Thread: Yet another tipping question

Hello world
I am doing my first ever cruise in November 2010, Beijing to Bangkok on Diamond Princess.
I am doing lots of homework studying the posts on this forum and learning a lot..
The tipping business seems to be a pretty complex issue, and being British does not help.. It is not in our nature to leave a tip just because its expected. I am not an old skinflint I just believe that a tip is only justified when you have received service that warrants it.. If the staff are paid slave wages then thats an issue for them and their employers..
Princess wants to charge my wife and I $12 per day each for the auto tip .... As we are both non drinkers, non gamblers, why should the croupiers and barmen get some of my money..
I know that I can reduce or cancel the auto tip and I will decide what to do when I have learnt the ropes a bit more ..

I am going to opt for anytime dining and if I decide to tip manually, then what sort of tip would you leave your waiter ? as there is nothing to pay for the meal you dont have a percentage of the bill to work on... what sort of amount would be appropriate ....
Also, if I cancelled auto tips, would the staff know about it and possibly show hostility....?
Please dont think I am planning on ripping anyone off, I am just trying to learn how things work..
krusty

The only people that are part of your $12 service charge are the restaurants workers and your room stewards. The casino workers are paid on a complete ly different scale than most of the rest of the ship. The bar servers are paid out of the auto gratuity that is added to each drink purchase.

Now I know I have answered these questions for you in the past. I certainly hope you do not remove these service charges from your account. These people work very hard for the amount of money they earn. The cruise lines made these charges automatic for your benefit also. You do naot have to make sure your save enough cash for the last night to tip your wonderful dining room servers and then pass a little something off to your room steward for their incredible service to you.

Please reconsider what you seem to be planning to do.

PE

If you plan to do the anytime dining, you have to pre-pay your gratuities since you do not leave cash gratuities for service after every meal. If you selected traditional dining, then you can leave a cash gratuity on the last night of your cruise and have the automatic gratuities removed from your account.

As was stated, the $12 service charge is provided to your servers and not for your bar service or casino workers. It is basically based on $4.00 per person per day for your cabin stewart, $4.00 per person per day for your waiter, $3.00 per person per day for your assistant waiter, and $1.00 per person per day for your Head Waiter and Matre'd.

If you would like to increase or decrease the gratuities, you have to visit the Purer's Desk and let them know the reason for your request.

I hear what you're saying about automatic gratuities versus providing gratuities based on the service provided. I am a firm believer that if you provide a good service, I will provide a nice gratuity to thank you for your efforts. However, if the service you provide is not up to standard, then my gratuity will reflect my displeasure. If you know ahead of time that you're going to receive a gratuity from me no matter the level of service you've provided, then where is your incentive to provide good service?

Unfortunately, the anytime dining option causes problems with gratuities. The thing that most people do not understand is that you may only see your waiter at dinner time, that's not the only meal they are working. If you go to the dining room for breakfast or lunch, you'll see them working those meals as well. And leaving cash on the table for each meal is not the accepted practice on cruises.

Just makes it much easier to pre-pay the gratuities and not worry about carrying cash around with you. And as I said, if you're not happy with a particular server, then complain about it. And if you feel a server went above and beyond, submit an accolade to management - they will make it a point to praise the individual in front of their piers and this will help their career more than a few dollars. But if you still want to provide an extra cash gratuity, keep in mind that some cruise lines require them to turn in that cash so it can be shared by everyone - they are not allowed to keep it for themselves and can get in trouble if caught keeping it.

Pete

Originally Posted by Krusty

Hello world
I am doing my first ever cruise in November 2010, Beijing to Bangkok on Diamond Princess.
I am doing lots of homework studying the posts on this forum and learning a lot..
The tipping business seems to be a pretty complex issue, and being British does not help.. It is not in our nature to leave a tip just because its expected. I am not an old skinflint I just believe that a tip is only justified when you have received service that warrants it.. If the staff are paid slave wages then thats an issue for them and their employers..
Princess wants to charge my wife and I $12 per day each for the auto tip .... As we are both non drinkers, non gamblers, why should the croupiers and barmen get some of my money..
I know that I can reduce or cancel the auto tip and I will decide what to do when I have learnt the ropes a bit more ..

I am going to opt for anytime dining and if I decide to tip manually, then what sort of tip would you leave your waiter ? as there is nothing to pay for the meal you dont have a percentage of the bill to work on... what sort of amount would be appropriate ....
Also, if I cancelled auto tips, would the staff know about it and possibly show hostility....?
Please dont think I am planning on ripping anyone off, I am just trying to learn how things work..
krusty

Hi Krusty

$12 a day Cunard only charge $11.

$12 a day is not really that much when you think it is devided between a few people. If you do decide to cancel the auto tip I don't think the crew know. You can cancel the autotip at any point so I would recommend leaving it until the end of the cruise, if you feel you have not received good service then cancal the tips. However, I am sure you will be more than happy with the level of service you receive.

Originally Posted by Lanky Lad

Hi Krusty

$12 a day Cunard only charge $11.

$12 a day is not really that much when you think it is devided between a few people. If you do decide to cancel the auto tip I don't think the crew know. You can cancel the autotip at any point so I would recommend leaving it until the end of the cruise, if you feel you have not received good service then cancal the tips. However, I am sure you will be more than happy with the level of service you receive.

You're kidding, right? If there is a service problem he should try to get it resolved immediately and not wait till the end of the cruise and simply remove the tips.

PE

Originally Posted by Planersedge

The only people that are part of your $12 service charge are the restaurants workers and your room stewards. The casino workers are paid on a complete ly different scale than most of the rest of the ship. The bar servers are paid out of the auto gratuity that is added to each drink purchase.

Now I know I have answered these questions for you in the past. I certainly hope you do not remove these service charges from your account. These people work very hard for the amount of money they earn. The cruise lines made these charges automatic for your benefit also. You do naot have to make sure your save enough cash for the last night to tip your wonderful dining room servers and then pass a little something off to your room steward for their incredible service to you.

Please reconsider what you seem to be planning to do.

PE

Please dont take it for granted that you know what I am planning to do... I have never had this type of holiday before and I have a lot to learn.
All I am trying to do is understand how things work ..Your message has already taught me a bit more that I didnt know, Such as ... half the crew not even being included in the auto tip system.
when you multiply $12 per person per day by a couple of thousand passengers its a staggering amount.. Do the sums... If only half the crew get a share of the tips it comes to about $50 each per day...
If the crew have to work their socks off for very little money then thats not my problem..and I certainly wont guage my tipping because I feel bad about their low wages .

However, If auto tipping is the only available option for anytime dining then it seems I will have to go with it anyway, and if the service is as 'wonderful' as you say then it wont be a problem .

I am not trying to be an old misery, I am just trying to understand how the system works..

Hey Krusty

You are getting a lot of good info---insight into how things work and how folks feel about it.

And you will find more than one way that folks feel! Tipping is sometimes a volatile subject, but you will find that here at Cruiselinefans we can discuss differing opinions and still be friends.

I'm sure there will be more coming! Stay posted!

Guys, remember we have a newbie here who has not been part of our many threads on this subject!

Anyway, one thing you need to know, Krusty, is that if you reduce the amount of the tip that you give on auto-pay and decide to tip the people who you think deserve it, then you are going to not achieve what you want. Tips given directly are pooled if the passenger has not paid the autopay amount.

You really need to leave the auto-tip on. If the cruise lines ever start taking the service charge off for everybody and actually start paying their service workers a decent wage, I guarantee you the cost of cruises will increase much more than 12 dollars a day. Tipping has always been a touchy subject but the crew works so hard to please us and I feel they deserve the extra.

Originally Posted by Krusty

If the staff are paid slave wages then thats an issue for them and their employers.. (we have a part to play)

Somehow I read this and can't help but think that evil persist when good people standby and do/tip nothing. The issue of people being paid less and treated less should be a concern for all who benefit from it. Any form of slavery (slave labor, slave wage) should be a concern for everyone...you think?

That being said, I understand cultural differences. You are from a culture where hospitality workers are paid a fair wage, therefore tip is only warranted for service up and beyond. You have chosen to vacation and be taken care of people who do not enjoy the luxury of being guaranteed a decent wage for a hard days work. The tips are really wage and are stated as a Hotel Charge on your bill. Unfortunately you were granted the right of whether to pay all or some to workers. In the end we all have to make our conscience be our guide. As we journey/cruise along consider treating others as we would like ourselves or love ones to be treated.

Happy cruisin!