Pre Paid Gratuities info please

[averageblokes]

Hi

We have booked on the Infinity Alaskan Cruise 28 April 2008. This is our first cruise and being Australians our custom does not include tipping except in very rare situations and when we travel overseas this is often a concern to us as we always want to do the right thing as we realise that this is major part of the service industrys income unlike in Australia.

Our booking documents from our travel agent show quote Pre Paid Gratuities : Included

Does this mean that all tipping has been taken care ?

we would greatly appreciate any assistance on this thanks

[MMDown Under]

Yes, you have pre-paid extra to cover the gratuities, so you don't have to tip extra. The cruise company details how much you had to pay for each person who serves you in the dining room, room steward, etc.

 

On our ship 15% was added to all drink bills.

 

We prefer cruises with pre-paid gratuities, so we don't have to worry, and we did not like the way we were indirectly encouraged to tip more.

[averageblokes]

thanks for that. We were starting to get a bit concerned with some to the comments on here regarding tipping. Wouldnt it be great if all hospitality staff were paid like they are in Aus so that everyone one got the wages they deserve.

[wolfshadow]

It is true that pre-paying your gratuities does take care of the least you should tip, but most of us usually go a little over and above that and tip our room stewards and their assistants and our waiters and their assistants a little more at the end of the cruise. Those four work very hard for you the whole cruise usually, so we show our appreciation by leaving them a little extra in envelopes that are usually provided toward the end of the cruise. Many tip bartenders and beverage servers extra, too, even though 15% is usually added to their drink totals. But, if you have pre-paid like I said, you have satisfied the least that they expect and that is all you are asked to do.

[jclarkhall]

Like our friends from Australia, in Scotland, we do not have a culture of 'Gratuities' unless the service is above and beyond. It is not the case that all Scots are mean.

I also have pre paid gratuities, and you get your voucher to give to staff members at end of cruise that operates fine. Assuming that on average, most of the passengers give the suggested level of tips, just work out the salary that the Stewards etc earn. They look after a fair number of cabins/people so are not too poorly paid.

I also do not agree with Glenda, regarding the 15% added to all bar prices that goes to waiters. To me that is a very fair tip, especially as some of the wines and drinks can be expensive.

Regards JC

:)

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[flag fan]

BTW, if you pre-pay your tips beforehand, you cannot adjust the amount on board. I wanted to increase my tips, but had to do it with money in envelopes, I could not just add more to the charge on my account. I prefer it being handled on my account, so I do not have to hunt down whoever I want to give a tip to and do not have to worry about how much cash I need to have (in the correct amounts) at the end of the cruise. If you do not pre-pay, you can put whatever tips you want on the ship account. (I don't quite understand why they do this, but I found it inconvenient.)

[JanineM]

One thing to keep in mind, if you order Room Service is it customary to give the delivery person $1-2 (depending on the order) in cash at the time of service. From what I have been told, these people do not share in the regular gratuities.

[wolfshadow]

Like our friends from Australia, in Scotland, we do not have a culture of 'Gratuities' unless the service is above and beyond. It is not the case that all Scots are mean.

I also have pre paid gratuities, and you get your voucher to give to staff members at end of cruise that operates fine. Assuming that on average, most of the passengers give the suggested level of tips, just work out the salary that the Stewards etc earn. They look after a fair number of cabins/people so are not too poorly paid.

I also do not agree with Glenda, regarding the 15% added to all bar prices that goes to waiters. To me that is a very fair tip, especially as some of the wines and drinks can be expensive.

Regards JC

:)

I'm not too sure what you are disagreeing with me about. All I was pointing out was that some people give an extra dollar or two when they are served drinks by the bartenders or say at the theater, which is over the 15% that is usually already added to their bill. I, also, said that if you have already pre-paid your gratuities, you have already given the least expected amount and you are good to go. Being from the US, and having relatives in the service industry, I know they do not get compensated enough through payroll and make most of their money on tips. I, also, know that they understand this so they usually work harder to give great service to earn that extra tip from you. If they don't then you don't have to give it. There is a great thread from a ex-Celebrity employee on this board and he has given a lot of insight as to what exactly the workers make onboard. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=701522 Perhaps this will enlighten you a little more.

[MMDown Under]

You don't have to tip extra to get excellent levels of service.

 

When I was on the Honolulu to Sydney cruise with a ship full of Aussies, I asked various members of the crew how they found the difference. They all said we were less demanding, easy to please, etc.

 

If people just do their jobs, nothing more, we are happy little Vegemites!

[wolfshadow]

You don't have to tip extra to get excellent levels of service.

 

When I was on the Honolulu to Sydney cruise with a ship full of Aussies, I asked various members of the crew how they found the difference. They all said we were less demanding, easy to please, etc.

 

If people just do their jobs, nothing more, we are happy little Vegemites!

So, from what you are very rudely indicating is that you asked different members of the crew if they would rather receive tips from Americans or serve Aussies for no tips because you're so much more easy to please? Wonder if you would feel the same if you had to do their jobs?

[Amlee]

Hi

We have booked on the Infinity Alaskan Cruise 28 April 2008. This is our first cruise and being Australians our custom does not include tipping except in very rare situations and when we travel overseas this is often a concern to us as we always want to do the right thing as we realise that this is major part of the service industrys income unlike in Australia.

Our booking documents from our travel agent show quote Pre Paid Gratuities : Included

Does this mean that all tipping has been taken care ?

we would greatly appreciate any assistance on this thanks

 

 

The tip for your dinning room staff and cabin steward is taken care of.

 

Not included would be:

If you use room service it's always nice to add a dollar or two per plate.

Also you will see a 15% added to any drinks you order from the bars.

 

Anything beyond that is up to you.

[JRF]

Hi

We have booked on the Infinity Alaskan Cruise 28 April 2008. This is our first cruise and being Australians our custom does not include tipping except in very rare situations and when we travel overseas this is often a concern to us as we always want to do the right thing as we realise that this is major part of the service industrys income unlike in Australia.

Our booking documents from our travel agent show quote Pre Paid Gratuities : Included

Does this mean that all tipping has been taken care ?

we would greatly appreciate any assistance on this thanks

 

Hi averageblokes, Noticed you were on the same cruise as we are. Have you signed in for the connections party. See top of the page for "register to attend a Connections party. We also have a role call on the Infinity site. You can check it out at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=600414

 

Regards JRF

[scotslass]

I dont think the Aussies meant to be rude I think they are saying that Americans are much more demanding of good service because you are used to it and pay for it .

Here in the UK staff in the hospitality industry get a decent wage whether they are nice to the customer and give good service or not.

In the states you expect good service . Here in the UK we dont and it is extra nice if we get it .

That is why I love the service given on cruises and in the states and always tip well. although I must admit I have heard some Americans being pretty rude to ship staff over insignificant things.

If staff in the UK were spoken to like that the server would tell them where to shove their tip!!!!!!!

[Blondie007]

I think tipping is much more common place now in the Uk especially Scotland. My staff go way out above and beyond at times, and yep, there are still miserable sods around... but on the whole.,our staff get a nice little pot to share at the end of the week. Only prob is, here in the UK, Mr. Brown takes his share! (and we all know who that goes to!).. personally, I reckon we tip MORE than most fellow cruisers just as scotslass said, we are so unused to that exceptional service, and when we received it, we are pretty bowled over. Our Butler tried to return some of the tip we gave him to us...:eek: ... he was so happy and so polite he asked us of we were sure we knew how much we had given him.. I suppose though, also the exchange rate for us right now allows us to be that bit more generous.

I never pre pay tips. I do however make up my envelopes beforehand and they are "my" tips if you like, and then my husband does the REAL tipping on top of that. The staff we have come across...they just make your vacation so special dont they, and deserve every cent!:)

[Amlee]

I dont think the Aussies meant to be rude I think they are saying that Americans are much more demanding of good service because you are used to it and pay for it .

Here in the UK staff in the hospitality industry get a decent wage whether they are nice to the customer and give good service or not.

In the states you expect good service . Here in the UK we dont and it is extra nice if we get it .

That is why I love the service given on cruises and in the states and always tip well. although I must admit I have heard some Americans being pretty rude to ship staff over insignificant things.

If staff in the UK were spoken to like that the server would tell them where to shove their tip!!!!!!!

 

Now for the flip side of this.

 

I tip according to the service I get. If I think the service is outstanding I tip more. If I think something is lacking I tip less. But I will give a tip. I don't stiff. But,twice now while touring in the U.K. I have been told by the British tour guide that a tip is expected of me as if I was back home in the states. Talk about a total and complete turn off!!

[MMDown Under]

I have been away.

 

Sorry you found my comments very rude, as that was not my intention.

 

I relayed the crew comments, which were not in relation to tips, to show that there are cultural differences. Because my generation are not used to having people serve us, we don't request or expect anything extra. For example, we carry our own luggage, don't use porters, etc.

 

I have travelled throughout USA and Europe my whole adult life, and tip accordingy to the custom. I'm just not comfortable with tipping, which is why I like pre-payment of gratuities.

 

That is not to say that I don't appreciate the work of the staff, who I treat like family.

 

I'm also not comfortable with the cruise lines underpaying their staff, which is a form of modern day slavery.

[wolfshadow]

I'm sorry if I misunderstood you. I'm sure there are many demanding Americans that expect way too much but, there are many, many more that are not like that. We know that the crew doesn't make much other than their tips and that the pre-paid gratuities are split amongst many crew. You can find the breakdown on the cruiseline site as to what they feel the daily tip per what category should be. That's how they add up the pre-pay amount that you pay upfront. Anyway, here in the US, service workers only make minimum wage and really depend on tips to make ends meet. So I guess our cultures are just very different.

[63galaxie]

I emailed our online T.A. (first time we've used them) today and asked how we go about prepaying our tips for our upcoming cruise. This was her response, which, in my mind, is just wrong:

"Just to give you some info about doing prepaid versus the envelope system: You would end up saving money by using the envelopes versus the direct prepaid. Also, you get to choose who gets a tip and how much you give them. When using the prepaid it gets split off and someone that you may have tipped more than another would get an even split.

 

Prepaid and shipboard account gratuities are relatively easy, and are calculated at a per person/per day rate by each cruise line. However, prepaid gratuities are not fully paid to the staff of most cruise lines, and sometimes these monies will be applied to staff that may not service your needs to your liking. Also, if you keep to yourself for much of a sailing and not require a lot of service, the prepaid gratuities can be a bit much.

 

Envelopes are the form of tipping we recommend, as you can specify exactly who receives gratuities based upon who earns them. Most clients typically pay out gratuities in this method at less per day than the cruise lines would. It saves you money, and staff is extremely happy to receive it in this manner, as they end up better off. You would typically focus on your Room Steward, Matire'd, and Waiters."

 

[wolfshadow]

I agree with you, they are obviously not taking into consideration the behind-the-scenes people that are still serving you, you just don't see them. Example, kitchen staff, laundry staff, and even those you do see such as, the buffet staff, the ice cream, the sandwich, etc........

[averageblokes]

Have been away for a week and just read the replys. I didnt mean to cause some friction between people who obviously have different views, we were just after some advice and be assured never dreamed of not tipping the correct or warranted amount. Just as we are somtimes uncomfortable about the whole tipping thing as we are not used to it. One Holiday to the states (SF) we just said to the bar staff on several occassions "just take whatever tip you think is appropriate" it was the best holiday we ever had we had great service

cheers everyone