Extra tips

[jtl513]

1. Most people posting in this forum say they give $1 or $2 for breakfast room service, and up to $5 for a full dinner room service. In bars once in a while I will give the steward or bartender $1 or $2, if there has been some type of 'extra' service that day, like going to a different location to get something the bar is out of. I will never give pre-service bribes!!

 

2. CC member BruceMuzz, who is or has been HD on several cruise lines including HAL, has said their base salary is just $40 to $70 per month. In other words, virtually all of their pay comes from the HSC and additional cash tips.

 

Edited April 29, 2015 by jtl513

[POA1]

3. Anything else important for me to know RE HAL tipping, e.g especially from someone who can compare the luxury line practice ( which is officially no tips required) to HAL and who has cruised both?

.

 

We've cruised HAL & Silversea. We tipped on both. (There wasn't an attempt to decline the tips on Silversea, despite what some people on the Silversea board might say.)

 

I highly doubt that you will be disappointed in the service. If something is not to your liking, just tell the employee.

Edited April 29, 2015 by POA1

[jtl513]

I found a couple BruceMuzz posts on the subject of base pay, but I couldn't locate the one where I recalled him saying $40 to $70 per month

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=32624244&postcount=73

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=36462621&postcount=52

 

this one is from 2010, so probably a little outdated:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=27029183&postcount=54

 

Edited April 29, 2015 by jtl513

[Typhoon1]

We've been told they get to keep any additional and it does not go into a tip pool.

[5Cats]

I can personally say that the employees on the cruises I've been on work huch harder than I do- sitting at a desk. Not saying my job is easy, but these employees deal with unhappy, rude passengers (hopefully not often) in addition to physical work and over 8 hours a day. And they do this with a smile!

 

The one thing on Holland that I think is different from Princess is Anytime dining. Looks like Holland has one large dining room - so would we have the same wait staff if we do anytime dining? princess had a variety of dining rooms, so it was unlikely to get the same wait staff.

[freanesi]

Another question for those of you that can answer. We are leaving the service charge in place, but would like to add the extras here and there. We are cruising the Med. We are on a HAL ship which I understand works with $US. Coming from Aus we will be bringing Euro for the ports of call. Do we need to bring $US for the extra tips or will Euros do? Thanks.

[Ky Colonel]

Another question for those of you that can answer. We are leaving the service charge in place, but would like to add the extras here and there. We are cruising the Med. We are on a HAL ship which I understand works with $US. Coming from Aus we will be bringing Euro for the ports of call. Do we need to bring $US for the extra tips or will Euros do? Thanks.

 

No need to bring $US - any currency can be used for cash tips and will be gratefully received ... have a great cruise & smooth sailing ...

 

Rod

[catl331]

Looks like Holland has one large dining room - so would we have the same wait staff if we do anytime dining?

In Open seating you can make reservations or just walk in when you want. If you make reservations for a specific table you will have the same wait staff. If you just walk in you may get different waiters, although I think they do try to seat you with the same waiters you've had before. In 18 days on a Eurodam T-A we made no MDR reservations and we had 5 different wait teams IIRC, but only three times were they one-shots. The rest of the time we alternated between two teams. (We ate in the Tamarind twice.)

 

Do we need to bring $US for the extra tips or will Euros do? Thanks.

They will happily take Euros. Edited May 3, 2015 by catl331

[Lottie Linda]

I give the staff religious tracts. I tell them the tracts are more valuable than money. It makes me feel better, and I don't feel guilty canceling their gratuities at the end of the voyage. And religious tracts can be had for as little as $10 per 1,000 plus S&H. It's a win/win deal!

[sapper1]

I give the staff religious tracts. I tell them the tracts are more valuable than money. It makes me feel better, and I don't feel guilty canceling their gratuities at the end of the voyage. And religious tracts can be had for as little as $10 per 1,000 plus S&H. It's a win/win deal!

 

Surely you jest. You're just having us on, right? Nobody would be so cruel as to cancel the gratuities and then rub salt in the wound.

[Lizzie68]

Surely you jest. You're just having us on, right? Nobody would be so cruel as to cancel the gratuities and then rub salt in the wound.

 

Yes, it's definitely a wind-up.;)

[zerbot]

Surely you jest. You're just having us on, right? Nobody would be so cruel as to cancel the gratuities and then rub salt in the wound.

 

I sure hope so, but there are lots of so-called "Christians" who do this to service staff in restaurants all the time. The religious tracts are often printed to look like money (often large denominations) on one side, leading the server to think there's a tip until they go to collect it and find out it's worthless.

[Ky Colonel]

I give the staff religious tracts. I tell them the tracts are more valuable than money. It makes me feel better, and I don't feel guilty canceling their gratuities at the end of the voyage. And religious tracts can be had for as little as $10 per 1,000 plus S&H. It's a win/win deal!

 

LL, I do not understand your post above, in light of your 4/23/15 post on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2200188 that said:

 

You know who deserves tips? People you never see! If you saw them, they wouldn't be doing their job. The guy who keeps the dishes stocked up. The lady who cleans the elevator. The people who vacuum the carpet when I sleep.

 

Towards the end of the cruise I have a pocket of bills to give to people who aren't expecting a tip. Twenty bucks to the guy who makes me eggs benedict every morning is money well spent.

BTW I hope your treatments are going well and that you have or will soon have a clean bill of health!

 

Rod

[POA1]

LL, I do not understand your post above, in light of your 4/23/15 post on http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2200188 that said:

 

You know who deserves tips? People you never see! If you saw them, they wouldn't be doing their job. The guy who keeps the dishes stocked up. The lady who cleans the elevator. The people who vacuum the carpet when I sleep.

 

Towards the end of the cruise I have a pocket of bills to give to people who aren't expecting a tip. Twenty bucks to the guy who makes me eggs benedict every morning is money well spent.

BTW I hope your treatments are going well and that you have or will soon have a clean bill of health!

 

Rod

 

Nice Catch.

[Lottie Linda]

LL, I do not understand your post above, in light of your 4/23/15 post

 

Chalk it up to touch of chemo-brain.

 

I wish I had the courage to do something so heartless, yet so zany. At least I'm smart enough not to do it at the beginning of the cruise, now that would be plain dumb.

 

My other thought (for being a cheapskate) is to give everyone a million dollars! Of course they would be Zimbabwean dollars, worth about a buck twenty American. I'd be happy and they'd all be happy, for a short time that is. Think there are any Zimbabweans on the crew?

[Ky Colonel]

LL,

 

Thanks for the clarification. I hope you're doing well. - keep up the fight and get well soon.

 

Rod.

[Fizzer59]

Glad to hear it was a jest but I like your dry sense of humour.

 

Of course I understand that many of the crew are Indonesian, from the world's most populous Muslim country. Statistically, therefore, I would suspect that a large percentage of those you could have given such religious tracts to might have actually appreciated them even less than a server in a Western country.

 

I'm stunned to read that some people do this for real though. :confused::(

[Lottie Linda]

 

Of course I understand that many of the crew are Indonesian, from the world's most populous Muslim country. Statistically, therefore, I would suspect that a large percentage of those you could have given such religious tracts to might have actually appreciated them even less than a server in a Western country.

::(

 

You don't say? Now it seems more important that I hand out these tracts. Religious tracts for all!