Tip currency

[Ned49]

We’re going on a Princess cruise Sydney to Japan, currency on board is AU’s, if we want to “tip” someone in the bars which currency do we use?  Thanks for any suggestions.

[Womble99]

AUD is fine or you can use USD if you feel like it but as you are from here probably stick with your home currency it is easier.

[lyndarra]

Don't.

[Womble99]

1 minute ago, lyndarra said:

Don't.

That would have been my suggestion but that didn't answer Ned's question 🤷‍♂️

 

I, personally am not a fan of the merrycan tipping culture

[cruiser3775]

The tips are already built into your fare. If you do it, you are double tipping. 

 

[rkmw]

45 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

The tips are already built into your fare. If you do it, you are double tipping. 

 

They are entitled to give extra for good service 

[rkmw]

1 hour ago, lyndarra said:

Don't.

You can give extra to your cabin steward or the bar staff

[arxcards]

Try it. You don't even need cash as you can just write it on the slip.

 

Pick your favourite bar, and for a few stray dollars here and there, you will be amazed at how well you are looked after.

 

As for the question, $AU will be fine. If you have leftover US dollars from a previous trip, that would also be fine. For me, I will \just have it added to our drink charge which will just go onto our folio.

[lyndarra]

3 hours ago, rkmw said:

They are entitled to give extra for good service 

The reward for good service is their job. If they give over and above what is expected then mention them by name in post cruise reviews. This is how they get promotions.

 

[beatleman]

10 hours ago, Ned49 said:

We’re going on a Princess cruise Sydney to Japan, currency on board is AU’s, if we want to “tip” someone in the bars which currency do we use?  Thanks for any suggestions.

Drinks all ready have a built in service charge or tip of 18%, why give extra? 

[onlyslightlymad]

I think tipping is about power.  Do you tip your doctor for better service?  Your teacher? Your dentist?  I'm guessing no.  Why not?  Because their skills are valued and they are paid accordingly.  There is a relationship of mutual respect.  The work that the staff on the cruise ships do is also skilled and they should be paid accordingly.  Tipping gives you more power and them less power.  I'd rather pay a higher cruise fare up front and I do.  I love pre-paid gratuities.  I just wish the add-on fee could be dropped and included in the fare in the first place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[colourbird]

I really resent tips (although I do tip for great service). I work in a service industry where we don't get tips and aren't allowed to accept tips or any gifts even though we go out of our way to assist people all day long (and the pay's not that great).

[Ned49]

Thanks for your replies, sometimes it’s very hard to get seats on a Princess cruise, we were a group of 8 last time and by giving a small tip each night the waiter always found us seats. I understand that it is included in our fare but we have always given a bit extra for good service. This time we are only 4 so it might be easier to find seats. We always mention by name anyone who has given excellent service.

[Aus Traveller]

Just now, Ned49 said:

Thanks for your replies, sometimes it’s very hard to get seats on a Princess cruise, we were a group of 8 last time and by giving a small tip each night the waiter always found us seats. I understand that it is included in our fare but we have always given a bit extra for good service. This time we are only 4 so it might be easier to find seats. We always mention by name anyone who has given excellent service.

Where did you find it hard to get seats? Because you mention 'waiter' I suppose you mean the dining room. On our recent Coral Princess cruises we were allocated a table for our family group for dinner so we went directly to that table every night after the first night. For breakfast and lunch they always found a table for us without any delay. Also it didn't require a tip.🙂

[colourbird]

9 minutes ago, Ned49 said:

Thanks for your replies, sometimes it’s very hard to get seats on a Princess cruise, we were a group of 8 last time and by giving a small tip each night the waiter always found us seats. I understand that it is included in our fare but we have always given a bit extra for good service. This time we are only 4 so it might be easier to find seats. We always mention by name anyone who has given excellent service.

 

That's not a tip. That's called bribery, as you are trying to influence another person. 

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, Ned49 said:

Thanks for your replies, sometimes it’s very hard to get seats on a Princess cruise, we were a group of 8 last time and by giving a small tip each night the waiter always found us seats. I understand that it is included in our fare but we have always given a bit extra for good service. This time we are only 4 so it might be easier to find seats. We always mention by name anyone who has given excellent service.

That's not a tip that's a bribe.

[sciencewonk]

1 hour ago, colourbird said:

 

That's not a tip. That's called bribery, as you are trying to influence another person. 

People who work for tips are among the most vulnerable people in our society.  The large corporations who employ them get away with paying lower wages because the companies are insulated from the fallout.  Tipping is NOT bribery.  It is a recognition of a service someone has performed specifically for you.  Withholding tips doesn't hurt large corporations, it only hurts those who can least afford it.

[sciencewonk]

21 hours ago, Ned49 said:

We’re going on a Princess cruise Sydney to Japan, currency on board is AU’s, if we want to “tip” someone in the bars which currency do we use?  Thanks for any suggestions.

When we make voluntary additional tips in cash, we tend to use the currency of the next ports of call.  For example, on a 34-day transpacific cruise from San Diego to Sydney, we gave some tips in USD when we reached Hawaii.  We gave some more tips in AUD when we reached Sydney.

 

If you cannot get the local currencies, I'm sure they will appreciate any standard form of currency, such as AUD.

 

Enjoy your cruise, its sounds great.

[Ned49]

11 minutes ago, sciencewonk said:

People who work for tips are among the most vulnerable people in our society.  The large corporations who employ them get away with paying lower wages because the companies are insulated from the fallout.  Tipping is NOT bribery.  It is a recognition of a service someone has performed specifically for you.  Withholding tips doesn't hurt large corporations, it only hurts those who can least afford it.

Yes I agree, by me not tipping how does that help anyone, we just appreciated the service provided

[Ned49]

10 minutes ago, sciencewonk said:

When we make voluntary additional tips in cash, we tend to use the currency of the next ports of call.  For example, on a 34-day transpacific cruise from San Diego to Sydney, we gave some tips in USD when we reached Hawaii.  We gave some more tips in AUD when we reached Sydney.

 

If you cannot get the local currencies, I'm sure they will appreciate any standard form of currency, such as AUD.

 

Enjoy your cruise, its sounds great.

Thank you for your advice, that was helpful 

[Ned49]

1 hour ago, Aus Traveller said:

Where did you find it hard to get seats? Because you mention 'waiter' I suppose you mean the dining room. On our recent Coral Princess cruises we were allocated a table for our family group for dinner so we went directly to that table every night after the first night. For breakfast and lunch they always found a table for us without any delay. Also it didn't require a tip.🙂

It was the bars for a pre diner drink, I find princess don’t seem to have as many seats as RC, those in the atrium seem be very hard to get.

[OzKiwiJJ]

36 minutes ago, Ned49 said:

It was the bars for a pre diner drink, I find princess don’t seem to have as many seats as RC, those in the atrium seem be very hard to get.

It depends on the ship. The older ships, like Coral and the Grand Class ships seemed to have more bar/lounge seating. We've never had a probem although in some bars, like Crooners when the entertainer is very popular, it can be hard to get a seat.

 

The Royal class ships have much less bar/lounge seating unfortunately.

[Tranquility Base]

2 hours ago, Ned49 said:

Thanks for your replies, sometimes it’s very hard to get seats on a Princess cruise, we were a group of 8 last time and by giving a small tip each night the waiter always found us seats.

How did the waiter find you 8 seats (I assume together as a group) that weren't obvious to you when you walked it.

If it was simply moving some empty chairs from nearby, I've seen passengers doing that numerous times. 

[mr walker]

2 hours ago, onlyslightlymad said:

I think tipping is about power.  .....  Tipping gives you more power and them less power.  I'd rather pay a higher cruise fare up front and I do.  I love pre-paid gratuities.  I just wish the add-on fee could be dropped and included in the fare in the first place.

 

Wow! Really?? So giving a crew member some $'s in appreciation of their efforts is abuse??

 

Your post has caused me to break one of my 'rules' of not commenting on tipping threads.

 

On our recent cruise (where we had already 'paid' the tips included in our fare), we tipped, in cash, on the last evening, our room steward, our dining room waitress & the guy who served us on the pool deck throughout in appreciation of the extra efforts they made to look after us and help us enjoy our cruise. None of them knew we were to do this, and the tip was accepted with great appreciation.

Edited March 14 by mr walker
typo

[Ned49]

2 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

How did the waiter find you 8 seats (I assume together as a group) that weren't obvious to you when you walked it.

If it was simply moving some empty chairs from nearby, I've seen passengers doing that numerous times. 

He was very helpful, sometimes even going and getting some from the crown grill, as I’m sure you know some of the chairs are very heavy and big. I don’t see that anything was wrong with giving him a few dollars.