I hate tipping.........

[kimberley]

Over the past two years reading CC I have come across this topic so many times. I have read that tipping is expected, nessisary, over done, and a bone of contention in the cruise industry. I have read that crews on ships hate to be based in Australian and British waters because we dont tip. You can see any day of the week that cruises in American waters are far cheaper than cruises anywhere else in the world, some put that down to tipping.

One constant thing you do get when ever someone brings up this topic or asks for advice is a complete lack of understanding and respect of other peoples cultures from a very few here.

As someone who comes from a non tipping culture and has owned bars and restaurants I do find some replys on this subject offensive but lets not get into that. To the original writer my advice is tip when you wish to and dont if you dont think its due. A tip should be exactly that a reward for making you feel special. I actually spoke to a waitress in Hawaii about this very topic on my first trip to the US and she told me not to worry about the amount, they understand the difference in cultures and understand why the tip maybe not forth coming from some overseas visitors. Maybe those in the industries affected are more understanding than some writers on CC.

Australian cruise sellers most of the time get us to prepay tips as part of the package to avoid any misunderstandings on the account at the end of the cruise. Please, when this topic comes up the next time remember that everyone is different and some of us are just tring to find out how not to offend and how to be respectful while in your countries, as we hope you would if you visited ours.

 

Have a nice day everyone:D.

 

John

Well said Kimberley

[JazzieB]

So am I right that when we arrive in Barcelona porters will take luggage and we time him ? $1-$2 per bag ?

 

 

I may be wrong on this but I believe the porters are employed by Barcelona Port so wouldn't be able to spend dollars, we normally tip 1 euro per bag, we also broke our 5 euro note into change by buying a can at the airport arrivals.

[doemichael]

I may be wrong on this but I believe the porters are employed by Barcelona Port so wouldn't be able to spend dollars, we normally tip 1 euro per bag, we also broke our 5 euro note into change by buying a can at the airport arrivals.

 

 

ok so porter tipped in euro's , something made me think it was RCL employee's the confusion sets in when sailing on American boat in European countries when we use £ sterling at home lol Just sorted my bag out and have 3 differnt monies in it , one for airport and on plane, $$ for on baord and Euros for on shore, who said holidays was stress free ? lol

 

Luckily when I just checked my " holiday purse" found Euros coins from last tiem we were in Rome so have plenty of chnage for tips.

 

Roll on saturday.

[JazzieB]

ok so porter tipped in euro's , something made me think it was RCL employee's the confusion sets in when sailing on American boat in European countries when we use £ sterling at home lol Just sorted my bag out and have 3 differnt monies in it , one for airport and on plane, $$ for on baord and Euros for on shore, who said holidays was stress free ? lol

 

Luckily when I just checked my " holiday purse" found Euros coins from last tiem we were in Rome so have plenty of chnage for tips.

 

Roll on saturday.

 

It could be worse, you could be going on a Baltic cruise where you need sterling, dollars & euros....and also a different currency for every port you visit :D

 

Have a good trip

[doemichael]

It could be worse, you could be going on a Baltic cruise where you need sterling, dollars & euros....and also a different currency for every port you visit :D

 

Have a good trip

 

 

I think I would just stay onboard lol

[mjm1204]

There are plenty of servers and bartenders in the US who do not get any money at all on their paycheck. By law, the restaurant must track their sales and withhold wages based on "expected" tips -- so if they sell $2000 worth of food and drink in a night, the restaurant assumes they earned at least $240 (I think we used 12% when I was in the biz) in cash tips, so their tax withholding is based on $2.xx per hour x 6 hours worked + $240. When their paycheck for hourly wages shows up, it totals to $0.00.

 

And there are many servers and bartenders who make a very good living -- one of my good friends at a pretty fancy place drives a $50k sports car and owns a $500k condo, all from 2 bartending jobs.

 

Cultural differences are funny though -- I got yelled at in a bar in Melbourne for leaving a tip on the bar after a round of drinks (by another customer, not the bartender!). On another occasion, while partying with some Aussies in Manhattan NYC, we almost got thrown out because one guy banged his empty bottle on the bar to signal the bartender that he wanted another round. She didn't appreciate that at all; it's a level of disrespect right up there with whistling for a waitress.

 

 

Having owned several bars and nightclubs, I can tell you that whole "12%" thing is a myth.... Employees are required by law to report ALL of their tips.

 

What you're somewhat referring to is tip allocation... what the IRS can, and will, do is take the tip percentage you received from debit/credit cards sales and apply it to the cash sales.

 

Example: $2000.00 in total sales. $1500 credit/debit sales and $500 cash sales. Employee received $300 in tips on cards which would be 20%. IRS would assume that employee received the same percentage of tips on their cash sales which would be $100. Therefore total tips reported should $400 according the IRS.

 

Now with all that being said, I don't know of many places that actually follow that LAW nor have I really heard of people getting caught. But if the IRS catches you they will hit you with big big penalties... I have seen it happen to one company it effectively put them out of business.

 

A large majority of the bartenders making $300-600 a shift are stealing... overpouring, free drinks, upcharging, keeping cash sales...

 

I don't really understand tipping on a cruise ship either and I've been reading a lot lately about their wages and what not. I'm not too sure about the credibility of what I've been reading though. Do tipped employees really only get paid less than $100 a month?

[sherin65]

The only time I have seen gratuity included is in larger groups, which might be the reason the waiter said something.

 

 

If it happened in Florida which is a popular area for European tourists that come from non-tipping cultures, the server might have said something based on the customer having a foreign accent. If they have a problem with a lot of people not tipping at all, they lose out on a large portion of their income. I'm not saying it was right but they probably weren't trying to be rude.

[househunter]

The difference here is that the wage paid for waitresses ect....is lower than that paid to servers in Australia. My son is currently in Melbourne and has worked for Subway here in Canada at $9 per hour yet in Melbourne the airport subway pays $19 per hour. Quite the difference in the hourly wage. However that being said the US can be silly about tipping as they have tipping jars everywhere from fast food restaurants and such places where one would not normally tip.

 

My opinion is that if a server or person in an industry where tips are earned is that if they have to point out to tip than they aren't used to giving good service. I always tip but find it rude to be told to tip when the bill is dropped off.

 

Just curious if the price of the food is higher in the Melbourne Subway. All restaurants have a certain profit margain that they try to get, whether they pay more in wages to their employees and then charge more for the food or pay less to the help and charge the consumer less, it all works out the same in the end. You either get a cheaper meal and tip, or you pay more for the meal and not tip.

[englishlady]

Doemichael, I feel your pain. I'm English but have lived here in the U.S. for more than 25 years. My husband is an American and is a heavy tipper, but while I understand many folks in service industries in the U.S. rely on their tips to live, I just CANNOT get used to the supposedly mandated amounts you're supposed to tip! If I get good service I tip 25% - and I often do tip 25%. But If I get lousy service, I have no qualms at all in leaving hardly any tip at all.

 

I've had this discussion with my hairdresser, where I've been known to tip as much as 30% or more, but on a couple of occasions I gave no tip at all.

 

Even though I'm "Americanized" in nearly every way, I only tip when I think it's earned.

 

Alma

[verbal]

I just CANNOT get used to the supposedly mandated amounts you're supposed to tip!

 

Again where have you ever been it is mandated? Tipping amounts are suggested but they are just that suggestions. No one is forcing you to tip certain amount or anything at all. There are general guidelines 20% for outstanding service 15% for normal 10% for lessor service and anything below that you should talk to a manager but again this is a suggestion and it is up to you to determine the amount if any at all.

[w&k]

I have no problem tipping when service is rendered, and I'm usually a decent tipper. I'm one of the few that really like doing the automatic gratuities as it's more convenient. The only part I don't like is that now I have to hunt down envelopes at the purser's office for extra $.

 

For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I went with my DH and FIL on a 4-day cruise. The booking got crossed, so I was 'officially' in the cabin with FIL instead of with DH.

 

Rather than go through the hassle of changing anything, I just got an extra key. This left me with a small dilemma: what about my 'new' cabin steward as the auto-tip would go to the 'official' cabin steward? I just scrounged up an envelope and gave the 'new' steward where I ended up $20 in cash, and the 'official' steward got the autotip of $14. No problem, and no paperwork for me.

 

Tonight, I went online to a national chain, ordered pizzas for pickup, and put the bill on my credit card.

 

When I went into the store to pick up my pizzas, I gave the counter guy my name. He turned to his left, grabbed the boxes with the receipt on top, and set them on the counter in front of me.

 

Lo and behold, there was a pre-printed tip line and 15%, 20%, and 25% percentages all calculated out for me at the bottom of the receipt. Wasn't that considerate to work it all out for me in advance?

 

I signed the receipt just as it was and handed it back, which earned me a dirty look.

 

We always tip someone that delivers food. I could even see a tip if I had called in rather than ordered online.

 

Call me a cheapskate if you like, but I'm not tipping someone for handing me a receipt and a box. :rolleyes:

 

Wendy

[BEFdoc]

Ok, have met a sport team from down under in a bar and had this same extended conversation. They agreed with me when I told them that food service industry, casino, hotel, bar and other jobs are paid minimum wages. Yes, that is right, not enough to eke out a living. To compensate for this the worker receives tips. It is hoped that the tips will make up the difference and provide adequate compensation for the work provided. I did not set up this system. I understand that it is not applied world wide, but it is the standard in the U.S. So, when in Rome do as the Romans do...

[klr]

I can see that many of you have never waited tables. I can't tell you how many times I got stiffed in NYC by foreigners. We would write "Gratuties not included" on the check, though and not be offensive about it.

 

On the oother hand, I can't tell you how many times I have been puzzled in my travels about whether the tip was included or not. I would have appreciated something in writing somewhere so that I would not have to ask.

[shandryl]

I think the whole forced tipping thing is rediculus! I am from Australia(where prople do not tip) and here everyone gets paid a salary, taxi drivers, waiter/watresses whatever, you know your salary when you aplpy for a job, you should not assume that you are going to get a tip and rely on that as part of your salary. A tip is just that, a tip and it should be given if you feel you recieved good service and the person deserves to be given a few extra dollars. To force someone to tip (I.E pre pay gratuities) In my own opinion is not right. I know people on here will now be so upset at my comments but everyone is entitled to their own opinion and mine is that ever though I DO TIP when in countries that do expect tips, it is only becasue I have to and I just do not like it!

 

Let the firing squad begin on me now.

 

I am from Canada and we do not tip either, thats what the wages are for. The choice to tip is there if you wish to. It was a real culture shock when I took my first cruise.

[luckyprincess]

I can see that many of you have never waited tables. I can't tell you how many times I got stiffed in NYC by foreigners. We would write "Gratuties not included" on the check, though and not be offensive about it.

 

On the oother hand, I can't tell you how many times I have been puzzled in my travels about whether the tip was included or not. I would have appreciated something in writing somewhere so that I would not have to ask.

I agree as someone that has worked in the industry. In Miami, 18% is just included almost everywhere in SoBe because there are many foreign travelers visiting that want good service but aren't used to our tipping structure. So when good servers don't make any money by not getting tipped - they move on to other restaurants. The way to ensure that you can keep good service staff is to make sure the gratuity is included. It works really well there.

I've also served in NYC, and we had the tip calculator at the bottom which was great. So many people visiting from other countries commented that it was very helpful. It would print that gratuity is not included and then at the bottom it said average - 15% and the actual amount calculated from the bill, then good - 18% and then excellent - 20% all with the amounts. It was great because you didn't have to figure anything out.

I have friends that have served in other countries and said that although you get a higher wage then we do here, you tend to not make as much money total. I have friends that serve that make a lot of money serving - closer to 6 figures than 5.

But it is a myth that we don't mind when people from other places don't tip (not due to bad service, but because they don't want or know to). Please don't count on someone later tipping us well to make up for your non-tip. That's just indecent. If you don't tip then we have paid to serve you because we have to tip the bartender (even if you didn't have an alcoholic beverage) and the expediter and the busboy from our own tips regardless if you tipped or not. The amount we have to give the support staff is based on our SALES not on our TIPS, so again - if you don't tip just because you don't want to, then we have paid to serve you....

[kjkrmk]

Think of tipping as "incentive pay." The server has part of his/her pay held back via the mechanism of lower price item/lower pay rate. This held portion of the server's wage is delivered by the client who uses his/her service experience for that service to determine the gratuity amount. The US system is designed for 15-20% gratuity but 0-100% is typically acceptable.

 

I have friends who visit here from Italy. They are NOT accustomed to tipping as it is not done for anything there, not even cabs. On many occasions, the 'gratuity not included' note generated on the ticket reminded them of a need to add to the total. Typically, they would ask me for help on how much to add. This is the reason for the note on the ticket. A reminder much like traffic signs that remind you as a driver to allow merging, stop for pedestrians, keep left, etc. (all things you should know as a driver in your country, maybe not other countries). People need reminders and in some cases, may be totally unfamiliar with the customs of the locale and the info is justified.

[chaswelf]

These thread usually go no where so I try to stay away from them, but it's a bit like watching a car wreck, you can't watch but you can't not watch. lol..

 

Anyhow with this one I learned something! I'm going down under on the rhapsody in about a month and a half and I've learn I should not be tipping people because its not custom to do so except for exceptional service. So I guess I'll only be doing the tips on the ship unless something exceptional happens.

[MrPete]

If I visit the UK I would learn their guidelines and customs and abide by them.

 

I didn't do that for my first trip to the UK in 1983.

 

I paid my bill and left my tip on the table and left.

 

Soon afterward, someone (may have been the waitress, but I don't remember) came running after me, calling me, "SIR! SIR!" informing me that I had accidently left my money on the table. :eek:

 

But my real beef is, WHY DON'T THEY EVER BUY BACK IN THE BAR!!!!?????

[scooby1]

This is always a tough one as already mentioned.

 

I've got a friend who hates tipping unless its excellent service, the fact he would have to give a tip for each drink just for supplying it shocks him to the core. For this reason he won't go on a cruise as he can't even ask them to take it off...

 

Yes this is the UK and no we don't tip for drinks et al or at least next to nothing, we are all different hey.

 

I pay it but I have to admit when I'm sitting in an empty bar or I even go to the bar and get the drink myself, it doesn't go down well having to pay extra to just have a beer poured. :(

[Powriv]

should we talk about the specialty restaurants and who gets what % or the charge? :)

 

I laugh when people onboard who order drinks pay the tip on the bill, plus a couple $$ more thinking they will get better service than say me who pays the tip on the bill and smiles and says thankyou.

[S&Dcruising]

Tipping , one of the hot beds of discusions on here...

1st let me say I have worked a good bit of my life in the restuarant business. From dish washer to general manger.

I personaly think we have tipping all backwards in restuarants. for the most part we go to a restuarant to eat a meal. havning said that, I feel we should be tipping the COOKS. yes the waiter(tress) does have a part in the overall experance. but like I said it the food we are there for. very few place stay in business with poor food but great service. the most any cook gets in a thank you from a guest. And they are they ones that REALLY make a restuarant sucesful. Heck in some place the bussboy share in the tips and nothing for the cooks

If I had my way waiters would be payed more and the cook would recieve the tips.

This in my opinion. If you don't agree please be nice, I'm not directing this at anyone so it should not offend anyone.

 

thanks for reading

David

 

BTW I range my tips from 0% up to 25% all depending on service. And yes I have gone into the kitchen many many times and personaly thanked and tiped the cooks

[abridalmaven]

Tipping , one of the hot beds of discusions on here...

1st let me say I have worked a good bit of my life in the restuarant business. From dish washer to general manger.

I personaly think we have tipping all backwards in restuarants. for the most part we go to a restuarant to eat a meal. havning said that, I feel we should be tipping the COOKS. yes the waiter(tress) does have a part in the overall experance. but like I said it the food we are there for. very few place stay in business with poor food but great service. the most any cook gets in a thank you from a guest. And they are they ones that REALLY make a restuarant sucesful. Heck in some place the bussboy share in the tips and nothing for the cooks

If I had my way waiters would be payed more and the cook would recieve the tips.

This in my opinion. If you don't agree please be nice, I'm not directing this at anyone so it should not offend anyone.

 

thanks for reading

David

 

BTW I range my tips from 0% up to 25% all depending on service. And yes I have gone into the kitchen many many times and personaly thanked and tiped the cooks

 

Of course the cooks are the ones making the meals and deserve credit, but they get paid more than $2 per hour (Or whatever that minimum is now) and do not have to deal face to face with customers who is some cases can be pretty hard to deal with and sometimes impossible to please.

[S&Dcruising]

Of course the cooks are the ones making the meals and deserve credit, but they get paid more than $2 per hour (Or whatever that minimum is now) and do not have to deal face to face with customers who is some cases can be pretty hard to deal with and sometimes impossible to please.

 

 

Please note that I said: " If I had my way waiters would be payed more and the cook would recieve the tips "

[sillysailor 1955]

Upon arriving in Barcelona last year I asked the girl in the information booth at the airport how much tip to give cab drivers - she looked at me as if I was from Mars and really did not know what to tell me. I just gave him a Euro or Two.

[themaxydog]

Tipping , one of the hot beds of discusions on here...

1st let me say I have worked a good bit of my life in the restuarant business. From dish washer to general manger.

I personaly think we have tipping all backwards in restuarants. for the most part we go to a restuarant to eat a meal. havning said that, I feel we should be tipping the COOKS. yes the waiter(tress) does have a part in the overall experance. but like I said it the food we are there for. very few place stay in business with poor food but great service. the most any cook gets in a thank you from a guest. And they are they ones that REALLY make a restuarant sucesful. Heck in some place the bussboy share in the tips and nothing for the cooks

If I had my way waiters would be payed more and the cook would recieve the tips.

This in my opinion. If you don't agree please be nice, I'm not directing this at anyone so it should not offend anyone.

 

thanks for reading

David

 

BTW I range my tips from 0% up to 25% all depending on service. And yes I have gone into the kitchen many many times and personaly thanked and tiped the cooks

 

 

I agree with you to a certain point but I must say I go out to a restaurant for the whole experiance and that is created by all staff from the cleaner all the way to the chef. As you say if the food is poor then people wont come, the reverse applies in that if the food is great and the service is bad or the venue is dirty the people wont come either.:)

As I have said I come from a culture where tipping is not the normal practice. I read earlier that money was returned to a customer when it was left on a table, that is normal in Australia. In a bar we leave our money on the bar while we are drinking and the attendant takes the cost of each beer and puts the change back in the pile. When you are finished you pick up whats left, thank the staff and leave, no tip. If there is any jar in a bar, restaurant or shop it would be a charity jar for the spare change.

I happen to agree with the pre paying of gratuities on ships because the cruise line then distributes it to the crew in an agreed way which means I am doing the right thing by the crew without the worry of offending someone without being aware of it. I believe that the pre paids on my next cruise were well over AU$300 and I think that is a fair tip in anyones language. I have in the past tipped extra to my cabin attendant because I felt he did more than would normally be asked of him.

Something that is rearly mentioned in discussions such as this is there are various countries around the world where tipping is concidered offensive and staff in hotels and the such like will say no to a tip. Research is what you should be doing before visiting another country and thats why we read these forums.:D