Yet another Tipping question

[zotzer]

Wowie kazowie! I thought this thread was about whether a $2 would be appreciated more than two $1s.

 

And someone who has lived/worked on a cruise ship for years is not posting from experience? Color me totally confused.

 

So, word comes down that two $1 bills are easier and more useful (and apparently, sometimes more valuable) to most crew members than a $2 bill. Isn't that information one wants to have? Don't you want your two dollars to be worth two dollars for its intended rewardee?

 

Thing is, there were clues in that blog about a tip that would stand out (which I think was the original thought behind the OP's post). Instead of getting $2 bills from the bank, get some Euros or Canadian bills. :) Same level of effort, same effect for you, less hassle for the person who you feel earned the cash.

 

Tracy

[jander]

And a wowie kazowie to you and your office officer, I could care less what you or he says. I tip my bartenders, and I tip with whatever I please. I get excellent service and am welcomed back with a smile whenever I return to sail with them again. Now is that another wowie kazowie?

[mommabean]

I don't understand...what's the difference between going to a bank to ask for $1's in nice decent shape versus $2 bills?

 

An american waiter in a bar may feel differently about the bills than the foreign workers on a cruise ship. Listen, everyone is going to do what they want....just thought some might like to hear the actual opinion of someone working on a cruise ship.

 

Tracy

 

I figured either she had the $2s or she didn't - that's why I asked. But if I asked her to dig around through all her $1s to look for the crisp ones, she might thing that was going too far...or the people waiting in line might think I was a pain in the neck.

 

Maybe some banks have a constant supply of new bills. But my little branch isn't likely to have stacks of nice clean freshly printed ones.

 

I think I did say I appreciated that link. I'm sure everyone is interested in reading what he had to say. I was. Very entertaining. I just think it will be interesting to see how it really goes when I offer the choice on a real cruise. I've admitted I could be wrong.

[mommabean]

I must say that it sounds like the blogger was talking about me when he added this part.

 

"I read some comments from a person who was going to experiment and see if crew would take a two dollar bill. Well they probably will, but if you want to experiment properly offer them a choice of a two dollar bill, or two one dollar bills I am betting they will take the ones. ;0) Also, if your going to offer two dollar bills versus a single one dollar bill, then you would have to ask the Crew Purser how many two dollar bills of yours he ended up with because the crew will go right down and exchange them for "real money". They will not take them if they think the Crew office will not change them."

 

Apparently he didn't read clearly or he missed the first part where I explained that I would indeed be offering either a $2 bill or two $1 bills. Obviously if it were only a single $1 bill the person would take the $2 and go and change it if they didn't really like a $2 bill. I plan on playing this game - my little experiment - fair and square. I will order coffee in my room each morning for my sister and me. I will explain to whoever brings it that I am offering them the choice of one or the other. A $2 or two $1s. I may even extend the conversation a little and ask them what they think other crew members prefer.

 

Also we will go and have a drink before dinner (maybe after, too :) ) And even though I realize that 15% will already be added to the price, I have no trouble giving the bartender another $2 in whichever form he or she may prefer. I'm sure I'll be sitting at the bar long enough to engage the bartender in the same conversation about the crew members preference.

 

I think this will be fun.

 

And Mr. SBM the IT Manager, if you are reading this - I do plan on making the offer even and fair. I'm not dumb enough to offer a $2 tip vs. a $1 tip. I'm sure they'd take the $2 over the $1 in any form except maybe 200 pennies. Unless they were rolled of course. :D

 

And one more little thing. I DID in fact notice how the blogger completely edited his original blog. Apparently he read how I quoted him as he wrote, "nobody in the USA trusts a foreigner these days" and he changed that to "not everyone in the USA trusts a foreigner these days". That's more like it. I did copy and paste from the original and the edited version. My experiment wasn't mentioned in the first version either.

[mommabean]

What I posted was from my experience, not from something I read. What I posted was absolutely a true experience, everyone I dealt with wanted the $2 bill. That blog kind of lets you believe that guy thinks the service crewmembers can't take care of themselves, or deal with money. Lets face it we are talking about a $2 bill not a $100. A financial catastrophe dealing with wrinkled and marked $1 bills and the dreaded $2 bill, wo is me.

 

And guess what? I guess I'm being a screw up tipper again. I actually have my $100 bills and $50 bill ready for the crew members (should they perform to their usual high RCI standards) Since I will be responsible for tipping for 2 rooms I thought a nice crispy BIG bill would be nice. And I got those crispy ones quite by chance. I didn't even ask for them. Well, I mean I asked for the money...just not crispy money. :)

 

Oh well, at least I tip. And I tip well enough to make up for some of the cheapos who stiff the crew. I hope my room steward isn't offended. ;)

 

Do you think it will be too much of a financial catastropy for them to deal with 100 bucks? I'm assuming they have other things to worry about and just might like the money in any form.

[mommabean]

The bloggers first two lines from his previous day's blog.

 

"It is probably not a surprise to you, but crew doesn’t always know what the heck they are talking about. Just because they are crew you shouldn’t take what they say as the “word’."

 

Too incredibly funny. LOL

[mommabean]

I have returned from my cruise and my tipping experience. I didn't have as many opportunities as I had hoped but I did find out a few things.

 

First meal - lunch in the Windjammer I had a nice friendly waiter from Jamaica. He was so attentive since we were the only ones who had found the upstairs portion of the Windjammer on the Majesty. We had him to ourselves. I asked him if he had a choice which he would take - a $2 or 2 $1s as I held them up. He said the $1s. I gave them to him and asked him why? Well, it's so obvious. "They work in the vending machines and the machines won't take a $2 bill." Well, we never heard that one anywhere before. We talked about tipping quite a bit with him after that. He said that no one minds getting a $2 and that actually too many people give them absolutely nothing. He said we should look around on the last night in the dining room and see how many people won't show up so that they can get out of tipping. He also said that most of the crew has no problem with $2s because they mostly wire their money back to their country by Western Union with a moneygram. He said if they don't do that, then they will be asked by customs where they got all that money. It's just as I thought. No one want's to carry a bag full of small bills back to their country. Well, almost no one.

 

What this man did tell me is that in Jamaica many people have had trouble with crisp new bills since they are so colorful now. He saw someone threatened with having the police called and accused of trying to pass counterfeit money since they were paying with all new crisp bills.

 

I ordered room service on Sunday morning and was all ready with my $2 and $1s for my 7am delivery. This man was from India. I offered one or the other to him. He smiled and said he'd like to have the $2 because he doesn't have one at all. I gave him both the $2 and the $1s and he was even happier. He also told me that no one has a problem with $2s for exchange in their countries that he's heard.

 

I also had a conversation about tipping with my room steward who happened to be the same steward I had last August on the same trip. He actually remembered me - must be because I'm the good tipper. :) He told me that most of the crew has no problem with $2s or with old money. Then he mention Indonesians. He said that they and only a few others actually do like crisp bills. But get this. He said that they like big bills NOT small bills. He said they have no need to get the crisp bills from the passengers. They can walk into any bank in port in the USA and trade their old wrinkled small bills in for crisp $50s and $100s. And that is exactly what they do. They are very competant individuals and know how to change money.

 

I sort of thought this. I mean, these people are selected for their jobs by recruiters in their own countries out of a large group of applicants. They didn't figure out how to get their jobs by being dumb. And they aren't dumb enough to not know how to find a bank near the cruise port. And who thinks the banks near the cruise port don't trust the crew from the ships who they probably see on a regular basis?

 

I only wish I had remembered to offer someone the gold dollar coins I picked up at Walgreens before I left. I forgot all about them in with my change. I bet someone would have loved them, too.

 

And there are so many Jamaicans working as waiters on this ship that the experiment wasn't worth trying on them after talking to the first waiter. I know now that the vending machines are being fed their $1s.

 

So, what do we do now? Tip the crew in any form you want. Wrinkled, crisp, $2s or $1s, big bills, small bills. Just tip them because they really do work hard for us.

[BearySweet2Cruise]

mommabean: Nice experiment.. thanks for the insider update of actually taking the time to ask them. :)

 

That is so much better than others opinions on what we should or shouldn't do when they really have no clue in the first place. :eek:

[Lightsluvr]

Thanks Mommabean...

 

LL

[jander]

Thank you for the $2 bill test. I'll have my 2's when I cruise in July, and I know I'll make someone happy.

[CaesarsNcruisin4me]

I'm hoping you're pulling our collective leg. I can understand being on a budget, but that's no excuse for inadequate tipping. IMO, if you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to cruise. :confused:

 

:eek: Whoa, Nasty, nasty, nasty!

 

Personally I go on a couple of vacations per year and am fortunate to have the financial means to tip well and to afford the luxury of travelling several times a year. I cannot imagine being unable to go on a vacation in 13 years! With the mix of those of us that tip well and the vacationers on a budget I believe that it all works out in the end. A tip is a reward for good service, not a wage. If its not enough than the cruise companies need to pay their crew better and stop depending on their paying passengers to make up for their shortfalls!

 

Twistergirrl- you more than deserve this vacation! Be friendly to the crew, have fun, and tip whatever you can comfortably afford! Don't skip doing something because you can't afford a large tip! This is your vacation and always remember that a tip is a gratutity not a requirement and ANY amount that you give should be appreciated! If anyone refuses your $2 bill (don't sweat it) they obviously don't need it, just add it to your shore excursion fund. Also don't book your shore excursions with the ship. You can usually find the exact same excursion off ship for much less. There are many links on this site for good companies to use.

 

Ignore the insults, tip whatever you can afford, and most importantly have FUN, and enjoy your vacation! You've waited long enough!;)

 

Sandie

[mommabean]

It was such a fun thing to do - that little experiment. It really was a conversation starter about tipping in general - not just do you want a 2 dollar bill or 2 ones - the guys I talked to just seemed to like it that I was genuinely interested in how they felt about the whole thing.

 

In the past we've talked more with the crew about where they are from and how they got their job and the hours they work. So, this was a way to bring up a whole different subject concerning what it's like to be a crew member. I think I'll bring some $2 bills with me every trip. In no one wants them (not likely that will happen) I'll just save them for the next cruise. :)

[SunnieD]

Thank you Mommabean, that was cool for you to do that and I know you were thinking of us poor CCrs back home knowing you were on board doing your experiment. To the OP, I am so sorry that person made the statement of not cruising if you can not afford to tip. I have a family of 5 and the tips alone will be over $500 on our cruise in 3 weeks. That was part of the budget for the cruise. A big part! We are not doing any scheduled excursions and plan to drink on land when we can. I do feel that the waitstaff earns every penny. Others tend to only seek tips over and over, and when you see them elsewhere on board, may not know who you are. I did tip a big extra to our room steward last time as he spent over an hour one evening in our room teachng me how to make towel animals for my children when I got home. He and his wife were a team and they were wonderful!!!!!