Withdrawing Daily Auto Gratuity fees onboard

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Wakepatrol said:

I have a question. Why aren’t the tip removers doing it the second they arrive at the pier?

why are they waiting till the last day?

please somebody answer this

You don't know they're not - any number in that long GS line could be there to have grats adjusted (up, down or removed).

[Wakepatrol]

13 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

You don't know they're not - any number in that long GS line could be there to have grats adjusted (up, down or removed).

No there’s a difference in the lines .

[TiogaCruiser]

On 2/10/2024 at 8:35 AM, RynoWally said:

Here in Minnesota, alot of restaurants are adding an Employee Wellness fee to your bill. Can't wait for HAL to look to us to start pitching in for their employees health insurance.  I'm all for the 15-20% tipping for service, and have never taken gratuities off and always tip room stewards and alot of the Lido employees regardless of mediocre to great, but tipping for services has reached a maximum for me, and quite honestly getting fed up with the whole concept. I would like for the places I utilize to encompass everything into the price I am paying for the services and just pay the employees what they pay them. It's getting quite ridiculous.

A local restaurant started that here also: 3% added as a line item after everything totaled up. They should just increase their prices. I no longer go to that restaurant because of that. There’s plenty of other restaurants we like that don’t do that. 
 

However, I personally am happy that HAL uses the autogratituity system. It makes things so much easier for me, and the employees get more take home due to their countries tax structure. And yes, I normally add a bit for my stewards and sometimes a food service worker or 2.

[Wakepatrol]

Cruiser A - Leaves the tips in place is low maintenance and has little to no needs.

 

Cruiser B - Removes the tips. They want ice five times a day, towel animals, chocolates on pillows, orders three entrees and four desserts. 
 

The tip removers don’t tip the crew members individually. Total BS

[bajae]

1 hour ago, Gunther1 said:

Curious…..what was the insubordination?

 

1 hour ago, Wakepatrol said:

Her contract allows her to throw six cones per shift at boorish passengers

Ahhh, mystery solved.

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

No there’s a difference in the lines .

Not on HAL unless it's a ship I've not been on. HAL GS has a separate CO line and some have a separate line for internet issues, but not a separate line dedicated to passengers wanting to adjust grats. And please notice I said "adjust grats" not "remove grats."

[rvance]

On 2/8/2024 at 4:46 PM, Seasick Sailor said:

 

I totally disagree with this post. We've sailed Rotterdam for months and months in the last 3 years. Became 5 star on this last cruise. The crew deserve every dime they get, plus the extra tips cruisers give them. That said,  just because you seem to have had 9 days of misery, don't forget about the crew behind the scenes.  If you actually did get "food poisoning " in Pinnacle Grill, there would have been an investigation as to where you got it and what was eaten. They don't mess around with food poisoning. 

 

We sailed Nov-Dec-Jan (51 days) and never experienced poor bar service, and MDR servers were the best. 

 

Sorry you posted this. I just can't believe it, and can't believe people who would take tips away from our valuable crew, don't care that you give tips to people you feel deserve it by what you see.

I must disagree regarding food poisoning. I just came off the Nieuw Amsterdam. I woke up very ill six hours after eating a meal in the Tamarind. I have decades of restaurant experience. I can almost guarantee it was undercooked shrimp. Shame on me for not being more careful. The medical team asked for a list of meals I had for three days. I did my part but they never bothered to get the document from me. I finally turned it in on the least night, three days later. If they were really concerned they would have gotten the information ASAP. I did notice several unsanitary practices by waiters and other staff during our cruise. Both my wife’s and my fish were served undercooked at the main dining room lunch the first day. Polishing silverware , which should never happen but people don’t like water spots, with a cloth that was used to wipe down a counter. Cleaning seat’s then tables with the same cloth. Oh, I spent a few years as a quality assurance manager for an international restaurant chain, it’s hard not to notice things . 
 

We love HAL, it is our go to line. But many spend way to much time defending them when someone shares an experience or opinion that criticizes HAL.
 

The truth is HAL is cutting back in many areas. Menus have been reduced, staff training is lacking, and management is missing in action! The entertainment for our taste is lacking, yep we sailed largely because of Lincoln Center.
 

Now this is a problem in many places. But, our favorite restaurants at home have fully recovered, both in staff and food quality, at a much higher cost! 
 

Let’s be open to hear what others experience. Yep it could be attitude or it could me this poor man got treated poorly. It’s not unreasonable to expect an accurate bill. I had a waiter lose my cabin key card, that’s just unacceptable. 

[Wakepatrol]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

Not on HAL unless it's a ship I've not been on. HAL GS has a separate CO line and some have a separate line for internet issues, but not a separate line dedicated to passengers wanting to adjust grats. And please notice I said "adjust grats" not "remove grats."

Adjust grats? 
what percentage up the grats 1%?

why would one adjust the grats lower?

Everything was going swimmingly but the dude in the Lido burnt my toast, so now I must stand on line and “Adjust” the gratuities? Sounds weird

 

 

[RuthC]

43 minutes ago, rvance said:

We love HAL, it is our go to line. But many spend way to much time defending them when someone shares an experience or opinion that criticizes HAL.

So that justifies taking it out on the lowest level of employee, who has little in the way of decision making, and even less on ability to correct what went wrong? 

[HamOp]

5 hours ago, Wakepatrol said:

I have a question. Why aren’t the tip removers doing it the second they arrive at the pier?

why are they waiting till the last day?

please somebody answer this

By waiting till the last day, the tip removers don't give a hint to the crew of who may have removed the tips.  Thus no decrease in service or dirty looks.

Kind of like the people (in the old days) who stiff the wait staff by not showing up in the main dinning room on the last night.  

[Wakepatrol]

3 minutes ago, HamOp said:

By waiting till the last day, the tip removers don't give a hint to the crew of who may have removed the tips.  Thus no decrease in service or dirty looks.

Kind of like the people (in the old days) who stiff the wait staff by not showing up in the main dinning room on the last night.  

Yes I have witnessed this several times on cruises. Large party next to us, having this poor waiter jump through a million hoops every evening then on the last night they do a no show. Yes I’m sure I’ll hear “How Do You Know They Didn’t Tip him Earlier?”

 

Because the waiters face told the story.

 

if you want to remove the tips, do it at the pier

After that there’s no turning back. If the passenger gets dirty looks all trip, who cares?

[zonk42]

Thinking about the issue in general, when is it appropriate to remove or reduce the automatically applied gratuities?

 

If the answer is “never”, then why is it even an option? Curious what others think.

[Wakepatrol]

3 minutes ago, zonk42 said:

Thinking about the issue in general, when is it appropriate to remove or reduce the automatically applied gratuities?

 

If the answer is “never”, then why is it even an option? Curious what others think.

1. Because you’re cheap

2. Because you lost too much in the casino

3. Because you spent too much on booze

4. Because you’re a “New Cruiser” who saved all year for this cruise. (This is the newest batch of BS I’ve read recently)

5. Because you had unrealistic expectations that could never be met.

 

 

[zonk42]

2 minutes ago, Wakepatrol said:

1. Because you’re cheap

2. Because you lost too much in the casino

3. Because you spent too much on booze

4. Because you’re a “New Cruiser” who saved all year for this cruise. (This is the newest batch of BS I’ve read recently)

5. Because you had unrealistic expectations that could never be met.

 

 

Lol, I’ll take that as a “never”. 😀

[crystalspin]

23 minutes ago, zonk42 said:

If the answer is “never”, then why is it even an option? Curious what others think.

It remains an option because if it were compulsory, then it wouldn't be gratuity in the eyes of the home country's "IRS" and the staff members would have a greater tax liability. As I understand it.

[sciencewonk]

3 hours ago, rvance said:

Let’s be open to hear what others experience. Yep it could be attitude or it could me this poor man got treated poorly. It’s not unreasonable to expect an accurate bill. I had a waiter lose my cabin key card, that’s just unacceptable. 

I agree with what you said.  HAL is my go-to line, but it is not perfect.  If I get substandard service on HAL I let someone know about it (GS or area supervisor/manager).  I am not shy in putting it in my post-cruise evaluation. 

 

My objection to this thread is with the people who withhold gratuities.  They are, in effect, saying that they don't care if hard working employees aren't paid for their work and that they are willing to reap the benefits of what everyone else pays for.

Edited February 12 by sciencewonk

[rvance]

10 hours ago, RuthC said:

So that justifies taking it out on the lowest level of employee, who has little in the way of decision making, and even less on ability to correct what went wrong? 

To be clear, I don’t agree removing the daily tip charge. I for one always leave extra for the cabin stewards, cabana staff etc. 

[rvance]

7 hours ago, sciencewonk said:

I agree with what you said.  HAL is my go-to line, but it is not perfect.  If I get substandard service on HAL I let someone know about it (GS or area supervisor/manager).  I am not shy in putting it in my post-cruise evaluation. 

 

My objection to this thread is with the people who withhold gratuities.  They are, in effect, saying that they don't care if hard working employees aren't paid for their work and that they are willing to reap the benefits of what everyone else pays for.

I agree. Even with the service deficiencies I experienced, the staff was kind and gracious. Gratuities are part of our travel budget. We often give large amounts, it’s nice to be generous to others.

[RuthC]

17 hours ago, crystalspin said:

It remains an option because if it were compulsory, then it wouldn't be gratuity in the eyes of the home country's "IRS" and the staff members would have a greater tax liability. As I understand it.

That's my understanding, too. Wages are taxable; gratuities are not. To charge the gratuities as part of the fare, and increase the wages by the same amount would move them from 'non-taxable' to 'taxable' income. It would effectively amount to a cut in pay. 

[DCThunder]

13 minutes ago, RuthC said:

That's my understanding, too. Wages are taxable; gratuities are not. To charge the gratuities as part of the fare, and increase the wages by the same amount would move them from 'non-taxable' to 'taxable' income. It would effectively amount to a cut in pay. 

Actually, that's not entirely true, at least according to the US IRS.  However, since most crew aren't US citizens, they may not be paying US taxes.

 

Tip income is taxable and must be reported | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)

[kazu]

25 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Actually, that's not entirely true, at least according to the US IRS.  However, since most crew aren't US citizens, they may not be paying US taxes.

 

You think it’s possible 😂. 

 

I don’t see the point in quoting US rules when the bulk if not  all of the crew are subject to their rules in their own home countries and it is not the U.S. 

 

[DCThunder]

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

You think it’s possible 😂. 

 

I don’t see the point in quoting US rules when the bulk if not  all of the crew are subject to their rules in their own home countries and it is not the U.S. 

 

I certainly take your point.

[Nodakboiler]

We have been on over 20 HAL cruises in the last six years. We have never had a meal in the main dining room, but we would never think of reducing or getting rid of the automatic gratuities. We also give extra tips to some of the Lido staff, CO or PG when we eat there as well as room attendants. We appreciate HAL staff and consider it part of our holiday expenses.

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Nodakboiler said:

We have been on over 20 HAL cruises in the last six years. We have never had a meal in the main dining room, but we would never think of reducing or getting rid of the automatic gratuities. We also give extra tips to some of the Lido staff, CO or PG when we eat there as well as room attendants. We appreciate HAL staff and consider it part of our holiday expenses.

 

 

FYI - if you don’t eat in the MDR, HAL knows - they keep track - there’s a reason they ask for your cabin number if you do not have fixed dining when you go in the MDR.  It all goes into the calculations.

 

If you are eating in the Lido and not the MDR a note is made and the tips are shifted is my understanding.

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, Nodakboiler said:

We have been on over 20 HAL cruises in the last six years. We have never had a meal in the main dining room, but we would never think of reducing or getting rid of the automatic gratuities. We also give extra tips to some of the Lido staff, CO or PG when we eat there as well as room attendants. We appreciate HAL staff and consider it part of our holiday expenses.

That is interesting that you have never been to the MDR.  Just interesting 🤔. I find MDR is if nothing else “portion control” for me. Enjoy.