Gratuities

[Zoedokey]

Unless you consume no food on board the cruise, leaving the tips as it is the fairest way to take care of everyone.  If you remove tips and tip as you go, do you tip the person who scoops you ice cream in the buffet, or every waiter who brings you a drink every time for the entire cruise, or Cafe al Bachio each time you grab a coffee or a cookie.  Too much work, easier to just let the system work as it is supposed to.  

[Orator]

Logic, reasoning and facts rarely convince people who have closed minds to change their positions.

[arsenalboy]

This is doing my head in more than Brexit. Just pay the pre paid gratuities. If you are looking for ways out, lets hope your service is sub standard, but it wont be. Just a bit less for the cruise girls and boys. Just saying..... 

[GUT2407]

On 1/24/2019 at 3:33 AM, podfir said:

Sailing on Equinox later this year, we have opted not to prepay gratuities. Can we go to customer services and ask them not to add the $15 per day/per person at the start of the cruise? We prefer to tip as we go for good service.

Yes.

 

not sure why you would.

[bengaltiger1]

Could I ask if you are on a B2B, do you tip at the end of each cruise or at the end of the second one please? We pay our gratuities up front as we consider them part of the cost of the cruise.  It’s our first B2B and my instinct is to tip extra at the end of each cruise, but wondered what others did.  

[Fogfog]

We - like many- leave the auto grats on--and tip cash directly to crew/servers who made our trip special...and because we are blessed to afford cruising 

Edited January 24, 2019 by Fogfog

[Orator]

8 minutes ago, bengaltiger1 said:

Could I ask if you are on a B2B, do you tip at the end of each cruise or at the end of the second one please? We pay our gratuities up front as we consider them part of the cost of the cruise.  It’s our first B2B and my instinct is to tip extra at the end of each cruise, but wondered what others did.  

I give any extra tips at the end of each part of the B2B. Often I've had different waiters and cabin attendants. There have been times when crew who performed outstanding service for me left for vacation after the first cruise on the B2B.

I also tend to fill out the Attention to Detail Card and have frequently written the company about outstanding people. I've received calls from Celebrity requesting more specific  information about outstanding crew. A number were promoted shortly after the phone call.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Orator

[GUT2407]

6 hours ago, Miaminice said:

 

Total Standard Staterooms: $14.50

Stateroom Attendant: $6.20

Dining Room: $6.25

Other Hotel Services: $5.05

Except that equals 17.50, not 14.50

[Fogfog]

13 minutes ago, Orator said:

I give any extra tips at the end of each part of the B2B. Often I've had different waiters and cabin attendants. There have been times when crew who performed outstanding service for me left for vacation after the first cruise on the B2B.

I also tend to fill out the Attention to Detail Card and have frequently written the company about outstanding people. I've received calls from Celebrity requesting more specific  information about outstanding crew. A number were promoted shortly after the phone call.

This is good to know

I do fill out the survey and give specific names - first and last --how they made our cruise special etc

Hope those surveys make a difference too

[gold1953]

1 hour ago, Lady Arwen said:

I just give up.....says me hitting my head against a brick wall

Why.. are you not understanding??  If a person does not ever go to the dining room.. never.. should he pay the grats for that table service. There is a specific dollar amount per day for table service in that venue. He can take his money and tip the staff at the buffet..  They do not get the extra. A few like ourselves tip the egg station and the ice cream bar extra  and others.  We always find out what day our room attendant is going ashore and give them extra cash in the currency of that place so they can enjoy a lunch. We tip well.

 I asked the exact value as we did not use the dining room. That would have been $310. saving. 

 So a person should pay for a service in a place that they are not going??  

[ghstudio]

29 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

Why.. are you not understanding??  If a person does not ever go to the dining room.. never.. should he pay the grats for that table service. There is a specific dollar amount per day for table service in that venue. He can take his money and tip the staff at the buffet..  They do not get the extra. A few like ourselves tip the egg station and the ice cream bar extra  and others.  We always find out what day our room attendant is going ashore and give them extra cash in the currency of that place so they can enjoy a lunch. We tip well.

 I asked the exact value as we did not use the dining room. That would have been $310. saving. 

 So a person should pay for a service in a place that they are not going??  

 

Let's see...I am eating at specialty restaurants three nights.....I want to deduct $18.75 pp from my gratuities in the MDR.  The tip is included in the price I paid for the specialty restaurant...no need to add any additional tip there.....you've saved $18.75 pp.  Why not do it.....see my previous posts.  Let me suggest that you have no idea if the folks working the buffet are part of the MDR tip pool, if they are paid differently, etc. Many of them work different areas of the ship at different times....

 

Fundamentally...you are "wealthy" (Before you object...get real here...you can afford to be on the cruise) and the crew is "poor" (they could not afford to book the cruise).  If nothing else, consider it just a nice thing to do to pay the standard gratuities and give those folks who are working hard to make your cruise enjoyable something that doesn't even approach minimum wage.  

 

Forget all the logic about I never eat there...stop worrying about ME ME ME.....pay the standard gratuities and then if you want, tip who you want on top of that.

Edited January 24, 2019 by ghstudio

[BridgeMates]

It's kind of like our political differences these days, you aren't going to change anyone's mind!

Cheap people will stay cheap.....

[gold1953]

6 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

 

Let's see...I am eating at specialty restaurants three nights.....I want to deduct $18.75 pp from my gratuities in the MDR.  The tip is included in the price I paid for the specialty restaurant...no need to add any additional tip there.....you've saved $18.75 pp.  Why not do it.....see my previous posts.  Let me suggest that you have no idea if the folks working the buffet are part of the MDR tip pool, if they are paid differently, etc. Many of them work different areas of the ship at different times....

 

Fundamentally...you are "wealthy" (Before you object...get real here...you can afford to be on the cruise) and the crew is "poor" (they could not afford to book the cruise).  If nothing else, consider it just a nice thing to do to pay the standard gratuities and give those folks who are working hard to make your cruise enjoyable something that doesn't even approach minimum wage.  

 

Forget all the logic about I never eat there...stop worrying about ME ME ME.....pay the standard gratuities and then if you want, tip who you want on top of that.

I actually paid all my grats.. but did ask exactly what goes for evening service . I guess you missed that part. No part of that was for any other service . Your 3 night comment does not compare to a 15 night cruise X 2 people . We will agree to disagree. Some people have to save and penny pinch for a cruise and yes have more than the crew

[bEwAbG]

If you need to stiff the crew in order to afford to cruise, then you should examine your priorities & choose a different vacation.  

[cruisestitch]

Gold1953,  someone has misinformed you.  The tip is NOT for TABLE SERVICE.  It covers all food service including the buffet.

 

even if you don’t dine in the dining room, there are servers wherever you do eat, and they will be tipped from your auto gratuities

[gold1953]

8 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Gold1953,  someone has misinformed you.  The tip is NOT for TABLE SERVICE.  It covers all food service including the buffet.

 

even if you don’t dine in the dining room, there are servers wherever you do eat, and they will be tipped from your auto gratuities

just going by what came from head office

[gold1953]

16 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

If you need to stiff the crew in order to afford to cruise, then you should examine your priorities & choose a different vacation.  

I don't believe the OP was intending to stiff anyone. He just wanted to tip more to those where he will dine and less to those not serving him. People get very worked up without reading the details . 

[Alakegirl]

Should you ever go to the dining room at dinner and meet the waiter for your assigned table, you’ll soon see him making your breakfast toast or labeling out your noonday soup, or replenishing the dessert station.  These hardworking staff don’t just work the main dining room at the evening meal with the rest of the day off!  If you eat in the buffet, please see that they receive gratuities.  There is no excuse to justify withholding those.

 

if you find the act of paying gratuities so offrnsive, perhaps Celebrity is not the cruise line for you.

[r5516]

If can't afford the game, don't play.  Tips are part of cruising, dining in restaurants etc. enjoy the experience and pay a few extra dollars.

[orchestrapal]

15 minutes ago, r5516 said:

If can't afford the game, don't play.  Tips are part of cruising, dining in restaurants etc. enjoy the experience and pay a few extra dollars.

 

Thank you for finally saying what I was thinking.👍

[cruisin 07]

Never cruise Celebrity but have two booked on Summit coming up.  The other forums on the other lines we have cruised folks all state that if you take off the auto trips then any tips you give the person has to put them in the tip pool for the whole crew or they risk being fired. We always keep the auto tips and and tip extra when warranted. Is Celebrity different???

[Covepointcruiser]

No, that is what most passengers do.   We also leave the automatic tip in place and tip extra to those who have served us well.    We budget for the cruise with the tips and if we can’t afford the tips we don’t take the cruise.   In this part of the 

world tipping is expected unless you are totally dissatisfied with the service.

[NantahalaCruiser]

2 hours ago, cruisin 07 said:

Never cruise Celebrity but have two booked on Summit coming up.  The other forums on the other lines we have cruised folks all state that if you take off the auto trips then any tips you give the person has to put them in the tip pool for the whole crew or they risk being fired. We always keep the auto tips and and tip extra when warranted. Is Celebrity different???

It's my understanding that Celebrity is the same. But on Celebrity and other lines, I believe that the requirement to put them in the tip pool is only for MDR wait staff and room attendants - they would not be tracking tips to bartenders, cafe al Bacio workers, etc.

[Paulras]

When someone posts this same question, which seems like every week (and almost always from the UK), can we just say "No, you can't do that" and hope no one else admits we're lying?? 

[GUT2407]

2 hours ago, Paulras said:

When someone posts this same question, which seems like every week (and almost always from the UK), can we just say "No, you can't do that" and hope no one else admits we're lying?? 

If you want, but I bet someone will tell them the truth.

 

And Id love to see real stats on nationalities of those who start tipping threads,