A real tipping question, not the skinflint -cheapskate one

[sherin65]

Luggage Attendant? I assume this means the person that brings the luggage to your room and picks it up the last night, right? I've never tipped them. I've tipped the porters at the dock but I've never seen the luggage attendant, how would I tip them in the future?

 

Sher

[Mach1]

Hi - this may be a silly question but here it goes:

At the bar - do you add the tip to the bill (so it is taken off your seapass) or do you leave cash?

In the dinning room when the person came around to take our drink order or give us the little "shot" of the day I would give him cash. Now the lady at our table was quite offended by that, saying I shouldn't give cash, they can't accept it and they get there tips from the "tip pool". But he was so nice and remembered us and gave us the "shot" of the day for free a few times. He never seemed "offened" that I gave him a couple bucks.

We gave our wait staff a thank you card, with extra cash on the last night. In the Windjammer we left a couple dollars on the table when we were finished, just like I would normally do at home.

[zotzer]

In the dinning room when the person came around to take our drink order or give us the little "shot" of the day I would give him cash. Now the lady at our table was quite offended by that, saying I shouldn't give cash, they can't accept it and they get there tips from the "tip pool".

 

On RCI ships, the folks who bring the drinks at dinner are part of the bar-waiter staff. You will see them by the pool or other venues during the day as well. They indeed work for tips. The 15% that is automatically added to each drink order goes into a pool. Any cash you give, or any amount additional that you write onto the check, goes directly to them, and I PROMISE you, they appreciate it very much!

 

T

[scher]

I understand and am comfortable with what to tip the "ususal suspects". However, I am going to Alaska this year and have booked excursions that I haven't experienced before so I am not sure how handle tips. I will be going on a floatplane trip and whale watching and in both cases the owner of the company will be the pilot / captain. I don't want to offend them by offering them a tip if it is not expected but I also don't want to stiff them since my life will be in their hands... What would you do? Thanks...

My parents always taught me you don't tip the owner. He makes all the profit and gets all of the extra money. It is his staff that has controlled monies and salaries and if they do a job well done a tip is totally in order in most instances. I understand the feeling of if other people are tipping and you are not you feel like maybe you should be, that is just a self conscious feeling of not doing the right thing. But if you look at it in true sense of tipping some say tip stands for "TO INSURE PROMPTNESS" I have been scolded on this web site before for stating that but have heard it many times on and off the TV

Carolyn

[sweetsandnuts]

these are the best people to tip,

 

Waiter

Assistant waiter

Cabin attendant

Room service

 

the above people make your holiday and dont forget, your dining room staff get paid $25 dollars a month only, by royal carribean, they rely on your tips if you don't tip they get nothing.

 

They bend over backwards to make your holiday, so you should not only pay them the going rate they deserve, you should pay over the odds.

 

Sit back and enjoy your holiday and don't be so tight with your money, 1 less drink in the bar each night will go a long way to ensuring the staff get the tips they deserve.

 

JUST THINK IF YOU RELIED ON TIPS AND YOU DID NOT GET THEM YOU WOULD BE REALLY PISSED OFF.

mark

 

 

Luggage attendant $5

[TheBeachBears]

Luggage Attendant? I assume this means the person that brings the luggage to your room and picks it up the last night, right? I've never tipped them. I've tipped the porters at the dock but I've never seen the luggage attendant, how would I tip them in the future?

 

Sher

 

Yes porters (it sounds so 1800's congo), I think house elves bring the luggage up. It just shows up, or dosen't depending on your luck.

[Fritz265]

I have a friend who works on a cruiseship and here's what he said:

 

1. Included tips for bar bills go to the server... no pooling there... rest assured that "Juicy" got the extra $$ you added on for him remembering you and your drink...

 

2. The tips that go into a pool are the ones you automatically charge to your account either at the time you book the cruise or at the end of the cruise when you have that option... those are then distributed to the staff as part of their paycheck...

 

Tips you personally hand out are allowed to be kept by the individual...

 

I always tip 15-20% for spa services... same as at home...

 

Hence the reason why I always pay tips with cash rather than on my seapass account. First, it allows me to thanks someone personally and secondly, it ensures that the money gets into their hands.

 

I just go down to the casino and get cash from my seapass account to cover everybody.

[traveler/]

TIPS

I have heard it stands for: "To Insure Proper Service".

We feel it is important to tip those who have helped us have a memorable vacation, especially if it is someone who we see often.

I have often heard that the actual salary is usually very low and tips are the difference for them. I figure it as part of my trip budget.

Thanks for all the posts here, I wanted to know whether tips were pooled or not.

[Lightsluvr]

Based on a recent experience, what would YOU do, IF:

 

Your waiter had one large table and (your) small table. He spent all of his time at the large table, except for taking your order and some meaningless small talk. He waited until all of the large table ordered before turning yours into the kitchen, meaning it was one hour before you saw your appetizer. Water glasses never filled. Iced tea ordered but not delivered until after a comment was made to the head waiter. No butter on table. Entrees were cold and salads were warm due to unexplained delays.

 

And all this happened on the first night. **

 

What would you tip?

 

LL

 

** You never returned to the DR due to the above described service.

[BillfromWV]

You just described what happened on my last cruise with the family. We were at a small table, two small children and my wife. We were treated as second class and were literally the last ones out of the dining room that evening. No we did not return to the dining room. We ate at chops twice and Windjammers the rest of the trip. I certainly hope the extra service the other table received from our dining room team paid off for them.

[traveler/]

Based on a recent experience, what would YOU do, IF:

 

Your waiter had one large table and (your) small table. He spent all of his time at the large table, except for taking your order and some meaningless small talk. He waited until all of the large table ordered before turning yours into the kitchen, meaning it was one hour before you saw your appetizer. Water glasses never filled. Iced tea ordered but not delivered until after a comment was made to the head waiter. No butter on table. Entrees were cold and salads were warm due to unexplained delays.

 

And all this happened on the first night. **

 

What would you tip?

 

LL

 

** You never returned to the DR due to the above described service.

Talk to head waiter and move to another table. The HW gets tips too.

If I did not return to DR, I feel no tip is warranted. I got no service.

[Fritz265]

Talk to head waiter and move to another table. The HW gets tips too.

If I did not return to DR, I feel no tip is warranted. I got no service.

 

Agreed. If you didn't eat there, then no tip is warranted.

 

On Freedom, our serving team was very good but we ate at Portofino and Chops for three nights out of the week but not due to bad service so we tipped well as if we dined there all week.

[amybear912]

I thought someone said earlier (on another thread) that the staff in the dining room is also staff in the Windjammer... so if you aren't tipping your waiters because you don't eat in the dining room, then you are stiffing the staff in the Windjammer also...

 

Is this true or not???

 

Incidentally, check out the Feature story on gratuities that was posted on CC today... it's a great read.

 

we do the SeaPass thing then tip extra cash on the last night to particularly good service...

[Fritz265]

I thought someone said earlier (on another thread) that the staff in the dining room is also staff in the Windjammer... so if you aren't tipping your waiters because you don't eat in the dining room, then you are stiffing the staff in the Windjammer also...

 

Is this true or not???

 

Incidentally, check out the Feature story on gratuities that was posted on CC today... it's a great read.

 

we do the SeaPass thing then tip extra cash on the last night to particularly good service...

 

True. The servers in Windjammer for breakfast and lunch are frequently the same folks who serve you at main dining in the evening. I don't customarily tip at a buffet venue since I technically wasn't "served" anything. They primarily clear tables.

[Lightsluvr]

Talk to head waiter and move to another table. The HW gets tips too.

If I did not return to DR, I feel no tip is warranted. I got no service.

 

Let's just say you did speak to the HW, who didn't make eye contact with anyone at your table and acted like he never heard your request...(He was just looking around the Dining Room)...he just gave an obvious "canned" introduction speech and then walked away. Never saw him again...

 

What would you tip the HW? :rolleyes:

 

(I'm not making this up.)

 

LL