Included gratuities

[Dartmoordan]

My worry is that tips don't go to who they are intended for. I know that tips are generally only given to "frontline" staff, but I have read that kitchen staff, engineers etc get paid more to compensate. Don't know if that is true. I'm sure Fred is honest, but do wonder about the big American lines:rolleyes:

Which itinery Are you doing> Are you going to Cuba and Mexico?

 

 

Hi Linda not Cuba but we are doing Cozumel, Roatan, Panama, Isla Margareta and Barbados ending in Montego bay getting a bit closer now, We did Cuba last year fasinating country. I wonder about some lines as well not just the American ones:)

[Sea_bird]

In reply to Star-Light regarding the automatic adding of gratuities to the on board account. It states on Fred Olsens website that the amount can be varied or cancelled at Reception at any time during the cruise and envelopes will be supplied for individuals who wish to continue in the old way.

 

It's good to see FO has seen sense and is allowing their passengers to choose method of payment.

[Bar-fly]

QUOTE: [The staff on Fred Olsen are very rushed, so service can be less than perfect, but I do not see this as a good reason to refuse tips if the staff are working hard.]

 

I don't actually agree with you on that one Tring, I have always found the staff on Fred Olsen to be very good, and no more pushed than other lines, and usually well worth their tip.

Let’s not forget that gratuities or tips on any cruise line are voluntary and not mandatory, no matter what rumours are put about by the cruise lines, and are supposed to be, or used to be for good service that exceeds the norm.

 

I feel that most cruise lines are now suggesting that tips are the norm and can be added to your bill (for your convenience H'a H'a) before you have had the service, which on some ships that I have cruised on was not up to scratch.

Although Fred’s are clearly stating that you have the choice, I’m disappointed that they are going down this route, and I would much prefer all cruise lines to pay their employees set union rates which obviously would be taken into consideration when costing the cruise

What Fred's are suggesting for a tip is quite reasonable and shouldn’t brake the bank, though I myself will still prefer to give staff who have been friendly and helpful, who have also served me well, a personal thank you, with a grateful shake of the hand and an envelope to follow

[trinitytrees]

We have cruised on large american ships and we asked for the tips to be removed, I had the need to go to customer service desk on several occasions, with problems that I encountered, they did remove the tips, and indeed we were offered compensation for the difficulties we encountered. Our first cruise with Fred olsen last summer, we did have some problems but minor ones, we were happy to tip, and preferred to give it to the people direct. much nicer much more personal. I really hope FO do not go down the compulsory route.............. and you having to ask for it not to be given if your lack of service warrants it. We are after all adults. with own decision making process. I do hope though that cruisers are fair, and do cough up for good service, on our last night on the american ship there were queues around the length of the deck to have gratuites removed, left a bitter taste in some peoples mouths. not a good way to end a holiday.

[Cruzcritik]

Finally FOCL have caught up with the rest of the world on this! I am not sure about below negative comments being absolutely true, we received notification of the change in the post and it quite clearly states that we can choose to use the old method of envelopes or simply leave it gratuity on the bill which is what we do on our other cruises. So we all have a choice and in no way is anybody forced to do anything.

This will be out 10TH FOCL cruise and we are looking forward to it as usual, we have always had exemplary service and attention and end up tipping more than the recommended and its this portion we put in enevelopes so we still get that feel good factor allround. I am sure all pre paid tips will be known by the waiters at the beginning of the cruise so it won’t affect us at all.

What we do hear though is that the Brits in particular are notorious for poor tipping - not all I might say, but enough to cause a reputation. As for sticking this on the ticket price, well that just cuts FOCL out of a competition market range, not really a good business option.

I do feel for some of the service staff though, can you imagine having served a table of 4 or even six for a whole fortnight and end up getting a fiver for it? I know this happens, so maybe the new procedure is in response to this. More of a polite form of encouragement as oppose to cohersion I would say.

[cannockfrodo]

So there's the view from across the pond.

The point is that Brits do not live in a tipping culture and therefore do not know what is an acceptable level.

This is historical, of course, mainly due to the fact that some of us and our forebears fought hard including losing money in the short term to gain a better standard of working life ie basic wage, health benefits etc.

This means some Brits are torn between supporting a wage stucture that is fundamentally wrong (by tipping) and feeling that by doing so the staff on cruise ships will NEVER get a living wage unless they don't tip which may force the workers to attempt to get better basic wages.

Then of course you have to remember what we (westerners) wouldn't consider a good wage,they (mainly easterners) do. Hence so many companies setting up in the Far East these days.

 

But back to the issue, personally I'd sooner tip at the end for good service even though the FO rate of tipping is considerably cheaper than RCCI.

[Ozzimandius]

I don't get this idea about tips.

1] I am British and going on a British orientated cruise with Fred Olsen.

We have no culture of tipping in this country so why suddenly start tipping because you are on a cruise ship?

I should know because I do the lowliest of jobs and I am paid a rubbish wage and have never been tipped once.I am a cleaner.

2] Surely the tipping culture on cruises dates back to the glorious days of yore when only the well off could cruise.Ofcourse the tips would be a mere bagatelle to the well heeled.

When I go on cruises I see a lot of people like myself.Not rich.

We scrimp,save and work hard to afford the basic inside cabin.Now Fred Olsen start suggesting inclusive gratuities on our onboard accounts.

All well and good if you have plenty of money.

Seems odd to me that the person staying in the most expensive cabin is expected to pay the same as the paupers in our shoe box inside cabins.

3] The argument goes that the staff are either not paid or not paid enough so we have to tip to make up their wages.

I cannot think of any other industry where this happens.Ridiculous!

Went into W H Smith's yesterday.Imagine if there was a notice saying that they did not pay their staff. On top of the £1.50 I paid for the paper I would also be expected to leave a tip for the cashier!

Ofcourse you would tell them to get stuffed.

Which,as a matter of fact I have basically told Fred Olsen.

I will go down to reception telling them not to collect any gratuties and put them on my account.

There is no contract between F.O. and the customer to collect gratuities this way so don't pay them if you feel like me.

Don't feel embarrassed neither.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Well said Ozzimandius, couldn't have put it better. I have done lots of jobs and never had tips. (Never been paid much either:()

 

I think, the fact that cruises are much dearer than hotel holidays, should make tipping unnecessary. You might leave a few Euros for the person who cleans your room in a hotel, but have you ever tipped the waiters, or even more bizarrely, the maitre d' ? My husband said the one on Independence of the Seas was like Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, always smarming round asking "if everything was all right?" especially on the last night:D;)

[Popsey Wopsey]

The days of the BIG WHITE FIVERS have gone,the days of Scrooge are with us.

 

Either tip or don,t but don,t moan about it.I expect the staff will think you need it more than they do.:)

[Ozzimandius]

[

Not sure I like being equated with Scrooge Popsey Wopsey.On my cleaning wages its more like Bob Cratchit.

I think I have made a reasonable arguement and your reply adds nothing constructive.

No I won't be tipping and I aint moaning about it.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

The days of the BIG WHITE FIVERS have gone,the days of Scrooge are with us.

 

Either tip or don,t but don,t moan about it.I expect the staff will think you need it more than they do.:)

 

Sorry,Popsy Wopsy, but I think you have missed the point of my original post. I think most people tip to a certain extent, but the attraction of Thomson and Fred is that you have some say in what you give, unlike the American ships where you are "told" what you should give.

 

I think Fred could have given the option to have the tips taken out, and not made it so you have to actively opt out.

[Ozzimandius]

I agree Cruising Linda.

The trouble is the likes of Popsey Wopsey resort to personal insults on this sort of issue.

They ignore the reasonable arguments and take no account of individuals personal circumstances.

Happy Cruising!

:):)

[Popsey Wopsey]

I can assure you both I get the gist of your posts,on my last cruise with Fred. we were reminded for 3 days in the Daily News about tipping and how much.

I also know how tipping works on other cruise lines ,haveing cruised on ships that include tips in the cost of the cruise and others who add it before you cruise with the option to vary it.

My post was to lighten the way this thread was going,if you don,t want to have tips taken out ,then politely go to reception and ask the charming girls behind the desk to do so,I,m sure their sweet smile will tell you there is no embarrassment in this act. :)

[Popsey Wopsey]

I agree Cruising Linda.

The trouble is the likes of Popsey Wopsey resort to personal insults on this sort of issue.

They ignore the reasonable arguments and take no account of individuals personal circumstances.

Happy Cruising!

:):)

 

And the trouble with people like you ,you have no sense of humour:D

[Berkshire Lass]

Well at the risk of upsetting some people I will say I was surprised about FO doing this, but, it does say you can do you own thing, but what has shocked me more is certain people claiming they cannot 'afford' it. I am sorry but if you can afford a cruise (even in the humblest cabin) then you should budget for the tips. I quite agree that in an ideal world tipping would not exist but we do not live in an ideal world. In answer to the person who suggested that on an hotel holiday you would not tip your waiter rather shocked me I must say. We always have and the person who cleans our mess up in the room. At home we do this also - we always tip taxi drivers, waitresses/waiters and hotel room cleaners, When we are budgeting for a cruise (or any other sort of holiday) we take everything into consideration - car parking, tips, bar bills, taxi transfers etc. in deciding whether we can afford to go. I do not expect some foreign national who lives a far more deprived life at home than I do, subsidise my holiday. I wonder how many of them can afford such a thing as a holiday? Oh well, that is me in the firing line now. Have a good Christmas everybody.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Well. I have stirred up a hornets nest:D Still, at least we have made it to a third page - quite unusual for Fred;)

[Popsey Wopsey]

Well. I have stirred up a hornets nest:D Still, at least we have made it to a third page - quite unusual for Fred;)

 

 

As I said in an earlier post, a very emotive subject,hope no one comes to blows over it on board.:D:eek:

[Jammy Bun]

I am sorry but if you can afford a cruise (even in the humblest cabin) then you should budget for the tips. .

 

I totally, absolutely agree with everything you wrote, and I'm shocked to discover that people don't feel that they should be tipping at least the daily recommended amount to their cabin stewardess and waiters, regardless of whether it's paid by onboard account or envelope.

 

When we're considering a cruise and comparing the options, we take into account the basic cost of each cruise plus transport to get to the port/airport plus tips (if not included in the price) plus, when dealing with US based companies an extra amount for the over-priced drinks onboard. Only then are you able to compare like with like.

 

Of course the staff should be paid a decent wage, but they're NOT, this is the system we have to live with at the moment.

 

I can't believe people are so mean.

 

Jammy Bun

(Ducking behind the barricade after running for cover. :eek: )

[GM0NJl]

I have read all the posts on this subject, and can sympathise with a lot thats been said as well as disagreeing with a lot.

My first cruise with Fred Olsen will be next year after a lot of cruises with other lines. Thomson being one who say tips are included but I still tip the crew members who gave me the service I wanted.

 

Even with Fred Olsen changing the way they want to handle tips is fine by me.I can if I wish go to reception and make my views on how I wish to tip known.

 

If anyone feels so strongly about the change that it makes them angry,or upset to the degree that they think Fred is starting to rip them off then they have the option to take thier booking to another cruise line.

 

Rant over for another year (maybe)

 

Ron

[CRUISIN LINDA]

"Prepaid tips" is surely an Oxymoron?? If it is a tip you pay after you have had the service, so how can it be pre-paid

 

But when you work out the logistics of tipping, say we give the suggested £3 a day per person, that's £21 a week, that's £42 per cabin. The stewards do 20 cabins according to my cruise guide, so that is £840 aweek, so even if they do 10 hours a day that is £12 an hour, a lot more than a lot of people earn:( And that is assuming that they are not paid anything by the company. Now I know that is what the stewards will tell you, but surely that is slavery and that was abolished in 1833! Why does the minimum wage not apply to ships? If we keep propping up their wages with tips, nothing will ever be done about it.

 

My concern about prepaid tips is that there is no way of knowing if the tips actually get to the staff, the same as we have no way of knowing that foreign aid actually reaches the people who need it. Royal Caribbean give you vouchers to give to the staff if you pre-pay your tips. Well can you tell me what use is a voucher to someone in the Phillipines?

 

One other thing - the cost of living is much lower in the countries that most of the staff come from, so what we may think is not much money is a lot of money to them.

 

Rant over:D

[Popsey Wopsey]

I think Olsen recommend £2 per person,my stewardess had 15 cabins to clean on Boudicca,if and I say if,people tipped as suggested,she does then pass on money to those that help her,eg, the laundry boy,who supplies and takes away towels.

The waiter passes on to the under waiter and the kitchen hand .

 

So as you see although it looks like the people you meet up front get all the money ,they don,t,it trickles down the line of helpers.:)

[EMSOMICH]

I really do not see why people are complaining about Fred Olsen's gratuities since you do not have to pay them up front. Cunard have been adding them to the onboard bill for years unless you ask to have them removed. Fred is only doing the same.

[dthompsond1]

Just of Balmoral today,I believe we were the first to use the new tipping method. A couple of days before the end of the cruise we received a pre printed voucher, one each for room attendant and waiter. On this form you could specify how much you wanted to give to each person (this amount would then be added to your account).You then placed this voucher in the supplied envelope and either handed it to the person concerned or to reception. You could however just put cash in the envelope in the usual way and scrap the voucher. Hope this helps,Dennis

[Jammy Bun]

Just of Balmoral today,I believe we were the first to use the new tipping method. A couple of days before the end of the cruise we received a pre printed voucher, one each for room attendant and waiter. On this form you could specify how much you wanted to give to each person (this amount would then be added to your account).You then placed this voucher in the supplied envelope and either handed it to the person concerned or to reception. You could however just put cash in the envelope in the usual way and scrap the voucher. Hope this helps,Dennis

 

Hi Dennis

I don't think this is exactly the same thing - we had that option on our Braemar cruise in October too. I actually thought it was a really good idea, but we'd already taken the cash with us as we didn't know about it, so just used the envelopes as normal. (Well, in truth I didn't use the envelopes, but put the cash in 'Thank You' cards that we always take with us!)

 

The new system means that a set daily amount of tip money is added to your onboard account unless you go to reception to cancel/change it - like many of the other cruise lines already do, including Princess and Cunard as someone else has just mentioned.

[CRUISIN LINDA]

Does anyone know where these vouchers can be spent? Is it just on the ship? If so, what is the use of that, as they need to send money home!

Can they be exchanged for cash? In which case, why not give cash?

 

Seems to me to be a bit of a muddle:confused:

Can someone from Fred Olsen come on here and explain it all to us once and for all:)