Another tipping query

[Randyk47]

Again, I didn't ask.....for some reason the discussion felt a little awkward at the time and I didn't press for additional details. There were other things going on...like finding out the staff hated being sent to the Explorations Cafe as they suffered huge pay cut (read that as loss of tips), to the point they called it "Jail". I certainly hope they give the rest of the bar staff the 3.5%.....it was the "company keeps the rest" comment that makes me wonder.

[sunflowerstarr]

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.

LHC

 

 

Are you sure shipboard credits given during bookin can be used for gratuities? when we booked we got a 200 credit and was told it cant be used for the casino or gratuities.

[dakrewser]

Are you sure shipboard credits given during bookin can be used for gratuities? when we booked we got a 200 credit and was told it cant be used for the casino or gratuities.

 

As long as you have $200 in charges other than tips or casino - what's the difference?

[sunflowerstarr]

As long as you have $200 in charges other than tips or casino - what's the difference?

 

lol good point. you can tell my brains not working. i was more just going by what they said and the fact that 2 people on a 11 night would be like 220 lol

[bepsf]

I try to keep enough cash on hand to be able to give add'l cash tips at the end of the cruise - particularly for the waiters, etc who remember me from prior cruises!

 

...i also learned that if you give them cash and say "This is a gift for your wife/mother/child" - it's not a tip, and doesn't get put into the pool. ;)

 

What irks me tho are the folks who steam down to the front desk and not only demand that the auto-tip be removed from their bill, but want to argue: "What right is it of yours to put this charge to my account?!?" as if it's the decision of the person behind the desk!

:mad:

[gizmo]

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%. "of it, I gave .

 

Now that is terrible ! :mad:

[grannynurse]

The food and Beverage manager on our Rotterdam transatlantic told our CC group that the bar servers got 14% of the 15% surcharge and the bartender got the other 1%, unless the bartender served the drink himself as when you're sitting at the bar. This was almost 2 years ago, it is possible that they changed the percentages.

When the auto tips went into place, 2003-2004, the bar staff would stand in the doorway looking for their regular customers. I haven't seen this on our last 3 cruises.

 

We always leave our auto-tips in place and give extra for great service. We have seen some really bad behavior such as people at the front desk pounding on the counter demanding to have their auto-tips removed.

It used to be that adjustments were made only at the end of a cruise. Is this still in effect?

GN

[Randyk47]

If you all will take up a collection and send me the money I'd be more than happy to book another cruise to check out the distribution of tips. :D I promise to spend a lot of time in the lounges and do the research....promise! :rolleyes:

[dot73]

"What right is it of yours to put this charge to my account?!?"

I have also heard these people. Do you ever wonder if people actually read their travel documents or the brochures before they book a cruise? No one is forced to take a cruise where they don't like the rules nor is anyone forced to tip anybody on a HAL cruise. Nothing peeves me off more than the complaints about tipping. Some people actually brag about how they stiffed their stewards and servers. You don't want to tip - fine - quietly ask to have the automatic tips removed and don't insult the people at the front desk who are just doing their job. Overall, I think most HAL passengers are happy with the staff and are happy to tip accordingly.

[frbob]

I'm happy to see replies that suggest "extra" tips given outside the auto-tip program can be kept by the employee as long as you haven't opted out. That would make a whole lot of sense and seems perfectly fair.

 

Question: How does the empolyee know if you've opted out of the auto-tip program or not? Is he/she required to report the "extra" tip to his/her supervisor and get clearance to keep it?

 

I know there's a practical side to this serious question of rewarding extra effort, but HAL's policy needs better understanding. I would hate to "tip" a HAL employee and later find out he or she has been punished or terminated for a policy violation.

[Orlandocruiser]

When you do give an extra tip make sure you put your cabin number as well as your name on the envelope. I noticed when we tipped our wait staff our waiter asked for our cabin number (presumably so he could easily check if we had kept our auto-tip). Of course our wine steward knew it already since we had signed for many bottles of wine and the cabin steward knew which cabin we were in (he also delivered the letter thanking us for keeping the tip on our bill!)