Canceling gratuity

[Randyk47]

I tend to believe that the tips are there to make up for a poor wage, however, as I don't know what HAL or the other cruise lines pay, I can't comment further, but I suspect that could be the case.

 

I really can't speak with specific knowledge of what cruise lines pay or what the typical service crew member gets out of the tip or gratuity system. We cruised on the Silversea Wind last year and actually ran into an ex-HAL staff who remembered us from our HAL cruises. We chatted several times over the next 14 days and one of the things we talked about was a very brief comparison of HAL and Silversea. The bottom line for her was higher pay, shorter contracts, and overall better working conditions. She had been part of HAL's "shakedown crew" responsible for training bartenders for new ships so she was a relatively senior. On Silversea she was the head beverage manager. Obviously she would speak glowingly of her new employer, you'd expect nothing else, but my impression was that she was happy. Over the cruise I discovered there were some six ex-HAL employees on the ship but then again there were crew and staff from several different lines. The cruise director and I talked about this a bit and he said that it made perfectly good sense for them to hire experienced staff from other lines. He said as large as the total industry is that they really actually know and actively recruit individuals. As I recall he'd come to Silversea years ago from RCCL.

[RuthC]

Remember, too, it's not only eliminating the Hotel Service Charge, then paying a cash tip to individuals, that requires those recipients to turn in the cash tips.

Should you reduce the Hotel Service Charge, but leave some amount to be shared by the pool, anyone receiving a cash tip is also required to turn those funds in.

[NMLady]

If you read my post I tipped everyone in EURO's including my room steward.

 

Doesn't matter how/what you tipped. Because you'd removed the automatic "gratuities" then everyone you tipped had to turn those tips in for the pool since there are 'behind the scenes' people who also share in that pool.

[ANSalberg]

Some experienced cruiser who works with my wife advised her to always request waiving gratuity from the ship and pay individuals instead. . I said let me clarify from my cc friends because that doesn't sound reasonable to me. I could be wrong. Does anyone have a comment on this proposal ?

 

 

Thank you CC family :)

taneous@hotmail.com

 

Please don't do this. MANY people from Indonesia and Philippines NEED this money for them/their families to survive. They ALL - the room and dining room stewards you SEE and some you can't/don't see - Are WONDERFUL -spectacularly wonderful.

Thank you. ;)

[NMLady]

Casino staff are concessionaires/contractors. They, along with the other concessionaires (Spa/Fitness/Photo/Art/Shops/internet mngr/Port Shopping amb.) are not part of the HSC distribution. Club HAL staff fall under Entertainment, along with stage crew, sound, lighting & rigging techs , musicians, techspert, location guide, DJ/Emcee, culinary arts center host, librarian and cast members. They are also not included in the HSC distribution

 

When you say casino staff are concessionaires/contractors are you also talking about the table dealers? I always thought the dealers were HAL crew members who rotated duties on the ship. Am I wrong?

[Copper10-8]

When you say casino staff are concessionaires/contractors are you also talking about the table dealers? I always thought the dealers were HAL crew members who rotated duties on the ship. Am I wrong?

 

Casino staff includes the Casino manager, asst. manager, supervisors, hosts, dealers, technician and head cashier. They are all concessionaires/contractors temporarily under contract to HAL. The dealers do rotate through the various table/game positions on a nightly basis but they remain concessionaires. You won't find any other HAL crew members working the Casino

[Copper10-8]

...................Guess I forgot about quite a few! I never thought about the librarian. Does s/he come under the "entertainment" umbrella?

.

 

Yes, and falls under the supervision of the Event Manager and CD

[sail7seas]

Copper.......

Your badge avatar is so perfect for today....September 11.

Thanks for posting with it.

[dr.dawg]

no'love boats' anymore; just charity cruises. well, i contribute to charities for the poor here at home through my church. these staff and crew do not constitute 'charities.' if they do their work, no tip. if they go beyond, then tip left on. really excellent, friendly, etc, then extra tips. so i'm not buying anyone's attempt at a guilt trip. and if 'they' push me to it on the last night of the cruise to have to justify removing the 'voluntary' 'auto-tip', i'll be ready with lots of reasons. and if they refuse or put up a fight, well, say hi to my lawyer. and as far as making public any list of those who remove the tips, well, defamation comes easily to mind. i pay for my cruise and abide by the mandatory 'rules.' i am not an inmate.

[kazu]

no'love boats' anymore; just charity cruises. well, i contribute to charities for the poor here at home through my church. these staff and crew do not constitute 'charities.' if they do their work, no tip. if they go beyond, then tip left on. really excellent, friendly, etc, then extra tips. so i'm not buying anyone's attempt at a guilt trip. and if 'they' push me to it on the last night of the cruise to have to justify removing the 'voluntary' 'auto-tip', i'll be ready with lots of reasons. and if they refuse or put up a fight, well, say hi to my lawyer. and as far as making public any list of those who remove the tips, well, defamation comes easily to mind. i pay for my cruise and abide by the mandatory 'rules.' i am not an inmate.

 

and for these very reasons, I wish they would make you sign a form when you board as Wakepatrol suggested. removing the auto tip should only be permitted under the most EXCEPTIONAL circumstances. Somehow, it doesn't sound like yours would be.

 

We give to charity at home too. I DO NOT consider the crew charity. The auto tip (or hsc) is for the service provided. Plain and simple. Since many you do not see add to your enjoyment - it seems a shame to deprive them all if one person has not met your expectations.

[Watson's aunt]

the Crewpeople also have to go before there boses and explain why no tip was made. I wonder if you recieve a bonus where you work, or a free lunch or other thing. Or even a raise. I am sure you refuse them all because you are just doing your job and don't need any reward.

I am sure you are demanding. Maybe they did not iron your sheets for the week you are in your cabin. Don't leave a tip the crew will treat you just and great as they do the rest of us.

 

Mary

[NMLady]

Casino staff includes the Casino manager, asst. manager, supervisors, hosts, dealers, technician and head cashier. They are all concessionaires/contractors temporarily under contract to HAL. The dealers do rotate through the various table/game positions on a nightly basis but they remain concessionaires. You won't find any other HAL crew members working the Casino

 

Thanks for that clarification. I guess when the casino is not open, for example in port, they have free time. Since I thought they were crew members I thought they rotated to other duties on the ship.

[NMLady]

no'love boats' anymore; just charity cruises. well, i contribute to charities for the poor here at home through my church. these staff and crew do not constitute 'charities.' if they do their work, no tip. if they go beyond, then tip left on. really excellent, friendly, etc, then extra tips. so i'm not buying anyone's attempt at a guilt trip. and if 'they' push me to it on the last night of the cruise to have to justify removing the 'voluntary' 'auto-tip', i'll be ready with lots of reasons. and if they refuse or put up a fight, well, say hi to my lawyer. and as far as making public any list of those who remove the tips, well, defamation comes easily to mind. i pay for my cruise and abide by the mandatory 'rules.' i am not an inmate.

 

I presume then that when eating out in a restaurant you also do not leave a tip since the waiter/waitress is just doing their work.

[Randyk47]

I certainly don't think of the Hotel Service Charge as giving to a "charity" nor do I consider it really a tip. It's a fee in my mind and I'd be perfectly happy if they just charged it in the fare base. Some lines do that and it's not called out as a separate charge line like taxes or port fees. There's nothing to cancel. If you have a problem with service you go to the hotel manager or front desk or whoever. Works for me.

[Wakepatrol]

no'love boats' anymore; just charity cruises. well, i contribute to charities for the poor here at home through my church. these staff and crew do not constitute 'charities.' if they do their work, no tip. if they go beyond, then tip left on. really excellent, friendly, etc, then extra tips. so i'm not buying anyone's attempt at a guilt trip. and if 'they' push me to it on the last night of the cruise to have to justify removing the 'voluntary' 'auto-tip', i'll be ready with lots of reasons. and if they refuse or put up a fight, well, say hi to my lawyer. and as far as making public any list of those who remove the tips, well, defamation comes easily to mind. i pay for my cruise and abide by the mandatory 'rules.' i am not an inmate.

 

You must be so proud:)

[peaches from georgia]

The HSC is not a gratuity, it is what it says it is - a charge for service provided or a fee. Hotels automatically put it on your bill and there's none of this nonsense of disputing it, reducing it, or refusing to pay it. It is so much nicer when it is included in the basic fare and paid before you board and forgotten. The mass market lines should just collude and all put it in the fare and forget these ridiculous games of making the cheapskates sign forms to get out of paying, grilling their employees on what they did wrong, etc. If all the lines made the fee part of the fare it would be better and more convenient for everybody.

[catl331]

no'love boats' anymore; just charity cruises. well, i contribute to charities for the poor here at home through my church. these staff and crew do not constitute 'charities.' if they do their work, no tip. if they go beyond, then tip left on. really excellent, friendly, etc, then extra tips. so i'm not buying anyone's attempt at a guilt trip. and if 'they' push me to it on the last night of the cruise to have to justify removing the 'voluntary' 'auto-tip', i'll be ready with lots of reasons. and if they refuse or put up a fight, well, say hi to my lawyer. and as far as making public any list of those who remove the tips, well, defamation comes easily to mind. i pay for my cruise and abide by the mandatory 'rules.' i am not an inmate.

When you eat in a European restaurant that adds a service charge, do you attempt to get that removed too? How is that received? Do they call police?

 

If it true, as been suggested by other posters, that HAL makes an annotation in your records when you remove the HSC and passes that information on to future cruises, I can see why you're so unhappy about the service on your recent HAL cruises! If I was your steward and knew your record I certainly wouldn't do more than the absolute minimum for you.

[Thebes]

The HSC is not a gratuity, it is what it says it is - a charge for service provided or a fee. Hotels automatically put it on your bill and there's none of this nonsense of disputing it, reducing it, or refusing to pay it. It is so much nicer when it is included in the basic fare and paid before you board and forgotten. The mass market lines should just collude and all put it in the fare and forget these ridiculous games of making the cheapskates sign forms to get out of paying, grilling their employees on what they did wrong, etc. If all the lines made the fee part of the fare it would be better and more convenient for everybody.

 

Totally agree. These employees work a hard job traveling and leaving their fam. They should be rewarded in my book.

[Watson's aunt]

hi

 

the young man who was my table waiter was also helping guests get off the tender and then helping them get back on. So these wonderful people have many tasks. I hope some day these cheepstakes have children, grandchildren working to get money to college or support work in a restaurant or hotel and depend on tips

[Copper10-8]

hi

 

the young man who was my table waiter was also helping guests get off the tender and then helping them get back on. So these wonderful people have many tasks. I hope some day these cheepstakes have children' date=' grandchildren working to get money to college or support work in a restaurant or hotel and depend on tips[/quote']

 

That's called Mobility Assist Team or MAT team. It's shared in ports (both when docked and tender ports) among Housekeeping, Dining Room and Beverage, usually two crew from each Dept. on one hour shifts

[1160451]

Hi, coming from the UK we have a different take on this subject.

The principle of tipping is not as set in stone as in the States.

We do tip over here but often round up and if that's 10% or 2% then so be it.

We are aghast when we see 15 to 18% added to a bill as we saw in New York.

We went on a HAL back to back 3 week cruise in January and reduced the tips to about 75% of the recommend. We do that because our perception that 12$ each per day or whatever it was is too much, even if the service is fantastic.

On all our cruises we leave the automatic tip on if we think the amount is right. Usually we leave it on when we cruise with Fred Olsen, Thompson or P and O.

These are UK lines and the automatic tip is no where near what they are on HAL.

Now if it is true that they have to pool the tips then that may make me reconsider if I ever cruise with HAL again.

We do tip bar staff at the end of a cruise if they have looked after us over and above what we expect as standard.

Interesting reading all these posts, nearly as intense as dress codes.

Happy cruising.

[kazu]

Hi, coming from the UK we have a different take on this subject.

The principle of tipping is not as set in stone as in the States.

We do tip over here but often round up and if that's 10% or 2% then so be it.

We are aghast when we see 15 to 18% added to a bill as we saw in New York.

We went on a HAL back to back 3 week cruise in January and reduced the tips to about 75% of the recommend. We do that because our perception that 12$ each per day or whatever it was is too much, even if the service is fantastic.

On all our cruises we leave the automatic tip on if we think the amount is right. Usually we leave it on when we cruise with Fred Olsen, Thompson or P and O.

These are UK lines and the automatic tip is no where near what they are on HAL.

Now if it is true that they have to pool the tips then that may make me reconsider if I ever cruise with HAL again.

We do tip bar staff at the end of a cruise if they have looked after us over and above what we expect as standard.

Interesting reading all these posts, nearly as intense as dress codes.

Happy cruising.

 

When in Rome....... when we travel to Europe or the UK we follow their practices. The reverse should be true. You might think it's too much (and that's totally understandable), but the bottom line is - it's part of the cruise price - to justify it because you don't do it at home - sorry, you're not at home. So when in Rome.....:D

[1160451]

Hi Kazu

I think on reflection that you make a valid point.

I wasn't actually coming down on one side or the other just trying to explain the difference in mindset that we have.

As I say reading all the posts and thinking about "when in Rome", if I cruise on the American lines in the future then I will take your council.

Happy cruising.......

[RJ2002]

Hi, coming from the UK we have a different take on this subject.

The principle of tipping is not as set in stone as in the States.

We do tip over here but often round up and if that's 10% or 2% then so be it.

We are aghast when we see 15 to 18% added to a bill as we saw in New York.

We went on a HAL back to back 3 week cruise in January and reduced the tips to about 75% of the recommend. We do that because our perception that 12$ each per day or whatever it was is too much, even if the service is fantastic.

On all our cruises we leave the automatic tip on if we think the amount is right. Usually we leave it on when we cruise with Fred Olsen, Thompson or P and O.

These are UK lines and the automatic tip is no where near what they are on HAL.

Now if it is true that they have to pool the tips then that may make me reconsider if I ever cruise with HAL again.

We do tip bar staff at the end of a cruise if they have looked after us over and above what we expect as standard.

Interesting reading all these posts, nearly as intense as dress codes.

Happy cruising.

 

We were in London earlier this year, and found tipping to be alive and well. We generally tipped around 10%, which is what I've seen as standard in the UK when researching the topic on the internet. Now, these were restaurants where we were waited on. They were not casual places where you order at the counter. In fact, at one restaurant, a service charge was levied.

[serendipity1499]

IMO those who remove the service charge are miserly & should not be permitted to remove it..I too wonder what they do when they travel all over the world & the service charge is added to their checks..Wonder if they make a stink about it?

Many times we will give those people who have made our cruises so wonderful, an extra cash tip during or at the end of our cruise, because we think they deserve it...

We were at a Restaurant out on the beach for lunch today with our Sailing Club, a group of about 25 or so..The restaurant added a 20% service charge on everyone's check for the tip..When one books a wedding or function at resorts & restaurants the establishment often adds the service charge (aka tip) right onto the check & it can't be removed..

According to an article in our newspaper today, beginning in Jan, the IRS is going to count Auto Service charges as tips & they will count as regular wages..Employment taxes will have to be withheld & they will have to be reported as regular wages..According to a local employment attorney, in order for it to be called a tip, the Customer has to have complete discretion over it..

Wonder how it will affect the cruise lines?

Betty