Another tipping query

[Pyrate13]

Many posters mention that they tip above the HAL $10 a day and I'm fine with that. I'm wondering what you feel is an acceptable tip for, say the cabin stewart or your server when they give great service? How about the Pinnacle server? I feel I'm usually a good tipper but would like to be in the general range and not feel like a cheapskate either.

[dot73]

I personally like the automatic tipping as everybody gets a fair share. The service on HAL is truly exceptional. I have never received such wonderful personal service on all-inclusive land vacations as I have on my previous 5 HAL cruises. My belief is that extra tips should be earned. To me, it's a pleasure to extra tip some of the HAL staff as they definitely earn it. I travel solo and on a budget, but I always include in my budgeting extra tips because I know that on every HAL cruise there will be employees who deserve them.

 

On my last cruise (10 days), I tipped my room steward an extra $50. He was totally amazing. He was nearby when my luggage arrived in the cabin and when he saw that I was alone, he lifted my suitcases on the bed so that I didn't have to struggle unpacking. My room was sparkling clean every day. The ice box was always full. One day I must have accidently dropped $20 in the garbage with some receipts, he found it and put it on my dresser with the crumpled receipts in case I didn't mean to throw them out. He always had a smile on his face and whenever he saw me in the hallway, always asked if I needed anything. I did not tip my dining room room steward anything extra as he was rather nonchalant and forgetful about special orders, etc. I also gave a $15 tip to the icecream man as he was delightful and after the first day knew exactly what my favourites. The girl in the Java Cafe also got $15, as I drank my coffee there at least twice every day and she always made by Caramel Late just right. Hope this helps.

[LDinCT]

Are the tips added when you book or to your shipboard account?

[Himself]

I believe they are added to your shipboard account

[dot73]

They are added to your shipboard account.

[LHC]

The tipping is 70. for a 7 day cruise or 100. for a 10 day cruise. It is on your shipboard account, so if you get a "cruise credit" from your HAL agent or your other travel agent, it is paying for your tips.

The exception is that I like to give to those who have truly been helpful to me extra, and I give them what I want them to have regardless of the $10.

The gentleman who gave me my tray each morning in the Lido on the Zaandam, got extra. As did my cabin steward who was extremely kind to my daughter and I, and I liked one of the servers in the Dining Room.

I wish I had given some to a couple of our tour operators but did not think about it until we had reboarded the ship, but I will remember on the next trip.

LHC

[kryos]

Many posters mention that they tip above the HAL $10 a day and I'm fine with that. I'm wondering what you feel is an acceptable tip for, say the cabin stewart or your server when they give great service? How about the Pinnacle server? I feel I'm usually a good tipper but would like to be in the general range and not feel like a cheapskate either.

As for the cabin steward or your waitstaff in the dining room ... depends on the length of the cruise. I had an outstanding cabin steward on my last cruise ... the best I've had yet ... went way above and beyond what I would have expected. I slid him an extra $100 ... but that was a 30-day cruise.

 

The dining room staff ... I honestly can't remember ... but it wasn't anywhere near $100. I think I might have given the waiter $40 and his assistant $30. Again, that's above the auto-tips.

 

I didn't pass any extra to bartenders and such ... figured the 15% auto-tip on each order pretty much took care of their services. I'm not that big a drinker. I did give something extra to the server at the Explorations Cafe, though ... because I used her services just about every day and she always took good care of me.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Pyrate13]

This will be a 7 day. On a 10 day I gave our waiter $100, the assistant $40, the cabin stewart $50 (didn't see much of him though) and the head waiter $30. In the Crow's Nest, where we did pretty much all of our socializing, there were four great servers and I usually gave an extra buck each time one of them brought us drinks (I figure they split the 15% with everyone working there and these 4 treated us VERY well) and at the end I gave them each an additional $20. Does this sound about right? I've seen the basic breakdown on where the $10 a day goes so if I bring it up to somewhere near these levels I should be OK then?

[frbob]

As I understand the HAL tipping policy/rules, all tips given directly to a HAL employee must be turned in to the tip pool for equitable distribution. If this is the case, any tips given directly to your cabin steward or waiter, in excess of the $10/day, cannot be kept by the employee and must be turned over to the pool. An employee caught pocketing the extra tip is subject to disciplinary action and/or immediate termination of employment without travel expenses.

 

I think I'm correct about this policy, but maybe not. Perhaps someone knows differently. I used to be "perfect" and always "100 percent right about everything", but, with age and experience I am now only "pretty damn sure". :) :) :)

[dot73]

I was told by my room steward on my last cruise in February 2005 that if you opt out of the automatic tipping and give direct tips, those tips have to be turned over and shared.

However, anything the staff gets in excess of the automatic tipping, they can keep themselves and don't have to share. Otherwise, what is the point of giving an extra tip for extraordinary service to an individual if it is only going to be shared with people who may not deserve the extra tip. Of course, things may have changed since then and I could be totally wrong.

[kryos]

As I understand the HAL tipping policy/rules, all tips given directly to a HAL employee must be turned in to the tip pool for equitable distribution. If this is the case, any tips given directly to your cabin steward or waiter, in excess of the $10/day, cannot be kept by the employee and must be turned over to the pool. An employee caught pocketing the extra tip is subject to disciplinary action and/or immediate termination of employment without travel expenses.

 

I think I'm correct about this policy, but maybe not. Perhaps someone knows differently. I used to be "perfect" and always "100 percent right about everything", but, with age and experience I am now only "pretty damn sure". :) :) :)

My understanding is that as long as you don't remove the standard auto-tip, anything you give an employee in excess of that is his to keep. At least that is what my cabin steward told me on my cruise in January. He took such good care of me that I wanted to give him something extra, but didn't want to do it if he would only have to share it. I wanted HIM to have that money ... not every cabin steward on my deck. He assured me that as long as I kept the regular auto-tip in place, anything I gave him would be his to keep.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[HappilyMarriedMommy]

Does anyone have an opinion or advice on Hal's per person, daily charge for tipping when it comes to infants?

[sail7seas]

I believe that each person, each guest, is part of the automatic tipping regardless of age.

 

The automatic tip would apply to an infant.

[sail7seas]

I was told by my room steward on my last cruise in February 2005 that if you opt out of the automatic tipping and give direct tips, those tips have to be turned over and shared.

However, anything the staff gets in excess of the automatic tipping, they can keep themselves and don't have to share. Otherwise, what is the point of giving an extra tip for extraordinary service to an individual if it is only going to be shared with people who may not deserve the extra tip. Of course, things may have changed since then and I could be totally wrong.

 

If you leave the automatic tip in place, anything extra a crew person receives, he/she may keep.

 

If you remove the automatic tip, anything you tip anyone must be turned into the pool.

[walnut99]

I wonder why we are concerned with what our waiter, room steward or whomever does with the extra tip. When we give it to that person, we have shown our appreciation for a job well done. If they freely decide to share it with others, it should not be our concern.

 

Once we give a relative or friend a gift, we have no right to see that it is used the way we would like. Would this not be the same for a gratuity.

 

John

[dakrewser]

Once we give a relative or friend a gift, we have no right to see that it is used the way we would like. Would this not be the same for a gratuity.

 

That's the way I understand it...

[K&RCurt]

I wonder why we are concerned with what our waiter, room steward or whomever does with the extra tip. When we give it to that person, we have shown our appreciation for a job well done. If they freely decide to share it with others, it should not be our concern.

 

Once we give a relative or friend a gift, we have no right to see that it is used the way we would like. Would this not be the same for a gratuity.

 

John

 

The issue is not with the individual "freely deciding to share". If the auto tip is removed or reduced on the ship board account the employees are REQUIRED (i.e. forced) to share...nothing 'freely" about it. If the auto tip is left on the ship board account THEN the individuals are "free" to do with the tip what they desire.

[gxchan]

I think I'm correct about this policy, but maybe not. Perhaps someone knows differently. I used to be "perfect" and always "100 percent right about everything", but, with age and experience I am now only "pretty damn sure". :) :) :)

 

I love your statement and find it is exactly on mark for me as well.

 

As for who gets the additional tips: Like a gift the person receiving it is free to do with it as they please; if they wish to share it, they can; if they wish to keep it, they can. What I object to is my gift to someone being taken from them by force (rule) and then given to others. It would be like giving a cash gift for grauation to a kid in my family and having their parents insist they split that cash with their siblings. IMHO, that would be wrong.

[tomc]

At my age, "I'm absolutely right ... I think."

[Randyk47]

On our recently completed Volendam cruise we left the auto-tip in place across the board. We tipped extra for service we felt was above and beyond. I didn't ask any of the senior management if the "cash-in-hand" tips had to be turned in but I did ask our concierge and she said "No, not as long as you kept the auto-tip in place." What interested me and I failed to ask was how in the world do they control that? Everybody who gets a cash tip has to remember how much and who they got it from and then check against a list? Then they have to "come clean" and say "Randyk47 gave me $50 and he took his auto-tip off so here's the money". Spooky......

[K&RCurt]

On our recently completed Volendam cruise we left the auto-tip in place across the board. We tipped extra for service we felt was above and beyond. I didn't ask any of the senior management if the "cash-in-hand" tips had to be turned in but I did ask our concierge and she said "No, not as long as you kept the auto-tip in place." What interested me and I failed to ask was how in the world do they control that? Everybody who gets a cash tip has to remember how much and who they got it from and then check against a list? Then they have to "come clean" and say "Randyk47 gave me $50 and he took his auto-tip off so here's the money". Spooky......

 

The room stewards and waiters are given a list showing the auto-tip status of each of "their" passengers. We had added an additional amount to our autotip due to the awesome service we experienced from everyone aboard. We then tipped additional cash to our cabin steward and waiters. They all thanked us profusely (sp?) and noted to us that they knew that we had upped our auto tip and weren't expecting anything else.

 

I can only assume that they are counting on the honesty of the crew when then instituted the requirement to pool tips when the auto tip is removed.

[Randyk47]

I did learn....well, was told would be more correct....that cocktail/drink waiters/waitresses do not get the full 15% added to your drinks. According to two of our waiters HAL gives them 11.5%. No explanation of what happens to the other 3.5%. That didn't impact me in the sense that I gave them a "cash-in-hand" tip because of it, I gave them an additional tip because they deserved it.

[K&RCurt]

I did learn....well, was told would be more correct....that cocktail/drink waiters/waitresses do not get the full 15% added to your drinks. According to two of our waiters HAL gives them 11.5%. No explanation of what happens to the other 3.5%. That didn't impact me in the sense that I gave them a "cash-in-hand" tip because of it, I gave them an additional tip because they deserved it.

 

Maybe the Bartender gets the other 3.5% for his / her pouring efforts? Just a SWAG.

[Randyk47]

K&RCurt - I can't answer that but it makes sense. I should have asked but at the time it didn't cross my mind. The one waiter who talked the most to us....and it really wasn't a lot.....said the "company only gives us back 11.5%, they keep the rest." At the time I walked away from that discussion thinking the bartender didn't get the 3.5% but I can't say that for sure.

[lougee1043]

K&RCurt - I .....said the "company only gives us back 11.5%, they keep the rest." At the time I walked away from that discussion thinking the bartender didn't get the 3.5% but I can't say that for sure.

 

does the other 3.5% go to the people that stock the bar ---get ice new bottles of booze etc --the gofers