tipping

hi everyone there are 13 of us cruiseing all new to this i have read that you can take off the tipping and pay them yourself can anyone suggest the amount we should pay for the 7 days and do we pay at the start or towards the end of the cruise thanks heaps for any advice:):)

shell

From reading older threads it seems that most people take off the daily tipping and give tips to the staff who they think deserve it. For example, if the waiter is bad then give them no tip, if the waiter is good then tip them.

It makes me wonder if the unseen staff, such as kitchen staff and people in the engine room, get tips.

Regards,

Ross.

From reading older threads it seems that most people take off the daily tipping and give tips to the staff who they think deserve it. For example, if the waiter is bad then give them no tip, if the waiter is good then tip them.

 

It makes me wonder if the unseen staff, such as kitchen staff and people in the engine room, get tips.

 

Regards,

Ross.

Whose threads,

We have never taken off tips- What about all the people you don't see?

They work extremely hard to.

You can always give your room stewards and table stewards a bit extra over and above.

I don't think it is common place for people to take off tips.

We were told on Carnival Splendor this year that the staff know and see a list of who remove the auto tips.

On a 10 day cruise Aussie P&O 2 people paying tips amounts to $15 per day. Total $150.Tips on P&O ships are cheaper than most and there is no extra gratuities added onto drinks as there is in American ships such as Princess and Carnival

When booking a cruise I factor it into the overall price and budgeting.

On American ships such as Carnival gratuities are pre paid.

I think the staff work hard and earn every bit of it.

Before I cruised for the first time i had full intentions of taking off auto tips.I never did.

I like auto tips because everybody gets a fare share!

If you don't want to tip as much as is taken out by P&O then you can reduce the amount at the pursers desk.

Giving individual tips causes some staff to give sob stories about home life and low pay to increase the tips.

If you are happy with an individual staff member you can put in a good comment about them at the pursers desk.

Take off auto tips if you feel you cannot afford them.

There is no point in removing auto tips and then giving it back out to individuals?

The guy who made your bed so well didn't wash the sheets,and the waiter at dinner that was so wonderful only carried the full plate to your table and took away the empty.

I like auto tips but most hate them.

Before I cruised for the first time i had full intentions of taking off auto tips.I never did.

 

I like auto tips because everybody gets a fare share!

 

If you don't want to tip as much as is taken out by P&O then you can reduce the amount at the pursers desk.

 

Giving individual tips causes some staff to give sob stories about home life and low pay to increase the tips.

 

If you are happy with an individual staff member you can put in a good comment about them at the pursers desk.

 

Take off auto tips if you feel you cannot afford them.

 

There is no point in removing auto tips and then giving it back out to individuals?

The guy who made your bed so well didn't wash the sheets,and the waiter at dinner that was so wonderful only carried the full plate to your table and took away the empty.

 

I like auto tips but most hate them.

I couldn't agreee more and endorse all you have said

Still waiting for my first cruise (5 weeks to go) - I agree with the idea of auto tipping - but I have a question for Aus & Kiwis (Americans have different culture). If you order room service do you tip and if so how much? :o

I never, ever remove the auto tip. I then also tip extra to those staff who provide extra service. eg cabin steward, waiter etc.

All staff on the ship work so hard, even those we do not see each day.

Still waiting for my first cruise (5 weeks to go) - I agree with the idea of auto tipping - but I have a question for Aus & Kiwis (Americans have different culture). If you order room service do you tip and if so how much? :o

Make it simple, leave the auto tips on and if you order room service give them a couple of dollars. I know it seems strange to be tipping but it is the way the cruise industry runs.

Just budget extra for the auto tips from the beginning and you will be ok.

In the end it makes no difference to the people you personally tip because they have to hand it in to the pursar to be put into the tipping pool if you take the auto tip off. However, if you leave the auto tip on and you are pleased with someones treatment of you and you decide to tip them personally then they are allowed to keep the extra tip plus get their share of the auto tip.

The crew get very low wages from the cruise line and the bulk of their wages is from the tips. So if everyone takes their auto tips off and says they will tip personally and don't (I mean, who else will know, right) the crew will then have worked 18 hour days 7 days a week for you to enjoy your cruise and they end up with practically nothing to show for their hard work. Does this seem fair - no - but that is the way the cruise industry works.

So just leave the auto tip on and then it is up to you if you tip extra.

My advice, along with others above, is that if you intend to tip at all, leave the auto tips on. If you don't want to tip anyone, then take the auto tips off. It is absolutely pointless taking the auto tips off and then tipping the people you want individually as they have to hand it in anyway. From this you can conclude that they must all know who has left the tips on and who hasn't. How else would they know which money to hand in and which they could keep?

Last year we left the auto tips on, then tipped our cabin steward, kids club staff and table waiters a bit extra. That's not necessary, but we chose to do it as they provided great service. Those working "behind the scenes" also got their share. We were intending to do the same this year.

I realise that there are some people who are cruising on a strict budget, and who may have been saving for ages to afford the cruise. If that's the case, then take the tips off and don't stress about it. You will still get great service and have a wonderful holiday. Maybe next time you will be in a position to tip!

I notice that whenever a discussion on tipping arises, the same argument arises - "what happens to the behind the scenes staff if you take off your auto tip".

The bottom line is that they do not share in the auto tip anyway. On our recent P & O cruise there was a piece on tipping published in the Pacific Daily. I will quote the relevant part

"The $7.50 is divided up between the service staff in the following approximate ratios:

Cabin Steward and assistant $2.60

Waiter and Assistant $2.95

Buffet Stewards $1.50

Head Waiters and Maitre d' $0.45"

This is the situation on P & O. I do not know the break-up of tipping on Princess or Royal Caribbean, but I would not be surprised if only these same staff share in the auto tip.

Evon.

Extra tips are fine if you feel that a person in particular has looked after you over and above what you expected.

Just be careful of some crew. Now I'm not knocking the crew at all on any ship, I think they are wonderful and look after everyone very well.

On one cruise we were on our Cabin Steward came in on the second to last day and gave us a long story and showed us a photo of his twins whom he was struggling to pay for etc etc etc. We gave him extra because he was a nice guy, only to find out a few hours later that all he had said was not true at all and the photo of the twins were no association to him whatsoever. Now I don't think this would happen often and I feel 99% of the crew are genuine but there you go.

Jillybean:)

we dont do auto tipping, we tip who we wont to tip,if we have to do auto tipping as some cruise lines dont get you a chorce, then we dont tip in any one,

they all work hard on the ships,( so do we in what we do), they work on these ships and get paid well to do so in accordence to there rank and job that they do, in most cases they are getting paid the same or better then if they were working in there own country,taking to account there room and board cost as well, if it wasnt worth while for them they wouldnt do it. i know there will people say that they come poor countries and there are no jobs there, that may be the case to some of them. people work on these cruise ship and take jobs as unseen staff to the captian, from all over the world.

we dont do auto tipping, we tip who we wont to tip,if we have to do auto tipping as some cruise lines dont get you a chorce, then we dont tip in any one,

they all work hard on the ships,( so do we in what we do), they work on these ships and get paid well to do so in accordence to there rank and job that they do, in most cases they are getting paid the same or better then if they were working in there own country,taking to account there room and board cost as well, if it wasnt worth while for them they wouldnt do it. i know there will people say that they come poor countries and there are no jobs there, that may be the case to some of them. people work on these cruise ship and take jobs as unseen staff to the captian, from all over the world.

I beg to differ there Thied.

The crew do get paid quite well but that is when they do receive tips.

Their 'wages' are very minimal and it is the tips that make it worthwhile for them to do the jobs they do on board ship, away from the family, friends and country.

Jillybean:)

I notice that whenever a discussion on tipping arises, the same argument arises - "what happens to the behind the scenes staff if you take off your auto tip".

 

The bottom line is that they do not share in the auto tip anyway. On our recent P & O cruise there was a piece on tipping published in the Pacific Daily. I will quote the relevant part

"The $7.50 is divided up between the service staff in the following approximate ratios:

Cabin Steward and assistant $2.60

Waiter and Assistant $2.95

Buffet Stewards $1.50

Head Waiters and Maitre d' $0.45"

 

This is the situation on P & O. I do not know the break-up of tipping on Princess or Royal Caribbean, but I would not be surprised if only these same staff share in the auto tip.

 

Evon.

evon do you have or a link to P&O wages structure?

All I know is that on my cruises I left on auto tips,pre anytime dinning we were treated like kings to the last, unlike others on our table who took off auto tips(all of the others last time)who didnt quite get as good as us, pretty face?

On the Pacific dawn we heard that the staff know who have taken off auto tips!( this came from the waiters who we had had before on the Pacific sun and were now on the dawn)

We never got given any sort of sob story or felt pressured to give extra,a few others who removed auto tips did.

evon do you have or a link to P&O wages structure?

No I don't. The break-up of tips was printed in the Pacific Daily a month or two ago.

Evon.

All I know is that on my cruises I left on auto tips,pre anytime dinning we were treated like kings to the last, unlike others on our table who took off auto tips(all of the others last time)who didnt quite get as good as us, pretty face?

 

On the Pacific dawn we heard that the staff know who have taken off auto tips!( this came from the waiters who we had had before on the Pacific sun and were now on the dawn)

 

We never got given any sort of sob story or felt pressured to give extra,a few others who removed auto tips did.

The job of waiters/stewards is to great people well (and virtually all of them do). We have always been treated very very well. My mum-in-law who often cruised with us always took her tips off and never tipped personally. (By the way I don't agree with her actions). She was always treated just as well as we were and if we had seen that she wasn't, we would not have tipped extra.

If I got a 'sob story' from a staff member that I believed was to influence my tipping, they wouldn't get any tip from me and I think I would remove the auto tip and give the reason. I would then tip the others separately. By the way, I am not sure that they have to hand the tips in to the pool.

Evon.

i would like to ask a couple ?s,

dos any one normaly tip in there general life in australia?

dos any one tip if they are on hols in australia?

dos any one on here get tipped in there work place ?

if the anser is no then why shoud any one tip on a cruise that is based in australia.

i would like to ask a couple ?s,

dos any one normaly tip in there general life in australia?

dos any one tip if they are on hols in australia?

dos any one on here get tipped in there work place ?

if the anser is no then why shoud any one tip on a cruise that is based in australia.

I totally agree with you Thied, its a very good point.

if the anser is no then why shoud any one tip on a cruise that is based in australia.

Because P&O ships are flagged in non-Australian countries and are therefore subject to the labor regulations that exist in the country of registry.

With this in mind, know that the cruise lines are complicit in paying very, very minimal wages. They have instituted the tipping regime to motivate the staff to give superior service as well as to supplement the meager wages that are paid.

It is my understanding that Oz has substantial protections for the working man/woman. These do not extend to employees on foreign flagged vessels.

Question: Are there cruise ships that are flagged in Oz? If yes, what are their tipping/no tipping policies? And at what level are their personnel compensated.

Question: Are there cruise ships that are flagged in Oz? If yes, what are their tipping/no tipping policies? And at what level are their personnel compensated.

The very small cruise boats that are flagged in Oz would pay our normal Award wages. Tipping would be up to the individual passenger, but I suggest would not always (and probably not even usually) happen.

Evon.

Because P&O ships are flagged in non-Australian countries and are therefore subject to the labor regulations that exist in the country of registry.

 

With this in mind, know that the cruise lines are complicit in paying very, very minimal wages. They have instituted the tipping regime to motivate the staff to give superior service as well as to supplement the meager wages that are paid.

 

It is my understanding that Oz has substantial protections for the working man/woman. These do not extend to employees on foreign flagged vessels.

 

Question: Are there cruise ships that are flagged in Oz? If yes, what are their tipping/no tipping policies? And at what level are their personnel compensated.

they are based in oz.

they do have to some of abide to oz taxation laws.( dependes on where you are employed by P&O to weather your wages are taxed in oz or not)

they choose to abide to nsw health laws.

they choose to abide by nsw safety laws.

they choose to abide to australian health laws.

they choose to abide to some of the nsw police laws comenwelth laws.

so one would say that P&O is fermly based in australia.

(With this in mind, know that the cruise lines are complicit in paying very, very minimal wages. They have instituted the tipping regime to motivate the staff to give superior service as well as to supplement the meager wages that are paid.) yes this may be true to where the cruise ship is flaged to, as we all now that the cost of a cruise out side australia on the same star rating or close to as P&O oz is much cheaper then in australia ( apart from drinks ect ).

What are everyone's thoughts...on any cruise lines (P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean), do staff see a list of those who have cancelled auto tips?

What are everyone's thoughts...on any cruise lines (P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean), do staff see a list of those who have cancelled auto tips?

"The $7.50 is divided up between the service staff in the following approximate ratios:

Cabin Steward and assistant $2.60

Waiter and Assistant $2.95

Buffet Stewards $1.50

Head Waiters and Maitre d' $0.45"

 

This is the situation on P & O. I do not know the break-up of tipping on Princess or Royal Caribbean,

There are some slight differences and the dollar amount is greater - which could also be demonstrative of any possible difference in pricing between the US and AU, but tipping is only done for defined front line service staff, rather than being distributed amongst back-end roles as well.