Service/Auto Tipping

[CroozBlooz]

Several posters have claimed that dining room service has declined due to the implementation (many years ago) of the auto tipping procedures. If, in fact, service has declined in the dining rooms, and auto tipping is to blame, why would service provided by cabin stewards continue to be so good?

 

On our recent cruise aboard CB, it was apparent that our waiter was having problems. We talked to him and discovered that he had been assigned two more tables because of the number of passengers on the ship. Now this may be unique to the CB, but perhaps they are trying to stretch the wait staff too thin. That certainly could cause service problems.

[barbarah33]

For the first time ever on a cruise we had horrible service that was not improved as the week went on last year on the Caribbean. Our waiter just didn't seem to care at all - though I will admit that the assistant waiter worked very hard to please everyone. He was so bad that on the last night - when they get any cash tips, as soon as he flopped our desserts on the table he literally left the dining room! Nobody could say goodbye, offer any cash, etc. We all wondered if this was a result of the 'automatic tips?'

[bubbadog]

personaly i think it has a lot to do management,and very little to do with auto tipping,the auto tipping works in the favor for the waiters/waitresses,they know that 9-10 they will get their tips plus extra if they do a good job,so im more inclined to look to management for the reason:rolleyes:

[mountains to sea]

:(

personaly i think it has a lot to do management,and very little to do with auto tipping,the auto tipping works in the favor for the waiters/waitresses,they know that 9-10 they will get their tips plus extra if they do a good job,so im more inclined to look to management for the reason

 

While I agree that management (or the lack thereof) has a lot to do with the level of service, human nature also has its effect. Some waiters and cabin stewards will be gogetters and see the guaranteed tip as a base with an opportunity to get more with a smile and friendly service. Some will be content to do the minimum and settle for the guarantee.:( I have noted a similar phenomenon when using 2 for 1 dining cards where an 18% gratuity is automatically added to the pre-discount tab. Some waitstaff go out of their way, feeling, I assume, that you are a frequent diner and will add to the tip. Others get a bad case of indifference the minute they see they are guaranteed 18%.

 

Maybe the solution is the comment cards that are being discussed on another thread today. What can be used to reward, can be used to punish as well.

[dawcruiser]

I had talked some good friends in to their first cruise.

 

I had told them how good the service would be. So I felt obligated to see their service was up to par. The first night the waiter seemed like he didn't care. I marked that up to he had a hard day with a new group of passenger getting on and all. The second day the service wasn't any better. After supper I found my waiter and told him I always normally leave my tips in place and also try to tip some extra for good service and as far as I was concerned the service so far wasn't good. I also told him my discussion with him was a courtesy, if the service didn't get better real soon I would be force to talk to his supervisor. Then I gave him a $20.00 bill and said just incase you don't beleive me here is some of the extra tip I normally give at the cruises end and also now I have added incentive to talk to his supervisor. Guess what service has never been better. But this is the only time in 17 cruises that I can remember I was that dissatisfied with dining room service.

 

Just my 2 cebnts worth.

 

Don

[CPCruiser4Life]

"After supper I found my waiter and told him I always normally leave my tips in place and also try to tip some extra for good service and as far as I was concerned the service so far wasn't good. I also told him my discussion with him was a courtesy, if the service didn't get better real soon I would be force to talk to his supervisor. Then I gave him a $20.00 bill and said just incase you don't beleive me here is some of the extra tip I normally give at the cruises end and also now I have added incentive to talk to his supervisor."

 

Don, I love your style!

 

I was a waiter for 7 years of my life before becoming a teacher. Anywho, I was never content with the "expected" tip, and would always give 110% because I wanted more, and I enjoyed what I did. I also have a wrestling background and the work ethic is just innate.

 

Waiters are human...and we all have our grumpy days....sometimes it's tough to give 100% day in and day for however long they go. I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt because I have a pretty good idea of what they do!

 

Just my thoughts.

[CrusinAgain]

If you give the servers, stewards money up front with more to come if they do well, does this not create a harder time for the people that follow that don't tip in advance? One comes to expect the others to hand cash over in the beginning once it begins. Its human nature to start to expect this to happen and when it doesn't, the service goes down.

 

Like the poster said above who was in the industry, that the expected tip wasn't enough. I don't know, sometimes this tip stuff has gone too far and everyone has their hand out is sometimes how I feel.

[okbowler]

I have stated in another thread at another time that I feel that a charge against your account before service is preformed is a service charge and not a tip. Saying that ,I have never removed the service charge from my bill. It has probably made me more critical of precieved lack of services while onboard. I feel that it is an effort of managament to have customers directly subsadize salarys. When my girls were in there teens they worked for a chain resturant that put all of the tips in a kitty and divided them

among the employees, but the tips were considered part of their salary.

Such as we will guarantee you $30.00 a shift plus tips that exceed this amount. Dont believe this is done in the USA any more. Any how it wont change, I still give cash tips for exceptional service and let the auto tipping take care of what is now standard service.

[willysgrandma]

If you are really dissatisfied with service, the thing to do it go to the pursers office and have part of the tip removed and to tell them the name of the employee you think is delivering subpar service.

 

We have also found that a tip the first night in cash if the service is good will guarantee you better service throughout your ruise. We will also offer our head waiter or asst. waiter a few extra dollars at night if the service is excellent. And when we do at the beginning of a cruise, we pretty much have great service for all of it.

 

The only poor service we ever had on a cruise was the Celebrity Horizon with an Asst. Waiter. The guy refused to speak to the women or acknowledge requests from us - yet if my husband asled for anything, he fell over himself for the men.

 

At the end of the cruise, when we had our envelopes delivered to us, I put a lousy tip in his envelope and a note that he should actually talk to his female cruisers and honor requests for drinks, etc. Because the men aren't always the ones who leave the tips.

 

And I added what would have been his tip to the head waiters, with a note on why I had given him extra and that perhaps he needed to teach his asst. waiter to acknowledge and respect female passengers.

 

And we made sure to mention the poor service on the customer cards as well.

 

If nothing is said to the waiters when subpar service is received and auto tips are included, they will never learn to treat their passengers better. And the cruise line needs to know as well so if they get multiple complaints about the same staff members, they can do something about it.

[cherylandtk]

Perhaps its because the cabin steward serves the same passengers each day, while the dining staff may or may not.

[wdblake]

My wife and I have always removed the autotipping and tipped ourselves at the end of the cruise. I agree with the above poster that when it is just tacked on it is a service charge not a tip. I would rather pay more for my cruise up front than to be nickle and dimed at the end.

A tip should be a way of expressing thanks for someone providing good service. Many of the waiters on our last cruise (Sun Princess) showed no enthusiasm and offered subpar service. We were lucky though that our dinner waiter was excellent.

There may be no "proof" that autotipping results in poor service, but I believe it eliminates an incentive to try to go that extra mile.

Just my two cents worth (not autotipped by the way :) ).