iowananny Posted 11 hours ago #901 Share Posted 11 hours ago 1 minute ago, Thought2go said: On some of the Oceania FB pages you find people bragging how they always slip the Maitre’d a hundred each time -or the Sommelier a 50 -it makes me cringe. Because it will most definitely color the staffs impression of all of us. My husband and I have never slipped anyone a hundred. Well, I take that back we have slipped our kids more than a hundred more than once, but that's a different story. We've always received very good service on cruise ships without extra tips. I really wonder if those who give big tips really do get that much better service or if it just makes them feel important. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC Man Posted 10 hours ago #902 Share Posted 10 hours ago 17 minutes ago, iowananny said: After Covid I was willing to tip more because I know many people in the service industry really did suffer when they couldn't work. We spent less because there was no place to go so, I was willing to share what we had saved. At the time it just seemed fair. But now everyone wants more and more and more tips. We went to a Mexican restaurant yesterday that gives the amounts to tip at the bottom of the receipt. It used to be 12, 15 or 20%. Now they suggest giving 15, 20 or 30%. We didn't get that much service to even consider a 30% tip. This summer I went to a sweet corn stand that sold corn from the back of a pickup truck. They had a tip jar out. I'm not going to tip when I buy three ears of corn. At least in our area the employees are grocery stores are not allowed to take tips even if they do help you take your groceries to the car. I hope it stays that way. I'm tipping less and not feeling guilty about it. Maybe I'm just a mean old lady but I don't care. If I get outstanding service from someone on a cruise ship, and there have been times when I have, I'm willing to slip them a little bit something extra but I'm not going to just start throwing money at people because they've come to believe they deserve it. It has gotten to the point in US restaurants that I prefer to pay cash to avoid paying an added credit card service charge and to avoid having the credit card processed at the table via a hand held device (Toast is a major brand of these) that has preset tip amounts while the server is standing over your shoulder in an intimidating (intentional or unintentional) fashion. With cash I have a moment to think through the appropriate tip amount. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted 10 hours ago #903 Share Posted 10 hours ago 4 hours ago, terrydtx said: Since gratuities are now included in Oceania cruise fares, I hope they do not cave and let passengers get the grats refunded to their OBC accounts. Since gratuities will be baked into the base fare and not a separate line item on the bill there will be no way to remove them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osandomir Posted 10 hours ago #904 Share Posted 10 hours ago 16 minutes ago, iowananny said: After Covid I was willing to tip more because I know many people in the service industry really did suffer when they couldn't work. We spent less because there was no place to go so, I was willing to share what we had saved. At the time it just seemed fair. But now everyone wants more and more and more tips. We went to a Mexican restaurant yesterday that gives the amounts to tip at the bottom of the receipt. It used to be 12, 15 or 20%. Now they suggest giving 15, 20 or 30%. We didn't get that much service to even consider a 30% tip. This summer I went to a sweet corn stand that sold corn from the back of a pickup truck. They had a tip jar out. I'm not going to tip when I buy three ears of corn. At least in our area the employees are grocery stores are not allowed to take tips even if they do help you take your groceries to the car. I hope it stays that way. I'm tipping less and not feeling guilty about it. Maybe I'm just a mean old lady but I don't care. If I get outstanding service from someone on a cruise ship, and there have been times when I have, I'm willing to slip them a little bit something extra but I'm not going to just start throwing money at people because they've come to believe they deserve it. I’m totally agree with your observations. The tipping culture just got out of control and often doesn’t correlate with the level of service that we receive. And we’re definitely not in the position to throw our money right and left. That being said, as you mentioned as well, if we receive good personal service which often happens on the Oceania ships we are willing to tip more to express our gratitude. And we always feel good about it ourselves. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osandomir Posted 10 hours ago #905 Share Posted 10 hours ago (edited) 36 minutes ago, SEC Man said: It has gotten to the point in US restaurants that I prefer to pay cash to avoid paying an added credit card service charge and to avoid having the credit card processed at the table via a hand held device (Toast is a major brand of these) that has preset tip amounts while the server is standing over your shoulder in an intimidating (intentional or unintentional) fashion. With cash I have a moment to think through the appropriate tip amount. We still prefer to pay with a credit card as we get rewards for spending that we value more than the savings for paying in cash. We also like when the credit card is processed at the table because it largely prevents the credit card fraud. By the way, it was always the case in many other countries where we have been recently traveling to. We also noticed that everywhere the servers were grateful for any amount of tip we provided. Edited 10 hours ago by osandomir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted 10 hours ago #906 Share Posted 10 hours ago (edited) 32 minutes ago, njhorseman said: Since gratuities will be baked into the base fare and not a separate line item on the bill there will be no way to remove them. That doesn't mean there will not be some trying to get them back as an OBC. I have seen that like I said above on other cruise lines like Holland America. Edited 10 hours ago by terrydtx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iowananny Posted 9 hours ago #907 Share Posted 9 hours ago 1 hour ago, Thought2go said: On some of the Oceania FB pages you find people bragging how they always slip the Maitre’d a hundred each time -or the Sommelier a 50 -it makes me cringe. Because it will most definitely color the staffs impression of all of us. My husband and I have never slipped anyone a hundred. Well, I take that back we have slipped our kids more than a hundred more than once, but that's a different story. We've always received very good service on cruise ships without extra tips. I really wonder if those who give big tips really do get that much better service or if it just makes them feel important. We will never stop tipping at restaurant with a server, I'm just tired with the excessive tipping and tipping at places where it was never expected before. I'll never tip a self-serve machine when I check out myself. But they do ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted 9 hours ago #908 Share Posted 9 hours ago 52 minutes ago, terrydtx said: That doesn't mean there will not be some trying to get them back as an OBC. I have seen that like I said above on other cruise lines like Holland America. They can try all they want. You can't get a refund of something that doesn't exist. You also won't get a refund of port taxes when O misses a port call because O also bakes the port taxes into the base fare. This isn't Holland America. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janecambridge Posted 7 hours ago #909 Share Posted 7 hours ago 1 hour ago, iowananny said: We've always received very good service on cruise ships without extra tips. I really wonder if those who give big tips really do get that much better service or if it just makes them feel important. It is frustrating to see people pre tip. It is obvious they are ‘paying’ for a better service. Embarrassment to the staff who give amazing service. Embarrassing to see it and it is crass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osandomir Posted 7 hours ago #910 Share Posted 7 hours ago 2 hours ago, terrydtx said: That doesn't mean there will not be some trying to get them back as an OBC. I have seen that like I said above on other cruise lines like Holland America. I don’t know what’s going on the Holland America but don’t confuse like you said the pre-paid with the included gratuities. It’s two different ways how they are incorporated in the total cost of the cruise. It was possible to adjust gratuities paid separately whether pre-paid or not. Not that much when they are included in the price of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruzin Terri Posted 7 hours ago #911 Share Posted 7 hours ago 6 minutes ago, janecambridge said: It is frustrating to see people pre tip. It is obvious they are ‘paying’ for a better service. Embarrassment to the staff who give amazing service. Embarrassing to see it and it is crass. A”pre tip” is not a tip. It’s a bribe. Terri 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted 7 hours ago #912 Share Posted 7 hours ago 24 minutes ago, osandomir said: I don’t know what’s going on the Holland America but don’t confuse like you said the pre-paid with the included gratuities. It’s two different ways how they are incorporated in the total cost of the cruise. It was possible to adjust gratuities paid separately whether pre-paid or not. Not that much when they are included in the price of the cruise. When you book the Early Booking Have it All promo, the gratuities are included on HAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osandomir Posted 7 hours ago #913 Share Posted 7 hours ago 11 minutes ago, terrydtx said: When you book the Early Booking Have it All promo, the gratuities are included on HAL. Well, then I guess like I say there’s also no way to remove the included gratuities on HAL as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrHemlock Posted 7 hours ago #914 Share Posted 7 hours ago 4 hours ago, Thought2go said: On some of the Oceania FB pages you find people bragging how they always slip the Maitre’d a hundred each time -or the Sommelier a 50 -it makes me cringe. Because it will most definitely color the staffs impression of all of us. Yes, but that's not the same thing as what most of us are talking about -- or I'm talking about, anyway -- which is something in an envelope at the end of the cruise for excellent service rendered even though they theoretically receive whatever from the automatic gratuities. Sure, excellent service is their job but some excellence is more excellent than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrHemlock Posted 7 hours ago #915 Share Posted 7 hours ago (edited) 4 hours ago, Thought2go said: Deleted due to mysterious duplication. Edited 6 hours ago by DrHemlock 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted 6 hours ago #916 Share Posted 6 hours ago 4 hours ago, iowananny said: I really wonder if those who give big tips really do get that much better service or if it just makes them feel important. I used to play on a now defunct food/restaurant forum where most contributors were American. Tipping cropped up regularly, as it does on CC, and I have a very definite view that for many of those who are "big tippers" it makes them feel good about themselves. That their largesse is able to help less well off folk. I'm definitely not against folk doing things that make them feel better about themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchaluh Posted 4 hours ago #917 Share Posted 4 hours ago On 9/4/2024 at 1:32 PM, Jancruz said: Free coffees, specialty dining, ,sodas, water etc. all the things included when we opened 20 years ago . Jancruz1 Is beer, wine and Champaign included with dinner? We do have the “simply more” package. On the Marinanon 10/26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchaluh Posted 4 hours ago #918 Share Posted 4 hours ago Marina - sorry for the misspelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osandomir Posted 3 hours ago #919 Share Posted 3 hours ago 13 minutes ago, jchaluh said: Is beer, wine and Champaign included with dinner? We do have the “simply more” package. On the Marinanon 10/26 Yes, all that are included at dinner and lunch if you booked with Simply More. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted 3 hours ago #920 Share Posted 3 hours ago 22 minutes ago, jchaluh said: Is beer, wine and Champaign included with dinner? We do have the “simply more” package. On the Marinanon 10/26 Yes with standard drinks SM package. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cape Hernlopen Posted 3 hours ago #921 Share Posted 3 hours ago I find it amazing that the SM discussion has evolved into a 37-page epic containing 900+ comments. None of us were involved in the decision to end SM and we have no choice but to accept the current Oceania offerings or find alternative options. At some point in time, we will all grow weary of the topic and return to complaining about "jeans" in the MDR and Specialty restaurants. Joel Barry 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SophieM Posted 2 hours ago #922 Share Posted 2 hours ago 3 hours ago, Harters said: I used to play on a now defunct food/restaurant forum where most contributors were American. Tipping cropped up regularly, as it does on CC, and I have a very definite view that for many of those who are "big tippers" it makes them feel good about themselves. That their largesse is able to help less well off folk. I'm definitely not against folk doing things that make them feel better about themselves. We are not “big tippers,” but we do often tip extra to the hard working crew who spend months away from home and their families. It never occurred to me that we were doing it to feel better about ourselves. Maybe I misread what you were saying, but I find that kind of offensive. If I did, please accept my apologies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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