A little extra

[osp320]

We have been on 10 Cruises since 2001 and 9 of them on Carnival. I have seen some rude people but most of the time most everybody has been nice. I just wanted to let my feelings be known. On our past cruise I really made an effort to talk to some of the workers. I always have been nice but this time I really wanted to find out about them. The first night I could tell that our dinning room bar waiter was going to be fun so I slipped him $4.00 wow every night at dinner he had the boy's each 2 cokes and my wife’s blue margarita at the table before we set down I slipped him another $4.00 midway thru the cruise and I thought he was going to cry The next to last night I went to the casino and and hit $400.00 and went straight to the pursers and placed that money on the sign and sail then went and got my wife a necklace that she had been eyeing up. I slipped it to the dinner bar waiter before dinner and he brought it out to her. Wow was she shocked. He also gave her drink that night and the last night also he bought. The reason I tip these guys is they make no tips off of me I drink soda off the card and the boy's had soda cards also. Kim uses drink coupons. And you get a lot better service. I also gave him another $4.00 on the last night. The room stewarded was also real nice and efficient. We always have fun with these guys also I told him to keep a look out for money you may never know were it is. We would place a couple of bucks on the towel animal or tape it to the ceiling hanging down. We always had ice in the cooler and towel animals every night even the last night we had one. In the casino I would drink orange juice and slip the girl a buck once a night and I never went without a drink. Even the bar tender would get a buck every once and a while he always remembered me by calling me Mr. Greg, no straw right. I was playing one night and the dealer was just not there I could tell so I asked her when she was going home she told me tomorrow, I told her you could tell that she was not there but hey when we get ready to go on vacation were are not always there also. Even though she got me for $15.00 that night I still flipped her a $5.00 chip and it did get a smile from her. Well that is it I just thought I would put my two-cent’s in. Just remember that the workers are people also. Happy cruising everybody.

Greg

[*Mach*]

Sounds like y'all had a brilliant cruise!!

Now, I hope this thread doesn't turn into the typical 'tip/don't tip' flame session but I have to agree that tipping those folks never hurts. They work hard and it's just a nice thing to do.

:)

[hott_michelle2001]

WOW where did you win the $400 dollars at? Slots?

[osp320]

No, not the slots, the three card poker table, king ,queen and jack of clubs and had $10.00 on pair plus for 40 to 1 pay off. All in all we came out about $175.00 ahead after Kim's necklece.

[todman]

Greg,

 

I do the same thing with the crew. It always amazes me how an amount that is so small to me can make such a big difference in someone else's day. The amount of work that the ships crew puts in is beyond belief, and I always like to let them know we appreciate it.

 

Thanks,

 

Tod

[aggieastrosfan]

One of the lobby bartenders on the Ecstasy knew my name after my buying one drink from him (okay, I think i was his first customer that sailing, but still...). I ended up buying a soda card and getting a few sodas from him, and he still remembered me. I ordered drinks with a bar credit and would slip him a small tip with it, and I was taken care of for the entire trip. I gave him another small tip the morning we left, and he was extremely grateful. It doesn't take much at all! Sometimes a smile is all it takes.

[martinchem]

Awesome cruise.

[SJChaput]

While I do tip well I don't think it should be a requirement to get good service.

 

It is their job to help you and you should get great service whether you tip or not... a tip is a reward for good service not a fee to get it.

 

I still tip though so I can get better service... I just don't think I should have to... I should tip because the service was great not the other way around.

[osp320]

Yes I do agree with you that the service should receive the tip. But we are not dealing with North American servers. They have so many people to take of and sometimes they do get stiffed. All I am saying is show them that you can have fun and they can have fun with you and maybe they can relax knowing that you are not just some other person. And yes a smile can make a big difference also.

[FunFishingTrips]

We always tip well on our cruises. I like our travel agent to include our tips in our booking price so that it is paid in advance. This way we can give more on the last night and not feel like we are cheating them. These people that are taking care of us are always so helpful. I never thought about the bar guy/girl during dinner though! I will make sure we include them on our next cruise. They are always right on time with the cokes during our meals.

[crusnbee]

Sorry to hijack.

 

Three Card Poker is the best!

CJ

[tedjazz]

While I do tip well I don't think it should be a requirement to get good service.

 

It is their job to help you and you should get great service whether you tip or not... a tip is a reward for good service not a fee to get it.

 

I still tip though so I can get better service... I just don't think I should have to... I should tip because the service was great not the other way around.

 

I agree...Tipping is not a fee it is a reward for Good Service. Service not good, little or no reward. I think everyone agrees that Tipping is the biggest part of the Service Crew's income and the harder they work the more they earn. Nothing wrong with that. I don't know why these threads pop up, I guess to validate peoples need to show just how generous they are.

[maxamuus]

I don't know why these threads pop up, I guess to validate peoples need to show just how generous they are.

 

I think the OP was just making a point that a couple bucks here and there goes a long way. Maybe you read something more into it because i didn't see the OP gloating how generous they are. :rolleyes:

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Greg,

 

I do the same thing.

 

On my last cruise the bar waiter that worked my section of the dining room also worked the casino after dinner.

 

He would stop by and make small talk and made my cruise very enjoyable. I never went thirsty.

 

He always knew my name and what I liked to drink.

 

Arthur got a fat envelope on the last night of the cruise.

[JRock59]

We too started doing this a few Cruises back and do we get better service.......at times yes. But what we do get is more smiles, more enjoyment as happy waiters or stewarts or just nicer to be around. :) And it's really a small amount over all even when you add it up at the end of your Cruise! And I can't count the number of times we've been told Thank You this means I can have a beer at the crew party tonight or tomorrows my day to get off and go into port I can use this torwards my lunch.

Think about it folks you give your waiter what 3 dollars a day for 3 meals a day if you use the diningroom each meal. Try doing that in any resturant where you live and see what kind of service you get next time you go and have the same waiter. The pre paid tips on a ship are really reasonable for the service the crew provides. Come on your cabin stewart cleans your bathroom twice a day!

I understand a tip is earned not expected but would you do their jobs for what they get paid? And in US dollars it's not a lot even with room and board included. So loosen up hand out an extra dollar or two to those who help make your Cruise vacation a little nicer it comes back to you twice over in the end. :D

[DocF]

Yes, we usually slip our waiters and stewards a few bucks at the end of the cruise as that is the way I was taught all those many years ago. We keep the standard tips on the sail and sign card, but I figure that amount covers the usual level of outstanding service we have received. We add the amount in cash because all but one of our assigned service persons has gone beyond the call to make our trip enjoyable. These people work very hard and make a decent living if one looks at their total compensation for the year. Figured by the hour, though, they do not make make much.

 

Doc

[Familyforce6]

We have been on 10 Cruises since 2001 and 9 of them on Carnival. I have seen some rude people but most of the time most everybody has been nice. I just wanted to let my feelings be known. On our past cruise I really made an effort to talk to some of the workers. I always have been nice but this time I really wanted to find out about them. The first night I could tell that our dinning room bar waiter was going to be fun so I slipped him $4.00 wow every night at dinner he had the boy's each 2 cokes and my wife’s blue margarita at the table before we set down I slipped him another $4.00 midway thru the cruise and I thought he was going to cry The next to last night I went to the casino and and hit $400.00 and went straight to the pursers and placed that money on the sign and sail then went and got my wife a necklace that she had been eyeing up. I slipped it to the dinner bar waiter before dinner and he brought it out to her. Wow was she shocked. He also gave her drink that night and the last night also he bought. The reason I tip these guys is they make no tips off of me I drink soda off the card and the boy's had soda cards also. Kim uses drink coupons. And you get a lot better service. I also gave him another $4.00 on the last night. The room stewarded was also real nice and efficient. We always have fun with these guys also I told him to keep a look out for money you may never know were it is. We would place a couple of bucks on the towel animal or tape it to the ceiling hanging down. We always had ice in the cooler and towel animals every night even the last night we had one. In the casino I would drink orange juice and slip the girl a buck once a night and I never went without a drink. Even the bar tender would get a buck every once and a while he always remembered me by calling me Mr. Greg, no straw right. I was playing one night and the dealer was just not there I could tell so I asked her when she was going home she told me tomorrow, I told her you could tell that she was not there but hey when we get ready to go on vacation were are not always there also. Even though she got me for $15.00 that night I still flipped her a $5.00 chip and it did get a smile from her. Well that is it I just thought I would put my two-cent’s in. Just remember that the workers are people also. Happy cruising everybody.

Greg

 

I think it's wonderful you tip so much, but I do believe hiding money all over your room is a little ridiculous. (taped to the ceiling:rolleyes:) I am sure the room stewards have alot to do, and wasting their time by telling them to look all over a room for money that may or may not be there is silly. JMO. Tipping is nice though.:)

[Anjanu]

Whenever I cruise, I think I am the happiest person on the ship! I greet all crew that I come across with an ear to ear smile and if I'm close enough to read their name tag, I greet them by name. They love it!

On the Fascination, we had a drink waiter that happened to be everywhere we were. On the Lido deck, in the theater, in the lounge! He was so awesome, he of course remembered our drink orders (for me, DODs in the afternoon and Melon balls in the evening) and even remembered our S&S card number so we didn't have to keep pulling it out! One photographer who we would joke around with and make laugh all of the time would let us peep at our pictures on the camera and if we didn't like them, he would take more until we were satisfied! He didn't do this for everyone.

We never tipped anyone before the last night and just because we were super friendly to them, we received highly exceptional service! On the last night of the cruise, we gave each of them envelopes and one of them actually tried to give his back because they were so happy that we treated them like they were friends because we were always making them laugh and they were looking forward to me coming back on the ship in June!

 

My point, tipping early is not always required to get you great service. They are away from their families and friends and sometimes a little comraderie can make a person's day!

[tedjazz]

My point, tipping early is not always required to get you great service. They are away from their families and friends and sometimes a little comraderie can make a person's day!

 

This is a very good point and I agree 100%. My questioning Tipping and Validating generousity is born out of the hundreds of threads dedicated to..."See how much I tip, well guess what I Tip more than you" threads. Tipping is an essential part of crusing and should be done based on the kind for service you receive. It can be done before, during or at the end the cruise, Tippers choice. It SHOULD NOT effect the kind of service you recieve. Service should be consistent. I have worked several Service Oriented Jobs in my work life and the approach that was taught me... work hard, as if you were not going to recieve a Tip at all and if or when you get one, it is a Bonus for the hard work. Too many people that live on tips these days think just showing up is a Tippable Service. I don't buy it. My experience with cruise ship personnel generally has been good and I Tip accordingly. How Generous that is would be my business, nobody elses. JMHO

[firefly4423]

sounds like a great trip.

[hawaiikat]

Please don't take this wrong...I am just curious. I get a soda card and use it alot! I spend 3-4 hours in the Casino each night and probably have my cup refilled 5-6 times on the soda card, by my waiter. I give $1 each time he brings me a re-fill, so $5-$6 per night. I thought this was about normal....or am I wrong? Do most people NOT tip with the soda card, thinking the 15% was added when they bought the card?

 

Just wondering.....

[WRH1951]

Greg,

 

Great post.

 

 

Bill & Brenda

[idlenote]

We prepaid the gratuities on the last cruise. On top of that, we gave extra tips to the room steward and his assistant, the dining room steward and his assistant, the lady in the sky pool bar and of course the Maitre'd. Total came to about the same as the prepaid, but as someone else said, the smiles were worth it. These people work so hard, it really is a small deal on our part, and such a big deal for them.

[Nunu]

I think it's wonderful you tip so much, but I do believe hiding money all over your room is a little ridiculous. (taped to the ceiling:rolleyes:) I am sure the room stewards have alot to do, and wasting their time by telling them to look all over a room for money that may or may not be there is silly. JMO. Tipping is nice though.:)

 

I agree. It sounds demeaning.

[Theora]

On our cruise, we did tip extra to the people who brought room service, the waiters who handled our balcony meals, our cabin stewardess, and a few others. We filled out so many comment cards on that last night that my hand hurt. But I'll tell you. I'm ragingly misanthropic for the most part, and I found that the most interesting people for me to interact with (my opinion only, your mileage may vary) were the crew. We were genuinely interested in them, and my BF and I tend to be pretty goofy, so we made people laugh as well. Showing that interest, treating the crew as humans with feelings rather than just servants, went a really long way. We had awesome conversations, left love notes for our cabin stewardess on the mirrour with Post-Its (and she left us notes back!), and just generally tried to be all in it together with them. They always say that they want their guests to feel like family, and well, my family's pretty strange, but we always laugh and joke with one another. We simply included those people into our family, laughing and joking and telling stories. Money is awesome, and it can help out so very much, but I also find that human interaction can be more valuable than anything.

 

wishing we could have stuffed our CS in our pocket to bring her home with us,

Theora