What do you think of this tipping idea instead of $10/day?

[Cosmopolitan]

Can't claim that all people listen to their TAs 100% of the time, and I certainly doubt that everyone reads their NCL docs.;)

 

So, they are not "uninformed"...they just don't pay attention.

 

I was taught from when I was young...always read the fine print.

 

If they know what documents to bring on-board then they know what the tipping policy is. Same size print;).

[daveco58]

So, why does this keep coming up? NCL, Carnival, Princess, Cunard - they all have service charges. Whats the big deal?

Most cruise lines are going this way, restaurants in a lot of places in Europe do it. Now NCL does it and its a problem that needs to be fixed?

[daveco58]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrewser

<Sigh> another erroneous folk etymology. See World Wide Words (written by a real etymologist):

 

[Q] From Claire McBain, Thomas Lusk, Donna Guindon, and others: “What is the origin of the word tip as in the tip you would give a waitress at a restaurant?”

[A] Could I first dispose of the odd belief that it is an acronym for the phrase To Improve Performance? Modern folk etymology has a curious idea that the source of almost any short word lies in an acronym (perhaps because we’re surrounded by them), but the truth is that few such inventions are found before the 1930s.

Actually, this is a most interesting word. There are three distinct senses of tip in English: the one for an extremity probably comes from Old Norse; the one with the sense of overturn possibly also comes from a Scandinavian language, though nobody is sure. The one you’re asking about may derive from the German tippen, or possibly also be connected with the idea of an extremity, though authorities in language history are hedging their bets through lack of evidence.

It turns up first in the thirteenth century, meaning to touch lightly (as in the game tip and run). By the early 1600s, it had become thieves’ cant with the sense of handing something over, or passing something surreptitiously to another person. This may derive from the idea of lightly touching somebody’s arm in order to communicate. (This is supported by other appearances of the word in phrases like tip the wink and tip off and the noun tip for a piece of inside information, say on a horse race.)

One specific thing that was passed was a small sum of money. By the beginning of the eighteenth century it had taken on its modern meaning of giving a gratuity for a small service rendered; the first recorded use is in George Farquhar’s play The Beaux Stratagem of 1706 (“Then I, Sir, tips me the Verger with half a Crown”). By the 1750s, it could also mean the gratuity itself.

 

I've had many a wonderful cabin steward who fulfilled my every wish, also - and never had to resort to bribing them.

 

And I was told many years ago, it was the "touch lightly" thing - to "tip" someone was to palm a bill or coin, and discreetly pass it to someone during a handshake, as opposed to throwing an envelope at him, or leaving money laying around. Try it, if the waiter or Maitre D' is a pro, he will take the money, and get it to his pocket, without batting an eye, or looking at the bill, or allowing anyone else to discern what he is doing. Of course, now its the bill itself which is called a tip.

 

I have several customers who would never leave cash laying in the well; instead, they always "shake my hand" upon leaving the bar.

[Cosmopolitan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrewser

 

And I was told many years ago, it was the "touch lightly" thing - to "tip" someone was to palm a bill or coin, and discreetly pass it to someone during a handshake, as opposed to throwing an envelope at him, or leaving money laying around. Try it, if the waiter or Maitre D' is a pro, he will take the money, and get it to his pocket, without batting an eye, or looking at the bill, or allowing anyone else to discern what he is doing. Of course, now its the bill itself which is called a tip.

 

I consider that a bribe:rolleyes:

[daveco58]

And I consider it discreet.:cool: If you want to show off for your date, wave that big bill around

[Cosmopolitan]

And I consider it discreet.:cool: If you want to show off for your date, wave that big bill around

 

 

Fortunatley, I am old enough not be to "impressed" by a big bill....not sure I ever was;)

 

Show off's...yuk!

 

Big bills never impressed me....good manners/proper etiquette..YES.

 

Waving big bills....????:rolleyes:

[daveco58]

Thank you. exactly my point. And why I kind of like the service charge idea. And if you do decide to tip extra (not you Cosmo, but people in general)do it quietly.

[NCL_Cruiser]

I consider that a bribe:rolleyes:

 

Reminds me of my trips to Vegas....Matre'd seating at a show meant that the better you "tipped/bribed," the better the table you'd be seated at.

[Cosmopolitan]

Thank you. exactly my point. And why I kind of like the service charge idea. And if you do decide to tip extra (not you Cosmo, but people in general)do it quietly.

 

I agree.

 

We don't dispute the service charge and tip accordingly as we go along.

 

Great system:)

[GoHuskies!]

I thought you worked for NCLA - a very different model for tips.

 

I didn't realize there was a difference between NCL and NCLA in the model for tips. I've only been on two NCL cruises, one with NCL and one with NCLA, and didn't see any difference between them.

 

And my vote is for the current "service charge" added, simplifying life greatly. I don't even care whether it's called service charge or gratuities.

[sjbdtz]

Based on the research I've done, Tips mean to insure prompt service, now you can interpret that to mean whatever you like, but it is written what T.I.P.S means and I didn't write it. I don't have a problem with it and totally believe T.I.P.S. should be recognized. The problem with pre-paying gratuities in some cases is that the individual giving the service will feel as though they may not have to work as diligent and again in some cases take an attitude that they are definitely going to receive their T.I.P.S, therefore some attendants may be inclined not to do their best. I've seen it happen, I've had it happen to me personally, I've read about it on these boards tons of times and I know people that I have cruised with that have experienced service that was not up to par. I have been cruising for over 10 years and out of all of the cruises I've been on, I can honestly say on most of them I had top notch service. Then ones where service wasn't so top notch, I accepted it for what it was. YOu can't always get a 100% sometimes you might have to go with 80% and that's alright too. Bottom line here is, the guest should have the option to decide what and when to tip. Ncl states what their policy is before you board, so you either take it or leave it alone. That's your choice.

 

 

a) Don't believe everything you read.

 

b) I don't have any issue with the gratuities system in place. My problem is with those who state as though it were factual that TIPS means To Insure Prompt Service, which is simply incorrect.

[discjoker]

a) Don't believe everything you read.

 

b) I don't have any issue with the gratuities system in place. My problem is with those who state as though it were factual that TIPS means To Insure Prompt Service, which is simply incorrect.

 

That drive me nuts as well. I know it is a small thing to get worked up about, but it still drives me up a wall.

[pinkaboo]

Whatever,

To each his own....

Some of us use the library and the internet and other resources for what they are and some of try to re-invent wheel. There's definitely some good information out there and in this case I choose believe in the traditional meaning of "tips". Tips has been what it is for many years and that's it. Ask anybody, what basis do they tip on and I'm sure they will say, they tip according to the level of service they have received.(Service could mean a variety of things, such as promptness, food prep, how courteous one is, how efficient your cabin stewart may be, how attentive was your cab driver, etc, etc etc..) I personally think it is appropiate to tip no matter what. However the better the service the bigger tip. If I get terrible service the tip will reflect. But some sort of tip is always appropiate. Now you always have to leave room for the waaaaaaaaaaay out of the normal situations. But like I said, to each his own.

[Don Haynes]

But keep in mind the IRS expects waiters to report at least 15 percent of their gross sales.

[sjbdtz]

Whatever,

To each his own....

Some of us use the library and the internet and other resources for what they are and some of try to re-invent wheel. There's definitely some good information out there and in this case I choose believe in the traditional meaning of "tips". Tips has been what it is for many years and that's it. Ask anybody, what basis do they tip on and I'm sure they will say, they tip according to the level of service they have received.(Service could mean a variety of things, such as promptness, food prep, how courteous one is, how efficient your cabin stewart may be, how attentive was your cab driver, etc, etc etc..) I personally think it is appropiate to tip no matter what. However the better the service the bigger tip. If I get terrible service the tip will reflect. But some sort of tip is always appropiate. Now you always have to leave room for the waaaaaaaaaaay out of the normal situations. But like I said, to each his own.

 

I'm not sure, but you seem to be entirely missing the point.

 

The library, and whatever traditional information sources you're relying on, are simply WRONG. TIPS does NOT mean To Insure Prompt Service.

 

Etymologists conjecture that it may have come from the light touch with the tip of your fingers, as you discretely gave a gratuity (note the common root with gratitude).

 

It isn't an acronym. Was never an acronym, until recently. The truth is easily twisted in an internet world as people hear something, think it makes sense, and then repeat it as fact....much like you're doing here.

 

If it WERE an acronym, it wouldn't be To Insure Prompt Service, for the following reasons:

 

1. Insure = to insure something against loss. That is, to pay a premium in the expectation of full-recovery in the event of loss. The correct word for what you are attempting to convey is ENSURE, which means to 'make certain'.

 

2. The word existed long before the made-up acronym

 

3. If the word Insure WAS the correct word, and the term TIPS WAS an acronym, it wouldn't make sense...since it would require that the gratuity be dispensed prior to the service, and it typically is not.

 

 

I have made no comment whatsoever in this thread about whether providing gratuities is noble, or bribery, or right, or wrong. I'm merely commenting about the persistence that many people have, in their belief that TIPS is an acronym.

[pinkaboo]

To each his own,

I know some of us wished we held certain positions and wished that what we said was actual fact but sadly to say everyone is entitled to their own opinion and your facts may not be what's in line with everyone's else's especially those who have been published, anywho, on that note, this will be my last entry on this tipping issue, it's not that deep. So....

Ask anybody, what basis do they tip on and I'm sure they will say, they tip according to the level of service they have received.(Service could mean a variety of things, such as promptness, food prep, how courteous one is, how efficient your cabin stewart may be, how attentive was your cab driver, your banker, your dentist, whatever, etc, etc etc.. I think you get the idea) Again, I personally think it is appropiate to tip no matter what. However the better the service the bigger tip. If I get terrible service the tip will reflect. But some sort of tip is always appropiate. People who work for tips know how to pour it on in hopes of getting a really nice tip, and some pour it on because they have great integrity when it comes to their job and want to do the best they can do and there theory is God will provide. Anywho, Like I said, to each his own.. and let every man do their own homework and search out the truth, and those are my final thoughts on this tipping issue. It's not that deep, there is no right or wrong answer, just personal preference and interpretation. ;)

[sjbdtz]

To each his own,

I know some of us wished we held certain positions and wished that what we said was actual fact but sadly to say everyone is entitled to their own opinion and your facts may not be what's in line with everyone's else's especially those who have been published, anywho, on that note, this will be my last entry on this tipping issue, it's not that deep. So....

Ask anybody, what basis do they tip on and I'm sure they will say, they tip according to the level of service they have received.(Service could mean a variety of things, such as promptness, food prep, how courteous one is, how efficient your cabin stewart may be, how attentive was your cab driver, your banker, your dentist, whatever, etc, etc etc.. I think you get the idea) Again, I personally think it is appropiate to tip no matter what. However the better the service the bigger tip. If I get terrible service the tip will reflect. But some sort of tip is always appropiate. People who work for tips know how to pour it on in hopes of getting a really nice tip, and some pour it on because they have great integrity when it comes to their job and want to do the best they can do and there theory is God will provide. Anywho, Like I said, to each his own.. and let every man do their own homework and search out the truth, and those are my final thoughts on this tipping issue. It's not that deep, there is no right or wrong answer, just personal preference and interpretation. ;)

 

I don't get your comment "to each his own". We're talking about facts. There's no two-sidedness about it.

 

Actually, there is such a thing as a right & wrong answer. This isn't an opinion. It's a fact.

 

Here's some published opinions which agree with my comments:

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.htm

 

Anybody who studies language, will understand why what you conjecture cannot be correct, and I've broken it down a couple of times already for you.

 

To simplify it even further, the gesture of giving a gratuity, is accomplished by tipping the person.

[discjoker]

sjbdtz,

 

Don't waste your keystrokes. Pinkaboo doesn't get the point and I am afraid they never will. There is no argument with this one; it is a FACT that tips does not mean "to insure proper service." That is what is called a "backronym"....people taking a word that has long existed and assigning words to the letters. Again, it is a "backronym" and a bad one at that since the word insure is used improperly.

[daveco58]

To each his own,

I know some of us wished we held certain positions and wished that what we said was actual fact but sadly to say everyone is entitled to their own opinion and your facts may not be what's in line with everyone's else's especially those who have been published, anywho, on that note, this will be my last entry on this tipping issue, it's not that deep. So....

Ask anybody, what basis do they tip on and I'm sure they will say, they tip according to the level of service they have received.(Service could mean a variety of things, such as promptness, food prep, how courteous one is, how efficient your cabin stewart may be, how attentive was your cab driver, your banker, your dentist, whatever, etc, etc etc.. I think you get the idea) Again, I personally think it is appropiate to tip no matter what. However the better the service the bigger tip. If I get terrible service the tip will reflect. But some sort of tip is always appropiate. People who work for tips know how to pour it on in hopes of getting a really nice tip, and some pour it on because they have great integrity when it comes to their job and want to do the best they can do and there theory is God will provide. Anywho, Like I said, to each his own.. and let every man do their own homework and search out the truth, and those are my final thoughts on this tipping issue. It's not that deep, there is no right or wrong answer, just personal preference and interpretation. ;)

 

You are entitled to your own opinion. You are not entitled to your own facts.

Words have to mean something, apart from the opinions or feelings of the speaker. If everyone can just decide to use any combination of sounds to describe something, communication is impossible. And learning the origins of words is helpful in using them properly, by giving context, which again if shared between the speaker and the hearer, enables clear communication.

So, no...when it comes to word definitions and word origins, NOT, to each his own, but to everyone, a common shared understanding.

 

and now I must mail a check to State Farm. TIMH. (to insure my house)

[MrLee]

I very much prefer the current system.

 

As for the swiping of the cards, this was done on my Spirit cruise. The hostess told me that the swiping is what gives them data for the monitors that display the fullness of each dining room.

 

So that tells them how many people came in. How do they know how many left to actually determine how full the room is?

[ohioNCLcruiser]

on the America we had a worker walk around with a pda and marked what tables were in use and what ones were open. That also went to the screens showing how busy they were.

[johnql]

So that tells them how many people came in. How do they know how many left to actually determine how full the room is?

That's a good question. I don't know the answer. Perhaps the waiter is able to relay that information or input it behind the scenes somehow when the party has finished dinner. After all, that information is important for the hostess in order to know which tables and sections are busy and which tables are empty.