Tipping

[dplusd]

We always save singles and five's between vacations too!  I am sure we will tip generously as we always have.  We have not been impacted financially by Covid-19 and gratuities are not a large expense in our vacation budgets anyway.  Just not sure when I am going to feel comfortable getting on a cruise ship again.  I don't see that being any time soon and probably not until there is a vaccine or treatment available.  

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

When cruising restarts and you get back on board the ship will you tip more to help staff who have lost a significant portion of income by not being able to be employed? Will you tip less because your own personal finances have been impacted and you just can't afford to tip as much as you used to? Or will you tip about the same? I'm hoping to up my tip game.  What about you?

We will tip the same. The auto grats basically supplement the crew's base pay to bring them up to their minimum guaranteed contract value. So, we tip extra in cash to try and help them get above the sub-minimum wage contract value. 

[Tree_skier]

4 hours ago, TYMAN said:

I’ve been collecting ones and fives since our Feb cruise. I plan on making it rain! Although we’re great tippers (my opinion), we’re going to bump it up even more! 

Great stuff, we usually do the same.  Unfortunately we are stuck in Canada until they reopen the border so I can't stock up on 1's and 5's.

[Seville2Cabo]

4 hours ago, TYMAN said:

I’ve been collecting ones and fives since our Feb cruise. I plan on making it rain! Although we’re great tippers (my opinion), we’re going to bump it up even more! 

We are always short of small bills.  I go to the bank before the cruise and get 100 in 5’s and one’s each.  I Go to the bank and get small bills each month I  go thru $100 in 1’s and 5’s each month at the club, (bag boys, drinks, cart person, skins, etc) so always in need small bills.  No chance to save them.

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

I'm hoping to up my tip game.  What about you?

Well, you did say you were leaving masks threads behind to get back to tipping. There is a lot to be said for a man of his word.

[pcur]

We tip through the onboard account, and add cash to that for some crew members.  I will also start cashing tipping to the Windjammer (whatever that may be) when we restart.

 

I always tip wherever I get my drinks in the evening, whether it's a CL, DL, or from the free ones on our cards.

 

A little off-topic:

I get almost all my groceries from Instacart, and tip extra to my hero shoppers.  Last week my order was delayed significantly, and I knew the shopper had already finished shopping.  Since there was meat and frozen products in the cart, I had to open an online chat with Instacart.  They cancelled the order, and restarted it with a new shopper.  The first shopper must have seen it through the app, and 2 minutes later the groceries were on my porch!  Double order delivered by end of day.  I told Instacart I would pay for the original if they could find out how much.  (I get instant alerts when my card is used, so I know the charge didn't go through).  Instacart wrote it off, and I got $80 in free groceries.

 

So, in my head I knew I had a mental $80 credit, and gave it all to the following Instacart shoppers for the next several orders, on top of what I normally tip, which is usually double or triple their measly suggested amount.

 

These shoppers get 100% of their tips credited immediately, so I know it was helping them NOW!

 

It takes a village/city/county/state/country to get us all through this.  

[Merion_Mom]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Traditionally we have always tried to tip a little better than average.  

 

How do you know what average is?

[Tree_skier]

4 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Ahh I have missed the tipping posts!!   ...

You are welcome...

 

4 hours ago, goldfish65 said:

I plan to tip the same as I would have before, which is exactly the way you describe.

Good stuff, I think that that is a fair amount.  I just feel for the staff that have gone without a paycheck for an extended period of time.  We're on a land vacation right now to replace our cancelled Hawaii to Vancouver.  We rented a house at a lake in the West Kootneys of BC. Shops, Diners,  Restaurants and Pubs have been closed for a while and are just starting to open.  I really want to support these small business people and their employees.  I'm trying, as much as I can, to add a little extra. Ive been talking to many of local businesses and just getting people out has been a bit slow. So just patronizing their shops is an important part of the process of rebuilding for them.

 

3 hours ago, JoeFan said:

I plan to tip the same.

How would you handle this?

Last cruise we didn't even enter the MDR or Windjamer. We had the UDP and ate at specialty lunch & dinner.

Between the auto grat and UDP would you tip extra at the specialty?

I'd tip extra at the specialty restaurants I eat at in lieu of extra tipping at the MDR.  The additional tip from the UDP is pretty small.

 

1 hour ago, soremekun said:

Just putting up the Bat Signal

@Thorben-Hendrik

@not-enough-cruising

 

You're welcome

I was hoping to drag old Thor out of retirement

[Tree_skier]

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Well, you did say you were leaving masks threads behind to get back to tipping. There is a lot to be said for a man of his word.

I try my best 🙂 

[jndsilver31]

we start with pre-paid grats.

 

our room steward receives $150

the wait staff, the waiter and the asst. waiter each get $100

 

 

[Tree_skier]

5 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

How do you know what average is?

I don't have a scientific analysis is average.  My assumption of average on a cruise ship is based on a couple years of CC. My assumption of average is in a restaurant/bar is based on experience while working in college many moons ago.

 

 

[Seville2Cabo]

2 minutes ago, jndsilver31 said:

we start with pre-paid grats.

 

our room steward receives $150

the wait staff, the waiter and the asst. waiter each get $100

 

 

Is 100 to 200 normal for room steward?  I’ve been under tipping big time.  The rest I seem to be inline with, but missed this one. (I leave the auto grats one)

[Tree_skier]

2 minutes ago, jndsilver31 said:

we start with pre-paid grats.

 

our room steward receives $150

the wait staff, the waiter and the asst. waiter each get $100

 

 

That is more than fair! Do you stay in suites or regular cabins.  From reading CC it seems that most suite guests who comment of tipping threads tip a little better.  I imagine the one that don't just stay quiet.

 

[pcur]

Just now, Seville2Cabo said:

Is 100 to 200 normal for room steward?  I’ve been under tipping big time.  The rest I seem to be inline with, but missed this one. (I leave the auto grats one)

Pay what you can afford.

[Tree_skier]

1 minute ago, Seville2Cabo said:

Is 100 to 200 normal for room steward?  I’ve been under tipping big time.  The rest I seem to be inline with, but missed this one. (I leave the auto grats one)

From my analysis that is high.  But if you can do it I encourage it. If not don't worry.  For me the baseline is leaving autograts on.  Anything else is gravy.

Edited May 27, 2020 by Tree_skier

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

 

When cruising restarts and you get back on board the ship will you tip more to help staff who have lost a significant portion of income by not being able to be employed? Will you tip less because your own personal finances have been impacted and you just can't afford to tip as much as you used to? Or will you tip about the same?

 

I don't think that I'll be changing my habits. I certainly don't feel  any obligation to make up lost income from a cruising moratorium.

[Seville2Cabo]

2 minutes ago, pcur said:

Pay what you can afford.

I’m not trying to pay their kids college, just what is fair and appropriate 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Seville2Cabo

[mugtech]

When Jed Clampett was told tipping was expected he said "Plant your corn early this year."

[livylotte]

I love a good tipping thread!  No, I won't be tipping less.

I never prepay tips but I am happy for them to be added to my seapass account to settle at the end of our cruise.  We always give our room steward an additional cash tip on the last night and in all the years we have been cruising on RC we have never had a bad room steward.  We haven't had the same positive experience with waiters, so sometimes they get more, sometimes they don't.

We don't spend on board because all excursions and drinks are paid for in advance so the only charge on our sea pass is for tips. My UK culture I guess.  Tips after service - not before.  

[Milwaukee Eight]

25 minutes ago, pcur said:

We tip through the onboard account, and add cash to that for some crew members.

What do you mean onboard account. Not familiar with that. 

[taglovestocruise]

If the ships sail half full the crew tips would be cut in half. 

[Ocean Boy]

This thread is long overdue. It is taking off like wildfire. People are obvious in need of a covid diversion. We just need for the usuals to show up to tell us what they do and how everyone else should do exactly the same.

[Seville2Cabo]

Do you have to tip if you wear a mask?  They won’t know who you are.

[Ocean Boy]

37 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

How do you know what average is?

Geeze, it has been so long you don't even remember how a tipping thread works.

[mugtech]

My wife (Filipina) likes to offer hard working single Filipino males an introduction to one of her beautiful single nieces back on Luzon.  Hard to put a $ value on that, but it does not have to be shared, is not taxable.