A different question about tipping

[cruisinbuddy]

How do the servers know that they'll be getting a tip from you, but it's already on you s&s account, and they won't necesarily be getting an envelope.

[aring75]

Every time we've had tips put on our account we've had vouchers and envelopes to give to our servers/cabin stewards/etc. That way you have something to give to them on "tip night" showing your appreciation.

[K&RCurt]

It depends on the cruise line.

 

On HAL we were not given any vouchers to hand out to the various people. Each room steward and DR Table team were given lists of their passengers that indicated if they had left the tips on the shipboard account. On HAL they needed to know this as many people give cash tips in addition to or in lieu of the ship account tips. Cash tips from people who reduced or eliminated the tips from the ship account had to be turned in and pooled. Cash tips from those who kept the tip amount on the ship account could be kept.

 

I would search for "tips" on the forum for the line you will be cruising with. I'm sure you will find the typical protocol for that line. You will also enjoy all of the "interesting interaction" between CC posters regarding tipping!

[Cotton]

It would be so nice if folks would name the cruiseline they'll be on when asking questions.:)

 

Carnival doesn't do vouchers, either. The list of passengers' tips are provided to the cabin stewards and dining room wait staff. They are aware of who leaves them on, and also of who removes them! I leave all automatic tips in place on my S&S account...then tip a little extra in cash on the last evening.

[DONNALAKA]

Princess Also Did Not Give Vouchers, But I Wish They All Did.

I Felt It Was Alittle Uncomfortable On The Last Evening , To Have To Shake Hands W/o An Envelope ;)

 

{some At Our Table Did It The Old Fashioned Way }

 

I Am Not Sure If I Agree W/the "sharing" Tip Idea, Anyway.

What Rewards The Better Servers If The Mediocore Or Even Poor{new/learning} Receive The Same Amt. ?

[Jane110]

Princess Also Did Not Give Vouchers, But I Wish They All Did.

I Felt It Was Alittle Uncomfortable On The Last Evening , To Have To Shake Hands W/o An Envelope ;)

 

We always keep the auto tips on our shipboard account. However, at the end of the cruise, we'll go to most of those who've served us well with an envelope with additional tips. We let them know that we've kept the auto tips but we'd like to give them extra for their fine service.

 

{some At Our Table Did It The Old Fashioned Way }

 

I Am Not Sure If I Agree W/the "sharing" Tip Idea, Anyway.

What Rewards The Better Servers If The Mediocore Or Even Poor{new/learning} Receive The Same Amt. ?

 

I like it especially since we almost never eat lunch in the dining room and no one tips the buffet or poolside grill people. Our experience is that those who are new and learning still try hard, if they make a few flubs - hey, I sometimes make a flub too and would hate to be "docked" pay because of it. As far as a poor server, well, I find it's such a rarity, that I would simply try to avoid that waiters table again and if he gets a small percentage of my tip, so what?

 

I guess I see the auto tip as part of the cost and then tip extra for exceptional service.

 

We also tip our room steward over and above. One one cruise, we had a really poor room steward. We still kept the auto tip, we just didn't give him extra at the end.

[DONNALAKA]

i understand ur points, esp. for the poolside workers. but i assummed their pay scale would take this into acct.{no tips} or it is used as a stepping stone to dining rm work, hence tips. most jobs reward productivity and good customer/collegue relations on a sliding scale {at least my place of employment does } the better workers get the higher raise/promotions etc . right ?

 

btw, i have never NOT tipped at least the required amt . but i don't "over tip" all the time either. i think more average people don't over tip than do .

 

i think a flub here or there is also acceptable { we ARE all human ;) } my point w/the sharing is that the newbies, slackers {which i agree haven't run into many } might strive if they were waiting for the envelopes going directly to them }

 

in any case...... it is kinda a moot point since this is the way it is being done and prefered by the cruise lines , so i'll continue to do it . also, don't they also have to "pool" the extra tips they get ? or no ?

 

ps: also, aren't the lunch and buffet workers{not the poolside grillers} the same waiters? i usually see them rotating ............

[DONNALAKA]

woops wanted to delete . added final comment to above post .

[Keith1010]

On most cruise lines, they will be informed of the tips a day or so ahead of time so don't worry about them knowing. They will know.

 

Keith

[RevSmith]

tips are generally pooled. If you have a special waiter hand him/her an envelope with a little extra in it...tell them that you have aready included a tip on your cruise card, but this is a little extra to show your appreciation. Or have them remove your tips from your card and just give out envelopes.

[boards]

On our last cruise (Veendam) 2005, a card of thank you was slipped under our cabin door for leaving our tips on our shipboard account. I would suggest that it was the cabin steward who did this and so he would know which passengers to report if he received a tip from them.

[Cotton]

tips are generally pooled.

 

Not on Carnival ships. The automatic tips are given to the individuals who are assigned to you; i.e., cabin steward, waiters.

 

IF somebody removes their auto tips and tips in person - THEN those tips must be pooled. Much fairer to do it the regular way - leave all tips on the S&S account so the right people get their tips.

[Cotton]

I like it especially since we almost never eat lunch in the dining room and no one tips the buffet or poolside grill people.

 

On Carnival, the buffet/poolside folks ARE included in the automatic tips. Also, many of the regular dining room waitstaff work additional shifts in the Lido buffet area.

[SANDY BEACH]

We just sailed Celebrity Infinity in Feb and asked our waiter this exact question. He indicated that they posted after the final meal what the tips were. Many times we tip a little extra but like to give this in cash. We always indicate in a note that we have left the automatic tip on our account and that the amount enclosed is extra. I'm so glad we included the note since he may have thought we gave less than the expected amount. Our room steward was notified on the morning of the day before we disembarked. I'm not sure if all Celebrity ships are the same.

[Seago2]

I was very conscious of this my last cruise because I was sailing with four kids and I felt the crew deserved more than the "usual." I am always sensitive to the issue because I was a waittress throughout my teens and college.

 

Obviously I left the mandatory gratuity ON. I don't know how the staff would know if I had taken it off or on (I am referring to previous posts) since I saw many people standing at the purser's desk waiting to remove the gratuity on the morning we disembarked...

 

I gave a $20 to the cabin steward the first night. This was just me handing him the $20. I always bring $100 in $1's whenever I travel with the kids or otherwise. This makes it easy to tip room service staff, porters, cabbies, bartenders, and buy things from local vendors in port. This cruise I am going to bring more than that in $1's... Keep in kind that if you add a few bucks to a small bar bill, such as when a waiter brings you two drinks, that money is pooled. By pooled I mean diluted and apportioned as the cruise line sees fit. I would rather my waiter get the money than some blowhard maitre' d or behind the scenes manager. Hence the cash.

 

Then, I brought a few Thank You cards last time. I just wrote "Thank You for service above and beyond my expectations" and gave the cards- with cash- to my team waiter, room steward, and a couple of other people who really made a difference to us. That way they knew that I wasn't substituting this money for the mandatory gratuity, but that this was extra.

 

FYI- one of the waiters, who was not even my dining room waiter but was so fantastic to me and the kids in the buffet and everywhere else (it seemed), just emailed me for like the 100th time since we got off the ship. Great guy from India on the Imagination now. But I digress.

 

I gave my waiter $75, the Indian guy I just mentioned $50, the room steward the $20 on the first night and like $25 in small bills, along with four water bottles of Absolut (lol) on the last day. I swear the room service guys probably made $50 from my cabin as well, in $2 increments.

 

Hope this helps you!

[SANDY BEACH]

I was also told by my dining room waiter that if I added additional to his tip on the paper I signed that it would go directly to him and not be pooled. I just needed to indicate it under the dining room waiter section. They have indicated a line for extra tip.