Viking River Cruise

[Coral]

I find it interesting that the Russian based cruise lines recommend around $7-$8 per person per day for cruising and make a point of emphasizing you should tip according to your feelings about your levels of service. Why do the higher end, non Russian based lines want you to double that? Your ship is fancier, no doubt, but the work provided by staff and crew is exactly the same. (I just returned from a 13 day Russian River Cruise thru Travel All Russia/Vodohod).

 

Our tips on AMA in Russia were more then your trip on your ship. This is what they currently have posted on their website:

 

 

Gratuities to your AmaWaterways Cruise Manager, Chef, Assistant Cruise Manager and the ship crew are not included in the vacation price. While the amount of these gratuities will depend upon your degree of satisfaction for services received, many of our clients have asked us for general tipping guidelines.

 

For good service, we recommend $4 per guest, per day for the AmaWaterways staff and $15 per guest, per day for the crew, which will be divided up among the ship's personnel. It is also customary to acknowledge a particularly good performance of a local guide by leaving a tip of $2-$3 per tour and $1 for the driver. Gratuity for the ship staff, crew and local guides must be paid in cash (Rubles, USD or Euros). Credit cards are not accepted.

 

I gave more to the guides and the driver as they definitely deserved more. So we paid more then double then what you paid (also a vodohod ship).

[Nippy Sweetie]

I`m with Phoebecat on this. Unlike in North America, the European crews are paid fair wages. They do not expect it to be made up by passengers. Like the Aussies, Europeans generally only pay extra for exceptional service. It sounds like your documents, brochures etc are mostly printed in dollars and according to North American ways of doing things. As someone else posted why should we help Viking to pay their staff? We`ve already paid!

[pixiegirl-loves-travel]

Interesting. This is copied from the Travel All Russia website:

 

Tips are common in Russia but are usually smaller than in the US. For a good experience in a restaurant a 10% gratuity is considered a generous tip.

 

Please note, it is always at your own discretion to leave a tip or not. We do not require our customers to tip on any of our tours or cruises. We recommend a certain percentage only if you are satisfied with the service and feel comfortable leaving gratuity.

 

Also note, on a land tour you will have the same guide for your entire stay in each city.

Giving a tip to a guide and drivers on a group tour

If you have booked one of our small group tours, the recommended amount for a tip is the same as on a private tour. If there are 10 travelers, each can contribute from $2-3 for 8 hours of work by the guide. We recommend that someone collects the money from the rest of the group and presents it to the guide.

Giving tips on a river cruise

On river cruises, there will be a special box at the reception desk to leave a tip for the crew. In other words, you don't need to tip while on the cruise. Our general guideline for tips is to leave from $5-10 per day depending on how much you enjoyed your cruise.

Tip: You can tip in dollars, Euros, and rubles. $1 equals about 30 rubles. 300 rubles is about $10.

 

We had a sheet in a packet in our cabin- I'm sure from Vodohod where they put the recommended tipping at either $7-$8 per person per day. I thought I kept the sheet, but I can't find it...:(

 

My point is, with all of these discrepancies, someone is benefitting from the very generous tips "recommended" on certain ships. Do the crews do that much more on the fancier ships? Do they work harder? Why are people being asked to give so much more? I'm hoping the money really is going to the staff and not to paying off the fancier ships with the same itinerary and staff as the lew end ships.

[jcrandle]

After reading Viking's tipping recommendation, I think I understand what Phoebecat is asking and saying.

 

The recommended tipping amount for the Russian Cruise is "Onboard staff - $15 per person per day, the Tour Escort $10 per person per day, and then plus tipping local city guides at $2 per person per day and coach drivers $1 per person per day".

 

I roughly calculated how much I need to just carry US cash for tipping, according to the Viking's guideline - two people for a thirteen-day Russian cruise would add up to almost US$700 in tipping, that is, per cabin, and there are 98 cabins.

 

Are you guys saying that this is a common and acceptable practice and that you all paid the recommended amount plus, in some cases, extra cash to some staff as well?

 

I'm afraid you have fallen into the "advertised price" trap that cruise lines, airlines, hotels, and many other service industries foment. Perhaps you haven't shopped for an automobile lately, or doen business with a financial institution.

 

We laughingly say "Your mileage may vary", but in truth "Your total cost WILL vary." I just booked an ocean cruise at an outstanding advertised price for $449 per person US for a 7 night Alaska cruise. (In fact the deal was so good I booked two, back to back.

 

However, my research told me that the government fees and taxes would amount to an additional $113 PP, roughly 25% additional. I was also aware that the suggested gratuities were $11.50 per night, per person, for a total of $80.50 PP.

 

Did I lambast the cruise line for marketing the low price that didn't include other necessary charges? (I consider the minimum gratuity a necessary charge because of the business model the cruise lines use to compensate employees.) NO. Do I believe that all services providers should be required by law to state UP FRONT the total cost of the package? YES.

 

But until that day, it is imperative for consumer to do due diligence in their research to analyze cost versus value on their buying choices!

 

And since you have apparently been fooled once, "Shame on them."

 

If you are fooled in the future .....well, you know the second line.

[drcpa]

I sometimes think that we shouldn't talk about tipping, but perhaps focus on something less emotional, say religion or politics (but enough about tipping, what's your position on abortion? :))

Having said that, I must admit I fall in the "stop all your excuses about paying customary and reasonable tips" camp.

While I know there's a few gray areas (and cultural inconsistencies) when it comes to tipping, in most cases we all know up front when and where and how much to tip (or can certainly look it up on the internet or read about it in the accompanying brochure).

I also agree that tipping should not be done reflexively, but should have some relevance to the level of service rendered.

Tipping is a private matter and you're welcome to stiff whomever you like, but trying to defend your decision with all these justifications, calculations, rationalizations, psychology and faux logic is just that, a weak justification for being cheap because you can get away with it.

[5326jan]

Here is an article: http://travel.usatoday.com/news/story/2012-08-02/What-you-need-to-know-about-tipping/56721324/1

 

It's not just us discussing whether or not we've "reached the tipping point"! :)

[sjbj]

I sometimes think that we shouldn't talk about tipping, but perhaps focus on something less emotional, say religion or politics (but enough about tipping, what's your position on abortion? :))

Having said that, I must admit I fall in the "stop all your excuses about paying customary and reasonable tips" camp.

While I know there's a few gray areas (and cultural inconsistencies) when it comes to tipping, in most cases we all know up front when and where and how much to tip (or can certainly look it up on the internet or read about it in the accompanying brochure).

I also agree that tipping should not be done reflexively, but should have some relevance to the level of service rendered.

Tipping is a private matter and you're welcome to stiff whomever you like, but trying to defend your decision with all these justifications, calculations, rationalizations, psychology and faux logic is just that, a weak justification for being cheap because you can get away with it.

 

Well said!!!

[Nippy Sweetie]

I sometimes think that we shouldn't talk about tipping, but perhaps focus on something less emotional, say religion or politics (but enough about tipping, what's your position on abortion? :))

Having said that, I must admit I fall in the "stop all your excuses about paying customary and reasonable tips" camp.

While I know there's a few gray areas (and cultural inconsistencies) when it comes to tipping, in most cases we all know up front when and where and how much to tip (or can certainly look it up on the internet or read about it in the accompanying brochure).

I also agree that tipping should not be done reflexively, but should have some relevance to the level of service rendered.

Tipping is a private matter and you're welcome to stiff whomever you like, but trying to defend your decision with all these justifications, calculations, rationalizations, psychology and faux logic is just that, a weak justification for being cheap because you can get away with it.

Simply by the use of the words "stiff" and "cheap" you reveal your North American origins! Previous threads have covered the fact that staff are just not paid the same way as in North America over here. Its been said time and time again. You keep doing things your way and we`ll do it ours. You think we`re wrong, we think you`re wrong but hey ho. We wont agree re tipping as we come from completely different cultural and economic backgrounds - why dont you just pay staff back home properly anyway so they dont have to rely on tips? It works for us here and in Oz. Now lets get on to religion and politics...........

[2onboardagain]

Simply by the use of the words "stiff" and "cheap" you reveal your North American origins! Previous threads have covered the fact that staff are just not paid the same way as in North America over here. Its been said time and time again. You keep doing things your way and we`ll do it ours. You think we`re wrong, we think you`re wrong but hey ho. We wont agree re tipping as we come from completely different cultural and economic backgrounds - why dont you just pay staff back home properly anyway so they dont have to rely on tips? It works for us here and in Oz. Now lets get on to religion and politics...........

 

I could not help but notice that you are from Scotland, the birthplace of Golf, a game that is near and dear to millions of us worldwide. Golf is a game with established rules that some would find absolutely crazy but we adhere to them because they are part of the game. In a like manner river cruises have their own published rules and one of them has to deal with tipping. Some cruise lines like Tauck say that tipping is not necessary and that is the rule that both passengers and crew members know exists and that is fair. But cruise lines that have a "tipping policy" set a different parameter for both passengers and crew. The crew member enters into a contract of employment with the expectation that the passenger will be pleased with his or her service and will add a gratuity at the end of the voyage. To borrow from the golf lexicon, for a passenger on a "tipping cruise" to declare that since the cruise is in Europe there is no need to tip is attempting to issue himself a "mulligan" that is not deserved and is of course cheating the rest of the "players" on that course who are fully conforming with the rules.

[berkshireboy]

I always fully research the expected level of tips before booking a cruise and take that sum into consideration when pricing the trip.

 

I have just returned from Viking's Imperial Jewels of China cruise which I booked over twelve months ago. When I booked the suggested level of tips on board the Emerald per Viking's web page in the UK was £5 [$7.5] per day. It remained at this level until the end of June this year when the wording on the website was altered and the suggested gratuity level was left to the passengers discretion. This coincided with the arrival of our travel documents which said that the recommended gratuity was $15 per day - or double the amount of when I booked. When I tackled Viking UK about the discrepancy I was told that I should pay what the service warranted. Of course I will always pay the recommended amount and, in fact, when paying by credit card on board I was told the amount that would be debited [ie number of days at $15 by 2]. I know I could have made a fuss and reduced the amount but why should I be put in that position and spoil the trip.

 

Since my return I have done some research into the level of tips on Yangtze river cruises. First, on the Emerald each crew member receives a share of the tip [we were told on more than one occasion that it is divided and that everyone on board from the Captain downwards gets their share - I must admit I have never tipped the Captain before!]. On a six day cruise with an average of 220 passengers the tips collected would amount to nearly $20000. In addition, because the tips are calculated on a daily rather than a nightly basis, [as on ocean cruises], the crew receive double tips on the first and last day of the cruise from the outgoing and incoming passengers. This amounts to a further $6600. This amount divided amongst the 140 crew on an equal basis means that everyone would receive around $19 per day in addition to their normal salary. Not a bad tip considering that China is not really a tipping society.

 

It is difficult to ascertain what other Yangtze cruises charge as most say it is at the discretion of the passenger. However I looked at Victoria Cruises which is American operated using 5 star boats. On their Grand Yangtze cruise, which takes 9 days, the total tip is $45 or exactly one third of Vikings. The other cruise company I looked at was Century Cruises who actually own the Emerald and operate it on behalf of Viking. They have four other boats in operation on the Yangtze with two new ones due to join next year. All the boats are modern and of a similar standard to the Emerald. On their website they recommend a gratuity of $8 -$10 per day [more in line with the original amount suggested by Viking UK]. Why is the level of gratuity so much higher on the Emerald than the other boats in the fleet - I don't know.

 

The bottom line is is that the crew on the Emerald are not being taken advantage of [or "stiffed" to use the American expression]. Indeed I suggest that it is the passenger who might think he's been taken advantage of given the above figures. [And I do apologize for the detail of this response but it was the only way I could give a reasoned response to some of the postings on here.]

 

In conclusion, however good your research is when booking,if changes like this can occur a fortnight before sailing then it is a complete waste of time to undertake that research in the first place.

[2onboardagain]

I always fully research the expected level of tips before booking a cruise and take that sum into consideration when pricing the trip.

 

I have just returned from Viking's Imperial Jewels of China cruise which I booked over twelve months ago. When I booked the suggested level of tips on board the Emerald per Viking's web page in the UK was £5 [$7.5] per day. It remained at this level until the end of June this year when the wording on the website was altered and the suggested gratuity level was left to the passengers discretion. This coincided with the arrival of our travel documents which said that the recommended gratuity was $15 per day - or double the amount of when I booked. When I tackled Viking UK about the discrepancy I was told that I should pay what the service warranted. Of course I will always pay the recommended amount and, in fact, when paying by credit card on board I was told the amount that would be debited [ie number of days at $15 by 2]. I know I could have made a fuss and reduced the amount but why should I be put in that position and spoil the trip.

 

Since my return I have done some research into the level of tips on Yangtze river cruises. First, on the Emerald each crew member receives a share of the tip [we were told on more than one occasion that it is divided and that everyone on board from the Captain downwards gets their share - I must admit I have never tipped the Captain before!]. On a six day cruise with an average of 220 passengers the tips collected would amount to nearly $20000. In addition, because the tips are calculated on a daily rather than a nightly basis, [as on ocean cruises], the crew receive double tips on the first and last day of the cruise from the outgoing and incoming passengers. This amounts to a further $6600. This amount divided amongst the 140 crew on an equal basis means that everyone would receive around $19 per day in addition to their normal salary. Not a bad tip considering that China is not really a tipping society.

 

It is difficult to ascertain what other Yangtze cruises charge as most say it is at the discretion of the passenger. However I looked at Victoria Cruises which is American operated using 5 star boats. On their Grand Yangtze cruise, which takes 9 days, the total tip is $45 or exactly one third of Vikings. The other cruise company I looked at was Century Cruises who actually own the Emerald and operate it on behalf of Viking. They have four other boats in operation on the Yangtze with two new ones due to join next year. All the boats are modern and of a similar standard to the Emerald. On their website they recommend a gratuity of $8 -$10 per day [more in line with the original amount suggested by Viking UK]. Why is the level of gratuity so much higher on the Emerald than the other boats in the fleet - I don't know.

 

The bottom line is is that the crew on the Emerald are not being taken advantage of [or "stiffed" to use the American expression]. Indeed I suggest that it is the passenger who might think he's been taken advantage of given the above figures. [And I do apologize for the detail of this response but it was the only way I could give a reasoned response to some of the postings on here.]

 

In conclusion, however good your research is when booking,if changes like this can occur a fortnight before sailing then it is a complete waste of time to undertake that research in the first place.

 

My one experience with paying river boat gratuities was on the Viking Njord this past June. It was a 14 night cruise and the gratuity was calculated by the front desk for 14 days so in my case at least there was no "extra" days being calculated. If this happened to you then you have a valid complaint that you should bring to the attention of the cruise line.

[jacksonnh]

Over the years I've always done research on the cities and towns that we will be visiting and never have I researched anything on tipping nor do I care about recommendations on the subject. I tip what I want and enjoy the cruise and the people I meet.

[newlondon]

jacksonnh--Live free or die--newlondon nh

[jacksonnh]

newlondon nh - beautiful part of the state. We will be leaving the end of Aug for a S. France cruise and the spending 4 days on our own in Munich. Do you have a trip planned?

Dave

[newlondon]

Your's is special too. Yes we're leaving for Uniworld's Grand France on 8/16 too be followed by 4 days in the Dordogne stuffing on foie gras:mad:

Bucket trip in Jan. Sydney to Hong Kong on Regent Voyager:D

[Miz Aris]

We just did a Viking cruise in April, and Viking gives you the option to either add the gratuities to your account when you settle on disembarkation day or to offer the gratuities individuallly. They will give you envelopes if you desire to provide the gratuities on an individual basis.

Have a great cruise!

 

 

We're doing a Viking River Cruise in November and it quite clearly states in the blurb we received, that all tipping is included in our fare.

 

Can someone explain to me about the envelopes? Are they given to passengers for an EXTRA tip?

 

We have done ocean cruising previously and tipping was included in our room/bar account at the end of the trip - over and above the fare. Will this happen on Viking even though we have theoretically already paid it with the fare?

 

We're really having difficulty getting a handle on how this works on Viking.

[Sylve1]

We're doing a Viking River Cruise in November and it quite clearly states in the blurb we received, that all tipping is included in our fare.

 

Can someone explain to me about the envelopes? Are they given to passengers for an EXTRA tip?

 

We have done ocean cruising previously and tipping was included in our room/bar account at the end of the trip - over and above the fare. Will this happen on Viking even though we have theoretically already paid it with the fare?

 

We're really having difficulty getting a handle on how this works on Viking.

We just got our documents for our Avalon cruise and tipping is included in our fare . We received two envelopes each for tips but have vouchers to put in them stating we have paid gratuities. Our TA said they use the vouchers to claim the gratuities. Presume a similar system is used on Viking. Of course you can put in extra I guess.

[pflorio994]

We're doing a Viking River Cruise in November and it quite clearly states in the blurb we received, that all tipping is included in our fare.

 

Can someone explain to me about the envelopes? Are they given to passengers for an EXTRA tip?

 

We have done ocean cruising previously and tipping was included in our room/bar account at the end of the trip - over and above the fare. Will this happen on Viking even though we have theoretically already paid it with the fare?

 

We're really having difficulty getting a handle on how this works on Viking.

 

I have never had tipping included in any of my Viking trips. Here is what they say on http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/about-your-trip/tipping.aspx :

 

"Tips are not included in your cruise price, but are a voluntary way of showing satisfaction for good service. You may tip onboard staff in cash if you like, or you may charge your tips to your credit card at the end of the cruise (everywhere except Egypt and Southeast Asia). These gratuities are distributed among the ship’s staff, including your Program Director. The tour escorts that travel with you in Egypt, Southeast Asia, China, Russia and Ukraine and the on-board Program Director in Russia and Ukraine do not share in the onboard staff gratuities – it is customary to tip them separately and in cash."

 

When you receive your bill on your final night, they leave an envelope for the tipping if you prefer to do it that way or you can just add to your bill.

[pacmom]

Usually tipping is ioncluded in the Aussie fare.

[rjscott]

Usually tipping is ioncluded in the Aussie fare.

 

Ahh, thank you for adding this. I was so confused, as I had asked my TA about the gratuities in advance. If we wanted to pay for things in cash, I knew it had to be in euros, so wanted to check and see if our gratuities had to be in cash or could be charged to our acct. When Miz Aris referenced my post and said that her docs specifically said tips were included, I was dumbfounded. Your post explains the difference. Thx!

[Spudee]

I have never had tipping included in any of my Viking trips. Here is what they say on http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/about-your-trip/tipping.aspx :

 

"Tips are not included in your cruise price, but are a voluntary way of showing satisfaction for good service. You may tip onboard staff in cash if you like, or you may charge your tips to your credit card at the end of the cruise (everywhere except Egypt and Southeast Asia). These gratuities are distributed among the ship’s staff, including your Program Director. The tour escorts that travel with you in Egypt, Southeast Asia, China, Russia and Ukraine and the on-board Program Director in Russia and Ukraine do not share in the onboard staff gratuities – it is customary to tip them separately and in cash."

 

When you receive your bill on your final night, they leave an envelope for the tipping if you prefer to do it that way or you can just add to your bill.

 

Well like an earlier poster, I too am now confused! We have booked a Viking cruise for October and note this which appears om their web site http://www.vikingrivercruises.com.au/termsconditions.aspx

 

"TIPS/GRATUITIES

 

Shipboard gratuities are included in your cruise fare for Europe, Russia and China river cruises. Gratuities for Program Directors and local city guides are not included in your fare."

 

So, apart from the people mentioned by Viking, we will tip crew on-board as we see fit.

 

Anyway, personally I see 'mandatory' tipping as the 'American disease' and should not be followed as a matter of course. Down under we generally tip for good service and tip well for exceptional service.

[Miz Aris]

AHA - it all becomes clear!! Onboard tipping is covered in the fare if you are Australian and pay in AU$. Local city guides and drivers - we need to tip separately on each side tour. I think I've got it!!!