automatic tipping

[hammybee]

I don't know for sure either, but since they are technically being paid from Seattle my guess would be yes./quote]

 

I don't think so.

 

Crew earn their incomes in international waters and therefore it is not taxable. Exceptions to this would include NCL in Hawaii because the ship does not leave U.S. waters and the majority of the crew are U.S. or carded to work in the U.S.

 

HAL/CCL profits are taxable.

[cccole]

I think that "stiff the crew" is an exaggeration and a bit unkind. The reason people are asking about the tips is because of comments made on this site indicating that, at times, service is not what it should be and they would like to show their appreciation to those crew members who make their cruise memorable, and not give as much to those who couldn't give a hoot. If it is not possible on HAL to reward those who do their job well without also rewarding crew members who could care less then so be it. But there are many of us who go out to dinner, take a taxi, get manicures, get hair cuts, etc., etc., etc., and like to say thank you by giving a generous tip. I don't think people who have the ability to discriminate between great service and service that is sub standard should be critisized. It is hard to imagine that anyone going on a cruise would not leave tips and that this has led to the automatic tipping. It is also unfortunate that employees who receive monetary tips do not share them with those who make them a success at what they do. Do I live in la la land? Well, actually I do.

[sungoddess]

I paid taxes on my wages, however, I was an Officer and a US citizen, so my circumstances were probably different. There are multiple paydays each month where crew can draw money. I believe the money that is pooled is only available at payday, however, that is the way it is with every other crew member onboard. If you keep the auto tips on and give extra $, they are able to keep that money as extra spending $.

[jtl513]

scratched

[hammybee]

There have been thousands of threads about auto tipping since it was first implemented. Having read most of them, over time, I believe when one removes them, the intent is to stiff the crew.

 

Those who cruised long before auto tipping was put into place know there were many obvious empty seats, at final night dinner, as passengers opted out, to avoid tipping the wait staff. Eventually, it became necessary to close alternative dining venues on final night to force people to the dining room.

 

Auto tips creates certainty in income for service employees that previously did not exist.

 

Service issues dealt with as they happen create the opportunity to correct any deficiency. If service does not improve, it should be noted on your comment card. Onboard management take service comments seriously. At the same time they may be in a best position to know a real break down in service versus passenger perception of poor service.

 

As Bicker and others have said/implied, auto tipping is the house rule and as potential passengers, we have the choice to play by them or go elsewhere.

[hammybee]

I paid taxes on my wages, however, I was an Officer and a US citizen, so my circumstances were probably different.

 

They most certainly were different. The IRS is not particular where you earned your income, they will take their percentage, one way or another.

 

You know better than any of us, the majority of cruise line employees are not US citizens and therefore are exempt from IRS.

[sungoddess]

Hammy, I know; out of 600 crew, I was one of only 15 Americans. The others were the dancers.

[cccole]

I paid taxes on my wages, however, I was an Officer and a US citizen, so my circumstances were probably different. There are multiple paydays each month where crew can draw money. I believe the money that is pooled is only available at payday, however, that is the way it is with every other crew member onboard. If you keep the auto tips on and give extra $, they are able to keep that money as extra spending $.

 

Thank you!!! It is nice to know that extra $ given to specific crew members can be used by them for whatever they want.

[mamaofami]

The first time I cruised with the auto tipping in place, I was informed by some of the officers onboard that it was HAL's way of increasing the pay for the crew without HAL actually having to pay them more. Unfortunately, if this story circulates aboard, many people will decide to remove the auto tip.

 

It was my feeling that many people weren't leaving tips and that's why the auto tip was added. Sometimes people remember to tip in a hotel room and sometimes they don't. The tip in the diningroom of a restaurant or hotel is expected, but on a ship, I'm sure there were people who never thought about the diningroom staff.

 

The crew works very hard, is usually top notch, and usually they deserve the extra compensation above and beyond the auto tips. There will always be those people, whether on land vacations, in hotels, or wherever who chose to "stiff" the help.

 

Good service always deserves to be rewarded. It's why so many of us love HAL.

[jtl513]

He went further to imply (but did not state as fact), that all tips given directly to his team went into the tip pool. I know that others have heard conflicting information,

A CC member by the name of BruceMuzz has been (and I believe still is) a crew member on many ships and several lines has stated that usually the crew votes whether to pool their tips or not, and on most ships today they are pooled. Although some crew may "hold back" money, I believe the stigma of being caught doing that prevents most of it.

[fuzzywuzzy]

What is the automatic tip rate?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

What is the automatic tip rate?

 

FuzzyWuzzy, here is Ruth C's answer from her post #2 on this thread. I assume you're referring to HAL's tipping rates?

 

HAL has an automatic $10/day service charge added to your on-board bill. That money is distributed to your cabin and table stewards, as well as several "behind the scenes" people.

There's a 15% service charge added to bar bills.

[bv521]

We have done quite a few HAL cruises and our impression has been that it is impossible to adjust an individual tip. A really bad DR waiter still gets a proportional share of the pot even if you try to exclude him/her. We just returned from a Celebrity cruise on the Summit and they do things quite differently (so I have been told). Those tips charged to your shipboard account go directly to those that have served you, not into some pool. This was confirmed by the front desk as well as the recipients. In fact, there is a space to add additional amounts for your room steward, waiter, etc. Celebrity also now has a line on the bar checks to add a gratituity over and above the 15% already on the check. And we were assured by several bar staff that the added amount went directly to them, not into some pool. And putting a few extra bucks tip on a bar check got plenty of smiles and instant recognition the next time we showed up at the bar. I also agree with an earlier post in that the comment cards are even more important than the cash tips.

[mom3inarow]

we have three children and had to be split up between two rooms. while i understand the tipping charts do why is it that we have to tip for the children also? I would think that tipping applied only to the adults. i could handle a half price tip.

 

our cruise last year we had a room steward tell us every morning to get out of the cabin and he was not polite about it. he never cleaned the room, bathroom. we never got the cute towel art. he was lousy and we did fill out a comment card on him. when it came to dinner, i was not impressed that the only time we saw the matra'd was during his begathon for tips for himself and the servers.

 

this time i will not allow the tips to be taken automatically, i will first watch and wait to see if the service all around is better. i used to mystery shop cruise ships and i can honestly say the service all around on carnival is very poor. i hope that on monday i am taken by surprise and see that it was just that ship. i would rather tip based on the service not out of obligation.

 

sorry to sound bitter but i know what is expected of these persons.

[jtl513]

our cruise last year we had a room steward tell us every morning to get out of the cabin and he was not polite about it. he never cleaned the room, bathroom. we never got the cute towel art. he was lousy and we did fill out a comment card on him. when it came to dinner, i was not impressed that the only time we saw the matra'd was during his begathon for tips for himself and the servers.

Was this on a HAL ship? If so, which one? That sort of service on HAL would be very surprising to me.

[sail7seas]

we have three children and had to be split up between two rooms. while i understand the tipping charts do why is it that we have to tip for the children also? I would think that tipping applied only to the adults. i could handle a half price tip.

 

our cruise last year we had a room steward tell us every morning to get out of the cabin and he was not polite about it. he never cleaned the room, bathroom. we never got the cute towel art. he was lousy and we did fill out a comment card on him. when it came to dinner, i was not impressed that the only time we saw the matra'd was during his begathon for tips for himself and the servers.

 

this time i will not allow the tips to be taken automatically, i will first watch and wait to see if the service all around is better. i used to mystery shop cruise ships and i can honestly say the service all around on carnival is very poor. i hope that on monday i am taken by surprise and see that it was just that ship. i would rather tip based on the service not out of obligation.

 

sorry to sound bitter but i know what is expected of these persons.

 

IF this was on Carnival, did you speak with someone about being dissatisfied with your cabin and dining stewards? Did you see if someone could help you receive the service you desired and expected? Did it improve?

 

Or was it only possible to make a comment on the card at the end of the cruise? At that point, the damage is done, so to speak, and you have endured poor service.

 

I'm interested if you attempted/received better service after making your comments known.

 

Hope your upcoming cruise is wonderful in all ways.

Bon Voyage!

[RuthC]

we have three children and had to be split up between two rooms. while i understand the tipping charts do why is it that we have to tip for the children also? I would think that tipping applied only to the adults.

IMO having the service charge apply to children, as well as adults, is quite fair. Children's beds need to be made, towels picked up and replaced, bathroom/toilet cleaned, cabin dusted and vacuumed.

The dining steward has to take and serve an order to kids, and might even have to clean even more mess off the floor (depending on the ages of the kids).

There's at least as much work cleaning up after children as there is for adults.

[Tucker in Texas]

When I started cruising in the early 80's, the tips were "recommended" at something like $7.25 a day per person given at the end of the cruise--I think it was $2.50 for steward and waiter, $1.25 for bus boy. And, as another poster mentioned, they tipped out their support help to "grease the skids" so they didn't get it all. At that time, there was no alternate dining available except from room service and that menu was limited to not much more than a PB&J so the dining crew got their due most of the time. On a couple of lines, I remember a "tip jar" being placed in the Lido to leave some money for the grill crew. Even back then when the dollar was worth a lot more than now, we felt it was very reasonable for service received and usually upped the tip around 50%. I have to admit, though, the service was a lot better mainly because, I feel, the crew wasn't spread so thin. The room steward had eight cabins to take care of. Practically every time you left your cabin, they would be in there filling ice buckets, tidying up, etc. The dining crew had three tables to handle so they had time to really cater to you. Most people ate all three meals in the dining room at their assigned times (they had early/late seating times for each meal) at their assigned tables. There wasn't "open seating" so you really "bonded" with your dining crew.

 

Some of you "old timers" probably remember when HAL had a policy of "tipping not required, it is our pleasure to serve you." They could not even talk about "recommended amounts" and if a crew member was caught "trolling" he was toast. Unfortunately, a lot of people chose to define that statement as "no tipping allowed." We got the word prior to our first HAL cruise that they welcomed tips as "manna from heaven" so we tipped just the recommended amounts of the other ships (we did have our boys with us so they got 4 x 7.25 a day, but deserved every dime as my boys were twice the trouble we were (lol) and I thought the crew members were going to come home with us they were so happy. Never have I enjoyed giving out tips as I did in those early days on HAL.

 

HAL's policy left a lot of people in a quandery about should they tip, if so, how much. If you wanted envelopes to tip with, you went to the purser's desk and they were bought out from under the counter like a porno magazine at the U-Totem. On every comment sheet, I would suggest they either "poop or get off the pot" about the tipping--it wasn't fair to the crew nor the newbie passengers who felt like they should tip but no clue of how much. They didn't want to over tip but, then again, they didn't want to under tip either as they truly felt the service deserved recognition. Along about 1997 during the embarkation talk (and it had been about five years since we had been on HAL so it could have been sooner) the CD did say words to the effect that "tipping is not required, but is an international way of saying thank you" and read the stupid "tipping is not required, it is our crew's pleasure to serve you" statement from the brochure. Again, no recommendations of how much would be appropriate. At least envelopes were visible on the purser's desk--you didn't have to ask for them. The "veteran" cruisers spent a lot of time educating the "newbies" that last day (lol). I am so glad they finally "pooped and got off the pot" and put it up front like the other lines always did. I like the auto-tipping because I don't have to worry about having the right amount of cash in the right denominations the last day or stand in a long line at the purser's desk getting it. I'm sure the purser's like it, too, that they aren't standing there counting out change for $100's and $50's all day long.

 

That being said, I now consider the auto-tipping as part of the fare when costing out the cruise (just like, I guess, I will have to factor in "fuel surcharges") and take extra cash to tip "above and beyond" if I think it is deserved and 95 percent of the time, I feel it is. Even though the service is not nearly as good as it was in the "old days" it is not the crew's fault they have triple the amount of work. Though, theoretically, they are receiving triple the tips, the base amount of "recommended tips" hasn't changed in years yet the dollar doesn't buy what it used to so it is on par in spending value.

 

So, in the future when determining the cost of a cruise, figure $100 pp above the published amount for auto tips and "fuel surcharges" to get the true price. Kinda like in the old days when they would advertise $599* for a 7 day cruise and (in very small print) "plus port charges." Follow the (*) and you would find the port charges were $150 pp in even smaller/lighter print at the bottom of the advertisement. Various state's Attorney General's put an end to that practice by telling them they had to include the port charges in the advertised price in any media they used in their states.

 

Tucker in Texas

[maxout]

When I started cruising in the early 80's, the tips were "recommended" at something like $7.25 a day per person given at the end of the cruise--I think it was $2.50 for steward and waiter, $1.25 for bus boy. And, as another poster mentioned, they tipped out their support help to "grease the skids" so they didn't get it all. At that time, there was no alternate dining available except from room service and that menu was limited to not much more than a PB&J so the dining crew got their due most of the time. On a couple of lines, I remember a "tip jar" being placed in the Lido to leave some money for the grill crew. Even back then when the dollar was worth a lot more than now, we felt it was very reasonable for service received and usually upped the tip around 50%. I have to admit, though, the service was a lot better mainly because, I feel, the crew wasn't spread so thin. The room steward had eight cabins to take care of. Practically every time you left your cabin, they would be in there filling ice buckets, tidying up, etc. The dining crew had three tables to handle so they had time to really cater to you. Most people ate all three meals in the dining room at their assigned times (they had early/late seating times for each meal) at their assigned tables. There wasn't "open seating" so you really "bonded" with your dining crew.

 

Some of you "old timers" probably remember when HAL had a policy of "tipping not required, it is our pleasure to serve you." They could not even talk about "recommended amounts" and if a crew member was caught "trolling" he was toast. Unfortunately, a lot of people chose to define that statement as "no tipping allowed." We got the word prior to our first HAL cruise that they welcomed tips as "manna from heaven" so we tipped just the recommended amounts of the other ships (we did have our boys with us so they got 4 x 7.25 a day, but deserved every dime as my boys were twice the trouble we were (lol) and I thought the crew members were going to come home with us they were so happy. Never have I enjoyed giving out tips as I did in those early days on HAL.

 

HAL's policy left a lot of people in a quandery about should they tip, if so, how much. If you wanted envelopes to tip with, you went to the purser's desk and they were bought out from under the counter like a porno magazine at the U-Totem. On every comment sheet, I would suggest they either "poop or get off the pot" about the tipping--it wasn't fair to the crew nor the newbie passengers who felt like they should tip but no clue of how much. They didn't want to over tip but, then again, they didn't want to under tip either as they truly felt the service deserved recognition. Along about 1997 during the embarkation talk (and it had been about five years since we had been on HAL so it could have been sooner) the CD did say words to the effect that "tipping is not required, but is an international way of saying thank you" and read the stupid "tipping is not required, it is our crew's pleasure to serve you" statement from the brochure. Again, no recommendations of how much would be appropriate. At least envelopes were visible on the purser's desk--you didn't have to ask for them. The "veteran" cruisers spent a lot of time educating the "newbies" that last day (lol). I am so glad they finally "pooped and got off the pot" and put it up front like the other lines always did. I like the auto-tipping because I don't have to worry about having the right amount of cash in the right denominations the last day or stand in a long line at the purser's desk getting it. I'm sure the purser's like it, too, that they aren't standing there counting out change for $100's and $50's all day long.

 

That being said, I now consider the auto-tipping as part of the fare when costing out the cruise (just like, I guess, I will have to factor in "fuel surcharges") and take extra cash to tip "above and beyond" if I think it is deserved and 95 percent of the time, I feel it is. Even though the service is not nearly as good as it was in the "old days" it is not the crew's fault they have triple the amount of work. Though, theoretically, they are receiving triple the tips, the base amount of "recommended tips" hasn't changed in years yet the dollar doesn't buy what it used to so it is on par in spending value.

 

So, in the future when determining the cost of a cruise, figure $100 pp above the published amount for auto tips and "fuel surcharges" to get the true price. Kinda like in the old days when they would advertise $599* for a 7 day cruise and (in very small print) "plus port charges." Follow the (*) and you would find the port charges were $150 pp in even smaller/lighter print at the bottom of the advertisement. Various state's Attorney General's put an end to that practice by telling them they had to include the port charges in the advertised price in any media they used in their states.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

Well said! I have mirrored your approach and feel it is both fair and appropriate.

[bUU]

we have three children and had to be split up between two rooms. while i understand the tipping charts do why is it that we have to tip for the children also? I would think that tipping applied only to the adults. i could handle a half price tip.

This mystifies me. Knowing the little ones in our family, I would figure that the standard would be a double tip for each child, not a half tip.

[jtl513]

deleted

[hammybee]

sorry to sound bitter but i know what is expected of these persons.

 

Based only upon what you are saying here:

 

You do not agree with the policy that tips apply to children.

 

You cruised last year, (probably) on Carnival.

 

Your Room Steward ordered you out of your cabin.

 

Your Room Steward never cleaned your cabin.

 

Your Room Steward never left a towel animal.

 

Your Room Steward was lousy.

 

You were not impressed with service, at dinner.

 

The Dining Room Manager held a begathon for tips ( even though Carnival has had auto tips in place, for years)

 

You believe all around service is poor, on Carnival.

 

You are cruising again, with Carnival, next week.

 

Given you do not agree with the tipping policy and find service poor on Carnival, I cannot help but wonder why are you sailing with Carnival again, next week on a 3-4 day sail. And this time you plan to remove the auto tips in advance and expect a better outcome. I guess stranger things could happen.

[terrydtx]

IMO having the service charge apply to children, as well as adults, is quite fair. Children's beds need to be made, towels picked up and replaced, bathroom/toilet cleaned, cabin dusted and vacuumed.

The dining steward has to take and serve an order to kids, and might even have to clean even more mess off the floor (depending on the ages of the kids).

There's at least as much work cleaning up after children as there is for adults.

 

I agree 100% with what you said, kids should require 2 times the tip for double the work.:p

[kryos]

Tip break down:

$3.50 - room steward

$3.50 - dining room staff

$3 - divided among laundry people, cooks, etc. - all the behind the scenes people.

Now this is where I have a problem ... these "miscellaneous people." Why on earth should it be my responsibility to pay them? Most of those people have jobs that would traditionally not be subject to tips. But, because HAL has decided they don't want to pay them a fair wage, they simply popped them into the tip pool for the passengers to pay. For example, why should I pay a laundry person ... especially if I don't send any laundry out while on the ship? Don't say that the laundry person does my bed sheets, towels, etc., because my answer will be that my fare covers his services.

 

And another one ... the Matri 'd. Why should he be in the tip pool? He is MANAGEMENT! He shouldn't even be in the tip pool. Why not leave the funds in the tip pool for the waiters, assistants, etc. ... the ones whose basic salary is so low that they need those tips?

 

I just think it is a disgrace how these cruise lines (I realize HAL is certainly not the only one) have backed us passengers into a corner and gotten us to pay their employees' wages. It is us who feel bad and will not remove auto-tips because then who are we truly punishing ... the cruise line or the employee who has nothing to do with corporate policies.

 

So, I guess I will continue to keep my auto-tip in place ... even though I know it is going to some people who I don't feel should be entitled to tips to begin with. But, that doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

This mystifies me. Knowing the little ones in our family, I would figure that the standard would be a double tip for each child, not a half tip.

I don't have children, however, I can say without a doubt that I would have a very big problem tipping $10 per day for children ... especially if I had two children in the stateroom. I'm sorry, but $40 a day in tips is a bit over the top in my humble estimation. I'm not rich ... I stay in modest accommodations when I travel ... and if I were gonna take an inside stateroom and cram it with four people, then obviously I am doing that because of financial considerations.

 

I personally believe the tips should be per stateroom, not per person. For example, instead of a $10 per day, per person recommended tip; it should be $20 per day, per stateroom ... regardless of how many people are in that stateroom. Now, of course, I'm basing this on "normal" accommodations. If you have a cabin which sleeps a larger family (as some ships have) then that suggested tip should be higher. But for standard accommodations ... in a stateroom that sleeps the normal four people ... the tips should be based on two. If that stateroom is being occupied by a single, then the tips should still be based on two ... after all, it will probably take that steward just as long to clean the stateroom for one as it would for two ... all other things being equal. Also, as to the dining stewards ... there is a good chance that there will be an empty spot at the table if a single is seated there. So, the waiter is losing out on tips from that second person when he serves a table for six that only has two couples and a single seated at it.

 

But, again, I would have no qualms about removing tips from the children's accounts if I had four of us shoved into one stateroom. Tipping is nice ... and I am sure those cabin stewards work very hard ... but auto-tips for four people in one cabin is a bit much, in my opinion ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita