New crew appreciation rate

[Level six]

Today, in my home state, I had a wonderful massage and I tipped really well.  That is the way it should be.  If you get great service, you tip well.  I didn't tip the person who cleaned the office, or the spa.  I tipped the person who helped me directly. 

All the cruise lines should pay their employees job appropriate salaries and if we get good service, we can tip them more. If the price of the cruise goes up, so be it.  Why do people who work hard and give great service get the same as people who slack? It's not the way it should work............

 

[Guest ldtr]

11 minutes ago, Level six said:

Today, in my home state, I had a wonderful massage and I tipped really well.  That is the way it should be.  If you get great service, you tip well.  I didn't tip the person who cleaned the office, or the spa.  I tipped the person who helped me directly. 

All the cruise lines should pay their employees job appropriate salaries and if we get good service, we can tip them more. If the price of the cruise goes up, so be it.  Why do people who work hard and give great service get the same as people who slack? It's not the way it should work............

 

Are you absolutely positive that the spa did not have some tip sharing in place? After all even the best waiter and massage therapist would find their customers perception of their service to go down hill if those without direct contact with the customer fail to do their job. For example if there are problem scheduling and you had to waot for an extended period, or if the room was not clean, etc. Those that provide service to the customer depend upon a number of people in the background in order for them to shine in delivering service

[Level six]

46 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Are you absolutely positive that the spa did not have some tip sharing in place? After all even the best waiter and massage therapist would find their customers perception of their service to go down hill if those without direct contact with the customer fail to do their job. For example if there are problem scheduling and you had to waot for an extended period, or if the room was not clean, etc. Those that provide service to the customer depend upon a number of people in the background in order for them to shine in delivering service

No idea.  But, it is all his choice, has nothing to do with me.  If I tipped my room steward $100 and he gave 1/2 to someone, I would not care.  It is the fact that I am forced to tip people who I have no contact with that I don't like.  I liked it better when we gave cash in envelopes to the people who actually helped us. 

If in the past, I gave our room steward a nice tip(in envelopes) and he/she gave it to the cruise line, I would not care.  But, giving it to the cruise line directly........I do it, but I do not like it. 

[julia]

20 minutes ago, Level six said:

 It is the fact that I am forced to tip people who I have no contact with that I don't like.  

Ding, Ding, Ding Ding, Ding!!!  ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON!  

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

That is an absolute crock and just one more ridiculous "rumor."  The reality is that if you hand cash to a bar tender, waiter, steward, etc. they would not often have a clue whether or not you paid, cancelled, increased or decreased your tips (I refuse to accept that ridiculous crew term. That cash goes quietly in a pocket where it stays, unless that crew member makes a decision to share it with others (unlikely).   Just think about what you said.  If you go to Guest Relations and remove or reduce auto tips, do you think they put out a shipwide announcement that passenger X just removed their tips?   Do you really think on the Koningsdam, 1000 crew members get daily updates on who, out of 2500 passengers, removed or changed tips?

 

Hank

You apparently don't know that the bar waiters and bartenders have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the hotel service charge...that is for waiters and cabin stewards.  The bar waiters and bartenders are a totally separate contract, and are part of the 18% tip on booze sales. I NEVER said if you give extra money to a bar waiter or bar tender they would know the status of my HSC, because bar waiters and bartenders have NOTHING to do with the HSC. Perhaps you should read my post.

 

You apparently totally disregard all the common reports that if you reduce or eliminate the hotel service, room steward supervisors and MDR supervisors do in fact know who has reduced or canceled their HSC.

 

Please provide proof that I am wrong. Or, because you are Hank, you don't need any? I  certainly know any comments I have made through the chain of communication and command has definitely been passed on to the employees involved.

[oldbluff]

13 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

People covered by the "Crew appreciation" don't have to pool extra tips, as long as you don't cancel your Crew Appreciation contribution. Discussed here frequently.

 

Bar waiters are on a different contract, covered by the 18% on each drink, which is pooled. Extra money given to them is not pooled.

On Koningsdam last week, I asked two lead bartenders what happens with bar tips, both cash and a tip amount added to a drink receipt.

 

Both gave me the same answer. Cash tips are pooled among bartenders, either across the ship or for a group of bars. Tips added to a drink receipt go only to the bartender listed on the receipt. This is the opposite I would expect, but there was no misunderstanding my question and their response. It was still early in the evening. 😁
 

I am unsure what the protocol is for beverage servers, as I only asked a couple bartenders about their tips given directly to them.

 

Cliff

[oldbluff]

14 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

Duplicate post.

Edited December 21, 2022 by oldbluff
Duplicate post

[tunafish]

14 hours ago, Djb4CC said:

It was surprising to me that all the tips are pooled “across the line” and also that they are used as bonuses too.  So the money you tip does not actually go to the specific staff on my ship. 

 

For me it was clear years ago that the only tip you can give to crew would be cash from hand to hand. The new "prepaid tips" fare only further prove that crew does not see the tips in the form which one would think or expect and this is nothing else but a hidden was of revenue generation. Crew may have incentive bonuses based on guest feedback but for me this is not "tip" but rather a payroll structure. What even further "interesting" is why do they charge tips in specialty dining or any paid venues for that matter if your daily assessment includes tips to all service workers...

[Nang]

4 hours ago, oldbluff said:

On Koningsdam last week, I asked two lead bartenders what happens with bar tips, both cash and a tip amount added to a drink receipt.

 

Both gave me the same answer. Cash tips are pooled among bartenders, either across the ship or for a group of bars. Tips added to a drink receipt go only to the bartender listed on the receipt. This is the opposite I would expect, but there was no misunderstanding my question and their response. It was still early in the evening. 😁
 

I am unsure what the protocol is for beverage servers, as I only asked a couple bartenders about their tips given directly to them.

 

Cliff

On the Rotterdam in August I observed the lead bartender in the Rock Room bar being handed a cash tip by a passenger who thanked him for his service over the cruise. He thanked her and explained he would put it in the pool. The passenger insisted she wanted him to keep the tip for himself as he had earned it. Once again he thanked her and explained tips go in the pool. She was clearly not impressed, shrugged her shoulders and walked off. The notes were placed in a small open topped box next to the till. 

[Hlitner]

13 hours ago, Sailnsurf said:

What this policy indicates is that apart from direct tipping the best way to ensure exceptional service is rewarded is to put compliments in writing.

With this we strongly agree!  DW and I spent 200 days crusiing on the Prinsendam (our favorite HAL ship).   On that ship we would hang-out at the Crow's Nest and forged a nice bond with the staff.  At one point I wrote-up a glowing report and dropped it off at Guest Relations.  A few days later, several bar staff thanked us for the positive comments.  A few days after that, the Beverage Manager (a good friend) also gave us a thanks for the comments.  But the real shocker was that late one night, while sharing the bar with Captain Gundersen, he brought up our comments and thanked us for recognizing the crew.   Bottom line is that just about everyone does some kind of tipping (auto tips or otherwise) but very few take the time to write a note.  

 

Hank

[DFD1]

I've been told by some members of staff that the comments are worth as much as the tip. That they be singled out and mentioned it very important.

 

The "crew appreciation" is in fact a hotel service charge administered by the company.....mostly as part of compensation....the cost of which they have passed on directly to the passengers.

 

It most certainly, in my opinion, is not a tip.

 

 

 

[Hlitner]

18 minutes ago, DFD1 said:

I've been told by some members of staff that the comments are worth as much as the tip. That they be singled out and mentioned it very important.

 

The "crew appreciation" is in fact a hotel service charge administered by the company.....mostly as part of compensation....the cost of which they have passed on directly to the passengers.

 

It most certainly, in my opinion, is not a tip.

 

 

 

Depending on the cruise line it may be called tips, gratuities, daily service charge (DSC), or crew appreciation.  When we started cruising on HAL the line used to say "tipping not required."  Eventually they eliminated that language and encouraged tipping (by leaving envelopes in the cabins).  That eventually gave way to the daily auto-tips.  And now, somebody in Seattle with nothing better to do decided to rename it "crew appreciation."    

 

I sometimes wonder how long before HAL imposes a "Resort Fee" similar to many hotels.  That would include things like usage of your commode, shower, safe, the pool, gym, etc.  And perhaps we will soon see the entertainers waiting at the exits with a tip cup.  And I wonder when the crew who help load/unload tenders will have their hands out.  When does it end?

 

Hank

 

 

[Guest ldtr]

57 minutes ago, DFD1 said:

I've been told by some members of staff that the comments are worth as much as the tip. That they be singled out and mentioned it very important.

 

The "crew appreciation" is in fact a hotel service charge administered by the company.....mostly as part of compensation....the cost of which they have passed on directly to the passengers.

 

It most certainly, in my opinion, is not a tip.

 

 

 

it is a pool allocated by the company, but it meets the requirements under us accounting law to qualify as a tip, with the associated treatment.

[DFD1]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Depending on the cruise line it may be called tips, gratuities, daily service charge (DSC), or crew appreciation.  When we started cruising on HAL the line used to say "tipping not required."  Eventually they eliminated that language and encouraged tipping (by leaving envelopes in the cabins).  That eventually gave way to the daily auto-tips.  And now, somebody in Seattle with nothing better to do decided to rename it "crew appreciation."    

 

I sometimes wonder how long before HAL imposes a "Resort Fee" similar to many hotels.  That would include things like usage of your commode, shower, safe, the pool, gym, etc.  And perhaps we will soon see the entertainers waiting at the exits with a tip cup.  And I wonder when the crew who help load/unload tenders will have their hands out.  When does it end?

 

Hank

 

 

In one sense, that's what it already is. We'll probably see the day when it is $20.00 per day or more.

[Level six]

2 hours ago, DFD1 said:

In one sense, that's what it already is. We'll probably see the day when it is $20.00 per day or more.

It has been raised to $20 per day on Princess and NCL, starting in a few months.

[kazu]

22 hours ago, oldbluff said:

On Koningsdam last week, I asked two lead bartenders what happens with bar tips, both cash and a tip amount added to a drink receipt.

 

Both gave me the same answer. Cash tips are pooled among bartenders, either across the ship or for a group of bars. Tips added to a drink receipt go only to the bartender listed on the receipt. This is the opposite I would expect, but there was no misunderstanding my question and their response. It was still early in the evening. 😁
 

I am unsure what the protocol is for beverage servers, as I only asked a couple bartenders about their tips given directly to them.

 

Cliff

 

Interesting - I just asked at the Sea View Pool Bar and he said they are his to keep,”

Maybe the rules are different at the Sea View Bar?    Anyways - that’s what I was told.’