Tipping

[Jenny2121]

I am going on a Princess cruise. Rather than Princess telling me what amount to tip and add it to my account, I would prefer to tip the amount I want and to whom it will go to. When is the best time to inform Princess to take the amount of tipping off my account? Do I do it at the beginning or near the end of the trip?

[Colo Cruiser]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Tipping is a contentious topic here on CC.

A quick search found numerous threads on tipping.

 

Here are some,

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2314767&highlight=remove+auto+tips

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2416829&highlight=tipping

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2356251&highlight=tipping

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2477682&highlight=tipping

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2357219&highlight=tipping

Edited April 6, 2017 by Colo Cruiser

[msmoger]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!! :D

 

PLEEEEEEASE use Keith's links to find an answer to this very contentious issue, rather than starting another one.

 

BTW, enjoy your cruise. :D

[Loonbeam]

Mods please merge this thrashing of a deceased equine post into another thread....

[skynight]

Use the links to read up. Discussed many many times.

Highly recommend that you DO NOT remove the daily Hotel Charge (auto tip). There is no way that you can provide tips to all that serve you, those that you see and those that you don't or occasionally see. If you remove the auto-tip any cash tip provided will be handed in and shared with the entire pool the same as the auto-tip. The person you tip does not get to keep your tip. Also remember that the tipping pool is really is the major part of the compensation received, probably over 90%. Without the auto tip they work for basically no pay.

A 15% grat. is added to all beverage purchases, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and can not be removed.

[donaldsc]

I am going on a Princess cruise. Rather than Princess telling me what amount to tip and add it to my account, I would prefer to tip the amount I want and to whom it will go to. When is the best time to inform Princess to take the amount of tipping off my account? Do I do it at the beginning or near the end of the trip?

 

Here we go again.

 

DON

[SantaFeFan]

The OP's post translated: I don't believe in tipping servants. How do I remove the money that Princess is trying to force me to pay so I can keep it for myself?

[skynight]

The OP's post translated: I don't believe in tipping servants. How do I remove the money that Princess is trying to force me to pay so I can keep it for myself?

Not at all

The feeling is probably related to practices in their country where waiters and similar kinds of service jobs receive a living base wage. Tipping is then just rewarded for exceptional service and tips are normally not as large as in the U.S. On ships this is not the case, the base wage is room & board, plus a small stipend.

[SantaFeFan]

Not at all

The feeling is probably related to practices in their country where waiters and similar kinds of service jobs receive a living base wage. Tipping is then just rewarded for exceptional service and tips are normally not as large as in the U.S. On ships this is not the case, the base wage is room & board, plus a small stipend.

 

Well, then why isn't the OP taking the "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" approach. The culture on most cruise ships includes tipping the staff. To force your own values on a different culture is rude and inconsiderate. If a person refuses to adjust to a culture they are visiting, they should go somewhere else that is culturally the same. Isn't experiencing different cultures the reason for traveling in the first place???

[easyboy]

I am going on a Princess cruise. Rather than Princess telling me what amount to tip and add it to my account, I would prefer to tip the amount I want and to whom it will go to. When is the best time to inform Princess to take the amount of tipping off my account? Do I do it at the beginning or near the end of the trip?

You can ask Princess directly why they are charging you.

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

[shepp]

In all fairness to the OP, Princess does a really lousy job of explaining the auto-tip and the consequences of removing it and choosing to tip individually instead.

[majortom10]

In all fairness to the OP, Princess does a really lousy job of explaining the auto-tip and the consequences of removing it and choosing to tip individually instead.

 

Here here agree 100%

[riclop]

I am going on a Princess cruise. Rather than Princess telling me what amount to tip and add it to my account, I would prefer to tip the amount I want and to whom it will go to. When is the best time to inform Princess to take the amount of tipping off my account? Do I do it at the beginning or near the end of the trip?

Not a good idea because you are screwing lots of hard working people.:evilsmile:

[joybook]

When will we ever learn. Leave these threads alone and don't respond to them. It is just the most divisive topic.

[keithm]

I am going on a Princess cruise. Rather than Princess telling me what amount to tip and add it to my account, I would prefer to tip the amount I want and to whom it will go to. When is the best time to inform Princess to take the amount of tipping off my account? Do I do it at the beginning or near the end of the trip?

OK, Jenny,let's explain it so you'll not screw things up. First off, the tip gets divided by all the staff that serve you(exception: Spa/bar drinks)If you decide to remove the auto tip, you cause all kinds of issues. Say, you decide to tip only your Cabin attendant/Waiter. They then HAVE to put that money back into the "pool", so all those that you don't see get paid as well. Do you think your waiter prepares your food?? Obviously not. The amount that is in the auto tip is general about $3/waiter & $3/cabin attendant(daily). The remainder goes to all those behind the scenes. Don't screw it up for everyone! Just leave it alone. If the staff is top notch(they ALWAYS have been for us)you may decide to tip extra. In that case the staff you give it to gets to keep it, as it's over and above the auto tip. When you remove the tip it may also count as a "black" mark against the staff. Please don't complicate it. If you actually plan to stick it back in your pocket(as some do)There are no kind words to say!

Edited April 6, 2017 by keithm
additions

[lindyloo17]

In the UK our travel agent said to go to the customer service desk and have the tips removed within 24 hrs of boarding.

 

Then she suggested we tipped who we wanted to.

[Colo Cruiser]

In the UK our travel agent said to go to the customer service desk and have the tips removed within 24 hrs of boarding.

 

Then she suggested we tipped who we wanted to.

 

Great TA..........

What about all the people behind the scenes you don't see? :(

[cr8tiv1]

That is true, but it would also make the cruises quite a bit more expensive if tips were part of the cost of cruising. That's why it's usually included in most high end cruises. Sorry, I can't afford Crystal & the like. I do leave on the auto tip & tip quite generously in addition.

 

I did a comparison of NCL and Princess to Hawaii. NCL employs American staff and therefore must pay American Fair Wages. I am only able to keep the staterooms constant (Interior). I was surprised to see that even NCL doesn't cruise over the summer so these are Nov/Dec prices.

 

Princess 14 days round trip to Hawaii = $1699 + $181.30 ($12.95/day in services charges).

(Air Fare to LA is much less than to the islands)

(and yes, some people do have to overnight in LA)

 

NCL 7 days around the islands = $1299 + $118.93 (16.99/day)

Plus airfare to Hawaii round trip - You don't have a choice

Plus hotel and food for at least one night - You don't have a choice

 

Yes, paying a "decent" wage will up the ante for cruising. As much as I disagree with the amount Princess pays their staff, I agree very much in the added on expenses of gratuities (plus the extra I hand my "favorites" at the end of the cruise).

 

Will the OP return to clarify his/her position?

 

Displaced Local Girl

[keithm]

And the fact that the people who are the chosen ones for special tip treatment HAVE to turn in those tips to the pool to be shared.

 

I have yet heard from a "personal tipper" who actually ends up tipping more than the suggested amount. They usually tip much less. It is just an excuse to save money for themselves.

On our fist cruise in 2004 on the QM2, we did that. Chalk it up to inexperience. The auto tip was about $11.50 then. For a 10 day trip it came to about $115/PP. We tipped $100/PP to our waiter $50/PP to the asst. waiter & about $100/PP again to our cabin attendant. I'd say we were pretty generous. We're both in the hospitality/food business. After reading about tipping on this site in 2005, we then left on the auto tip & tipped over and above on ALL our future cruises. Never once have we just "left" on the tip & called it a day. Being in this business, we "like" to take care of our own. I'm sure we are NOT the highest or the lowest tippers out there. We tip what we can reasonably afford.

[pilot]

I look at tipping as being part of the cost of the cruise. There is the cost of the cruise, port fees, taxes, and tipping. We have all heard complaints about tipping on the boards. People just need to be honest...they want to save a few bucks. When they say it's not about the money...it's about the money. [emoji383][emoji383][emoji383]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[SantaFeFan]

On our fist cruise in 2004 on the QM2, we did that. Chalk it up to inexperience. The auto tip was about $11.50 then. For a 10 day trip it came to about $115/PP. We tipped $100/PP to our waiter $50/PP to the asst. waiter & about $100/PP again to our cabin attendant. I'd say we were pretty generous. We're both in the hospitality/food business. After reading about tipping on this site in 2005, we then left on the auto tip & tipped over and above on ALL our future cruises. Never once have we just "left" on the tip & called it a day. Being in this business, we "like" to take care of our own. I'm sure we are NOT the highest or the lowest tippers out there. We tip what we can reasonably afford.

 

Excellent! Nice to see someone who understands what tipping is all about and gladly does the right thing or better. Kudos to you!

[Loonbeam]

Look, tipping is a personal decision. As long as you understand how the system works on any given line (not how you think it SHOULD work but how it actually does), and what the impact will be on a crew member, do what works for you..

 

While there is some latitude given to a particular ship staff, this is how the standard system works on Princess. All additional tips are required to be turned in by staff in the tip pool (servers, stewards, back of house, NOT bartenders, kids club staff, etc). Failure to do so is grounds for immediate termination without a ride home (and your fellow staff WILL turn you in, plus they have a reasonable idea of what you should see). They are supposed to note your cabin number (they do not have to ask, for example if a server knows it from your drink orders)

 

If the auto tip stays on, the full additional is posted to their account. If the auto-tip is removed, funds are taken out of the extra tip money until back up to auto tip level and then any extra credited. If you remove the gratuity and do not tip, funds may be taken from other folks additionals (this is not common unless situation is chronic) to make up the shortfall.

 

Autotips are then put into a pool that is divided up among staff according to a formula that is not public, but does include staff you do not normally see. (Some lines put a portion into a welfare fund to help with things like crew family medical emergencies and emergency transport, etc - I do not know if Princess does this).

 

Removing the auto gratuity is also considered to be a negative review in terms of steward and some servers (traditional dining) evals, which can affect their options for future assignments unless the reason is listed for removal and indicates something else was the cause.

 

As noted, ships have some latitude in making changes based on their itinerary (if they are in an area where tipping is less common, expectations are adjusted), if you want to know the policy on any given ship, there is one person to ask. The staff purser. That's it. Individual employees will tell you what's in their best interest. Shocking, I know.

 

Staff not in the pool are handled departmentally. Normally bar servers keep their tips and tip-out the bartenders and barbacks. Kids clubs staff officially are not supposed to accept tips (to avoid favoritism) but they do, and from what I know its a blind eye scenario unless they are obnoxious about it. Room service tips, even if delivered by someone in the pool, are kept by that person. Anyone else (dancers, photographers - and yes, we have tipped a photog), florists - can generally keep what they get. The photog in question said they were going to by the others drinks at the crew bar).

 

Again, as long as you understand how the system works, do what works for you, just understand the impact.