So the people who say the waitstaff has no incentive to please...

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

The thing that bothers me the most about this particular idea is how incredibly insulting it is. What must you think of a person to believe that the only reason they would have to do their best at something was the possibility of a tip? Anyone who actually believes this is assuming that people who work as service personnel have no pride in their work - and by logical progression - themselves.

 

Do the people who make these assumptions about people they otherwise know NOTHING about work that way themselves? Do they slack off at every opportunity unless they are assured 'special compensation'? Perhaps they take extra long lunches and surf the internet on company time... or maybe they work harder for clients that they believe are more likely to be repeat customers (in industries without tips, this is the closest thing I could think of to an added incentive). More likely, based on their assumptions about 'lowly servers', they give better service to people they perceive to be of a 'better class'.

 

I have no intention of insulting anyone, though I'm sure I probably have. But... if you're so willing to make negative assumptions about someone else's motivation, why should it bother you to have someone make negative assumptions about yours? Is it because I know nothing about you? Hmmmmmm... I think that's a very valid point - and in fact, it's the one I'm trying to make. :)

 

 

Thanks for posting this CT!

I was about to write a similar thought.

I really believe that those who think along those lines about tipping are really telling us much more about themselves than they are about the hard-working folks who are trying to make their vacation more enjoyable.

I have friends in different "customer service" industries who really take pride in themselves and their jobs. At the end of the day, however, they wind up hating everyone because no matter how they bend over backward to help, it's not appreciated by the customers they deal with.

Why people assume those in the best position to help them are actually their personal slaves or responsible for everything that goes on in the entire business operation is wildly funny -- if you're not the one trying to do a great job!

We are all human and if we treat each other as such the world - and our cruise vacations - would be a better place for both guest and host!

 

:)

[uppitycats]

I don't blame automatic tips for sub-par service. It is having different wait staff and dining companions every night. This is much more noticeable on longer cruises over 3 or 4 nights. The relationship you build with having the same servers every night equates to better service as they learn your preferences. The extra time you have to interact with your dining companions is another bonus. Maybe we have been lucky over the years, but the bonding with the same strangers who love cruising over multiple nights is special. We have been lucky enough to stay in touch with many of them. Sitting with different folks every night would not of had the same result.

 

I one one (of many) who really don't feel it necesesary to have the same servers every night, "learning (my) preferences". I am an individual. Maybe I don't want coffee at every dinner, and so don't appreciate it being poured as I make my way to the table. And while I certainly try to be pleasant to my waiters, they are not my friends. I don't need to "bond" with them in any way. I just need to make my wishes known, and they need to do their job, and we'll all be happy. As for table mates -- thank goodness for "freestyle" dining or "anytime" dining. I don't have to put up with folks with whom I have nothing in common, don't like, don't really care about, will never see again. And they don't have to put up with me. I can meet folks on board that I do like, with whom I do have something in common, and we can all plan to go to dinner together, enjoy a meal together, and have a pleasant dining experience.

 

But of course to each his own.

[S&Dcruising]

i one one (of many) who really don't feel it necesesary to have the same servers every night, "learning (my) preferences". I am an individual. Maybe i don't want coffee at every dinner, and so don't appreciate it being poured as i make my way to the table. And while i certainly try to be pleasant to my waiters, they are not my friends. i don't need to "bond" with them in any way. I just need to make my wishes known, and they need to do their job, and we'll all be happy. As for table mates -- thank goodness for "freestyle" dining or "anytime" dining. I don't have to put up with folks with whom i have nothing in common, don't like, don't really care about, will never see again. And they don't have to put up with me. I can meet folks on board that i do like, with whom i do have something in common, and we can all plan to go to dinner together, enjoy a meal together, and have a pleasant dining experience.

 

But of course to each his own.

 

 

yeah, what uppity said

[dr__dawggy]

My immediate answer to this is because the ships are set up so that you are supposed to be able to do everything (or almost everything) without carrying any money on board. Cashless cruising is a great liberator, and I would hate it if I had to start carrying money around the ship.A word about dining out in the UK and Europe, then: The bill or check will not appear until you ask for it. I've seen Americans get confused and irritated by this here, but it is simply the different way that we do it.

 

In Latin America as well. In Argentina it is considered offensive for a waiter to present the bill before it is requested.

[phyzz]

(I have been a server in a fine dinning resturant for years .) I am doing my first cruise in July -- when I saw that the servers only get 10.00 - 12.00 pp for the whole day I was FLOORED !!!!!

I easily make $20-$30 per person per meal where I work

I can not WAIT to go on my cruise -- mostly for the dinning experience because I have heard sooo many awesome things about the waiters .

 

I can not believe that someone would put a pile of money on the table and then take it away -- that is the most trailer trash thing I have ever heard of .

 

Just think -- these guys work from sun up to sun down hearing the same old boring stories and answering the same "where are you from" questions 1000 times . they are going to have an "off" night once in a while .

[mypleasure]

I one one (of many) who really don't feel it necesesary to have the same servers every night, "learning (my) preferences". I am an individual. Maybe I don't want coffee at every dinner, and so don't appreciate it being poured as I make my way to the table. And while I certainly try to be pleasant to my waiters, they are not my friends. I don't need to "bond" with them in any way. I just need to make my wishes known, and they need to do their job, and we'll all be happy. As for table mates -- thank goodness for "freestyle" dining or "anytime" dining. I don't have to put up with folks with whom I have nothing in common, don't like, don't really care about, will never see again. And they don't have to put up with me. I can meet folks on board that I do like, with whom I do have something in common, and we can all plan to go to dinner together, enjoy a meal together, and have a pleasant dining experience.

 

But of course to each his own.

 

Oh I so agree. It was those things that kept me from ever considering cruising for many, many years. Then I found out about NCL and how they do things differently. Now here I am and loving every moment of it.

[sottovoce]

I don't blame automatic tips for sub-par service. It is having different wait staff and dining companions every night. This is much more noticeable on longer cruises over 3 or 4 nights. The relationship you build with having the same servers every night equates to better service as they learn your preferences.

You may think this, but our experiences don't bear it out. And being compelled to dine at the same time at the same table with the same tablemates while on our vacation is a huge negative when compared with having to tell the server what we'd like to drink. To each his own. By the way, we've had one incidence of "sub-par" service on about one hundred nights on NCL ships, so your first sentence is simply nonsense. By comparison, we had an entire week of it on HAL with our "same server."

 

I suppose you always go to the same restaurant and have the same server every time or you must get "sub-par service" every time you dine out. Must be very limiting.

[newmexicoNita]

Due to autotip and the Freestyle concept, one thing I never got was why don't you just tip at the end of each meal, why do you have to wait until the end of the cruise? :confused:

 

Every line does autotip these days, yet people still tip extra at the end, so that's not an excuse. I just don't get why some people make such a big fuss about this.

 

part of the reason for not tipping after each meal would be the cash thing, everything on a cruise now days is CRedit Card or sign and sail cards.

 

Actually you are not waiting til the end, each day the charge is added to your account.

 

I do see what you are saying, but what about others we tip, like the cabin steward, do you want to tip them each day as well?

 

Nita