Torfamm

18 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

When I'm In a restaurant paying a bill with a service charge or tip added to the bill I always ask the staff first if the staff get all the tips if I pay by card

 

And if they say no I ask them to remove the tip and pay them cash instead

 

Because I don't want to benefit the business I want to benefit the staff serving in the business

 

Same as on the cruise line

 

That's consistent not hypocritical 

 

In UK you don't even have to ask that question anymore in restaurants as by law the tips have to be added to staff wages and we also have minimum wages as well 

 

The restaurant wouldn't last a month if they tried to do what Princess are doing

 

The bad publicity would close them down (alongside the authorities)

A quick search shows that tip pooling is legal in the UK. There is no guarantee the the individual who serves you is the one who keeps the amount you tip even if you tip in cash.

Are you saying that you don't think the funds paid as crew appreciation are actually paid out to crew members as described in the policy or just objecting to the way the policy works?

15 minutes ago, memoak said:

If they upped the cruise fare you would then find posters not believing it goes to crew

This is probably true.  What I'm hearing sounds more like an objection to the pooling of the amount paid as "crew appreciation" than to the total paid. Cruisers have always been asked to pay out a recommended amount for crew in addition to their cruise fare, at least on mass market cruise lines as far back as the early 80's when I first started cruising. 

In the past it was cash divided into several envelopes and handed to individual crew members. I'm not at all sure in thinking about it now that those funds weren't pooled.  Everyone assumed that the person receiving the envelope kept the money in the envelope, but it's entirely possible that cruise lines may have been pooling those funds as well.

4 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

 
But in reality, why is that different then just charging that same amount as a daily crew appreciation? The cost is the cost - it comes out the same. 
 

if you don’t object to paying the daily service cost, what difference does semantics make? Whether it is in the fare, or added to the fare as an onboard expense?

Just increasing cruise fare would eliminate these discussions and let the cruise line pay the money out however they like without upsetting guests who are bothered by it being called crew appreciation.

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 

 

Let the ship worry about paying wages and having to put prices up

I couldn't agree more.  The simplest thing would to just add $16 or $17 per day to cruise fares.

3 minutes ago, whitecap said:

It really doesn't matter how I calculate my tip, my tip is a tip, not a wage booster.

I suspect the person who receives it counts on it as part of their wages though just as cruise ship staff do.

29 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

To find it's actually a "staff compensation" charge

 

Which is exactly  what they should call it when they inform you what they intend to do

 

Rather than calling it something  flowery and misleading when you book then telling you what it really is should you go looking further 

 

 

 

This discussion made me realize that I'm not sure that tips weren't pooled in the old days when we were told exactly how much they suggested be placed in each envelope and handed to staff on the last night of a cruise. I've never heard any discussion about whether pooling is new. I have to acknowledge that this policy could actually be more transparent.

5 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

In Canada it seemed to be add 15 per cent, 20 per cent of 25 per cent 

 

Very much based on total on check

 

 

It seems to me to be more akin to a service charge than a gratuity based on quality on service when tips are are based on total bill. That's been the norm in North America for many, many years. It seems strange to those from countries that don't tip but most Americans accept easily that a percentage of the bill is to be added to their check when they pay.

2 minutes ago, whitecap said:

And how are you not understanding that I don't go to restaurants that use my "tip" as a wage booster.  Just because the State says its ok for an employer to pay less than the minimum wage, take the employee's "tips" and use it to supplement their wage, doesn't make it right.  I tip to say thank you for great service, not be an extra employer paying a portion of their wages.

I'm curious, do you tip the same amount regardless of the amount of your bill or do you calculate your tip considering the total on you check?

1 minute ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Are my tips to a server in a restaurant bringing up the wages of every single employee of the restaurant or just the person who served me who I want to help and tip?

That depends on the restaurant. Tip pooling is a very common practice.

49 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

That will be outlawed in USA soon enough like every other civilised country is doing

 

And in those locations the money is going to servers and kitchens staff who have earnt tips through good service

 

We know who we are tipping and why

 

On a cruise ship we are basically subsidising wages of the entire staff on board? 

 

That's not how tips work?

 

 

Actually it's not how it works.  We often don't know who we are tipping at restaurants.  Many times tips are shared among various staff who we may never see or pooled and shared among all employees. The division of those tips is not necessarily based on customer satisfaction or good service.

Most commonly in the US the amount people chose to leave as a tip is based primarily on a percentage of the total of their bill rather than on service received.  For example, if someone purchases a $10 meal, a normal tip might be around $2 or $3 or if someone feels generous or gets exceptional service, maybe $5.  For a $100 meal, the tip is expected to be in the neighborhood of $20. What a server receives in tips depends much more on what customers chose to order than on the service they provide.

59 minutes ago, whitecap said:

 

If I go to a restaurant and the wait staff does an excellent job, I don't hand the owner extra money to be put in his or her pocket, to be distributed, throughout the year to all those who work at the restaurant.  Why should it be any different when cruising.  With the exception of our very first cruise (we are now over 50), we have always removed the gratuities, obtained small envelopes from Customer Service desk, and given tips directly to the persons who went above and beyond to see to it that we enjoyed our cruise.  

To be fair, tips given to servers in restaurants in the US are not uncommonly shared with other staff or pooled. The one advantage from the servers’ point of view would be that they aren’t penalized for the good or bad luck of what their table chooses to order since tips in the US are generally based on a percentage of the check. 20% of a salad and 3 iced teas is much less than a huge steak and three glasses of wine but the effort required isn’t much different.

Same as MDR. 

35 minutes ago, 555 said:

Actually there is no minimum standard any longer. Shorts, wife beater shirts, crocks, workout clothing are all acceptable even on formal nights. Yes, they do have a dress code on their web site but no one will enforce it.  

I often wondered what it would take to be turned away on any night? 😄

There are plenty of reports of people being turned away for shorts. It’s not common but there are some dining room managers that enforce the no shorts rule. We had one on the Sky not too long ago. A number of men were frustrated and unhappy about it. Probably because they’d never had a problem wearing shorts to dinner before that cruise.

I personally have no real interest in what other people wear but unless you are going to be the one at the door to the MDR making that decision, it’s unfair to promise that shorts will be allowed.

3 minutes ago, Bgwest said:

“Minimum standard”. Now that’s funny. 
This seems like an appropriate time to remind, Dress CODE = Dress SUGGESTION. 
 

 

 

I have seen people turned away for wearing shorts to the MDR quite a few times. No one can predict whether the no shorts or ball caps policy will be enforced on any ship on any given night. If eating in the MDR is important to a passenger, they should plan accordingly

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise

3 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

Have done quite a few Princess Cruises (Elite).We have always taken formal wear previously.

 

Have just added a cruise to our Fly/ Drive in USA and trying to work out whether we can avoid taking formal wear. Would fit in our luggage allowance easily as we have done it before. (2x 23kg each) But as we get older do not want to lug extra things that would only be worn twice on cruise, out of longer 4 week holiday when we’ll be in and out of hotels every other night.

 

Question is…and I am totally aware of Princess’ suggested dress code…what do men wear in MDR if not hauling suits, blazers or Sports’ coats ???  Would husband get away with black jeans and a shirt with casual shoes ? Or will we be relegated to buffet/ speciality dining on formal nights ?

 

I don’t want to be reprimanded for suggesting such a dreadful thing, but would be pleased to hear from anyone who has used MDR on formal night without dressing formally….will be in Caribbean in July.

 

Thanks for your (helpful) comments.

As long as he meets the minimum standard for smart casual, long pants and a shirt with a collar, he will absolutely be allowed to eat in the MDR on any night.

15 hours ago, doghog said:

I blame Princess for allowing the smokers to use the casino as a smoking lounge. Not the smokers. Gambling or not. 

I disagree. While Princess should of course enforce their policies, passengers should comply without having to be forced to do so. That goes for all policies, not just smoking. No passenger should respond to clearly stated policies by effectively saying, “Make me”.

2 hours ago, ecs66 said:

Thank you!  I have a smart phone, but Hubby does not / will not. A retired Physicist once involved in this type of tech ... "not doin' it!".

Do I understand you correctly? Do you not use your phone either? If you do use yours you can just use the app to upload all necessary documents, security photos etc and complete check-in information for both of you

11 hours ago, ecs66 said:

If you don't have a smart phone, and don't want a smart phone, what are the options for maneuvering through the boarding process?

They can look up your reservation for you once you get to the check-in station. Be sure to have your passport and I'd also have a copy of your travel summary and booking confirmation. Just join the Blue Lane line at the terminal.

5 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

OP here.  I love how 1 question opens up whole other discussions.  My "problem" is that I have larger Canadian dollars than I wanted for use for this cruise and a couple of days in Quebec after.

The cash is for 2 regular lunch restaurants, 1 cafe,  1 food court and 3 short taxi rides, during this cruise (I can tip shore excursions with Am dollar) Once I am in hotel in Quebec, I assume hopefully that hotel can change a couple of those bills.

I found out from the local currency exchange places near me  it would basically cost $6 for every $100 note to change to smaller bills. So I won't be doing that.  I guess I will stop at a bank that is a 3 minute walk from one of the restaurants in Saint John, which is at the beginning of the cruise, and hopefully that will be that.  Thanks for all the responses.

Why not just use the $100 bills to pay for something like lunch?

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Here is the definitive answer from the Princess websit

 

In case anyone wants to save it - The document requirements can be found here, including the requirement for the entire party to have passports no matter what the itinerary if minors are traveling with only one adult.

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/pre-cruise

59 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Unless you're touring in western Europe (Euro zone), Canada, or Oz/NZ, I bet the tour guide would rather have USD than the local currency.  Getting access to cash USD is a major perk for tour guides/bus drivers in most developing countries.  

I’m sure that may be true. As an example, every guide we used in Vietnam told me it’s illegal for Vietnamese citizens to have US dollars (possibly any foreign currency) and try to exchange them for dong to spend in their own country or deposit in a bank. I found it very interesting trying to imagine how they put USD to use.

10 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Have been on many excursions as well both through the cruise line and private tours.  I have never, ever seen anyone weighed prior to an excursion, much less turned away.  We have a helicopter excursion booked for next week in Juneau.  There is an upcharge for passengers who exceed 250 lbs. but not an exclusion.  Again, not sure if they will actually make us step on a scale or if it's the honor system on the info. sheet.  If its the honor system, then I'm sure most people weigh 249lbs. or less.  I fully intend to declare my precruise weight....😎

I have seen people weighed for horseback riding and helicopter tours.

If the meeting point is on the ship, those on excursions are led to the tenders as a group. I have never seen whether priority is given for those meeting on shore

2 hours ago, sound_guy0918 said:

The service charge is included in the bill, so if you have Plus or Premiere it's already covered.  They find you through the Medallion so our experience was they got within 20 feet and looked around to see who might have ordered it...or called our name...you may have to flag them down.  Very convenient!

I haven’t checked in the new app but there used to be a way to push a button that turned your screen a purple color that you could hold up for the server to see 

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

 

Actually, I think the State Dept info on travel requirement is pretty good and would hate to see that resource stop.   I think perhaps some posts are going off track.  The State Dept is not saying one can enter Panama by cruise ship without a passport.   Where Panama is located really doesn't matter and should only be a side discussion.  

Fair enough. I think the lesson is that there are some very specific requirements for both individual countries and islands as well as cruiseline specific rules. Questions beyond, “Do I need a passport for a closed loop cruise?” need to be asked of the right entities.