tipping

[RocketMan275]

10 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

For someone to ask to remove them after they have been paid for poor service would IMO be rare and more likely an attempt to avoid paying them and justifying it by claiming poor service. 

There have been reports of passengers informing other passengers of a great way to save money - remove the gratuities.  Also, numerous posts to that effect.

[RocketMan275]

15 hours ago, clo said:

Some of us consider paying for services not yet rendered to be a bribe.  To each his own.

How is providing a small down payment on the second or third day of a cruise 'paying for services not yet rendered'?

[leaveitallbehind]

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

There have been reports of passengers informing other passengers of a great way to save money - remove the gratuities.  Also, numerous posts to that effect.

 

Understood and agreed.  My point is that most times this is done on Day 1 by request through guest services typically by reason of wanting to pay cash at the end of the cruise directly to the service staff (as was once the traditional method) versus at the end of the cruise by claiming poor service, as I previously outlined. 

 

Either way to remove gratuities to save money is IMO a cheap tactic that hurts those who work the hardest to provide a good cruise experience for you.  

[jofred]

Sure got a lot of opinions.  I have a special need and most of the cabin attendants have been very understanding.  I appreciate their help.  So I will continue to appreciate what they do.  If it's considered a bribe-so be it- I show my appreciation. 

[RocketMan275]

57 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

Understood and agreed.  My point is that most times this is done on Day 1 by request through guest services typically by reason of wanting to pay cash at the end of the cruise directly to the service staff (as was once the traditional method) versus at the end of the cruise by claiming poor service, as I previously outlined. 

 

Either way to remove gratuities to save money is IMO a cheap tactic that hurts those who work the hardest to provide a good cruise experience for you.  

I was referring to a specific post.  The poster reported that they had shared a table with a 'wonderful' older couple. On the last night this 'wonderful' couple said they knew a way to save over $100 on the cruise by removing gratuities. They skipped dessert to get to guest services early.

[clo]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

How is providing a small down payment on the second or third day of a cruise 'paying for services not yet rendered'?

Ah, I don't remember your qualifying it that way.

[leaveitallbehind]

41 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I was referring to a specific post.  The poster reported that they had shared a table with a 'wonderful' older couple. On the last night this 'wonderful' couple said they knew a way to save over $100 on the cruise by removing gratuities. They skipped dessert to get to guest services early.

 

OK - but you quoted a post of mine with your comments, which is why I responded to you.

 

And what that "wonderful" couple did was lousy IMO.  

[navybankerteacher]

14 hours ago, clo said:

Actually I've read that people eat an entire whatever and then say it wasn't okay.  Since then I've talked to servers and, to a person, everyone has had that occur.  So I'm guessing it happens in other areas.

It surely does - on many occasions while checking out of a hotel I have overheard other   guests complaining about unsatisfactory conditions such as poorly made bed, improperly cleaned room, lack of hot water, poor air lconditioning, etc.  - and ignoring desk clerks’ questions about why they did not raise the issue before check-out.

 

I imagine there is a manual for such scummy cheese-balls on how to get discounts on hotel stays.

[NLH Arizona]

16 hours ago, clo said:

So I guess if the tip/bribe doesn't work then it can be adjusted.  But I've never had anything other than good/great service.  

 

I just checked and see the recommended tip for hotel housekeeping is $1 to $5 per day per room, not per person. So if we're paying $32 per couple per day I'm kinda guessing that $5/day is likely the share that that person receives.  Just mulling all this over.

What does what is tipped to a hotel housekeeper have to do with a Cabin Steward on a ship; the jobs are not the same.  

 

Instead of guessing on the amount they get, why not ask the Hotel Director on your next cruise?

[clo]

38 minutes ago, NLH Arizona said:

Instead of guessing on the amount they get, why not ask the Hotel Director on your next cruise?

Okey dokey.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

 

Instead of guessing on the amount they get, why not ask the Hotel Director on your next cruise?

 

Most cruise lines will break down the gratuity distribution on their websites under the topic of on board gratuity payments.  The daily per person amount is split in varying amounts between the dining room wait staff and the stateroom attendant (and any assistant).  The distribution amounts are not a secret.

[NLH Arizona]

1 hour ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

Most cruise lines will break down the gratuity distribution on their websites under the topic of on board gratuity payments.  The daily per person amount is split in varying amounts between the dining room wait staff and the stateroom attendant (and any assistant).  The distribution amounts are not a secret.

Some do and some don't release this information.

[K32682]

On 11/15/2019 at 5:27 PM, RocketMan275 said:

Nothing wrong with that approach.  We too like to start the cruise with a small tip to the cabin attendant to show your appreciation for their work.  We've yet to receive service that was another less than excellent so there was no reason to regret that approach.

 

A tip early in the going more often than not results in prompter and more efficient service and not just on cruises. I do it often. 

[sparks1093]

13 hours ago, NLH Arizona said:

Some do and some don't release this information.

And if they don't release it then asking about it onboard won't result in any information either. It's also unlikely that they would tell you exactly how the tips are distributed, i.e. does your steward get 100% of the tip or is it put in a pool and distributed based on seniority, etc. My guess is the latter for most cruise lines but it's just a guess.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

A tip early in the going more often than not results in prompter and more efficient service and not just on cruises. I do it often. 

A tip up front might gain better service - but if you are right, don’t you think telling everybody about it will get more people to do it - and then when everybody is doing it, how will it get better service - unless you pay significantly more?

[ilikeanswers]

On 11/16/2019 at 9:30 AM, clo said:

Some of us consider paying for services not yet rendered to be a bribe.  To each his own.

 

In Japan and Korea it is considered a bribe even after services rendered😂. My Turkish classmate once told me the Turkish word for gratuity is the same as bribe😋 and it is an accepted business practice. I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

 

I have been wondering though is automatic gratuity a USA only practice? Does this happen on ships that cruise outside the US?

[K32682]

21 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

A tip up front might gain better service - but if you are right, don’t you think telling everybody about it will get more people to do it - and then when everybody is doing it, how will it get better service - unless you pay significantly more?

 

Perhaps but it's hardly a secret that an early tip typically results in better service.  The parsimonious, the morally offended and those willing to accept lesser levels of service won't pay so the risk of everyone doing it isn't all that great. 

[DirtyDawg]

On 11/15/2019 at 5:27 PM, RocketMan275 said:

Nothing wrong with that approach.  We too like to start the cruise with a small tip to the cabin attendant to show your appreciation for their work.  We've yet to receive service that was another less than excellent so there was no reason to regret that approach.

 

Some people will consider this a 'bribe' but I like to think of it as treating those wonderful cabin stewards just like a star athlete. Did The Packers  'bribe' Aaron Rogers with that massive upfront signing bonus last year? Now, I don't give my steward a $50M+ tip at the beginning a 7 day cruise but an extra $20 bucks or so upfront for some extra requested services can show the steward that I consider him or her a star  🌟 just like Aaron. 😉

[navybankerteacher]

3 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Perhaps but it's hardly a secret that an early tip typically results in better service.  The parsimonious, the morally offended and those willing to accept lesser levels of service won't pay so the risk of everyone doing it isn't all that great. 

An interesting view of the world:  someone who is disinclined to give bribes to get better treatment than others is parsimonious, morallly offended or willing to accept lesser levels of service.

[Sif]

I usually don't tip up front, except to give the cabin steward the bottle of wine that we get for eating at the steakhouse on night 1. I haven't pre-payed gratuities yet on a cruise and have always received exceptional service.

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

A tip early in the going more often than not results in prompter and more efficient service and not just on cruises. I do it often. 

Those that think early tipping is the equivalent of a bribe seem to be concerned that someone somewhere is getting better service than they are.

Edited November 17, 2019 by RocketMan275

[RocketMan275]

18 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

An interesting view of the world:  someone who is disinclined to give bribes to get better treatment than others is parsimonious, morallly offended or willing to accept lesser levels of service.

 

Just because a consideration is given before service doesn't make it a bribe.

Just because a consideration is given after service doesn't make a gratuity.

[K32682]

32 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

An interesting view of the world:  someone who is disinclined to give bribes to get better treatment than others is parsimonious, morallly offended or willing to accept lesser levels of service.

 

Those would be reasons not to engage in the practice.  Don't want to spend the money, willing to accept that others are being served before them or tightly bound by a moral opposition to what they deem "bribery."  Another might be simply not being aware the opportunity exists. Are there others? 

[SRF]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

And if they don't release it then asking about it onboard won't result in any information either. It's also unlikely that they would tell you exactly how the tips are distributed, i.e. does your steward get 100% of the tip or is it put in a pool and distributed based on seniority, etc. My guess is the latter for most cruise lines but it's just a guess.

 

Royal Carib used to publish the breakdown.  The cabin steward got X % of the tip, wait staff got y % etc.  No difference for seniority.

 

Do land based waiters get tips based on seniority.

 

Also, for many lines, it has been reported if you take off the automated gratuities, any cash tips MUST be turned in by the employee and they go into the top pool to be paid out by the same % basis as auto gratuities.

 

As for those who just say, the staff can not turn them in, if they are caught doing that, they can be terminated at the next port, and have to make their own way home.  How likely would YOU be to put your job at risk in this manner????

 

This was posted in 2018:

 

The cruise line no longer publishes the breakdown. This is the way it was when the total was $12.95 per day ($15.95 for GS and better):

 

 

Dining & Culinary Services: $7.75 USD

Stateroom Attendant: $3.85 USD OR Suite Attendant: $6.10 USD

Other Housekeeping Services: $1.35 USD OR Housekeeping and Suite Services: $2.10 USD

[CPT Trips]

Regardless of what they call it, each of the cruise lines we used over the past several years has added a specified amount to our account daily to compensate crew for service. It has been, I don't know how many, years since we were given "tip" envelopes and a list of "suggested" amounts broken out by position when traveling on one of the large cruise lines. That old tradition that required me to carry more cash than I preferred is not something I miss.

 

Cash tipping is still a part of our cruising experience on river boats and small < 100 pax ocean going ships. On those cruises it is a lump sum group tip that is divided among the entire crew. 

 

I'm good with whatever method the cruise line implements for their crew compensation package as long as they inform me in advance so I can be prepared.