Confused by gratuity

[not-enough-cruising]

Just now, mayleeman said:

I have noticed my friends who do not tip airport curbside check-in skycaps tend to lose their luggage more often. Just sayin'.....

Urban Myth

 

airport skycaps are not $130,000 plus per year long shoreman 

[leisuretraveler223]

8 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

airport skycaps are not $130,000 plus per year long shoreman 

 

I don't think I've every given my bag to a sky cap or a porter and not given a tip.  It is a fairly standard practice.

[snaefell]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

 

I think most people who have cruised before realise that the staff are very low paid and the gratuities are really part of their wages. I do hope that one day all cruise lines will do what P and O have done and effectively include the gratuities in the price.

That I think is where many will be cynical & say that the cruise lines employ the people they do because they come from parts of the world where less money is paid/expected,I know many are uncomfortable with the thought of being expected to pay part of their wages.

The discussion on the P&O forum last year also brought up something else which I found quite strange,although people were upset at being asked to pay £7 pppn as they considered it too much they were all for P&O including the daily tip in the cruise price even though they wouldn't know how much it was,P&O could quite easily charge £10 pppn & they wouldn't know!

We have stayed in hotels where an extra tax has been charged(usually called city tax IME) but that has been made clear before we booked.

[kernow]

29 minutes ago, snaefell said:

That I think is where many will be cynical & say that the cruise lines employ the people they do because they come from parts of the world where less money is paid/expected,I know many are uncomfortable with the thought of being expected to pay part of their wages.

I think the people who say this are just using it as an excuse not to tip. When you use any business anywhere in the world, the price you pay includes a mark up for the staff wages. 

 

In the UK we like a 'final' price with everything included to be shown before we buy anything. In the US prices are broken down more. I hate it when I go into a shop and the price shown on the item increases at the till because they add tax but that is just the way they do things. RCL is a US cruise line so I take the attitude 'when in Rome...'

[springfire]

1 hour ago, mayleeman said:

I have noticed my friends who do not tip airport curbside check-in skycaps tend to lose their luggage more often. Just sayin'.....

Really, so you tip the porter because you are intimidated by them?  

 

[mayleeman]

Just now, springfire said:

Really, so you tip the porter because you are intimidated by them?  

 

Not intimidated. I just prefer to have a good relationship with someone having access to my stuff. A tip helps. And sometimes it has lasting effects--I have had skycaps who recognized me take us over to open up a new desk, and a maid at the Bellagio provided a full box of chocolates a year after we gave her a special "thank you" for helping my disabled mother.

[snaefell]

1 hour ago, kernow said:

I think the people who say this are just using it as an excuse not to tip. When you use any business anywhere in the world, the price you pay includes a mark up for the staff wages. 

 

In the UK we like a 'final' price with everything included to be shown before we buy anything. In the US prices are broken down more. I hate it when I go into a shop and the price shown on the item increases at the till because they add tax but that is just the way they do things. RCL is a US cruise line so I take the attitude 'when in Rome...'

Well obviously pretty much anything we buy has the cost of employing somebody to produce it included,do we then add more on top when we buy it?

We are happy enough with tipping,as long as we are happy with the service we have recieved,we always tip in restaurants,bars & our hotel room but when you are on a cruise for a number of weeks $17 pppn is quite a hefty sum to add on to the overall cost of the trip.

[LB_NJ]

FYI, you didn't specifically ask the question however, after the cruise you will get a survey.  There are also ways to acknowledge really good service on-board.

 

My understanding is that this can be really important to the crew members.

[Seville2Cabo]

2 minutes ago, snaefell said:

We are happy enough with tipping,as long as we are happy with the service we have recieved,we always tip in restaurants,bars & our hotel room but when you are on a cruise for a number of weeks $17 pppn is quite a hefty sum to add on to the overall cost of the trip.

Isn't it the same percentage of the cruise cost regardless if it is a 7 day or 21 day?  

 

I preferred the old days when we put cash in the envelopes on the last night and handed them out.  But, times changed.  I really don't like the new system of "tips are spread for other staff" but it is just easier to leave the auto gratuities on.  We do tip extra per drink, at specialty restaurants and cabin steward.  Also if the WJ staff brings us soda or  a drink.  

 

I do agree that the amount is suggested (like the dress code).  But just because it is not mandatory or a suggested amount, does not mean it is not expected.  People in service jobs that have a low base pay do expect tips and I believe provide better service to get better tips.  I believe that including tips in the cruise price will raise the overall price by more than the tip amount (they would have to raise it enough to pay commissions and taxes on the tips, which they don't have to now) and decrease overall service

[snaefell]

1 hour ago, Seville2Cabo said:

Isn't it the same percentage of the cruise cost regardless if it is a 7 day or 21 day?  

 

 

Same amount but obviously the more nights you cruise the more you pay(i.e. 4 night cruise 4x$17 pppn,3 week cruise 21x$17 pppn,don't even want to think about a round the world cruise!)

Although many will hate the idea of the low paid jobs in theory it prompts better service to earn more in tip money,although personally I would prefer a guaranteed higher wage & not have to rely on others being generous,my Wife has worked in hotels since 1980 & tells me lately that the tips have pretty much 'dried up',only matched by the rise in hotel rooms being trashed!

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎2‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 2:10 AM, Micnvic said:

New cruiser here...please be gentle with me 😜😜

 

we are cruising around the Med in July. We have pre booked the adults drink package and booked on the The My Time Dining.

 

i am struggling to understand the gratuity options, if we are better to pre pay or pay on the ship. I believe the drinks package includes gratuity, I believe we would then pay the $17 gratuity per person on top of that. Does that cover all tips, or would we still be expected to provide any additional tips??

 

i understand that we could tip exceptionally good service on our own accord if we felt it was deserved.

 

many thanks 

Prepay you tips.  You drink package includes the tips.  You are under no obligation to tip any more than that.  Pay and forget.  That's my motto.  It's always better to prepay than to have to worry about it later.

 

You already answered the question that you can always tip more. 

[brillohead]

17 hours ago, mayleeman said:

I have noticed my friends who do not tip airport curbside check-in skycaps tend to lose their luggage more often. Just sayin'.....

Actually, curbside-checked bags tend to get lost more than inside-the-terminal checked bags.  Has nothing to do with tipping, and is rather a function of how many steps a bag goes through (how many opportunities for an error or delay to occur) before actually being placed on the plane.

Skycaps at the airport curb are totally different than longshoremen on the dock, who are doing nothing more than carrying (or more often these days, rolling) your bag 5-10 feet to place it on a cart, all while being paid union wages and benefits.

 

[SRF]

23 hours ago, mayleeman said:

I have noticed my friends who do not tip airport curbside check-in skycaps tend to lose their luggage more often. Just sayin'.....

 

Airport sky caps are not the same as longshoremen making an average of about $100K per year.

[SRF]

On 2/28/2019 at 6:47 AM, snaefell said:

,then we had the budget airlines advertising super low airfares until they were made to include luggage,airport taxes,etc,as it can be a significant amount I really don't see how the cruise lines get away with not mentioning the tips in their adverts.

 

You mean SW quoting fares without fees and taxes?  That took, literally, an act of Congress to stop that practice. 

[SRF]

On 2/28/2019 at 6:47 AM, snaefell said:

,then we had the budget airlines advertising super low airfares until they were made to include luggage,airport taxes,etc,as it can be a significant amount I really don't see how the cruise lines get away with not mentioning the tips in their adverts.

 

You mean SW quoting fares without fees and taxes?  That took, literally, an act of Congress to stop that practice. 

[not-enough-cruising]

On 2/28/2019 at 5:47 AM, snaefell said:

then we had the budget airlines advertising super low airfares until they were made to include luggage,airport taxes,etc,as it can be a significant amount I really don't see how the cruise lines get away with not mentioning the tips in their adverts.

Because the tips are NOT MANDATORY, that’s why they don’t have to be advertised. 

[snaefell]

41 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

You mean SW quoting fares without fees and taxes?  That took, literally, an act of Congress to stop that practice. 

Well in the case of here in the UK it was mainly with Ryanair & Easyjet which went on for some years before they were made to change their ways.

[kantonburg]

On 2/28/2019 at 8:59 AM, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

I don't think I've every given my bag to a sky cap or a porter and not given a tip.  It is a fairly standard practice.

 

What is the typical tip amount for a porter?

[Clarea]

1 minute ago, kantonburg said:

 

What is the typical tip amount for a porter?

 

One or two dollars per bag.