Tips and gratuities

[*Miss G*]

8 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

what do others do so staff can know the HSC is in place and the cash is for them?

 

After a couple of times where our room stewards and servers wrote our room # on the envelopes I now write it on the bottom.  We were told it’s because they need to identify to their supervisor who it came from.

[*Miss G*]

11 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

This is probably a good place to ask something that I’ve been wondering about: If the crew member doesn’t particularly know you, how do they know whether the HSC is in place?

 

It has been posted by multiple members, evidentially, that there is a list posted in crew areas of the people who have removed the HSC, along with their picture.

[catl331]

12 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

If the crew member doesn’t particularly know you, how do they know whether the HSC is in place?

I think the rule primarily applies to the room stewards and MDR stewards who receive the bulk of the HSC funds rather the a worker in the Lido or room service etc who gets less from the HSC and is less likely to receive a sizable cash tip from a passenger.  The people likely to get sizable cash get the list of opt-outs.

 

13 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

what do others do so staff can know the HSC is in place and the cash is for them?

We put our names and cabin number on the envelopes and a note that it is "in addition to the HSC".

[TiogaCruiser]

8 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

It has been posted by multiple members, evidentially, that there is a list posted in crew areas of the people who have removed the HSC, along with their picture.

Ahh, okay. I knew about “the List” but didn’t catch the picture part.(Sort of like having one’s photo on the wall in the post office, huh?)

[catl331]

12 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

along with their picture.

I've never heard that before!  Randyk47 has posted that he stumbled across the list once, but didn't say anything about pictures. As I said above, I think the rule pertains primarily to stewards who wouldn't need your picture.

[*Miss G*]

2 minutes ago, catl331 said:

I've never heard that before!  Randyk47 has posted that he stumbled across the list once, but didn't say anything about pictures.

 

Oh oh.  Now you’ve got me wondering where I saw that!

[Randyk47]

19 minutes ago, catl331 said:

I've never heard that before!  Randyk47 has posted that he stumbled across the list once, but didn't say anything about pictures. As I said above, I think the rule pertains primarily to stewards who wouldn't need your picture.

 

Just to be clear.  The list I saw had a three or four sentence announcement/warning on the top in English and two other languages.   It basically said the following passengers/cabins (name and cabin number) have reduced/removed the HSC.  It reminded the reader that any cash tips received from said passenger/cabin must be turned in.   No passenger pictures.  This was a few years ago so indeed they may have added pictures.  Certainly easy to do.  

Edited August 14, 2019 by Randyk47

[erewhon]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

 

 

I’ve also seen the look on the concierge’s face in the Neptune Lounge when we were interrupted for a demanding passenger to insist his HSC be removed (he was in the PS for crying out loud) and “he would take care of his people”.  She hid it quickly but the look and her eyes told the story.  I was there to give her a thanks and an envelope when he interrupted us.

 

If anyone doubts it, I dare those that want to remove the HSC to walk up to any of the staff taking care of them and tell them to their face they are doing it and just watch their eyes. 

 

We saw a look of horror on the concierge's face when we said we wanted to adjust our Hotel Service Charge, the look quickly changed to big smiles when we said to adjust the amount upwards.

 

 

[rafinmd]

2 minutes ago, erewhon said:

We saw a look of horror on the concierge's face when we said we wanted to adjust our Hotel Service Charge, the look quickly changed to big smiles when we said to adjust the amount upwards.

 

 

Question--If you do that can onboard credit be used for that purpose.  I am pretty sure on HAL I have only adjusted the amount once.  It was a Zaandam cruise and I was involuntarily moved to anytime dining.  I would ordinarily give envelopes to my waiters but that wasn't practical since they were different every night and I adjusted the HSC instead.  I will often modify it on Cunard because I do transatlantics with no ports to spend OBC on but that hasn't happened to me on HAL.

 

Roy

[catl331]

5 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Question--If you do that can onboard credit be used for that purpose.

Absolutely ... and that's an excellent way IMO to use up non-refundable excess OBC if you have any!

[erewhon]

19 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Question--If you do that can onboard credit be used for that purpose.  I am pretty sure on HAL I have only adjusted the amount once.  It was a Zaandam cruise and I was involuntarily moved to anytime dining.  I would ordinarily give envelopes to my waiters but that wasn't practical since they were different every night and I adjusted the HSC instead.  I will often modify it on Cunard because I do transatlantics with no ports to spend OBC on but that hasn't happened to me on HAL.

 

Roy

 

Yes, we have used on board credit to adjust upwards on more than one occasion.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

This is probably a good place to ask something that I’ve been wondering about: If the crew member doesn’t particularly know you, how do they know whether the HSC is in place?

 

I got to thinking about that after I gave several well deserved envelopes to some of the Lido staff. Only 1 of them would have been in a position to know us to check a list or account ( because she served us in the Canaletto where we had a reservation tied to our account.) The others knew us by our first names- my DH by his, and me by the variation I go by ( which was not what our account was under). Looking back, I probably should have put our cabin number on the card.....  

 

what do others do so staff can know the HSC is in place and the cash is for them?

Multiple reports that the cruise line posts lists of people who've removed the HSC.  The crew member only has to check to see if your name is on the list.

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, TAD2005 said:

Please ignore ChinaShrek.  This member always posts idiotic comments like this to intentionally troll CC members, and gets his/her jolly's off reading the outrage responses.  The best you can do is ignore him/her and he/she will go away.

A very astute observation. 

[RuthC]

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Never slept in your bed on a clean sheet.  Never ate on a tablecloth or used a napkin.  Never taken a shower and toweled off?

 

Roy

Or used a public restroom that was clean?  

[ChinaShrek]

8 hours ago, TAD2005 said:

Please ignore ChinaShrek.  This member always posts idiotic comments like this to intentionally troll CC members, and gets his/her jolly's off reading the outrage responses.  The best you can do is ignore him/her and he/she will go away.

 

I have posted many valid reasons for ending tipping in our society on previous threads.  I refuse to be one of the lemmings like yourself who just follows whatever traditions have been established as a way of making yourself feel better.  Tipping is an abomination!

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

I have posted many valid reasons for ending tipping in our society on previous threads.  I refuse to be one of the lemmings like yourself who just follows whatever traditions have been established as a way of making yourself feel better.  Tipping is an abomination!

I wonder what the crew thinks about tipping?

[terrydtx]

So once again the Troll leaves his hole in the ground to post on any tipping thread it finds.  

[JMAUST]

18 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I was told on our last HAL cruise that comment cards were no longer used, that I would have opportunities to remember crew members on the post cruise email review.  

 

I have seen one good suggestion: if you have received excellent service from a specific crew, have them write their name and duty position on a small card.  That ensures you spell their name correctly and they get the credit for the comment.

I just disembarked the Maasdam thisMorning and comment cards were available.i filled out several over the 32 days. Always available in our room

[Judyrem]

A brief story, a Very nice bartender in a lounge was very kind to me a few times.

When I was leaving the ship I stopped in and gave her a ten dollar bill, and she said" thank you, now I can buy my boys some ice cream"!  My grandaughter  looked upset and I said that not every person is as blessed as we are.  She started to cry,

a very good life lesson indeed.

 

I am a very big tipper because if I can't afford a few extra dollars to give for lovely hard working people, I will not go!

Edited August 14, 2019 by Judyrem

[Randyk47]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

I wonder what the crew thinks about tipping?

 

Historically gratuity/tip income has been a major incentive for direct service personnel.   With over 25 years of cruising, 17 of those on HAL, we’ve had few conversations with wait staff.   Let me say up front we have never sought personal information and our conversations have been more in the vain of their home, family, and basically how they liked working on a cruise ship.   Some have offered, without being specific, that one attraction was they could earn significantly more, like three to four times or more,  on a cruise ship than they could in their native country.   Some said they were supporting their family back home, some had plans to save and open their own business, and so on.  That said I also think that the vast majority of the staff just plain enjoy being around people.  We found early on if you engage them they will engage in return.  

 

Now this may not be a popular opinion or position with some here but we personally feel while still very good the quality of the service on HAL went down with the advent of the HSC.   When it was first started there were a few staff that quietly expressed their dislike of the HSC.  In at least one or two instances they actually said they were making less money.   Of course simultaneously HAL was making other changes to their employee compensation package so hard to say what had more impact.  

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, Randyk47 said:

 

Historically gratuity/tip income has been a major incentive for direct service personnel.   With over 25 years of cruising, 17 of those on HAL, we’ve had few conversations with wait staff.   Let me say up front we have never sought personal information and our conversations have been more in the vain of their home, family, and basically how they liked working on a cruise ship.   Some have offered, without being specific, that one attraction was they could earn significantly more, like three to four times or more,  on a cruise ship than they could in their native country.   Some said they were supporting their family back home, some had plans to save and open their own business, and so on.  That said I also think that the vast majority of the staff just plain enjoy being around people.  We found early on if you engage them they will engage in return.  

While on Freedom of the Seas in 2013, we spent a lot of time with one bartender in the Crown Lounge.  This was his third cruise and he intended to do two more.  He said after five, he could build his dream home in Croatia fully paid for.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I have also met crew members who were building their nest egg by working a few contracts on a cruise ship. I remember a young cabin stewardess on the Norway who was from Romania. She was halfway through law school but ran out of money. She took a job on the ship to make enough money to finish her education. 

 

I think Randy's comment about crew liking being around people is a good point. I don't think anyone takes the job for that reason, but I think that kind of person does well in terms of personal happiness and tips, and stays on for more contracts. I'm sure there are some who are too homesick or unhappy and never take a second contract. It must be difficult to be far from home and family for so long. I remember the days before the internet when there would be long lines of crew members waiting for their turn at a pay phone in the ports. 

 

[*Miss G*]

Same.  We had one lovely cabana steward who was from the Philippines.  He and his fiancée had a 5-year plan.  After that he was finished.  He said they could live comfortably on $500/month where they were from.

[Sir PMP]

19 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

What if I never sent out laundry?  What if I never went to the pool? Why tip people who have done nothing for me?  As for the lido,  I am also waiting on myself, so I expect a tip as well.  

Cruising is not for you...

[*Miss G*]

3 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Cruising is not for you...

 

Neither is eating out.