Thread: Gratuities Included...how does it affect service received?

I've only been on 3 cruises so far... but I have two more scheduled for this year! All three were different cruise lines. Commodor was the first, small ship, most excellent in service but has now gone out of service from what I understand. I went on NCL for my last cruise and it was the first cruise where the tips were taken out automatically. I don't know if it was the difference in cruise lines or the tipping policy that made the service so different. I did enjoy not having to get the cash together and save it for the envelopes but I had to ask for ice every day... and on one night in the freestyle dining they never cleared our dinner dishes and offered desert! We filled out a card regarding the service and they sent us a bottle of wine on the next night in one of the specialty restaurants... as we opted not to do freestyle dining again. Again... I can't say if the problems were due to prepaid tips or if it was just NCL. I have received some good tips reading all the responses though. I'll try the extra tipping for good service on the next cruise and see if that makes any difference! BUT... the next cruise is on yet another cruise line and I'm not sure if I'll know if it was the tipping or the cruise line that makes the difference! :think: Also, I was under the understanding from the first cruise that the tips are all the pay they receive. Once again, not sure if that was just the cruise line or the policy for all ships.

Blazerboy gave an excellent analysis of tipping philosophy, IMHO. We only sailed RCI, so it has been an option, and with one exception, we have always rewarded the workers above what is recommended by the cruiseline. But in the next breath, I feel we would not hesitate to remove tips if service was poor. However, we try not to let service get to that point, as we address any concerns right away. We have always found that shortcomings were immediately rectified.

Bon voyage y'all.

LL

It doesn't seem to make much difference if a tip is prepaid or distributed at the end. Some service is good,some is bad!! What I dislike is the cruise line telling me how much to tip & when! I get A little tired of everyone holding out their hand for tips. Even when service is only medicore, a tip is expected. I enjoy tipping when it is warranted. Room sevice(etc) However I have already paid for the room & meals in the price of the cruise. and I expect the meals to be served & the room to be clean at that price! A tip is supposed to be for extra service(dining room-water glass filled : little things) ( Room kept clean-Ice-little things ) Most times service is very good & tips are warranted. However that choice is mine & I determine how much to tip. After all it is my money!!

For those who don't like tipping, please remember that you actually haven't paid for the service portion of your cruise in your cruise fare, just as you haven't paid the service portion of your meal when at a land-based restaurant. Waiters in restaurants only earn a portion of the mimimum wage, and tips are considered part of their salary (waitstaff are even taxed on a certain percentage of their food sales, whether they are tipped or not)

If tipping (let's say it costs a couple $10. each per day) were eliminated (and there are good arguments on both sides) your cruise price would merely be that much higher (Seven day cruise= $140.00). One of the chief advantages of the tipping system to the customer is that it allows you to decide whether service has been good, bad or indifferent, and reward the server at the appropriate level, rather than pay up front (either pre-paid tips or as part of a higher cruise fare). For those who always say that the cruise line should just pay a higher wage, and eliminate tipping, that's fine, but realise that your cruise fare would just be that much higher, and you lose the option to give immediate "meaningful" feedback to staff on the level of their service, and can only complain to management, and then "vote with your feet" for the NEXT cruise.

Lastly, if you don't like the current system, please don't punish the workers by not tipping, but start advocating with the cruise lines to change, or pick cruise lines that have included service in the cruise fare.

In all sincerity,

Andrew

I asked the question earlier and noone answered so i will try again -
When you give a tip/envelope to your wait staff on the last night on Princess do they share the tip with the rest of the staff???
I ask this as on our last cruise we noticed the staff putting the envelopes into a large bag monitored by the Maitre d and taken to the kitchen.
This was an extra tip as Princess adds the tips to your account.
Does anyone know the answer?
Thanks

Andrew, you are dead-on in both of your posts. I'm going to embellish a little here:

When I receive a service from someone who is not in the tipping program, I tip them immediately for the service they render so that I don't have to worry about finding them again. For example, when a steward comes forward to take my carry-on bags and lead us to our cabin at embarkation, I wll tip him/her. For the steward who delivers room service orders, I tip him/her upon delivery.

Exception: At embarkation, when (not IF) I request an egg crate mattress pad and two extra down pillows, I tip my room steward immediately for taking care of it. Then I tip him/her extra at the end of the week should I request additional services from them, and/or they went the extra mile.

I like the way the tipping program is handled on Celbrity. I pay what is suggested by adding it to my shipboard account, then add cash to the envelope with that voucher, plus a personal note of thanks. Coupled with tips-for-service from crew I don't have regular contact with who are not part of the tipping program, no one gets left out.

Cheers~

Nicki, you're right on, too. When we've asked for things outside the normal scope, we've tipped on the spot, such as when we had a cocktail party in the room, which required the butler to be there for the better part of a couple of hours. (for good or for bad, the "butler issue" doesn't come up very often with us- we're usually in the "cheap seats" )

GramaFran, I don't KNOW the answer, but here's my best guess from having worked in the food industry a million years ago. Some lines, Princess likely among them, pool all their staff's tips, especially with the anytime dining where you don't get the same waitstaff. Also, as is customary in restaurants on land, some staff have to "tip out" other staff, that is, share their tips with busboys, bartenders, hostesses, whatever. There's probably less of that on ships, but it might happen. And many ships now have the voucher system that the envelope only contains a slip saying that you've tipped them, with no cash. The tip is supposed to go into an account for each employee.

I also used to add more tip to bar tabs beyond the automatic ones if service was really good, but was told (this was on both Celebrity and Crystal) that those tips are pooled, so I stopped adding extra, and made sure to find the individuals and give the cash to them directly.
Andrew

This is off topic to the original post ... but here goes:

Originally Posted by Newshawk35

I love Celebrity and have sailed on no other cruiseline. One reason is that I don't want to be disappointed on another mainstream line and the other reason is that I can't afford the luxury lines. Besides, if the luxury lines really are better, I probably couldn't survive the experience.

Oh yes, please tell me it isn't true that the Century Galaxy is being pulled out of Galveston -- unless it's being replaced by another Celebrity ship.

Newshawk, I love what you said about not surviving a more luxurious experience! I probably couldn't either. Celebrity spoils me enough ... and if I went to a luxury line, I would only be able to cruise once every year or year and a half. I'd rather take three a year.

It's true: GALAXY's last sailing out of Galveston is in April. As soon as I found that out, I booked a Panama Canal cruise and went in January. Best cruise yet! If you want to sail from there on a Celebrity ship, you better hurry. They are pulling out of the port completely. (Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.)

Cheers~