Tipping?

[Sailing12Away]

17 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

Again there is no such thing as tipping "extra".

Yes, there is. The regular daily service charge is the tip. Anything above and beyond that is "extra".

[MoCruiseFan]

4 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Yes, there is. The regular daily service charge is the tip. Anything above and beyond that is "extra".

The DSC goes to most of the crew, many of whom are working in non-tipped positions.  Tipping is what passengers do on the ship when they directly give a gratuity t a specific crew member.  Nothing is required at all, it is all up to personal preference.  If person one tips a barkeep $1 per drink and person two tips $2 per drink, neither tipped "extra" or "short".  They both tipped what they personally chose to tip what they wanted.

[leithbones]

On 8/3/2021 at 8:17 AM, Oakman58 said:

The 20% gratuity that is automatically charged with the beverage package is more than I would tip in a land based bar so nothing extra from me. 

To me, this is the best philosophy.  I tip more than 20% at a land based bar, so I'll do the same at sea.

On 8/3/2021 at 8:17 AM, Oakman58 said:

  I’m not trying to prove how rich I am.

Neither am I.  

I get tipped regularly & generously, and I like to 'pass it along.'

I know how appreciative I am for a stranger's generosity.

[complawyer]

i dont understand this debate. tip if you want, dont if you dont want to.

 

i think its always appreciated if you tip (and it is extra) i tip the cabin steward,the butler, the concierge, whoever waits on me at whatever restaurant i'm in at the time. (even the mdr), and of course the bartenders. its not a question of being rich or not, i got plenty of flack in prior posts about staying mostly in the haven, but a few extra dollars here and there means more to the staff then keeping the money in your pocket.if you disagree, that's fine, then dont tip.

 

hopefully, you tip the guy that takes your luggage before you get on the ship

[FreestyleNovice]

11 hours ago, complawyer said:

 

 

hopefully, you tip the guy that takes your luggage before you get on the ship

 

Oh no, don't start a new one about the porters...! 

[zerooveride]

15 hours ago, complawyer said:

hopefully, you tip the guy that takes your luggage before you get on the ship

Not always.

If they actually help me then I do. For example at the Honolulu terminal, they made us load our own luggage onto the scanner. Why would I tip then? I tipped myself once I got on the ship 😁

[CruizinKittie40]

On 8/3/2021 at 10:36 PM, MoCruiseFan said:

The DSC goes to most of the crew, many of whom are working in non-tipped positions.  

and this is why I remove gratuities.  I should get a say over who my money goes to

[CruizinKittie40]

On 7/31/2021 at 7:04 PM, chefchick said:

I’m curious. Do you tip your Doctor ?  Your accountant?  Tip whomever you’d like of course, but the Captain of a Ship is a well paid, salaried professional….maybe it’s me, but that seems unusual.

I've read subsequent posts and realize the person you were replying to was joking, but I recently had someone work on my house (flooring, painting, etc.) and his wife constantly went on about how much they were tipped with prior jobs.  It never gave them one dime over what I was quoted.  I also never called them back do to more work. 

[KAYKAY121]

5 hours ago, CruizinKittie40 said:

I've read subsequent posts and realize the person you were replying to was joking, but I recently had someone work on my house (flooring, painting, etc.) and his wife constantly went on about how much they were tipped with prior jobs.  It never gave them one dime over what I was quoted.  I also never called them back do to more work. 

We all view tipping differently and that is OK. I don't have problem tipping an employee but why would you tip the owner? they already added profit into your price. I don't tip if I know they are the owner. Hairdresser, house cleaner, etc. But I do tip the employees on a cruise ship extra. I don't tip as much as I used to for food delivery if a service fee has been added. It is a personal choice. 🙂

[TFLG]

I prefer the Australian system.  No tipping.  It's so nice not to have to worry about tipping or additional tax.  The price on the menu is the price you pay. 

 

On cruises, I do find a buck or two to the bartender/server occasionally, can in many cases reduce your wait the next time you want a drink. So I take a stack of  $1's and $5's with me.

[DCGuy64]

16 minutes ago, TFLG said:

I prefer the Australian system.  No tipping.  It's so nice not to have to worry about tipping or additional tax.  The price on the menu is the price you pay. 

Meaning there's no incentive to provide good service, since your server gets paid the same whether he/she brings your drink in 2 minutes or 30. Not sure I like that system. I go to Europe a lot and there the rule is generally just to round up, but I have to say I've sat thirsty in cafes many times where back in the USA I'd get prompt attention due to the possibility of a bad tip otherwise.

[Trimone]

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Meaning there's no incentive to provide good service, since your server gets paid the same whether he/she brings your drink in 2 minutes or 30. Not sure I like that system. I go to Europe a lot and there the rule is generally just to round up, but I have to say I've sat thirsty in cafes many times where back in the USA I'd get prompt attention due to the possibility of a bad tip otherwise.

The biggest problem we have in restaurants and bars in the U.K. is they are cashless, so like last night I was drinking at my local and it was pour and tap…nobody will handle cash

[complawyer]

Just now, Trimone said:

The biggest problem we have in restaurants and bars in the U.K. is they are cashless, so like last night I was drinking at my local and it was pour and tap…nobody will handle cash

so are you saying if you try and slip the waiter or bartender or any server, euros or pounds they wont accept it?

[TFLG]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

Meaning there's no incentive to provide good service, since your server gets paid the same whether he/she brings your drink in 2 minutes or 30. Not sure I like that system. I go to Europe a lot and there the rule is generally just to round up, but I have to say I've sat thirsty in cafes many times where back in the USA I'd get prompt attention due to the possibility of a bad tip otherwise.

 

I find the service to be just as good if not better in Australia.  I cant think of a time where I got terrible service over there and I've spent a fair amount of time there.  I can however think of many times when I've had crap service here at home. Been to Europe many times too.  If I had to rate the the US would come last (unless you count France as a separately from Europe, that country sucks for service, and parts of Italy are not far behind). 

 

I just don't think the service people here care anymore.  They know a tip is coming it's almost a sure thing people will tip so they don't need to try. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by TFLG

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, Trimone said:

The biggest problem we have in restaurants and bars in the U.K. is they are cashless, so like last night I was drinking at my local and it was pour and tap…nobody will handle cash

 

They never have an issue scooping up a £5 when I leave it on the table 😂

 

They can actually add a tip to the cashless payment, you just need to ask, just like the old days when they handed you the machine on the "Add gratuity?" screen.

[Travelling2Some]

On 7/28/2021 at 6:00 PM, trivimp said:

I'm like the OP, I just hate carrying around cash, so I figure I'll let the DSC do its job... the only exception to that is a few nice tips to various bartenders in the whiskey bar early on in the cruise.  They tend to learn my name & what I like to drink.  I consider it an investment in the rest of the cruise, I never have to wait for a drink after that 🙂 

Agree.  We find our favorite bartender(s) early on the cruise and tip them.  It's an investment in good service, but more importantly, in interesting conversations. 

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, TFLG said:

 

I find the service to be just as good if not better in Australia.  I cant think of a time where I got terrible service over there and I've spent a fair amount of time there.  I can however think of many times when I've had crap service here at home. Been to Europe many times too.  If I had to rate the the US would come last (unless you count France as a separately from Europe, that country sucks for service, and parts of Italy are not far behind). 

 

I just don't think the service people here care anymore.  They know a tip is coming it's almost a sure thing people will tip so they don't need to try. 

That’s great about Australia. 😊 

It’s usually been my experience that when people have a guaranteed salary in the service industry they become complacent, but that may differ from country to country. Where I live in DC they tried to ban tipping in exchange for higher wages and BOTH servers and restaurant owners voted it down. 

[Travelling2Some]

Our observation in general is that you get the worst service in non-tipping countries (with the exception of Asia).  We are used to good service in the US (with the odd personal lapse, of course).  Everyone's experiences will vary, of course, but the worst countries for service we've experienced were Australia and France, although for different reasons.

[complawyer]

i believe we have strayed slightly off course. wasnt this thread originally  designed to discuss tipping or not tipping on board the cruise ship, and who if anyone should get a tip?

 

wherever i may go, if someone is providing me a service (other than a professional) i leave a tip.

 

dont cheap out, a few extra dollars to a waiter/waitress, bartender, cab driver or anyone in the service industry will probably be greatly appreciated by them.

 

by the way, i mentioned previously about tipping the porter that takes your luggage onboard the ship. i think that's a given.

 

if you use a sky cap to check in at the airport, i think its appropriate to tip him/her also.$5.00 -$10 per bag (large luggage) seems the right way to go. It may also insure your bags get to the same place as you when they are supposed to. also if you  use a sky cap to help you get  your luggage when you arrive at your destination, you should tip them also. also, if at an airport and you have mobility problems and request a wheelchair to help get you to the proper gate, you should definitely tip the person who is helping you.

 

i think it just shows the people that you appreciate the efforts they put in to help you.

 

all that being said, i think we may have beaten this topic to death. bottom line, to tip or not to tip, that is the question. if you choose not to, just dont (especially onboard a ship and the gratuities have already been factored into the fare). if you want to just go on and do so.

[Travelling2Some]

2 hours ago, complawyer said:

i believe we have strayed slightly off course. wasnt this thread originally  designed to discuss tipping or not tipping on board the cruise ship, and who if anyone should get a tip? . . . all that being said, i think we may have beaten this topic to death. bottom line, to tip or not to tip, that is the question. if you choose not to, just dont (especially onboard a ship and the gratuities have already been factored into the fare). if you want to just go on and do so.

Agreed, but, darn it, now you've gone and put the kabosh on a perfectly good tipping thread with the usual potential for high drama, violent arguments and relief from discussing covid and cancellations;)

Edited August 13, 2021 by Travelling2Some

[Named-Tawny]

6 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Meaning there's no incentive to provide good service, since your server gets paid the same whether he/she brings your drink in 2 minutes or 30. Not sure I like that system. I go to Europe a lot and there the rule is generally just to round up, but I have to say I've sat thirsty in cafes many times where back in the USA I'd get prompt attention due to the possibility of a bad tip otherwise.

The incentive to provide good service is because it's your job and you're a professional.

It's the same reason why retail employees try to provide good service despite not being tipped, or accountants, or really anybody who is employed in a field that doesn't provide tips.  People like doing their job well.  There's no reason to assume that a given professional won't do their job properly just because they don't work for tips.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Named-Tawny

[DCGuy64]

11 minutes ago, Named-Tawny said:

The incentive to provide good service is because it's your job and you're a professional.

It's the same reason why retail employees try to provide good service despite not being tipped, or accountants, or really anybody who is employed in a field that doesn't provide tips.  People like doing their job well.  There's no reason to assume that a given professional won't do their job properly just because they don't work for tips.

I was talking about the service industry. Even so, higher wages usually do work as an incentive to work harder. But the issue on this thread is tipping of cruise employees, so let’s not get off on tangents related to accountants and such, that’s not relevant here. Thanks. 

[Named-Tawny]

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I was talking about the service industry. Even so, higher wages usually do work as an incentive to work harder. But the issue on this thread is tipping of cruise employees, so let’s not get off on tangents related to accountants and such, that’s not relevant here. Thanks. 

The same applies to hospitality professionals as well, thanks.  I was just trying to put it in language that you'd be more likely to understand.

Edited August 13, 2021 by Named-Tawny

[complawyer]

2 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

Agreed, but, darn it, now you've gone and put the kabosh on a perfectly good tipping thread with the usual potential for high drama, violent arguments and relief from discussing covid and cancellations;)

so terribly sorry, i didnt mean to rain on the parade. but there's much to be said for drama (high or low),     violent arguments, cancellations and covid. and please dont forget about misspelled parents names.

 

so much more intriguing stuff to fight about. so if we're ever on the same cruise, the 1st drink is on me, and I'LL TAKE CARE OF THE TIP!!!!!

[Tante Din]

Hey I have a question about tipping on our upcoming Greece cruise.

 

So we live in Germany and pay with Euros as they do in Greece.

 

Shoud I pack some dollars for tipping on the ship or should I tip in Euros ?

 

Nadine