Why Tip at the Beginning of a Cruise?

[Life Buoy]

You are sending a clear message to waiters, servers and housekeepers that you don't expect them to do a good job unless you bribe them at the start of the cruise and create the expectation that they will receive more at the end of the cruise.Do you think that those who receive the tips really respect those who bribe them before any service is rendered? I can tell you from personal experience that they do not!

[dkjretired]

21 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Tip what you want when you want...calling it a bribe is just silly...

 

Tipping is individual but over the years on this board many people including myself have said they talked to employees on the ships and many of them consider it a bribe and are insulted. 

[drakes2]

25 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Tipping is individual but over the years on this board many people including myself have said they talked to employees on the ships and many of them consider it a bribe and are insulted. 

Have to agree with you.

[DirtyDawg]

18 hours ago, MamaFej said:

I found that men and buxom women got served at pool bars while I was utterly ignored. I found it very rude.

 

Elsewhere on the ship, I received excellent service.

 

I have noticed that taller men seem to have better 'bar presence' at the pool bars and get served faster. I wonder if buying a pair of elevator sandals to increase my own bar presence would be considered getting an unfair advantage? 

 

These ones add 3 inches to your height.

 

As a married man I can't comment on the buxom women observation. We don't notice these kinda things in public after we said; "I do." 

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by DirtyDawg

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, dkjretired said:

 

Tipping is individual but over the years on this board many people including myself have said they talked to employees on the ships and many of them consider it a bribe and are insulted. 

They are in the wrong industry if they think tips are insulting.  

[Life Buoy]

10 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

They are in the wrong industry if they think tips are insulting.  

They are insulted at the lack of trust by those who tip at the start of a cruise who seem to feel that they will not get excellent service unless they give a bribe.. They do not oppose tipping if it is done in a non insulting manner. 

[PTC DAWG]

Bribe....

persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement

 

Some here need to read the definition of Bribe...there is nothing illegal or dishonest about a tip...

That said, I’m done here, I do not care how-when-how much others choose to tip...

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by PTC DAWG

[dkjretired]

33 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

They are in the wrong industry if they think tips are insulting.  

 

They never said tips were insulting.....

[Life Buoy]

16 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Bribe....

persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement

 

Some here need to read the definition of Bribe...there is nothing illegal or dishonest about a tip...

That said, I’m done here, I do not care how-when-how much others choose to tip...

 

By your definition a tip before a service is rendered is in fact a bribe since it is given so that the recipient of the tip will be induced to do extra for the one giving the tip The extra might be priority in receiving future service or skipping a line to receive service.. My guess would be that most of those who tip prior to service are thinking that they are doing so to get some advantage. Your definition says "typically illegal or dishonest" it doesn't imply always illegal or dishonest.

Thank you for the definition, it clarifies the matter.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Life Buoy

[DYKWIA]

13 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Bribe....

persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement

 

Some here need to read the definition of Bribe...there is nothing illegal or dishonest about a tip...

That said, I’m done here, I do not care how-when-how much others choose to tip...

 

 

If by tipping early you expect good pours at the bar, or maybe the decent stuff on the classic package then the person you are tipping, if they action this as a result of the tip,  might be in effect be stealing from their employer 

 

A few years ago a couple of airline employees in the UK were accepting "tips up front" to put people on the upgrade list with the airline - they went to jail for that.  Their defence was they never guarantied upgrades - didn't work, they were stealing from their employer.

[sippican]

On 2/2/2020 at 12:17 PM, trucker den said:

the only cruise I have been on was summit last year. I wanted it to be special for my wife. It was our first cruise so I booked a suite. I wanted top notch service from our butler to take care of my wife. I tipped him 100 upfront. He did nothing for us. We asked him if he could bring us coffee every morning at 7. He told us we needed to fill out the room service card every night for that. And we never saw him the rest of the cruise. This year my tipping strategy will be different.

 

Hard lesson learned!

 

[drakes2]

4 minutes ago, sippican said:

 

Hard lesson learned!

 

And you cant complain. I had a legitimate complaint once and my cabin steward was spoken to. Upon getting off ship we found our luggage in lost and found with all 4 luggage tags cut off. 2 on each piece. 

[Gracie115]

Wow, and I still contend that if you are asking your stateroom attendant to do things out of the ordinary routine there is nothing wrong with providing a tip up front to let the person know you appreciate him/her taking care of it.  We've never had one act upset or insulted by it, we've cruised for 20+ years and we know how hard they work. We don't hand out $100 bills but we don't expect extra service for free.  It's not bribery it's paying for a job to be done.  

[LouieT]

We like to tip at beginning. You can tell right away if you are going to have someone good.

[Beanb41]

Its interesting to note that Celebrity in their preamble blurbs state that the auto gratuities are all that is required. Coming from a culture that doesn't tip as a norm we take each cruise as it comes. OUt of the 12 cruises we have done only once have I not tipped the cabin steward but he was a surly bloke and I mentioned that in the end of cruise report. Waiters and Sommeliers in the MDR have always gotten extra as have our favourite in Al Bacio.  If they enhance my cruise that extra bit then I will enhance them. IF I get the expected service then sorry try harder next time

[mayleeman]

On 2/2/2020 at 2:15 PM, ONT-CA said:

 

I have to ask, do you tip for service received at WalMart?

 

My wife tips at Walmart. She tips the check-out person, and the person who carries out the bags and carefully loads them in our car.

 

In other words, she gives me all her money!

 

As to tipping a stateroom attendant beforehand, we give them something not because we expect service before someone else but because we have found that it just helps them remember us if we do see or call for something. We started this after hearing a couple of pax leaving at the end of our first cruise who were talking happily about not seeing their attendant so they didn't have to top her. We have also met others on board who have talked about strategies for not tipping.

 

I guess the main idea is to let them know we won't be stiffing them.

 

At bars on land, I might include my drink payment and tip when I place my order just so they don't have to go back and forth twice. 

 

I have never expected service before someone else who got there first. 

[zauberflote]

My first (of two so far) cruises seems to have been before pre-paid gratuities. I brought an egg crate mattress with me and left it and money on my bed with a note asking that the foam be placed a specific way. This was so long ago that I don't remember if I took the money from the pre-prepared envelope for the room steward or if it was extra. Second cruise the same, only the bed was survivable, so my pre-tip was for the steward to not touch the bed and not vacuum and only clean the bathroom (allergies, asthma, and preferred no perfumey substances anywhere near me. If they would just use Pinesol and original clorox I'd be happy lol but they didn't. Hard to air out a sealed cabin [emoji849])
When traveling monthly to visit my mother for a couple of days, I'd leave money with a note asking the same as above. Marriott Towne Suites don't used HEPA filters...


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[airlink diva]

I did one time years ago on another cruiseline.  Now prior to this time always has excellent service in my cabin.  My main thing is clean cabin and ice in my bucket = happy cruiser. 

On that trip when my cabin steward stopped by to greet me, I chatted, let him know my request and slip a $20.

During that cruise only refill the ice one, had to call for fresh ice.   After a long port day, being off the ship over 8 hours, came back to an unclean cabin (was told my "DND sign was on the doormwhich it wasn't)

I did address with the hotel manager,  after that, got the bare minimum service.   First and only time gave low scores. 

I always tip my cabin steward and assistant,  same in MDR.  But never had such issues and since then, last day only

[DYKWIA]

2 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

.....

 

I guess the main idea is to let them know we won't be stiffing them.

 

......

 

We prepay our gratuities, we won't be "stiffing" them.  Some people on here say that staff know which cabins have prepaid

 

I don't worry if staff will or will not think we have paid it, we pay it.

Edited February 4, 2020 by DYKWIA

[Eglesbrech]

23 hours ago, drakes2 said:

And you cant complain. I had a legitimate complaint once and my cabin steward was spoken to. Upon getting off ship we found our luggage in lost and found with all 4 luggage tags cut off. 2 on each piece. 

Did you do something about that?

[Cruiser_1977]

deleted...

Edited February 4, 2020 by JennyB1977

[sippican]

13 hours ago, Beanb41 said:

Its interesting to note that Celebrity in their preamble blurbs state that the auto gratuities are all that is required. 

 

That is all that is required.

 

[drakes2]

48 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Did you do something about that?

If you're referring to the cutting of the 4 tags on luggage -- NO. We searched for awhile then went to lost and found where they had been left. Had a noon flight back to Canada. This was in 2011 and I remember the tag on mine had to have been cut. 4 tags just don't fall off. I complained because the cabin steward had come into our cabin on two separate occasions each time I was not dressed. Knocked on door once then walked in.  No I'm sorry or anything so I went to guest relations.  Should have kept my mouth shut.

[Eglesbrech]

1 minute ago, drakes2 said:

If you're referring to the cutting of the 4 tags on luggage -- NO. We searched for awhile then went to lost and found where they had been left. Had a noon flight back to Canada. This was in 2011 and I remember the tag on mine had to have been cut. 4 tags just don't fall off. I complained because the cabin steward had come into our cabin on two separate occasions each time I was not dressed. Knocked on door once then walked in.  No I'm sorry or anything so I went to guest relations.  Should have kept my mouth shut.

Yes it was the tags I was asking about. 
 

I would not have been impressed by that or the walking in either.

 

 

[Life Buoy]

18 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

If you're referring to the cutting of the 4 tags on luggage -- NO. We searched for awhile then went to lost and found where they had been left. Had a noon flight back to Canada. This was in 2011 and I remember the tag on mine had to have been cut. 4 tags just don't fall off. I complained because the cabin steward had come into our cabin on two separate occasions each time I was not dressed. Knocked on door once then walked in.  No I'm sorry or anything so I went to guest relations.  Should have kept my mouth shut.

Hint: Lock the door from the inside when you are in the room and no one can walk in. I would have reported the incident. They have so many security cameras they could have traced the path of your luggage and would have seen who might have tampered with it.