Goldryder

Part of the reason I'm continuing this discussion is because I want people to understand that tips ARE an essential part of the guide's income. Companies pay tour guides minimum wage or less because they assume that they will make up for it in tips. This is EXACTLY the same situation as waiters in a restaurant. The trouble is that most people know that about waiters, but they don't know it about tour guides.

 

You lost your argument fair and square on the original thread that you posted...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1023409

 

You chose to become a tour guide, since you have discovered that leaving a sign with 15% tip required at the front of your bus, another sign at the back of your bus and a spiel that reminds people to tip you as they get off your bus really is ANNOYING to the majority, not to mention rude, disrespectful, discourteous and completely UNPROFESSIONAL, perhaps you should stick to being a teacher and leave the tour guide work to those who know how to do it properly.

 

To you flamers who decided it would be fun to beat up on an honest and hard working professional, Get a life.

 

This last sentence pretty much sums it up really.

 

You maybe hard working but certainly NOT professional in your methods, and as for the 'get a life', well sorry but that just shows how much contempt you truly have towards your guests if that is the attitude you show to people here when we give you our opinions to what you're doing.

 

You are in the wrong business, your guests deserve far better than you and (it seems) your company's attitude towards them. You might just as well turn all of your guests upside down, shake all their money out of their bags and pockets and dump them by the roadside with that attitude.

 

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour.

[quote name='SamFritz']I'm not at all ashamed. I'm never begging. I spend thrity five seconds of a five hour tour mentioning tips. I've had local newspapers accompany me on my tour and do fabulous write ups of my total presentation (and yes I did my regular tip talk knowing that they were with me).

I actually discussed this thread with my supervisor this afternoon. His exact words were, "most of our drivers make tips a bigger deal than you do. The ones who don't don't last very long because it's not worth it." He sees my presentation of the matter as understated and appropriate.[/QUOTE]

OK...so I have slept on this....and you are still nothing more than a steering wheel attendant with a begging bowl...almost a modern day highwayman, a case of 'right you on tour, I've done my bit...now give me a tip or else!'

I have been in the tour driver/guide fraternity as both a boss and a driver and a guide for around 20 odd years and never...NEVER...have I ever come across anyone so blatantly disrespectful to guests as you are (and, it seems, your boss and the other drivers too by your own admission) at Niagara Falls.

Quite frankly you have probably damaged the reputation of decent operators over there by this behaviour...one brush often tars all...and to be brutally honest here, I get the feeling that your behaviour could even be to cause trouble for other operators who might be doing better than you.

A few years ago a very large coach tour company's drivers in the area I lived decided that they would cause similar trouble. Not only did they extort tips from their guests but they accused attraction owners of not making it worthwhile for them to take guests to their facilities...ie, at the end of the season the attraction owners would present all of us with a little extra as a 'thank you' for taking guests to see them. The owners were never obliged to, but they did cos they wanted to. Well the drivers from this particular firm decided they were worth alot more than what was being given out and they threw what was given back at the owners of the attractions. End result was that many of the attractions then barred coach parties altogether, so EVERYONE lost out..especially and most imortantly the guests lost out and that is WRONG!

So now that you have given us all your spiel...and remember, we are from all over the world, not just the USA here...you have now managed to alienate your own tour experience but also that of other drivers in your company and possibly other companies too...since people, especially first time visitors to an area, generally look upon one bad apple and see and entire rotten tree.

Like I said at the start, YOU are bang out of order, you, your boss and the rest of the drivers in the firm that you work for are nothing more than steering wheel attendants in it for nothing more than the tip you get at the end of the day and you frankly don't care how you get the tip.

By acting the way you do you have also placed doubt in the mind of visitors as to the decency of other companies working in the area too and that is also bang out of order.

Personally I am not sure why you started this thread and as to the claim that you have yet to have a complaint face to face, well there is only one thing to say on that score. One anyone feels bullied or intimidated into paying money - whether it be subtle or not, they will do so quietly and then walk away. But one thing is almost guaranteed, the things they saw and learnt and enjoyed during the day with you will probably have been overshadowed by your remarks as they were about to exit your vehicle.

Like I have already said on this thread, your attitude and that of the other drivers/steering wheel attendants is out of order.

 

I have sacked steering wheel attendants who have left 'begging bowls' on their dashboard for tips to go in as their guests leave the vehicle.

 

You just don't do it...no-one has the right to demand a tip from their guests, it is EARNED, not a right.

I agree with you. That's why I use a "softer" more friendly sign, but also verbally mention tips.

 

There is absolutely no need to mention tipping. A good driver/guide should be able to place his/her guests into the palm of their hand and entertain them and inform them for a whole day without the need to mention the tips.

 

It is an artform....hence the saying here in the UK amongst the coach operating fraternity...'You can get steering wheel attendants anywhere, but coachmen/women are a rare breed'.

 

Any form of tip reminder, hint or straight out asking is bang out of order, no matter how subtle it might be. Do your job right and you'll be rewarded cos your guests will WANT to do so, not cos they are told to do so.

Now, just to stir things up a little: Many of my colleagues have tip signs that say: "Your Driver/Guide is performing TWO important jobs for you today. He insures your safety as a driver and your enjoyment as a guide. It is customarry to tip him a total of 25% for the TWO jobs he is doing for you today." Those guys don't usually mention tipping verbally, but IMHO, the sign is much more guilt driven and greedy than my aproach.

 

I am sorry but there is no way any driver or tour guide would ever work for me with that attitude towards their guests. That is just so rude and disrespectful, they are your guests and it is your job to make their day as enjoyable and as informative as you can, and if they choose to show their appreciation then fine but they should never be made to feel that they must do so.

 

No..sorry but that crosses the line in my book.

hmmm...I used to operate tour coaches and before that I would courier on them (tour guide).

 

I never ever mentioned tipping either as an operator or as a guide...and tbh, it was frowned upon if any drivers or guides did so where I used to live/work, so it was generally avoided out of courtesy.

 

As for actually getting tipped, yes, I most definitely did and I was always very surprised at the amounts given too. As an example, I was a tour guide for a group of 40 people over the space of 3 days, at the end of their holiday on one of my vehicles they present myself and the driver with sealed envelopes and thanked us both for a wonderful weekend. Once we had offloaded everyone and their cases we went to a local rest stop for a coffee before heading back home and we opened the envelopes. My driver had a total of £275/$450 and I had £385/$630 in tips from the group, which by anyone's standard was quite exceptional. On average with a 40 person load, I could easily gain around £300/$500 a day in tips alone and without asking or hinting for them.

 

My own personal feelings about asking or hinting or reminding about tipping, if you do your job right and you entertain and inform your guests well, then in all honesty, there should be absolutely no need to ask, hint or remind anyone to tip.

 

Edited to add that a tip should be seen as a bonus, never as something taken for granted or expected, least not in my opinion. I was always extremely grateful to my guests and the best tip I ever had was to know that they enjoyed their day in my company, so anything above that was indeed a bonus.

Thank you for your response, which is much appreciated.

 

I will research Allegra further.

 

I don't know why, but, until recently, I thought Costa ships were all big ships.

 

The older ships are all smaller...from Victoria down to Marina (the baby of the fleet).

 

Allegra & Marina are unique due to being morphed from containerships in the late '80's/early '90's. They have been sisters from 'birth' so to speak, Allegra is marguinally longer after a stretch, but both were containerships in their previous lives and both have a real charm about them. Next up on the size list are sisters Classica & Romantica, then you have the soon to be leaving Europa and then Victoria...before you get to the Farcas Fantasies of the post CCL ships. Micky Arison appears to be trying to rid Costa of it's heritage of small ships so if you want to try one, best get the skates on....and they were Costa's before CCL, so you will find a more Italian atmosphere aboard too.

Could you please advise how many passengers on Costa Allegra and dates for this repositioning cruise?

 

Allegra's maximum is 900 passengers and her repositioning is in 2 sectors..

 

Singapore to Mumbai, 15 nights -03 April, 2010

Mumbai to Civitavecchia, 18 nights -18 April, 2010

 

I have added an extra cruise onto the end from Savona on May 6 thru 10 back to Civitavecchia.

 

The two main sectors are showing as sold out, however, there might be a small number of cabins available on waitlist incase of cancellation by anyone.

The Farcas Fantasy ships in the Costa fleet have the equivalent of the 1A cabins. The older Costa ships have pure single cabins...no lurking bunk beds anywhere waiting to drop out of the wall and belt you on the nut when you least expect them ;)

 

Fred Olsen also have pure single cabins too.

 

Nice and roomy, same wardrobe space as if a twin just without the extra bed.

Actually, I think Costa has some solo cabins. I thought it was the only cruise line did; I did not know Carnival had any ships with single cabins.

 

Yes, Costa do have single cabins. The newer ships are copies of the Carnival ships and they have 1A's (Fortuna certainly has). Many of the older Costa ships have singles too, Allegra, Marina, Europa definitely have single cabins...I had a single on Allegra last year and will do again next year too. The supplement runs from around the 30-100% depending on itinerary - repo or loop and if single cabin or twin availability.

How do you find out if a cruise is offering a lower single supplement? Is it just trial and error or are they advertised?

 

Cherrin

 

Costa have ships that have single cabins, so those ships the supplement is around the 30% mark. Other ships in their fleet where you have a twin cabin to yourself, the supplement seems to depend on the ship's size/age/facilities on board/itinerary.

 

Allegra next year worked out at 30% supplement for me next year for a single cabin, not a twin for single use.

 

Fred Olsen also have single cabins, they too have much lower supplements that reflect that, generally around the 45-55%, P&O also dod a variety of supplements on their twin cabins...again alot does depend on the itinerary - ie repo cruises are alot cheaper than loop cruises.

 

Over and above that, you can always negotiate...I do and my TA does on my behalf too and as they say, every little helps :)

My first ship experience was at less than a year old on Queen Mary in 1965 :o

 

Things have changed a little bit since then ;)

My first ship experience was at less than a year old on Queen Mary in 1965 :o

 

Things have changed a little bit since then ;)

Mine was booked direct with Costa and then transferred over to my TA a fortnight afterwards, but I negotiated with Costa for the holiday cost including flights etc as stated above :)

Wow, I would love to do that someday (40 nights). Don't know about being gone that long, especially if the seas got rough as well as being away from home. For me at least, the times I have been on a ship in bad weather, were the times if there was a way to get off, I would have done it. lol They canceled the shows, because the rolling was so bad, and some of the staff, and entertainers were sea sick, as were most of the passengers. Barff bags all over the ship, hallways, every table, really every surface where they could put one. Everyone tried to sit in the middle of the ship, including me. Like falling off a horse, I got right back on. We must adapt.............

 

Maybe, someday. So far 16 nights and my next one with hotel in NOLA will be 20 nights.

 

Keep the posts coming! All info welcome.

 

Have a great week-end.

 

Marianne

 

So far I have done 15-21 day cruises with a couple of 3 day pre-maiden's thrown in. The 40 nighter is a repositioning b2b2b from Singapore to Italy via Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Oman, Aden, Jordan, Suez, Egypt, Spain & Corsica :)

 

It's one of those 'itineraries unlikely to be repeated' type of cruise with overnight stays along the route, such as 3 days in Mumbai, 2 days in Phuket...and at the price with flights & hotel included, I wasn't about to let it slip by :o

My cruise next year is, to me at least, excellent value for a solo cruiser.

 

Costa Allegra, 40 nights including 1 night B&B pre cruise in 5 star hotel in Singapore and flights for £3116/$5153/€3681 and that works out at £78/$128/€92 per day.

 

:)

The dismally rubish film 'Final Voyage' of 1992 also stared the Maxim Gorky. It was so bad Speed 2 looked like the best ever film made when compared...

 

The Last Voyage (1960) was filmed on board the Ile de France as she was making her way to be scrapped.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054016/trivia

Maxim Gorkiy was Britannic in the film Juggernaut, Omar Sharif & Richard Harris starred in it amongst others..

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071706/

 

Pretty good film really, watched it a few times, quite tense plotline to it.

Full details can be found here....

 

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/Wire/News_Wire/8%107%1008_-_Plans_for_Superstar_Gemini_Revealed/

 

It's goodbye to SuperStar Gemini, and hello to Clipper Jewel :)

Goldryder, you are welcome.

 

Hope you have a great cruise with Braemar.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

 

 

Mike, I had a wonderful mini cruise in July aboard Braemar...booked last minute, needed to escape :)

 

She is gorgeous...and anyone waiting to go onboard Gemini is in for a real treat, the baby ships are so much nicer than the impersonal leviathans :)

 

I have two cruises on Braemar next year and then I am booked on the inaugural cruise for Balmoral in 2008...ex Norwegian Crown...and from the deckplans, she too will be incredible with lots of changes and a reduction in max passengers from 1300 to 950. :)

 

Long live the little ships :)

Hi Goldryder,

 

You are correct. The Braemar is the identical sister to the Gemini.

They were both built for Crown Cruise Line. The Braemar was the Crown Dynasty and Gemini was Crown Jewel.

 

Although virtually identical in layout, the Braemar's interior furnishings are geared to the British market. And, may I add, Braemar is a lovely ship.

I have attached two photos. The first one is of a bar/lounge onboard SuperStar Gemini. The second photo is the same room onboard Braemar. You will be able to notice the difference in furnishings.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

 

 

Thanks for the photos Mike :)

 

Both ships look superb and its great that the smaller ships are still around IMHO.

 

I haven't sailed on Olsen before and am looking forward to it alot. I have heard so many wonderful things about Braemar and I was sure she was Gemini's twin, thanks for confirming :)

Is Gemini sister to Fred Olsen's Braemar?

 

They look identical, even their weight is the same too.

 

I am sailing on Braemar twice next year and really looking forward to being on board her too as I much prefer smaller ships.

When I was on Jewel Jersey cruise, they had that section open, it was used by a BBC film crew. Its a fair size too, about a third of the size of the main Tsar's dining room and its down the starboard side.

No worries, there are quite a few of us around. I much prefer holidaying alone, no arguments about which place to go and see etc ;)

 

You will make loads of friends aboard ship, and at mealtimes you can usually choose whether you sit alone or mix with others.

 

Cruising alone is alot of fun and you find the crew are often more attentive if they realise you are by yourself too.

 

Have a great time :)

 

Ally