone removes the automatic tip from their account are those tips shared. ONLY then does a steward have to turn into the pool funds (tips) he received directly from a passenger.




That's so good to know. I can see why they would need to be pooled (the automatic tips). Some people are just so cheap. But it's nice to know that if we give an extra tip, it goes to the person we gave it to. I personally love the autotips being added to our account. It's just one less thing we have to have to worry about.

[MMastell]

It is correct that if you do not remove yourself from the automatic tipping program any additional tips you give a staff member are kept by that staff member.

The sad, but true, fact that has been confirmed by NCL and Carnival Corporation, is that the majority of people who remove themselves from the automatic tipping program and say they would prefer to personally tip, never do. :(

You may not like the automatic program but it is basically the way the service employees are paid. Perhaps it would be better if they just raised the fare but that would be a marketing decision but until that happens I will just continue to participate in the program and reward an exceptional person who has made my cruise more enjoyable.

Take care,
Mike

Take care,
Mike

[CJC]

I left my pre-tip in place and gave the room steward, waiter, asst waiter, and MD extra. I was told by the employees themselves, including the room steward, that they get to keep any extra outside of the pre-tip. Our steward was very good so we were very generous to him.

[sail7seas]

Sails,

I remember being on a ship around the time this was all taking place. Crew were going to have to pay for their flights home and their uniforms along with the new tipping policy being implemented. There were a lot of unhappy stewards. Many had just left and more were leaving.

Of course people leave a job for different reasons, but during this time frame the number that left was much higher than a normal turnover.


I don't have exact numbers and honestly don't really need or want them. Perhaps you have statistics, but again......I don't really need or want to know them.

Yes, indeed, some stewards/crew left to never return. Many, Many, Many more stayed and are still working for HAL. Also, it is worth noting that some who originally said they were not returning, finished their contracts, went home and changed their minds and returned. While they may have sincerely told you on the cruise you reference they were leaving, they ultimately decided to come back to HAL. I know of several so that would hint there would well be more than just the few I know of.

The ones that left just as the new system was being phased in really didn't know what the actual numbers would finally settle at. They made a choice to not wait and find out. Entirely their choice and all the power to them. There definitely was uncertainty among them at the time and I remember it well. We took many cruises in that time span. We have a fair number of friends aboard the ships and had 'some' conversations with 'some' of them and, therefore, are personally aware of their feelings/thoughts on the subject.

Of the many, many, many others who remained, they (at this point) have renewed their contracts more than once so must be reasonably satisified with their net pay at the end of their contracts.
Common sense has to tell us that otherwise, we would not be seeing the same people cruise after cruise. ;)

[kryos]

So the extra 'large note' I slipped to my cabin steward was ripped in God knows how many pieces, to share ???

It would appear that way ... though it doesn't make sense in the case of a "pre-tip" or "bribe." :)

Usually a pre-tip is very small ... just a token and a hint of things to come if the service is top notch. I would hope that if someone slipped their cabin steward a ten dollar bill at the beginning of the cruise, that the cabin steward would be able to keep that ... and not really consider it a "tip" at all ... but rather more of a "gift."

But, I guess common sense says otherwise. Why should a tip given at the beginning of the cruise be handled any differently than one given at the end?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

Of the many, many, many others who remained, they (at this point) have renewed their contracts more than once so must be reasonably satisified with their net pay at the end of their contracts.
Common sense has to tell us that otherwise, we would not be seeing the same people cruise after cruise. ;)
I've always said that despite what people on this board say about generously tipping their waitstaff, cabin stewards, etc. ... the majority of the cruising population probably doesn't do this. I'd be willing to bet a week's pay that the service staff onboard ship actually makes out better with the auto tip than they did before. I think there are a lot of low lifes out there ... or perhaps just extremely cheap people ... who wouldn't think twice about stiffing their waitstaff or cabin steward at the end of the cruise. With the auto-tip in force, that's kind of hard to do ... at least while still saving face and not showing the world what a cheapskate you are.

I think I've mentioned on this board before that pre-auto tip, HAL had to close down the alternative dining venues on the last night of the cruise because too many people opted to use them in order to avoid their waitstaff in the dining room, and the need to pass them an envelope. With the dawn of the auto-tip system, this is now no longer necessary and we can feel free to enjoy a quick dinner in the Lido if we are busy with packing that evening ... secure in the knowlege that our waitstaff in the dining room is at the very least getting the auto-tip amount.

Another interesting sidenote ... when my Zuiderdam cruise was extended for 2.5 days because Port Everglades closed (because of hurricanes), the announcement was made that auto-tips for those extra two days would not be assessed to passenger accounts. I guess HAL felt that it wasn't fair to make people pay an extra $20 bucks for service when they were not onboard the ship of their own free will. A friend of mine and myself basically said "screw that." We're getting service, we're gonna tip for it. We both went down to the purser's desk and told her we wanted to add something onto our shipboard accounts to cover tips for these days. She was actually shocked. I think very few people did that. On the other hand, we couldn't understand why not. Same thing happened again the following week's cruise ... the shortened one to five days. The waitstaff and cabin stewards got royally screwed on that run ... there were only like 600-800 people on the sailing. One cabin steward told me that he normally had 14 cabins to take care of whereas this cruise he had only four. Again, my friend and I went down to the purser's desk before the end of that cruise (and our disembarkation day since we were both on b2b's) and wanted to sweeten the pot for our service people. Again, a look of shock from the lady taking care of us ... leading us both to believe that very, very few people would think to do this.

I still say most people are plain cheap when it comes to tipping. While I don't consider myself generous by any means (hey, I have to earn a living too ... and I'm not rich), I'd like to think I'm fair ... and would never shrirk my responsibility to properly tip a service person who took good care of me.

While I don't think anyone makes out like a bandit with the auto-tipping system, I'd be willing to bet that the crew does make out better than they did before its implementation.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[MeOhMy]

As I understand it, if we leave the auto tip in place, then any additional money we give in tips may be kept by the person we are tipping. But how do they know if they are entitled to that particular tip or not?

And what happens if we add the extra tip to our account in their name?

Thanks.

[sail7seas]

A friend of mine and myself basically said "screw that." We're getting service, we're gonna tip for it. We both went down to the purser's desk and told her we wanted to add something onto our shipboard accounts to cover tips for these days. She was actually shocked. I think very few people did that.


That was nice of you to be sure to tip for the additional days but just because people did not go to the office to have it added to their shipboard account, does not mean they did not tip. Many very well may have chosen to privately tip their cabin steward, dining steward, bartender etc They just did it on their own and the individuals they wanted to get the money received it directly from them. That is what DH and I would have done. Same as we always managed to tip before there was such a thing as automatic tipping added to our account. It wasn't necessary to go to the office in order to tip.

[Grumpy1]

I was told by a HAL employee that should know, that most employees had a higher income after the autotips were put in place, even after deducting for the insurance/uniform /transportation costs. At the time the changes were implemented, though, there were quite a few that were just sure that they couldn't possibly make as much and left. That's pretty much the same in any industry when changes are made. Those that stayed found out that the system does work reasonably well.

I think Sail's conjecture is likely correct. Every pretip or tip before the end of the cruise would be turned in to the crew purser and credited to that employees account, with a notation of the passenger that was the source. At the end of the cruise, if the autotip is left in place everything extra from that passenger is returned to the employee. If the autotip is removed, then everything from that passenger is pooled. If that's not the way it is done, I think it should be.

[sail7seas]

As I understand it, if we leave the auto tip in place, then any additional money we give in tips may be kept by the person we are tipping. But how do they know if they are entitled to that particular tip or not?

And what happens if we add the extra tip to our account in their name?

Thanks.

They know who has removed automatic tip from their account.


If you wish to tip additional to anyone, IMO, it is best to give it directly to them rather than try to have the office credit it to an individual. I see too much 'room for error' by that method. Simply get an envelope (envelopes) and tip whoever you wish directly to them.

[MeOhMy]

Thank you, I will follow your advice.

[peaches from georgia]

I was told by a HAL employee that should know, that most employees had a higher income after the autotips were put in place, even after deducting for the insurance/uniform /transportation costs.

But why should a change in the tipping policy mean that the employees had to lose benefits that HAL had been providing (uniforms, transportation home, etc.)? In other words the pax's generosity in giving a larger amount in gratuities to the crew was used by the cruiseline as a reason to decrease employee benefits, thereby decreasing HAL's labor costs.

[Grumpy1]

But why should a change in the tipping policy mean that the employees had to lose benefits that HAL had been providing (uniforms, transportation home, etc.)? In other words the pax's generosity in giving a larger amount in gratuities to the crew was used by the cruiseline as a reason to decrease employee benefits, thereby decreasing HAL's labor costs.Why? My guess would be to be able to advertise lower prices. Apparently, the average being given under the old policies must have been well under the current $10pp/pd, if crew members are doing as well as, or better, than they were before, even after the new deductions. I think most of us would like to see a system where the crew members were paid a good wage and provided with benefits, and where we could make our own decisions as to who to tip and how much. The question is... would we be willing to pay the increased price up front? Those that understand that an extra $10pp/pd needs to be factored into the cost of cruising under the current system would be willing. Others would go for the lower advertised price on another line, not knowing or thinking about the real cost down the line.

[Johanna7]

We prefer the auto tip on our credit card as we do not like to carry around so much cash until the end of the cruise.

We have tipped extra in cash to someone who was extra nice and helpful and always leave the auto tipping in place.

I do have an in-law who cruises often and stiffed the waiters and cabin stewards each time. I felt really, really bad about that but what can you do with a stubborn older person?

Therefore, I can see the need for the auto tipping. Nice that eventually, at the end of the cruise, the recipients can keep the extra tip.

[sail7seas]

do have an in-law who cruises often and stiffed the waiters and cabin stewards each time. I felt really, really bad about that but what can you do with a stubborn older person?
What can you do with a stubborn young person??? :) ;)

[arzz]

All you have to do is read these boards to discover that people will choose one cruise over another, or one TA over another, by a price difference that is sometimes as small as $25. As long as that mentality is ruling the choices made by potential cruisers, HAL would only lose by adding the autotip to the cost of the cruise.

In a perfect world everyone would care about (and think about) the people who serve them on board and understand their needs and what is appropriate. Problem is, the world is not perfect yet. Until then they need an autotip.

[Randyk47]

OK....right up front....I don't believe in pre-tipping. Never have done it and unless something unusual happens I don't plan on doing it. Yes, I can understand if somebody has a special request that it might make sense.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way....I used to think I preferred the old method of tipping...but I think that was just because that's what I was used to doing more than any particular reservation about the new system. Our recent Volendam cruise was our first HAL cruise since they went to the auto-tip. We just barely missed the implementation on our Oosterdam cruise back in 2004 by like a month or so. Anyhow, as I said, this past cruise was the first under the auto-tip and I really wondered how it was going to go. Quite frankly it was very easy and even a bit relaxing not to have to worry about making sure we had sufficient cash on hand at the end of a 10-day cruise to pay out the tips. We did tip selected people, people who are part of the auto-tip distribution, additionally for what we thought was above and beyond service. So I support auto-tip but will probably continue to recognize exceptional service with an additional out-of-hand tip.

[refman]

auto-tipping is a good idea and imo is pre-tipping,post-tipping or any tipping for exceptional service but pooling of tips is a complete joke. rewarding staff for poor service should never be encouraged. pooling sends the message that do whatever you please and still get the same as the staff that actually goes out of their way to make the cruise more enjoyable.

[james j feller]

I think the cruise lines should just increase the price of the cruise to reflect the tips, that way nobody has to worry .

JIM

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Right now, the cabin steward gets $3.50 and the dining staff split $3.50 and the other $3 is pooled among the other crew.

Still don't believe in pre-tipping.

I thought the dining staff split $5.50? $3.50 for waiter and $2.00 asst waiter? no ??

Bill

[ray77]

If an employee is not allowed to keep cash "tips" given to them, can they keep non-cash "gifts" such as the international prepaid phone cards that many of them seem to like?

[RuthC]

If an employee is not allowed to keep cash "tips" given to them, can they keep non-cash "gifts" such as the international prepaid phone cards that many of them seem to like?
Remember, the only reason someone can't keep a cash tip is because the giver has reduced or removed the $10 per person, per day service charge.
However, in that case the employee would be able to keep a non-cash gift. Otherwise, how could it be divided?

[serendipity1499]

Twinkletoes........

HAL agrees with you and they have set up the system for exactly that to happen.

IF YOU LEAVE YOUR AUTOMATIC TIP IN PLACE ----you DO NOT have it removed from your account-----

THEN any and all additional tips you give to anyone on the ship are theirs to keep. They do not have to pool it.

ONLY when someone removes the automatic tip from their account are those tips shared. ONLY then does a steward have to turn into the pool funds (tips) he received directly from a passenger.



Sail is absolutely correct!..Any extra tip you give to your stewards & Bar servers are kept by them as long as you keep the $10.00 auto tip in place. This policy has been explained to psgrs. many times by the CD on board, but it was the most clearly explained by Peter Daems (sp) the CD on board the "Prinsendam" last week..My guess is that your room steward must report your pre-tip, but he most definitely would be permitted to keep it if you leave the $10.00 per day per Psgr. on your account..


As Randy said in a previous post, we were the old reactionaries & hated the Auto-tip when NCL first came out with it..We swore that we would never travel on a line again that had the auto-tip..Guess what, our beloved HAL instituted the Auto tip & we now love it..We were able to put the extra $500 plus on our credit card & get reward points & we were then able to have extra cash to give to those people we felt deserved it..It's a win-win situation..

Happy cruising all..Betty

P.S. We were on NCL's "Crown" last year & loved it, so will never say never again!LOL

[SailGirl21976]

Greetings Seasoned CC Crusiers: I appreciate all the excellent conversation about the pre-tipping, etc. DH and I sailed our first cruise w/ HAL in March '06, and during one, & only one of our room service deliveries, the steward who delivered our food made me very uncomfortable as he delayed his exit from our cabin and started looking around, almost "caseing the room," as if he was expecting something...I was so glad my DH was there with me...the steward made me quite nervous. None of the other room servers acted in this manner. We were told by our TA and others that even the tips for room service were included in the automatic tipping @ the end of the cruise and we could also choose to add funds to that. Was this "normal" protocol for this room service steward? Have others of you experienced this demeanor? Thank you in advance for your reply. Ever learning here . . .:confused:

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Greetings Seasoned CC Crusiers: I appreciate all the excellent conversation about the pre-tipping, etc. DH and I sailed our first cruise w/ HAL in March '06, and during one, & only one of our room service deliveries, the steward who delivered our food made me very uncomfortable as he delayed his exit from our cabin and started looking around, almost "caseing the room," as if he was expecting something...I was so glad my DH was there with me...the steward made me quite nervous. None of the other room servers acted in this manner. We were told by our TA and others that even the tips for room service were included in the automatic tipping @ the end of the cruise and we could also choose to add funds to that. Was this "normal" protocol for this room service steward? Have others of you experienced this demeanor? Thank you in advance for your reply. Ever learning here . . .:confused:

That wasn't my experience on the Zuiderdam last summer. I had to practically run down the hall after him and he was still reluctant to take it. He did finally and seemed somewhat embarassed.

Bill

[sunflowerstarr]

When
I go to a restaurant and leave a tip, to my knowledge, none of that
tip goes to the various cooks in the kitchen, etc.etc.etc.etc.

no but if the establishment has them it goes to the bartender, bus boy/girl and possibly the hostess depending on how their pay is worked out. we had to tip out 10% of what we earned to to each person.

[CCaroleAnn]

Right now, the cabin steward gets $3.50 and the dining staff split $3.50 and the other $3 is pooled among the other crew.

Still don't believe in pre-tipping.

I also don't "pre-tip".

But I just can't leave only the automatic tips. On our last cruise our dining staff worked their butts off. I eat out quite often and to give these hard working guys a total of only $24.00 for 7 days is wrong. IMO
I always think about what a meal like that would have cost at a good restaurant and what I would have tipped. (Of course it's never that much. :p) Maybe if the service was "off" I would feel different. Our waiter and his assistant did seem hesitant to accept the extra money. They asked us to just please note how happy we were with them on our comment card. Which we did.

CC

[MiRo]

ISo.......HAL had to do something to keep these fine crews happy to return to HAL ships. Money. .

Which still makes the new HAL policy wrong and dishonest. Instead of paying the crew more (and increasing the cruise fare by an amount equaling the daily forced tip per person) they just intoduced the now dead policies Mao and Stalin used.

It's a shame to do not allow crew members to get a personal tip on the top for extra good service. Instead, each crew member, if nice or not, if helpful or not gets the same piece of the cake.

Thius policy discriminates the better performers.

[sail7seas]

One should remember that for crew who are under-performing or consistently displeasing guests.......they do not get another contract. I doubt any stewards who are not carrying their load get 'away with it' for very long. Their supervisors/co-workers know who needs more training or encouragement to do better.