Tips

I always see people saying that gratuities are charged on a card daily and automatically. What if we want to pay cash for all tips? Is that possible to not have them charge automatically. Or maybe I have no idea what I’m talking about. [emoji847] so please explain to me how that works. Thank you!!!

Zoryana ❤️

Why pay cash when it gets charged to your card and you can earn more credit card points. Tip cash for extra service.

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Why pay cash when it gets charged to your card and you can earn more credit card points. Tip cash for extra service.

 

 

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That’s a good idea. Do they charge a lot daily?

Zoryana ❤️

If you go to guest services you can ask them to remove the automatic gratuities if you wish.

If you go to guest services you can ask them to remove the automatic gratuities if you wish.

Depends on what cruise line. Some you can remove the service charge (that's what it actually is - not tips), some you can't.

That’s a good idea. Do they charge a lot daily?

 

 

Zoryana ❤️

Depends on cruise line. Usually around $13 or more per person per day which really isn’t a lot when you see all you are getting.

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Your cruise line will charge your account daily for the suggested tips. You need do nothing more. Those who serve you get what they are supposed to get. The daily tips cover your cabin attendant, waiters, ass't waiters, and head waiter. Whenever you get a drink the tip is added to the cost, whether you buy "by the drink" or have a "package". The ONLY tips NOT included in the tips that are charged to your account is room service delivery. If you use that, a cash tip at time of delivery is appreciated. $1-5, depending on how much they have to carry to you is the norm.

It's much easier and fairer to those serving you to simply leave the tips to be charged as the cruise line sees fit. Everyone who is supposed to be tipped, will be tipped.

In short................

you'll give yourself & the cruise line & the crew a stack of grief, and may not actually achieve what you want it to achieve.

In loooooooong ...............

Regardless of your wishes, a specified daily auto-tip (Royalsfan's $13 is about the average, that's per person) will be added to your on-board account. So you will have to go to guest relations to get it removed. Depending on the cruise line & the person at guest relations some will just do as you request, some will quiz you, some might bully you, eventually they'll do as you ask. NCL take it one stage further - they'll get you to complete a form which amongst other things asks you whether / what poor service you have received, they'll still charge your on-board account & subsequently your debit/credit card, and eventually you'll (presumably) get that money refunded. But at least NCL has the decency to call it a "service charge" rather than "tips" or "grats". Personally I call it crew wages, which IMHO is what it is.

Word is that the crew are told who has removed the auto-tip.

Word is that when a passenger has removed / reduced the auto-tip, the crew have to hand in the cash tips that they receive from that passenger because tips go into a pool to be distributed to various background hotel-side crew such as kitchen & laundry staff.

Word is that crew can only retain cash tips if these are in addition to the passenger paying auto-tip, which defeats your purpose

Word is that the crew might be quizzed as to why passengers that they serve have removed / reduced the auto-tip, because of a suspicion that this might be due to poor service.

You'll probably have just the one cabin steward during your cruise, and the same waiters for dinner in the dining room if you have chosen / been allocated traditional (fixed) dining. But not the same waiters in the dining room for breakfast or lunch, most wait staff spend time servicing the buffet & other food outlets.

Background staff share in the auto-tip - go into the kitchens, the laundry, etc at your peril

(BTW bar staff "gratuities" are added as a percentage (15 to 18%) of each drinks bill. This includes wines etc served in restaurants. This is a service charge & can't be removed. Those staff don't share in the pool.)

So keep life simple for yourself & everyone else by just leaving the auto-tip in place.

Feel free to tip cash in addition if you want.

I never do - I'm a Brit but even if I were American I wouldn't tip in addition to the auto-tip cos I don't see the logic in tipping twice for the same thing. If grammatically-incorrect "gratuities" were replaced by decent wages funded by a more realistic cruise ticket price - as still happens on some Brit & even some US ships - then I'd be more willing to put my hand in my pocket for something extra.

(That's irrelevant to the thread, it's just my little rant & not up for discussion.:eek: My money, my decision.)

JB :)

We find the service has always been excellent on every cruise we have taken. We have never even considered taking off the aurotip. Sometimes the staff member is good but not outstanding. They do not get an extra tip from us. Other times they are outstanding and we give them an additional amount at the end.

Ok! Now I understand! You all are amazing! See what I was thinking that they maybe change $50 per day or something like that per person. But if it’s up to $20 that’s not bad. I also wanted to give cash tips to people who I felt like gave us good service. So that’s why I was asking. But I’m glad I know now. Auto tip stays on :) and additional tips when I feel it’s good.

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You can also pre pay the gratuity before you sail Royal NCL and carnival have this option so once you board you don’t have to account for the charges to your onboard account. I do this and I like stepping onboard knowing everything is paid for.

QUOTE=zoryana;55679437]Ok! Now I understand! You all are amazing! See what I was thinking that they maybe change $50 per day or something like that per person. But if it’s up to $20 that’s not bad. I also wanted to give cash tips to people who I felt like gave us good service. So that’s why I was asking. But I’m glad I know now. Auto tip stays on :) and additional tips when I feel it’s good.

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In case no one said it- the reason to NOT remove the gratuities and tip cash instead is because part of the automatic gratuity goes to people you might not think to tip or who you might not even see (food runners, food prep, buffet workers) so you wouldn't have the opportunity to tip them (or it would be awkward), and they get such a low salary that they rely on your gratuities more than you think. If you get a bartender or server who gives extra good service, a small extra tip goes a long way.

This thread is invaluable. I'm a newbie and have wondered (but been afraid to ask) about auto-tipping and could it be declined. Now, with full explanation, I see that that should not even be a consideration.

Thanks, all.

In short................

you'll give yourself & the cruise line & the crew a stack of grief, and may not actually achieve what you want it to achieve.

 

In loooooooong ...............

Regardless of your wishes, a specified daily auto-tip (Royalsfan's $13 is about the average, that's per person) will be added to your on-board account. So you will have to go to guest relations to get it removed. Depending on the cruise line & the person at guest relations some will just do as you request, some will quiz you, some might bully you, eventually they'll do as you ask. NCL take it one stage further - they'll get you to complete a form which amongst other things asks you whether / what poor service you have received, they'll still charge your on-board account & subsequently your debit/credit card, and eventually you'll (presumably) get that money refunded. But at least NCL has the decency to call it a "service charge" rather than "tips" or "grats". Personally I call it crew wages, which IMHO is what it is.

Word is that the crew are told who has removed the auto-tip.

Word is that when a passenger has removed / reduced the auto-tip, the crew have to hand in the cash tips that they receive from that passenger because tips go into a pool to be distributed to various background hotel-side crew such as kitchen & laundry staff.

Word is that crew can only retain cash tips if these are in addition to the passenger paying auto-tip, which defeats your purpose

Word is that the crew might be quizzed as to why passengers that they serve have removed / reduced the auto-tip, because of a suspicion that this might be due to poor service.

You'll probably have just the one cabin steward during your cruise, and the same waiters for dinner in the dining room if you have chosen / been allocated traditional (fixed) dining. But not the same waiters in the dining room for breakfast or lunch, most wait staff spend time servicing the buffet & other food outlets.

Background staff share in the auto-tip - go into the kitchens, the laundry, etc at your peril

 

(BTW bar staff "gratuities" are added as a percentage (15 to 18%) of each drinks bill. This includes wines etc served in restaurants. This is a service charge & can't be removed. Those staff don't share in the pool.)

 

So keep life simple for yourself & everyone else by just leaving the auto-tip in place.

 

Feel free to tip cash in addition if you want.

I never do - I'm a Brit but even if I were American I wouldn't tip in addition to the auto-tip cos I don't see the logic in tipping twice for the same thing. If grammatically-incorrect "gratuities" were replaced by decent wages funded by a more realistic cruise ticket price - as still happens on some Brit & even some US ships - then I'd be more willing to put my hand in my pocket for something extra.

(That's irrelevant to the thread, it's just my little rant & not up for discussion.:eek: My money, my decision.)

 

JB

 

Great post - thanks. Enlightening.

This was very enlightening. Thanks.

When HAL first started their "Hotel Service Charge" quite a few years ago, many people didn't understand what this was and how it worked. So people had it removed. Some tipped personally and some didn't tip at all. Those who did remove the auto tips and tipped personally were stunned to find that the people they personally tipped had to turn in that money to their supervisors who turned it into the office and it was all placed in a pool and divided among all crew (not bar tenders or officers). HAL passed out lists to all supervisors and the supervisors gave lists to all cabin stewards, dining room staff, etc. If any of those people kept those tips from the people whose names were on the lists, they were warned that they would/could be fired.

Thus we leave the Hotel Service Charge in place and tip extra to those whom we felt made our cruise an enjoyable one.

In short................

you'll give yourself & the cruise line & the crew a stack of grief, and may not actually achieve what you want it to achieve.

 

In loooooooong ...............

Regardless of your wishes, a specified daily auto-tip (Royalsfan's $13 is about the average, that's per person) will be added to your on-board account. So you will have to go to guest relations to get it removed. Depending on the cruise line & the person at guest relations some will just do as you request, some will quiz you, some might bully you, eventually they'll do as you ask. NCL take it one stage further - they'll get you to complete a form which amongst other things asks you whether / what poor service you have received, they'll still charge your on-board account & subsequently your debit/credit card, and eventually you'll (presumably) get that money refunded. But at least NCL has the decency to call it a "service charge" rather than "tips" or "grats". Personally I call it crew wages, which IMHO is what it is.

Word is that the crew are told who has removed the auto-tip.

Word is that when a passenger has removed / reduced the auto-tip, the crew have to hand in the cash tips that they receive from that passenger because tips go into a pool to be distributed to various background hotel-side crew such as kitchen & laundry staff.

Word is that crew can only retain cash tips if these are in addition to the passenger paying auto-tip, which defeats your purpose

Word is that the crew might be quizzed as to why passengers that they serve have removed / reduced the auto-tip, because of a suspicion that this might be due to poor service.

You'll probably have just the one cabin steward during your cruise, and the same waiters for dinner in the dining room if you have chosen / been allocated traditional (fixed) dining. But not the same waiters in the dining room for breakfast or lunch, most wait staff spend time servicing the buffet & other food outlets.

Background staff share in the auto-tip - go into the kitchens, the laundry, etc at your peril

 

(BTW bar staff "gratuities" are added as a percentage (15 to 18%) of each drinks bill. This includes wines etc served in restaurants. This is a service charge & can't be removed. Those staff don't share in the pool.)

 

So keep life simple for yourself & everyone else by just leaving the auto-tip in place.

 

Feel free to tip cash in addition if you want.

I never do - I'm a Brit but even if I were American I wouldn't tip in addition to the auto-tip cos I don't see the logic in tipping twice for the same thing. If grammatically-incorrect "gratuities" were replaced by decent wages funded by a more realistic cruise ticket price - as still happens on some Brit & even some US ships - then I'd be more willing to put my hand in my pocket for something extra.

(That's irrelevant to the thread, it's just my little rant & not up for discussion.:eek: My money, my decision.)

 

JB :)

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Ok! Now I understand! You all are amazing! See what I was thinking that they maybe change $50 per day or something like that per person. But if it’s up to $20 that’s not bad. I also wanted to give cash tips to people who I felt like gave us good service. So that’s why I was asking. But I’m glad I know now. Auto tip stays on :) and additional tips when I feel it’s good.

I tip extra for service above and beyond.

Last cruise, at the pool bar, the bartenders would see my coming and start fixing the drinks. And we got in a discussion about making caipirinha with sugar instead of simple syrup. From the point on, they would go to the buffet to get packs of sugar to make ours with sugar.

THAT got an extra $1 per drink. Above and beyond.

Just leave them on, and if there is someone who you want to give extra to, your cabin attendant or a special waiter or bartender, then give them some extra cash.

There are many people behind the scenes that you won't ever see, but they deserve their portion of tips.