Higher auto tips in the future?

[pms4104]

I think that depends on the nationality. Brits and Australians don't tip and (in general) consider the auto-tip a weird American practice.

Your explanation likely is the reason HAL stopped calling it a tip and now refers to this assessed amount as a Hotel Service Charge.

[pms4104]

I agree. Even though it doesn't affect my upcoming cruise next month, I think $11 per day is very reasonable.

 

I don't know about making this charge mandatory. That might not be a good idea because it could impact service. However, what I would like to see is HAL make the autotips per stateroom, not per person. And I don't say that to benefit myself, because I would actually be hurt by this. I just think that when there are four people in a stateroom it's a bit unreasonable to expect them to pay $40 (now $44) per day in tips. But then, on the other hand, I think the single gets off cheap with $10. Should be $20 per standard stateroom, or $22 now, and maybe just a tad more for people in full suites.

 

But I don't think it should be mandatory. If someone really has an issue, they should have a way to get the charge removed. Maybe just make a passenger justify why they are removing it a bit more than they have to today.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

I'm not sure about a fixed rate per stateroom regardless of the number of occupants ... after all, every passenger enjoys the ship services and amenities. It isn't like only half of the four people in a cabin sleep on clean linens, use the towels, eat meals with napkin-wrapped flatware, etc. I think by keeping the per person rate reasonable HAL certainly can justify assessing the same amount for each person. Yes, it adds up for a large party, but they all get the same services as solos.

 

As to mandatory or not ... to remove the charge completely, a passenger would have to feel they have suffered total non-service from all staff and crew members for the duration of the sailing. Indeed, when passengers try to adjust the amount down or remove it completely, they should have to explain in detail why and do so early enough in the trip to allow HAL to make right whatever problems they feel they are having.

 

I think HAL needs to emphasize that this is a Hotel Service Charge, not unlike a Resort Fee, and stop any hint or innuendo that this is their version of auto-tips.

[Taxguy7]

There's a reason that these charges are not part of the base fare.

 

It's called commission.

You're right.:)

Why get the passengers to pay part of the labor cost and give a commission to someone?

The airlines are ahead of them charging fuel surcharges, baggage fees and drinks not included in frequent flyer tickets.:rolleyes:

[Down-Unders]

I understand that NCL will be raising their auto tips to $12 per person per day beginning January 1, 2009.

 

Right now it is $10 per person per day for adults and $5 per day for children 3 - 12 (don't know if the children's rate will be changed).

 

Will HAL soon follow?

 

 

 

Where did you get your information from.:confused: :confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

The information is on NCL's website -- under frequently asked questions -- go to the tipping section.

kryos -- I refered to it as auto tips as many of us here also refer to it as an auto tip -- an d some people I know on NCL also refer to it as a tip -- read NCL -- where I posted to refer to -- called a tip.

BillHaHa -- sorry I missed your post yesterday about this.

I have absolutely no problem with the increase either.

And it is so true -- the crew is paid in US Dollars and with our dollar worth so little the crew is actually get less in their pay checks.

[Down-Unders]

The information is on NCL's website -- under frequently asked questions -- go to the tipping section.

 

kryos -- I refered to it as auto tips as many of us here also refer to it as an auto tip -- an d some people I know on NCL also refer to it as a tip -- read NCL -- where I posted to refer to -- called a tip.

 

BillHaHa -- sorry I missed your post yesterday about this.

 

I have absolutely no problem with the increase either.

 

And it is so true -- the crew is paid in US Dollars and with our dollar worth so little the crew is actually get less in their pay checks.

 

 

Thank you.

[heavenly]

There's a reason that these charges are not part of the base fare.

 

It's called commission.

 

True, but they could throw it into all the other fees included in the total cruise fare that are non-commisionable.

[world~citizen]

I agree. Even though it doesn't affect my upcoming cruise next month, I think $11 per day is very reasonable.

 

I don't know about making this charge mandatory. That might not be a good idea because it could impact service. However, what I would like to see is HAL make the autotips per stateroom, not per person. And I don't say that to benefit myself, because I would actually be hurt by this. I just think that when there are four people in a stateroom it's a bit unreasonable to expect them to pay $40 (now $44) per day in tips. But then, on the other hand, I think the single gets off cheap with $10. Should be $20 per standard stateroom, or $22 now, and maybe just a tad more for people in full suites.

 

But I don't think it should be mandatory. If someone really has an issue, they should have a way to get the charge removed. Maybe just make a passenger justify why they are removing it a bit more than they have to today.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

The truth is the serving staff (and their families) live and die by their tips. Full stop! Period!

 

I am certain that the money we shell out in gratuities is never missed. If the service has somewhere displeased you, bring it to the attention of the appropriate staff. To pull yourself out of the autotip is to compound the unfairness. Do we really want to punish the folks back in the third world who depend on the serving staff on your ship for the everyday essentials of life because we didn't like the way the chocolate was placed on our pillows?

 

Of course, some deficiencies may be more important than that, but you get the idea. If you want to, you can always find a deficiency in the vessel and the service. You can find deficiencies in anything and anyone. If we all had to "pay" for every mistake we made at work or in life the world would be impossible to function in - we would be living in a state of perpetual paralysis. The world that we live in is thankfully more human than that.

 

How about we all take the high road? Maybe things weren't perfect, but we won't interfere with the remuneration of the staff because of it - even if it is called a tip. We can mention the problem to the appropriate staff, and the matter will be dealt with.

 

We all live on the same planet for a very brief period of time. Are we really going to lie on our deathbeds saying "...boy, am I glad I didn't tip that cabin steward on my spring cruise back in '98. I can rest easy now..."

 

Of course it is your choice.

 

Jeeze!

 

Smooth sailing to you...

[newmexicoNita]

Not sure about this, but I don't think it's an "autotip" on NCL. I think it's a mandatory hotel service charge that cannot be removed by the passenger.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

Rita, it is worded as a service charge but it can be removed. Every week you will see someone come on the boards to let the world know they had it removed. NCL does ask that before you do this you try and work out the problems that created a reason for wanting the tips removed...

 

NIta

[m steve]

Usually another $40 to cabin steward, $20 ea to each waiter, more if not charged for corkage, and extra to bartenders who pour a good drink. Also a few $ a day for breakfast delivery or bringing extra ice and glasses. I take a roll of the new $ coins for odd tips.

[newmexicoNita]

Usually another $40 to cabin steward, $20 ea to each waiter, more if not charged for corkage, and extra to bartenders who pour a good drink. Also a few $ a day for breakfast delivery or bringing extra ice and glasses. I take a roll of the new $ coins for odd tips.

Boy you are generous; we tip extra as well, but not quite that much; we tip the wait staff in PG as well. So far we have always been charged to corkage fee, but I keep hearing about those who do not get charged.

 

Nita

[Thrifty]

I agree with Kyros; "I think $11 per day is very reasonable. I don't know about making this charge mandatory. That might not be a good idea because it could impact service."

[kryos]

The truth is the serving staff (and their families) live and die by their tips. Full stop! Period!

All I am saying is that in just about every case that tips are mandatory (such as a hotel service charge), service suffers ... and why shouldn't it. If I am a waiter and I see that waiter at the next table slacking off, yet he is making the exact same amount as me in tips each week, eventually I'm probably gonna say, "why am I busting my hump?" ... and I'll start slacking off too. That's human nature.

 

I'd much rather see the auto-tip remain an auto-tip, but make it more difficult perhaps for passengers to remove it. I think even now it is difficult psychologically because to remove it you have to go down to the front desk and with other people in line explain to the purser that you want to take it off. This naturally can prove embarrassing, and I think for that reason alone most people probably let the auto-tip ride.

 

But I don't like it to be a mandatory charge because I honestly believe service could suffer as a result. That's not saying I don't think I should pay it ... I just want to feel that the people I am paying it to are doing something out of their way to earn it.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I'm not sure about a fixed rate per stateroom regardless of the number of occupants ... after all, every passenger enjoys the ship services and amenities. It isn't like only half of the four people in a cabin sleep on clean linens, use the towels, eat meals with napkin-wrapped flatware, etc. I think by keeping the per person rate reasonable HAL certainly can justify assessing the same amount for each person. Yes, it adds up for a large party, but they all get the same services as solos.

I just think that if I were a parent, staying with my spouse and two kids, all wedged into an inside cabin to save money, I would have a real problem shelling out $40 per day in tips ... $44 now.

 

In fact, most parents I know that travel with their kids and stay in the same cabin routinely cut the auto-tips for one of the kids at least ... sometimes both. I honestly cannot blame them.

 

I really think the auto-tip should be reduced in half for children. Maybe that's not fair, but unless the people in that cabin are total slobs, I can't see where it would take the cabin steward that much longer to make up the cabin for four, than it does for him to tidy up the cabin for two across the hall. Yet, by the same token, I think he is getting shafted on the solo cabin. That cabin takes him the same amount of time to make up too ... yet he is only earning $11 a day on it. Is that necessarily fair? Basically, HAL is expecting the family of four to subsidize my tips. Wouldn't it be fair to charge my auto-tips at the same percentage as my single supplement is charged? So, if I am paying 150% for the cabin, my auto-tip rate should also be 150% or $15.50 per day.

 

$11 per day for children staying in a cabin with their parents is just way too much as far as I'm concerned.

 

Now if you've got more than one cabin, that's a different issue. But if all are in one, then I think the auto-tip for children should be half of what it is for the adults in the cabin.

 

Just my humble opinion ...

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hammybee]

Most cruise lines have increased their Auto Tip/Hotel Service Charge/ Recommended Tipping during the past year. The cost of living has increased. The value of the USD means the crew is being compensated less than in the past. And I suspect fuel surcharges means less incremental tipping and/or more passengers are stiffing the crew.

 

I did a summary of tipping across all cruise lines, a few weeks ago.

 

HAL and Carnival were and remain the least costly in terms of Auto Tips/Hotel Service Charges/ Recommended tipping.

 

This was a disappointing discovery given the wonderful onboard service, on HAL. To sustain better than average service, a cruise line needs to be in a position to offer better than average compensation opportunities. If they do not, the best of the best will depart and secure employment elsewhere. Can you blame them?

[Jemima]

HAL needs to increase the service charge and to make it mandatory. There is no reason for anyone to opt out. Poor service by one person shouldn't mean the others don't get their tips. Mention the poor service on the comment card or report it during the cruise, but don't remove or reduce the service charge.

Good service is not dependent on tips. We eat frequently in selected well run fast food places. The service and treatment of customers is very good. It is better than in some regular restaurants. Good service is a matter of very good management and of well trained and well selected staff who enjoy their jobs.

[kakalina]

I do not understand the thinking that a service person in entitled to tips. I was always under the impression that tips for for extra service and personal attention. When did it get to the point that it is expected?

 

How did we get to a place where there is a tip jar placed at 7-11 checkout? Perhaps I am being thick of head but I don't get it.

[codyody]

I'm still aghast at the idea that if you reduce the auto-tip (which I have not) and you give an extra tip to your steward he has to make up the auto-tip reduction. On our cruise, our room steward provided us with far more service (in time and quality) than any other staff we encountered. If we give someone extra $, I want them to have it.

[iflyrc5]

TIPS - To Insure Perfect Service

 

This is from one of Tom Peters books.

[Thrifty]

"Poor service by one person shouldn't mean the others don't get their tips." I couldn't agree more! I have never had to exclude an individual for poor service, but once it came very close. If I ever have to in the future, I will divide the offender's share and add it to the others when I tip them personally. I think I'll probably end up adding to that, because they'll look so good compared to the offender.

[jtl513]

When did it get to the point that it is expected?

For HAL, about the time they started calling it the Hotel Service Charge.

 

TIPS - To Insure Perfect Service

 

This is from one of Tom Peters books.

 

The Oxford English Dictionary states that tip is derived from the English thieves (which may be taken to mean "gambler") slang word tip, meaning "to pass from one to another" (cf. "to give unexpectedly.")

 

The word "tip" is often inaccurately claimed to be an acronym for terms such as "to insure prompt service", "to insure proper service", "to improve performance", and "to insure promptness". However, this etymology contradicts the Oxford English Dictionary and is probably an example of a backronym. Moreover, all of these backronyms incorrectly require the word "insure" instead of the correct "ensure".

[newmexicoNita]

I do not understand the thinking that a service person in entitled to tips. I was always under the impression that tips for for extra service and personal attention. When did it get to the point that it is expected?

 

How did we get to a place where there is a tip jar placed at 7-11 checkout? Perhaps I am being thick of head but I don't get it.

Agree about 7/11 as well as the casino cage, etc but we have had service personal tipping since I can remember and that is a heck of a long time ago. I can tell you, from family members that have been in the restaurant and travel industry they prefer tips to higher hourly wages. How did it get to this point, go back about 60 years and ask. As a kid, in the 50s my parents taught me to tip even at the Woolworths soda counter when we order lunch.

 

Nita

[iancal]

My guess is that they will....as long as there is the prediction that the US

will remain weak for an extended period of time.

[world~citizen]

I do not understand the thinking that a service person in entitled to tips. I was always under the impression that tips for for extra service and personal attention. When did it get to the point that it is expected?

 

The elephant in the room here is that it is called a tip, but as you (by now should) know, the "tip" or "service charge" or whatever you call it represents the serving person's salary.

[m steve]

I can't see reducing tips for kids. They are such slobs that the steward works twice as hard to clean up after them and most have lousy table manners and make a mess there as well. I know that your child is perfect but look around you at the other brats on board. This is especially true of teen agers. I think they open the cabin door, open the suitcase and drop kick to make the cabin look like their room at home. And you wonder why we smuggle liquor for our cabins.:eek: