Tipping Policies

[AWED23]

Just read info about recommended tipping aboard Avalon Tapestry. 12 Euros per day per couple ($19) and 6 per person for the Cruise Director....That is $49 per day !!!!!!!!!.......Rediculous....On Princess it is $20 per day. At $49 per day our 14 day cruise will cost $686 for tips..!!! What is others opinion.???:confused:

[hansi]

Just read info about recommended tipping aboard Avalon Tapestry. 12 Euros per day per couple ($19) and 6 per person for the Cruise Director....That is $49 per day !!!!!!!!!.......Rediculous....On Princess it is $20 per day. At $49 per day our 14 day cruise will cost $686 for tips..!!! What is others opinion.???:confused:

 

 

It's not compulsory, only recommended, you tip what you want. Even on Princess, we opt out and organise our own tipping!

[Nippy Sweetie]

Tipping as a policy seems to be quite an American concept. Many people in the UK would not even consider tipping unless the service is exemplary and, indeed, its an insult in some places in Europe.

My son is currently working as a waiter and is paid a good wage. Tips are a welcome extra but he tells me that he enjoys the banter and generally getting service right.

We usually go Cunard where it was $26 per day last year. We were happy to pay as the service was so very good and gave our waiters and cabin staff extra as well.

Its up to you. Its anonymous. No one needs to know except you.

[letsgo39]

I agree with you and when we cruised we decided ourselves what we wanted to tip.We did not tip nearly that much but rather prefered to just tip those who had taken care of us directlyand give a lesser amount in the general tip. It is up to you!

[halbfl2]

We rarely expect anything extra from our room steward, so we usually just tip the minimum recommended. We may tip extra to a VERY good and informative tour guide. It's good to know that the ship's employees are pd. fairly well which I don't think is the case on the ocean cruise ships.

[NYLady]

Tips are an important part of the income for the Cruise Director and crew. When I first started using tours I balked at the recommended tips - it is so much. As I traveled more, I came to see the tipping aspect in a different light and I am now happy to tip the recommended amount.

 

On our last river cruise, I discovered that customers from New Zealand and Australia are charged the "tip" portion (the full amount) as part of the cost of the trip. This is mainly to accomodate the fact that they are not comfortable with tipping and would like to have all that taken care of...so it is. I do like the idea that I can pay less if the service is not up to par but I am also aware that it is split for the entire crew. For the cruise director, I have paid recommended and I have paid more. I wouldn't hesitate to pay less if I was not happy with the service.

 

Avalon employees do say they are treated very well - better than on other lines - which is nice to know. I don't know about their actual salary levels.

[letsgo39]

I have known several Globus TD and they say that Globus treats its employees very well.The last one on our Italy tour told us that everyone wants to work for Globus as it is the best company to work for.Many of the CD on the Avalon ships have worked for Globus for years as TD.

[p598738]

Does it not always come down to the service provided and how you 'feel' ? I prefer to tip directly to those who provide service directly.

[tiggypooo]

For my 2 river cruises with Uniworld, I was very happy to tip the recommended amount at the end of each one.

For the 12 days that we were on our first cruise, the entire staff worked tirelessly, to provide us with the best service possible.

(Think about it, rooms cleaned twice a day, 3 meals a day, no tips on drink service when served)

The 10 days on the second, they worked even harder for us, as my companion and I were both very sick for most of the trip.

I know that they are well treated by the parent company of Uniworld. It apparently is one of the cruiselines that everyone wants to work for.

 

I like the fact that the tips are pooled. There are many people behind the scenes, that work just as hard as the ones that you see all the time. Of course they should get part of the extra rewards.

Tipping is a regular part of life in N. America, at least where I live and I really find it hard to believe, that people spend so much time discussing something that they probably wouldn't blink at doing at home.

 

I mean this is part of the service industry. When I get good service I always tip very well. When I get bad service, I don't tip at all.....

[AWED23]

For my 2 river cruises with Uniworld, I was very happy to tip the recommended amount at the end of each one.For the 12 days that we were on our first cruise, the entire staff worked tirelessly, to provide us with the best service possible.(Think about it, rooms cleaned twice a day, 3 meals a day, no tips on drink service when served)The 10 days on the second, they worked even harder for us, as my companion and I were both very sick for most of the trip.I know that they are well treated by the parent company of Uniworld. It apparently is one of the cruiselines that everyone wants to work for.*I like the fact that the tips are pooled. There are many people behind the scenes, that work just as hard as the ones that you see all the time. Of course they should get part of the extra rewards.Tipping is a regular part of life in N. America, at least where I live and I really find it hard to believe, that people spend so much time discussing something that they probably wouldn't blink at doing at home.*I mean this is part of the service industry. When I get good service I always tip very well. When I get bad service, I don't tip at all.....

:)*The recommended ammount comes to $50 per day per couple. Are you saying that for a 10 day river cruise you pay $500 in tips?....That would come to $700 on my upcoming 14 day cruise. Cruise ships auto bill $20 per day per couple. $50 a day on top of the cruise fare seems high to me...

[paul929207]

While converting the suggested tips from Euros to US$ makes it seem like alot, remember these tips have been about the same for a number of years. During this time, the US$ has gone from being worth more than a Euro to not even 2/3 of a Euro. The people you are tipping generally live in countries which either use the Euro or a currency that is tied to the Euro. Their expenses are not dollar based and have not gone down as the dollar has fallen.

[hansi]

For my 2 river cruises with Uniworld, I was very happy to tip the recommended amount at the end of each one.

For the 12 days that we were on our first cruise, the entire staff worked tirelessly, to provide us with the best service possible.

(Think about it, rooms cleaned twice a day, 3 meals a day, no tips on drink service when served)

The 10 days on the second, they worked even harder for us, as my companion and I were both very sick for most of the trip.

I know that they are well treated by the parent company of Uniworld. It apparently is one of the cruiselines that everyone wants to work for.

 

I like the fact that the tips are pooled. There are many people behind the scenes, that work just as hard as the ones that you see all the time. Of course they should get part of the extra rewards.

Tipping is a regular part of life in N. America, at least where I live and I really find it hard to believe, that people spend so much time discussing something that they probably wouldn't blink at doing at home.

 

I mean this is part of the service industry. When I get good service I always tip very well. When I get bad service, I don't tip at all.....

 

You have hit the nail squarely on the head. Tipping IS a part of life in North America, not so in the UK. We only tip where we get service over and above the call of duty. Of course we always tip our cabin steward but we never adhere to the "recommended" amounts.

[tiggypooo]

The recommended tip amount is not $50. per day per couple. It is 10. Euro per day per person. (plus 3 euro for the cruise director on our cruise. 13 euro per person per day.)

Tipping is in the currency of the area that you're travelling in. It's not their fault that the US and also my Canadian $ is lower than their Euro.

(Trust me, us Canadians have been suffering for years while travelling in the US, paying as much as 50% more to buy US dollars.)

I still feel that the crew earns it, but I know that there are lots of people that resent the tipping policies.

I guess that it comes down to everyone paying what they want as it's all discreet.

[AWED23]

The recommended tip amount is not $50. per day per couple. It is 10. Euro per day per person. (plus 3 euro for the cruise director on our cruise. 13 euro per person per day.)

Tipping is in the currency of the area that you're travelling in. It's not their fault that the US and also my Canadian $ is lower than their Euro.

(Trust me, us Canadians have been suffering for years while travelling in the US, paying as much as 50% more to buy US dollars.)

I still feel that the crew earns it, but I know that there are lots of people that resent the tipping policies.

I guess that it comes down to everyone paying what they want as it's all discreet.

:D The stated , recommended, ammount is 12 plus 3 euros for a total of 15 euros per person. 15 euros equate to $23.44 (US)....Approximately US $47 per day, per couple, times 14 days, equals $658....That is not a reasonable ammount. Avalon ia an American company marketing their ships in America. Our cruise fares should generate enough money to pay competitive wages. I believe that after more than 50 cruises I have some experience to guide me and I will not tip more than $30 per day for the two of us....14 days, $420.....:cool: signed, Ebeneezer Scrooge....!!!

[hansi]

Over £200 in tips Mr Scrooge. That much! You must be joking. Just confirm what I said about tipping being an America thing. I wouldn't tip anywhere near that figure! Like I said, Brits don't have the tipping culture that Americans have. We only tip for exceptional service! It's not our job to subsidise wages.

[tiggypooo]

On my Uniworld cruise, the amount recommended was 10 euros per person per day. I was only stating what my rate was. Not all the cruise lines.

I still feel that it's earned. If you feel differently then just tip differently.

[GrannyLala]

We just received our info packet from Viking, their suggestion is $10-12 US per person per day to be divided among the staff, including the Program Director. I don't think that is unreasonable, especially if the service is what we are used to getting on the ocean cruises. We are on a 14 day, that comes to $280 for the trip, surely they will EARN it.:)

[Aussieflyer]

I suppose it is the same on most river cruises - the tip for the crew (pooled and shared) I can accept. I got a little annoyed that the cruise director was not part of this (the one on our cruise - Tapestry- last year was at pains to point out that he was not part of the Avalon crew or staff and was paid totally separately.) Now there were about 150 on the Tapestry - @ 3 euro a day for 7 days that is over 3000 euro - plus the commission (I expect) on the separately booked extra tours (had to be booked through him) - so that is on top of the wage. Given that he had several houses in different parts of the world, I would assume he was doing quite well for himself.

You're right - we Australians do not have tipping in our "genes", so you could elect to prepay gratuities (though did not have to). Most did from what I could hear.

[hansi]

We just received our info packet from Viking, their suggestion is $10-12 US per person per day to be divided among the staff, including the Program Director. I don't think that is unreasonable, especially if the service is what we are used to getting on the ocean cruises. We are on a 14 day, that comes to $280 for the trip, surely they will EARN it.:)

 

That amounts to £150 in tips alone!!!! As far as I am concerned, that is totally OTT! I would not pay anywhere near that. This tipping policy on ships is getting out of hand. My view is you have paid enough for the cruise and I am not there to subsidise the salaries. If I get exceptional service, I will tip, but only then.

[Robyn France]

When you put it this way --3000 Euros (about $5000) per cruise for the tour director, who may do 2 cruises a month, that is a stupendous amount to add to an existing salary. This is our first cruise--although we have traveled on many European trips and occasionally tours--we have never heard of a tip in these realms (a tour might have 12-20 people offering the same amount as above, but the multiplier effect for one person is daunting).

 

Is this all standard? Does anyone know about Amadeus recommendations? Do the tour directors get paid in addition to this "tip"?

 

Thanks for filling us in.

[hansi]

Tipping is very much a personal thing. Like I have said before, it is inbuilt into the American culture (ie. You ask somebody the time and tip them a dollar!) but this is not so in the UK. I will always tip where the service has been extraordinary. For instance, the idea of tipping taxi drivers who don't even help you with your luggage is definitely not on as far as I am concerned. I don't care how many dirty looks I get. Nobody gave me a tip when I was working and I didn't expect it either. With regard to the "recommended" amounts given by cruise operators, it is only "recommended" in their favour. It's your money. Don't let them grind you down.

[steamboats]

As for the CD: When the CD is tipped individually the CD is not an employee of the ship but independent. So the CD is living on the tips only. He has to pay health insureance, taxes and anything else from his tips.

 

Deilmann did recommend EUR 6.50 to 7.50 per person per night (waiter, assisstant waiter, cabin attendant) last year on the MS DRESDEN. The CD isn´t tipped there.

 

As for the wages: German TV broadcasted a documentary a couple of weeks ago. Most employees have contracts with some hotel staff companies of Romania. Some people were expected to work more than 16 hours per day / 7 days a week and ended up with EUR 600 per month (and the company said they get free food and living on the ship which can be valued as additional EUR 500!!). Do you want to work for this money??

 

As other posters did say: The people working on the river cruise ships are Europeans and they have to pay their living in Euros. They don´t count in USD. And the current exchange rate isn´t their fault. Actually you have to say that 1 EUR equals 1 USD regarding what you get for it over here. BTW just to mention our gas price: currently app. 8.50 USD per gallon!

 

As like in the ocean cruise business tipping or "service fees" have become a hidden part of your cruise fare. You are expected to tip and the companies are counting on the tips as part of the wages of their employees. IMHO I - although as a German I am not used to tipping at all - would love to tip for good service but I have to do so to pay part of the wages. I´d prefer to pay a higher cruise fare instead. But competition between the companies led to this.

 

steamboats

[Coral]

Amadeus last year was about $20 per day per person for our cruise in Russia. Amadeus is a US company.

[Nippy Sweetie]

I cant agree with you there I`m afraid. Its not my fault if the travel companies dont pay well. I dont have a moral obligation to make up staff wages. As I`ve said before, I`ll tip for exceptional service but thats it. These ships are run as businesses & I`ve paid my fares. They can pay their staff. If that means raising costs so be it. I can take my custom elsewhere if I so choose. Business is business. Its a hard life.

I work hard myself & would never expect tips.

[Coral]

I cant agree with you there I`m afraid. Its not my fault if the travel companies dont pay well. I dont have a moral obligation to make up staff wages. As I`ve said before, I`ll tip for exceptional service but thats it. These ships are run as businesses & I`ve paid my fares. They can pay their staff. If that means raising costs so be it. I can take my custom elsewhere if I so choose. Business is business. Its a hard life.

I work hard myself & would never expect tips.

 

The problem is these positions are based on a tipping business model (where employees income comes primarily from tips). I guess it is like when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

 

I also work in an industry that does not receive tips nor are tips expected. Though I am paid accordingly.