tipping

[lollyed]

can you opt out of the daily $11.50 charge and tip as you see fit ..is this done by a majority of people...

[Pam in CA]

can you opt out of the daily $11.50 charge and tip as you see fit ..is this done by a majority of people...

Yes, you can opt out and tip individually. However, anything you tip goes right into the tipping pool; they don't get to keep it so it's kind of a tease. Vey few people opt out, mostly those who are trying to save money rather than rewarding for 24/7 service throughout their cruise.

 

Plus, leaving the auto-tip on means that all those people who make sure your cruise experience is special get rewarded. It's a real pain to carry cash around day and night to tip those serving you in the buffet, in the Anytime dining rooms at dinner, in the dining room at breakfast and lunch, etc.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

Will try and help, you are free to tip as you want, you can remove the auto tip,

 

however if you do, your room steward will know

 

if you then want to tip him at the end he can not keep it as the auto tip is off

 

simple way is just leave it, and if you get very good service you

 

can tip your room steward extra and he can keep the money.

 

most folks leave the auto tip on

 

yours Shogun

[paul929207]

You can remove the autotip, but most people leave it on

[Colo Cruiser]

Short answer, yes you can.

No its not done often.

[billco]

When figuring out the cost of my cruise I factor in the autotip to the Princess quoted price. Then I turn the booking over to my TA. Usually the discount more than compensates for the autotip, so it is a win win situation.

 

Or looking at it another way, I get a Stockholder Credit, Future Cruise Credit, Military Credit, and TA Credit. The autotip comes out of that, so in a sense Princess is taking care of it for me.

 

Bottom line is the autotip is part of the cruising experience and should not be stressed about.

[KevintheIrishDJ]

We alwasy use the auto tip. On our last cruise last year, I handed the wait staff additional cash. Both our table mates (2 couples) gave the the sam e thing but in an envelope. The waiter asked them for their room number. He did not ask me the same question. I wonder why?:confused:

Pax et bonum,

Kevin

[Colo Cruiser]

We alwasy use the auto tip. On our last cruise last year, I handed the wait staff additional cash. Both our table mates (2 couples) gave the the sam e thing but in an envelope. The waiter asked them for their room number. He did not ask me the same question. I wonder why?:confused:

Pax et bonum,

Kevin

 

 

Is it possible one of them removed the autotip?

[Pam in CA]

Is it possible one of them removed the autotip?

Probably because you can't write on a bill.

 

If it's Anytime dining where they don't know the person's cabin # (or perhaps they get it from the Maitre d'), I suspect that all cash without an envelope goes into the pool. Don't know that for sure.

[Loonbeam]

Did you buy alcohol at the table? In that case he already may have known your room number (assuming this was TD). They have envelopes at the stations to put tips in as they get them.

 

We alwasy use the auto tip. On our last cruise last year, I handed the wait staff additional cash. Both our table mates (2 couples) gave the the sam e thing but in an envelope. The waiter asked them for their room number. He did not ask me the same question. I wonder why?:confused:

Pax et bonum,

Kevin

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Did you buy alcohol at the table? In that case he already may have known your room number (assuming this was TD). They have envelopes at the stations to put tips in as they get them.

 

Good point.

[Liz54]

So many people find the auto tip troubling, but we love it. It's a very small amount given the level of service we have always had on Princess. Then we are comfortable knowing all the behind the scenes people are covered. We then tip the dining room waiters and room steward a bonus at the end. The bonus is truly based on how we found the service and I would have no qualms about skipping it if the service had been disappointing.

 

It would be a nightmare to have to try and cover everyone who has been so great with envelopes and differing amounts of cash etc....

[Aus Traveller]

So many people find the auto tip troubling, but we love it. It's a very small amount given the level of service we have always had on Princess. Then we are comfortable knowing all the behind the scenes people are covered. We then tip the dining room waiters and room steward a bonus at the end. The bonus is truly based on how we found the service and I would have no qualms about skipping it if the service had been disappointing.

 

It would be a nightmare to have to try and cover everyone who has been so great with envelopes and differing amounts of cash etc....

 

By the way, we leave the auto tips on, but don't feel the reason to do so is to make sure the behind the scenes people are covered. They are not part of the tips pool. Only the dining room/buffet staff, bar staff and cabin stewards receive money from the tips pool.

[Pam in CA]

Only the dining room/buffet staff, bar staff and cabin stewards receive money from the tips pool.

Bar staff do not participate in the tipping pool. They get a share of the 15% gratuity added to any beverage purchase.

[cruzsnooze]

By the way, we leave the auto tips on, but don't feel the reason to do so is to make sure the behind the scenes people are covered. They are not part of the tips pool. Only the dining room/buffet staff, bar staff and cabin stewards receive money from the tips pool.

Room Service is also included in the tipping Pool so need to tip extra unless you feel it's warranted. The auto tipping is so easy I use it and seldom tip above that. If everyone does their part leaving the auto tip in place they would be very very happy. The service is supposed to be good. With the large ships of today seldom do I see over the top service like I used to see when the ships held 650 passengers, that was service.

[Loonbeam]

Actually from what I have been able to confirm, there are some backstage roles that participate, albeit at a lower level. Most notably the laundry and the cleaners who handle general ships areas (they are stewards on rotational duty)

 

By the way, we leave the auto tips on, but don't feel the reason to do so is to make sure the behind the scenes people are covered. They are not part of the tips pool. Only the dining room/buffet staff, bar staff and cabin stewards receive money from the tips pool.

[Loonbeam]

From my FAQ site:

 

Princess Hotel Charge (Auto-Tip) – Standard Policies

 

Official Princess standard guidelines as follows for ships other than those based in australia, however individual ship’s pursers have latitude to modify the process as appropriate for their ships.

 

1> The auto-tip added to your bill is pooled among dining servers and housekeeping and their support staff. If you remove the hotel charge any cash tips are put into the pool up to the pool amount. If you retain the hotel charge, the individual receives the additional amount. It is that individuals decision to ‘tip-out’ any support staff from the overage.

 

2> The 15% bar charge added to bills are pooled among the bar and bar support staff. I have not confirmed if this is across all bars or specific to venue. Cash tips given directly to a server or bartender are retained by that individual. Tip outs are at the discretion of the individual, tho most servers will feed a little back to the bartender, and the bartender often tips out to the support staff. It’s also not unheard of for bar staff to tip out a particularly productive server, hence the sometimes hard sell.

 

3> Casino tips are pooled among all dealers and cashiers (not sure if even split) and MUST be deposited in tip boxes by the dealer/host. Drink tips in the casino follow the rules above.

 

4> Servers in specialty restaurants receive a portion of the service charge (pooled). They would not tell me what this amount is. Additional tips may be kept or pooled depending on the policy at that particular venue and ship. There does not appear to be a corporate guideline for this.

 

5> Tips given to other activity/support staff (passenger services, kids programs, etc) are generally pooled by department but there is no set policy.

 

Again, I must stress these are Princess guidelines as confirmed by corporate, however specifics may vary from cruise to cruise based on ship operations policies. If you have questions on your cruise, the purser may be the best resource to ask.

[Aus Traveller]

Bar staff do not participate in the tipping pool. They get a share of the 15% gratuity added to any beverage purchase.

Sorry - that is correct. I was thinking of another cruiseline that doesn't have the 15% gratuity on drinks when I included bar staff.

[ChiefBoats]

We always leave the auto-tip and then give additional tips in envelops at the end to our MDR Wait staff and our steward if we feel they warrant it. Most of the time they do.

 

________________________

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