Anyone ever removed the auto tip

[momtoabowhead]

Really? So someone's aunt removed the service charge and her room was never cleaned up after the fact? It seems that paying the cruise fare would entitle 'paying' guests to some basic services-such as having the cabin cleaned.

 

 

When we first started cruising, we always left auto tips, gratuities, daily service charge or whatever you call it in tact. We still do that. We just don't tip extra to the cruise line employees we encounter anymore. We used to. The whole tipping, service charge thing has become a major turn off. Frankly, we've NEVER had extraordinary service on ANY cruise line we've been on.

 

Yes, true story. She removed the entire auto tip (this was on Carnival) and that was her agreement to avoid paying it. She also left no additional tip for anyone.

[ColinIllinois]

I don't much care what you want to call it: service charge, tip, auto-gratuity, heck......call it bunny bunny foo foo for all I care. I like the system. Twelve bucks a day is actually probably less than what I would tip if I was tipping out of pocket for each meal.

 

Did I mention that it's snowing here in St Louis and I'm on the Epic Saturday so I'm in a great mood? :D

[LaCal]

We Have never removed the Auto Tip and Quite Like it.....Makes Life Easier than getting all those little envelopes at the end.....

 

Also on our last cruise We Loved Our Room Stewarts Service So Much WE even tipped him an additional $100.....Talk about someone being Happy.... :D........

 

Also I've been in many Restaurants, Bars on land and have seen some real Cheapskates who left NOTHING AT ALL after their meal or drinks...:eek:....

 

Some People are just Frugal, Cheap or just never learned that Service Personal Usually dont make alot in Normal pay and Rely on Tips Greatly...

 

Even if Service wasnt up to full par...Some kind of Tip is warranted...

 

JUST MY PERSONAL OPINIONS......EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN IDEAS ON TIPPING

[my_crib_too]

I have a question. Why do you think NCL does not use the DSC approach for butlers and the concierge in the Haven area? Instead of charging $12/day/passenger as the DSC, NCL could charge, say, $20/day/passenger if you stayed in the Haven as a way of compensating the Butlers and Concierge. Seems to me that would be a more consistent way of handling this. I personally prefer paying a DSC--I have always found the service on the cruise lines to be very good, and for me a DSC just simplifies things, and the amount charged seems more than reasonable given the service provided.

 

I like this idea....

[njhorseman]

I have a question. Why do you think NCL does not use the DSC approach for butlers and the concierge in the Haven area? Instead of charging $12/day/passenger as the DSC, NCL could charge, say, $20/day/passenger if you stayed in the Haven as a way of compensating the Butlers and Concierge. Seems to me that would be a more consistent way of handling this. I personally prefer paying a DSC--I have always found the service on the cruise lines to be very good, and for me a DSC just simplifies things, and the amount charged seems more than reasonable given the service provided.

 

If you like this idea (and I don't) why would you restrict it Haven passengers? Why not all suite passengers?

 

Here's why I don't like the idea. There is a wide range of usage of butler and concierge services by suite passengers. Some (like us) use their services very little, if at all. Why should we pay the same in "tips" (or service charges) as passengers who are hosting parties in their suite or getting frequent room service delivery of meals, or having the concierge make a lot of dinner reservations for them?

 

If you're staying in a hotel that has a concierge, but never use the concierge's services, you don't tip. If the concierge gets you theater tickets or makes dinner reservations for you, then you tip. It's the same concept in NCL's suites. Tipping should reflect the services performed.

 

All passengers eat, all passengers have their rooms cleaned. That's why all passengers are assessed a service charge for the dining room staff, room stewards and behind the scenes support crew.

[SilentHill]

You guys realize there wouldn't be all these riots and flaming if you would just stop replying to these topics. I mean what is this the 1000th time this has been posted? Cmon guys grow up.

[Don Haynes]

It is a social crime in the United Kingdom not to shout when it is your turn at a pub. Think of the DSC as the same on cruise ships and at hotels.

[time2cruise1]

You guys realize there wouldn't be all these riots and flaming if you would just stop replying to these topics. I mean what is this the 1000th time this has been posted? Cmon guys grow up.

 

Actually this would stop when the OPs take some time to read the 999 other threads before posting and not ask the same question again. It is not like anything has changed.

 

;)

[SilentHill]

Actually this would stop when the OPs take some time to read the 999 other threads before posting and not ask the same question again. It is not like anything has changed.

 

;)

 

True, lol but once it's been posted we should all do our part :)

[Starry Eyes]

A couple years ago I took a 3 day cruise on Royal Caribbean by myself. I didn't eat at the sit down restaurants, went to the buffet restaurants instead. I didn't think I should pay tips to waiters I never saw, so I went to the desk at customer service and asked them to remove the automatic tip and said I wanted to pay the cabin steward directly. Then they gave me an envelope to pay the cabin steward directly

 

I sail Royal Caribbean regularly, and I cannot match my experience up with your post. Are you sure it was Royal Caribbean? If so, are you sure there were ever any auto tips on your account? If I sign up for my time dining (MTD), I must prepay my tips before the cruise (final payment or when I select MTD, whichever is later); by selecting MTD, one is agreeing not to adjust the tips. when I have traditional dining on Royal Caribbean (most passengers) receive cash tipping envelops in my cabin near the end of the cruise, unless I specifically fill out a form requesting gratuities be added to my account. So far in eleven Royal Caribbean cruises I have never had an auto tip to challenge- I had to willfully select auto tips via form or MTD. Is there a Royal Caribbean ship that does it differently...I have not heard of such on the Royal Caribbean board:confused:

 

the other big difference...Royal Caribbean calls them gratuitities, so one can argue those are optional or subject to adjustment. NCL has a daily service charge; payment is expected unless service is substandard and is not properly addressed-- that happen rarely or never.

 

Brits often say they want the daily service charge rolled into the cost of the cruise. I do not see any advantage to doing so...I like to delay the payment. If you want to pay the service charges with your cruise fare, go ahead and prepay your gratuities...NCL will accept such payment, you will be making an appropriate payment toward staff income, and you will not have to see charges on board...easy fix;). Let us examine the alternative...If built into the cruise fare, I would have to pay more for my travel insurance because my premium would be based on a higher cuise cost, ugh. I would have to pay the full cost 75 days before my cruise, a big deal for some people. people without insurance or you must cancel for a non covered reason would suffer a greated financial loss, ugh. Can't you just graciously pay your DSC?

[njhorseman]

I sail Royal Caribbean regularly, and I cannot match my experience up with your post. Are you sure it was Royal Caribbean? If so, are you sure there were ever any auto tips on your account? If I sign up for my time dining (MTD), I must prepay my tips before the cruise (final payment or when I select MTD, whichever is later); by selecting MTD, one is agreeing not to adjust the tips. when I have traditional dining on Royal Caribbean (most passengers) receive cash tipping envelops in my cabin near the end of the cruise, unless I specifically fill out a form requesting gratuities be added to my account. So far in eleven Royal Caribbean cruises I have never had an auto tip to challenge- I had to willfully select auto tips via form or MTD. Is there a Royal Caribbean ship that does it differently...I have not heard of such on the Royal Caribbean board:confused:

 

the other big difference...Royal Caribbean calls them gratuitities, so one can argue those are optional or subject to adjustment. NCL has a daily service charge; payment is expected unless service is substandard and is not properly addressed-- that happen rarely or never.

 

Brits often say they want the daily service charge rolled into the cost of the cruise. I do not see any advantage to doing so...I like to delay the payment. If you want to pay the service charges with your cruise fare, go ahead and prepay your gratuities...NCL will accept such payment, you will be making an appropriate payment toward staff income, and you will not have to see charges on board...easy fix;). Let us examine the alternative...If built into the cruise fare, I would have to pay more for my travel insurance because my premium would be based on a higher cuise cost, ugh. I would have to pay the full cost 75 days before my cruise, a big deal for some people. people without insurance or you must cancel for a non covered reason would suffer a greated financial loss, ugh. Can't you just graciously pay your DSC?

 

Yes, but that mandatory tipping only applies if you use My Time Dining. If you don't tips are not required to be prepaid, nor are they automatically added to your account. You have the option of adding them to your account...but the operative word is "option".

[brfan]

A couple years ago I took a 3 day cruise on Royal Caribbean by myself. I didn't eat at the sit down restaurants, went to the buffet restaurants instead. I didn't think I should pay tips to waiters I never saw, so I went to the desk at customer service and asked them to remove the automatic tip and said I wanted to pay the cabin steward directly. Then they gave me an envelope to pay the cabin steward directly

 

I'm curious how you were able to remove autotips on Royal Caribbean, since they don't have autotips in the first place? To have it charged to your account you have to fill out a form, they don't do it automatically. Were you perhaps on a different cruiseline?

[Starry Eyes]

Yes, but that mandatory tipping only applies if you use My Time Dining. If you don't tips are not required to be prepaid, nor are they automatically added to your account. You have the option of adding them to your account...but the operative word is "option".

 

Yes, exactly my point. The other poster said he removed auto tips on Royal Caribbean...But how so...if he signed up for MTD, he prepaid before the cruise. If he signed up for traditional dining, Royal Caribbean doesn't have auto tips. I think the other poster was confused...did he mention the incorrect cruise line? did he assume their were auto tips and give desk staff a snicker when he asked that they be removed? As a aside, Royal Caribbean's tipping expectation (prepaid with no possible adjustments) for open dining option is more intense that NCL's. But, back to this thread's topic, the other poster's RCCL story is not particularly relevant on the NCL board, as the two lines practices are different.

[Cayoooga]

OK , before we start I'm not trying to stir it up or start a riot , I want to get some HONEST feedback without people shouting at each other.

 

Americans love tipping , it's what they do , but Europeans not so much , or at least if we do , we like to give exactly how much we think to the exact people who we feel deserve it .

 

We have sailed on RCCL and NCL and are due on NCL jade soon , just wondering if anyone has actually ever gone up and removed the auto tip , and how it was received .

 

Although I ALLWAYS tip well for good service , it does still wind me up that someone has worked out how much I will give before I have left my house !

 

However iv been doing some reading and have been shocked to learn that on a carnival ship , someone found an email to staff showing who had removed the auto tip !

 

I would still prefer that nothing was assumed and anything given was at my choice , for rewarding outstanding service .

 

Any thoughts welcome :-)

I never have removed the auto tip aka (To Insure Prompt Service) and probably never will. I also tip extra to room service and anyone that has made my cruise extra memorable. But I do think the idea of tipping has become complicated. With the very low compensation that the cruise lines are paying the housekeeping and waitstaff maybe it should be called their commission.

 

If the system is in place for "auto tips" and I am employed in that system and depending on those tips to subsidize my low income, you bet I would want to know who removed the "auto tip"

 

Just like you I would still prefer that nothing was assumed and anything given was at my choice , for rewarding outstanding service .

But, would the majority tip or not tip?

 

From what I've seen in the buffet some poeple are making sure they get their moneys worth and more :D

[njhorseman]

Yes, exactly my point. The other poster said he removed auto tips on Royal Caribbean...But how so...if he signed up for MTD, he prepaid before the cruise. If he signed up for traditional dining, Royal Caribbean doesn't have auto tips. I think the other poster was confused...did he mention the incorrect cruise line? did he assume their were auto tips and give desk staff a snicker when he asked that they be removed? As a aside, Royal Caribbean's tipping expectation (prepaid with no possible adjustments) for open dining option is more intense that NCL's. But, back to this thread's topic, the other poster's RCCL story is not particularly relevant on the NCL board, as the two lines practices are different.

 

 

Maybe the poster originally had signed up to have the tips automatically added their account and subsequently changed their mind. If you're using traditional dining, you have the option of an "auto tip" added to your account without actually prepaying, which is how we usually do it. My Time Dining requires mandatory prepayment, which is different than having the "auto tip" added to your account. By having the tip added to your account, Royal's procedure essentially becomes the same as NCL's, the difference being you initiate the action rather than the cruise line initiating it.

[njhorseman]

I never have removed the auto tip aka (To Insure Prompt Service) and probably never will. I also tip extra to room service and anyone that has made my cruise extra memorable. But I do think the idea of tipping has become complicated. With the very low compensation that the cruise lines are paying the housekeeping and waitstaff maybe it should be called their commission.

 

If the system is in place for "auto tips" and I am employed in that system and depending on those tips to subsidize my low income, you bet I would want to know who removed the "auto tip"

 

Just like you I would still prefer that nothing was assumed and anything given was at my choice , for rewarding outstanding service .

But, would the majority tip or not tip?

 

From what I've seen in the buffet some poeple are making sure they get their moneys worth and more :D

 

That's a complete myth. The word "tips" is not derived from "to insure prompt service".

 

Give it a moment's thought...a tip is normally offered after the service has been performed. How can it "insure prompt service" when it's given afterwards?

 

NCL correctly calls it a service charge. A tip is something you offer above the service charge.

[smeyer418]

hello Lee.

 

please read all the following.

 

You start with a false assumption that the cruise fare includes paying for the service staff. Its you who are paying for the service and the people who behind the scenes provide services to the people who serve you.

 

as I said I hate tipping threads mostly because there is so much misinformation(in some cases deliberately so by people who have an ax to grind or a particular view of the world).

 

The service people on most of the tipping/dsc/hotel charge cruise lines are paid a base salary of something around $100 per MONTH plus on board room and board and some on board medical care) here is a thread from someone who works/ed in the dining room that talks about this.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1107696

 

They do take home more because they get a draw against the tips and the tips themselves.

 

This method of paying the traditional tipped crew goes back to at least the early 1900's and was continue by Samuel Cunard who was born in Canada and immigrated to England.

 

In fact in the 1910-30 there was a movement in the US to do away with tipping-which obviously failed.

 

Because of the fare structure now the remuneration for the traditionally tipped crew is NOT included in the fare. Generally those cruise lines that do include it charge more than the difference between the cost of tipping non tipping(Azamara announced a 25% increase and included the "basic" tipping and some other items-none of which when added together could justify a 25% increase-but I don't know if the full increase has held this is an example I realize that NCL is not Azamara or Seaborn or other of the luxury lines where in general you pay a premium to get the base tip included-do you really think that people no longer tip on these lines).

 

 

 

On most cruise lines when you remove the auto -tip all or most of the cash tip is put back into the pool anyway so in fact you make it more difficult for those who you want to reward. The best way to reward these people is to either write a note to their supervisors explaining how they went over and above or giving them a little extra(at your discretion of course).

The auto tip takes care of what the employees were required to do anyway(called tipping out). The rooms stewards traditionally tipped out the laundry room supply room staff and asst head housekeeper(the name for this varies among cruise lines); and the waiters tipped out the bus boys, dishwashers, line cooks and asst head waiter/maitre d(also varies by cruise line).

Do the employees just pocket the cash? mostly no. If the auto-tip is removed and they don't turn it in(BTW I have been told by some staff they sometimes convert extra tips left by some which they don't have to turn in at all to pay for the cheapos/stiffers because they ARE marked down when people keep taking the auto-tip off and leave nothing or less than the suggested amount-rightfully or wrongfully its held against them). The employees live in close quarters 3-4 in a room and they don't want large amounts of cash lying around either. The employees know pretty quickly who are the slackers and pocketers and since the supervisor is one of the people being stiffed by the employees they get a. fired b. non renewed or c the worst assignments....and also have been known to be visited by their own countries of origin mafia on board.

Ships are clearly a different culture with somewhat different rules. The tipping culture is a tradition on board. I know some people dis like being told when in Rome....but you aren't in Kansas either.

If you don't like the auto-tip you are of course free to chose another cruise line that includes it but if you like NCL's product and the service you really SHOULD follow the tradition.

 

There is also not one iota of evidence that the entire auto tip doesn't make it to the traditionally tipped and tipped out crew. The cruise lines even absorb the credit card charge. Cruise employees sue cruise lines all the time and there is NOT one report of any crew member that the entire amount doesn't eventually get to them and not one reported lawsuit...yet(I monitor a number of cruise lawyers reports who would report any such lawsuit)

Finally there was some change in the language on tipping/dsc on the NCL website last year. Some of that has to do with the fact they made one statement for the American Flagged ship and the foreign flagged NCL ships. It is handled differently on the American flagged ship where its used for other things(paid time off as an example) then on the Foreign flagged ships where it all goes to the traditionally tipped and tipped out crew.

 

 

Now them is the facts. If you would like to discuss the facts please do but just like people may complain when someone on formal night wears shorts, traditions should be obeyed.

 

 

 

Yes you have the power to remove it but that doesn't make it right. You also have the power to pick your nose in public and some people do that too(this is not directed at any one)....

[halos]

Any thoughts welcome :-)

WHEN IN ROME.

That's all I feel the need to say.

[sparks1093]

WHEN IN ROME.

That's all I feel the need to say.

 

Perfectly to the point!

[biker@sea]

http://keysnews.com/letterstotheeditor

[sjbdtz]

I never have removed the auto tip aka (To Insure Prompt Service) and probably never will

 

That's a complete myth. The word "tips" is not derived from "to insure prompt service".

 

.

 

 

Not only is it a myth http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp ,

 

but to insure something is to guarantee compensation in the event of damage.

 

To ensure is to "make certain".

 

To at best it would be TEPS.....or realistically it would be

 

THEPS (To HAVE Ensured Prompt Service)

 

 

I provide theps whenever I feel they might have been warranted. ;)

 

 

.

[sparks1093]

Not only is it a myth http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp ,

 

but to insure something is to guarantee compensation in the event of damage.

 

To ensure is to "make certain".

 

To at best it would be TEPS.....or realistically it would be

 

THEPS (To HAVE Ensured Prompt Service)

 

 

I provide theps whenever I feel they might have been warranted. ;)

 

 

.

 

What??? I thought ensure was a dietary beverage:confused:

[DMH15]

I don't much care what you want to call it: service charge, tip, auto-gratuity, heck......call it bunny bunny foo foo for all I care. I like the system. Twelve bucks a day is actually probably less than what I would tip if I was tipping out of pocket for each meal.

 

Did I mention that it's snowing here in St Louis and I'm on the Epic Saturday so I'm in a great mood? :D

Wow! I remember once flying out of Dallas in a snowstorm in January and landing in PARADISE! Enjoy your cruise!

[jackinthebox422]

I just came back from from Princess and had a long talk about this subject with the hotel managaer. Princess and NCL - have the auto tip. We all know it, deal with it.

 

But a word to the wise - The people who remove the auto tip, early in a cruise, your NAME and CABIN # are placed on a list for all staff to see. You have been placed on a black ball list. This is known and accepted by the staff and managment of the ship, you should expect the level of service for someone who pays NOTHING and will recieve NOTHING or the absolute minimum they must do to insure they don't get in too much trouble.

 

Let's sum it this way - if you can;t pay the $12 a day or $74 for a week, what are you doing on the ship to begin with? For you to throw out the you can't afford it, you knew about it before you got there.

 

The Hotel Manager said that this removal is found in the over 65 demo mostly. There is some beleif that since you don;t get the envelopes anymore there is no "guilt" that you would feel by not tipping your steward. The auto tip was to insure you didn;t have to worry about this.

 

I find it hard to beleive that we all have this conversation over $74pp. Wouldn;t you think it would be over the 4K I spent on just getting to the ship in 30 days?

[mpk218]

Not only is it a myth http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp ,

 

but to insure something is to guarantee compensation in the event of damage.

 

To ensure is to "make certain".

 

To at best it would be TEPS.....or realistically it would be

 

THEPS (To HAVE Ensured Prompt Service)

 

 

I provide theps whenever I feel they might have been warranted. ;)

 

 

.

 

Can I have my THEPS removed ????