tipping on Poesia

I'm on the Poesia with back to back sailings March 13-20, and March 20-27.

I understand that on checkin on the ship, we are billed $12 per day in advance on our credit card. This is to cover the basic tipping for basic services. (cabin steward, meal staff, etc.)

My issue is this: I believe in tipping when it warranted, but object to have it automatically takne from my credit card, and then have to grovel for it back if I feel any service has been sub-standard. Also, I don't drink alcohol and don't feel I should have to subsidize the wine steward with tips.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd appreciate any comments.

Thanks

I'm on the Poesia with back to back sailings March 13-20, and March 20-27.

I understand that on checkin on the ship, we are billed $12 per day in advance on our credit card. This is to cover the basic tipping for basic services. (cabin steward, meal staff, etc.)

My issue is this: I believe in tipping when it warranted, but object to have it automatically takne from my credit card, and then have to grovel for it back if I feel any service has been sub-standard. Also, I don't drink alcohol and don't feel I should have to subsidize the wine steward with tips.

 

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd appreciate any comments.

Thanks

A discussion of the auto-gratuities or "tipping" on these boards is normally like throwing gasoline on a fire.

I have no personal experience with MSC, yet,:) but I would prefer the option of giving a true tip for good service and not have an automatic service charge. Raise the price of the cruise if needed, but don't tell me a service charge is for "tips"!

I know they don't actually bill your card until you complete the cruise on other lines, so I'm sure you could adjust as you see fit before the final destination.

I feel the same way as you. Tips should be earned based on the quality of service and I think that service has declined now that lines charge it automatically since they really do not have to work for their tips.

There is a day on the ship that you can go and have the "Service Charge" removed or changed to whatever amount you wish. Go to accounting and find out what day it is and where to go because it will not be the accounting desk. Get there first thing on that day to avoid a line! We prefer to remove the service chare/gratuity and pay the stewards and waitstaff in cash.

I think it was on the Thursday of our cruise Saturday to Saturday and my husband had to go to the Il Palladio restaurant on level 5 where they had a line-up of tables with officers ready to take your request. He said they all sat there with their arms folded in front of them as if they were trying to be intimidating while you walked up to the table. So again, find out ahead of time when and where to go to adjust the service charge and get there first thing to avoid the line.

Wow, this website is amazing!

A big big thank you to all you wonderful folks who take us 'newbies' by the hand and share your valuable tips on cruising. May all your cruises be wonderful, safe and most enjoyable!

Hugh

Vancouver, Canada

There is a day on the ship that you can go and have the "Service Charge" removed or changed to whatever amount you wish. Go to accounting and find out what day it is and where to go because it will not be the accounting desk. Get there first thing on that day to avoid a line! We prefer to remove the service chare/gratuity and pay the stewards and waitstaff in cash.

 

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You are not taking into account the behind the scenes people who work extremely hard to make your stay comfortable...by just giving the people you SEE, is in my opinion not fair to the others.

You can adjust the amount, but denying it completely is wrong.We actually left the aloted amount and added a little something to the cabin steward and our waiter directly, who took great care of us every single night.

From the MSC website:

Q:How much should I tip?

A:Tipping is a personal matter and your own judgment is the best guide. For your convenience MSC Cruises will automatically add a modest service charge to your onboard account. It will be based on the number of days in which services are actually rendered and vary by itinerary:

• Caribbean and Eastbound Transatlantic sailings: $12.00 USD per adult per day.
  
• Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Westbound Transatlantic sailings: €uro 7.00 per adult per day.
  

Per person per day service charge for children under the age of 18 will be 50% less. Service charges are subject to change and may vary based on the ship’s onboard currency.

Should you wish to make adjustments you may do so by contacting the Guest Relation Manager at any point during your cruise. MSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individually any member of the personnel on board as this is already included in the service charge.

So, there is no right or wrong, only YOUR opinion.;)

From the MSC website:

 

Q:How much should I tip?

 

 

 

A:Tipping is a personal matter and your own judgment is the best guide. For your convenience MSC Cruises will automatically add a modest service charge to your onboard account. It will be based on the number of days in which services are actually rendered and vary by itinerary:

• Caribbean and Eastbound Transatlantic sailings: $12.00 USD per adult per day.
  
• Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Westbound Transatlantic sailings: €uro 7.00 per adult per day.
  

Per person per day service charge for children under the age of 18 will be 50% less. Service charges are subject to change and may vary based on the ship’s onboard currency.

Should you wish to make adjustments you may do so by contacting the Guest Relation Manager at any point during your cruise. MSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individually any member of the personnel on board as this is already included in the service charge.

 

So, there is no right or wrong, only YOUR opinion.;)

I did note and clarify that IN MY OPINION it would be wrong not to give the set amount, but you are correct, it is a personal matter.

Who is to say that the behind the scenes people are even entitled to a piece of the "service charge" pie? maybe the behind the scenes people get a salary.

When you go a restaurant do you tip the owner, the hostess, the busboy, the chef, the linen company......NO. you tip the person that has provided you with the service and those are the people I tip.

You are not taking into account the behind the scenes people who work extremely hard to make your stay comfortable...by just giving the people you SEE, is in my opinion not fair to the others.

 

You can adjust the amount, but denying it completely is wrong.We actually left the aloted amount and added a little something to the cabin steward and our waiter directly, who took great care of us every single night.

If it is just YOUR opinion, how can someone else's be wrong?

What constitutes a "fair" adjustment? 50%?, 10%?, 100%?

Why does what others adjust have to be right or wrong to you?

How can you know in advance what their service level may be?

Again, where do YOU think adjusting is ok, but more than that is "wrong"?

(just trying to make you think...;))

Personally, I dislike tipping in any form, be it a restaurant, hair salon, car wash, newspaper delivery, etc. However, since tipping is a fact of life when cruising I find having this charge (yes, I see it as a charge and not a tip) billed automatically. I can't imagine a situation where the service rendered could possibly be so bad that i wouldn't tip and frankly, stuffing those little tip envelopes (pre-auto tip) was not my idea of fun. I never seemed to have the right bills, or I'd forget how to spell someone's name, etc. Auto-tipping is just more convenient from where I sit.

If it is just YOUR opinion, how can someone else's be wrong?

 

What constitutes a "fair" adjustment? 50%?, 10%?, 100%?

 

Why does what others adjust have to be right or wrong to you?

 

How can you know in advance what their service level may be?

 

Again, where do YOU think adjusting is ok, but more than that is "wrong"?

 

(just trying to make you think...;))

First you CAN adjust your SERVICE CHARGE it is not a TIP. You get your pre final account 2 days befor you leave the ship, therefor you will have had at least 5 days of service to base your decision on.

I repeat and will correct myself. In MY OPINION, and for myself, I would not feel right about not paying or as stated an adjusted amount. I am not passing judgement on what others decide to do, to each his own.

This is what is expressed in the msc cruises web site:

Tipping is a personal matter and your own judgment is the best guide. For your convenience MSC Cruises will automatically add a modest service charge to your onboard account. It will be based on the number of days in which services are actually rendered and vary by itinerary:

• Caribbean and Eastbound Transatlantic sailings: $12.00 USD per adult per day.
  
• Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Westbound Transatlantic sailings: €uro 7.00 per adult per day.
  

Per person per day service charge for children under the age of 18 will be 50% less. Service charges are subject to change and may vary based on the ship’s onboard currency.

Should you wish to make adjustments you may do so by contacting the Guest Relation Manager at any point during your cruise. MSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individually any member of the personnel on board as this is already included in the service charge.

There is a breakdown as to who receives what and how much.

I will try to find it and post it here if no one beats me to it.

I'm on the Poesia with back to back sailings March 13-20, and March 20-27.

I understand that on checkin on the ship, we are billed $12 per day in advance on our credit card. This is to cover the basic tipping for basic services. (cabin steward, meal staff, etc.)

My issue is this: I believe in tipping when it warranted, but object to have it automatically takne from my credit card, and then have to grovel for it back if I feel any service has been sub-standard. Also, I don't drink alcohol and don't feel I should have to subsidize the wine steward with tips.

 

Anyone have any experience with this? I'd appreciate any comments.

Thanks

An age old arguement this.

I tend to have been a RCI client and pre-pay my grats. This is because I know the level of service I will receive and also because it makes budgeting easy.

I will give you an analogy as to why "subsidising the wine waiter" is not really the case.

If you had opted for early dining on a large table and decided to eat in the buffet each night, effectively your waiters in Main Dining would be deprived of an expected income (their wages are so dire that the gratuity becomes almost essential for them). This is why I find it easier just to pre-pay gratuities and then if I want to tip over and above for exceptional service I will do so.

The Poesia crew told us they don't get the auto tips (service charge), MSC keeps them, and tells them that the service charge is already built into their salaries. The waiters don't get any of it and the cabin stewardess gets about $10 a week. MSC posts that this system is to promote excellent service ... how they expect a non-merit program can do that is beyond me.

it just sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

We'll make it easy for you by charging you an amount that we'll give to the crew so you don't have to worry about tipping everyone. We've got ya covered- now enjoy your cruise.

I have always maintained that you can not be certain that the people that deserve those tips actually get them, and that its a way for the cruiseline to make more money. That is why I will always adjust my "service charge" to zero and give cash to those I dealt with personally.

When I go to a restaurant, I tip the server not the restaurant.

it just sounds too good to be true doesn't it?

We'll make it easy for you by charging you an amount that we'll give to the crew so you don't have to worry about tipping everyone. We've got ya covered- now enjoy your cruise.

 

I have always maintained that you can not be certain that the people that deserve those tips actually get them, and that its a way for the cruiseline to make more money. That is why I will always adjust my "service charge" to zero and give cash to those I dealt with personally.

When I go to a restaurant, I tip the server not the restaurant.

I adjusted our service charge with no problem. (Wish I could have just adjusted cabin steward down, whoever he or she was..... never an introduction and failed to bring ice when requested.... ) They told me it was not possible to tip our waiter in cash, but he was used to accepting it with a friendly handshake. I also tipped one of the waiters at the breakfast buffet, who was always friendly to my kids.

Actually here is the TRUE breakdown of the "service charge $12 daily" of where it goes...it ONLY gets split between the following 4 areas on MSC:

Cabin Steward

Laundry Staff

Waiter (Dining Room)

Kitchen Staff (Dining Room)

THATS IT! So it does NOT affect the bar tenders, the "behind the scenes" people...ONLY the four mentioned. The bar tenders add on their 15% to everything they sell and the desk staff, entertainment etc, all earn a much higher salary then others and do not take part in the tipping

Hope that helps! (thats straight from MSC themselves) and by the way..i lowered my tips with no questions or problems..and gave cash to those who really made my trip great!

The Poesia crew told us they don't get the auto tips (service charge), MSC keeps them, and tells them that the service charge is already built into their salaries. The waiters don't get any of it and the cabin stewardess gets about $10 a week. MSC posts that this system is to promote excellent service ... how they expect a non-merit program can do that is beyond me.

This is my concern also ... call me a skeptic, but I doubt MSC really give any to the "behind the scenes" people. Your comment appears to support this.

When I first started to cruise with MSC 5 years ago, there was no automatic tip system. They gave you some envelopes along with a little guidance on what was appropriate and they left it entirely up to you who you wanted to tip. I chose to tip my waiter (he shared with his assistant), my cabin stewards and 2 bar waiters because they'd looked after me so well and I chose to give them a good tip.

The second time I cruised with them, they'd introduced the auto tip system. However I wasn't happy that they got to choose who my money went to, so I removed it and did what I usually did. i contnued to do this for a number of cruises.

Someone on here pointed out to me that laundry and kitchen staff would be missing out by me doing this. I also know how long hours they all work, 7 days per week for 6 or 9 months with no day off and how low their basic salaries are, so i changed my opinion and now leave the auto tip on _ I just view it as part of the cost of cruising and a very small one in relation to the cost of the cruise itself, travel costs and onboard spend. I also still tip those cash who provide good service. that has always included my cabin stewards as I've always had good or exceptional ones. On 2 cruises I didn't tip my waiter any extra as he was just going through the motions and showed little interest in his customers.I frequently tip some bar tenders or waiters at the end of a cruise too. Once I find a bar that I like and frequent a lot, if they look after me well, then I'll give them cash on the lat evening.

I fon't know if the proters get a share of the auto tip or not - I certainly hope they do as I'm incapabale of packing light and pity them for having to lug my heavy bags around!

personally I don't like tipping and come from a country where we don't tip in the way that they do in the US. I'd much prefer to pay a higher cruise price and that the crew were paid a decent basic wage, so that tipping would not be part of the culture of cruising.

"I fon't know if the proters get a share of the auto tip or not - I certainly hope they do as I'm incapabale of packing light and pity them for having to lug my heavy bags around!"

It is my understanding that the porters do not work for the cruise ship. They are unionized dock workers. They get your luggage on board and then your cabin steward takes over. Tipping the dock porters is not necessary, however I do it just like sky caps.

"I fon't know if the proters get a share of the auto tip or not - I certainly hope they do as I'm incapabale of packing light and pity them for having to lug my heavy bags around!"

 

It is my understanding that the porters do not work for the cruise ship. They are unionized dock workers. They get your luggage on board and then your cabin steward takes over. Tipping the dock porters is not necessary, however I do it just like sky caps.

Thanks. I was meaning the guys who deliver them to my cabin and take them away again. Didn't realise they were cabin stewards.