Tipping procedure?

[Hob123]

Hi all.

Before I book a cruise with Ms zuiderdam.i have read that the tipping requests are $11.50 p/p per day added to your final bill.please can someone confirm this?we are going on a 11 night cruise so that equates to over $250.is this the norm or expensive?

The cruises I have been on,they leave it to your discretion?

Are you compelled to pay this amount or can you have some say in how much you want to pay?also is there any taxes on your drinks purchased?

 

Many thanks,hob.

[kazu]

Hi all.

Before I book a cruise with Ms zuiderdam.i have read that the tipping requests are $11.50 p/p per day added to your final bill.please can someone confirm this?we are going on a 11 night cruise so that equates to over $250.is this the norm or expensive?

The cruises I have been on,they leave it to your discretion?

Are you compelled to pay this amount or can you have some say in how much you want to pay?also is there any taxes on your drinks purchased?

 

Many thanks,hob.

 

This is the hotel service charge for non suites and yes, it is pretty standard. it is charged to your on board account on a daily basis.

 

Most cruise lines are adding this automatically now as far as I know. some do opt to tip extra and you can do that by way of envelope.

 

If you are unhappy in your service, you can certainly talk to the front desk and have the hsc reduced, however, I have not encountered any service that warranted reducing the tips yet. I knew what they were going in and that is part of the cost of cruising.

 

For drinks, there is a 15% tip added automatically to your purchases.

 

hope this helps

[WupperAV]

It's Low. RCCL went to 17% and then if you get exemplary service, a suit sewn, shoes polished etc. you may tip more. 20% is considered good, above is exemplary!. A normal tip for Lightfoot Restaurant in Leesburg Va is 20% and the bill for 2 can be 300-400 with wine. You may go to the pursers office and request tips to be less if you wish but it's how the crew earns money and the Cruise Line saves money and can charge you less upfront, then drinks, burgers, shakes, fancy coffee are overpriced plus an extra tip. BTW/We were ready to reduce a tip to housekeeping after repeated calls for getting a formal pressed and a pair of wrinkled Tux pants that were too short. After 2 days and 2 hrs before the formal program I called and screamed at them a little in their language, telling them I knew the first officer and he'd put them off in Belize. Showed up in 3 min.

Edited March 5, 2015 by WupperAV

[PathfinderEss]

Hi all.

Before I book a cruise with Ms zuiderdam.i have read that the tipping requests are $11.50 p/p per day added to your final bill.please can someone confirm this? yes, 12.50 if your in a suite we are going on a 11 night cruise so that equates to over $250.is this the norm or expensive? normal

The cruises I have been on,they leave it to your discretion?

Are you compelled to pay this amount or can you have some say in how much you want to pay? you can change it, though not advising you do so. also is there any taxes on your drinks purchased? yes

 

Many thanks,hob.

 

Answers in the light red.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic

Edited March 5, 2015 by PathfinderEss

[nana51]

I was kind of shocked by this originally. I knew hotels did it and they claimed it was for use of the spa, workout rooms etc., which I never used. I am used to it on cruise ships now and feel that on HAL every penny is warranted. This covers all the people who you never see doing a lot of work to make your cruise enjoyable. Not just your room stewards and waitstaff but the dishwashers and the person serving you in the lido. I often end up with some onboard credit and it just gets applied to my bill. Remember, once onboard you don't need to hand a tip to anyone if you don't want to, it will all be covered in your "service charge". Of course if someone goes above and beyond no one will stop you from giving extra. :D

[whogo]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Hob123.

 

I would guess the charge is pretty hard to swallow for someone from a non-tipping culture. Holland America is a US based cruise line. It is considered bad form to reduce the tip for anything other than abysmal service.

 

The "Hotel Service Charge (Gratuity/Tip)... is US$12.00 per guest per day, and US$11.50 per guest per day for other staterooms. (The charges are subject to change without notice)"

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-planning/PlanningAndAdvice.action?tabName=Shipboard+Life&contentMenu=Money+Matters&contentSubMenu=Is+There+A+Hotel+Service+Charge+%28Gratuity/Tip%29?

[catl331]

yes, 12.50 if your in a suite

$12.00

[donaldsc]

Hi all.

Before I book a cruise with Ms zuiderdam.i have read that the tipping requests are $11.50 p/p per day added to your final bill.please can someone confirm this?we are going on a 11 night cruise so that equates to over $250.is this the norm or expensive?

The cruises I have been on,they leave it to your discretion?

Are you compelled to pay this amount or can you have some say in how much you want to pay?also is there any taxes on your drinks purchased?

 

Many thanks,hob.

 

The absolutely correct answer is that the "tip" is not mandatory. You can remove it and tip nothing or you can reduce the amount of the tip, You can also remove it and hand an envelope to everyone on board whom you feel deserves a tip. However, you should be aware that those who receive the money will have to share it with everyone else in the tipping pool so your gesture is futile.

 

The nuanced answer that whether you or any of us like it or not, the cruise staff in not paid a living wage and they depend upon your "tips" to earn a living. If we do not tip them, they will not have money to send home to your family. The cruise ship companies use the "suggested tip" ploy to keep their costs down and to make the cruise seem cheaper.

 

So as much as you do not like it and none of us do, leave the suggested daily tip on and even tip a bit more to the cruise staff that treat you especially well. While the tip pool is shared, they get to keep 100% of anything you tip above the minimum.

 

One other thing - there are cards on board that let you give kudos to special employees by name. This is very important to these employees because good ratings get them better shifts and also promotions.

 

DON

[PathfinderEss]

$12.00

 

Thanks for the correction.

[Harry1954]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, Hob123. When DW and I first started crusing on HAL ... some 30+ cruises ago, we were informed of this practice. SO ... we thought, ah ha .. tips are already covered .. we dont have to tip anyone - sweet.

 

After the 3d morning of breakfast being delivered abruptly, I asked a fellow PAX about tipping for breakfast - they said .. oh that is not really part of the daily amount to any appreciable degree - you should tip them something.

 

Then DW and I felt embarrassed ... we decided that we would tip based on the outcome of the service and just treat the daily fee as a 'service tax' added to the bill - kinda like they do in Europe ...

 

So, regardless as to how you decide to handle the daily fee, I just wanted to warn you so that you dont unintentionally make the mistake we did.

 

 

harry

[ithaca gal]

It's Low. RCCL went to 17% and then if you get exemplary service, a suit sewn, shoes polished etc. you may tip more. 20% is considered good, above is exemplary!. A normal tip for Lightfoot Restaurant in Leesburg Va is 20% and the bill for 2 can be 300-400 with wine. You may go to the pursers office and request tips to be less if you wish but it's how the crew earns money and the Cruise Line saves money and can charge you less upfront, then drinks, burgers, shakes, fancy coffee are overpriced plus an extra tip. BTW/We were ready to reduce a tip to housekeeping after repeated calls for getting a formal pressed and a pair of wrinkled Tux pants that were too short. After 2 days and 2 hrs before the formal program I called and screamed at them a little in their language, telling them I knew the first officer and he'd put them off in Belize. Showed up in 3 min.

 

Had you mentioned the problem to Guest Services? Did you really know the first officer? Would you really have had them put off in Belize?

[rbp3072]

Like a previous poster, I don't really take into account the daily HSC when considering tipping. To me it's an automatic, and I would never decrease and/or eliminate it. Even if I had a horrid experience, it in theory would have only been 'caused' by a select few. So, why would I want to punish ALL the crew for the errors of a few?

 

A crappy example/another way to look at it - I'm currently on the NA for a 14-day Caribbean. Let's assume I was only taking a 'standard' 7-day, and that the ship was full, with every passenger being charged the non-suite HSC fee of 11.50/day. With 2106 passengers, that's $169,533. Seems like a lot, but broken down across a crew of 929, that's only $182.48 for 7 days of work, (or $26.06 per day). And remember, that's from ALL the passengers. If I only consider what 'I'm' paying, that's only $0.08 I'm giving per employee each day.

 

Now granted, officers are likely excluded from this and are probably salaried, but still......The guys & gals busting their backsides in the Lido, in our cabins, hidden down on A deck, etc, are paid horribly for being away from their families for 9 months at a time. The LEAST I can do is my part to help them out.

 

I personally wish all cruise lines would raise prices and pay all their staff a true livable wage, but I'm sure that would cripple the industry. (Insert comment comparing migrant workers in the US working in the fields and how Americans would have a fit if the farmers had to pay legit wages & benefits, and their carton of OJ shot up to 17.99 instead of a few bucks).

 

Until things change though, I try to 'pay it forward', and not only keep my standard HSC, but pay additional in cash to those individuals that exceed, AND usually add 25-50 per day to the general HSC. (Last cruise I could only afford to add-on another ~450, but you could tell the front desk was shocked, telling me what I already know....folks pay their minimum and forget those they never see. :(

[FRANKIEDNYC]

There is no tax on drinks unless purchased while ship is still in U.S Port. The 15% is a gratuity

[WupperAV]

Yes to the first 2 and probably not on 3 unless they didn't take care of it at all. We had been very nice, asking for 2 days. I was irritated anyway because they claimed they never had an order for a Tux but I had printed receipts.

rbp3072 People tend to forget these stewards are on a ship 9 mo. RCCL has the best program in that most go home every 5 mo, work 2 5hr shifts a day and are treated better than some slave driving lines. Other cruise lines could use their example.

Edited March 5, 2015 by WupperAV

[Typhoon1]

If you plan to opt out of the Hotel Service charge, do the crew members a favor. Stay home.

[cb at sea]

Those tips cover your cabin attendant, waiter, ass't waiter and head waiter. It's WELL within line for a similar land-based vacation with meals....the tips actually are pretty cheap, if you were to tip on land as suggested by the culture you're in.

[OceanTraveller4ever]

Cruise lines that do not take off a daily amount will charge you much more up front. If you selected HAL, its primarily because you see a good deal.

Part of that deal is to pay the daily HSC amounts, on top of giving (at the end of the cruise) 20 to 40 bucks to both your room attendants, and both your MDR servers (if you eat there).

As someone else mentioned if cruisers cannot afford these well deserved stipends, they can cheap it out at some low end resort, or stay at home.

Edited March 6, 2015 by jpelleti007

[ithaca gal]

If you plan to opt out of the Hotel Service charge, do the crew members a favor. Stay home.

 

Absolutely!!!

[Illyria]

Hi all.

Before I book a cruise with Ms zuiderdam.i have read that the tipping requests are $11.50 p/p per day added to your final bill.please can someone confirm this?we are going on a 11 night cruise so that equates to over $250.is this the norm or expensive?

Just consider it part of the cost of cruising.

Yes, the daily service charge is the norm. The $11.50/day/pp is actually less than most other mass market cruise lines (most have raised the daily charge, so it's in the $12-$12.50 range).

[Stratheden]

Cruise lines that do not take off a daily amount will charge you much more up front. If you selected HAL, its primarily because you see a good deal.

Part of that deal is to pay the daily HSC amounts, on top of giving (at the end of the cruise) 20 to 40 bucks to both your room attendants, and both your MDR servers (if you eat there).

As someone else mentioned if cruisers cannot afford these well deserved stipends, they can cheap it out at some low end resort, or stay at home.

 

As all cruisers are not from the US, it is not a case of not being able to afford these well deserved stipends, it is not being aware of these practices. Many, many countries pay their employees a decent wage and tipping is not required. It is also illegal in some countries to not advertise a price that doesn't include all charges including taxes.

[oxfordgal]

If you have OBC can you have them take the tip out of that? Would that be automatic or do you have to request that? We have some OBC that came as part of a sale HAL was having. I doubt we spend that much on ship and I do know that OBC can't be rolled onto another HAL cruise in the future.

[DaveOKC]

If you have OBC can you have them take the tip out of that? Would that be automatic or do you have to request that? We have some OBC that came as part of a sale HAL was having. I doubt we spend that much on ship and I do know that OBC can't be rolled onto another HAL cruise in the future.

 

The way it works is that HAL credits your OBC at the beginning of your cruise on your account. Then all charges (including the auto-tip) is deducted from this amount on a daily basis. So, the auto-tip comes out of your OBC (so to speak).

 

Extra tips cannot be handled this way however - generally you have to give cash.

 

DaveOKC

[Ky Colonel]

The absolutely correct answer is that the "tip" is not mandatory. You can remove it and tip nothing or you can reduce the amount of the tip, You can also remove it and hand an envelope to everyone on board whom you feel deserves a tip. However, you should be aware that those who receive the money will have to share it with everyone else in the tipping pool so your gesture is futile.

 

The nuanced answer that whether you or any of us like it or not, the cruise staff in not paid a living wage and they depend upon your "tips" to earn a living. If we do not tip them, they will not have money to send home to your family. The cruise ship companies use the "suggested tip" ploy to keep their costs down and to make the cruise seem cheaper.

 

So as much as you do not like it and none of us do, leave the suggested daily tip on and even tip a bit more to the cruise staff that treat you especially well. While the tip pool is shared, they get to keep 100% of anything you tip above the minimum.

 

One other thing - there are cards on board that let you give kudos to special employees by name. This is very important to these employees because good ratings get them better shifts and also promotions.

 

DON

... are you certain that cabin attendants, stewards, waiters, etc, who receive "extra" tips are required to share those tips with everyone in the "tipping pool"? Thanks for clarifying.

 

Rod

[oxfordgal]

The way it works is that HAL credits your OBC at the beginning of your cruise on your account. Then all charges (including the auto-tip) is deducted from this amount on a daily basis. So, the auto-tip comes out of your OBC (so to speak).

 

Extra tips cannot be handled this way however - generally you have to give cash.

 

DaveOKC

 

Thanks DaveOKC. That answered my question. We always have extra in an envelope for our room steward and any assistants and the MDR staff as well on any cruise we go on. Just wasn't sure about the OBC. Last trip was on Cunard and they gave me OBC and gratuities as part of the sale I had booked the trip under.

[RuthC]

... are you certain that cabin attendants, stewards, waiters, etc, who receive "extra" tips are required to share those tips with everyone in the "tipping pool"? Thanks for clarifying.

If you reduce or remove the Hotel Service Charge, then anyone you give a cash tip to is obligated to turn that money in to the pool.

If you leave the Hotel Service Charge intact, then anyone you give a cash tip to is free to keep all of it.

 

In other words, any cash disbursed to your stewards must be in addition to the full Hotel Service Charge amount in order for them to keep it.