Tipping issue: different views

[PSUengineer]

This will be my first cruise and I have been reading SOOO much on these boards and this site in general. I will be traveling on the Carnival Victory. In the Tipping Tips article, it states that Carnival automatically puts a tip amount ($9.75) per day on your shipboard account. Is there a way to deactivate this so that I can give the tips directly to the people? Thank you for your help!!

[Fredr]

hello,

 

Go see the Purser's office sometime during your cruise and tell them what you want to do. However, based on my 15 cruises my suggestion is that unless you really have very bad service (and this is unlikely), go with Carnival's gratuity plan. This will save you the hassle of having to go to the ship's bank and get money to stuff in each evelope. I tip considerably more than the recommended so I get evelopes and money, but if I were a first timer I would go with Carnival' s program.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Fred

[johnql]

My two cents: keep the automatic tips in place and hand out extra to anyone who has gone above and beyond. In my experience (14 cruises), the recommended amounts that are taken out automatically is the bare minimum that the staff deserves.

[98Charlie]

I agree with other posters who suggest you leave the automatic tipping on as suggested by the cruise line. You can always give extra tips to those you feel deserve more.

 

We take packs of thank you cards with us on all of our cruises and write a personal note on the card for those we wish to give extra. The personalized note added to the extra cash they find in the envelope always seems to produce a big smile of gratitude from our wait staff and room stewards.

 

We have also had many occasions to use the thank-you card and cash tip for bartenders, drink servers or others on the ship that we felt deserved a tip of gratitude for services well executed.

 

Dianne

[PSUengineer]

Thank you so much. I will just leave the auto tipping - one less thing to think about for my first cruise! These tips are only for the "regular" tipping, correct? For example, I would still tip if I had room service to my room, right?

[johnql]

Thank you so much. I will just leave the auto tipping - one less thing to think about for my first cruise! These tips are only for the "regular" tipping, correct? For example, I would still tip if I had room service to my room, right?

That's correct. Room service tipping is separate from the regular tips, as well as the porters at the pier, and excursion guides and drivers. Also, all bar bills will have a 15% gratuity automatically added to the bill.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Room service is to my knowledge (15 cruises) the only situation on a cruise involving food and beverages where you give a gratuity directly to the person serving you.

 

And this is very important....always smile and be kind to cruise ship personnel from the Captain to the lowest able seaman. A kind word and a smile can be of great benefit to the cruise staff as well as to you. On our last cruise (18 days from Venice to Galveston) I had great fun talking baseball with a young waiter from Nicaraugua.

 

Hope that you have a wonderful cruise.

 

Fred

[Seago2]

I bring 100 $1's with me and use them for tipping extra, for tipping the room service guys, and for use in port. It's much easier to haggle a ten dollar item down to 6 bucks if you aren't standing there holding a twenty. Also, things like bottled water may cost 2 bucks in port,and if you give them a five you get back change in their currency. Also- taxis.

 

I do tend to tip more. I tip the cabin steward a few bucks on a daily basis. I consider the mandatory tipping to be part of the cost of the cruise and part of their pay, so to speak. I would never try to take the cost off, even if I were to tip MORE than the suggested amount, because the line at the purser is usually insane the night before you arrive back home!

[PSUengineer]

Thank you for all of the advice and tips. I never thought of change being given back to me in their currency! That may not be the best thing if I am only going to be there one day. But of course, it would be a reason to go back (why waste the money?!?!)

[Tmeister]

In addition to tipping, remember that you will be asked to fill out an evaluation form at the end of your cruise. Staff are rated according to the results of these surveys, which can make all the difference in the world in determining whether a crew member gets a promotion or a transfer to a better ship. Many ships also feature comment cards for use during the cruise. We try to use these frequently to compliment good service.

[nkdelgado]

Hello everyone,

 

Does anyone know if you tip at an onboard specialty restaraunt? I would assume you tip the waiter the same as a land based establishment, but a previous poster suggested that room service was the only service aboard the ship which would require it. I don't want to short change someone, but I don't want to appear to be throwing cash around either. Any suggestions?

[johnql]

Hello everyone,

 

Does anyone know if you tip at an onboard specialty restaraunt? I would assume you tip the waiter the same as a land based establishment, but a previous poster suggested that room service was the only service aboard the ship which would require it. I don't want to short change someone, but I don't want to appear to be throwing cash around either. Any suggestions?

It's not expected, but again, as with most tipping, it's a personal decision. If you feel that you received exceptional service, then a tip is probably warranted. Me? I give $5-10 per person when the service deserves it. If the service is just average, I have no problem with not tipping.

[Seago2]

OK, hold your fire PLEASE, but I tip in a specialty restaurant the same as I would tip on land- if I were paying land-based prices. So if it's a $100 meal (even though I'm obviously paying 20 pp) I tip 20 bucks.

 

The evaluation forms are key! I got to know a Carnival waiter- who I still email with (he usually sends bizarre forwards- pencil sketches of Indian women and landscapes that turn into elephants- signed "Elation Cruise Staff") anyway- he went on and on about the good evaluations he's gotten and how that's the reason he gets such good shifts (which appeared to me to be literally around the clock, but...).

[samtig]

We have had several room stewards tell us the evaluation forms are the most important thing used for promotions. We always fill them out for this reason.

[mochuck]

I'm Australian doing an Eastern Mediterranean cruise later this year with RCCL. What nationality are most of the crew and what currency would they prefer tips in. My instinct is to give the Australian dollars, but if most of them are from the US I would give US dollars. Also, on shore excursions do you use local currency?

[Arwenmark]

I'm Australian doing an Eastern Mediterranean cruise later this year with RCCL. What nationality are most of the crew and what currency would they prefer tips in. My instinct is to give the Australian dollars, but if most of them are from the US I would give US dollars. Also, on shore excursions do you use local currency?

 

I suppose to some slight degree it depends on the line you are taking but most cruise ships the crew are not from the US for sure. They are from all over the world and US currency is the currency of choice in MOST cases. In Europe one might tip in EUROs I suppose as well. Of course on all the lines that include the tips automatically you don't need to worry about what currency it is in.

[vjblk]

Mochuck,

 

You'll need to use local currency on your shore excursions as you will find that most vendors will not accept anything other than local currency. Of course there are some exceptions. We visited Dubrovnik a few years ago and there were some stores that would accept the euro. And I think I even saw a few that would accept the US dollar which is rare.

 

And as for tipping, RCCL should use the US dollar as the common currency for charges on board. Tipping in either US dollars or Euro would be more appropriate than tipping in your Australian Dollar. They would probably like the Euro since it has more value than our US dollar.

[trish1c]

No matter whether you use automatic tipping or hand them the money directly, most of the staff is still required to pool tips.

[johnql]

No matter whether you use automatic tipping or hand them the money directly, most of the staff is still required to pool tips.

My understanding is that if you leave the automatic tips in place, any extra tips can be kept by the person you give it to. Only the automatically deducted tips are pooled. At least that's the way it works on NCL.

[mochuck]

Thanks for your advice, I think I'll go with Euros because we start and finish in Rome and they will be able to use Euros. Also, as someone mentioned the US$ is not so strong at the moment.

[trish1c]

My understanding is that if you leave the automatic tips in place, any extra tips can be kept by the person you give it to. Only the automatically deducted tips are pooled. At least that's the way it works on NCL.

 

I thought the same thing. But what I'm saying is if the passanger takes automatic tipping off & gives the person the money directly, the person is supposed to contribute it to the pool. I certainly don't know how the line would check this.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We spoke with an officer and praised a waiter in the Windjammer Buffet on an RCI ship one time. The officer told us the very best thing we could do was praise the waiter by name, of course, very highly in the comments card at the end of the cruise because whenever passengers point out a crew member for special mention, that goes in the crew member's folder and helps with promotions, etc. He told us most people don't realize what a good thing that is to do.

[JanineM]

Hello everyone,

 

Does anyone know if you tip at an onboard specialty restaraunt? I would assume you tip the waiter the same as a land based establishment, but a previous poster suggested that room service was the only service aboard the ship which would require it. I don't want to short change someone, but I don't want to appear to be throwing cash around either. Any suggestions?

 

We rarely leave an additional tip in the specialty restaurants. We have had servers tell us that the $20 we pay (on RCCI) is primarily additional gratuity that they receive.

 

I put myself through school by waitressing and bartending, so tend to be an extremely generous tipper, so it's not a matter of cheapness!

[johnql]

I thought the same thing. But what I'm saying is if the passanger takes automatic tipping off & gives the person the money directly, the person is supposed to contribute it to the pool. I certainly don't know how the line would check this.

I've read numerous posts where CCers have said that they have spoken directly to staff and supervisors about this. Apparently, it's a combination of peer pressure, honesty and a fear of losing one's job that gets the staff to turn in any tips that are given to them directly.

[jpinkston]

So, do we need to tip our guides on excursions as well?