HAL's Tipping Policy

[Jim Gallup]

Serendipity,

 

I'm so sorry that you are offended. It was certainly not my intention.

I had hoped that my observations of how the mass market cruise industry has really operated (behind the scenes) for the past few decades would be somehow enlightening.

My mistake.

[Copper10-8]

Coop,

 

I guess your a numismatologist ..

 

That's not germain to the situation plus even if it was, I resemble that remark!:rolleyes:

[frbob]

Serendipity,

 

I'm so sorry that you are offended. It was certainly not my intention.

I had hoped that my observations of how the mass market cruise industry has really operated (behind the scenes) for the past few decades would be somehow enlightening.

My mistake.

 

JG, I read all your posts on this thread and I want to thank you for offering your "insider" perspective. This experienced cruiser can still benefit from real, unemotional, direct from the horses mouth information. Many thanks for your helpful comments. Keep 'em coming!

[HeatherInFlorida]

John, is "Coop" an affectionate insider name for you?;)

 

And I'm just going to throw this out there, but is there any chance some of us could stop trying to discuss the stock market on so many of these threads? It just doesn't fit into any of these subjects.

 

JG, here's the thing. It's not so much about WHAT you say as to how you say it. Here on a cruising message board with thousands of members, while some (such as frbob) may enjoy the way you put things, there are many others who may find it offensive. There are so many people who read these boards who never post ... we have only to look at the number of views on a thread to realize that.

 

You have so much valuable information to share with us, but to talk down to so many of us just gets the hair standing on the back of some people's necks and your message gets lost in that.

 

It's my hope that you would just see that part of it yet continue to provide all the good information that you do.

[RuthC]

And I'm just going to throw this out there, but is there any chance some of us could stop trying to discuss the stock market on so many of these threads? It just doesn't fit into any of these subjects.

Oh, wouldn't it be lover-ly! :)

[AAAAmerican]

JG, I read all your posts on this thread and I want to thank you for offering your "insider" perspective. This experienced cruiser can still benefit from real, unemotional, direct from the horses mouth information. Many thanks for your helpful comments. Keep 'em coming!

 

Such a great post sir. All knowledge is a benefit it all depends on how you use it. Complaining is so easy as everyone sees here from just a few posters.. especially if they do not even understand something at all...

 

Tips come in many forms paper, coinage, information, DATA and person to person benefits..

 

HAL has the best crewed ships in all the fleets (IMHO) and a great benefit is the Shareholders of HAL's parent which is Carnival Corp. and trades on the NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE (NYSE) CCL as well the LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE (LSE) CUK with out Stock Ownership of even a small lot of only One Hundred Shares you can not recieve the OBC Benefit of a $100 Cabin .

 

Thank goodness they are publicly traded or the information we all are able to attain here and in the stock markets would not be publicly available.

 

Repression of knowledge is not a good thing.:cool:

[AirGorilla]

Serendipity,

 

I'm so sorry that you are offended. It was certainly not my intention.

I had hoped that my observations of how the mass market cruise industry has really operated (behind the scenes) for the past few decades would be somehow enlightening.

My mistake.

 

Jim --

Please continue with your enlightening posts. I enjoy your posts far more than those of some "self-appointed experts" on many of the CC forums.

 

It is terrific to learn from an insider's perspective on this fascinating industry.

 

Thank you.

[HeatherInFlorida]

No one is a "self appointed expert" here and no one said they were (with the exception of JG).

 

Some people have the ability to say something without offending a very large group of people.

 

I'm merely suggesting (if anyone even bothered to read my post) that JG could be so much more helpful than he already is if he would try to do that.

 

I certainly could not have been more clear in my post above that as employees of HAL the JG Group have valuable information to share.

 

Talking "with" people always works better than talking "at" people. The JG group is talking "at" us. If you're missing that, then you're not reading their posts.

[jtl513]

cheap, poor, uncivilized, difficult or unsophisticated?

 

I'll confess to being unsophisticated on my first HAL cruise years ago, in a Main Deck cabin on the Amsterdam, and I'll bet a lot of other first-timers were too. That was before Autotipping, and although I don't remember exactly what we tipped our cabin steward, but I'm sure it was less than $3/p/d ... more likely about $1/p/d. But for the entire 7 days we never knew who our cabin steward was! I'm sure we must have passed him in the hallway a few times and said hello, but he never even introduced himself, never mind tried to do any of the schmoozing that more experienced upper-deck stewards do. Maybe his English skills were not very good yet, I don't know. We don't make a messy room, so we felt he deserved about what we left the maid in a Holiday Inn or Ramada of that time. All I'm saying here is that maybe there's some unsophistication on both sides causing lower tipping on the lower decks. :cool:

[lougee1043]

John, is "Coop" an affectionate insider name for you? quote]

 

no it is not ----in nyc to coop is to hide out and take a nap on the job

[cruisecrasy]

No one is a "self appointed expert" here and no one said they were (with the exception of JG).

 

Some people have the ability to say something without offending a very large group of people.

 

I'm merely suggesting (if anyone even bothered to read my post) that JG could be so much more helpful than he already is if he would try to do that.

 

I certainly could not have been more clear in my post above that as employees of HAL the JG Group have valuable information to share.

 

Talking "with" people always works better than talking "at" people. The JG group is talking "at" us. If you're missing that, then you're not reading their posts.

 

IF 'they' are talking 'at' u and IF u did not respond as u do it wld 'fall flat' wld it not? 'Turn the other cheek' sort of thing. Seems to me responding only fuels problems IF they ever existed in the first place..Ones perceptions can make something out of nothing also.. Cldn't we stop making a 'fuss' & just 'stick' to cruise matters....

 

Have good cruisin' all!!

[newmexicoNita]

No one is a "self appointed expert" here and no one said they were (with the exception of JG).

 

Some people have the ability to say something without offending a very large group of people.

 

I'm merely suggesting (if anyone even bothered to read my post) that JG could be so much more helpful than he already is if he would try to do that.

 

I certainly could not have been more clear in my post above that as employees of HAL the JG Group have valuable information to share.

 

Talking "with" people always works better than talking "at" people. The JG group is talking "at" us. If you're missing that, then you're not reading their posts.

Heather, I may not always agree with what you have to say; no one always agrees with anyone all the time, but I certainly do this time. JG and group, whomever they really are, loves to spout figures most of us could care about, they are experts on everything and would prefer we listen to their lectures but forget what the average passenger is saying. NMnita

[kryos]

... and although I don't remember exactly what we tipped our cabin steward, but I'm sure it was less than $3/p/d ... more likely about $1/p/d. But for the entire 7 days we never knew who our cabin steward was! I'm sure we must have passed him in the hallway a few times and said hello, but he never even introduced himself, never mind tried to do any of the schmoozing that more experienced upper-deck stewards do. Maybe his English skills were not very good yet, I don't know. We don't make a messy room, so we felt he deserved about what we left the maid in a Holiday Inn or Ramada of that time.

And believe me ... a lot of people do the same as you yourself. After all, when we go to a hotel ... especially a budget one ... what do you normally tip the person who cleans your room? I normally tip them one buck a day. In fact, to be totally honest ... if I'm only staying a day, I often tip them nothing. My feeling is that what I paid for that room entitles me to a clean room to check into. And, since the maid is not going to clean it again until I check out, why should I tip her? I'm not benefiting from the newly cleaned room. The next guests in it are. When I stayed that one night pre-cruise at the Holiday Inn in San Diego, to be honest ... I don't recall even leaving a tip for the housekeeper on check-out morning. I was too excited about getting onboard the Amsterdam. I probably didn't even think of it.

 

So, on the ship, why should we think any different ... especially if it is our first cruise? In the days before auto-tipping, when HAL clearly advertised "the only tip required is your smile," people took that literally and often probably did not tip ... or tipped very lightly. Like I said before, on my first cruise I only knew what was an appropriate tip for various people because my TA explained it to me. No one onboard would discuss appropriate tipping ... apparently at that time they were not allowed to engage in discussions on that topic. The cruise director merely told us that tipping is "entirely a discretionary matter," and left it at that.

 

So, how could I even question my cabinmate on that cruise when she pulled out a $20 (and now that I think more about it, it could have even been a $10) and said "here's my half of the cabin steward's tip." This was for a ten-day cruise before auto-tipping was put into place. When I tried to tell her that I didn't think the tip amount she was contemplating was "adequate," she very firmly told me that the amount she had was all he was getting, and if that wasn't "adequate," he was welcome to turn it down. She said she did the cruise on a budget, and was told that tipping was not necessary on Holland America. So, actually, she felt she was being very generous with her $10 tip ... after all, she could choose to leave nothing. She also told me that she talked to some of the people at her dining room table (even though I was at the same table, I rarely went to the dining room on that cruise) and most of them told her they were leaving nothing ... for either their cabin stewards or their waiters. She was even contemplating giving nothing to the waiter as well ... but wanted to see what the others at the table actually did before deciding.

 

I was floored.

 

But then ... in all fairness, I really couldn't blame her. How is she to know that "no tipping required" actually means "well, yeah ... we do actually expect something?"

 

This is why the auto-tip was started ... and it's probably an improvement over what was once in place. But I still think the high paid brains at HAL could come up with something even better ... and more fair.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[michmike]

Heather - It was mentioned in a thread last week which got poofed, that a determination had been made that the twilight zone was located in northern New Jersey. That proximity to Wall Street might explain the number of references to the NYSE.

 

Or.. it could be something in the water.. *S*

[HeatherInFlorida]

IF 'they' are talking 'at' u and IF u did not respond as u do it wld 'fall flat' wld it not? 'Turn the other cheek' sort of thing. Seems to me responding only fuels problems IF they ever existed in the first place..Ones perceptions can make something out of nothing also.. Cldn't we stop making a 'fuss' & just 'stick' to cruise matters....

 

Cruisecrasy, no it would not fall flat. If you read back a bit you will see how many people reacted to JG's posts. It's not just me ... I'm just a little more vocal because it's simply not my nature to be silent when I think there's even a tiny hope that I can open someone's eyes to just one small kindness.

 

And since you posted looks like you're not quite ready to let it go either:) . As to your post, is this what they call "text messaging". I'm old so I don't recognize it. Not necessary here ... there's plenty of room to type out the real words.

 

Just so you know, this is about "cruise matters". It's about tipping the Stewards on a HAL cruise. Didn't you know that what the thread is about???

 

NMNita, thanks:) ...

 

Michmike, :D :D

[RuthC]

IF 'they' are talking 'at' u and IF u did not respond as u do it wld 'fall flat' wld it not?

cruisecrasy, if you're going to be coming back to this board is there any chance you could type in words? :confused:

It's very hard to read your code.

Thanks everso.

[Copper10-8]

Coop here;)

I think we can all agree that we can disagree with each other, yes? We all know that this happens to be one of those topics on which folks have strong, sometimes very strong, opinions and luckily, we are all able to voice those. There are various levels of "cruising experience" on this great board. The vast majority of us however are giving/sharing our opinions about cruising from a passenger standpoint. That means we don't know and will never know everything and certainly not all the ins and outs of the workings of a cruise ship, the "behind the scenes" stuff. Re: the present topic, you can spend a heck of a lot of time comparing what goes on on a HAL ship with what goes on at a U.S. (North American, sorry Canucks:confused: ) restaurant but we should know that's not always the same!

The number of times that someone who is actually employed by a cruise line posts on this board can be counted on the fingers of one or two hands, no feet. We had a cruise staff member a couple of months ago who tried and promptly was chased away. I for one, highly appreciate it when someone like that appears on the scene because, all of sudden we are able to get some inside info. Even though there are apparently still folks here who don't/will not believe it, I can guarantee you that Jim Gallup is currently employed by a major cruise line in a high position, a top management position. That doesn't mean that you have to agree with everything he says but, guys (sorry S7S) cut him a little slack! He is here willing to share information with us, information you would otherwise have a hard time obtaining unless you find someone in a high position aboard your ship who is willing to spend a significant amount of time with you discussing these topics. Good luck!

 

I haven't asked him personally but I somehow don't believe that it was/is his intention to belittle pax who happen to occupy lower priced cabins on a certain deck. He wouldn't be in his current position if that is his outlook on things. Sometimes we (and I can be the biggest violator) read too much into people's posts. I think he was merely trying to get a point across and to some folks, that point didn't really reach the other side of the river. Just my opinion

Standing by to let the beatings begin!;)

[newmexicoNita]

cooper, I don't know where he is employed or by whom, but he is on almost every board with his wise comments. I would feel differently about him, if he would come down to earth. Unless you have read all the boards and know all the advise or lecturing he has done, you wouldn't understand. You are right, we all have our feelings on this and other subjects; some topics hit us harder than others: tipping is one: I beleive in tipping; I also have to admit, if I spend just one night in a hotel or motel, I usually do not leave anything as I expect the room to be cleaned before and after my stay: fair, maybe not, but I think many of us feel this way; Of course we do only leave $2 or $3 when staying in a hotel room, but we don't get the same service as we do on ships. Do I understand those who say "I can't afford to tip?" No, why should they take this out on the room stewards? Find a less expensive cruise or less expensive cabin. Do we go overboard on tipping? Not usually. So, I too have very strong views on the subject, but I am not thrilled with JG and his lectures. NMnita

[hammybee]

[quote name=Copper10-8

 

The number of times that someone who is actually employed by a cruise line posts on this board can be counted on the fingers of one or two hands' date=' no feet. We had a cruise staff member a couple of months ago who tried and promptly was chased away. I for one, highly appreciate it when someone like that appears on the scene because, all of sudden we are able to get some inside info. Even though there are apparently still folks here who don't/will not believe it, I can guarantee you that Jim Gallup is currently employed by a major cruise line in a high position, a top management position. That doesn't mean that you have to agree with everything he says but, guys (sorry S7S) cut him a little slack! He is here willing to share information with us, information you would otherwise have a hard time obtaining unless you find someone in a high position aboard your ship who is willing to spend a significant amount of time with you discussing these topics. QUOTE]

 

Thank you Copper. As I said on the related tipping post, I think JG's intent is to make his point and to create a little controversy. ( Actually I thought he and Rita were flirting in a Katherine /Spensor sort of way, but this is another thread for another time:) ) I enjoy JG's posts because it gives us an insight that we would not otherwise have. That he pushes a few sacred cow buttons along the way, well, who does not, at one time or another?

 

Now where is that snorklebearguy? I need something fun.

[serendipity1499]

Cooper10-8...I normally would agree with you & respect your opinions, however Jim Gallup by his own admission does not work for HAL..

 

There is another thread "A slightly different tipping Question" and in Post No. 28 Jim states...

 

Quote First, I'm not entirely sure that HAL does this. You would have to ask someone on a HAL ship. I do know that most if not all Mass Market Lines do it in some fashion. I have been on many mass market ships where several variations of what I described are done. Unquote

 

He is describing how the "Hot" Man humiliates the Stewards, who have complaints on their comment cards, after Passengers disembark the ship..First of all I believe it is cruel to humiliate a Steward in front of his/her co-workers..Anyone who has ever been in a Management Position, instinctively knows this is not a way to endear yourself to your staff..

He is posting these generalizations on a HAL board & I tend to believe that most of those who have read this thread honestly believe he works for HAL..

 

I still don't believe what he says is true of HAL Stewards & Passengers.. And yes I'm offended by those remarks.. I also don't believe he can speak for all of the Mass Cruise Lines on such issues, even though he may have worked fror many of them...By the same token, I can't tell you can't tell you how all Airlines run their business even though I was in an organization with Many Top Managers of different carriers in N.Y. Yes we can give info. from reading their policies, but we don't know how they run their various departments..And All "Hot" Men are not the same!

 

Happy cruising all..Betty

[ponte]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread on tipping.

 

Unfortunately I am as much in the dark now as I was when I first began.

 

Could someone please clarify in layman’s terms -

 

I pay the ten dollars per day and I am still expected to tip the visible crew members who give me service.

 

As a newbie, could someone tell me approximately how much to be decent I should tip?

 

I am booked on the Oosterdam in a Superior Veranda Suite.

 

 

 

Thank you,

 

Ponte

[hammybee]

Cooper10-8...He is describing how the "Hot" Man humiliates the Stewards, who have complaints on their comment cards, after Passengers disembark the ship..First of all I believe it is cruel to humiliate a Steward in front of his/her co-workers..Anyone who has ever been in a Management Position, instinctively knows this is not a way to endear yourself to your staff..[/font][/color] Happy cruising all..Betty

 

Betty,

For what it's worth to you, my initial reaction was similar to your own. It got me wondering about the differences in cultures, and by this, I mean values, not ethnicity.

 

I think most cruise ships are managed in a more military style than typical land-based business. Intimidation and humiliation may be tactics used, on occasion, to compel teamwork, especially when so many of the employees are on the front lines and turnover of the ship occurs within hours.

 

The team pressure to perform also seems similar to what happens in the military. While the stakes are certainly different, military versus cruise ship, what seems potentially cruel and unnatural to those of us who have worked in land based businesses, might be SOP on a cruise ship, a tough love sort of thing.

 

That every Hotel manager, on every ship, behaves this way is a generalization. But I do believe that the management styles, more commonly employed in most Western land-based businesses, are not necessarily relavent to a cruise ship, or I dare say, a business that employs mostly men:)

[hammybee]

Unfortunately I am as much in the dark now as I was when I first began.

 

Could someone please clarify in layman’s terms -

 

I pay the ten dollars per day and I am still expected to tip the visible crew members who give me service.

 

As a newbie, could someone tell me approximately how much to be decent I should tip?

 

I am booked on the Oosterdam in a Superior Veranda Suite. Thank you, Ponte

 

As you have gathered, tipping is a hot button on this and all boards. I do not think anyone expects anything beyond the recommended tips charged to your shipboard account remain intact. Anything you do above and beyond that is at your own discretion. Some of us do and some do not. How much depends upon you and how wowed or not ,you are by the service you receive.

 

The various crew that serves you well throughout your cruise, will certainly appreciate an extra $20 or more but if that's not your style or preference, so be it.

[ponte]

As you have gathered, tipping is a hot button on this and all boards. I do not think anyone expects anything beyond the recommended tips charged to your shipboard account remain intact. Anything you do above and beyond that is at your own discretion. Some of us do and some do not. How much depends upon you and how wowed or not ,you are by the service you receive.

 

The various crew that serves you well throughout your cruise, will certainly appreciate an extra $20 or more but if that's not your style or preference, so be it.

 

Thank you, I appreciate your reply. It is not that I am averse to tipping it is that I am uncomfortable with how much.

 

I do so often wish that a fair stipulated amount could be added to my bill and that people in service were instructed not to accept gratuities.

 

How nice that would be not to have the hassle.

 

Thank you again.

 

Ponte.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Betty, I believe John is right and the Jim Gallup group does work for HAL as an Officer. It was JG who said he/they are 3 people all posting under the same screen name. That's the only reason I ever mention it.

 

Also, I have often thanked JG for his very helpful and interesting posts. However, John, in this particular instance he definitely talked down to many people and did insult them ... not saying he meant to, but he did.

 

JGs have never said they worked for HAL here on the board, but it's been pretty well established that they do.

 

I'm as happy as many others to have the input from the "inside"; I just think the information could be given in a less offensive way.