Tipping, here's how we handled it

[Mjoellnir]

A tips/gratuity has to be earned, not given in advance! that beats the whole purpose of it!

[tserface]

I think there are mixed sentiments on this topic these days. I've found that even on land if you don't tip in a restaurant, let's say the service was really awful, you'd get some people saying it was unfair to the waiter. After all, you never know what kind of bad day they might be having or it might have been the kitchen's fault, or the restaurant manager's, etc. I know, I'm being a little sarcastic.

 

I think the point is that even land based restaurants build the tips into the wage structure. It kind of is becoming more and more expected so we almost have to consider it part of the base cost.

 

I do that, for the most part, then tip more if the service is above average.

 

It's a personal thing so I would certainly never advocate that anyone "do what I do". Sometimes on a ship we've been known to tip early if the cabin attendant did something special. Like one time we mentioned that we loved chocolate strawberries (just in passing) and when we came back one afternoon there were some waiting for us. That was tip worthy.

 

I don't think the 18% on drinks could really be considered a gratuity or tip no matter how they present it. It is added on automatically so it is just part of the cost of the drink. I don't think a lot of people are fooled by that approach. We don't have any way of knowing if any of the waiters actually get part of that or if it's just the cruise lines way of charging more and trying to make it look like less.

 

I wish they wouldn't make it so confusing. I makes my brain hurt if I try to figure it out so I just pay what they say and only tip extra if someone has really done a wonderful job of making us feel special.

 

Tom

 

A tips/gratuity has to be earned, not given in advance! that beats the whole purpose of it!

[cjdixon4]

I too am uncomfortable giving cash tips upfront and never do...

 

A bit insulting I think..that you're expecting/assuming anything less than good service.

Nor do I offer any additional gratuities in advance of receiving services. The expectation for the employees should be that they do an excellent job at all times.

[Capella Black]

2 issues with pre-tipping:

 

1) If the aim is to get preferential treatment, it's a bit of a harsh thing to do to the rest of your fellow cruisers - "get my drink first", "give away RCI's liquor (thus reducing their profits and so upping my future costs)". There's only so much time and effort that the staff can lavish on us all, seems sneaky to try and hog it.

 

2) Tips are a way of saying thank you. Saying thank you before they do anything is thus completely insincere, so clearly can only be saying something else. It's no longer a gift, it's a... bribe.

[Gopher1934]

[FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Navy"]Looks to me some people are just plain cheap. They don't want to tip and only do because it is automatic. Now that the cruise line is in charge of collecting tips from those that in the past did not gave anything.
I like the old way of tipping. We now pre pay tips and also still give envelopes to those that have been nice and provided nice service. We always used to give more than what they now charge. We don't drink so don't get involved with bar tips.

Some might call it a [FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="6"][COLOR="Red"]bribe[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] but at some Las Vegas show we still tip upfront to the man at the door and receive an upgraded seat at the show.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[DirtyDawg]

[quote name='Capella Black']2 issues with pre-tipping:

1) If the aim is to get preferential treatment, it's a bit of a harsh thing to do to the rest of your fellow cruisers - "get my drink first", "give away RCI's liquor (thus reducing their profits and so upping my future costs)". There's only so much time and effort that the staff can lavish on us all, seems sneaky to try and hog it.

2) Tips are a way of saying thank you. Saying thank you before they do anything is thus completely insincere, so clearly can only be saying something else. It's no longer a gift, it's a... bribe.[/QUOTE]

You say that like bribery is a bad thing.:confused:

Hey if I can get preferential treatment by bribing - great!!!

As for "give away RCI's liquor (thus reducing their profits and so upping my future costs)" in a highly competitive industry like travel that does not happen, demand and supply along with the degree of competition determines prices, not costs.

The same applies to other industries as well. For example I haggle the best prices for any purchase I make. If I save a few grand on a new car, the other buyers don't pay higher prices as a result, the car maker just don't make as much profit on my car. The company hopes to make up for that with more volume. And if they happen to sell lots of cars at that lower price and don't make any profit, I don't care, I'm not a shareholder.

[libertybelle41]

I may be crazy, but the whole cruise I was in the DL (every night) I never, ever saw anyone tip....:eek: Yikes!

[splash_in_the_water]

[quote name='DirtyDawg']You say that like bribery is a bad thing.:confused:

Hey if I can get preferential treatment by bribing - great!!!

As for "give away RCI's liquor (thus reducing their profits and so upping my future costs)" in a highly competitive industry like travel that does not happen, demand and supply along with the degree of competition determines prices, not costs.

The same applies to other industries as well. For example I haggle the best prices for any purchase I make. If I save a few grand on a new car, the other buyers don't pay higher prices as a result, the car maker just don't make as much profit on my car. The company hopes to make up for that with more volume. And if they happen to sell lots of cars at that lower price and don't make any profit, I don't care, I'm not a shareholder.[/QUOTE]


so you're the reason all these new cars are so expensive....It's all starting to make sense !! :D kidding :)


I do wonder though, how much do they waste daily? Edited May 5, 2015 by splash_in_the_water

[A2Mich]

[quote name='DirtyDawg']You say that like bribery is a bad thing.:confused:



Hey if I can get preferential treatment by bribing - great!!!



As for "give away RCI's liquor (thus reducing their profits and so upping my future costs)" in a highly competitive industry like travel that does not happen, demand and supply along with the degree of competition determines prices, not costs.



The same applies to other industries as well. For example I haggle the best prices for any purchase I make. If I save a few grand on a new car, the other buyers don't pay higher prices as a result, the car maker just don't make as much profit on my car. The company hopes to make up for that with more volume. And if they happen to sell lots of cars at that lower price and don't make any profit, I don't care, I'm not a shareholder.[/QUOTE]


Sort of. By your example, the car DEALER is losing money--not the manufacturer. Dealers pay a fixed price to the manufacturer, and it is not what you see on the Monroney label and it is also not what many believe the "invoice price" is.

[DonnaK]

[quote name='Tarnished45']I find the whole tipping thing a nightmare to get involved in discussions about.

Just pay what you're supposed to and get on with having a happy holiday.[/QUOTE]

Agreed! We leave the auto-tips on our account and let it go...

[chrisb74]

I tried tipping every towel animal $10 because we like them. Some attendants didn't take the hint. (They did take the cash)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DirtyDawg]

[quote name='A2Mich']Sort of. By your example, the car DEALER is losing money--not the manufacturer. Dealers pay a fixed price to the manufacturer, and it is not what you see on the Monroney label and it is also not what many believe the "invoice price" is.[/QUOTE]

Very true. I was simplifying it to make the point. Using Economics 001 rather than Economics 101 language if you will.;)

[Shak]

[quote name='libertybelle41']I may be crazy, but the whole cruise I was in the DL (every night) I never, ever saw anyone tip....:eek: Yikes![/QUOTE]

I tip privately by a handshake with a bill folded in my hand in the DL. I usually do it in the begining of the cruise.

Shak

[nh2820]

WOW. We are on the 11th June cruise soon and being from Australia where tipping is pretty well non existent this is so confusing. As far as I know our gratuities are prepaid, as is the drink package we purchased. It's a lot easier here where wages are much higher, so tipping is not the norm.

[DonnaK]

[quote name='nh2820']WOW. We are on the 11th June cruise soon and being from Australia where tipping is pretty well non existent this is so confusing. As far as I know [B]our gratuities are prepaid, as is the drink package we purchased. [/B]It's a lot easier here where wages are much higher, so tipping is not the norm.[/QUOTE]

You are covered. No worries.

[sky0000547]

[quote name='DonnaK']You are covered. No worries.[/quote]

Absolutely.

I don't get the idea of people making a song and dance about how they tip or how well they tip etc.

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='tserface']I think there are mixed sentiments on this topic these days. I've found that even on land if you don't tip in a restaurant, let's say the service was really awful, you'd get some people saying it was unfair to the waiter. After all, [COLOR="Red"]you never know what kind of bad day they might be having[/COLOR] or it might have been the kitchen's fault, or the restaurant manager's, etc. I know, I'm being a little sarcastic.

I think the point is that even land based restaurants build the tips into the wage structure. It kind of is becoming more and more expected so we almost have to consider it part of the base cost.

I do that, for the most part, then tip more if the service is above average.

It's a personal thing so I would certainly never advocate that anyone "do what I do". Sometimes on a ship we've been known to tip early if the cabin attendant did something special. Like one time we mentioned that we loved chocolate strawberries (just in passing) and when we came back one afternoon there were some waiting for us. That was tip worthy.

I don't think the 18% on drinks could really be considered a gratuity or tip no matter how they present it. It is added on automatically so it is just part of the cost of the drink. I don't think a lot of people are fooled by that approach. We don't have any way of knowing if any of the waiters actually get part of that or if it's just the cruise lines way of charging more and trying to make it look like less.

I wish they wouldn't make it so confusing. I makes my brain hurt if I try to figure it out so I just pay what they say and only tip extra if someone has really done a wonderful job of making us feel special.

Tom[/QUOTE]

Do you think someone having a bad day is something that the customers should need to concern themselves with? If you go to work in a bad mood or don't perform your job up to par then you should expect that there will be consequences for that. And sometimes those consequences are financial. The next day that you go to work maybe you will do your job a bit better.

And, tserface, I didn't mean you as in "you". I simply mean it in terms of those folks who propose someone having a bad day as something the customer should have to deal with. Edited May 5, 2015 by Ocean Boy

[Sarvowinner]

As soon as the room attendant has a couple of minutes to talk to us after embarkation, I ask him/her: for robes, to keep our cooler or ice bucket filled, to get us an extension cord for my husband's CPAP machine and to put our suitcases under the bed. At the same time, I give him some cash for chasing this up for us and also to ensure he remembers to keep the cooler filled as I know that first day is very busy and some things could be forgotten. I don't consider it pretipping as it is a gratuity for making our life easier.
We also give extra at the end of the trip to the steward, waiters and other people who have given us good service. I would not hesitate to hold back on the extra tip if they did not help make my holiday enjoyable.