Brits don't like to tip

[boaterette]

 

 

And not just the wage; remember that the employer pays half of FICA here. Oh, and now that the waiter gets all compensation on a paycheck, they can't fudge taxes any more like in a cash-based system. So their real take home pay goes down.

 

).

 

I pay taxes on all my income and so should they. So in my book you have a good arguement for paying better wages. At least they would be paying the tax they owe.

[RetireeWannabee]

...However, I have a question to my US friends. Can you explain why when I first visited the US 29 years ago, the recommended tip was 10%, by the 90's it was 15% and now in the early 20's it's 20%? The price of the food and drink in a restaurant will have increased over this period of 29 years, so 10% of the total now will be more than 10% back then. It just seems strange to me that the recommended % has doubled.

 

Perhaps it's a cultural thing, a previous poster mentioned that people expect fast service, that maybe the case in the US, but perhaps other cultures do not. Perhaps eating out in the US is more common than in other countries and so for those where eating out is a special occasion, they don't want to be rushed and so if they are, they don't consider that they have received good service.

It's always been 15% as standard in my world. Less for not great service, more for really good service.

 

I eat slow. And I want to eat ALL of my food. Fast would never work for me. A server should not have to ask, they should be able to see how the table is coming along with their starters. If there is one laggard, sure, Ask. But I believe that a good server knows about how long it takes most people to eat whatever

 

I think it is quite possible that more Americans are eating out more, for convenience, mostly (I'm guessing!). Not me, I'm too cheap, and selfish with my time. I'd rather buy the raw ingredients and make my own food in my own home to enjoy leisurely. And take leftovers for lunch.

 

Dinner out remains a rare treat for me and the tip never is tied to my enjoyment of the food as that is not within the control of the server. I tip based on those things that are within their control.

[swanlady2000]

Well as a Brit I've got to comment. I've have always tipped accordingly as I've always been a bit of a holiday nerd and researched cultures etc before I ever go anyway and before I cruised I had already done several U.S hols so knew the score.

 

*Its a fact, most Brits wouldn't dream of tipping 15% for service. We tend to round the bill up now and then and would never in a million years dream of tipping a barman 15% on top for pouring us a drink!

 

*Most people in the Uk Just book a holiday through a travel agent, pay the balance when due and go for a good time... total shock to be then told at the end of the holiday - sorry... service wasn't included and you gotta pay a few hundred quid more. Hence a queue a mile long to take off the service charge when I cruised the med last year from the UK with Princess. No wonder when it was hundreds of pounds on top for a family of 4.

 

Its definately a cultural thing and I really think cruising for the Uk clientele is in its infancy, previously people in the Uk saw cruising in the Uk as something old people did, but now the young affulent people are seeing it as a great way to see the world, we are an up and coming profitible market that most cruise lines want to tap into and profit from. Brits like to have a good time on holiday, we spend a lot of money on trips, alcohol, entertainment etc. We just don't get the tipping thing as everyone in the Uk is paid according to their worth/education.

 

Take myself for example, I am a midwife, I look after ladies during childbirth and deliver their babies, its a challenging role both mentally, physically and emotionally (we are open to litigation more than any other profession). I have a degree and went to University for years to get to where I am now. I'm on my feet all day, making important decisions. I make a womans birth experience the best it can be. My pay for this is roughly £13 an hour with no tips(about $21 an hour). Someone who waits on table in the Uk is on about £5-6 and hour ($9-10), a fair difference based on education/responsibility etc. This is why we DON'T tip.

 

So whats the solution? The U.S starts paying wages accordingly to persons education/worth and cuts out tipping altogether? Thats never going to happen.

 

Overall, I think the cruise liners will want a slice of the pie from the UK market as it continues to grow, so prices for cruising will fall in line with what the US pays now (yes, you have it cheap!) and will add gratuity onto the price automatically across the board. Yes, some Americans will be outraged by this, but know most won't stop cruising because of it.

[celle]

This topic has been and will be thrashed to death until hell freezes over.

 

First off, there are a couple of major differences between the service we receive in Australia and that recieved in countries and on cruise ships where the wait staff rely on tips.

 

In Australia you have to go to the counter to get a drink, order your latee, your meal in most pubs, clubs and some street eateries and then you must pay in advance. Countries such as America and most Asian countries employ people to come to you in all the above cases and run a tab.

 

Personally I enjoy the extra service of being able to sit at a table and have someone come to me. We lack the personallised service of other countries and the interaction between customer and establishment that adds to the experience of going out. The small token of a tip at the end of the drinking session or meal is a way of expressing to those who operate the business your opinion of it.

 

In Australia you must go to the counter and request your next beer or coffee from staff who will then decide if they will serve you. In countries that have a tipping culture the staff will come to you and ask you if you would like another beer or coffee, thats why they tip!

 

I like the idea that the tips are included in the price of the cruise because of where I come from, this avoids the possibly of offending someone accidently but, it does not restrict me from adding a bit more.

 

Your argument only holds true for eating in pubs in Australia - and even then it does not apply for all pubs.

 

In restaurants, you will get table service for food and drink, and a "service charge" is often added to the bill.

 

In Australia (and NZ) wait staff are paid a minimum wage and are not dependant on tips to make up a liveable income. That's why routine tipping is not part of our culture, but a discretionary tip can be added for exceptional service.

 

Personally, I get very tired of the insinuations frequently expressed on these boards, that people from the UK, Australia and NZ are somehow stingy or mean because they "do not like to tip". It's not meanness, but a cultural difference and the cruise lines' policy on tipping should be explained up front when a cruise is booked, or else it should be modified to include pre-payment of tips in the cruise price.

 

When I book a cruise (from NZ), tips have to be automatically included in the cruise price and paid before sailing, on the date for final payment. That suits me fine, as I know in advance what my costs will be and I am at liberty to add more tips for exemplary service.

[pcur]

Personally, I get very tired of the insinuations frequently expressed on these boards, that people from the UK, Australia and NZ are somehow stingy or mean because they "do not like to tip". It's not meanness, but a cultural difference and the cruise lines' policy on tipping should be explained up front when a cruise is booked, or else it should be modified to include pre-payment of tips in the cruise price.

 

When I book a cruise (from NZ), tips have to be automatically included in the cruise price and paid before sailing, on the date for final payment. That suits me fine, as I know in advance what my costs will be and I am at liberty to add more tips for exemplary service.

 

I'm not insinuating anything with my comments above: I was flatout told by a crew member 3 weeks ago on the Rhapsody that the crew dread coming from Alaska to Australia (this is their second season), because they lose a lot of their income from Australian and British passengers who don't tip, or who are very stingy with their tips.

 

I do not believe it's ignorance, either. Between the brochures, travel agents, etc., most are aware of it. The cultural difference is they don't WANT to do it because they are not accustomed to it.

 

On our recent cruise a friend told me he witnessed a British man calling out to his room steward to come back to the door so he could give her the tip, which was $23 for a 16 night cruise!!!!!! :eek: She was very gracious about it.

 

With the economy problems worldwide, tips in general have gone down. It's not just an Aussie / Brit thing, the U.S. passengers are tipping less, too. Therefore, RCCL will probably start including it in the price of the cruise, and good for that, IMO!!

[celle]

I'm not insinuating anything with my comments above: I was flatout told by a crew member 3 weeks ago on the Rhapsody that the crew dread coming from Alaska to Australia (this is their second season), because they lose a lot of their income from Australian and British passengers who don't tip, or who are very stingy with their tips.

 

I do not believe it's ignorance, either. Between the brochures, travel agents, etc., most are aware of it. The cultural difference is they don't WANT to do it because they are not accustomed to it.

 

On our recent cruise a friend told me he witnessed a British man calling out to his room steward to come back to the door so he could give her the tip, which was $23 for a 16 night cruise!!!!!! :eek: She was very gracious about it.

 

With the economy problems worldwide, tips in general have gone down. It's not just an Aussie / Brit thing, the U.S. passengers are tipping less, too. Therefore, RCCL will probably start including it in the price of the cruise, and good for that, IMO!!

 

I wasn't meaning you specifically when I posted, but several others have implied the same thing.

 

The problem of nationalities other than US not tipping, or tipping less, has come about because the cruise lines failed to consider the demographics of other nationalities who cruise from their own countries - and I am pleased to see that some cruise lines are now addressing this by imposing pre-paid gratuities. All of what you relate above confirms the need for pre-paid tipping to be implemented. When I book through a New Zealand travel agent, pre-paid gratuities are compulsory, and I am glad of that.

 

From the perspective of someone from Australia or NZ, the published price for a cruise should be all-inclusive. It is illegal in these two countries to show a price as, say, $X, and then to add hidden taxes. The price shown has to include all taxes. This is different from the US (and Canada, I think), where a price shown is not the full price. For example, I was surprised to find that the posted price for coffee (about $3.50) was then increased by an unspecified amount of State and Federal tax.

 

In addition, we are accustomed to staff being paid a fair minimum wage, and not being reliant on tips to survive. It does not sit well with us to hear that a cruise line pays its staff a pittance and expects the passengers to make up the shortfall. I interpret tipping as as additional payment for above-average service, and not as paying someone just to do their job.

 

I know that the cruise lines' web sites show the recommended daily amount for tips, but this is not obvious initially to many people who book. On average, we already pay higher prices than US citizens do for the cruises, cannot claim discounts for residency or military, and can ony very rarely take advantage of price drops.

 

Given all the above, while I do not support people who refuse to tip, I can understand where they are coming from.

[Lawrence22]

Well as a Brit I've got to comment. I've have always tipped accordingly as I've always been a bit of a holiday nerd and researched cultures etc before I ever go anyway and before I cruised I had already done several U.S hols so knew the score.

 

*Its a fact, most Brits wouldn't dream of tipping 15% for service. We tend to round the bill up now and then and would never in a million years dream of tipping a barman 15% on top for pouring us a drink!

 

*Most people in the Uk Just book a holiday through a travel agent, pay the balance when due and go for a good time... total shock to be then told at the end of the holiday - sorry... service wasn't included and you gotta pay a few hundred quid more. Hence a queue a mile long to take off the service charge when I cruised the med last year from the UK with Princess. No wonder when it was hundreds of pounds on top for a family of 4.

 

Its definately a cultural thing and I really think cruising for the Uk clientele is in its infancy, previously people in the Uk saw cruising in the Uk as something old people did, but now the young affulent people are seeing it as a great way to see the world, we are an up and coming profitible market that most cruise lines want to tap into and profit from. Brits like to have a good time on holiday, we spend a lot of money on trips, alcohol, entertainment etc. We just don't get the tipping thing as everyone in the Uk is paid according to their worth/education.

 

Take myself for example, I am a midwife, I look after ladies during childbirth and deliver their babies, its a challenging role both mentally, physically and emotionally (we are open to litigation more than any other profession). I have a degree and went to University for years to get to where I am now. I'm on my feet all day, making important decisions. I make a womans birth experience the best it can be. My pay for this is roughly £13 an hour with no tips(about $21 an hour). Someone who waits on table in the Uk is on about £5-6 and hour ($9-10), a fair difference based on education/responsibility etc. This is why we DON'T tip.

 

So whats the solution? The U.S starts paying wages accordingly to persons education/worth and cuts out tipping altogether? Thats never going to happen.

 

Overall, I think the cruise liners will want a slice of the pie from the UK market as it continues to grow, so prices for cruising will fall in line with what the US pays now (yes, you have it cheap!) and will add gratuity onto the price automatically across the board. Yes, some Americans will be outraged by this, but know most won't stop cruising because of it.

 

Great post. I found myself treading on eggshells on a recent trip to New York and Vegas, scared that I would undertip or forget to tip someone. I found myself wondering whether or not I should tip the security staff at my hotel in Vegas as they checked to see if I had a room key before I entered the residents section of the hotel. Why in New York was there a tip jar in a coffee shop where I had to self serve my own coffee?

I have no problem paying the tips on the cruise, the staff deserve them and I like the way RC make it easy for you, so you don't accidently offend anyone.

[nellydean]

Amazing, this is a form of reverse snobbery, with Americans la-di-dahhing over their 'servants' and generously keeping the crew's lowly families fed, in return for services rendered during their little escape from the world - while us Brits who have largely thrown off the shackles of snobbery and class, feel awkward about the whole business!

 

And let's get one thing straight, Brits spend MORE than any other nation when they go abroad, there have been surveys done on the subject and we are regularly top of the list, so being stingy is not the problem. There will be exceptions, of course, but there will be exceptions from all nationalities, including American citizens.

 

Personally, I don't like any awkwardness on holiday, so I pay the tips as specified, and more if service has been good. We chose not to pre-pay gratuities last summer on our BOS Med cruise, as we had done so previously, because we wanted to reduce the balance before departing, and also to see if there was any difference in the service we received, as on previous cruises we were a little bit disappointed with our cabin stewards. In the end, everyone provided excellent service and we added the tips to the final bill and then added more to the inidvidual envelopes.

 

However, for a family of four, this proved quite costly at the end of an already expensive cruise and, in future, I would pay upfront, although my first choice would be to have them included in the cost of the cruise and the staff's wages increased, which is how it should be anyway. We are in the 21st century and having to bow and scrape to passengers in order to add to your wage is nothing short of shocking. But maybe Americans like that, as it gives them a sense of power. :)

[nellydean]

In the interests of truth, I will like to amend my comment above and say that brits regularly come near the top of the spending league when they go on holiday, that is, the amount they spend while on holiday (as opposed t what they spend on buying a holiday). They are always the life and soul of the party and on each of the two Med cruises we've taken it was always the Brits who apcked the main bar (Schooner), with very few foreign cruisers in evidence. So, maybe, another reason some might perhaps not tip so generously is ebcause they've spent it all on booze!

[spanner14]

Amazing, this is a form of reverse snobbery, with Americans la-di-dahhing over their 'servants' and generously keeping the crew's lowly families fed, in return for services rendered during their little escape from the world - while us Brits who have largely thrown off the shackles of snobbery and class, feel awkward about the whole business!

 

 

Actually, that's a really interesting point. Every single time we've holidayed in the US or Caribbean, pretty much everybody who has served us (as a couple, then as a family) has commented on how polite we are; and how we say "please" and "thank you" to them. The waiters at Sandals in Jamaica were nearly beside themselves with amazement. "I can't believe how polite you English are" was the comment every single day. When we asked what they meant, the guys said "You treat us really nicely; you say "please" and "thank you"". I was amazed at the thought that they'd hand a plate of food to someone who WOULDN'T say thank you!

 

But (and I mean no offence to anyone here) I am always amazed at how Americans are so wonderful at providing service; whether it be in a shop, restaurant, or wherever - but so apalling at RECEIVING service. Is this also a culture thing? To be handed a plate of food and not to say thank you? To not thank the waiter when he comes to take the plate away?

 

On our last night onboard Freedom we got chatting to an American couple who asked us if we'd like to dine with them, so we said yes. When we got to MTD, we were assigned our usual table with the lovely Darmawan. We had a really nice chat with him - as always; and the couple we were with looked on in surprise. Darmawan brought our food; we thanked him as always. When he came to take the plates, we thanked him and said that the food had been delicious. The couple we were with absolutely ignored him as if a robot had come to the table to take their plates.

 

Is this normal? It certainly has been the norm that we've seen.

 

Anyway, I digress slightly. WR to the tipping thing and the title of this thread; it's NOT that Brits don't like tipping, we're just not used to it. I had to do some serious research before this cruise to make sure I didn't miss anybody off the "tip list".

 

The price we were quoted for the cruise included pre-paid gratuities (we were given the option to remove them) and I always like to pay as much as possible up front, so we went with it. I have to say I didn't notice ANY difference in the level of service we received. All the service we received on board Freedom was absolutely exemplary. So given the choice I'd always pay tips up front (or have them included for all passengers, like on Ocean Village, where again service was wonderful). I'm happy with pre-pay on RC because the service is so fabulous. It's just something I accept with cruise holidays; that tipping is and always has been the norm on a cruise (even British companies), so I'd rather pay up front and be done with it.

 

We just do things differently over here, that's all.

[fifties chick]

On my very recent Princess cruise, the majority of passengers were US with Aussies, Brits and Germans making up the rest..

When we went to the pursers desk to check our account, he assumed that we were there to remove our tips, as had most of the Aussies and Brits..we did not, and personally I'd like a badge to wear that says "I'm an Aussie and did not remove the tips"..

This is because, when some of the staff in the Horizon Court, heard our accent, the service left a lot to be desired..

Nearly every Aussie we spoke to removed their tips..and on this 30 day cruise that amounted to over $600us per couple..then they feel generous when handing over an envelope at the end of the trip..

I'm sorry, but my attitude is, if you can afford to cruise you should budget for the tips..

[Cruise_Kitten]

LIke i have stated in a previous post it is not that us Brits are stingy it is just that we DON'T tip. It is not part of our culture, if you come to the UK and order a meal in a sit-down resturant and leave a tip the waiter/waitress would be very surprised. In most cases the tips received will go in to a large "pot" and at the end of the month be split equally between the whole wait staff, no matter if one member had done better then another.

Besides we, as previously stated, have a 10% service charge added to our final bill at the end of every meal at a sit down resturant. Which is counted as a tip. In the US this service charge isn't applied and is made up by tips.

When we booked our 2 RCCL cruises for next year we ahve chosen to have our gratuities paid in our price. We hav been to the US and we have experienced the tipping culture, but we dont like to cause any offence by tipping one person less then another.

 

CK x

[luckyprincess]

Amazing, this is a form of reverse snobbery, with Americans la-di-dahhing over their 'servants' and generously keeping the crew's lowly families fed, in return for services rendered during their little escape from the world - while us Brits who have largely thrown off the shackles of snobbery and class, feel awkward about the whole business!

 

And let's get one thing straight, Brits spend MORE than any other nation when they go abroad, there have been surveys done on the subject and we are regularly top of the list, so being stingy is not the problem. There will be exceptions, of course, but there will be exceptions from all nationalities, including American citizens.

 

Personally, I don't like any awkwardness on holiday, so I pay the tips as specified, and more if service has been good. We chose not to pre-pay gratuities last summer on our BOS Med cruise, as we had done so previously, because we wanted to reduce the balance before departing, and also to see if there was any difference in the service we received, as on previous cruises we were a little bit disappointed with our cabin stewards. In the end, everyone provided excellent service and we added the tips to the final bill and then added more to the inidvidual envelopes.

 

However, for a family of four, this proved quite costly at the end of an already expensive cruise and, in future, I would pay upfront, although my first choice would be to have them included in the cost of the cruise and the staff's wages increased, which is how it should be anyway. We are in the 21st century and having to bow and scrape to passengers in order to add to your wage is nothing short of shocking. But maybe Americans like that, as it gives them a sense of power. :)

I don't understnd your logic here. So do the servers where you live grovel for their hourly wage? Do they bow and scrape for their $9 an hour? Do you grovel and beg for your paycheck? If no, why would you think a server being paid base + tips would grovel and beg? They provide service - they get paid from base + tips. Since regular civil society in the US are aware of their own customs here regarding tipping it's no different to us then buying a sweater. Go to restaurant, order, eat, get check, add % for corresponding service, pay, leave. How is that any different then from where you live except that someone has added that % in already? So if service is terrible you can't adjust the amount and it just costs what it costs.

Do you also see salespeople that work on commisions as groveling and begging for a sale? No, they work for their check and that's that. So their base is usually tiny and they make that up with the commissions - the better they are at their job, the more they sell and the more money they make - that is exactly what happens in the U.S. The higher the check in a restaurant means the higher the tip - so a good server is also a good salesperson, suggesting appetizers, drinks, desserts and the like. It's actually called upselling. You seem to think sales is begging - I don't. So instead of giving the servers the opportunity to make more money your culture keeps them at a low minimum wage, never giving them the chance to make a better paycheck - to me THAT is oppressing people and having a sense of power over them by never letting them prosper. So I guess different cultures see it differently.

P.S. - I've been searching online for studies that show which nation spends the most on vacation but can't find anything - can you site the studies because I find that kind of stuff interesting.

[Lawrence22]

P.S. - I've been searching online for studies that show which nation spends the most on vacation but can't find anything - can you site the studies because I find that kind of stuff interesting.

 

I ran into a brick wall there too. Couldn't find a thing.

[luckyprincess]

Actually, that's a really interesting point. Every single time we've holidayed in the US or Caribbean, pretty much everybody who has served us (as a couple, then as a family) has commented on how polite we are; and how we say "please" and "thank you" to them. The waiters at Sandals in Jamaica were nearly beside themselves with amazement. "I can't believe how polite you English are" was the comment every single day. When we asked what they meant, the guys said "You treat us really nicely; you say "please" and "thank you"". I was amazed at the thought that they'd hand a plate of food to someone who WOULDN'T say thank you!

 

But (and I mean no offence to anyone here) I am always amazed at how Americans are so wonderful at providing service; whether it be in a shop, restaurant, or wherever - but so apalling at RECEIVING service. Is this also a culture thing? To be handed a plate of food and not to say thank you? To not thank the waiter when he comes to take the plate away?

 

On our last night onboard Freedom we got chatting to an American couple who asked us if we'd like to dine with them, so we said yes. When we got to MTD, we were assigned our usual table with the lovely Darmawan. We had a really nice chat with him - as always; and the couple we were with looked on in surprise. Darmawan brought our food; we thanked him as always. When he came to take the plates, we thanked him and said that the food had been delicious. The couple we were with absolutely ignored him as if a robot had come to the table to take their plates.

 

Is this normal? It certainly has been the norm that we've seen.

 

Anyway, I digress slightly. WR to the tipping thing and the title of this thread; it's NOT that Brits don't like tipping, we're just not used to it. I had to do some serious research before this cruise to make sure I didn't miss anybody off the "tip list".

 

The price we were quoted for the cruise included pre-paid gratuities (we were given the option to remove them) and I always like to pay as much as possible up front, so we went with it. I have to say I didn't notice ANY difference in the level of service we received. All the service we received on board Freedom was absolutely exemplary. So given the choice I'd always pay tips up front (or have them included for all passengers, like on Ocean Village, where again service was wonderful). I'm happy with pre-pay on RC because the service is so fabulous. It's just something I accept with cruise holidays; that tipping is and always has been the norm on a cruise (even British companies), so I'd rather pay up front and be done with it.

 

We just do things differently over here, that's all.

Hi Spanner, I'm actually not sure that you can break it down as Americans don't say thank you to servers and Brits do. I've witnessed (as an actual server, not heresay) both Brits being incredibly rude and Americans being incredibly rude and the same from every other nationality I've ever waited on. I've also witnessed wonderful behavior from all. To be honest, lots of servers will give you a song and dance about how wonderful you are compared to 'fill in the blank' people. I have never personally dined with anyone that has not said thank you or please to a server - but then I don't normally hang out with rude people of any nationality. I can't imagine being in that situation as I'm sure I would open my big mouth and reprimand the rude diner:eek: - sorry you had to deal with that! Glad I'm doing MTD, lol!

[nellydean]

LIke i have stated in a previous post it is not that us Brits are stingy it is just that we DON'T tip. It is not part of our culture, if you come to the UK and order a meal in a sit-down resturant and leave a tip the waiter/waitress would be very surprised.

 

CK x

 

this is absolutely not true, brits do tip, whenever we eat out we always tip, or if we take a taxi, and our daughter does too. I would say it's become increasingly part of our culture, not less, simply because we are eating out more and also visiting more foreign places, where tipping is the norm, so we are bringing home those habits

[GEORGET]

So lets get it straight after reading this thread

 

UK/ Aussies tip and USA passengers tip.

SO why dont we all pay the minimum before we get onboard. Then the USA passengers can pay more for exceptional service, as they say, if they want,and the rest cannot weasle out.

 

At least everybody no matter what country they come from has at least paid something.

 

It would also no longer be a shock to new cruisers who did not know it was expected.

 

I always pay the minimum up front as I like MTD, plus extra for good service.

 

What I am pxxxed off with is the people who dont, and usually say I tip more in cash. Another way of saying i will stiff the staff.

Who can prove it.

 

Am I subsidising the passengers who dont?

 

If we all tipped the minimum would the overall price be cheaper?

 

What will happen if all passengers stop tipping, Answer Costa

[kooljamming]

P.S. - I've been searching online for studies that show which nation spends the most on vacation but can't find anything - can you site the studies because I find that kind of stuff interesting.

 

I am going to guess the Brits do. At many resorts (Caribbean and Mexico) many spend mostly for 2 weeks, while some Americans as little as a few days. They have more vacation time to go on vacation. The average per person spending might tell a different story....me thinks!

[BMT]

Well, where we live in the UK - London - we always tip - always have.

 

The Brits are paying far, far more for their cruises in Europe than those in the Caribbean etc. The cruiselines are just being greedy in also expecting the Europeans to tip large amounts when families are cruising and its costing far more than in the US.

[davenew]

Says the Sunday Times. A UK based Newspaper.

 

You can read the whole article here:

 

I think thats bull****!!

I have always tipped "extra" on the cruises I have been on, and seen all our Brit friends tip the regular $$ and given extra, unlike the Americans who dodge the last evening dinner, or visit the purser's desk to have those withdrawn or to avoid paying extra.

 

Please get your own house in order before you slag off the foreigners.

No "friendly fire" please :D

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I think thats bull****!!

I have always tipped "extra" on the cruises I have been on, and seen all our Brit friends tip the regular $$ and given extra, unlike the Americans who dodge the last evening dinner, or visit the purser's desk to have those withdrawn or to avoid paying extra.

 

Please get your own house in order before you slag off the foreigners.

No "friendly fire" please :D

 

 

I would imagine there is a good percentage of US pax that dodge the tips but no-one would admit it on here, at least Brits who do not like the tipping system are honest and vocal about it. BTW, Yes I paid mine too not that I agree with it. I would prefer they added it into the cruise fee, so we know what the actual holiday costs and there are no additions.

[scrozuk]

I think thats bull****!!

I have always tipped "extra" on the cruises I have been on, and seen all our Brit friends tip the regular $$ and given extra, unlike the Americans who dodge the last evening dinner, or visit the purser's desk to have those withdrawn or to avoid paying extra.

 

Please get your own house in order before you slag off the foreigners.

No "friendly fire" please :D

 

Agree with you that by and large the news item is bull, but the bit about dodging the last evening dinner, I've seen this done on quite a few cruises, both in the UK and abroad, and so has the wife.

 

That to me is shameful, especially if you know that for all the other nights, those people have been quite happily eating at the tables!

 

Do feel that sometimes there are sweeping generalisations against the Brits about not tipping, which is kinda unfair that we get tarnished with the same brush.

 

ScrozUK

looking for webcams of Oasis into Port Everglades.

[marci22]

I wonder what would happen if -everyone- stopped paying the suggested tips. Maybe they should cut the suggested tips in half and make everyone pay them. They'd probably get the same amount of money at the end of the day.

[luckyprincess]

I am going to guess the Brits do. At many resorts (Caribbean and Mexico) many spend mostly for 2 weeks, while some Americans as little as a few days. They have more vacation time to go on vacation. The average per person spending might tell a different story....me thinks!

Hi KoolJamming!! Haven't 'talked' to you in a bit!:) I was thinking of a study that was more scientific (I know, I can't help it:D) that compares apples to apples of actual spending - as in comparing the money spent over a controlled period of time. Like in your last sentence. I would have to do some math to figure out the spending per day or do a percentage or something to figure out what one would have spent given another week of vacation or something. I prefer controlled data gathering, you know, where you are comparing two folks taking the same amount of time off and staying at comparable resorts - but then I'm kind of a science geek, so....:p But that kind of thing definetly interests me - can't find anything that even mentions any experiments or studies like this.

[MAZANDSTEVE]

I wonder what would happen if -everyone- stopped paying the suggested tips. Maybe they should cut the suggested tips in half and make everyone pay them. They'd probably get the same amount of money at the end of the day.

 

 

Good idea!!:)