Gratuities

[mahonie]

We have booked the Ryndam, Scandinavia and Russia, Holland and America cruise for the beginning of June.

Is it possible to opt out of the automatic addition of gratuities and give our own tips, in cash, to the people we want ?

[aohkay]

Why would you want to do that?

[Gonzo70]

Welcome to Cruise Critic,

 

While it might be possible, it would be a terrible thing to do. These daily service charges are how the hard working crew receive their pay! It is not the type of tip that is only awarded to those who have provided outstanding service, but it is more of a service charge for basic expected service. You can always hand out a little extra cash at the end of the cruise to any crew that went above and beyond and made your cruise special. On most lines when people do skimp out of the daily service charge, any cash they hand to crew members must be turned in by those crew members to be pooled and distributed by the cruise line.

[Daisyloo]

We have booked the Ryndam, Scandinavia and Russia, Holland and America cruise for the beginning of June.

Is it possible to opt out of the automatic addition of gratuities and give our own tips, in cash, to the people we want ?

 

You could do it but don't. There are lots of behind the scenes workers who are all working very hard to provide you with a wonderful cruise. They all deserve their share of the gratuities. You can always tip a bit more to people who go above and beyond.

[YubaSutter]

We have booked the Ryndam, Scandinavia and Russia, Holland and America cruise for the beginning of June.

Is it possible to opt out of the automatic addition of gratuities and give our own tips, in cash, to the people we want ?

 

Yes there is. You can opt out of auto tips at the front desk.

[Dayenu]

We have booked the Ryndam, Scandinavia and Russia, Holland and America cruise for the beginning of June.

Is it possible to opt out of the automatic addition of gratuities and give our own tips, in cash, to the people we want ?

 

Yes, you can, but keep in mind - they MUST put the same amount as would be automatic into the tip pool, and can keep only additional. The best you can do is to leave the auto-tip, and tip in cash if you want, additional. By removing the auto-tip you can do more harm than good.

[Gonzo70]

Yes there is. You can opt out of auto tips at the front desk.

 

Please do not tell half truths. While technically you can usually do this, you need to explain the full story. If someone is does this they are depriving the hard working crew of their pay. This is their salary. They do not get to keep cash tips you hand out if you opt out of the daily service charge. There is almost no circumstance where it is justified to do this unless in the highly unlikely event you receive bad service, notify management, and the poor service continues.

[Donray]

We have booked the Ryndam, Scandinavia and Russia, Holland and America cruise for the beginning of June.

Is it possible to opt out of the automatic addition of gratuities and give our own tips, in cash, to the people we want ?

 

Would you be tipping more then what the auto gratuities amount too?

[Putterdude]

If after reading all of the above, you still are inclined to opt out of the auto-tip, you will need to check with the Passenger Services Desk as if I recall correctly there is only a small window time to opt out at the beginning of the cruise and at the end of it.

To be clear, I certainly am not advocating opting out of the program.

[SheriAZ]

I think most of us have this question before our first cruise. You can remove the auto tips. You can tip however you like. I think you will find that auto tips is the most fair way to tip. You can tip extra to any staff you choose. They will take such good care of you, you will probably want to. I know I did, even though I was watching my budget.

 

Auto tip ensures the people you don't see get a share of the tips. If you remove the auto tip, the cash has to be turned into the tip pool.

[YubaSutter]

Please do not tell half truths. While technically you can usually do this, you need to explain the full story. If someone is does this they are depriving the hard working crew of their pay. This is their salary. They do not get to keep cash tips you hand out if you opt out of the daily service charge. There is almost no circumstance where it is justified to do this unless in the highly unlikely event you receive bad service, notify management, and the poor service continues.

 

The OP asked if there was a way to opt out and pay by hand. My answer is the whole truth. It wasn't a moral debate on tipping. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Long time HAL cruiser here.

On HAL the automatic tips are called Hotel Servive Charge. Yes -- you can opt out of it -- you will sign a form and you must give a reason for opting out.

BUT -- when you opt out of the Hotel Service Charge -- and cash tips you give to anyone MUST be turned in. The crew are not allowed to keep it. Those monies are then pooled among everyone.

Once you have signed that form -- your name is turned over to the various supervisors. The supervisors then inform the crew working under them. The crew members are on their honor to turn in those monies if they don't lose their jobs.

Monies that go into the pool are divided among all the cabin stewards, dining room staff, Pinnacle staff, Canaletto staff, laundry workers, people you see polishing andd cleaning around the ship, kitchen staff, etc. -- the behind the scenes workers.

When this program began several years ago we actually watched one couple get into a fight in the dining room with the dining room manager when they tried to give their waiter a tip and he had turned over the money to his supervisor since they had opted out of the Hotel Service Charge.

Also remember that any bottled water, cocktails, sodas, etc. that you order will have a 15% gratuity added onto the bill.

We leave the Hotel Service Charge in place. And we tip extra to those who have made our cruise an enjoyable one.

[Maimou]

Long time HAL cruiser here.

 

On HAL the automatic tips are called Hotel Servive Charge. Yes -- you can opt out of it -- you will sign a form and you must give a reason for opting out.

 

BUT -- when you opt out of the Hotel Service Charge -- and cash tips you give to anyone MUST be turned in. The crew are not allowed to keep it. Those monies are then pooled among everyone.

 

Once you have signed that form -- your name is turned over to the various supervisors. The supervisors then inform the crew working under them. The crew members are on their honor to turn in those monies if they don't lose their jobs.

 

Monies that go into the pool are divided among all the cabin stewards, dining room staff, Pinnacle staff, Canaletto staff, laundry workers, people you see polishing andd cleaning around the ship, kitchen staff, etc. -- the behind the scenes workers.

 

When this program began several years ago we actually watched one couple get into a fight in the dining room with the dining room manager when they tried to give their waiter a tip and he had turned over the money to his supervisor since they had opted out of the Hotel Service Charge.

 

Also remember that any bottled water, cocktails, sodas, etc. that you order will have a 15% gratuity added onto the bill.

 

We leave the Hotel Service Charge in place. And we tip extra to those who have made our cruise an enjoyable one.

 

 

So if I leave the Hotel Service Charge in place AND hand out the extra tip to the exceptional service people, they don't have to turn in that extra tip from me? I don't mind the thought of the HSC, and I surely don't mind giving out a little extra to the ones that really make a difference for me. I just would like to be sure that special person gets to keep it.

[gdisney]

The OP asked if there was a way to opt out and pay by hand. My answer is the whole truth. It wasn't a moral debate on tipping. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

I agree, you gave the simple answer to the OP. Glad to see someone will just answer a question without giving a lecture :)

[iheartbda]

I agree, you gave the simple answer to the OP. Glad to see someone will just answer a question without giving a lecture :)

I didn't see it as a moral debate but rather an explnantion of what happens if you do remove the tips.

 

BTW, if someone does remove the tips, the person they are handing it directly to actually ends ups getting less since it has to be pooled and then divided among others.

[sparky-elpaso]

So if I leave the Hotel Service Charge in place AND hand out the extra tip to the exceptional service people, they don't have to turn in that extra tip from me? I don't mind the thought of the HSC, and I surely don't mind giving out a little extra to the ones that really make a difference for me. I just would like to be sure that special person gets to keep it.

 

Correct. The crews of HAL ships are incredible.

[gdisney]

I didn't see it as a moral debate but rather an explnantion of what happens if you do remove the tips.

 

BTW, if someone does remove the tips, the person they are handing it directly to actually ends ups getting less since it has to be pooled and then divided among others.

 

Yes, some of the above posts were good explanations, and I certainly don't mind those. Krazy Kruisers was, I thought, a good one for example. I for one was interested to learn that all tips given by hand on HAL had to be turned in and pooled (though only, it seems, if you opted out of auto-tipping?). It seems this isn't necessarily done this way on other lines, at least that's been my impression.

[dave_k63]

I always pre-pay my gratuities on Carnival( the only ships I have ever cruised on) and give extra at the end of the trip to our cabin stewards and the wait staff. Does this mean they have to split the extra with other people, or can they keep it.

Thanks

[sparky-elpaso]

I always pre-pay my gratuities on Carnival( the only ships I have ever cruised on) and give extra at the end of the trip to our cabin stewards and the wait staff. Does this mean they have to split the extra with other people, or can they keep it.

Thanks

 

I imagine any extra they get they can keep. I think the way it works is pretty much the same on all the cruise lines - even though they may call it by different names.

[Donder1]

The answer is, as many have stated above, yes. I think that because there have been so many threads on the issue of tips, many folks discourage the practice of opting out because it really hurts the hard working staff. We always keep it in and tip extra, too. We plan it in the overall cost of the trip.

[navybankerteacher]

We have booked the Ryndam, Scandinavia and Russia, Holland and America cruise for the beginning of June.

Is it possible to opt out of the automatic addition of gratuities and give our own tips, in cash, to the people we want ?

 

The answer is effectively: no. On Holland America, if you opt out of the automatic service charge, any cash tips you might give must be turned into the general pool. A passenger opting out has to state his reason, the staff are advised and are aware that they are then required to turn in any cash tips received - at risk of losing their jobs if they fail to do so.

 

So, while it is possible to opt out and then hand out tips, the staff members who receive such tips do not get to keep them.

[Putterdude]

So if I leave the Hotel Service Charge in place AND hand out the extra tip to the exceptional service people, they don't have to turn in that extra tip from me? I don't mind the thought of the HSC, and I surely don't mind giving out a little extra to the ones that really make a difference for me. I just would like to be sure that special person gets to keep it.

 

Yes, any money received by a service person over an above the amount of the auto-tip can be kept by them. We always put the extra tip in a envelope with a note of thanks and on the front of the envelope put our names and cabin number on it...this just makes it easier for the service person to deal with his supervisor...if you don't put your name and cabin number on the envelope the recipient will often ask you for it.

[Krazy Kruizers]

So if I leave the Hotel Service Charge in place AND hand out the extra tip to the exceptional service people, they don't have to turn in that extra tip from me? I don't mind the thought of the HSC, and I surely don't mind giving out a little extra to the ones that really make a difference for me. I just would like to be sure that special person gets to keep it.

 

Yes

As long as you keep the Hotel Service Charge in place on HAL -- the extra tips that you give anyone -- they are allowed to keep it and don't have to put it into a pool.

[Warmer Climes]

I for one was interested to learn that all tips given by hand on HAL had to be turned in and pooled (though only, it seems, if you opted out of auto-tipping?). It seems this isn't necessarily done this way on other lines, at least that's been my impression.

 

This is what is done on NCL, also, if you have the DSC removed.

[ithaca gal]

Wish the OP had answered the question of why she wanted to remove the auto-tips.