Tipping on Seabourn, acceptable though not expected..or not?

...with my somewhat younger Latina looking wife.

Say hi!

And what do you look like - other than 60?

Yes! We often go to the Observation bar before dinner, I like to sit at the bar...I’m a 60yo guy with my somewhat younger Latina looking wife.

Say hi!

Definitely! We too are pre-dinner Observation Bar dwellers and in our 40s. My husband talks to everyone so you’d no doubt meet him even if I somehow didn’t recognize you from this description. 😂 We’ll be the ones celebrating our honeymoon... also doing our vow exchange on this leg. (Champagne on us!!!)

… This is a complex cultural issue and there is no right or wrong answer.

I don't understand why this is so complex. I have been on cruise ships where you are expected to tip and I do. But one of the reasons that we sail on Seabourn is that gratuities are included and the staff is well paid. Therefore we receive equal treatment from all staff and don't have to feel that we must tip to receive good service. I do tip on Seabourn, but it is included in my fare along with all other services (and given the cost of fares, I believe we are assessed a good amount for gratuities).

I hope tipping is not going to become the norm. We particularly chose SB as the cruise line we wanted to go on, because there was no tipping. If someone tips as they embark, it is a bribe to get better service than someone who doesn't.

I am very effusive in my thanks to all the lovely staff who go out of their way to make our cruises memorable. I make sure that I name them and explain why I think they're great on surveys. I would leave a gift, or donate to the crew fund.. but tipping.. no, SB say tipping is neither required not expected, so I will abide by that.

The cruise documentation (and guest services) will confirm whether tipping is expected. Whilst our documentation suggested that the tour guides, being all outsourced locally do expect tips, my experience (in the Med) is that this was variable and may cruisers did not.

Nobody on board requests nor asks for a tip and there is a communal crew fund. We did (as did many others) leave something for our cabin stewardess on our last evening with a personalised note.

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I hope tipping is not going to become the norm. We particularly chose SB as the cruise line we wanted to go on, because there was no tipping. If someone tips as they embark, it is a bribe to get better service than someone who doesn't.

My anecdotal experience with people who proactively tip (i.e. embarkation day) is that they are basically warning the staff that they are going to be a pain in the rear.

On one sailing, I recall talking to a "new to Seabourn" couple who had much experience on Crystal and Oceania. They were appalled that they had tipped profusely on day one and yet the staff was treating them the "same as everyone else".

I asked if they were being treated poorly.

"Oh no!" the wife replied. "Its just that we aren't getting the preferential treatment we expected."

The husband chimed in... "We have status on other lines and hoped that tipping would get us treated the same way that Seabourn treats their high status members but we are noticing no difference in how they treat anyone!"

"We probably won't sail on this line again. I don't like being treated like I'm just a normal passenger."

I was a bit dumbstruck... but on subsequent sailings I have indeed noticed others who have pulled the old "$20 trick" and they've also been fairly entitled and obnoxious in my opinion. :')

I've sailed several times on NCL, a line that not only has several status categories with various "visible to others" special privileges you move up the food chain, but also keeps additional separate lists for "suites", "VIP", and "VVIP" passengers.

I've sailed multiple times with one of those notations on NCL and my experience was markedly different than that of a regular passenger (private dining for breakfast/lunch, specialty restaurant reservations held back for our exclusive use, and - as a VVIP - being whisked to a private elevator and through crew-only areas to avoid waiting in a disembarkation/tender line.

And yet it all seemed so disingenuous because very often, staff members clearly lingered or paused, waiting for cash. And we have noticed when tipping for specialty dining, that even unremarkable gratuities netted us better tables and more expedient service on subsequent nights.

I much prefer the Seabourn way as I want to relax on my vacation, not worry that I'm going to have a subpar experience because I'm failing to grease the palms of the staff.

We also tipped our stewardess (Ovation) in June (on disembarkation day)--with a note. We would not consider tipping other crew members on SB because of the policy. My husband was not in favor of tipping our stewardess. He believeS that this had been taken care of by the all inclusive policy.

We chose Seabourn after an experience on Royal Caribbean and amongst the reasons we chose it were:

1. All inclusive, not signing for everything.

2. Smaller ship, fewer guests, no lines.

3. The quality of the experience; service, food, etc.

4. No tipping

Roxburgh, I think you have it right.

One quick thought :

I think we need to differentiate between giving a staff member a gratuity upon disembarkation as a thank you for exceptional service/ friendship etc, versus the example Jenni gave where a guest tips in advance or during a cruise in the hopes of getting preferential treatment.

On my last cruise my stewardess went out of her way to be extra helpful. I gave her a gratuity with a nice note upon disembarkation. It’s not expected nor required yes, but in my case I thought it was the right thing to do. This is a job, and these people work long hours.

As I’ve said, IMO be guided by your conscience, propriety and whatever you personally feel comfortable with!

One quick thought :

I think we need to differentiate between giving a staff member a gratuity upon disembarkation as a thank you for exceptional service/ friendship etc, versus the example Jenni gave where a guest tips in advance or during a cruise in the hopes of getting preferential treatment.

On my last cruise my stewardess went out of her way to be extra helpful. I gave her a gratuity with a nice note upon disembarkation. It’s not expected nor required yes, but in my case I thought it was the right thing to do. This is a job, and these people work long hours.

As I’ve said, IMO be guided by your conscience, propriety and whatever you personally feel comfortable with!

Thank you. The best advice I have heard on tipping.

Does tipping the hostess in Thomas Keller ensure a walk-in?

We’ve been able to get a walk in if we’re flexible about time (especially early). No tipping was involved, just a sincere thank you.

We usually leave a goodby gesture with the stewardess. The only other tip I can think of was our trivia team going in on a thank you gift for our drinks server. Lots of trivia days on a long cruise and she was special. She was surprised and delighted.

Policies are guidelines, not rules. There is nothing we can do to stop other passengers from being generous even when done in bad taste. On the other hand, should the host/hostess in TK accept a "bribe" for a table, he/she would be the one disciplined.

Different personalities and cultures have different ways of expressing their appreciation. On Viking, for example, they add the gratuities charges to the onboard accounts while oddly countering this with an OBC to the accounts of European pax as it is not part of the culture (or so I was told when I inquired about the source of my OBC).

As a young adult I had worked for a vacation club that had a no tipping policy. My colleagues and I always appreciated guests giving us their left over toiletries as we were usually located in isolated areas where supplies were very expensive and/or difficult to find.

Despite the policy, the stewardesses work very hard and enter into our personal area. I wouldn't be surprised to find out they are recruited with the expectation of receiving gratuities. On all but 1 of our 15 sailings we have always tipped the stewardess. The exception was the one who accidentally removed my sunglasses from my cabin. They were later recovered and returned to me but first the head of security searched my cabin, suitcases under the bed and safe. Another policy I guess, even if it made me very uncomfortable.

I find that please and thank you go down well with the crew and I take an interest in them and talk with them.

That has always given me excellent service on a Seabourn ship.

Money doesn't come into it which is a thing that many do not understand.

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This is so depressing. We have always booked Seabourn because of the no tipping policy. From now on I will always be watching to see who might be angling for tips and who is genuinely serving everyone equally. Quite possibly coming to the wrong conclusion.

This is so depressing. We have always booked Seabourn because of the no tipping policy. From now on I will always be watching to see who might be angling for tips and who is genuinely serving everyone equally. Quite possibly coming to the wrong conclusion.

Regardless of some of the negative things I have said very recently about Seabourn, I do have to come to their defense on this one. I have never felt that anyone was ever waiting for a tip from me. There is never that awkward waiting around for a handshake with a folded up bill.

I find that please and thank you go down well with the crew and I take an interest in them and talk with them.

That has always given me excellent service on a Seabourn ship.

Money doesn't come into it which is a thing that many do not understand.

 

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I couldn't agree with this more.

This is so depressing. We have always booked Seabourn because of the no tipping policy. From now on I will always be watching to see who might be angling for tips and who is genuinely serving everyone equally. Quite possibly coming to the wrong conclusion.

In 14 cruises with Seabourn, I have never ever seen any crew member 'angle' for tips. Indeed, our stewardess tried to decline the envelope I gave her at the end of our cruise even though she had no idea what was in it. I should say that, for me, it wasn't so much a tip as a gesture of appreciation and it included a handwritten note of thanks.

If there is a problem - and I don't think there is - it is with guests and not crew. For some, the tipping culture is so ingrained that they have difficulty stepping away from it.

This is so depressing. We have always booked Seabourn because of the no tipping policy. From now on I will always be watching to see who might be angling for tips and who is genuinely serving everyone equally. Quite possibly coming to the wrong conclusion.

The Seabourn staff doesn’t “ angle “ for tips. I personally have never seen any tipping during a cruise.

The few people that I have extended a gratuity to were pleasantly surprised and didn’t expect it, and it was given on the last day.

They weren’t working for a gratuity that they never expected.

As with all things, this should be put into perspective....

This is so depressing. We have always booked Seabourn because of the no tipping policy. From now on I will always be watching to see who might be angling for tips and who is genuinely serving everyone equally. Quite possibly coming to the wrong conclusion.

In my 20 years cruising with Seabourn I have never seen this. Ever. It is just not done by the incredible staff hired by Seabourn. As a way of thanking all of them I always donate to the Crew Welfare Fund. Most guests do not even know there is such a thing and I found out from another guest after many years of cruising with Seabourn.

Regardless of some of the negative things I have said very recently about Seabourn, I do have to come to their defense on this one. I have never felt that anyone was ever waiting for a tip from me. There is never that awkward waiting around for a handshake with a folded up bill.

This. We just disembarked from Seabourn. And this is exactly our experience. A tip is neither expected and the service remains the same. As Australians, we’re used to this (just not the level of exemplerary service).

Our cabin attendant did appreciate the personalised notes we wrote thanking her and our comments to guest services we hope were forwarded on.

I find that please and thank you go down well with the crew and I take an interest in them and talk with them.

That has always given me excellent service on a Seabourn ship.

Money doesn't come into it app

Thank you Mr Luxury

Interaction with the staff and crew is our delight and joy whilst onboard. It is a large part of the essence of our cruise. Seabourn staff are unsurpassed in our experience for service with style.

In our minds sincere gratitude is shown by respect, politeness and treating folk equally as you would wish to be treated.

Gratuity can be in many forms to reciprocate the joy we received.

I have never seen any SB crew member angling for a tip. So, please do not worry about this. It just isn't happening.

I have never seen any SB crew member angling for a tip. So, please do not worry about this. It just isn't happening.

Agreed. I’ve never ever felt that a Seabourn staff expected me to or even was visibly hoping I’d tip them. This is a great contrast to my experiences on NCL, especially in the suites or as a denoted VVIP. That was awful.