Tipping extra with prepaid gratuities

[HermmyGranger]

Our upcoming cruise package includes prepaid gratuities. Do we really not have to tip additionally or are there instances where it's still expected? If anyone has had prepaid gratuities and still tipped additionally, did you wait until the end of the cruise or tip at the time of better service?

[doone]

In March I had my gratuities included in my HIA package and we did tip our cabin stewards at the end of the cruise.  We had opening dining and only ate in the dining room one time and we did give a few dollars to the waiters.  When we got drinks, sometimes I gave them a couple of dollars and sometimes I didn't.  Its totally up to you.  If I ever got room service I definitely gave them a few dollars.  Tip, I always travel with about $50 in $1's for tipping..........

[Catlover54]

3 minutes ago, doone said:

In March I had my gratuities included in my HIA package and we did tip our cabin stewards at the end of the cruise.  We had opening dining and only ate in the dining room one time and we did give a few dollars to the waiters.  When we got drinks, sometimes I gave them a couple of dollars and sometimes I didn't.  Its totally up to you.  If I ever got room service I definitely gave them a few dollars.  Tip, I always travel with about $50 in $1's for tipping..........

 

The way inflation has been going since Covid, I've started carrying more  $5 bills instead of $1 bills for some situations where $1-$3 used to be enough. 😞

The crew's and baggage handlers' salaries of course  tend to go up with inflation, but in places where workers rely on tips for a big chunk of their income, inflating tips may be an option to consider. I don't know if crew salary increases have kept up with inflation (or it may depend on to what country they are sending their remittances for their families -- e.g., the last couple years Indonesia had 4-6% inflation).

 

 

[Catlover54]

42 minutes ago, HermmyGranger said:

Our upcoming cruise package includes prepaid gratuities. Do we really not have to tip additionally or are there instances where it's still expected? If anyone has had prepaid gratuities and still tipped additionally, did you wait until the end of the cruise or tip at the time of better service?

 

If HAL says "gratuities are included" in the fare you book, there is officially absolutely no requirement to tip even more, but I get the sense a lot  of crew expect extra tips anyway, and bigger tips than they used to get a couple years ago, and some may be disappointed if they do not receive them.  

This is true even on so-called  "all inclusive" luxury lines. 

[FlaMariner]

1 hour ago, HermmyGranger said:

If anyone has had prepaid gratuities and still tipped additionally, did you wait until the end of the cruise or tip at the time of better service?

 

We've had pre-paid and no pre-paid gratuities on previous cruises......

 

No matter how gratuities are handled, we hand out extra cash as follows....

 

• room service steward when he drops off breakfast
• laundry bag each time we ship out laundry
• billboard onboard waiter (or any bar waiter) if we request the free water...when he/she brings it to us
• longshoreman porters if we hand over our luggage at the pier (most of time now we take it on ourselves)
• MDR waiter and assistant waiter in one tip (to each one) on last night of cruise...after dessert when we say goodbye....always sad.
• stateroom attendant and assistant in one tip (to each one) on the last night of cruise.....in the hallway when we say goodbye...always sad

 

I think that's it for us regarding when we tip.......

[doone]

I remember the days when HAL sailed under a "tipping not required" policy, we always tipped anyway, but I never got the sense the crew expected any tip and I still to this day do not get the sense they expect anything.  They do work hard, I appreciate them and try to show my appreciation.

[sciencewonk]

We were on a 34-day San Diego to Sydney cruise on Noordam with prepaid gratuities.  We did extra tipping twice.  We tipped our room servers in US dollars before we ported in Hawaii and again in Australian dollars when we disembarked in Sydney.  We tipped our MDR wait staff, the Pinnacle Grill staff (we ate breakfast there every day), and the Neptune Suite concierges in Australian dollars at the end of the cruise.  We had terrific service from all of them.  If the service had been "average" we would have skipped the extra tips.

 

As an addition, we've been told more than once that outstanding written evaluations naming specific crew members is more important to the crew than monetary tips.  These evaluations carry a lot of weight in determining promotions and pay raises.

[CruiserBruce]

Not sure why anyone thinks they MUST tip extra, when gratuities are covered. Certainly,  many, including us, do tip extra. But never felt it required. 

[Catlover54]

"

1 minute ago, sciencewonk said:

". .  . .

 

As an addition, we've been told more than once that outstanding written evaluations naming specific crew members is more important to the crew than monetary tips.  These evaluations carry a lot of weight in determining promotions and pay raises. . . "

 

Definitely true (though pax can of course choose to both tip *and* provide good feedback, if warranted).

Evaluations are so important that on my cruise a few months ago,  about half-way through the cruise, the attendant started almost daily repeatedly telling me that I would be getting a performance feedback survey to fill out, and how important it was to him and his career  for me to fill it out.  I was planning on filling it out anyway (he was an excellent attendant, plus I am a big believer in providing feedback whether or not a cruise line or hotel reads what I write) , but I guess some guests do not make time to do it (they are busy getting back home, to work, picking up the dogs, dealing with post-cruise "back to the real world" issues etc., though I know  some guests avoid providing feedback if service is less than stellar because they don't want to risk getting a decent but mediocre staff member in trouble). 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

If you are at a restaurant ashore and see - 18% automatically added as service included - Do you tip extra? 

 

This is the same as on a cruise ship.   Your prepaid gratuities are the same as the 18% tip expected in USA restaurants.   So if you don't tip extra when the service charge is included ashore - you are fine at sea not tipping extra.

 

Room service people share in the tip pool and there is no reason to tip them extra.   

 

I usually tip above the 18% - so I will give a little extra on cruise ships as well, but NOT tipping extras is just fine.  

 

I have never felt that a cruise ship employee expected a tip.

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Room service people share in the tip pool and there is no reason to tip them extra.   

Pete, I think highly of your contributions, but I think you are wrong here. My understanding is the (at least breakfast) room service is provided by volunteers from the dining crew. I know I have opened the door to find our NIGHTTIME dining steward pushing the breakfast tray. I do not believe they get any additional "tip pool" for this but volunteer in the hopes of additional tips. Even though they do not linger with plaintiff eyes! That's why I always have the dollars (1-3?) on the ready.

[kazu]

6 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Pete, I think highly of your contributions, but I think you are wrong here. My understanding is the (at least breakfast) room service is provided by volunteers from the dining crew. I know I have opened the door to find our NIGHTTIME dining steward pushing the breakfast tray. I do not believe they get any additional "tip pool" for this but volunteer in the hopes of additional tips. Even though they do not linger with plaintiff eyes! That's why I always have the dollars (1-3?) on the ready.

 

that has been my understanding as well. 

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

11 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Pete, I think highly of your contributions, but I think you are wrong here. My understanding is the (at least breakfast) room service is provided by volunteers from the dining crew. I know I have opened the door to find our NIGHTTIME dining steward pushing the breakfast tray. I do not believe they get any additional "tip pool" for this but volunteer in the hopes of additional tips. Even though they do not linger with plaintiff eyes! That's why I always have the dollars (1-3?) on the ready.

I have asked 3 officers on recent cruises, including the Hotel GM, and they all assured me that room service people are included in the tip pool.    

 

"I do not believe they get any additional "tip pool" for this but volunteer in the hopes of additional tips"   

 

This is also correct.    People volunteer because they know many people will give extra tips.  

 

My point is that no one is getting stiffed if you don't tip room service.   But when your MDR waiter is working room service (Which happens occasionally), he is probably only working for extra tips (as you said) since he is already in the tip pool.    They must get enough extra tippers to make it worthwhile; otherwise, they wouldn't volunteer.  

 

On my longer cruises, I routinely get room service breakfast and usually have the same room service waiter who only works room service.    

 

My bottom line is that if you keep the auto gratuities in place - everyone who needs a tip is getting tipped.   No one is left behind.

 

 If you want to tip extra, be it laundry, room service, front desk, bar people, whatever - great - always appreciated, but it is extra and no one should feel they are stiffing anyone if they don't tip extra. 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by The-Inside-Cabin

[oakridger]

16 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I have asked 3 officers on recent cruises, including the Hotel GM, and they all assured me that room service people are included in the tip pool.    

 

Thanks for clarifying this, Pete.  

 

~Nancy

[*Miss G*]

On 8/27/2023 at 8:31 PM, Catlover54 said:

I guess some guests do not make time to do it (they are busy getting back home, to work, picking up the dogs, dealing with post-cruise "back to the real world" issues etc., though I know  some guests avoid providing feedback if service is less than stellar because they don't want to risk getting a decent but mediocre staff member in trouble). 

 

 

It would be nice if HAL could extend the length of time a survey is available.  Quite a number of folks aren’t going straight home when they finish their cruise.  They are often extending their vacation (on land or another river/ocean cruise, for example) and don’t have time or access.  There’s been a few times this has happened to me and I felt bad because I’d kept notes on those who stood out.  This makes it even more important to me to send my thanks during the cruise via the app.  (And another reason why I like the app; no more hand-writing cards and dropping them off!)

[iowacruiser]

One side bar to this thread.

We sailed August 12 on the Eurodam.

We always tip extra even with the drink package. Discovered two days in that when the waiters and bar tenders try and add in the extra buck or two I added to the tip, the entire cost of the drink and tip showed up in my statement. My wife went to guests services three times to get it straightened out. One GS person said "just don't tip extra and that will fix the problem" 

I'm still not sure what the glitch was but if you tend to tip extra, look at your statement daily.

[Toofarfromthesea]

29 minutes ago, iowacruiser said:

One side bar to this thread.

We sailed August 12 on the Eurodam.

We always tip extra even with the drink package. Discovered two days in that when the waiters and bar tenders try and add in the extra buck or two I added to the tip, the entire cost of the drink and tip showed up in my statement. My wife went to guests services three times to get it straightened out. One GS person said "just don't tip extra and that will fix the problem" 

I'm still not sure what the glitch was but if you tend to tip extra, look at your statement daily.

 

Is this just when you added the tip on your receipt or did it happen if you tipped a buck or two in cash?

[kazu]

41 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Is this just when you added the tip on your receipt or did it happen if you tipped a buck or two in cash?

 

It wouldn’t happen with cash.  That never affects anything.

 

FWIW - I added a couple of tips on my K cruise and was only charged for the tip and I had HIA.  Myself, I think cash is king and dropped that and just tipped in cash.  A $1 here and there (or more) is a PITA to keep track of on your statement 😉 

[Toofarfromthesea]

3 hours ago, kazu said:

 

It wouldn’t happen with cash.  That never affects anything.

 

FWIW - I added a couple of tips on my K cruise and was only charged for the tip and I had HIA.  Myself, I think cash is king and dropped that and just tipped in cash.  A $1 here and there (or more) is a PITA to keep track of on your statement 😉 

 

Thanks, that's what I thought but I just wanted to verify it.

[sambamama]

I started a number of cruises ago tipping my cabin stewards right at the beginning because I like extra towels, pillows, ice twice a days and a fan. I try to give them $10-$20 depending on the cruise length the first day so I get my room set up. They are happy and I'm happy! Its worked well for me. Sometimes I do that in the dining room because I'm picky and I also like things a specific way. Like I want 2 glasses of ice water with lemon available because I don't drink beer or wine and I don't usually have alcohol with dinner. I drink a fair bit of water and I don't like running out. Sometimes I like to arrange fresh fruit for dessert every night, too. I mix and match entrees and side dishes. I know I'm difficult, and so I reward for me being a pain. 

[FlaMariner]

13 hours ago, sambamama said:

I started a number of cruises ago tipping my cabin stewards right at the beginning

 

I've thought about this....thinking it would get us extra attention during the cruise and we might be more of a priority....not that we've ever experienced  "not being a priority" as they are always top notch and attentive.....Do you also tip again at the end of the cruise? 

[Djptcp]

Even with our prepaid gratuities, we always tip drink waiters a dollar or two, especially when they remember our previous drinks. At the end of the cruise we also leave an extra $10-20 for the room stewards and anyone else who was particularly helpful during the cruise. We also make sure to mention crew by name in our post-cruise evaluations and why.

[oakridger]

11 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

I've thought about this....thinking it would get us extra attention during the cruise and we might be more of a priority....not that we've ever experienced  "not being a priority" as they are always top notch and attentive..

 

I feel the same about Pre-tipping.  Maybe it works that way on other lines but in all my HAL cruises I honestly think that I get excellent service from all the crew (other than a few very rare duds) and I have never tipped at the beginning of the cruise!  They remember my drink and my name and are always friendly.  Yes, I do give extra gratuities at the end to those who are even more special!  (plus notes to management on the APP in real time about the super stars)

 

To me tipping cash per drink is not necessary in addition to the already charged 18% and feels like a lesser onboard experience.  I have never experienced poor service for not pre-tipping.

 

Everyone does what feels right to them.  This feels right to me, and my service has been really great!!

 

~Nancy