the2ofus
July 24th, 2004, 02:22 PM
I'll offer a possible scenario for your consideration:
Ina Quandry has cruised solo on HAL many times and has always tipped for good service. On this cruise under the new tipping rules she has encountered a dilemma.
Her cabin steward Soso has been less than mediocre. There were lint and crumbs on the carpet when she first entered her stateroom. (She paid single supplement by the way.) The ice bucket was missing. She also needed a few hangers. She found her steward, introduced herself, asked for the hangers and ice bucket and headed for the Lido, confident that in true HAL fashion everything would be perfect when she returned to her cabin. Sadly, upon re-entering her cabin she found that nothing had changed. She then went to the front desk and asked that her cabin steward be reminded of her needs.
After dinner in the dining room, attending the show and meeting new friends in the piano bar she returned to her cabin. She found that still nothing had changed. Exhausted after a day of travel she went to bed. Next morning, after breakfast and after her morning walk on Lower Prom and picking up the daily trivia form she returned to her cabin to find the bed very untidily made up, no ice bucket, two hangers lying on the table and no sign of the application of a vacuum cleaner.
She contacted the Housekeeping supervisor and made her wants and needs known, saying that the cabin steward must be new on his job and she did not wish to cause him trouble but that he needed more instruction. No, she was told, he was an experienced steward. He would be reminded to do a more thorough job. Throughout her seven-day cruise her carpet was never vacuumed, the bed making improved minimally but the bathroom also showed signs of being neglected.
By contrast, her dining room steward Teguh and his assistant Rudi were among the best she had ever had on a HAL cruise. Teguh remembered her food allergy and each night pointed out to her the menu items that contained the offending food. He recommended the menu items he thought she might enjoy most, even bringing her two soups when she could not decide on one. He offered to bring a second serving of fish when she raved about the flavor and the sauce. Learning that she loved fresh raspberries, she found that he brought her an extra dessert that featured raspberries, even thoughg she had chosen the chocolate tulip that night.
Rudi also was exceptional, making sure that her glass of milk was beside her place as soon as she was seated and placing the hot tea with lemon immediately after her main course was cleared, never needing a reminder. Her water glass was always full, her chair was always pulled out to seat her as she arrived. Both men were busy but never acted as though any request was too much bother. Both enjoyed interacting with their tables, and took photographs as requested throughout the cruise. Even during her lunches in the Lido, if they were on duty they sought her out, carried her tray, brought beverages and chatted with her.
Ina's tablemates were appalled by her stories of the poor service of the cabin steward, as none were experiencing less than exemplary service from their own stewards. Ina stated that her cruise questionnaire would reflect her displeasure with the housekeeping supervisor and with Soso.
At the disembarkation talk, Ina learned that she had the option to allow the $10 per pax per day gratuity to remain on her final bill to be split among all who had served her directly or behind the scenes. Alternatively, she could remove the charge from her account and tip individually but those who received the tips would be required to pool what she had given them so that all employees would benefit. She could also leave the charge on her account and tip extra to those who had served her well.
What to do, what to do.....Ina Quandry worried and fretted. She had never been one to reward poor behavior and Soso had obviously been counting on his behavior having no consequences. On the other hand, she would gladly tip Teguh and Rudi above and beyond what they might receive under the "mandatory tipping" system.
Ah...the solution hit her like a bolt out of the blue! She removed the tips from her shipboard account.
As she approached the dining room on the last evening she met her tablemate Mrs. Generoso as arranged and passed two envelopes to her. Once seated at the table she continued to interact as always with the two stewards, who continued to give the same wonderful service, although they undoubtably had "The List" of those who removed their tips.
Toward the end of the meal Mrs. Generoso thanked the stewards for their service and gave them their tips, saying it was in addition to what they would receive from the HAL tipping charge. She then offered them each an envelope with their name on it, saying that she was so impressed with the great service they had provided to Ina Quandry that she wanted to tip them in addition to what she had already given on her own behalf. Both ladies smiled happily and left the dining room.
The following morning before leaving the ship Ina Quandry found Soso where he was working in the corridor preparing cabins for the new guests. She pressed a $5 bill into his hand, smiled sweetly and said she hoped he would continue his effort to improve his service as it had not met her expectations during her cruise. She smiled as she disembarked knowing that Soso would have to share the small $5 with the pool, while her dining stewards could enjoy the rewards they richly deserved.
Ina Quandry has cruised solo on HAL many times and has always tipped for good service. On this cruise under the new tipping rules she has encountered a dilemma.
Her cabin steward Soso has been less than mediocre. There were lint and crumbs on the carpet when she first entered her stateroom. (She paid single supplement by the way.) The ice bucket was missing. She also needed a few hangers. She found her steward, introduced herself, asked for the hangers and ice bucket and headed for the Lido, confident that in true HAL fashion everything would be perfect when she returned to her cabin. Sadly, upon re-entering her cabin she found that nothing had changed. She then went to the front desk and asked that her cabin steward be reminded of her needs.
After dinner in the dining room, attending the show and meeting new friends in the piano bar she returned to her cabin. She found that still nothing had changed. Exhausted after a day of travel she went to bed. Next morning, after breakfast and after her morning walk on Lower Prom and picking up the daily trivia form she returned to her cabin to find the bed very untidily made up, no ice bucket, two hangers lying on the table and no sign of the application of a vacuum cleaner.
She contacted the Housekeeping supervisor and made her wants and needs known, saying that the cabin steward must be new on his job and she did not wish to cause him trouble but that he needed more instruction. No, she was told, he was an experienced steward. He would be reminded to do a more thorough job. Throughout her seven-day cruise her carpet was never vacuumed, the bed making improved minimally but the bathroom also showed signs of being neglected.
By contrast, her dining room steward Teguh and his assistant Rudi were among the best she had ever had on a HAL cruise. Teguh remembered her food allergy and each night pointed out to her the menu items that contained the offending food. He recommended the menu items he thought she might enjoy most, even bringing her two soups when she could not decide on one. He offered to bring a second serving of fish when she raved about the flavor and the sauce. Learning that she loved fresh raspberries, she found that he brought her an extra dessert that featured raspberries, even thoughg she had chosen the chocolate tulip that night.
Rudi also was exceptional, making sure that her glass of milk was beside her place as soon as she was seated and placing the hot tea with lemon immediately after her main course was cleared, never needing a reminder. Her water glass was always full, her chair was always pulled out to seat her as she arrived. Both men were busy but never acted as though any request was too much bother. Both enjoyed interacting with their tables, and took photographs as requested throughout the cruise. Even during her lunches in the Lido, if they were on duty they sought her out, carried her tray, brought beverages and chatted with her.
Ina's tablemates were appalled by her stories of the poor service of the cabin steward, as none were experiencing less than exemplary service from their own stewards. Ina stated that her cruise questionnaire would reflect her displeasure with the housekeeping supervisor and with Soso.
At the disembarkation talk, Ina learned that she had the option to allow the $10 per pax per day gratuity to remain on her final bill to be split among all who had served her directly or behind the scenes. Alternatively, she could remove the charge from her account and tip individually but those who received the tips would be required to pool what she had given them so that all employees would benefit. She could also leave the charge on her account and tip extra to those who had served her well.
What to do, what to do.....Ina Quandry worried and fretted. She had never been one to reward poor behavior and Soso had obviously been counting on his behavior having no consequences. On the other hand, she would gladly tip Teguh and Rudi above and beyond what they might receive under the "mandatory tipping" system.
Ah...the solution hit her like a bolt out of the blue! She removed the tips from her shipboard account.
As she approached the dining room on the last evening she met her tablemate Mrs. Generoso as arranged and passed two envelopes to her. Once seated at the table she continued to interact as always with the two stewards, who continued to give the same wonderful service, although they undoubtably had "The List" of those who removed their tips.
Toward the end of the meal Mrs. Generoso thanked the stewards for their service and gave them their tips, saying it was in addition to what they would receive from the HAL tipping charge. She then offered them each an envelope with their name on it, saying that she was so impressed with the great service they had provided to Ina Quandry that she wanted to tip them in addition to what she had already given on her own behalf. Both ladies smiled happily and left the dining room.
The following morning before leaving the ship Ina Quandry found Soso where he was working in the corridor preparing cabins for the new guests. She pressed a $5 bill into his hand, smiled sweetly and said she hoped he would continue his effort to improve his service as it had not met her expectations during her cruise. She smiled as she disembarked knowing that Soso would have to share the small $5 with the pool, while her dining stewards could enjoy the rewards they richly deserved.