Tipping

[Suite Travels]

Scott that is correct. Florida is trying to change this. $2.13 is a disgrace. With that being said,these workers are employees at will.

[Travelcat2]

The minimum wage laws in the U.S. can be confusing. In some places "tipped" employees must pay tax on the amount of tips that they are expected to receive. In addition to sharing tips with the positions mentioned above, it is common where we live for the server to also give a certain portion of their tips to the bartender. The minimum wage in Washington state is $9.47/hour except Seattle where the minimum wage for over 500 employees is $13.00/hour if you pay benefits and $12.50/hour without benefits (under 500 employees is $12.50 and $10.50).

 

Since tipping is included on luxury cruise lines, the crew make considerably more money per hour than on other cruise lines. The tips that we, as passengers pay for, are added into their salary. However, unlike cruise lines where the crew rely almost solely on tips which means that if the ship is sailing half full, they really feel the loss of tips, luxury cruise lines pay the same - no matter how full the ship is. It is common to see crew members on Regent that have been there since the cruise line was "born" which speaks positively to how Regent is as an employer (even after going through two changes in ownership).

[Techno123]

That is £1.47 - that is appaling how are they allowed to get away with this? What do you mean by employees at will suite travels?

[Suite Travels]

That is £1.47 - that is appaling how are they allowed to get away with this? What do you mean by employees at will suite travels?

 

A employee at will means they accept the conditions of employment which is salary and benefits if any. As mentioned each state is different. If you have X amount of employees that is a game changer for the employer and they will have to comply with state laws.

 

Luxury lines do pay more and have better staff retention and they are paid in U.S. dollars which can be good or bad depending on exchange rates from their country. Mass market lines or premium lines pay a fair salary but mostly based on gratuities for the most part.

 

The U.S. system is really screwed up on pay issuee and lack of any benefits. This has been going on for years.

[Travelcat2]

A employee at will means they accept the conditions of employment which is salary and benefits if any. As mentioned each state is different. If you have X amount of employees that is a game changer for the employer and they will have to comply with state laws.

 

Luxury lines do pay more and have better staff retention and they are paid in U.S. dollars which can be good or bad depending on exchange rates from their country. Mass market lines or premium lines pay a fair salary but mostly based on gratuities for the most part.

 

The U.S. system is really screwed up on pay issuee and lack of any benefits. This has been going on for years.

 

Agree with what you have stated but my H.R. background insists that I put the legal definition in here: Employment at Will is: "A common-law rule that an employment contract of indefinite duration can be terminated by either the employer or the employee at any time for any reason; also known as terminable at will." As you indicated, this law was a game changer for employers.

 

Another interesting tidbit is "Like other commercial vessels, cruise ships register under the flag of a single country. The registry determines the regulations and labor laws that apply on board. A ship registered in the United States, for example, must follow US labor laws, including the minimum wage rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act. No matter where the ship sails or how long it remains outside of US waters, these laws are still in effect on board. The strict minimum wage and overtime laws in the FLSA are one reason why very few cruise ships are registered in the United States."

 

Most cruise ship workers do not have to pay taxes which is a big positive. Here is a listing of some general salaries (not tied to a specific cruise line) http://www.cruiseshipjobs.com/cruise-ship-hotel-jobs.htm . A dishwasher only earns $400-700/month (and does not receive tips) while a butler makes 2-3 times that amount and may or may not make tips. Before judging whether or not these salaries are a "living wage", one should check out the average salary for jobs in the Philippines, India, Bali and some Eastern European countries (where so many of the wonderful Regent crew come from).

 

P.S. The average salary for a waiter/waitress in India is $1771.00/year while a butler earns approximately $2,884.00/year (note: Butlers on Regent make $1,500+ per month)

Edited March 20, 2016 by Travelcat2

[gnomie1]

Most cruise ship workers do not have to pay taxes which is a big positive.

 

Actually, this is a false statement - while they do not have a tax liability to the United States (unless a US Citizen, in which case their is a foreign earned income exclusion so it would depend where the ship sails) or to the country in which the ship is flagged, in most instances they are required to report the income earned while abroad in their country of residence and are subject to the tax laws of their home country

 

P.S. The average salary for a waiter/waitress in India is $1771.00/year while a butler earns approximately $2,884.00/year (note: Butlers on Regent make $1,500+ per month)

 

Not even sure where to start with the above comparison but it is so wrong on so many levels - maybe people who are not well versed in financial matters should not attempt to pull data off the internet and post it as fact and use it for comparison purposes without understanding how the numbers were calculated.

gnomie :)

[Suite Travels]

Butlers on luxury lines make much more than $2,884 per year. I can only speak for Crystal butlers some have served on other lines and they have great contracts with very good pay. Too add to their compensation I would say that most PH and above do tip their butlers and stewardesses even with tips included.

[Travelcat2]

Butlers on luxury lines make much more than $2,884 per year. I can only speak for Crystal butlers some have served on other lines and they have great contracts with very good pay. Too add to their compensation I would say that most PH and above do tip their butlers and stewardesses even with tips included.

 

Think that you misread my post. Butler's on cruise ships make $1500.00+/mo. Know this as a fact. While I used website links for posters to see, what they state is fairly accurate. What I have posted on this subject comes from crew members and. Is not disputable. I learn so much from crew members and am thankful for their friendships.

 

G1: "most crew members" does not mean all (regarding tax laws).

[Suite Travels]

Sorry, I did misread your post.

[fizzy]

Think that you misread my post. Butler's on cruise ships make $1500.00+/mo. Know this as a fact. While I used website links for posters to see, what they state is fairly accurate. What I have posted on this subject comes from crew members and. Is not disputable. I learn so much from crew members and am thankful for their friendships.

.

 

This cannot possibly be true.

[Suite Travels]

This is the average a butler gets paid. Information is from a site that gives you information on crew employment.

 

$2400 to 3200 U.S. per month depending on gratuities and on the cruise line. Possibilities for promotion to Head Bulter position.

 

$1500 is real low. We are close friends with the head butler on Crystal Symphony and I have known him for 20 years and checked this out with him and he said that is average depending on the line and how senior you are. If Regent is paying $1500 they are below what Crystal pays their butlers. We still tip our butler and stewardesses as many do? Why?because we want to

[Travelcat2]

This is the average a butler gets paid. Information is from a site that gives you information on crew employment.

 

$2400 to 3200 U.S. per month depending on gratuities and on the cruise line. Possibilities for promotion to Head Bulter position.

 

$1500 is real low. We are close friends with the head butler on Crystal Symphony and I have known him for 20 years and checked this out with him and he said that is average depending on the line and how senior you are. If Regent is paying $1500 they are below what Crystal pays their butlers. We still tip our butler and stewardesses as many do? Why?because we want to

 

I was taking the lowest number for an example (which is why the "+" sign was there) of the wages in India vs. on cruise ships and why these hard working men and women go for months without seeing their families.

 

The point of bringing up average salaries on cruise ships compared to where crew members live was to show how low the wages are for crew members working "downstairs" and that they receive no tips. Your steward/stewardess makes your bed with the beautiful sheets that someone downstairs washed and ironed. All of this goes back to Regent's suggestion that you should donate to the Crew Welfare Fund.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Travelcat2

[fizzy]

Rarely have I read such an astonishingly patronizing and condescending statement as was mentioned above! Unless we are talking about retired crew who are chatting it up on their FREE TIME at the local pub, who in the world would think it is appropriate to discuss another adult's salary? Are kudos being given to friends up top while sipping pre-dinner drinks and "atta boys" handed out when they mention they have just finished putting their kids through school? That's what parents do when they can afford it. Is there a discussion about salary and wages? All this chatting and fraternizing with crew makes their hard job harder as it takes time from their routine which actually detracts from the service they are providing to other guests! They work long , hard hours....so do I. They are not indentured slaves. If they make $100,000 a month.... I say "good for them!" It is SO none of our business. How awkward and embarrassing it must be to spend time discussing this subject with a paying customer. I know we are not allowed to mention other websites but suffice it to say that there are "crew" chat boards where lots of comments are made about cruise ship guests and some of them are pretty funny and or wretched. Sincere, written comment cards are great and they are great in every kind of business. I hope they make a ton of money....they do deserve it.

[WesW]

Would ask you to also consider tipping (in addition to giving cash tips) in a non tradional manner.

 

We regularly donate to the crew fund (an interesting point, last month on the Silver Spirit and longtime Silversea cruiser mentioned that he donates to the crew fund on boarding, the Hotel Director acknowledges his gift with a TY letter but also posts his generous donation on the Crew Bulletin board--thus, for him letting the crew know before sailing is his preference).

 

Believe also as others have posted of giving non traditional tips (personal thank you cards, inexpensive gifts, one voyage we gave shell necklaces to all the female servers at lunch time. You could consider on selected excursions to get special inexpensive gifts for crew members you want to say a special thank you too.

 

We also tip crew members with our positive words. During cruises (whether Silversea or Regent) we profile selected crew members (pls see post #150 (Deck Washing crew member), #155(Voyager Security Team member) below). Generally, after coordinating with the GM, we profile crew members who do not get told Thank You (e.g. Stewards, stewardesses, bar tenders, et. al) but members of the Deck Washing crew, Gally crew, Dry cleaning staff, Anchor Team). This tip is in the form of positive words describing this crew members outstanding performance. Know well the crew members share these posts with family members and thus they help bring smiles to the crew members, their friends and families. I also ask them if they would like to be Facebook friends, then become friends and share the post there (we have a half dozen Regent crew FB friends (Ley, Medwin, Routh (now on Viking) Abraham, et. al) and over a dozen Silversea crew member friends.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741756&page=7

[Travelcat2]

Would ask you to also consider tipping (in addition to giving cash tips) in a non tradional manner.

 

We regularly donate to the crew fund (an interesting point, last month on the Silver Spirit and longtime Silversea cruiser mentioned that he donates to the crew fund on boarding, the Hotel Director acknowledges his gift with a TY letter but also posts his generous donation on the Crew Bulletin board--thus, for him letting the crew know before sailing is his preference).

 

Believe also as others have posted of giving non traditional tips (personal thank you cards, inexpensive gifts, one voyage we gave shell necklaces to all the female servers at lunch time. You could consider on selected excursions to get special inexpensive gifts for crew members you want to say a special thank you too.

 

We also tip crew members with our positive words. During cruises (whether Silversea or Regent) we profile selected crew members (pls see post #150 (Deck Washing crew member), #155(Voyager Security Team member) below). Generally, after coordinating with the GM, we profile crew members who do not get told Thank You (e.g. Stewards, stewardesses, bar tenders, et. al) but members of the Deck Washing crew, Gally crew, Dry cleaning staff, Anchor Team). This tip is in the form of positive words describing this crew members outstanding performance. Know well the crew members share these posts with family members and thus they help bring smiles to the crew members, their friends and families. I also ask them if they would like to be Facebook friends, then become friends and share the post there (we have a half dozen Regent crew FB friends (Ley, Medwin, Routh (now on Viking) Abraham, et. al) and over a dozen Silversea crew member friends.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1741756&page=7

 

Very well written post! We also have FB friends on Regent but did not think about posting positive comments on FB (although we always mention individuals on our Cruise Comment Card -- usually the list is extremely long:-) I admire the fact that you have gone out of your way to talk to crew members that most us do not see. Your write-ups on them have been so interesting!

 

Comment cards are the absolute best way of recognizing crew members (IMHO). Although the video on television (also shown at Krew Kapers) tell passengers how important those comment cards are, perhaps passengers are not listening or do not want to take the time away from their vacations to learn or remember the names of all of the Regent crew members that made their cruise so special.

 

Agree about non-traditional, inexpensive gifts. At Christmas a couple of years ago, we gave an inexpensive gift to all crew members on board. The unique magnetic calendars, that I help design and have a picture of the ship on it, attach to any of the walls on the ship. I understand that they are still around - even though the calendars were for 2014. We are planning to do it this again in the future.

 

BTW, welcome back to Regent. Hope that your cruise will exceed all of your and Ida's expectations.

 

P.S. Very sad to see the names of former Regent crew members that are now on Viking. Must say that Viking has some benefits for their crew that Regent can't touch. OTOH, according to my Viking source, Viking is not like Regent and luxury cruise travelers may not enjoy the experience (I was specifically told that we would not care for it). I've been told that Viking's competition if Oceania and Azamara.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Eager2Travel]

Well said (as usual), Wes. You include some excellent ideas. I remember TC bringing calendars like that onboard a cruise that we both sailed on.

Edited March 20, 2016 by Eager2Travel

[flossie009]

This thread has gone way off topic, and has entered areas of discussion that many find very uncomfortable.

 

The OP asked for simple advice on the level of tip that would be appropriate for non-Regent employees (tour guides etc). Has anyone managed to furnish a simple answer?

[Travelcat2]

This thread has gone way off topic, and has entered areas of discussion that many find very uncomfortable.

 

The OP asked for simple advice on the level of tip that would be appropriate for non-Regent employees (tour guides etc). Has anyone managed to furnish a simple answer?

 

Yes - the first it has been given several times ..... it is Regent's written response to the question "Should we Tip". This includes everyone except tour guides. Regent tries to make everything as inclusive as possible. At one time Canyon Ranch Spa dis not include tips. It has changed - 18% tip is included in the cost of the services. Still, people forget, do not read about it or ignore it and tip quite a bit on top of the 18%.

 

Some poster did give a response to tipping tour guides but it is really up to the individual. Bus drivers are also typically given a tip. It is generally suggested that on a 1/2 day excursion you tip the tour guide $3-5 and the bus driver $1-2 (per person). Double that for a longer excursion (note: this comes from two websites that I checked).

 

In terms of currency, it is always best to tip in local currency. However, local currency is not always easy to get - especially when you are only in port for a matter of a few hours. In "Euro" countries, we tip in Euros as we always have some on hand but have used U.S. dollars when we do not have easy access to local currency. Actually, tipping 5 Euros, GBP or U.S. dollars can be quite a large tip in many countries.

[Travelcat2]

This thread has gone way off topic, and has entered areas of discussion that many find very uncomfortable.

 

The OP asked for simple advice on the level of tip that would be appropriate for non-Regent employees (tour guides etc). Has anyone managed to furnish a simple answer?

 

My last post was a bit rushed and ended up with too many typos. Sorry that you find the discussion uncomfortable but it is the only way that I can see to bring awareness to the topic of tipping. While people in the U.S. (in the private sector) may keep salaries secret, this is not true of government jobs where everything is quite out in the open (including the salaries of the President of the United States, Senators, Congressmen, etc.). Also, when NCHL purchased Regent, the salaries of the top executives were made public. So, in the U.S., salaries may not be as confidential as they are in the U.K. Not sure about this but your comment made me wonder.

 

In the U.S., "salary surveys" are regularly done by most companies. This enables companies to insure that what they pay is within the range of other companies for the same or similar jobs. In terms of cruise salaries, what I posted was simply a "range" of salaries on cruise ships vs. what crew members may earn in their home country. IMO, this puts things into perspective. Also, IMO, this points to the fact that "visible" crew members may receive tips while "invisible" crew members may not. Donating to the Crew Welfare Fund is for ALL crew members. I cannot see where this would be offensive.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Travelcat2

[flossie009]

OK, let's dissect some of the issues in this thread, but first let me be clear on why we like the Regent product. The main reason is that the majority of the officers and crew provide excellent service, but without being subservient; this culture being the result of careful selection, consistent training and strong leadership. Secondly, Regent offers interesting itineraries on the size of ships that we like. Finally the offering comes closest to being fully inclusive, meaning that we know up-front almost exactly how much our chosen vacation will cost.

 

Tipping

Tipping is a personal matter which should not be influenced either way by peer pressure. If we wish to tip, or not tip, either a Regent employee or a non-Regent employee that is our personal, private decision. If Regent decided to prohibit tipping then we would obviously abide by the rules (we Brits play cricket after all :D)

For us, a monetary tip is a way of recognising when an individual has gone 'above and beyond' the basic requirements of the job, resulting in an enhanced vacation experience for us. As with most people, except those from the US, we do not see a tip as providing an employee with compensation for the poor wages being paid by the employer.

As regards non-Regent employees, we would hope that Regent's vetting of its suppliers and subcontractors around the world would ensure that their employees are also being paid an appropriate wage.

 

Crew Welfare Fund

We are in two minds about this. It obviously does help to spread monetary recognition to all crew members, both customer-facing and back-room. However, it does not recognise individual effort and could be used to fund things that should be supplied by a good employer anyway.

In the UK we have had a number of scandals involving major multi-national companies where 'service charges' and 'gratuities' that customers thought were going to employees were being siphoned off by the employers for 'admin costs' and/or were being offset against the minimum wage that the employer was legally obliged to pay.

 

Other forms of Recognition

We agree that reporting good service by crew members is very important - both by telling supervisors & officers at the time, and through the comments cards.

 

Crew/Guest interaction

We enjoy friendly, respectful interaction with crew members but do not seek to become life-long friends. A ship is a community, but with guests and crew living parallel but very different lives; the crew are working in a service industry while the guests are on holiday expecting service excellence. We do not seek to pry into crew member's private lives/wages/tax affairs and would not expect them to pry into ours. Likewise we do not expect to exchange presents.

Fortunately the vast majority (crew & guests) treat each other very well, sometimes in challenging circumstances.

Guests who annoy us are 1) those who treat crew members without basic human respect 2) those who engage crew members in long conversations when they should be providing service to others and 3) those who loudly require immediate attention (chill-out, you are on holiday).

Crew members who annoy us are 1) those that stand chatting to colleagues or guests when others are waiting for service 2) supervisors who admonish staff in front of other crew or guests (most unprofessional) and 3) surly, uncommunicative individuals (these individuals need re-training, or should not be customer-facing)

 

So sorry for the long post and all the above comes with the normal health warnings that 1) it is purely one couples thoughts based on our experiences, culture & opinions, and 2) it is not intended to upset any other posters or inflame the debate :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Catlover54]

Wes W wrote "Would ask you to also consider tipping (in addition to giving cash tips) in a non tradional manner.

 

We regularly donate to the crew fund (an interesting point, last month on the Silver Spirit and longtime Silversea cruiser mentioned that he donates to the crew fund on boarding, the Hotel Director acknowledges his gift with a TY letter but also posts his generous donation on the Crew Bulletin board--thus, for him letting the crew know before sailing is his preference). . . . ." (snip)

 

Comment:

I have read a lot of tipping posts here and on other threads, but regardless of how people generally feel about the "to tip or not to tip" issue for salaried crew on an all-inclusive luxury line, isn't giving to the crew fund on boarding and having the Hotel Director "post the generous donation on the Crew Bulletin board" just another form of pre-tipping? It seems to me that such non-anonymous pre-tipping is a form of pre-bribing for not yet rendered services, and would be frowned upon by people who like to emphasize that guests all get the same amount of luxury service and access on a cruise line that is deemed egalitarian. Posting such a donation before sailing is announcing to crew that this particular guest is special and generous to crew, and strongly implies that he has expectations of being treated more specially than the other guests in public areas, once the cruise starts, perhaps even with the hope that yet more tips may pop up, if not on this cruise, then the next one.

 

Pre-tipping certainly would explain how on all luxury lines I have been on it seems there is always an "in" crowd or two that is chummy with the crew and manages to get things done for them others cannot, e.g., quicker drink service, more focus on requests, inside access to specialty dining and closed excursions, and insider information, e.g., when the limited enrollment bridge tour or kitchen tour will be, before written announcemnts are made.

 

Contrast with the service-inclusive Europa 2 recently where there was very clear written and verbal information given to pax that crew were prohibited from socializing with pax in or out of their suites so as to allow them to better focus on performing their jobs for all pax. But then they had a raffle towards the end of the cruise, where you could buy as many tickets as you wanted at reception to get a chance to win little things like an Europa2 flag signed by all the crew members and presented at a fun ceremony. Money raised went to the crew fund, but crew only knew the three people who had won the raffle, not who had purchased raffle tickets, or how many, and definitely not pre-cruise.

 

I also noticed that on excursions the Europa2 pax were much more likely to remember to tip the guides and bus drivers than on the Regent, SS, and SB cruise excursions I have been on, usually the equivalent of 10-20 Euros for the guide per half day in local currency, but Euros and dollars were also very welcome. Perhaps they remembered to do this more than on the English language lines because there " tips to crew are not required or expected but are welcomed" and "tipping on excursions is not included", so they are more in tip mode.

[flossie009]

My last post was a bit rushed and ended up with too many typos. Sorry that you find the discussion uncomfortable but it is the only way that I can see to bring awareness to the topic of tipping. While people in the U.S. (in the private sector) may keep salaries secret, this is not true of government jobs where everything is quite out in the open (including the salaries of the President of the United States, Senators, Congressmen, etc.). Also, when NCHL purchased Regent, the salaries of the top executives were made public. So, in the U.S., salaries may not be as confidential as they are in the U.K. Not sure about this but your comment made me wonder.

 

In the U.S., "salary surveys" are regularly done by most companies. This enables companies to insure that what they pay is within the range of other companies for the same or similar jobs. In terms of cruise salaries, what I posted was simply a "range" of salaries on cruise ships vs. what crew members may earn in their home country. IMO, this puts things into perspective. Also, IMO, this points to the fact that "visible" crew members may receive tips while "invisible" crew members may not. Donating to the Crew Welfare Fund is for ALL crew members. I cannot see where this would be offensive.

 

 

Salary surveys and other information available on salaries and wages is not at all dissimilar in the UK, but I fail to see what relevance this has to a discussion on tipping on Regent

 

Information on salaries & wages, or the employee's personal circumstances, should have no bearing on what a customer chooses to tip.

If, for example, a restaurant adds a fixed service charge of 10% then I see no reason to add an additional tip unless an individual employee has gone 'the extra mile' on my behalf.

If a restaurant suggests a minimum tip of say 15% then why not simply increase prices by 15%

 

 

 

 

I have read a lot of tipping posts here and on other threads, but regardless of how people generally feel about the "to tip or not to tip" issue for salaried crew on an all-inclusive luxury line, isn't giving to the crew fund on boarding and having the Hotel Director "post the generous donation on the Crew Bulletin board" just another form of pre-tipping? It seems to me that such non-anonymous pre-tipping is a form of pre-bribing for not yet rendered services, and would be frowned upon by people who like to emphasize that guests all get the same amount of luxury service and access on a cruise line that is deemed egalitarian. Posting such a donation before sailing is announcing to crew that this particular guest is special and generous to crew, and strongly implies that he has expectations of being treated more specially than the other guests in public areas, once the cruise starts, perhaps even with the hope that yet more tips may pop up, if not on this cruise, then the next one.

 

Totally agree. In fact this practice appears to be 'pre-bragging', which is beyond awful. :eek:

[liptastic]

OK, let's dissect some of the issues in this thread, but first let me be clear on why we like the Regent product. The main reason is that the majority of the officers and crew provide excellent service, but without being subservient; this culture being the result of careful selection, consistent training and strong leadership. Secondly, Regent offers interesting itineraries on the size of ships that we like. Finally the offering comes closest to being fully inclusive, meaning that we know up-front almost exactly how much our chosen vacation will cost.

 

Tipping

Tipping is a personal matter which should not be influenced either way by peer pressure. If we wish to tip, or not tip, either a Regent employee or a non-Regent employee that is our personal, private decision. If Regent decided to prohibit tipping then we would obviously abide by the rules (we Brits play cricket after all :D)

For us, a monetary tip is a way of recognising when an individual has gone 'above and beyond' the basic requirements of the job, resulting in an enhanced vacation experience for us. As with most people, except those from the US, we do not see a tip as providing an employee with compensation for the poor wages being paid by the employer.

As regards non-Regent employees, we would hope that Regent's vetting of its suppliers and subcontractors around the world would ensure that their employees are also being paid an appropriate wage.

 

Crew Welfare Fund

We are in two minds about this. It obviously does help to spread monetary recognition to all crew members, both customer-facing and back-room. However, it does not recognise individual effort and could be used to fund things that should be supplied by a good employer anyway.

In the UK we have had a number of scandals involving major multi-national companies where 'service charges' and 'gratuities' that customers thought were going to employees were being siphoned off by the employers for 'admin costs' and/or were being offset against the minimum wage that the employer was legally obliged to pay.

 

Other forms of Recognition

We agree that reporting good service by crew members is very important - both by telling supervisors & officers at the time, and through the comments cards.

 

Crew/Guest interaction

We enjoy friendly, respectful interaction with crew members but do not seek to become life-long friends. A ship is a community, but with guests and crew living parallel but very different lives; the crew are working in a service industry while the guests are on holiday expecting service excellence. We do not seek to pry into crew member's private lives/wages/tax affairs and would not expect them to pry into ours. Likewise we do not expect to exchange presents.

Fortunately the vast majority (crew & guests) treat each other very well, sometimes in challenging circumstances.

Guests who annoy us are 1) those who treat crew members without basic human respect 2) those who engage crew members in long conversations when they should be providing service to others and 3) those who loudly require immediate attention (chill-out, you are on holiday).

Crew members who annoy us are 1) those that stand chatting to colleagues or guests when others are waiting for service 2) supervisors who admonish staff in front of other crew or guests (most unprofessional) and 3) surly, uncommunicative individuals (these individuals need re-training, or should not be customer-facing)

 

So sorry for the long post and all the above comes with the normal health warnings that 1) it is purely one couples thoughts based on our experiences, culture & opinions, and 2) it is not intended to upset any other posters or inflame the debate :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Flossie excellent post. I feel I could have written exactly a mirror image of your words. Thank you for the detail and time you have taken to compose this, and I agree with your thoughts on this subject. :) Jean.

[Travelcat2]

Salary surveys and other information available on salaries and wages is not at all dissimilar in the UK, but I fail to see what relevance this has to a discussion on tipping on Regent

 

Totally agree. In fact this practice appears to be 'pre-bragging', which is beyond awful. :eek:

 

IMO, the relevancy of my posting approximate salaries for a couple of positions was to show that the crew members that are visible to passengers earn considerably more money that the crew that we do not see and they do not receive tips - even though many of these crew members make it possible for the "upstairs" staff to perform their job. Note: My "downstairs"/"upstairs comments was learned from Downton Abby and is not meant to demean anyone - just a way of differentiating crew that we see and those we do not see.

 

No one is going to flame you for your "thoughts" but I obviously do not agree with all of them. I stand by my belief that, when questioned by someone new to Regent (which the OP is), the correct response is to quote Regent's policy. I'm glad that Catlover54 posted the policy on Europa 2. Obviously, if this were policy on Regent, we would not be having this discussion. IMO, Regent's policy is very clear about what to do if you "feel strongly about expressing gratitude to the crew, they should be encouraged to make a donation to the Crew Welfare Fund".

 

It seems that "tipping" threads become difficult because some posters want to "do their own thing" and encourage others to do the same rather than answering the question very simply. I encourage posters to keep their private business private. This is not "pot calling the kettle black" (American expression), I have slipped and given information that I would typically keep to myself (the Scrabble game for instance). I have also posted that I've tipped butlers on Regent when I actually tip butlers and steward/stewardess' on Oceania which is obviously another topic completely

.

Agree 100% that pre-tipping is wrong on many levels.

[Suite Travels]

Pre-tipping is wrong on all levels. Would you pre-tip a restaurant waiter before being served?