Do crews have a bank onboard?

The question about $2 bills was put to John Heald. I'm sure the person who did so is also within this or the other thread as they referenced Cruise Critic - a mistake in my opinion (he's not a fan, lol) - but anyway:

John said this morning that $2 bills are likely to be kept as souvenirs by the crew. Crew can; however, use them onboard for expenses and in the crew lounge. He also stated every crew member has a free account through JP Morgan Chase. He didn't mention anything about how or if crew uses $2 bills while in port.

Your first part is an even worse argument. I am arguing legal tender vs. legal tender.

 

Did you work at a bad bank as a teller, because as a truck driver I see that many $2 bills every year, every now and then will run into a silver certificate...

 

It is possible that some places may look at it funny, but USA isnt the only country that does or has used $2 bills.

 

Your last part.... its just.... I will be nice.... Tipping with $2 bills isnt inferior. tipping with fake money is inferior. Actually from a logistics standpoint tipping with $1' take twice as many which is inferior...

I don't even know how to respond to this. These aren't counter-arguments. This isn't an argument over whether $2 bills are legal, and never has been. If your top point was about legal tender vs. illegal tender, then that''s just pointless. No one was saying $2 bills aren't US currency.

As to your second point, who cares if the US is not the only country that has 2s? This is also a pointless argument. It doesn't negate the fact that they're UNCOMMON bills in the US, and aren't nearly as well-known as 1's or 5's.

As for your last point, just because something else is inferior (oh, gee, tipping with fake money would be inferior?!? Really?! I never would have guessed!) doesn't mean that something else ALSO can't be inferior.

Although, I will say I agree with you on one point here. Yes, carrying around fewer bills would, uh, I guess be slightly less annoying, but I consider tipping in a not annoying-to-use currency more valuable than my saved wallet space.

Ultimately, this is an argument over whether you SHOULD tip with them, not if you CAN. But hey, whatever. To each their own.

And, "I will be nice." Please. Let's not say things that aren't true. We don't want to bring lies in to this silly discussion.

The question about $2 bills was put to John Heald. I'm sure the person who did so is also within this or the other thread as they referenced Cruise Critic - a mistake in my opinion (he's not a fan, lol) - but anyway:

 

John said this morning that $2 bills are likely to be kept as souvenirs by the crew. Crew can; however, use them onboard for expenses and in the crew lounge. He also stated every crew member has a free account through JP Morgan Chase. He didn't mention anything about how or if crew uses $2 bills while in port.

For someone who is months behind on his blog, he sure is up to date when posts reference Cruise Critic.

I don't even know how to respond to this. These aren't counter-arguments. This isn't an argument over whether $2 bills are legal, and never has been. If your top point was about legal tender vs. illegal tender, then that''s just pointless. No one was saying $2 bills aren't US currency.

 

As to your second point, who cares if the US is not the only country that has 2s? This is also a pointless argument. It doesn't negate the fact that they're UNCOMMON bills in the US, and aren't nearly as well-known as 1's or 5's.

 

As for your last point, just because something else is inferior (oh, gee, tipping with fake money would be inferior?!? Really?! I never would have guessed!) doesn't mean that something else ALSO can't be inferior.

 

Although, I will say I agree with you on one point here. Yes, carrying around fewer bills would, uh, I guess be slightly less annoying, but I consider tipping in a not annoying-to-use currency more valuable than my saved wallet space.

 

Ultimately, this is an argument over whether you SHOULD tip with them, not if you CAN. But hey, whatever. To each their own.

 

And, "I will be nice." Please. Let's not say things that aren't true. We don't want to bring lies in to this silly discussion.

It is NOT annoying for the crew members to receive/use!!! They can spend it onboard and ashore and deposit it shipboard in their free JP Morgan account. Shipboard ATMs are available 24/7.

I would think the crew wouldn't want an onboard kiosk for depositing cash tips? To me, I wouldn't want Carnival knowing my extra cash flow. But then I am always fighting off the intrusions of Big Brother.

For someone who is months behind on his blog, he sure is up to date when posts reference Cruise Critic.

LOL. Your right. Never seen him say to start over with CC postings starting with....:cool:

I don't even know how to respond to this. These aren't counter-arguments. This isn't an argument over whether $2 bills are legal, and never has been. If your top point was about legal tender vs. illegal tender, then that''s just pointless. No one was saying $2 bills aren't US currency.

 

As to your second point, who cares if the US is not the only country that has 2s? This is also a pointless argument. It doesn't negate the fact that they're UNCOMMON bills in the US, and aren't nearly as well-known as 1's or 5's.

 

As for your last point, just because something else is inferior (oh, gee, tipping with fake money would be inferior?!? Really?! I never would have guessed!) doesn't mean that something else ALSO can't be inferior.

 

Although, I will say I agree with you on one point here. Yes, carrying around fewer bills would, uh, I guess be slightly less annoying, but I consider tipping in a not annoying-to-use currency more valuable than my saved wallet space.

 

Ultimately, this is an argument over whether you SHOULD tip with them, not if you CAN. But hey, whatever. To each their own.

 

And, "I will be nice." Please. Let's not say things that aren't true. We don't want to bring lies in to this silly discussion.

What have I said that was not true? Your fellow New Yorker said the local bodega would think they are fake so yes it would be a point of real vs fake money.

It was said that they cannot be used in other countries but if that country also had $2 bills it wouldn't be a stretch for us to as well. Bicentennial quarters, buffalo nickels, and wheat pennies are all uncommon as well so we should be sure not to carry those as well? How about silver certificates?

What makes the $2 bill inferior to the $1? They are worth twice as much as the $1. Vending machines take them, atms take them, the crew has access to deposit them or as was posted just above some keep them as a souvenir. Pretty sure that makes the superior to the $1 bill.

So through all of this I cant happen to find the annoying part of them.

I would think the crew wouldn't want an onboard kiosk for depositing cash tips? To me, I wouldn't want Carnival knowing my extra cash flow. But then I am always fighting off the intrusions of Big Brother.

If I were crew, I don't think I'd mind too much. They would already know my base salary, they'd know how much my share of the mandatory gratuities are, and they would know if anyone posted any tips in my name under their Sail & Sign account. I would think cash tips would be a small portion of the overall haul, but maybe that's not true. I should ask about this sometime.

I have been in banking for 20+ years and our tellers have always had quite a few of them. I bring them because they are usually in nicer condition than 1's are (and by the way folks, that is the bigger issue in foreign countries, torn bills not the $2 bill). And quite frankly they are less bulky for me and for them. Not to mention, most of the time when I order room service or have someone take my luggage I tip $2.

It is no way inferior to a $1 bill, quite the opposite. And John Heald also posted that this was not true on his FB today. The crew has bank accounts set up with Chase and the $2 bill is totally, completely fine.

The tip part is a terrible argument. You're talking about two well known bills vs. one well-known bill and one NOT well-known bill. Everyone uses 20's and 10's. $2 bills just aren't that well-known

 

As a former teller, I can tell you that $2 bills are regarded as odd in the banking world. I worked as a teller for almost a year and saw, maybe, two to three of these. I imagine someone abroad, not handling cash nearly as much, might wonder.

 

And, as I mentioned, I don't think there's any bad intention here, but why not make something better if you can? Tipping in $2's (when tipping the same amount, which people should) is just inferior to tipping in $1's.

All ships have a paymaster on the ship that takes care of any money issues for the crew. You don't really that hold on to all the dollars you give them and have stacks of one dollar bills do you? No they go to the paymaster and trade there smaller notes into bigger ones.

You really needed to work up offense if you find facts rude. Giving crew unusable currency is the same as not tipping. In the very little time off they have, running around to exchange $2 bills for spendable $1, $5, $10, etc.is extra effort being imposed upon folks who already work very hard. They cannot use the $2 bills in ports without finding a bank. Those are facts.

Not quite facts. The cruise we were on in Apr 2012, my partner had gotten five $2 bills from a tip. (He delivers pizza part time while in school) I took them and spent them without a problem in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Ocho Rios. St. Maarten was a shop at the port, St. Thomas was a place that was grilling/smoking chicken just outside the port (delicious) and Ocho rios was a place there at the port where we went and each had a Red Stripe.

We used them in a port... without a bank. THAT is a fact.

I don't remember the bank,

but one server told us they did have bank on board for withdrawals

if they needed spending money in town.

.

It was said that they cannot be used in other countries but if that country also had $2 bills it wouldn't be a stretch for us to as well. Bicentennial quarters, buffalo nickels, and wheat pennies are all uncommon as well so we should be sure not to carry those as well? How about silver certificates?

 

What makes the $2 bill inferior to the $1? They are worth twice as much as the $1.

Vending machines take them, atms take them, the crew has access to deposit them or as was posted just above some keep them as a souvenir.

Pretty sure that makes the superior to the $1 bill.

 

So through all of this I cant happen to find the annoying part of them.

For God's sake please try to know your own currency,

even if you don't know that of other countries!

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I will use only $2 bills on my next cruise in Dec. just to see how it works out. As I said before we tip the crew in 2 dollar bills and this time will use the bills in the ports. My DIL works for a credit union and is in charge of ordering cash for the CU and she said that she gets $1000 worth of 2 dollar bills each month and that they always run out of them and they are a small credit union with only one store.

Seems to me that public stupidity regarding the currency of their own realm ..is close to staggering. :eek:

 

For God's sake please try to know your own currency,

even if you don't know that of other countries!

 

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Please help my stupidity and teach me about my own currency. How is the $2 inferior or annoying since that is what you highlighted.

Sorry, but i just don't understand tipping staff $2... is this done each time you are served, and are these tips given to everyone that servs you? And how many $2 bills are appropriate to give each person? So you guve them a percentage? Or is it a flat figure determined on the quality of service you receive? I am new to tipping, as it is a rare thing in my country. The last cruise we were on we tipped individuals in cash that stood out for us, otherwise we tipped with our seapass account. Plus i know for a fact that any money under $10 notes cannot be exchanged in any banks here. So if staff are wanting to send $2 notes home, their family mambers may not be able to use them...

Who would you even give a two dollar tip to besides room service for a pot of coffee?

Who would you even give a two dollar tip to besides room service for a pot of coffee?

Porters that take your luggage and room service