I have no problem tipping. I can give a $20 tip. But! How is it that tipping is mandatory? I mean, afterall, tipping is gatuitous. I.e. '... for extraordinary service within ones service position, one may be shown appreciation in the form of a monetary tipp...' So how is it that we must tipp the staff BEFORE they have shown themselves to be 'above and beyond'? Kinda like: 'We are better than you can imagine so we require that you pay us a tipp BEFORE we administer ANY service'. Just like in America: - 'for guests of 8 or more there is a 20% gratuity applied'. How is it that we can be forced to tipp before we can evaluate the service as being worth it? If these additional fees are needed for some reason, then call it a surcharge. Because it is not tipping if it is a forced charge.
I have no problem tipping. I can give a $20 tip. But! How is it that tipping is mandatory? I mean, afterall, tipping is gatuitous. I.e. '... for extraordinary service within ones service position, one may be shown appreciation in the form of a monetary tipp...' So how is it that we must tipp the staff BEFORE they have shown themselves to be 'above and beyond'? Kinda like: 'We are better than you can imagine so we require that you pay us a tipp BEFORE we administer ANY service'. Just like in America: - 'for guests of 8 or more there is a 20% gratuity applied'. How is it that we can be forced to tipp before we can evaluate the service as being worth it? If these additional fees are needed for some reason, then call it a surcharge. Because it is not tipping if it is a forced charge.
Well, the service staff don't actually get the tip until the cruise is over. You can choose to have the gratuities removed from your shipboard account and hand them out as you see fit in the tradition of the past.
With more cruise lines going to the anytime dining concept it would be difficult to show your appreciation to the dining room staff since you would probably have different servers each night....thus the automatic tips that are shared by the waitstaff.
I agree that it would be better to just include the tips in the cruise fare and do away with the concept, except then the cruise lines would have to pay the travel agents a commission on it!
But I also understand where you're coming from about providing gratuities as a reward for good service, not a mandatory payment simply for providing that service.
As for restaurants adding it to groups, we were once in a restaurant that automatically added a 20% gratuity to everyone's bill, no matter the size of the party. It was just my wife and I, and the service was not very good at all. When the bill came, it had the automatic gratuity on there and I changed it before I signed the bill. And what was worse, as we're walking out the door, the waiter confronted me about it! I told him his service was not up to my standards and immediately asked to speak to the manager/owner of the restaurant where I complained about the waiter, the service, the mandatory grautity, and being confronted by the waiter. I told him we would never be visiting this establishment again, but made it known I would be telling others about their business practices. They later went out of business - guess they final got what they deserved. Bottom line, these companies need to listen to their customers and instead of telling the passenger what they have to do, they should provide them options from which to choose.
As for adding it to the cruise fare, the luxury lines like Chrystal, Seabourn, etc. do not have gratuities because everything is included in the price of the cruise. And a cruise fare is actually comprised of two items; the cruise price and 'non-commissionable fees'. If they really wanted to do it right, they could simply add the cost to the non-commissionable fees and this would not increase the commission to the agents.
And as for the anytime dining options and providing gratuities, they can present the passenger with a charge slip and allow them to give an immediate gratuity to the server, just like in a restaurant and just like they now do for alcoholic beverages. Again, it provides options to the passenger.
Thanks you 2! Char! You replied in part with: 'I agree that it would be better to include the tip in the cruise fare....'' Who are you agreeing with? I did not say that! I did say that if there is a need to include some other fees such as service charges or a surcharge or something, then do so! But calling it 'tipping' is not correct or right.
So, the line charges a service fee of about $12 dollars a day for services including gratuities. So, If I decide the service did not warrant exceptional reccognition etc. by tipping, I could ask for this money back?
The 'anytime dining concept' ,,, If anyone is serving me, waiting on me etc and they do an exceptional job, I will tip them regardless of their being my server every night or otherwise. Kind like going to a restaurant. You sit down, order, receive a service and either tip or not. you then leave and may or may not go back to that restaurant.
Cruise Planner, It seems that: ' A 20% gratuity will be added,,,' has been around for so long that people are just used to seeing it and become shocked when challenged.
I just wonder how it came to be in the first place? Did someone somehow mistakenly place the word 'gratuity' in where 'service' should have been?
Thanks you 2! Char! You replied in part with: 'I agree that it would be better to include the tip in the cruise fare....'' Who are you agreeing with? I did not say that! I did say that if there is a need to include some other fees such as service charges or a surcharge or something, then do so! But calling it 'tipping' is not correct or right.
So, the line charges a service fee of about $12 dollars a day for services including gratuities. So, If I decide the service did not warrant exceptional reccognition etc. by tipping, I could ask for this money back?
The 'anytime dining concept' ,,, If anyone is serving me, waiting on me etc and they do an exceptional job, I will tip them regardless of their being my server every night or otherwise. Kind like going to a restaurant. You sit down, order, receive a service and either tip or not. you then leave and may or may not go back to that restaurant.
Cruise Planner, It seems that: ' A 20% gratuity will be added,,,' has been around for so long that people are just used to seeing it and become shocked when challenged.
I just wonder how it came to be in the first place? Did someone somehow mistakenly place the word 'gratuity' in where 'service' should have been?
We have had this discussion on a number of threads and I was agreeing with what has been said in the past (which you have probably not read) about just adding the "tips/service charges" to the cruise fare and be done with it! That way the passengers won't be confused and the service personnel will be paid fairly!
Tipping is a hot topic and everyone has their opinion. Sooner or later the cruise lines will wise up (I hope!)
Of the cruiselines that don't include tips in their fares, many times (under the previous method of presenting the tip envelope directly to waitstaff, etc). some passengers would skip going to the final night dinner. So that often the staff didn't receive tips at all from many passengers. And when anytime/freestyle/as you wish type of dining was started, auto-tips were created so that the crew members can be assured of your tips.
Now, you can go to the purser's or passenger services desk, and have the tips removed or decreased. But often some cruiselines take that as an indication that you felt the service was subpar. If you hand over an envelope to a crew member with a tip (for these ships), your cabin number is supposed to written on it and the envelope turned into the supervisor. If the auto-tip was left on, the crew member will get the money in the envelope. If not, the money is put into the tipping pool. So that crew member ends up having to split the money with the bus boy, etc. (which is what happens with the auto-tip). So the end result is not what you intended.
Of the cruiselines that don't include tips in their fares, many times (under the previous method of presenting the tip envelope directly to waitstaff, etc). some passengers would skip going to the final night dinner. So that often the staff didn't receive tips at all from many passengers. And when anytime/freestyle/as you wish type of dining was started, auto-tips were created so that the crew members can be assured of your tips.
Now, you can go to the purser's or passenger services desk, and have the tips removed or decreased. But often some cruiselines take that as an indication that you felt the service was subpar. If you hand over an envelope to a crew member with a tip (for these ships), your cabin number is supposed to written on it and the envelope turned into the supervisor. If the auto-tip was left on, the crew member will get the money in the envelope. If not, the money is put into the tipping pool. So that crew member ends up having to split the money with the bus boy, etc. (which is what happens with the auto-tip). So the end result is not what you intended.
interesting advice, Patty. Does this sort of process apply for all Cruise Lines?
interesting advice, Patty. Does this sort of process apply for all Cruise Lines?
As Pete says, just for the cruiselines with auto-tipping. We just keep our tips as is, and then get envelopes for any extra tips we want to give. So the tip for the cabin workers were split among the steward, those who do the laundry for the bed linens, etc. The envelope my hubby gave Mario on our last cruise was his to keep as it was above and beyond the auto-tip.
I actually like the autotip. As I said before, makes that last day easier as we just concern ourselves with any additional tipping.
I have no problem tipping. I can give a $20 tip. But! How is it that tipping is mandatory? I mean, afterall, tipping is gatuitous. I.e. '... for extraordinary service within ones service position, one may be shown appreciation in the form of a monetary tipp...' So how is it that we must tipp the staff BEFORE they have shown themselves to be 'above and beyond'? Kinda like: 'We are better than you can imagine so we require that you pay us a tipp BEFORE we administer ANY service'. Just like in America: - 'for guests of 8 or more there is a 20% gratuity applied'. How is it that we can be forced to tipp before we can evaluate the service as being worth it? If these additional fees are needed for some reason, then call it a surcharge. Because it is not tipping if it is a forced charge.
Thats why I think it should be added to the price and then if you want to tip more, its your choice.
The problem of removing the auto-tip is that it takes the tip away from everyone, and if you tip some cash separately, they are required to turn it in for sharing if auto-tip was removed. So I use the "how did we do" cards to give my non tip to that employee. I also will tip extra and compliment those employee's that deserve it as well
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We have had this discussion on a number of threads and I was agreeing with what has been said in the past (which you have probably not read) about just adding the "tips/service charges" to the cruise fare and be done with it! That way the passengers won't be confused and the service personnel will be paid fairly! 
Sooner or later the cruise lines will wise up (I hope!)
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