Another question re tips for First Timers

[Lynruss60]

We know that Seabourn says Tips included.  But wondering exactly what that means.  Do you tip at all?  For example when you get room service, drinks etc????  Also I know with other cruise line you have a standard daily tip amount you pay at the end of the cruise that is tacked onto your bill.  Couldn’t see anything on the website about this. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[fudge]

Seabourn state that tipping is not expected at anytime however, some people do tip thats a fact, whether its because they expect better service or they tip because a crew member has genuinely gone over and above their normal duties. 

 

There is a crew fund you can contribute to at the end of the cruise, that way even the stoker in the bilge gets a share.

[raphael360]

This is a good question for a first time SB passenger.  Think if it this way:  you don't really tip by choice if you go on a big box cruise ship .  It's worked into the price.  For example, you buy a drink on Celebrity, there is a 20% gratuity added to the bill for each drink (tip).  Gratuities for room attendants and food service are ripped out of our credit cards by the cruise line where we want to tip or not. In the old days we use to leave an envelope of cash in our room for the room attendant or give one to our food server but it's no longer up to us to tip.

 

Seaboun's tipping policy is: "Tipping is neither required or expected" and I take them at their word.  I have never tipped a staff member in 150 days of cruising because it's not expected and, in my opinion, it's included in the price.  The exception to this is  "vendor" services like haircuts and massages who I do tip (and is expected ;).  And your tour guides of course.

 

Tipping is kind of an American phenomenon.  I worked for years in Europe (The Netherlands) and traveling most of the world for work.  The Dutch, for example find our 20% food service tipping policy crazy.  They may leave a few coins but never 20%. The gratuity is included in the price of the meal in a Dutch restaurant.  We we're on a tour in Cuba and the tour operator actually yelled at us Americans for tipping too much.  It was ruining it for the rest of the tourists who were mostly Europeans.  (Where they would tip a dollar, we would tip 5 - 10 dollars.)

 

I know I'm going to get slammed for this post but I'll just say this: on SB, tip whatever you want to make yourself feel good but  "Tipping is neither required or expected".  I never felt tipping was expected on SB.

 

 

[Lynruss60]

Thanks for the info.  I feel on the big box ships...adding a tip directly onto my bill is a shame also. I don’t mind tipping but at my own discretion.

[saminina]

25 minutes ago, raphael360 said:

Seaboun's tipping policy is: "Tipping is neither required or expected" and I take them at their word.  I have never tipped a staff member in 150 days of cruising because it's not expected and, in my opinion, it's included in the price.  The exception to this is  "vendor" services like haircuts and massages who I do tip (and is expected ;).  And your tour guides of course.

 

 

 

Directed same question as OP to fellow passengers on first cruise with this tipping policy.   Three responses all the same.   DO NOT tip individuals.   If you feel like tipping.....crew fund is how we do it.  That was 19 years ago and we've stuck to it.  Times have changed, passengers have changed.  The tipping policy has not.   The crew is paid more than you can imagine.   They are not doing this job for cash tips.  

[T^2]

This post is NOT directed at any posters on this thread/site, only asking an obnoxious question.  I ALREADY REGRET this post, but here goes anyway...

What is the difference between a tip being accessed on a passenger at the end of a big box cruise line and a tip already being factored into the cruise total cost for a premium line?  On big box cruise line, I (made up numbers) pay $300/day for the cruise, $15/day for gratuities, $$85/day drink package, and $30/day for wifi ($430/day "all in").  On a premium cruise line, I pay $500/day, but don't know how this payment is broken out for the same services, not same level of service.  In either case, I have the option to pay additional funds to ship personnel.

 

[wripro]

You also have the option to give the bartender twenty bucks for your martini. Why is people take drinks included for what is says but not tips included?

[Mauzac]

I don't tip on SB.  It was one of the reasons I chose this line.   I find tipping a bit awkward at times.  We British sometimes aren't very good at it 

 

I do often buy a small gift for the room attendant and write her a nice card.   I have tipped for a haircut in the Spa.  

 

A couple of cruises ago, we dined with a couple (they might have been TAs, they had some sort of badge on, and seemed to have meetings in the Obs Bar, we didn't ask).  They said to us at dinner that they tip everyone on SB.  I said we didn't, and they couldn't really understand why not....

Edited August 14, 2019 by Mauzac

[Isklaar]

Please consider a donation to the crew fund. There are lots of members of the crew who are doing a fabulous job behind the scenes, but as they aren't customer facing they don't even have an opportunity for tips. 

[SLSD]

The only tip we have ever given is to our stewardess on our last cruise --because she was so dear and worked so hard.  We do contribute to the Crew Fund and think that is the appropriate thing to do.  We appreciate that Seabourn has made this easy for us--- no tipping expected as it is included in our fare.  Generally, we adhere to the no tipping policy.   

[raphael360]

2 hours ago, T^2 said:

This post is NOT directed at any posters on this thread/site, only asking an obnoxious question.  I ALREADY REGRET this post, but here goes anyway...

What is the difference between a tip being accessed on a passenger at the end of a big box cruise line and a tip already being factored into the cruise total cost for a premium line?  On big box cruise line, I (made up numbers) pay $300/day for the cruise, $15/day for gratuities, $$85/day drink package, and $30/day for wifi ($430/day "all in").  On a premium cruise line, I pay $500/day, but don't know how this payment is broken out for the same services, not same level of service.  In either case, I have the option to pay additional funds to ship personnel.

 

I can only add this to your post.  My average price for admission is approximately $1000 per day.  Can I have the name of your TA. PLEASE 😜

[raphael360]

4 hours ago, Lynruss60 said:

We know that Seabourn says Tips included.  But wondering exactly what that means.  Do you tip at all?  For example when you get room service, drinks etc????  Also I know with other cruise line you have a standard daily tip amount you pay at the end of the cruise that is tacked onto your bill.  Couldn’t see anything on the website about this. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Lynnruss

Here is what you will miss out on by choosing SB:  gold by the inch, bingo, photographers dogging you 24/7, big cheap watch sale, $12 drinks, billion to 0 lottery tickets, up charges for real food restaurants, $3 water, fighting rude people in long lines EVERY WHERE all the time. Are you sure you want to give up all of these joyful things?   Really be sure. I’m so excited for you if you make the leap of faith and do SB. You’re first time SB will be like heaven compared to big boxes. I still remember my first SB cruise waiting for the bad to happen. 200 sea days later - still no bad.  Oh also, remember the old Love Boat tv show where everyone leisurely walks off the ship happy and smiling, maybe stopping to hug Cruise Director Julie, on the way out??   SB. You won’t get that experience shuffling off a mega ship with 6000 people. 

[rl787]

I am another that likes to donate to the crew fund. I think that there are so many crew members who genuinely try to exceed your expectations where do you stop. To us the Crew Fund is a way of showing appreciation to everyone including the Deck hands who will always smile and say good morning when they are maintaining the ship.  That said we do like to do a little something extra for our room stewardess, it tends to be a little card and something half way through and a private "thank you" just before we leave.

I have never ever felt any gratuity was expected by anyone, and I have never felt or noticed that any passenger had received better service than anyone else just because I had even suspected that they had "tipped"

If you feel that you have been well looked after, a Crew Fund donation is appreciated but not expected, your call.

[Lynruss60]

38 minutes ago, raphael360 said:

I can only add this to your post.  My average price for admission is approximately $1000 per day.  Can I have the name of your TA. PLEASE 😜

Us too.  I think our Canadian $ really brings the price up for us.

[florisdekort]

We have never tipped extra on Seabourn but always make a donation to the crew fund instead. 

 

Seabourn’s no tipping environment was a wonderful concept in theory but it was never going to work as some people simply can’t help themselves.  As soon as the first person tips and talks about it, others start feeling bad, awkward or cheap for not tipping and then it all goes downhill from there. 

 

Floris 

[Ka Honu]

19 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

... As soon as the first person tips and talks about it, others start feeling bad, awkward or cheap for not tipping and then it all goes downhill from there. 

Why does what someone chooses to do and broadcast, especially when in violation of line policy, affect someone else's behavior? If they can afford "luxury" cruises, you'd think they'd be adult enough to make such decisions based on their own standards without relying on peer pressure to make such decisions and would understand that it's a personal preference and should remain a PRIVATE decision.

 

My anecdotal observation seems to indicate that the guests who have the closest relationships with the crew (as individuals and as a whole) observe the policy, might contribute to the Crew Fund, and occasionally give usually small, non-cash gifts to favored employees and their families. Sounds reasonable to me but that's just my opinion (and doesn't necessarily mean that it is or isn't my personal choice).

 

Jus' sayin'...

Edited August 14, 2019 by Ka Honu

[florisdekort]

9 minutes ago, Ka Honu said:

Why does what someone chooses to do and broadcast, especially when in violation of line policy, affect someone else's behavior?

 

Perhaps that’s just me but it does. If I read on here that people tip their stewardess for excellent service, I feel obliged to consider the same next time. 

[raphael360]

I really love the concept of "excellent customer service included"  because that's what the SB brand is all about.  Not that I have to tip to get better service.

[Nachosdelux]

+1 for the crew fund.  it will be greatly appreciated.

[freddie]

We absolutely agree that on SB, as on the other lines that we cruise (Regent, SS, & Crystal), the best options if one wishes to show appreciation for good service are the crew welfare fund and a positive comment on the mid-cruise and end-of-cruise forms.

However, and not with the intention of throwing this thread wildly off-topic, I would like to respectfully make an observation with regard to "small, non-cash gifts" instead of cash.  The crew members have compact, shared quarters with little room for such things as souvenirs from our various hometowns, about which they have quite understandably little interest.  Therefore, I will be so brazen as to propose that if one does wish to tip in some fashion to show appreciation for a particular crew member having gone above and beyond the expected norm, then that tip is most useful in the form of simple cash, which takes very little space, is not fattening or in violation of a crew member's religion or health, and is something that the crew member can use on his/her next visit home to the family.

Just a notion to consider...

Edited August 15, 2019 by freddie

[2SailingNomads]

5 hours ago, Ka Honu said:

Why does what someone chooses to do and broadcast, especially when in violation of line policy, affect someone else's behavior? If they can afford "luxury" cruises, you'd think they'd be adult enough to make such decisions based on their own standards without relying on peer pressure to make such decisions and would understand that it's a personal preference and should remain a PRIVATE decision.

 

My anecdotal observation seems to indicate that the guests who have the closest relationships with the crew (as individuals and as a whole) observe the policy, might contribute to the Crew Fund, and occasionally give usually small, non-cash gifts to favored employees and their families. Sounds reasonable to me but that's just my opinion (and doesn't necessarily mean that it is or isn't my personal choice).

 

Jus' sayin'...

Agree totally.  Over the years there have been multiple threads on this topic.  IMO what one chooses to do should be kept to themselves if they go outside the stated policy.  People have been criticized for saying they give cash (and we have seen more than a few blatant examples when the giver wanted the attention of those around them - and cases have been reported on this board of the same behavior) or "gifts" to crew.  

 

We have gotten gifts for multiple crew members over the years - and have taken more than a few out for lunch, and ever since we found out about it we always do contribute to the Crew Welfare fund, but neither of those are "Required nor expected" - although appreciated.  And we make our Crew Fund contribution near the end of the cruise, typically the last day or two before it ends as we are saying "Thanks - to everyone from the guys painting the rails and cleaning the public restrooms to the Officers", not that we are expecting anything special for making that donation.

[Lynruss60]

Thanks for all the info.  If we do choose to, we will donate to the crew welfare fund and stick to the policy.

[saminina]

And thanks for being a new to Seabourn sailor that respects established protocol.   Also, happy to see so many subscribe to rewarding crew exclusively thru the fund.

[Thecat123]

Also when we are going ashore we ask the girls is there anything they need in case their shop doesn't have it and we could pick it up for them

[curly wurly]

Whatever you decide to do please fill in your Seabourn questionaire when you return home.  Its really important to praise those crew members who have gone the extra mile.  I always write down their names and the reasons why I think they are so special so I don't forget.

 

I have lost count of the number of times a favourite crew member has thanked me for comments I made on a previous cruise, and have been promoted with the help of positive feedback.  I'm sure this is more important than a few extra dollars on departure.