Tipping

[billylen]

I know this comes up from time to time, but thought I'd put it out there and let the chips fall where they may. I am going on a pretty long voyage. I have opted for the dining package (which has gratuities included). What is bugging me is I will not use the dining room. So, I feel like I will be tipping twice. So, my questions is is it poor form to tip my cabin steward only? I'm serious, so I'm reaching in hope of gaining insight.

 

Thanks for reading.

[firefly333]

Since auto tips cover buffet and other workers, imo it's bad form. Just dont tip extra for those jobs. But dont stiff everyone else. 

[Jam0610]

We always have daily tips added to our final payment. Also use the 3 day dining package where the bill has 18% added. I just like it paid and out of the way.

Tip servers, room steward, and bartenders extra for great service.

 

[HappyTexan44]

One idea would be bring cash for the auto-gratuity amount.  Then ask the steward who will be left out.  For example, the steward probably knows who in the windjammer could be trusted to spread out a lump sum tip.   
 

[SbbquilterUT]

Your auto gratuity covers many non-customer facing jobs as well as dining venues and room stewards - if you remove that it impacts lots of the crew.  

[mil76]

We always do UDP and leave the tips on.  My understanding is you are tipping everyone on the Food service side.  So if you have UDP and remove tips but pop into the WJ every day for breakfast, you are still stiffing people for services provided.  I don't know of any other way to ensure that guy getting my hot water for tea in the Windjammer gets his tip, and I definitely will not be walking around the WJ handing out dollar bills to everyone.  Also, if you remove tips your stateroom attendant will know this and might assume you are stiffing them for tips, and I wouldn't want my toothbrush being used as a toilet scrubber.

 

With that said, I'm definitely not happy that they raised gratuities and now it sounds like they are cutting back stateroom service to once a day.  In addition to tipping for food service I don't use, I'm now getting 50% less on the stateroom service side.  

[Rusty_lock]

Tipping threads are the best 🙂 🍿

[jencruzin]

Agree with the OP. Tipping is OFF THE CHAIN these days, especially considering the added gratuities to the already high fees. We haven't extra tipped the dining staff the past couple of cruises because they really never went above and beyond for us. And, extra tipping the cabin steward? Only if, again, they really WOW us and do something very extraordinary.

 

Head waiters stop by and interrupt the dining table's discussion to tell us something we already knew. Tipping them is throwing cash away, IMO.

 

Gratuities in advance = tipping in advance. 

[Rusty_lock]

1 hour ago, billylen said:

I am going on a pretty long voyage

How long is long?

[Fouremco]

6 minutes ago, mil76 said:

I'm now getting 50% less on the stateroom service side.  

The evening touch up service was always quick and easy compared to the full morning service. You may be getting 50% less visits, but certainly not 50% less service.

[jencruzin]

10 minutes ago, mil76 said:

 Also, if you remove tips your stateroom attendant will know this and might assume you are stiffing them for tips, and I wouldn't want my toothbrush being used as a toilet scrubber.

 

 

😵 THIS made me THINK (hide our toothbrushes)...we pre paid gratuities, I hope that our cabin attendant knows this. Might slip that person an extra $20 at the start, then another $20 when we leave. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by jencruzin

[HappyTexan44]

44 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Your auto gratuity covers many non-customer facing jobs as well as dining venues and room stewards - if you remove that it impacts lots of the crew.  

I am very pro-tipping, but this bugs me.   Tipping should be for customer-facing jobs where what they do isn't pass-fail.   For example, washing sheets is pass-fail.   They either do their job, or they don't.   The sheets are clean or they aren't.   There isn't a super-sparkly clean on sheets.  
But room stewards, it is possible to do a minimal job and it is possible to do a super-sparkly job.  For waiters, it is possible to do more than minimal.   



 

[klfrodo]

6 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

I am very pro-tipping, but this bugs me.   Tipping should be for customer-facing jobs where what they do isn't pass-fail.   For example, washing sheets is pass-fail.   They either do their job, or they don't.   The sheets are clean or they aren't.   There isn't a super-sparkly clean on sheets.  
But room stewards, it is possible to do a minimal job and it is possible to do a super-sparkly job.  For waiters, it is possible to do more than minimal.   



 

You do realize that even in your local diner, that when you tip the waiter or waitress, it's customary that they split that tip in some form or fashion for the back of the house people right? Back of the house are the dishwashers, the bus boys/girls, the cook, etc.

If the front of the house doesn't share in some way, the back of the house can really make the front of the house have a bad day. Wrong order, late order, delayed busing of table, etc

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by klfrodo

[ONECRUISER]

Little different then OP's question but funny thing when they started having pay Restaurants the Fee/Service Charge for that was supposed to be the Tip. Even said so in Royal Press Release 24yrs ago

[gerif]

45 minutes ago, jencruzin said:

Agree with the OP. Tipping is OFF THE CHAIN these days, especially considering the added gratuities to the already high fees. We haven't extra tipped the dining staff the past couple of cruises because they really never went above and beyond for us. And, extra tipping the cabin steward? Only if, again, they really WOW us and do something very extraordinary.

 

Head waiters stop by and interrupt the dining table's discussion to tell us something we already knew. Tipping them is throwing cash away, IMO.

 

Gratuities in advance = tipping in advance. 

The head waiter is not there to amuse you or be your new bff. S/he is there to assure that service runs smoothly and that there are no problems. Occasionally, they need to change waitstaff if there is a problem (had that happen once). If everything is running smoothly they are doing their job. 

[sellwingri]

57 minutes ago, Rusty_lock said:

How long is long?

Not sure about the OP, but I’m going on a 15 day cruise is April and I consider that long.

[HappyTexan44]

25 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

You do realize that even in your local diner, that when you tip the waiter or waitress, it's customary that they split that tip in some form or fashion for the back of the house people right? Back of the house are the dishwashers, the bus boys/girls, the cook, etc.

If the front of the house doesn't share in some way, the back of the house can really make the front of the house have a bad day. Wrong order, late order, delayed busing of table, etc

 

 

Bartenders get tipped based on the alcohol sold, whoever cleans the tables get tipped based on food sold.  When I waited tables the standard was 15%.   You passed on 15% of that 15%.   Cooks, dishwashers etc. weren't tipped.   I'd also worked as a dishwasher and I wasn't tipped, nor did I expect one.   

 

[Cayman1]

While I understand both sides to this, it seems that more and more cruise lines are raising tips overall, yet decreasing some service. I feel everyone should be tipped if they are deserving, but I also feel the cruise lines are using the customers to gain/retain employees by this, all at the customers expense, thus we are paying a portion of their increased salaries. As with everything related to inflation, it all falls back on the end consumer to absorb in some sort or way.

[topnole]

42 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

You do realize that even in your local diner, that when you tip the waiter or waitress, it's customary that they split that tip in some form or fashion for the back of the house people right? Back of the house are the dishwashers, the bus boys/girls, the cook, etc.

If the front of the house doesn't share in some way, the back of the house can really make the front of the house have a bad day. Wrong order, late order, delayed busing of table, etc

 

Been a long time, but I worked in several restaurants when I was young and never once did a place do what you are suggesting.  The only folks who got tipped out based on bartender and server tips were the bus staff (aka busboys back in the day), hostess staff, and bar backs.  Never seen any place where folks tip cooks, dishwashers, etc..   Not saying it doesn’t exist somewhere, but I’ve never heard of such a practice to this day.  

[firefly333]

11 minutes ago, Cayman1 said:

While I understand both sides to this, it seems that more and more cruise lines are raising tips overall, yet decreasing some service. I feel everyone should be tipped if they are deserving, but I also feel the cruise lines are using the customers to gain/retain employees by this, all at the customers expense, thus we are paying a portion of their increased salaries. As with everything related to inflation, it all falls back on the end consumer to absorb in some sort or way.

And I've seen ships are understaffed and it's been hard to hire. Read the last inflation reports, wages are hot. I'm ok with auto tips. I'd like to sail fully staffed ships. 

[Morecruisesplz]

35 minutes ago, sellwingri said:

Not sure about the OP, but I’m going on a 15 day cruise is April and I consider that long.

21 days is longer.

[topnole]

1 hour ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Your auto gratuity covers many non-customer facing jobs as well as dining venues and room stewards - if you remove that it impacts lots of the crew.  

How does anyone know this?   They certainly don’t tell us that it goes to such staff.  I’ve adjusted my tips before and the sheet GS gave me had a specific list of who gets tipped and I don’t recall it having anything other than the normal positions like server, room attendant, head waiter, etc.  

[Morecruisesplz]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Since auto tips cover buffet and other workers, imo it's bad form. Just dont tip extra for those jobs. But dont stiff everyone else. 

On the other side of the coin, why would suggest that the OP tip MDR staff who provide absolutely no service in this situation?

[billylen]

1 hour ago, Rusty_lock said:

How long is long?

28 days

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, jencruzin said:

We haven't extra tipped the dining staff the past couple of cruises because they really never went above and beyond for us.

on our Harmony Nov 2021 cruise we had traditional early instead of MTD because of the pandemic restrictions, and I must say that our waiter and his asst went so far beyond the expected that we tipped them extra twice. I first gave them an envelope each during our last MDR dinner, and they looked happy. The tip was extra for all 5 of us.

 

After dinner my mom was still gushing about the service we received and wanted to give them an extra tip just from my mom and dad. So, I came back during the later seating to hand them another envelope each. Now they looked concerned. I think now that it may be because they thought we cancelled the auto tips which we would never ever do.

 

This is not to say how wonderful we were to give extra, this is to say - some of them do go above and beyond without any expectations of any extras. My kid still talks about John and how he wishes that John transferred to Allure (the following cruise) and then Oasis (our next cruise). MDR service on the Allure was ranging from subpar to average. We'll see about Oasis shortly.

 

On our most recent Princess cruise the ATD MDR service was unusually lacking (they routinely forgot to bring things we ordered, time between finishing food and ordering the next course was sometimes over 20 minutes, the service pace was slooooooooow), so we didn't tip anyone extra and we complained to the head waiter. But we did tip our cabin attendant extra because he was wonderful and super helpful.