Is it customary to tip on the last dinner night?

[roofyapple]

I'm from a non tipping country and just want to find out what the procedure is for tipping.

 

Although HAL advertises a no tipping required policy, from what I have been reading, this seems to be far from the truth. It appears that every staff you come into contact with is to be tipped....

 

Fair enough to tip for outstanding service but a lot of people merely seem to be handing out money for the sake of it. IMO, I think this defeats the purpose of tipping!

 

Just want to find out what the tipping arrangement is on the last night? Do people tip all the staff??? or just the staff that has done a good job??

[Navy_Chief]

Tipping is always a personal choice. HAL does have an automatic tipping program in place where they charge you $10 (US) per person per day in a stateroom. There is an official breakdown as to how that money is split out. The room steward gets most of it and the rest goes to your dining stewards, and others. With that said, if you come across an individual who made a difference in your cruise from their outstanding service, you can tip them a little extra. Our last cruise, we tipped the Room Steward a bit extra in an envelope the last night along with a note of thanks from us. My parents and my brother (along with his wife) were also sailing with us (their first cruise). We were all seated together at a table for 6 in the main dining room and decided to all contribute a combined tip for the two dining stewards and our wine steward along with notes. We presented the envelopes at our last dinner on board. So it really isn't everyone being tipped, just the folks we had daily contact with that made a difference in our cruise experience. Of course, all of them got personal mention on our comment sheets at the end of the cruise.

[Seago2]

I tipped the cabin steward two bucks a day and the waiter 30 bucks on the last night.

 

My question: how do you let them know it's IN ADDITION? Talk about an awkward conversation:

 

ME: "Hi (insert name here), here's something for you, thanks for the excellent service.

 

Oh, um, this is in addition to the mandatory gratuity."

 

HIM: "Sorry! yes! Thank you! Sorry? What?"

 

ME: "You know how they charge the ten dollar mandatory gratuity..."

 

Face reddens.

 

HIM: "What?"

 

God forbid the waiter thinks I went down and adjusted or removed the mandatory gratuity and only gave him 30 bucks!!!

 

So how do you get that message across? I was dying.

[minitor]

I agree with Navy Chief. There is some controlled cash tipping...

 

We always tip the Room Steward some cash at the end- knowing he will get more later from the ship automatic collection. Same with Room Steward/servers.

 

Bars and such collect an automatic 15% so we don't tip them unless we have a particularly helpful person. If I happen to win big in the casino at a table, I tip the dealer.

 

Don't stress about it and enjoy your cruise.

[lippylulu]

Does anyone tip their room steward at the beginning AND the end. On our last cruise, we requested he keep us stocked with bottled water, Diet Coke and low fat Milk at all times and gave a tip. This was to let him know that we would most certainly show our appreciation for good service again. Some have told us this is a good idea, others have said it is purely an amateurish move. We live in a city where tips get you everything and are used to traveling in countries where frequent tiping is GREATLY appreciated...whats the opinion here?

[sab490]

There was a long discussion and a lot of confusion about tipping on another thread. I finally called HAL to get a definitive answer. My post is #33 on this thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=485465

 

- Steve

[Underwatergal]

On past cruises, we have always just eaten our meals at the buffet, or outdoor cafe. Tipping has never been a problem there. However, this trip we intend on eating in the formal dining room. A bit of extra cash is being taken to tip our waiter (the wine steward will not be used), but as for the room steward...that will totally depend on his/her service.

 

Personally, I do not like the idea of mandatory tipping, altho it seems that all cruise lines now charge $10 a person, per day, per stateroom. Yes, that policy can be challenged at Customer Service, however we just let it pass and add it onto the cost of our vacation.

[whogo]

I am quite happy to leave it all at the automatic $10/person/day. I gave no other tips, except the 15% on the bar bill. I didn't order room service as I did not want to eat in an inside cabin. I was disappointed to see the 15% added to the bottled water at the gangway. The guy was only selling water. It was like tipping a convenience store clerk.

[Krazy Kruizers]

roofyapple

 

HI - I see that you are new here - Welcome.

 

HAL adds a $10 per day per person automatic tip onto your bill.

 

Extra tipping. We tip only those people whom we feel has made our cruise an enjoyable one. As a rule the only people we tip extra is our cabin steward and dining room staff. Since we rarely have a drink anymore either in the bars or in the dining room, we do not tip them as there is a 15% gratuity already added on to those bills and we rarely have the same person serving us a cocktail.

 

In the Pinnacle we do tip the staff there as they get only pennies from that auto tip -- they are low on the receiving end of the tips.

 

Since we stay in a suite and do use our concierge a lot, we do tip them.

[sail7seas]

I tipped the cabin steward two bucks a day and the waiter 30 bucks on the last night.

 

My question: how do you let them know it's IN ADDITION? Talk about an awkward conversation:

 

 

Crew knows who has requested the automatic tip be removed from their accounts. I think the reason is because they want to know if there is something lacking in the service particular stewards are offering. If there is some way they could be doing a better job to make the guest happier.

 

If the steward does not know that you aren't pleased with his service, how can he improve or try to determine what it is that you wish was different?

 

So.....don't worry about having an embarrassing conversation when/if you choose to provide additional tip over and above the automatic tip. The steward will know whether or not you have removed the $10 per person per day automatic tip.

 

[CocoKai]

I so wish tipping was removed from our Country. I would much rather pay a fair wage for service people, have them do the job that they were hired to do and forget tipping. I have lived in countries where tipping is NOT allowed and the service is amazing...almost too amazing!

 

If the cruise line is going to take a mandatory/voluntary tip from me, I will tip in addition if and only if the service is above and beyond great service. I'd rather pay a higher cruise price, have well compensated employees on board and not have people around every corner with their hand sticking out. I think so many times service people expect the tip just for showing up.

 

Don't get me started on the tip jars at every counter. Let's see....I walked up to the counter, you handed me an empty coffee cup to fill, I get my own lid and napkin....a tip would be for? You should be tipping me for doing your job!!!

[sail7seas]

I've been on a lot of HAL ships, a lot of times, and I have never seen or sensed any HAL person had their hand out expecting a tip. We certainly have tipped loads of HAL stewards etc because it was our pleasure to do so but not a one ever gave the impression of expecting it.

 

We now make it a habit to have one dollar bills in an envelope into which we can quickly reach to take out some for Room Service Stewards. Without fail, they come in with a bright smile, they set out our Room Service order and are on their way out the door so fast that if we had to dig for cash, they'd be gone before we could give something to them.

 

Re: The tip jars on counters...... I could not agree with you MORE. They annoy me to no end. When I see a jar where a cash register person is expecting to be tipped for taking payment for goods purchased, I get very annoyed. Especially seeing as they can never manage to say "Thank you". Seems the new trend is for them to simply say 'here ya go' and hand over the change and receipt. For that they want a tip?

 

 

 

[newmexicoNita]

I'm from a non tipping country and just want to find out what the procedure is for tipping.

 

Although HAL advertises a no tipping required policy, from what I have been reading, this seems to be far from the truth. It appears that every staff you come into contact with is to be tipped....

 

Fair enough to tip for outstanding service but a lot of people merely seem to be handing out money for the sake of it. IMO, I think this defeats the purpose of tipping!

 

Just want to find out what the tipping arrangement is on the last night? Do people tip all the staff??? or just the staff that has done a good job??

I think you must be reading an old brochure or something: no tipping required went out with HAL about 3 years ago. HAL now adds $10 per day, per person to your on board statement to cover tips. Many think this is not enough and will tip individuals who have served them well a little extra. This is not expected nor required, but is up to each individual. I hope this helps you a little. If you do decide to tip above the $10 per day you would do this the last night. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

I so wish tipping was removed from our Country. I would much rather pay a fair wage for service people, have them do the job that they were hired to do and forget tipping. I have lived in countries where tipping is NOT allowed and the service is amazing...almost too amazing!

 

If the cruise line is going to take a mandatory/voluntary tip from me, I will tip in addition if and only if the service is above and beyond great service. I'd rather pay a higher cruise price, have well compensated employees on board and not have people around every corner with their hand sticking out. I think so many times service people expect the tip just for showing up.

 

Don't get me started on the tip jars at every counter. Let's see....I walked up to the counter, you handed me an empty coffee cup to fill, I get my own lid and napkin....a tip would be for? You should be tipping me for doing your job!!!

yes, this crap about tip jars at every counter does tick me off as well, but as for changing the basic policy, I would rather tip than see the salaries adjusted and my reason: two of our kids were in the restaurant wait staff business while in college and so was our granddaughters husband. They much prefer tips as they do not have to pay taxes on all the tips they receive. If tipping was replaced by salary increases this wouldn't be the case, plus I like the idea of rewarding people for a job well done. Our country certainly isn't the only country with tipping policies. In fact almost every country we have visited has a form of tipping or service charge. NMnita

[shonuf]

Re: The tip jars on counters...... I could not agree with you MORE. They annoy me to no end. When I see a jar where a cash register person is expecting to be tipped for taking payment for goods purchased, I get very annoyed. Especially seeing as they can never manage to say "Thank you". Seems the new trend is for them to simply say 'here ya go' and hand over the change and receipt. For that they want a tip?

 

 

 

The day after our recent Zuiderdam cruise, DH drove me to the grocery store and went in with me as I had been very ill. The boy who bagged our groceries put the last bag in the cart, pushed it in DH's direction and said "there you go". I said to DH, "that must be Krogerese for 'thank you for shopping with us and may I assist you to your car?' "

[whogo]

They much prefer tips as they do not have to pay taxes on all the tips they receive. NMnita

The IRS takes a different stance: "All tips you receive are income and are subject to federal income tax. You must include in gross income all tips you receive directly, charged tips paid to you by your employer, and your share of any tips you receive under a tip-splitting or tip-pooling arrangement. The value of noncash tips, such as tickets, passes, or other items of value are also income and subject to tax." http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p531.pdf

[dakrewser]

The last night is the customary night if you are going to tip in addition to the $10/day charged to your on-board account (which is distributed among all the people who serve you). There is, however, no requirement that you add additional tips.

 

You might wish to tip other service personal in the spas, delivering room service, etc.) but, again, there's no requirement to do so. Use your own judgment as to what constitutes extra service which would warrant an additional reward.

[lougee1043]

mandatory tips stay in place ---i tipped room service everytime they delivered---on the last nite i gave additional tips in an envelope to the cabin attendant---dining room waiter--asst d/r waiter and the wine steward and the yum yum man even though he no longer actually gives out the mints etc-- the mints are now wrapped in cellophane and you help yourself --- which imo is not a good idea because when a person reaches into the bowl he/she is now touching a lot of other mints imprinting the cellophane with whatever germ they may be carrying-

[NotRobinSilver]

I always give the cabin stewart something on the first day. I usually ask that we get extra towels and that the ice bucket is always kept full.

 

The results, we have more towels than we need and the ice is always there. They also seem to go out of their way for me for anything else it need. All of our past cruises have been with the kids and they always had a separate cabin. The steward would also take care of whatever they needed.

[NotRobinSilver]

The IRS takes a different stance: "All tips you receive are income and are subject to federal income tax. You must include in gross income all tips you receive directly, charged tips paid to you by your employer, and your share of any tips you receive under a tip-splitting or tip-pooling arrangement. The value of noncash tips, such as tickets, passes, or other items of value are also income and subject to tax." http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p531.pdf

And the IRS keeps very close tabs on restaurants. The owner has to issue a 1099 to wait staff for tips based on a formula. If the IRS thinks the tips are not in line with the reported sales, the owner will have big problems.

[NotRobinSilver]

The last night is the customary night if you are going to tip in addition to the $10/day charged to your on-board account (which is distributed among all the people who serve you). There is, however, no requirement that you add additional tips.

 

You might wish to tip other service personal in the spas, delivering room service, etc.) but, again, there's no requirement to do so. Use your own judgment as to what constitutes extra service which would warrant an additional reward.

You have to be real careful in the spa. On an X ship, the masseur gave me the receipt to sign. He had drawn a line for a tip so I completed it. About 10 minutes later I remembered the service charge. I went back to the spa and asked for the tip I left to be removed and the manager told me that the masseur should never have drawn that line and apologized.

[Tricia724]

God forbid the waiter thinks I went down and adjusted or removed the mandatory gratuity and only gave him 30 bucks!!!

 

So how do you get that message across? I was dying.

 

Carla....I think the word you are looking for is "Extra." We have found that no matter how limited the English, most of the stewards know what the word "extra" means in regard to tips.

 

I don't know exactly when they get the word about who has left their automatic tips in place, but they do find that out, so if the waiter was having difficulty grasping what you were trying to tell him at the moment, he soon discovered that you had given him a bonus.

 

We usually say something like: "Thank you so much for the excellent service. Here is something EXTRA for you," (offering the envelope and emphasizing the word "extra.") And....if it is actually the case....we mention that we have written their names on the comment card for excellent service.

 

They always get it.

[hammybee]

I think we all know the reason why almost every cruise line has gone to automatic tipping.Too many pax were stiffing the crew. People would opt to eat in the LIDO, on the final night to avoid having to confront the people that worked hard to serve them, to the point that most cruise lines had to close alternative dining venues on the final night.

 

How easy it would be for a cruise line to increase its fares and turn tipping into a non issue, as is done on a few of the true luxury cruise lines and in many European venues. But unless they all do, it appears to consumers that those sails quoting base prices, exclusive of tips, are a better deal and this is why it remains a two-step process, on mass marketed cruise lines. Cruise lines know that the majority of pax often choose a sail based on price and a $70 difference in fare can make a difference.

 

As in any profession dependent upon tips, those who have the ability to turn schmoozing into an art form tend to do better than those who might work harder or provide extra service. It's all about making the customer feel memorable.

 

I am aware that some pax like to give gifts to the crew. Tablemates from one sail presented wrapped gifts to the wait staff in the dining room, on the final evening. The gift was a pax family picture, in a nice frame. I watched for crew reaction and observed nothing but graciousness as if they had been presented with a $100 bill. To this day, I cannot figure out why a pax would think a crew member might want a framed pix of them. I suspect the crew has a periodic "most bizzaro" pax gift contest and surely this must have won.

 

The point of this is that none of us really know the circumstances of a given crew member. If you feel inclined to tip above and beyond the minimum automatic tip, do so with cash and let the crew member decide how to use it.

[roofyapple]

I think you must be reading an old brochure or something: no tipping required went out with HAL about 3 years ago. HAL now adds $10 per day, per person to your on board statement to cover tips. Many think this is not enough and will tip individuals who have served them well a little extra. This is not expected nor required, but is up to each individual. I hope this helps you a little. If you do decide to tip above the $10 per day you would do this the last night. NMnita

 

 

Thanks all for the replies. I thought the $10 per day was to remove the ambuiguity or the confusion of how much to tip per person - well at least that is what it says on a couple of websites. As crusing has become an international thing, it needs to cater for people from customary tipping countries and non-tipping countries and to remove the awkardness, they impose the $10 (which could be adjusted at the end)

 

If tipping is entirely optional then why am I reading that people seem to be avoiding dinner on the last night so they do not need to tip?

 

Don't get me wrong, i think its good to tip for good service but when you have the cruiseliner automatically enforcing a charge and in addition INDIRECTLY expects you to tip all their staff (hence why people try to escape last night dinners), then I think tipping its wrong.

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks all for the replies. I thought the $10 per day was to remove the ambuiguity or the confusion of how much to tip per person - well at least that is what it says on a couple of websites. As crusing has become an international thing, it needs to cater for people from customary tipping countries and non-tipping countries and to remove the awkardness, they impose the $10 (which could be adjusted at the end)

 

If tipping is entirely optional then why am I reading that people seem to be avoiding dinner on the last night so they do not need to tip?

 

Don't get me wrong, i think its good to tip for good service but when you have the cruiseliner automatically enforcing a charge and in addition INDIRECTLY expects you to tip all their staff (hence why people try to escape last night dinners), then I think tipping its wrong.

the auto tipping started about 5 years ago and is working pretty well. As I said, don't feel obligated to tip any more than the $10.00. As for obtional, I think many are getting totally confused. The few lines that do not have the $10 charge do give suggestions as to what would be considered a minimum amount and yes, it is done the last night. People who do tip for whatever reason, be it country custom or cheapness often choose to stay away that last night rather than appear with no envalopes. Even if it is optional it is still expected. Again, this is referring only to the lines that do not offer the $10 a day plan. NMNita