Tipping

[FLAHAM]

Housekeeping cleaner at an upscale NYC hotel recently told me less than half of guests leave tips.  Evidently $300/night for the room is ok, but $3 (or $5) for the housekeeper is too much.

[IAcruising]

3 hours ago, FLAHAM said:

Housekeeping cleaner at an upscale NYC hotel recently told me less than half of guests leave tips.  Evidently $300/night for the room is ok, but $3 (or $5) for the housekeeper is too much.

 

I'm surprised it's even close to half. Tipping hotel housekeepers is a relatively recent thing in the US. I don't recall ever even hearing about tipping hotel housekeeping until, 10-15 years ago, maybe?  Could be longer, but it certainly wasn't a thing when I was younger, and now it's hard to get into the habit.

 

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

I'm surprised it's even close to half. Tipping hotel housekeepers is a relatively recent thing in the US. I don't recall ever even hearing about tipping hotel housekeeping until, 10-15 years ago, maybe?  Could be longer, but it certainly wasn't a thing when I was younger, and now it's hard to get into the habit.

 

I remember finding an envelope with instructions to place money in it to show appreciation for the housecleaners.  This was in DC in the mid-70s.  

[vacation44]

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I remember finding an envelope with instructions to place money in it to show appreciation for the housecleaners.  This was in DC in the mid-70s.  

I also have memories of my dad leaving tip money for the hotel housekeepers in the 70's.   And then in the 80's when I started traveling with friends, we also left tip money in the hotel room as we were all brought up to do it.   

[seemoreroyals]

We have always tipped hotel housekeepers.  They are among the hardest working and least appreciated and to not have the benefit of a DSC slush fund.

 

 

[PartyPlannerLady]

  On 1/14/2024 at 7:00 PM, luv2kroooz said:

Maybe you don't want to tip NCLs recommended amount.

---------------------------------------------------------

There is no such thing as a recommended tip amount on NCL.  In fact the FAQ says,,,

Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on our ships for service that is generally rendered to all Guests. While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them. Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Additionally, there is an 20% gratuity and spa service charge added for all spa and salon services, as well as an 20% gratuity and beverage service charge added for all beverage purchases and an 20% gratuity and specialty service charge added to all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining.

[complawyer]

oh! the humanity. once again, if you feel that ncl's  dsc covers tipping that should be the end of the discussion for you.

 

myself, and many other's on this post feel that whenever someone on board performs a service for us, a tip is appropriate. 2021 we were on the bliss. we ate breakfast at the mdr, one morning, and gave the waiter a $5.00 tip. you'd  think he died and went to heaven. every time he saw us on the ship, he came over, smiled, and insisted we come to wherever he was working that day/night, and ask for his table. it was only $5.00 but he was overjoyed. 

 

while you may be serviced by a number of people in the mdr, you still have one waiter that brings the food. him/her we tip. 

 

by the way, whenever we're in vegas, we stay at paris, and there is always an envelope in the room with the housekeeper's name.

 

while you may not agree, and dont  wish to do so, i assure you, tips throughout the cruise work wonders. and if you choose to call it a bride, remember " a rose by any other name. etc"

 

it especially helps a whole bunch if you tip (ok bribe) the maitre'd as soon as you meet him/her.

 

$20 vegas handshake works every time. LOL

[fshagan]

17 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I remember finding an envelope with instructions to place money in it to show appreciation for the housecleaners.  This was in DC in the mid-70s.  

 

Yes, it was common in the late 60s and through the 70s and 80s when I was traveling for work. I still tip housekeeping most of the time, especially on a multi-day stay.

[ConcettaBonetta]

Hello, I haven't cruised since the time of cash in envelopes, and even after reading through this thread, I'm confused about the DSC. Is it mandatory or not? Is $20 per person per day mandatory or can it be adjusted? 

We typically tip well but with four in a cabin, on a port-intensive 12 day cruise where we will probably eat just one lunch and only about half our dinners on the ship, $960 seems excessive. We would not delete it entirely but somewhere closer to $500-600 seems more reasonable. Is it possible to adjust it? 

Feel free to drag me for asking but someone please also answer the question. 

Thanks 

[UKstages]

it is not mandatory, but it is customary.

 

you can adjust it or remove it by visiting the guest services desk.

 

please understand that the onboard service charge doesn't just compensate servers and housekeeping staff. it also compensates front and back of house employees in many other departments. so, the logic in trying to adjust it because of the number of meals consumed is a bit wonky.

Edited January 20 by UKstages

[ConcettaBonetta]

On 1/20/2024 at 1:44 PM, UKstages said:

it is not mandatory, but it is customary.

 

you can adjust it or remove it by visiting the guest services desk.

 

please understand that the onboard service charge doesn't just compensate servers and housekeeping staff. it also compensates front and back of house employees in many other departments. so, the logic in trying to adjust it because of the number of meals consumed is a bit wonky.

Thank you! So they underpay all staff, not just those in traditionally tipped occupations. OK, that makes it more reasonable, but I’m still of the opinion that if should be included in the original quoted cost. An extra $1,000 is a lot to add when the originally advertised price is in the $5,000 range 

[UKstages]

NCL pays prevailing wages for cruise ship employees. al the cruise lines pay about the same salaries and all have some sort of shared "tip pool." believe it or not, these are considered jobs of great prestige in their home countries and many of these employees are earning far more money than they would in those countries and many support their entire family (remotely) on the salary they earn at sea.

 

i agree that the onboard service charge is a poor way to compensate employees. i've done many posts on this. essentially, very little of the money - best as i can tell - goes to directly compensate employees. it's more likely that they use it to paint the break room and throw pizza parties... that is to say, it goes into a general fund that NCL may or may not use to incentivize employees. and that is all the more reason, in my opinion, to provide additional tips directly to the employees with whom i interact. i don't adjust or rescind the onboard service charge because there are people behind the scenes whom i can't tip directly.

[RocketMan275]

10 hours ago, ConcettaBonetta said:

Thank you! So they underpay all staff, not just those in traditionally tipped occupations. OK, that makes it more reasonable, but I’m still of the opinion that if should be included in the original quoted cost. An extra $1,000 is a lot to add when the originally advertised price is in the $5,000 range 

Are  you saying that the cruise lines should include the $1000 in the quoted fare making that fare $6000?

Or, 

Are  you saying the cruise lines should charge $5000 for  the fare and the service charge?

[graphicguy]

Why?  Oh why, am I jumping back into this discussion?

 

Was talking to a friend this weekend.  He took his family to Disney World over the Holidays.  That alone should tell you all you need to know about him....Mr Trendy...does everything his little precocious Janey and Johnny want....kids rule the household.  

 

Anyway, he said he spent a bunch of money not only on tickets to enter the park, the Disney hotel and food, but also to "cut lines".

 

I had never heard of such a thing.  But, I guess you can bolt to the front of the lines if you pay Disney for the privilege.  Plus, there was a Disney employee who escorted them to do that.  I told him that's akin to a sizable tip for said "service".

 

Point is, tips abound.  Having traveled a lot for work and pleasure, I tipped housekeeping and the bellman and the Concierges, and the hotel restaurant staff, etc of the hotels I stayed at.  And, you paid a resort fee, whether you used their "resort" or not.  In Vegas, where I would attend conferences for a week or so, it was more prevalent than staying at the local Marriott for one night.  But, they all provided a service and expected a tip.

Edited January 22 by graphicguy

[schmoopie17]

Gotta love tipping threads.

Oh wait...no you don't.

Carry on, tipsters...

[chewsifer1220]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Gotta love tipping threads.

Oh wait...no you don't.

Carry on, tipsters...

 I tend to stay out of these kind of threads. Imma going to do me. Everyone else can do what they want.  It makes no difference to me. I can only control me 🤷‍♀️

[complawyer]

hey graphic guy, did you tell your friend, generally, it's probably cheaper to take the family on a cruise then to take them to disneyworld. my sister lives in orlando, and has yearly passes. she tells me the lines, for everything, food, rides, etc are ridiculous. add in the costs for a hotel and the actual costs for tickets to all 4 parks, and you're really dropping a bundle.

i think the cutting in  line concept is called genie+. if not, sorry. everything costs a bundle in disneyworld, and you cant buy a pepsi anywhere throughout the properties. 

[ConcettaBonetta]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Are  you saying that the cruise lines should include the $1000 in the quoted fare making that fare $6000?

Or, 

Are  you saying the cruise lines should charge $5000 for  the fare and the service charge?

Should be included in the quoted fare making it $6000 if the amount is mandatory or if they make people jump through hoops to remove it as some have said. 
 

but if employees are paid a fair wage and the charge doesn’t go directly to the employees as UKStages said, then there should be no service charge at all and passengers should tip whatever they feel is appropriate 

[ConcettaBonetta]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Why?  Oh why, am I jumping back into this discussion?

 

Was talking to a friend this weekend.  He took his family to Disney World over the Holidays.  That alone should tell you all you need to know about him....Mr Trendy...does everything his little precocious Janey and Johnny want....kids rule the household.  

 

Anyway, he said he spent a bunch of money not only on tickets to enter the park, the Disney hotel and food, but also to "cut lines".

 

I had never heard of such a thing.  But, I guess you can bolt to the front of the lines if you pay Disney for the privilege.  Plus, there was a Disney employee who escorted them to do that.  I told him that's akin to a sizable tip for said "service".

 

Point is, tips abound.  Having traveled a lot for work and pleasure, I tipped housekeeping and the bellman and the Concierges, and the hotel restaurant staff, etc of the hotels I stayed at.  And, you paid a resort fee, whether you used their "resort" or not.  In Vegas, where I would attend conferences for a week or so, it was more prevalent than staying at the local Marriott for one night.  But, they all provided a service and expected a tip.

Not sure how the Disney cut line thing is relevant. It’s an additional service you’re paying for and is only paid by people who use that service. Resort fees are typically $20-$40 per room not per person. Again, it’s not the existence of a service charge, it’s the amount they expect that I take issue with.  We do travel and eat in restaurants often. We know when to tip and we do it well. But that does not add up to giving the maid plus bellmen 20% of the cost of the hotel room. (We don’t usually use concierge services and if we do, we will tip separately for that.) 

 

20% is considered a standard tip for American food servers who are paid substantially less than minimum wage and their counterparts in other countries. About $2/hour in some states. Considering that a portion of the cost of a cruise is used to pay for things like fuel, furniture, reservations and call center staff, corporate office workers, advertising, cleaning supplies, electronics, the ship itself, etc, 20% of the full cost of the cruise is excessive. 
 

thanks for helping me think through this a little more. I’ve realized the amount is even more excessive than I originally thought when comparing it to a typical hotel stay. 
 

Does anyone know if we can adjust the amount ahead of the cruise by calling guest services or do they basically extort passengers by making you wait in a long line on the ship to do it in person?

[bkrickles1]

20 minutes ago, ConcettaBonetta said:

Should be included in the quoted fare making it $6000 if the amount is mandatory or if they make people jump through hoops to remove it as some have said. 
 

but if employees are paid a fair wage and the charge doesn’t go directly to the employees as UKStages said, then there should be no service charge at all and passengers should tip whatever they feel is appropriate 

No hoops to jump through. 

Simple form readily available at guest services. 

I was behind someone at guest services on my 2020 Encore sailing who, I believe, removed their DSC entirely. 

It was 5:45am and the Atrium was empty (I was on my way to the gym) and the crew member didn't even ask why they were adjusting/removing the DSC. 

Just handed the guest a form and helped me while the guest filled it out. 

 

I will say that paying almost $1000 at the end is a lot. Maybe there should be a descending scale for the 3rd and 4th passengers in a cabin or a cap. 

I'm sailing Getaway in April for 10 days and my daughter will be the 3rd in our cabin so I've already budgeted that $600 plus I'm already putting aside singles and 5 dollar bills for additional tipping/bribing. Lmao 😂 

88 days and counting for me! 

[graphicguy]

48 minutes ago, complawyer said:

hey graphic guy, did you tell your friend, generally, it's probably cheaper to take the family on a cruise then to take them to disneyworld. my sister lives in orlando, and has yearly passes. she tells me the lines, for everything, food, rides, etc are ridiculous. add in the costs for a hotel and the actual costs for tickets to all 4 parks, and you're really dropping a bundle.

i think the cutting in  line concept is called genie+. if not, sorry. everything costs a bundle in disneyworld, and you cant buy a pepsi anywhere throughout the properties. 

Nah....whenever we are invited for a party with these folks, it's best just to let them carry on...and on.....and on....and finally excuse myself to get another drink or to hit the bathroom in one of the few breaks in their inevitable droning "me...me...me" monologues

[graphicguy]

3 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

 

 

I will say that paying almost $1000 at the end is a lot. Maybe there should be a descending scale for the 3rd and 4th passengers in a cabin or a cap. 

I'm sailing Getaway in April for 10 days and my daughter will be the 3rd in our cabin so I've already budgeted that $600 plus I'm already putting aside singles and 5 dollar bills for additional tipping/bribing. Lmao 😂 

88 days and counting for me! 

I like that idea.......!!!!!

Edited January 22 by graphicguy

[UKstages]

40 minutes ago, ConcettaBonetta said:

but if employees are paid a fair wage and the charge doesn’t go directly to the employees as UKStages said, then there should be no service charge at all and passengers should tip whatever they feel is appropriate 

 

oy.

 

the reason the DSC (now OSC) was instituted was because many guests did not tip at all. 

 

so, the origins of the fee are sound. it was originally well meaning. it's a lot like including an 18% tip on a restaurant bill in a land-based restaurant in a major tourist area, particularly if many of the tourists are from countries that don't have a strong tipping culture or where they routinely only tip 10%.

 

but, over time, the cruise lines have coopted that money and can pretty much do whatever they like with it. but also... if they remove it... many will not tip at all, if past is prologue. 

 

as far as what constitutes a "fair wage." they are paid a fair wage comparable to what other cruise lines pay, but that wage assumes they benefit from the OSC in some way... on all cruise lines. it's not a wage that most of us would be happy with.

[RocketMan275]

44 minutes ago, ConcettaBonetta said:

Should be included in the quoted fare making it $6000 if the amount is mandatory or if they make people jump through hoops to remove it as some have said. 
 

but if employees are paid a fair wage and the charge doesn’t go directly to the employees as UKStages said, then there should be no service charge at all and passengers should tip whatever they feel is appropriate 

What difference would it make?  $5000+$1000 is still $6000.

UKStages is merely speculating.  He does make the point that not all the DSC goes in cash to the crew.  Some of it is spent on things that benefit the crew such as crew parties, etc.  

So, Once again, what difference does it make?

It does make a difference when marketing the cruise.  Two identical cruises on two different cruise line.  One is $5000 and the other is $6000. Most will not factor in the $1000.  The one charging only $5000 will siphon off business from the other.

BTW, the big issue is which would the crew prefer?  Most indications are the crew is very  happy with this system of compensation.  Why should it be changed just to make  you happy?

[UKstages]

rocketman275 is merely speculating about crew preferences.