Removing Automatic Tips

[halos]

I have been yelled at and judged on these boards and made to feel like I was taking advantage of these "poor" people....

 

So, now because you feel judged by people on here, crew that you would normally tip extra don't get extra now??? :confused:

Or am I still misunderstanding you?

 

Don't get me wrong, the auto tip is all that is necessary. I'm not saying you SHOULD tip more. That's an individual thing...but not tipping extra because you have a chip on your shoulder about using the auto tip is kinda spiteful.

Blaming CC posters for this choice isn't too cool either.

 

maj is in no way an indicator of the vast majority of Canadians.

 

Of course not!! :eek:

[jkjmt]

I agree about the maitre'D.

 

......but we've had Josef on the Legend a few times and he's amazing!!! We always tip him.

 

Here is a picture of him with a wig on dancing...

[treasure4two]

I agree - very, very well said.

 

I am another one that agrees with you. Thanks for putting it so well.:D

[treasure4two]

Don't worry-at least most of us are well aware that maj is in no way an indicator of the vast majority of Canadians. There are some like that everywhere-and thankfully they're in the minority

 

I totally agree with mbisson. We know maj288 is the exception, not the norm. Canadians rock!!:D

[halos]

I agree about the maitre'D.

 

......but we've had Josef on the Legend a few times and he's amazing!!! We always tip him.

 

Here is a picture of him with a wig on dancing...

 

He's certainly a character. :)

 

To be honest though, we had one Maitre'd that was SO phenomenal that no one else will ever compare and that was on Celebrity. (It was one of the few things on that cruise that really impressed me).

It was a 14 day cruise. She came to the table every night to ask about our service and spoke with us about the next days port...gave us suggestions on what to see/do and suggestions on what NOT to do. She spent between 5 and 10 minutes at our table each night before dessert came out.

 

Carnival has some 'entertaining' maitre'd's, but I personally don't need any more entertainment in the dining room. I just want good service and I want the maitre'd on top of it to make sure I get it.

[m.cruise]

We usually leave any pre-calculated tip (e.g., large party tip at restaurants) alone. It's supposed to be a convenience. It sounds as though there are a variety of opinions and experiences on this board and that people have felt comfortable doing it both ways. If the question is, can you remove them? Yes, it sounds like you can go the desk and do that. If the question is, will the staff appreciate it more if I make it personal and hand it to them, it sounds like posters are saying, no, that doesn't measurably add to their sense of being appreciated. If the question is, will I look cheap if I do this, the answer is yes. Do you care? Up to you. It sounds like a matter of personal discretion.

[m.cruise]

Oh, I had meant to say that calling it a service charge could be confusing. When a hotel delivers room service, there is often a service charge. Is that a tip? Our pizza delivery now adds a service charge -- they started this when the price of gas escalated -- and emphasizes that this is *not* a tip. They expect a tip on top of it. So, it might be better to leave things as is -- i.e., a prepaid/calculated "tip" that people can remove or leave on vs. having them wondering if you have to tip on top of a "service charge."

[m.cruise]

Yes, our pizza guy gets a tip. That story was only to illustrate the confusion some patrons experience when they face a "service charge" and it is not clear what it is for/who gets it in the end.

[dan40]

Yes....people are always saying if you remove the auto-tip.....that people don't pay. They're also saying we're cheap or trying to save money. They ASSume we're not paying our fair share.........so now I pay my fair share....just the auto-tips.

 

 

FYI......Our rooms are ALWAYS clean (I pick up after my family), we're considerate with our towels (use them twice), I NEVER smuggle booze on the cruise (so we're paying 15% tip there), and I buy more than one soda card (many people share a soda card to save money).

 

I have been yelled at and judged on these boards and made to feel like I was taking advantage of these "poor" people....

 

 

Bah---loan---knee!!

[CruisinChris412]

Yes, our pizza guy gets a tip. That story was only to illustrate the confusion some patrons experience when they face a "service charge" and it is not clear what it is for/who gets it in the end.

 

I know I know. I used to work in the pizza industry, and I felt I had to give their struggles a shout out. Who knows... maybe someone will read my post and think twice about tipping $1-2 or not tipping the pizza guy at all. Sorry for sounding like I was jumping on your case.

[m.cruise]

I know I know. I used to work in the pizza industry, and I felt I had to give their struggles a shout out. Who knows... maybe someone will read my post and think twice about tipping $1-2 or not tipping the pizza guy at all. Sorry for sounding like I was jumping on your case.

 

LOL. It's OK. My brother delivered pizzas for a short time, too. :) Just thinking about how calling it a service charge would work for cruising. It seems like just raising the fare would not help the tip situation either, because then the cheap deals/sales would cut into that. It seems as though cruising attracts an international clientele, including those for whom tipping may not be as customary in their country of origin as it is for people in the U.S.

[maj288]

The people working on the cruise ships get paid to serve me and make sure my trip is enjoyable throughout the week. They know what their salary is before taking the job and should know that tips are not guaranteed and shouldn't be expected.

 

I've never had a problem with my service in the past and don't expect to in the future.

 

Moral of the story is...IF YOU GET PAID TO DO A JOB, DO IT! I'm sick of people always having a hand out for extra money. Bell boys, valet, taxi's, porters, room stewarts, waiters, etc. all expect extra tips. If you want to make more money I have a TIP....GET AND EDUCATION! And please don't tell me they can't afford it or don't have the oppourtunity because I know many people from all over the world that have become very successfull.

[dan40]

The people working on the cruise ships get paid to serve me and make sure my trip is enjoyable throughout the week. They know what their salary is before taking the job and should know that tips are not guaranteed and shouldn't be expected.

 

I've never had a problem with my service in the past and don't expect to in the future.

 

Moral of the story is...IF YOU GET PAID TO DO A JOB, DO IT! I'm sick of people always having a hand out for extra money. Bell boys, valet, taxi's, porters, room stewarts, waiters, etc. all expect extra tips. If you want to make more money I have a TIP....GET AND EDUCATION! And please don't tell me they can't afford it or don't have the oppourtunity because I know many people from all over the world that have become very successfull.

 

 

May we all assume that you never dine out in restaurants in Canada or the US. Or if you do dine out, that you never leave a tip? Would those be correct assumptions according to your postings?

[nbsjcruiser]

We always put down a cash deposit for our Sign and Sail.

This cruise, my husband decided he wants to tip personally, with envelopes and a hand shake, like in the old days.

If I don't want the tips to come off automatically, do I tell them this when I put the money down or at the end of the cruise? Has anyone had their tips taken off for this reason? Will they question you about it?

Thanks in advance

 

I'd think twice about that if I was you. Apparently the staff knows who has removed auto tips and in a great many cases its because a cheapskate doesn't want to tip. They will likely assume you are in the cheapskate category and I don't think you'd want that for obvious reasons.

[Babsie01]

I would still do the auto tip, then those who you think or for those that you want you can do the extra tip...

[jkjmt]

Bah---loan---knee!!

 

 

 

OMG......you just proved my point!!!!

[Kurbanfan]

I'd think twice about that if I was you. Apparently the staff knows who has removed auto tips and in a great many cases its because a cheapskate doesn't want to tip. They will likely assume you are in the cheapskate category and I don't think you'd want that for obvious reasons.

 

When you have the tips removed they ask you why.......there should be no assumptions......

[peanutJMV]

I agree - very, very well said.

 

same here

[missabbi]

We always leave the auto tips as they are. I believe that is the absolute minimum these people deserve for the hard work they do to make our vacation so nice. We then give extra cash to those who went above and beyond to give us good service. We usually always give extra to the room steward, our wait staff and the bar staff in the dining room. I rarely tip the Maitre'D unless we have asked for a favor. If we want a private table and are accomodated, we do leave a tip for him as well.

[plyman69]

I would not remove the auto tipping until the last night... like right before dinner if you wanted to do that. But then you better be tipping them the minimum. Also in the past I have given phone cards to some employees and I gave more tips at the end but one thing I will never do again is pretip the cabin steward. I was told a while ago that this is a good way to make sure you get the best service but I did not see anything different and so I wont be doing that again. And I did it on more then one cruise. Now I will find a good bartender the first day and flip him some greenback etc and i usually get much better drinks .

[donaldsc]

We always put down a cash deposit for our Sign and Sail.

This cruise, my husband decided he wants to tip personally, with envelopes and a hand shake, like in the old days.

If I don't want the tips to come off automatically, do I tell them this when I put the money down or at the end of the cruise? Has anyone had their tips taken off for this reason? Will they question you about it?

Thanks in advance

 

In other words, he wants each person he tips to regard him as the "great white father" who has deigned to give them a tip for providing service. Does he also plan to give envelopes to the people behind the scenes who also provide a service and who share the tip pool? Does he want each of the recipients of his gratitude to respond to the tip by bowing down and thanking him?

 

That is the attitude that he is suggesting by his need to remove automatic tips. He is free to add additional tips to those people who gave him special service but he should leave the automatic tip on.

 

DON

[PetElf]

I didn't know you could remove the auto-tip thing. I have never cruised before...this is my first.... we are leaving on Halloween on the Splendor. I think they said it is an addtl $70.00 per person for our seven day cruise. Like I said, I have never cruised but the way it sounds there is alot of good service, alot of things going on and the crew is very helpful so really $10.00 a day doesnt sound bad to me. And if someone gives me really good service I would tip them more in cash. Happy Cruising to everyone.:)

 

Well, I understand that after paying a lot for a cruise, being faced wih an automatic tip at the end just seems like more money being tacked on, HOWEVER, if you work out the math, the tipping rate isn't that high. Take the number of days in the cruise and multiply it by ten, then multiply that by the number of persons ($10 tip per day per person). Then divide the total cost of your cruise to see the percentage of tip you will be paying. For example, a 7 day cruise for a family of 6 that paid $5,000 total for the cruise would be shelling out only an 8.4% tip wih automatic tipping. Even though a $420 tippng bill at the end seems high, 8% is not bad! A couple who spent $2,000 for a 7 day cruise would only be paying a 7% tip. A family of 3 who took a 5 day cruise and spent $1,500 total would pay a 10% tip. It can be higher or lower depending on the number of days, people, and whatever "deal" you got in the first place, so it's worth it to work out the math and see how much a percentage you are really paying in tips.

 

P. S. Hope I did my math correctly for all the samples! I was trying to work them out quickly. ;)

I agree, it's just not that much money to get so wound up about. And it's split 3 ways, right?

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services

$ 1.00 Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to other kitchen and hotel service staff

 

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I will happily leave my $70pp in place and tip additional accordingly.

 

edited to add: omg 14 days!!!:D

[PetElf]

In other words, he wants each person he tips to regard him as the "great white father" who has deigned to give them a tip for providing service. Does he also plan to give envelopes to the people behind the scenes who also provide a service and who share the tip pool? Does he want each of the recipients of his gratitude to respond to the tip by bowing down and thanking him?

 

That is the attitude that he is suggesting by his need to remove automatic tips. He is free to add additional tips to those people who gave him special service but he should leave the automatic tip on.

 

DON

I didn't see your post before I replied, but you know what? I think you are right on the money. "Just like the old days" ya know? Puh-leeze.

They've come up with a system that is convenient, fair and covers everyone involved (from what I understand about distribution). Pony up your $10 and shake those hands if you feel necessary!

[rednose83]

The people working on the cruise ships get paid to serve me and make sure my trip is enjoyable throughout the week. They know what their salary is before taking the job and should know that tips are not guaranteed and shouldn't be expected.

 

I've never had a problem with my service in the past and don't expect to in the future.

 

Moral of the story is...IF YOU GET PAID TO DO A JOB, DO IT! I'm sick of people always having a hand out for extra money. Bell boys, valet, taxi's, porters, room stewarts, waiters, etc. all expect extra tips. If you want to make more money I have a TIP....GET AND EDUCATION! And please don't tell me they can't afford it or don't have the oppourtunity because I know many people from all over the world that have become very successfull.

 

When they ask you why you are removing the tips do you lie and say you will tip in cash or are you honest and say you will stiff them?

[Jim1304]

We have always (only done two cruises so far) left the auto tip on and then provided extra to the people we thought went above and beyond. Our cruises have been so much fun, I wish I could afford extra for everyone. However, budget doesn't allow such things. We're headed out again in December for cruise number three.