HAL's New Tipping Policy??? Wine prices??

[jmr32]

Hi, going on the Prinsendam on July 12. Anyone else? Can you tell me about the new tipping policy. Is it automatically charged on your bill on the ship? Can this be taken off if requested at the Purser's desk? I personally like handing tips out for good service at the end of my trip.

Also I read that some of you paid $18.00 for the house wine. Did you get the charges fixed? I just downloaded the gift form last evening and bought 2 bottles (1 red, 1 white) of the house wine for $14.00 as listed on the form. The form I downloaded is dated 6/4/04 so it is fairly current. I will be highly perturbed if they charge more than the authorized 28.00. 14.00 a bottle is rediculous enough, but 18 for house wine is outrageous. Thanks for any replies.

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[Gitte]

15 % is added to your bar bill. I don't think you can change this.

Gitte

[jmr32]

I don't have a problem with the bar tip. :) I am curious as to the tips for room stewards, waiters, etc. that were traditionally given on the last night of the cruise. HAL used to be a "no tipping required"; however, most people did give something. :) Now I hear that HAL has gone to the automatic tip added onto your cabin charge at the end of the cruise. :mad: I know many other cruise lines do this and I don't think it is right. Anyone been on a HAL cruise in the past month?

[PassionFruit]

We were on a HAL cruise last week, and I was more confused about tipping when I got off the ship than when I got on. They add $10/day/person to your account for tipping food service stewards, cabin stewards, and 'other' staff (chefs and such). This can be removed if you want. I assumed I would leave this amount and, if warranted, had out cash envelopes. At the disembarkation talk the cruise director made a big deal out of not handing out cash, but adding to your account if you wanted to tip additional amounts so it could be divided fairly. We did have an EXCELLENT cabin steward, so I gave him an additional cash amount. But then I got to wondering if he thought that was all he would get or if he would realize that the 'automatic' tip was still coming. I think you can still do whatever you want....if you can figure out what the correct thing is! Good luck!

[sail7seas]

What are their house wines?


Which do they provide as Red House? White House wine?
Or do they simply call them red and white without naming what the specific wine is?

Thank you.

[jmr32]

On their gift form it is just listed white some brand of chardonnay and red is a brand of merlot.

[jhannah]

Just be advised that if you remove the auto-tip, any amount you give to anyone will have to go into the tipping pool to be spread around. If you leave the auto-tip in place, then what extra you give to a deserving server he or she is able to keep. Personally, I would not add to my auto-tip account as the cruise director suggested to PassionFruit. If HAL wants to collect $10 PP/PD for the entire service staff, that's fine. However, if someone serves me in an outstanding way, I want to reward them for their service ... not someone who did not personally serve me on the voyage.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Leave the automatic tip on your account. Don't add to it. If you take the automatic tips off your account, you will be given a form to fill out and you have to list why you are doing this.

Then your cabin steward, waiter, and his assistant are notified about this. They are then required to turn those tips in and those tips are put into the pool.

We left the automatic tips on our account AND tipped extra to our cabin steward, waiter, his assistant, our concierge, those who served us in the Queen's Room (Maasdam), wine steward, and we also gave extra to several of the bar staff (beyond their 15% gratuity).

[saltydog28]

Krazy Kruizer... What would happen if I took the tips off my account and refused to fill out the form? Does someone hold you on the ship or put a black mark next to your name? Aaawww geee, my husband hates it when I turn nonconformist.
Pat.

[GAndie]

Krazy Kruizer... What would happen if I took the tips off my account and refused to fill out the form? Does someone hold you on the ship or put a black mark next to your name? Aaawww geee, my husband hates it when I turn nonconformist.
Pat.

They make you walk the plank...blindfolded. :D

[seattleadjuster]

We cruised 14 days in May on the Statendam. The tipping policy was confusing. Some waiters and room stewards accepted extra tips, others did not. We were told by our room steward that he couldn't accept tips, but that it would reflect well on him if we increased the $10 and mentioned him as the reason.

We talked this out with other passengers (about 50% were on 14 day cruises), and discovered many discrepancies in how employees handled this situation. On our next to last day, we tipped our waiter extra at dinner (he would always bring us multiple entrees and was very polite), and on the last day we left a large tip for the room steward, and I went out of my way to go to him and say that he could keep anything I forgot in the room. He smiled, knowingly.

While I'd prefer to determine who gets the tips, we've always tipped well over the recommended amount. So, for us, we just added a little extra as appropriate.

[RevNeal]

What would happen if I took the tips off my account and refused to fill out the form? Does someone hold you on the ship or put a black mark next to your name?

What an EXCELLENT idea! Perhaps that's a way to stay aboard!!!!???? Just refuse to fill out the form and they'll keep you aboard for the next cruise!!!! YEAH ... that's a GREAT plan! :D

We WISH! :)

No ... I think GAndie is right ... they'll make ya walk the plank. :)

[Seadoc]

Welcome to 1984...
Machts nichts to me whether HAL introduces "mandatory" tipping (with an "option" of exclusion by form-completion) and programs their "cruise directors" to shill for the policy...or not.
Pure chutzpah is a charitable description of a biz nibbling at customer expectations (and simultaneously ever searching for new and different -and "cheapie" - revenue streams) and culminating in the brazen presumptuousness of "mandatory tipping".
Like many others, I tip what I wish and to whom I wish and do so for PERSONAL services rendered that, in my sole judgement, are beyond what is already paid for. It may be personality, attention, an odd detail or an exemplary act...tipping is NOT "required", "mandatory", "expected" or "routine".
If HAL can't either adequately pay their staff (an apparent factoid) or achieve their revenue goals without "mandatory tipping", HAL can practice saying "adios" to this long-timer.
Solution: Mandate that the "mandatory tip" charge be removed from the bill...do NOT complete any requested /"required" explanation for your actions...tip whom YOU want for whatever reason and in whatever amount you wish. It is, after all, YOUR vacation, YOUR money and YOUR prerogative.
Heads up to HAL exec-lurkers: Pay your staff. Don't become disdainful of your customers. Learn - if you don't already know - your limits in this equation (you are the purveyor and, as such, are NOT "always right"....we are the customers and, as such, ARE).

[vjb223]

anything given above the $10 per day per person still is shared by others, they have to turn $$ in.It does not go just to your steward or waiter. So they really are getting 10-20% or less than what you wanted them to get. Wish it was handled in a different way, they do a great job and would like to reward them on a one to one bases.I still am not sure how they split the pre-paid phone cards as a extra? I feel sorry for the crew, they work so hard and deserve to be appreciated by HA.

[localady]

Okay, now I am really confused:eek: It was my understanding that if you let the $10 per day tip on your bill that if you then tipped your steward MORE that they would be able to keep this and not turn it in. Now I hear that no, they have to also turn it in:mad:. Seems HAL is doing it again, their new tipping policy is more confusing than the last:/ Leave tomorrow morning for the Ship and would sure like to understand this, if anyone else has the real answer:cool:

[CINCY40]

We were on the Zuiderdam in May. I told our room steward that we were leaving the automatic tips on our account and asked him if he could keep any additional amounts that we gave him. His answer was yes. He was great and so he deserved more...

Nancy

[peaches from georgia]

We also did a great deal of inquiry about the new tipping policy on the Maasdam in June. We were told the exact same thing as Cincy40. If you leave the automatic tips on your account then anything extra you give any steward he/she may keep and it is not turned in or split with anybody else. However, if you remove the automatic $10/day/person from your account then anything you give directly to a steward must be turned in by him and split; he will only receive a portion of it.

In other words, HAL is guaranteeing that some of what you tip is shared among a number of employees. Now how HAL would know how much you have given your stewards in cash which would have to be turned in and split if you removed the automatic amount from your account is another question.

[saltydog28]

What an EXCELLENT idea! Perhaps that's a way to stay aboard!!!!???? Just refuse to fill out the form and they'll keep you aboard for the next cruise!!!! YEAH ... that's a GREAT plan! :D

We WISH! :)

No ... I think GAndie is right ... they'll make ya walk the plank. :)
If HAL put the plank over the pool on the lido deck I would gladly jump in.
Pat.

[localady]

Thanks for the clarification! That had been my understanding also and how we planned to proceed!!:) Need to finish packing, we leave in the wee hours of the morning (4:30am):eek:

Thanks again to all:cool:

[vjb223]

call HA sales dept and ask, last information was they had to put extra $$ into the pool, I would love to be wrong. they deserve the extra.

[shrimpboat]

It has been awhile since I took a cruise with Hal. How are these tips split up?

[sheldrvrT6A]

JUst got off of the O last week and the steward said the tips are split at 3 bucks for the room steward, 3 bucks for the waiter and the other 4 bucks is split up between everyone else. You can preorder wine for 14 dollars a bottle and the brand differs every night. We found all the wine preordered was actually pretty good.

[Agbacker]

I went to the desk and asked that the automatic gratuity be removed. Then I tipped several people, the steward, lounge concierge, dining steward and maitre'd, masseuse, pool attendant, etc. I spent more giving my own tips than they would have charged me. I don't think anyone was planning to give their tips into a pool for sharing and they seemed very appreciative to get them.

[maryland]

Agbacker - Did you have to fill out any kind of form as previously mentioned?

[peaches from georgia]

I went to the desk and asked that the automatic gratuity be removed. Then I tipped several people, the steward, lounge concierge, dining steward and maitre'd, masseuse, pool attendant, etc. I spent more giving my own tips than they would have charged me. I don't think anyone was planning to give their tips into a pool for sharing and they seemed very appreciative to get them.

The policy that the stewards have to follow is that if a pax removes the automatic tips from their ship account then any tip given directly to a steward HAS to be turned in and put into a pool to be split. I'm sure the stewards acted appreciative for what you gave them, but they would have to turn everything in that you gave them and they ended up with less than if you had kept the automatic tips on your account, and tipped your stewards over and above the $3 you know they are getting from the split. That way they would have gotten to keep not only the $3 auto tip, but every penny of the additional tip you gave them.

I know what your intention was, but that is just not the way the policy works. They ARE having to turn in whatever they are given if the pax removes the auto tip.

[Leslieswiger]

:mad: By all means leave the Auto-Tip on your account. As soon as I have been introduced to my cabin steward, dining room steward (and asst.) and the wine steward, they get a nice fresh bill ($) put into the hand.:D I have yet to be let down. :D I also let each know in a VERY friendly manner, EXACTLY what I expect from them. I have NEVER had a problem doing it this way.;) I learned this from a four star,USAF general. Thats the good old days when I was flying for the special air missions.:) It works for ME.

[Ellya]

Well, I'm going to go against the grain here and say I like the automatic tip policy. I think it's really important that the more "invisible" folks providing services get a share of the tips since their work greatly enhances my enjoyment of the cruise. The last thing I want to do on the last day of my cruise is run around the ship trying to distribute tip envelopes. Those who want to tip more still have the option to do that personally. Those who want to reduce the tips have that option as well. But, for the rest of us it saves a lot of bother and probably is more fair in the long run. On our cruise I left the tips as they were. I tipped the waiter(s) in the Pinnacle and room service extra since there seems to be a feeling they are not included in the auto tipping (although I'm not sure that is accurate).

[Bobblefrog]

...one of accountability. I am a very good tipper in general - I always tip $15% for "average service". I used to be a waitress and everyone has an off day - they just got an eviction notice, just got yelled at by the boss, or groped by the last customer. As long as it's not rude, mean, or downright obviously lazy (wait staff and cashiers purposely ignoring me to gossip gets me mad as a hornet), I never take offense at slow or perhaps even less than average service.

Excellent service? The waitress or bartender that goes out of their way to listen? Smile? Come back and make sure the order was okay within a few minutes and really listen? Then I'll often tip 30%. Sadly, it's not very common these days.

But to my point. It sounds like, with this new policy, if you are provided "bad" service by an individual, there is no way of insuring that this particular individual gets an immediate and effective notice (to their wallets) to straighten up their act. Isn't that the whole point of "tipping"? Isn't this "almost" mandatory tipping sort of a contradiction in terms?

And it sounds like on these cruises, one bad egg can really spoil a cruise for a guest. It would be a shame for all the service people to be shorted because of this one bad egg that gets a passenger mad enough to remove the auto-tip. Now everyone is punished. Yet how else can anyone express their displeasure? Sure they can make out a complaint - but how do I know anything will ever be done about it? I've been on the other side of the service industry - I've heard how complaints get laughed off, management "erases" complaints to make their areas look better - and food sent back gets "dropped" on the floor or "spit on".

I'll give HAL a "tip" (don't get me wrong I'm very much looking forward to my very first cruise and really don't expect a problem - it's just I see this from both sides of that tip buck) - this is a sure path leading to poorer service, the loss of creative individual service effort - and accountability.

Sigh. Now that I've spouted! Is it possible this was a very well-meaning (lots of dumb decisons are made with the best of intentions - communism was with the best of intentions, right?) move on the part of management to help insure that in a tight economy, lots of people stretching their dollar, that the service people didn't see a decrease in what is probably the biggest part of their take home pay? I hate to say it - but many people I know (some I love dearly) who don't understand the concept of tipping, are downright miserly and just embarass me. Yeah I'm always the one sneaking back to the table trying to cover the tip with an extra five or ten without bringing attention to it! Anyone have any tips on that trick - I'm all ears!

In addition to every citizen being forced to serve one week of public office...GRIN!!...I think every citizen needs to be a waitress or a busboy for a week.

Okay - rant over - oops! I hope this isn't a terrible way to introduce myself to the forums? As I said - I don't forsee a problem with my upcoming cruise. The topic just gets my dander up. Well meaning corporate management, god love em! Isn't it amazing that things just - well - keep working despite them? Cheers to all the great things I've heard about the HAL service staff. It's obvious they are why HAL is still in business. I'm looking forward to "tipping well" :-)

[RevNeal]

Bobblefrog,

Welcome to the HAL board! And, thanks for your input on the subject! I tend to agree with many of your observations on the tipping issue. I would much prefer the ability to adjust specific tips through the auto-tipping method, but HAL doesn't seem to provide that option (at least, not yet). However, there are other methods for making sure that truly sub-standard service is brought to the attention to the supervisors. I usually write a letter to HALHQ in which I name the specific service people who have served me and provide an evaluation of each. I'm very forgiving, but there have been a few times when I've had to detail some problems with certain staff people. Those letters DO get forwarded back to the ship by HALHQ and such remarks are noted.

[tejmar]

I agree with Agbacker and will tip the way I want to. HAL is obviously a bad employer and now they are forcing passengers to play along. Maybe the employees are supposed to put the money they receive in the pool, but how would anyone know how much cash you gave them. The only way I can think of is by searching them or expecting the other employees to "rat" them out. That would put them into a whole new category of bad employers. I just don't care for auto-tipping of any kind. Tipping is a personal gesture on the part of the patron. It's no longer personal if they take you out of the picture. It just becomes another service charge.