Mandatory Gratuities?

[Minnitub]

How much are the daily gratuities on HAL per person?  And, can you request to opt out of this, and pay the servers directly?

[Colorado Klutch]

Daily gratuities are $16.50 per person for non-suite guests and $17.50 per person for suite guests. 

 

Technically you can go to guest services and ask for these gratuities to be removed from your bill because you experienced a service problem or because your culture doesn't due gratuities or something. Be aware this is a pretty obnoxious move. The service personnel depend heavily on the gratuities for their incomes. We can debate all day about why gratuities are stupid and how employers should pay their people a fair wage and such. But this is the current reality. 

It would also not be cool to tip the service personnel directly in lieu of daily gratuities because there are many service personnel you do not see. You are free to give EXTRA tips to the service personnel you see and appreciate. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Colorado Klutch

[Moriah]

16.50 per day for non-suite cabins.  Yes, you can request to "opt out", on the last day of sailing by going to Guest Services and asking them to remove your "Crew Appreciation" charges from your final bill. And yes, you can, as you put it "pay" servers directly, which I take to mean "tip" them directly.  Yes, you can, but why not consider that something extra for "extra" service and still give the "Crew Appreciatoin" daily gratuities, since those ALSO go to ALL THE UNSEEN and incredibly hard-working crew such as laundry experts, Cleaners and polishers and fixers of all descriptions - and etc. etc. 

[Laminator]

6 minutes ago, Moriah said:

16.50 per day for non-suite cabins.  Yes, you can request to "opt out", on the last day of sailing by going to Guest Services and asking them to remove your "Crew Appreciation" charges from your final bill. And yes, you can, as you put it "pay" servers directly, which I take to mean "tip" them directly.  Yes, you can, but why not consider that something extra for "extra" service and still give the "Crew Appreciatoin" daily gratuities, since those ALSO go to ALL THE UNSEEN and incredibly hard-working crew such as laundry experts, Cleaners and polishers and fixers of all descriptions - and etc. etc. 

Some pax remove them on the first day!

[kazu]

agree with all the responses but one thing I think the OP should be aware of is if they choose to remove the crew incentive/appreciation (tip) and tip directly, those they chose to tip will have to turn them into the pool.  They don’t get to keep them.  So, you are not really tipping them as you think but all the staff and it is then distributed.

 

If you keep the crew incentive/gratuity in place and choose to tip extra, the extra tips are theirs to keep.

[Colorado Klutch]

5 minutes ago, Laminator said:

Some pax remove them on the first day!

 

Are these the same people who feel entitled to take silverware and small dishes from the dining room?

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, kazu said:

pool.  They don’t get to keep them

This is what I always thought.  There was a thread recently where some people were saying they do get to keep them.  Is there any way we can get verification ?

 

and yes, I think it is tacky to remove tips.  Sorry, OP but that is how I feel

[Colorado Klutch]

3 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

This is what I always thought.  There was a thread recently where some people were saying they do get to keep them.  Is there any way we can get verification ?

 

and yes, I think it is tacky to remove tips.  Sorry, OP but that is how I feel

 

Not just how you feel. It's a fact. But if people want to be tacky, that is their choice. And yes, if you remove gratuities from your bill you are being tacky. It's just like when people steal they are thieves. It's their choice, but they are still thieves. 

 

To the OP, I'm not suggesting you are intending to be tacky. I get the impression you would feel better tipping directly, but the reality is the tips should be shared. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by Colorado Klutch

[kazu]

Just now, Mary229 said:

This is what I always thought.  There was a thread recently where some people were saying they do get to keep them.  Is there any way we can get verification ?

 

and yes, I think it is tacky to remove tips.  Sorry, OP but that is how I feel

 

The statement is true and accurate.  I knew it from talking to some officers on board the Prinsendam as well as the NS concierge.

 

The appropriate part of the crew manual verifying it was actually posted in a recent thread where this was discussed.  I think it may be the same thread you are referencing.   It’s been posted before in the past. The rules are very clear and failure to follow them risks dismissal.

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

The statement is true and accurate.  I knew it from talking to some officers on board the Prinsendam as well as the NS concierge.

 

The appropriate part of the crew manual verifying it was actually posted in a recent thread where this was discussed.  I think it may be the same thread you are referencing.   It’s been posted before in the past. The rules are very clear and failure to follow them risks dismissal.

Thank you.  I think the thread was during my last voyage and I likely lost track.  

[0106]

23 minutes ago, Colorado Klutch said:

The service personnel depend heavily on the gratuities for their incomes. We can debate all day about why gratuities are stupid and how employers should pay their people a fair wage and such. But this is the current reality. 

Agreed. Please leave the crew appreciation in place and give extra tip money to those who provide extraordinary service for you.  I put myself through college as a server.  My hourly wage in the 70s was less than $1 an hour.  I survived on my tips.  IMO,  if you can’t afford to leave the crew appreciation in place, you can’t afford the cruise.

 

Here is a link to the recent tipping thread @kazu is correct and there is a letter from HAL contained in the thread confirming it.

 

[AFNavigator]

1 minute ago, 0106 said:

Agreed. Please leave the crew appreciation in place and give extra tip money to those who provide extraordinary service for you.  I put myself through college as a server.  My hourly wage in the 70s was less than $1 an hour.  I survived on my tips.  IMO,  if you can’t afford to leave the crew appreciation in place, you can’t afford the cruise.

 

Here is a link to the recent tipping thread @kazu is correct and there is a letter from HAL contained in the thread confirming it.

 

Consider the crew appreciation fee as part of the required cruise fare, as is the case with the taxes and port fees.  If you have a bad experience with a staff member, that's a different issue that you may want to discuss at the service desk.  Just don't short the staff because you don't want to pay the crew appreciation fees.

 

If you really want to avoid the fees, watch frequently for promotions that may comp the gratuities as part of the Have It All package--that usually happens 1-2 times per year.

[Mary229]

Ok so i read the letter.  Thank you for posting.  I assume this means the crew is told who pays gratuities and who does not?

[BetsyS.]

It has been said on one of these threads that there are lists in the crew quarters of

passengers who opt out of gratuities. All the room stewards and waiters will know 

who did this.  Supervisors provide the lists.

[kazu]

7 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Ok so i read the letter.  Thank you for posting.  I assume this means the crew is told who pays gratuities and who does not?

 

Yes, the crew has lists - some of us have seen them on occasion.

 

Since @0106 was so kind as to find the thread - here is the post by Schmoo confirming the crew handbook also in that thread.  the remainder is their quote from it:

 

Here's a link to the employee handbook.  Scroll down to the "Tipping Not Required Policy" section.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2597164-tipping/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-56025003

 

And I quote:

"All ships have the Rewards for Excellence (RfE) Plan which consists of Hotel Service Charges and Beverage Service Charges.  If a guest chooses to adjust out of the RfE Plan and instead provide cash tips to an employee, the employee is required to turn in this cash to their Department Head so the money can be added to the RfE plan.  Any "tips" received above and beyond the guests standard amount may be kept by the crewmember.:"

 

[CruiserBruce]

Thanks @kazu, probably should be made a "Sticky". Many people don't believe the policy or procedures exist.

[rafinmd]

I definitely agree that they know.  On one Zaandam cruise as I was leaving for the final time my steward came up to me and said "Thank you for the Extra".  He could not have said that if he wasn't aware that my auto gratuity was in tact.

 

Roy

[janmcn]

Take Note!!! Here is what happens per the Crew Manual:!!!

[idalia]

HAL website lists gratuity for non-suite guests as $16 (see below). This is in US dollars.

 

Since OP is from Canada...FYI, pre-paid crew appreciation for my upcoming trip came out to $145.60 (CAD) pp for a 7 day cruise (non-suite).

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq.html > Under 'Shipboard Life'

 

Crew Appreciation is a daily (adjustable) amount added to your onboard account and pooled in order to recognize the many team members throughout our fleet who contribute to the guest experience.

 

The daily Crew Appreciation charge is $16.00 per guest per day for non-suite stateroom guests and $17.50 per guest per day for suite guests. The charges are subject to change without notice.

 

The Crew Appreciation charge is paid to Holland America Line team members and represents an important part of their compensation. An 18% service charge is automatically applied to all beverage purchases, bar retail items, specialty restaurant cover charges, all for-purchase a la carte menu items, and all Spa & Salon services. Local sales taxes are applied where required.

Edited April 24, 2023 by idalia
Added FAQ category the answer is found under.

[Banditswife]

We consider crew appreciation as part of the cruise fare, like others have said.  IMO it just makes everything easier to have it taken out each day.  

 

Side note: remember if you pre pay crew incentive, it shows on your cabin statement as a credit, then is deducted daily.  I wondered why I had so much OBC until I realized they were deducting tips daily.

[Minnitub]

Thank you for all your responses. We are not cruising with HAL but know people who are, and they misunderstood that  $16 was actually per person. They thought it was $60 a day for the both of them.

 

We are long term cruisers and believe all staff deserve to be tipped. Especially our cabin cleaners. Glad to know that they can keep the extra

Tips. 

[greensprout]

When on the Nieuw Amsterdam 3 weeks ago, we did ask about this.  Servers did state that any tip added onto a spa/drink/meal (which is in addition to the 18% crew appreciation daily), the tip goes directly to the server whose name is on the bill/ticket that you sign.  

[CruiserBruce]

28 minutes ago, greensprout said:

When on the Nieuw Amsterdam 3 weeks ago, we did ask about this.  Servers did state that any tip added onto a spa/drink/meal (which is in addition to the 18% crew appreciation daily), the tip goes directly to the server whose name is on the bill/ticket that you sign.  

Bar staff are on a different contract, and are not part of the $16/17.50 per day system. The 18% on a drink is divided between the bar tenders, the waiters and a some amount for a employee welfare fund. 

[Marelaine]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Yes, the crew has lists - some of us have seen them on occasion.

 

Since @0106 was so kind as to find the thread - here is the post by Schmoo confirming the crew handbook also in that thread.  the remainder is their quote from it:

 

Here's a link to the employee handbook.  Scroll down to the "Tipping Not Required Policy" section.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2597164-tipping/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-56025003

 

And I quote:

"All ships have the Rewards for Excellence (RfE) Plan which consists of Hotel Service Charges and Beverage Service Charges.  If a guest chooses to adjust out of the RfE Plan and instead provide cash tips to an employee, the employee is required to turn in this cash to their Department Head so the money can be added to the RfE plan.  Any "tips" received above and beyond the guests standard amount may be kept by the crewmember.:"

 

This leads to another question. Are the cabin stewards notified of which guests have removed auto-grats? They must since they are required to pool tips from those guests.

 

[kazu]

8 minutes ago, Marelaine said:

This leads to another question. Are the cabin stewards notified of which guests have removed auto-grats? They must since they are required to pool tips from those guests.

 

 

Yes, they certainly are and know who has stiffed them.  

 

They all get the lists as I said a few posts above - sorry if I wasn’t clear enough.

 

To be clear - the crew are totally aware of who has removed the crew incentive.