Have you ever left LESS than a recommended tip or NONE at all?

[Hootsie]

Please, do not call me a tight wad, I am far from that.

I will say I did tip our room steward more than what was recommended. We had 2 cabins, one with our three daughters. He was AWESOME! We even left him an Easter basket full of candy since we got off the ship Easter Sunday.

Back to my original topic: We had a TERRIBLE waiter. I mean B.A.D.! He was an older guy that said he had worked for Carnival for 25 years. Hard to imagine since we could hardly understand a thing he said. He was from Turkey. We'd order one thing and he'd bring another saying it was a better choice. Excuse me, who's the customer here?? He never did get our names right and we'd have to remind him over and over and over for coffee after dinner. The last day, we went to the dining room for lunch. Previously, we only had done dinner there. Well, he asked how our cruise was with the service in the dining room and how it was important he got a good survey so he could be promoted. It took him forever to get that thru to us since his English was so bad. Then he said he had 2 cookbooks for me as a gift. I did NOT even want them (I don't cook). He brought them to me and I was looking thru them (to be polite). One was for mixed drinks, the other for the buffets. He says, "You like?" and I said, "They are nice" and went back to eating. THEN, he brings me the big cookbook and SIGNS it before he gives it to me. I looked at my DH all confused, then the waiter asks me for my Sign & Sail card! I'm like ***??? Getting into it with this guy would have done nothing since his English was so bad. I couldn't take this darn cookbook back since he signed it, so there I am with three books I will NEVER open.

The couple that ate with us were beyond ticked too. We had three girls, they had one little boy. The first night, they ordered a bottle of wine from the selection and he took the bottle from the table and said "This one is a better choice and cheaper." I think he got a gratuity for selling the bottles on the table.

Well, we went to the Purser's Desk and took our tips from our Sign and Sail account. The sad thing was our assistant waiter was SO awesome! His name was Valerie and he was from the Ukraine. He would interact with the girls and dance with them during the entertainment (our main waiter wasn't around for the dancing). In fact, the head waiter was rather rude to Valerie. We ended up leaving a written comment to the Paradise on how we were so thrilled with Valerie and tipped him $120 on our last night in cash (when the head waiter wasn't around). We ended up leaving the head waiter $60 in which he would have to split in some form with Valerie. I'm sure he was ticked when he opened that envelope, but I didn't care. The couple we were with put $20 in the envelope and also slipped Valerie a nice chunk privately.

Yes, we complained about this waiter in our survey (for what it's worth).

Also, I do NOT have a problem with the people who aren't English speaking. In fact, I enjoyed talking to all the people we came in contact who worked on the ship. Some were harder to understand than others, but my point in this waiter is...he worked for Carnival for 25 years and he was THE WORST one on the ship to understand. God forbid we had a question on a menu item. We got to the point we didn't even ask anymore.

Anyway, just wondering if you ever had bad service and left a lesser tip. My DH didn't want to leave a thing (either did the husband of the other family at our table) but I insisted on sometime (and so did the other wife).

Max, Karen & girls sail off on the Paradise!!
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[dsclark]

The cabin boy on my last RCL cruise was awful. We were always having to call for towels and ice- nothing was ever replaced.
On the last day, we left his tip on the bed so he could get it during the nightly turn down service. He never showed up! We came back at 10:00pm and the salty wet towels from Nassau were still there, starting to smell. When we left the enxt day, they were still there. I didn't stiff him, but for the quality of service, he didn't get the full amount and this was the first time I left less than that.

[germanbini]

On our long cruise on the Holiday, we got to know our waiter and assistant waiter fairly well. Our waiter, Marcello, was very friendly (and he looked a bit like Antonio Banderas! http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif ), always had a recommendation for what to eat and how to have it cooked. Our assistant waiter, Agung, never seemed to get our tea refilled, and his smile never seemed genuine. It would seem after being on the ship for over a week he would start to catch onto us and take Marcello's lead, but he never did. We just figured he didn't speak English very well, who knows.

The kicker was that on the next to the last day of the cruise, we were in the casual dining room, and along walks Agung. He came straight over to us, patted us on the back, and in perfect, smiling English proceeded to ask how we're doing, hoping that we've had a fun time on the cruise, that type of thing. We couldn't believe it.

Marcello got a tip and a half; Agung got half.

Sabrina

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Ecstasy 12/96 (2 days to
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Holiday 4/6/02 (11 day Western Caribbean)
Fantasy 10/27/02 (4 day Bahamas)
Fantasy 11/30/03 (4 day Bahamas)
Sensation 10/23/04 (5 day Western Caribbean) - deposited!

[eileen11]

We had the craziest stewardess on the NCL SKY this last Feb. As you know, NCL is Freestyle and we had reservations for dinner at 7:45. We got back to the ship from our excursion at 5:30 and planned to leave the room at 7:30. Husband and I had a drink on the balcony and then took turns getting ready for dinner. At 7:00 we had a knock on the door. It was the stewardess. Husband told her that we'd be out of the room in 30 minutes. Five minutes later, another knock on the door. It was the stewardess. Husband told her that we'd be out of the in 25 minutes. Five minutes later the doorbell rang (we had a suite) and it was the stewardess. This time I answered the door and told her that we'd be out of the in 20 minutes, at 7:30, and NOT to knock or ring the bell again. Guess what...she knocked and rang the bell for the next 20 minutes, non-stop. She was yelling through the door that her shift ended at 10:00 and she wanted to be done early so she could go to a party. We didn't answer the door again, but when we left the room at 7:30, she was sitting right in front of the door and didn't move so we had to literally climb over her!
That wasn't all...after that, when we asked her for ice she told us "No ice for you. Ask a butler." She had the ice chest right there and was refilling ice, but, NO ICE FOR US. LOL!!
We took our automatic tips off our sign and said card and tipped the old fanshioned way...in person, without a tip for her.
"No tip for you", I told her.

Eileen

1967 Grace Lines Santa Rosa (don't laugh..I was a young teen!)
1968 GraceLines Santa Rosa

1970 The Victoria So. Car
1986 Seaward So. Car.
1987 Tropicale Mexico
1988 Tropicale So. Car.
1995 Sovereign of the Seas
2000 Elation Mexico
2002 Millie Panama Canal
2002 Vision OT Seas Mexico
2003 - Grand Princess 8/3/03
2004 - NCL Sky - 2/8/04
2004 - Carnival Spirit 10/4/04

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[jimcald]

On one of our cruises we did not see the Maitre' D (sp?) once during the cruise. I brought an envelope to dinner the last night to give him his tip but he was nowhere to be found so the envelope ended up going home with us.

Jim...


Adventure of the Seas - Thanksgiving Cruise 2004
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Carnival Elation - Easter Cruise 2004
RCI Explorer of the Seas - Feb 2003
Carnival Inspiration - Feb 2002
NCL Seaward (AKA Norwegian Sea) - June 1992
USS Dale (CG-19) - 1990
USS Coontz (DDG-40) - 1988

[Iam4cruising]

Hootsie- I wish you had told how many cruises you have been on. But do not ever put up with poor service. You should of gone to the maitre'd and gotten assigned a new table. And again as far as the books, go to someone you can talk to, do not ever be put into a situation where you feel uncomfortable. People it is YOUR cruise, do what you need to do to make sure you enjoy yourself. I have told some of the people on the ships directly to their faces (politely) that I was sorry but could not understand them. On the tipping issue directly - you did the right thing. I am a bit concerned about the automatic tip charge that Carnival uses now, the staff is going to be less inclined to go out of their way to please, but I make it a point to get to know all my waiters and especially the steward because they warm up to you and then the little favors happen. I even take photos of them and then give them back to them so thay can mail them to their families as a way of showing where they are working. (You scratch mine and I'll scratch yours)

[StefanieMS]

It hasn't happened to me yet. We have had great srevice so far, but I would not hesitate to tip less or not at all if I had
sub-standard or really bad service.

I do have a question regarding tipping the bar service. What if you have lousy service from the bar? Would you be able to lower the auto tip added to the bill?

Stefanie

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Cruise on the pride

[HeidiHo]

We forgot to tip the Maitre d' on the last night. Even though we didn't see much of him I felt bad because he granted our request to switch from late to early seating.

Heidi

Pride 03/03
Holiday 03/87
Festivale 07/85

[Kenster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by HeidiHo:
We forgot to tip the Maitre d' on the last night. Even though we didn't see much of him I felt bad because he granted our request to switch from late to early seating.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That was his job and, in my opinion, does not constitute service 'above and beyond.' Last cruise, our wait staff was fantastic but we had
absolutely no contact with the Maitre D'. On our first cruise, the Maitre D' was fantastic and attentive. He even addressed our young sons by name. Almost 16 years ago and I still remember his name-Guillermo. Now, he got a rather nice tip!

Carnival Carnivale -1988
Carnival Celebration - 2001
Carnival Celebration -June 2004

[tef43]

On the last couple of cruises, the Maitre'D has been nothing short of invisible. I have a difficult time rationalizing tipping Management.

Back in the day, he would at the very least make the rounds to ALL of the tables on Formal Nights and prepare flaming desserts.

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

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Eleven cruises so far. Up next:
Shhhh, it's a surprise!

Dance like it hurts, love like you need money, and work when somebody's watching.

[savdoc2]

I have never seen the Maitre'D on either of my cruises. They certainly never went above and beyond. I don't understand why they should be tipped. On our first cruise, he did not receive a tip. On our second, we prepaid tips so he did get one.

[crazy4bears]

My daughter has already made up her mind when she gets on the ship the first thing she is going to do is remove the auto tips. She plans on doing her own tipping and doesn't like auto tips. Her last cruise eas on RCL and she said they tipped what they wanted and not a set amount. If service is good she tips hign. No service no tip.

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[sea_u_onboard]

The Maitre'D is not included in pre-paid tips.

I no longer tip the Maitre'D unless I feel they have made an effort by at least stopping by the table at least twice during a 7 day cruise and that does not include the last night when tips are being given out.

On our first cruise - a 4 night - we tipped a minimal amount only because we felt obligated. Only saw the Maitre'D at the door the first and last night - he never came around to the table. On the second and third cruises - again he was at the door the first and last night - no tip for him. On our last cruise the Maitre'D was wonderful. He visited the table almost every night - we did have a very lively table of family and friends - and he entertained the crowd by singing - this was on the Conquest. He paid special attention to my youngest son who is mentally challenged. Again he was wonderful and deserved every penny of the tip we gave him - and it was pretty nice.

-- Cheryl

****Proud member of O.A.T.C.****
Check out my Homepage in my profile for Conquest info

10/99 Fantasy
12/01 Inspiration
03/02 Inspiration
03/03 Conquest

Short one on the Celebration
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JULY 31, 2004

[mpffls]

We have never eally had bad service and alwys tipped the od fashioned way except our last cruise I went ahead and put it on our account... we were very lucky and on the last night slipped in some extra for the outstanding service.........

Our friends we sometimes travel w/did not have the same experiance....they were 3 cabins down from us and had the worst.....I mean BAD...steward ( even though our cabins were close there must have been on the line where one steward has a set and another takes over)....it was as though they had angered him the 1st day and he never got over it....they would ask for something and he would ignore them....there were days he did not clean their cabin...we would be going down the hall and he would speak to DH and I and never look at them......needless to say they did not tip him...but composed a leter to him explaining why he had not gotten a tip....outlining the reasons...they also let him know that they were not going to tell his suppervisor but hoped he would learn from this experience........

Eileen....you were on the Graceline in '67...so was I........what a blast!!!

trish


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till our ELATION and Margaret's 21

[CruiseFever]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Have you ever left LESS than a recommended tip or NONE at all? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes, but in this day and age it was wrong of me and I've always regretted it

Just pay the auto tips, consider it part of the deal, then insisit (not demand) they hold up their end of the bargain in a human-like manner treating them the way you might want to be treated if you were doing their jobs.

Nobody likes jerks, don't be one.

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com (http://www.LifeIsCruising.com)

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Carnival Victory 12/19/04
Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[want2cruisenow]

On our cruise on the Pride last year my family of 9 occupied 3 cabins that all shared the same room steward. She was the the worst ever! She was rude, refused simple requests (like a child-sized life jacket), showed annoyance if we were in the cabin at a time she wanted to be in there, skipped turning down one of the cabins completely on one occasion (even though it had been empty all evening), and frequently forgot simple things like emptying trash cans, leaving towels, etc.

At the end of the cruise we left her zero for all three cabins. We would of readily forgiven her forgetfulness, figuring that she was just having a bad day or new on the job, but there was just no excuse for the rudeness and bad attitude. It was the one and only time that we have ever stiffed a room steward as we normally tip them well above recommended amounts.

[momof1cutie]

We'll be cruising for the first time on May 16. I'm a little confused, are the tips you are leaving in addition to the automatic tips? I understand that we should tip the Camp Carnival staff since they are not included and maybe the maitre'd if he does a good job. Are we supposed to tip the others extra?

Sandy

[CruiseFever]

No not at all.

Some guests DO tip, say, their cabin steward, additional for service above and beyond the call of duty

You do not have to or feel obligated to do this

The automatic tipping and automatic gratuity takes care of your cabin steward and anyone that might ever serve you anything.

Camp Carnival will be extra, five bucks per kid per day is a number I heard recently.

In addition the Maitre d' is not included in there anywhere and it is customary to tip him on the last night in the dining room. Not much, five or ten bucks is plenty unless he did something for you. His value is mainly behind the scenes making sure everything is running smoothly through his staff

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com (http://www.LifeIsCruising.com)

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Carnival Victory 12/19/04
Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[dan40]

In 40+ cruises, only once did I stiff a waiter. And that was way, way, way back when.
Our head waiter did ABSOLUTELY nothing but stand by our table for 8 and talk about tips. And this was when every meal was in the dining room. Meanwhile the assistant waiter could not have been better. He did everything, took orders, made suggestions, got the food, served, cleaned up, everything. He was a smiling blur.
We weren't smart enough to go to the Maitre'D in those days. But we all finally demanded the waiter leave our table and not come back.
We all tipped him 25 cents and gave the total for both to the assistant.

Dan

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Till 9/5 Paradise Panama Canal

[want2cruisenow]

momof1cutie: You can tip in addition to the automatic tipping if you want to, but you are not obligated to. You can also turn off the automatic tipping at the purser's office and tip personally. This is what we usually do because we never use the main dining room and prefer to tip the waiters who help us at the buffet and the room steward personally.

[AllenF]

In my short time/experience of cruising I have tipped the Automatic plus given extra to waiter and steward we have had great service on both our cruises so far....last cruise I tipped the Maitre d because he seated us with a wondeful and fun couple who we have become great friends with .....I believe in giving a great tip for great service and that goes for anywhere not just on cruise ships.....and I know it is appreciated cause when we eat at our favorite places ...we asked to be seated in their section and they remember us too

11/02/03 Carnival Inspiration
03/20/04 Carnival Glory
12/13/04 Carnival Legend
04/17/05 Carnival Spirit

Till the Legend Sails
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Taking the Spirit West Aloha style
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[Littlegoo75]

Having been a waitress while in college, I know how important tipping is. When you dine out or take a cruise, figure in tipping as part of the cost before you go. The only reason not to tip well is if it is horrible service, like it sounds some of you have experienced, or if they are rude. On our Pride cruise, the room stewardess was great, so she got extra, the same for both the head waiter and assistant waiter. The Matre'D seemed to snub us, and was too busy kissing the butts of older people ignoring us 20-somethings. I guess he thought we didn't make good money?! His loss. We all said why are we supposed to tip him? We never even saw his face - we only heard him singing around the large tables, so his tips went elsewhere.

Carnival _______ 11/04 - Haven't decided on a ship yet!!!!!!
Carnival Legend 2/03 ( had to cancel at last minute)
Carnival Pride 4/27/02
Sitmar Fairsea 4/ 1983 ( I was just a little kid!!)

[ande54]

I too am a former waitress and I tend to over tip because I know that there are many things behind the scenes that customers cannot see that may make it difficult to privide exemplary service. My complaint has been the amount of times I receive just adequate and aloof service all week and then the last day the service people get friendly and want to "chat you up" ,so obviously looking for extra money. I am looking for sincerity and a good effort all during the cruise to meet my needs and I do not ask for anything beyond the normal expectations of a job well done. The fake sincerity at tip time galls me.

[KellyJean]

I've stiffed the maitre'd before but it was before I knew any better. I have also left less than the recommended and tipped more than the recommended.

My very first cruise, I'm sure I did at least the recommended amounts but I'm pretty sure I upped the $ for my room steward because she came to my rescue with a very much needed safety pin on formal night for a dress that turned out to be slightly too low cut for me!

My second cruise, I know I tipped our head and assistant waiters over the recommended amounts because they were just fantastic. (Anybody who gets me up to dance around the DR without my being drunk first has done their job well). My room steward was doing great until the last 2 nights. He started reminding me a little too frequently that the cruise was almost over. The last night he started to really tick me off. I had already had the tips on my S & S account and had even checked at the purser's desk to be sure that the staff knew about the automatic tipping and was assured that they did. I awoke on the last morning of the cruise to find a tip envelope slipped under my door with "room steward" hand written on it. The nerve of the guy! He just thoroughly ticked me off hinting at and pushing for his tip that last 24 hours when I had already technically paid it.

My cruise last September, we upped the tip for our assistant waiter because he did more for us and was friendlier than our head waiter. The head waiter was rude and unfriendly until, of course, the last night.

Kelly

My Cruise Pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/kfrancis5

Cruise Critic Partae Pirates Cruise
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Carnival Miracle 02/13/05
Sovereign of the Seas, Cabin #4057 - 9/21/03
Brilliance of the Seas, Cabin #8670 - 11/09/2002
Paradise, Cabin E194 - 09/01/2001
Atlantic, 12/1991

[Littlegoo75]

Wow - you think they would learn that kissing up on the last night would have the opposite effect that they are wishing for! Our room stewardess and the waiters were wonderful to us from the beginning, and never did the last night kissing up crap. Only the Matre'D did that. Also, once the stewardess brought me room service and I didn't have access to cash and I felt horribe for not giving her an on the spot tip, but she was still wonderful despite that fact and she was well rewarded at the end of the cruise.

Carnival _______ 11/04 - Haven't decided on a ship yet!!!!!!
Carnival Legend 2/03 ( had to cancel at last minute)
Carnival Pride 4/27/02
Sitmar Fairsea 4/ 1983 ( I was just a little kid!!)

[SuzieQK]

I always take the tips off of automatic and give them out myself. Being on 5+ cruises I have given the suggested amount out only once to a waiter that was average. I have given at least 20-40 over that to the others. 98% of Carnival's employees work so very very hard and go out of their way to please us. I was also told that on the automatic tips they dont see the $ for a week or two after our cruise. That sucks!

SuzieQK
RCCL Sovereign O'Seas '96
NCL Leeward '97
Carnival Destiny '97
Carnival Destiny '98
Carnival Triumph '00
Carnival Paradise '01
Carnival Pride '02
RCCL Navigator of the Seas '03
Carnival Glory '04
Our Glory Cruise
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[Larryhnj]

We have had good service on most of our cruises and tip extra if it is warranted. Now that they have the automatic tipping we just tip extra if the waiter, bus boy or room steward do what we consider to be better than average job. As for the Maitre' D we have never tipped extra as he or she has never done anything special for us. We usually dont see him/her more than once. I consider them part of management and really dont see why they should get a tip anyway.

Larry

[fascination 5/10]

If you have the automatic tipping removed, how do you know how much to give? There aren't prices on the menus, are there?

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Fascination 5/12/03

[jdfloyd]

fascination 5/10

Here's a link to a cruise tip calculator.

Hope it helps.

Cruise Tip Calculator (http://members.aol.com/CruiseTip/)

Joe and Dianna

SENSATION
5/5-5/12 2002

S/S NORWAY
5/18-5/25 2003

Paradise
7/27-8/3 2003

[fascination 5/10]

That's perfect....thanks so much!

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Fascination 5/12/03

[marvholly]

YES!!!
Had a dine room waiter on 12/99 x-mas cruise who either had an ESL or didn't give a #%%&()) attitude. Ordered Rare beef 2 nites in a row, explaining on both that I meant warm, got medium well, no pink at all. Went to Maitre'D and stated I would refuse ALL tips with this service. Had a different waiter from then on but still had a problem w/ asst waiter not filling water, refilling coffet. Cut his in half.
Had a cabin steward in a mini-suite who moved a half sandwich in our fridge to the ice bucket on a 12/01 Spirit cruise but locked up hubby's insulin. Took 2 hours to get security to open the fridge. Also gave towel animal only 3 nites on an 8 nite cruise. DUMB!! Cut tip in half.

Note: we had the best dine room waiter since 1969 (first cruise - what can compare?) on the 12/01 cruise. We tipped extra (50%) to him in cash.

Holly

M/S Boheme 11/69
Rhapsody 2/77?
Azure Sea 3/89
Panama Canal 11/90
Mexican Riviera 3/98
Carnival Triumph 12/99
Carnival Spirit 12/01
NCL Dream 11/17/02
Celebrity Mercury 6/1/03
carnival Victory 3/28/04

[Lilylady]

I will always take my tips off at the pursers desk because I prefer to tip personally. I have only stiffed someone once and if that makes me a jerk, then so be it. He deserved it(room steward). He walked into our room numerous times while my daughter and I were dressing for dinner(I think that it was deliberate). He would knock and not give us a chance to reply before he would just come in. We had late seating and because of this, he only did turndown service twice during the entire cruise. We could not get ice and would either go to the piano bar or luckily catch an employee in the hall to get more ice. We received one beach towel to use for the cruise. I should not have to ask for a clean room. That is his job(which he failed to do) and that is why he received no tip from us. I did note these problems on a comment card and I wrote Carnival a letter about it.

I forgot to add that the tips that he lost were divided among the other staff.
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Days til Valor Vampires Cruise
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[lisgeo]

We were on RCL Explorer of the Seas in Jan. and had the WORST cabin attendant http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif We called her 5 times to get a child life jacket before the muster drill and she never responded. We finally called the front desk and they delivered one promptly. After we unpacked we realized we had no towels and when we called her again she answered and yelled that she was sleeping! Well, this was just the first day so you can imagine what the rest of the week was like. She was terrible. After paying extra (a lot!) for a B suite we were dissapointed. Needless to say, she didn't get very much. She actually chased us down the hallway when we were disembarking and asked us where her envelope was. That was the first and hopefully only time we will do that.

Carnival Destiny 11/98
RCI Grandeur OTS 11/99
RCI Explorer OTS 01/04
Carnival Glory 09/04
Till we sail on the Glory!
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[Hootsie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Iam4cruising:
Hootsie- I wish you had told how many cruises you have been on. But do not ever put up with poor service. You should of gone to the maitre'd and gotten assigned a new table. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This was our first cruise and we enjoyed the other family at our table that we didn't want to change. They were in the same position we were and we actually had a good laugh about it when we went for drinks later.

Max, Karen & girls sail off on the Paradise!!
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[hstrybuf]

We always tip at least the recommended amount since we've never had any really bad service. We may have skipped tipping the Maitre'd a time or two if we never saw him, but that's it. On occasion we will tip extra if we feel it is earned or if we ask for something extra.

http://www.bensleyraceteam.com/Ani_Gif_Images/bookworm2.gif

Navigator OTS 10/04
Legend 04/04
Grand Princess 09/03
Dawn Princess 01/03
Enchantment OTS 10/02
Destiny 01/02
Sensation 08/99

[NHLady]

We actually had a great waiter on our last cruise, as was our assistant waiter. Our cabin Steward was horrible, however. On our first day, we waited until after 4pm to call our steward, as our capers requested. I can't remember what we needed, but anyways 7 (yes that's seven, calls and 4 hours later, he finally showed up (after we went to the purser's desk twice) he showed up. He was quite elderly for a steward (I'd say pushing 60)so I felt sort-of bad, but he only got 1/2 his tip. We gave the other half to the waiter and the assistant.

http://www.gifs.net/animate/2hulagirls.gif

Fascination 03 2003
Monarch of the Seas 09 1995

[jemingway]

We always do the automatic tips and then give extra regardless of the quality of the service. Those workers need the few extra dollars more than I do. I used to be a bartender and I know how hard service people work, whether you realize it or not.

JV

[Kenster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by CruisingIsLife:



In addition the Maitre d' is not included in there anywhere and it is customary to tip him on the last night in the dining room. Not much, five or ten bucks is plenty unless he did something for you.

His value is mainly behind the scenes making sure everything is running smoothly through his staff
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

For which he is paid a nice salary. I expect to see something extra--some personal attention, learning our names, handling a special request,etc-- for the Maitre D' to earn a tip.

Carnival Carnivale -1988
Carnival Celebration - 2001
Carnival Celebration -June 2004

[Kenster]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by marvholly:
Also gave towel animal only 3 nites on an 8 nite cruise. DUMB!! Cut tip in half.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, not getting a towel animal would have pretty much ruined my cruise, too. I've had stewards shipped home to Bangladesh for lesser crimes than that! ;-)



Carnival Carnivale -1988
Carnival Celebration - 2001
Carnival Celebration -June 2004

Carnival Carnivale -1988
Carnival Celebration - 2001
Carnival Celebration -June 2004

[Kenster]

Okay, please forgive the duplicate posts. Every time I try to edit, it puts up a new post.

[scottp]

I don't care how much they need the money. They need to earn it!!! If they do their job on a daily basis as they are supposed to, I always tip the requested amount. If their service is above and beyond what is expected, I will increase the amount. Attitude is everything. I know these people are overworked, but they know what is required of them when they sign on. I can overlook slow service if they have a good attitude.

Believe me, we hardly ever request additional services over and above what is required. A bucket of ice from time to time is about it. (and I would get that myself if I could!!).

My son is a waiter while in college and I do know the value of being a good tipper!!, But, as I have told him many times, you have to EARN it!!!Always, always, always be nice!!

http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=00ffff&cdt=2004;6;19;17;0;00&timezone=GMT-0400&nbsp;Until the FUN begins!!!!

[CruiseFever]

Several of the above:

You're certainly under no obligation to tip at all I suppose.

In the past there were Suggested Guidelines For Tipping given to passengers along with envelopes for each of the people it was suggested that you tip. If memory serves me right (and it often does not) that included your Cabin Steward, Dining Room Waiter and Assistant, The Maitre D'and somebody else that I can't remember now (see?)

To make it more convenient for passengers, Carnival started automatically adding that suggested amount to your shipboard account for a couple reasons.

First, on the last day of the cruise passengers were emptying out the ATM machine and clogging up the casino cashier's cage getting bills to pay tips with. Well, the ones that didn't think ahead did anyway, savy Cruise Critic members knew about this in advance and planned accordingly. By adding it to our shipboard account we do not have to come up with the cash which can be good because you don't have to go get it and because if your budget is tight or you simply would rather, you can pay for it with the charge card you left on your account at the beginning of the voyage.

So that's where the "tradition" of tipping the Maitre d' comes from in recent memory. I'd imagine some long-time cruiser who has sailed for decades could shed a little more light on the origin of why the Maitre d' is included in this other than what I mentioned about his value behind the scenes.

Another reason they started automatically adding gratuities to your shipboard account is that a number of passengers did not feel comfortable tipping and liked the idea of it being left up to someone else. In much the same way as someone might carry a little card to tell them what to tip at a restaurant based on the amount of the dinner, it provided some unbiased structure to the whole process.

I must admit that took some getting used to for me. Being used to handing them the envelopes I was concerned that the service would not be as good. It was and I am used to it now to the point where I pre-pay gratuities before boarding. I consider it part of the cruise fare and it works out really well for me, budget-wise, to pay in advance. I like the flavor of cruises being semi all-inclusive, with 85% of the cost of the vacation paid for in advance. THE one big item that was not subject to what we did or did not do was the automatic gratuities. I just started adding them when we booked the cruise and were done with them.

Finally, and I don't hear a lot of discussion about this, another reason is that some people were just plain cheap and would not tip no matter what. If you're one of those people...

(and let me make this really easy to quote):

...you should probably go to a theme park or camping. You don't appreciate the hard work of others and should not be allowed to board the SS Minnow, let alone a fabulous cruise ship.

Like one of the above mentioned who's kid is a waiter in college, they work hard but need to be nice and earn their tips. I think they do and if I am reading these posts right it seems most people here don't have a problem tipping, they just don't want to do it for no reason. I really don't think that there are all that many people who look at tipping as a way to save money on a cruise. But the ones that do hurt us all in the long run.

But that's JMHO

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com (http://www.LifeIsCruising.com)

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Carnival Victory 12/19/04
Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[BigDoug]

We've been lucky on our cruises, good to great service. The only exception was on the Destiny. Our head waiter, a Frenchman named Gerard, had a terrible attitude. Everything seemed to be such a chore for him. If you weren't ready to order immediately upon seating, he huffed and puffed. Constantly tried to rush us so he could set up for the late seating. Needless to say, his tip was less than great. This was in 2000 before the auto tips. Carnival says it wants to "exceed your expectations". To receive an extra tip, the service to me must be exceptional.

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Beating the Winter Blues on the Legend


Tropicale 9/95
Sensation 9/97
Carnival Destiny 10/00
Fascination 3/02
Imagination 3/03
Carnival Legend 10/03
Carnival Triumph 3/04
Carnival Legend 3/05 (Working on it!)

[fascination 5/10]

But aren't one being a bit petty to refuse to tip just becasue they don't get the silly towel animals?? It's probably because the stewards are busy running ragged to placate another neurotic traveler who believes that they have purchased a personal servant for the trip.

In my opinion, it is much more frequent that the travelers are rude and demanding...not the other way around. In my experience, people who are there to help us respond much better to being treated with respect!

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Fascination 5/12/03

[tef43]

Back in the day, under the "traditional" method, the guidelines only mentioned the Maitre'D in the context of "if he did something special for you."

Now the mantra seems to be "the Maitre'D is not included in the automatic gratuities, but we have provided envelopes for you to use for such purpose" and is silent on the "something extra" or "above and beyond" threshold, leaving newer cruisers the impression that one *should* tip the Maitre'D, no matter what.

Sorry, I come from the old school. The Maitre'D used to be much more visible. He would come around to every table on the first night and introduce himself. On Formal Night, he would wheel his little cart around and perosnally prepare cherries jubilee or some other flaming concoction for dessert. No more. Those days have gone the way of the complimentary "Welcome Aboard Rum Swizzle Party."

Nowadays, I consider the Maitre'D the same as my local restaurant manager. I don't tip the DRM at Outback or Lone Star, so I'm not tipping Emilio or Barmak or whatever his name is. I wouldn't know his name because I NEVER SAW HIM, other than on the last night at the door with his hand out. Tacky tacky tacky.

Tom <--- Curmudgeon of the Seas

http://www.curlingzone.com/forums/images/imgcommentary_hackstone.jpg

http://sympatico.animfactory.com/animations/music/misc/bagpiper_piping_md_wht.gif

Eleven cruises so far. Up next:
Shhhh, it's a surprise!

Dance like it hurts, love like you need money, and work when somebody's watching.

[Littlegoo75]

From what I've heard, they put the best crew on the newer ships or flagships. The Pride was the newest ship and I believe the flagship when we sailed her and the crew was excellent. The room stewardess introduced herself to us immediately and was very attentive and sweet - left very elaborate towel animals and even a towel person- that scared the crap out of my husband. Our waiter and assistant waiter, Savio and Suresh were the greatest - I didn't run into any crew members with English problems - Danielus - a Lithuanian cocktail server spoke great English and was so surprized when we spoke to him in Lithuanian - we knew a couple of Phrases....Everyone down to the Blackjack dealers were great - even they got great tips from us. So with that, we choose the newer ships - our next cruise will probably be on the Glory or the Miracle.

Carnival _______ 11/04 - Haven't decided on a ship yet!!!!!!
Carnival Legend 2/03 ( had to cancel at last minute)
Carnival Pride 4/27/02
Sitmar Fairsea 4/ 1983 ( I was just a little kid!!)

[TheDog2003]

When I was on the Destiny in October the cabin steward sucked donkey you-know-what. I left him a tip, but not much. About 1/2 of the recommended tip.

I ended up tipping the waiter and busboy a bit more than recommended.

Overall, the tip was less than the recommended total, but that was mostly due to the crappy cabin steward.

On the other hand, the bartender babe at the wine bar was awesome, so I always ordered the expensive drinks so she'd get a bigger tip. Am I a sweetheart or what?

No sig until I book my next cruise.

[kcross3625]

LittleGoo75 - Savio was our headwaiter on the Inspiration last year. He was awesome! We had a special occasion on Tues of the week so we tried to tip him a little extra cash on Tuesday after dinner since he went above and beyond, but he said "no, no, you tip on Saturday" Needless to say on Saturday he got a big ole tip from all three couples! The best waiter we have ever had! I believe Savio is now on the Sensation. Kim

[marvholly]

Kenster:
The towel animals, or lack thereof, was NOT the problem that caused the reduced tip. It was just a symptom of the poor service received. The straw that broke this camel's back was locking the insulin in the fridge while saving half a sandwich in the ice bucket. Also, whenever we passed in the hall and said anything as simple as good morning or whatever he was surly. It was as if he resented doing this job. And this was a mini-suite where one would expect a good experienced steward. I do not expect a cabin steward to be there 24/7 and other than the bed configuration have never had to request any additional service from a cabin steward in all my 10 cruises. Everyone is entitled to personal time and rest. I just expect a clean cabin with fresh towels and a full ice bucket 2x/day, like I have had on 9 other cruises.

Holly

M/S Boheme 11/69
Rhapsody 2/77?
Azure Sea 3/89
Panama Canal 11/90
Mexican Riviera 3/98
Carnival Triumph 12/99
Carnival Spirit 12/01
NCL Dream 11/17/02
Celebrity Mercury 6/1/03
carnival Victory 3/28/04

[carol459]

We usually lower the auto-tip amount and hand out extra to any staff members (usually our room steward and/or waiter(s))who have done their job well. We have only tipped the maitre'd once after he switched us from late seating to early seating on the second night of the cruise.

Carol

12/2004 Spirit(Mexico)
09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)
05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)
02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)
01/2004 Ecstasy(Mexico)
12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)
09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)
02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)
05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

[Littlegoo75]

I agree - I would think that if you are in a mini-suite you would have the better cabin stewards assigned up there. We were only in a dinky ocean view and had excellent service from ours. I think that every guest should have great service, but you would think that the highest category cabins would have the best stewards, and then it would go down from there -you pay more, you get more. Also, if you have kids, I'm sure the towel animals are a big deal- and that's what people expect from Carnival. I can just imagine how long it took our cabin steward to do the towel person! I can't believe the insulin situation - that is beyond incomprehensible that somebody would do that! That could have led to a disaster.

Carnival _______ 11/04 - Haven't decided on a ship yet!!!!!!
Carnival Legend 2/03 ( had to cancel at last minute)
Carnival Pride 4/27/02
Sitmar Fairsea 4/ 1983 ( I was just a little kid!!)

[Hootsie]

The family at our dining table cruise all the time. They said since they started doing this automatic tipping, the service has gone down the toilet. Makes sense. Why work harder when the tips will come to you regardless? I doubt many take the tips off at the Purser's Desk.

I have to say, this waiter soured our cruise so much that we will never pick Carnival again. We are already looking into booking with Royal Caribbean and I can't wait to see if there is a difference.

All our waiter was concerned with was getting us out of there so he could deal with the late seating. I have never been more rushed in my life. It got to the point where it wasn't even worth dressing up for. God forbid we'd ask for a cup of coffee after and want to sip on that for 5 minutes.

His English was so poor that the entrees were wrong a few times. One time my youngest daughter whispered to me "Mom, I didn't order this." I know darn well she didn't too. We'd call the waiter over and he'd actually roll his eyes and at one time said "The food line is done for early seating" and her dish couldn't be exchanged. Strange. The assistant waiter came over after he left and got her the right plate with no problem. If it wasn't for him, we would have had dinner at the pizza place the rest of the cruise.

Max, Karen & girls sail off on the Paradise!!
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[kristikae]

I happened to be assigned to the exact same table on both of my Conquest cruises. The first time the maitre'd was wonderful. We were at the opposite end of the dining room from him but we still saw him every night. He'd always stop and ask about our day and even sang to me one night. He got a great tip!

The next time I never saw the maitre'd through the whole week. Literally. I couldn't tell you what he looked like because I never saw the man. I'm all for tipping where it is deserved (I've worked at a job that earned tips most of my life) but there was no way I was going to track this man down on the last night so I could tip him. All it would have taken was for him to stop by our table one time and I would have tipped him.

I've been lucky in all of the other areas though. But I do have to say that Justyna was the best room steward I've ever had. I just wish I was able to cruise with her again!

Kristi - http://www.bigotis.com/Glory/Atom.gif (kristikae@aol.com)
"No shoes, no shirt, no problem..."
Fantasy 3/95, Fascination 12/01, Conquest 1/03, Glory 9/03, Conquest 1/04, Mariner 9/04, Miracle 2/05

[waterbound]

I probably would have taken the cost of the books that he basically forced you to purchase and deducted that amount from his tip!! I would have filled out the comment card and advised of your experience and would have mentioned on the comment card.

Sounds like you had a trying time with him..

Pride- 07/06/02
Jubilee- 02/22/03
Conquest- 10/19/03

4/15-- Holiday--Surprise cruise for my boyfriend!
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5/15-- M&M at Rawlings All American Grille
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03/13/2005- Conquest with the kidshttp://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2005;3;13;16;0;00&timezone=GMT-0600
http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/baby21.gif http://www.wdwinfo.com/sites/family/beerchug.gif

[rwdtgb]

Well I guess I have been very lucky and have always had great service,and to fair to the all concerned if I am not getting the service I thought I should be I would say something at the time and not wait until the end of the cruise and snub someone out of a tip. I have found that they want to please as much as you want to be pleased so I say confront it head on and help someone be better for it.

I have also just started this practice and on the first day of the cruise I will tip my cabin attendant,food server,bus person, and a couple of bartenders,you will be amazed at the level of service you get.

[CruiseFever]

Good for you! That's the way to do it!

Happy Cruising

Chris

www.LifeIsCruising.com (http://www.LifeIsCruising.com)

Next up:
Caribbean Princess 06/26/04
Star Princess 10/24/04
Diamond Princess 12/22/04
Carnival Miracle 03/13/05

[Hootsie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by waterbound:
I probably would have taken the cost of the books that he basically forced you to purchase and deducted that amount from his tip!! I would have filled out the comment card and advised of your experience and would have mentioned on the comment card.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's basically what we did. I'm sending the cookbooks to our tablemates as a joke. We both were at our wit's end with this guy. Our comment card was VERY VERY long and we never heard a thing back. We had our name, address, phone number and email on there too.

Max, Karen & girls sail off on the Paradise!!
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[klavake]

I always make it a point to tip the room steward on the very first day, in fact I tip him when we first meet him. I smile, tell him what I am expecting, and that there may be a few extra requests, but that I will let him know. It has worked out WONDERFULLY! I've never been disappointed in my room steward or the service. On my last cruise in fact, the room steward seemed to know what would be needed as far as wine glasses or champagne flutes for that evening. Just so you all know, I first tip with a prepaid calling card or two, (very inexpensive from some of the discount stores) and on the last day I follow up with an extra cash tip. And yes, this is over and above the standard tip on the S & S card. But for the service I get it's really worth it!
JMHO.
Kent

[rwdtgb]

This topic always seems to hit a nerve.

Tom