Auto Tipping - What do you think?

[chasetf]

This is my problem, if I was unhappy with one of the staff I personally could not take the auto-tip off, because I know I would penalize the others who did a great job, and that would feel wrong, but I would be really annoyed that that person got his share of it.

I do not understand why people think the only was to "complain" about substandard service or service you are unhappy with is to penalize them in the pocket.

 

If you really are unhappy and want to make an impact that will get the server's attention.... send in a negative comment card that names the individual with specifics about the substandard service. That will go much further to getting a desired effect then stiffing them a few bucks.

 

The opposite is true. For exceptional service put in a positive comment with their name.

 

Those comment cards will go further because that could mean the difference in their keeping their job or getting a promotion.

[Jospen]

We have just returned from 15 days aboard the Crown. Like many Brits, I was rather indignant prior to the cruise about " being told what tip we had to pay".

 

However, at the end of the cruise we both felt that 11$ each per day was well worth it for the excellent service we received from every member of staff we dealt with, so we left the auto tipping in place.

[jackdiamond]

Your question inquired what I might think.

Accordingly, I think that your question was somewhat ambiguous, since it referred to $15.00, as the daily tipping amount.

Additionally, I think that the auto tipping system is fine, since it provides a convenience for the passengers, and it reduces the stiffing of the staff.

[woodofpine]

As the crew stiffers or prospective ones try desperately to boost their ego laced mental rationales over the barrier of their conscience so they don't 'feel bad' stiffing the crew...

 

My it's strenuous work!

 

Cruisers go to sea on ships that are neither 'British', 'Norwegian', or 'American' in their staffing and business model. Large ships are uniquely international with a uniquely maritime crew compensation structure. We LOVE the cruise product, but we hate to pay... And the pricing and service is SO TERRIBLE we return again and again... And they make us pay these historically ever decreasing fares... with that pesky traditional 5-10% crew stipend...

 

And we're all 'experts' on how this business ought to be conducted! Just as I'm an expert on automobile, design, manufacturing, distribution, and finance... by virtue of owning a car and driving to work!;) Now - if I could only get the service mechanic and petrol station to make their payment requirements loosely voluntary... You think if I booked a large enough cabin, I could get my automobile on board as... luggage...:D

[Maverick6969]

I love the auto-tipping. Very easy way to do it and then easy to extra tip for exceptional service. My question though is this: I am new to Princees but at Carnival you were allowed to include the auto tipping in your reservation cost so that it was already paid before the cruise. If not mistaken, Princess does not allow this but bills at the end end of the cruise when you settle up. Is that correct? I really liked taking care of it before the cruise. I know - it's the same amount whether pre-paid or paid at the end. Just like to pre-pay as much as possible.

[JerseyGuys]

I don't want this to come out wrong, but I guess there is only one way to put it: Why is the fact that the employees work for minimal compensation my problem? Shouldn't that be Princess' problem? If they don't pay their employees enough, and expect us to compensate, then they should make it fair, and make everyone pay their share, not just the ones that chose to.

 

And as I see it, I am just buying a product as advertised, and any tip should be to reward people that go beyond that. If they don't pay their employees enough, and the quality suffers from that, people would stop cruising with them because of the lack of service.

 

I am just trying to understand why it is this way.

 

Your right they should just add it at the beginning to the price of the cruise and NOT give the option of people stiffining the staff......Please leave the auto tip on. The staff more than deserves it......

[DeerMe]

Here's my story. On our last 12 day cruise on Princess we paid the auto tip and over and above that close to $500. I didn't know I could opt out of tipping but am considering it for our next cruise. We tipped nightly in the dining room and tipped our cabin steward in the middle and at the end of the trip a couple of times he did something extra so we also gave a small tip for this. I personally tip more than the amount Princess allocates on a per day basis. We also tipped bar staff over and above the amount on the bill. Someone made a valid point about the servers at the buffet being left out if we don't auto tip but we rarely went to the buffet. I don't mind carrying around tip money and my husband always has his wallet with him. If I opt out of tipping on my next cruise I would make sure to tip whoever helps me at the buffet.

 

On my first cruise (eons ago) on Holland America they had a no tipping policy don't know if this has changed or not but we did tip at the end of the cruise - I don't remember any envelopes or anything like that.

 

If you give someone a cash tip how do you know they put it into a pot or share it with others? I think I read someone saying this.

 

I was at a restaurant in Houston and the waiter told us that the tip had been added to the bill (18%) but we could give more if we liked. I didn't like as I prefer to choose what I tip and thought it was tacky he brought it up. My tip would have been more than what was added to the bill but it was the principal of the thing. I know it's another issue entirely but companies should pay staff what they are worth and not expect customers to do so. In essence by giving a company our business we are providing them with the money to pay staff.

 

Having read all the comments it is a bit more difficult for me to consider opting out of the auto tip but with the way I tip I don't think it would be terribly wrong

[gertz]

We would never consider cancelling auto auto tip. Then we always tip additional also.

Now please let this thread die it will come back in another week or two anyway.:eek:

[chrisahx]

Its definitely $10.5 and $11 on Princess. It is $15 on Celebrity if you're in a suite though. On my upcoming cruise on CB this Sunday, I have no problem with the auto-debit tips. But I really think employers should pay their service people appropriate wages and not look to their customers to supplement "their" employees salaries. Tips should be related to receiving excellent service, the reason tipping started to begin with. But until these employers do step up and do the right thing, which they never will, these employees definitely factor in tips as part of their earnings and budget the way they live their lives on such. I will even probably also give the cabin attendant something extra in the beginning to ensure the best of service as well.

 

But I think its getting ridiculous now when these people have to split their tips with people who's jobs are such that they never come into contact with guests, such as kitchen staff, dry cleaning staff, and so on. These type of jobs do not interact with customers and they should not expect tips. (And hopefully their jobs aren't dependent on them either) You don't go around tipping these type people when you deal with them in other area's of your life and you (nor the waiter) should have to on a cruise either. When was the last time you told your waiter to be sure and give some of his tip to the sous Chef.removing this charge from your OBA, they will comply.

[nomars_girl]

Its definitely $10.5 and $11 on Princess. It is $15 on Celebrity if you're in a suite though. On my upcoming cruise on CB this Sunday, I have no problem with the auto-debit tips. But I really think employers should pay their service people appropriate wages and not look to their customers to supplement "their" employees salaries. Tips should be related to receiving excellent service, the reason tipping started to begin with. But until these employers do step up and do the right thing, which they never will, these employees definitely factor in tips as part of their earnings and budget the way they live their lives on such. I will even probably also give the cabin attendant something extra in the beginning to ensure the best of service as well.

 

But I think its getting ridiculous now when these people have to split their tips with people who's jobs are such that they never come into contact with guests, such as kitchen staff, dry cleaning staff, and so on. These type of jobs do not interact with customers and they should not expect tips. (And hopefully their jobs aren't dependent on them either) You don't go around tipping these type people when you deal with them in other area's of your life and you (nor the waiter) should have to on a cruise either. When was the last time you told your waiter to be sure and give some of his tip to the sous Chef.removing this charge from your OBA, they will comply.

 

Waiters on land do usually have to share their tips with other staff - usually the busboy. They often have to give a split to the bartender too if your tab included drinks from the bar.

 

It isn't fair that customers have to directly pay staff members salaries through the process of tips, but that is how the hospitallity industry has evolved. Tips were once given only for exceptional service and many substantially increased their incomes by working harder and earning more gratuities. Because of the ability to earn extra pay for better service, these jobs became attractive to many. People were willing to work for a very small base pay for the opportunity to be able to earn extra money in the form of gratuities. Employees made this tradeoff willingly for the chance to get these jobs which could be very lucrative at a high-end restaurant. Unfortunately, the practice has spread to all types of establishments. A 15-20% gratuity at a nice steakhouse puts a pretty good chunk of change in the waiter's pocket. A 15-20% gratuity at an ice cream place doesn't even earn the server bus fare home.

 

Personally, I think that the autotip is the minimum which should be given to ensure that everyone in the tipping pool earns a decent living. There would be tax implications to simply increasing the cruise fare and increasing the staff salaries to the same level they would get if each and every passenger pays the full autotip. I would like to see Princess charge the autotip and not allow passengers to remove it -- that way everyone pays the same. And they need to come up with a different name for it so that passengers who are not from a tipping culture don't object to it. For most, I don't think they object to the amount, they simply bristle at the entire concept of a forced tip.

 

Any additional tips you choose to give over and above that amount would truly be for exceptional service.

[DeerMe]

I know some people have been cruise critic members for much longer than I and have probably hashed over tips and many other things a thousand times. For relative newcomers like myself I find the dialogue very useful and most informative sometimes hilarious and sometimes sad.

 

If you aren't interested in a topic don't get involved with it. It maybe old news to you but not to everyone.

 

In this case however you are probably right after 5 pages of comments it's likely run it's course.

 

I definitely gained some insight from the posts and appreciate people's willingness to get into a dialogue on the subject. I haven't made up my mind as to what I will do on my next cruise but I am more informed and will make my decision based on the information I read from everyone and talk with my TA who cruises 3 or 4 times a year to get her input.

 

Thanks to all the people who contributed their opinion.

[wineforhealth]

I know some people have been cruise critic members for much longer than I and have probably hashed over tips and many other things a thousand times. For relative newcomers like myself I find the dialogue very useful and most informative sometimes hilarious and sometimes sad.

 

If you aren't interested in a topic don't get involved with it. It maybe old news to you but not to everyone.

 

In this case however you are probably right after 5 pages of comments it's likely run it's course.

 

I definitely gained some insight from the posts and appreciate people's willingness to get into a dialogue on the subject. I haven't made up my mind as to what I will do on my next cruise but I am more informed and will make my decision based on the information I read from everyone and talk with my TA who cruises 3 or 4 times a year to get her input.

 

Thanks to all the people who contributed their opinion.

 

DearMe

 

Well said "If you aren't interested in a topic don't get involved with it. It maybe old news to you but not to everyone. "

 

CHEERS it 5 o'clock somewhere

[Pam in CA]

But I think its getting ridiculous now when these people have to split their tips with people who's jobs are such that they never come into contact with guests, such as kitchen staff, dry cleaning staff, and so on. These type of jobs do not interact with customers and they should not expect tips. (And hopefully their jobs aren't dependent on them either) You don't go around tipping these type people when you deal with them in other area's of your life and you (nor the waiter) should have to on a cruise either.

The good news is that these people don't participate in the Auto-tip so you can rest easier. The people who do participate are all of the waitstaff, including those in the buffet, the Maitre D' and Table Captains, and the cabin stewards. These are the people who directly affect your cruise experience, whether you see them constantly or not.

[Amethyst01]

Its definitely $10.5 and $11 on Princess. It is $15 on Celebrity if you're in a suite though. On my upcoming cruise on CB this Sunday, I have no problem with the auto-debit tips. But I really think employers should pay their service people appropriate wages and not look to their customers to supplement "their" employees salaries. Tips should be related to receiving excellent service, the reason tipping started to begin with. But until these employers do step up and do the right thing, which they never will, these employees definitely factor in tips as part of their earnings and budget the way they live their lives on such. I will even probably also give the cabin attendant something extra in the beginning to ensure the best of service as well.

 

But I think its getting ridiculous now when these people have to split their tips with people who's jobs are such that they never come into contact with guests, such as kitchen staff, dry cleaning staff, and so on. These type of jobs do not interact with customers and they should not expect tips. (And hopefully their jobs aren't dependent on them either) You don't go around tipping these type people when you deal with them in other area's of your life and you (nor the waiter) should have to on a cruise either. When was the last time you told your waiter to be sure and give some of his tip to the sous Chef.removing this charge from your OBA, they will comply.

 

A few thoughts:

 

• It is my understanding that waitstaff on land DO split their tips with kitchen and bus staff;
  
• I don't know what tax laws apply to cruise lines, but if I were to raise my employee's wages by 10%, it would actually cost me about 10.5% more because I have to pay increased taxes on their increased salary. Not to mention higher 'benefits', where applicable, to reflect the higher base pay. I then have to pass that 10.5+% increase on to the customers. Now, granted, I am in a retail industry, but I presume that it would be the same - tax-wise - in a service industry. Would we, as cruisers, actually make a decision to take a cruise which is $10 to $15 more per day (or even $7.50 more a day) because that one had the tips 'included' while they would be added on the other? I suspect most of us would just look a the bottom line, and opt for the 'cheaper' cruise.
  

When my husband and I cruise (so far, always on Princess), we have always 'auto-tipped' the suggested amount, and considered it a good deal for the service we get. We have also usually given the waitstaff and cabin steward a bit extra, and made clear to them that this was for them, alone. (It is our understanding that - again, on Princess - the crew-member receiving the tips is still expected to put them into the 'pool', unless you make clear to them that you have contributed to the pool, and that this tip is for them, alone.)

[gertz]

I know some people have been cruise critic members for much longer than I and have probably hashed over tips and many other things a thousand times. For relative newcomers like myself I find the dialogue very useful and most informative sometimes hilarious and sometimes sad.

 

If you aren't interested in a topic don't get involved with it. It maybe old news to you but not to everyone.

 

In this case however you are probably right after 5 pages of comments it's likely run it's course.

 

I definitely gained some insight from the posts and appreciate people's willingness to get into a dialogue on the subject. I haven't made up my mind as to what I will do on my next cruise but I am more informed and will make my decision based on the information I read from everyone and talk with my TA who cruises 3 or 4 times a year to get her input.

 

Thanks to all the people who contributed their opinion.

 

Sorry did not mean to offend you.:(

If you would like more and more and more information on tipping go to the search function and enter tipping and you will probably have a couple of days of good reading.

And seriously after this thread is gone in about two weeks you will see another thread on tipping.

 

One more and. You are going on a fabulous ship in April the Coral. Great ship, food, service, everything never crowded. You will probably tip more than the 10.50 we do.:D

[MGAfhc]

The good news is that these people don't participate in the Auto-tip so you can rest easier. The people who do participate are all of the waitstaff, including those in the buffet, the Maitre D' and Table Captains, and the cabin stewards. These are the people who directly affect your cruise experience, whether you see them constantly or not.

 

From the Princess website:

"A discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $11 per person for mini-suites and suites, and $10.50 per passenger in all other staterooms per day (including children) will be added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others."

[Pam in CA]

From the Princess website:

"A discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $11 per person for mini-suites and suites, and $10.50 per passenger in all other staterooms per day (including children) will be added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others."

I stand corrected and apologize. However, I believe the amount going to the galley and laundry staff is very small. Most of it goes to the waitstaff and stewards.