Can you take auto-tip off before......

[Drumbum1977]

Hello all, this is my first post ever here. I love all the reviews that eveyone posts. Anywho, here is my question for the day. The last time I sailed was 5 years ago on Grand. I took the auto-tip off when I checked in. (I don't believe in tipping before I get a service). I like to tip in cash as I find it more personal as well. I am sailing on the Star in Feb., and would like to know if it is still possible to take this off before embarking on my much needed vacation??? Thanks everyone.

[CruiseFever]

Tips are added to your shipboard account each day so you couldn't take them all off at the beginning because they are not on there yet.

 

I guess you could go to the Passenger Services Desk every day and take them off or maybe it can be arranged for them not to be added in the first place

 

Just curious, how do YOU determine how much to tip, if warranted, at the end of the cruise?

 

 

Oh and Welcome to the Princess Board!

[spongerob]

The auto-tips are entirely discretionary, so you can do as you please in that regard. I think the majority of people here will recommend that you leave them in place. First, one of the methods used to track crew performance is the amount of tips received. When those tips are removed, it can hurt performance ratings. I'm not saying that's a good system to monitor job performance, but it's the way it's done.

 

Second, the auto-tips go into a pool that is shared among the entire crew. If you tip exclusively via the envelopes, the crew member receiving the tip will have to turn it in. An amount equivalent to the auto-tip will be deducted and put into the pool, and any excess will be returned to that crew member. There is really no advantage to cabin stewards and waiters to have the tip amounts given to them personally, and it can hurt them.

 

Again, though, it is at your discretion.

[critterchick]

The tips won't be paid until you're off the ship, so why not wait until the last night before deciding what to do? If you received good service, you can leave the auto tip in place & give extra to those who went above & beyond. If not, I think you can adjust the amount, not just make it all or nothing.

[Mike2131]

Hi!

The other posters are correct. We were on the Coral for the 12/10 Panama Canal cruise and left the standard recommended tips in place.

We then distributed extra tips in cash to those who had really stood out - especially our cabin steward, Manuel. He was excelent!

Have a great cruise!

 

[craftsrdkc]

Drumbum...we do the exact same thing every time we cruise, and our upcoming cruise in March will be no different. As soon as we embark on the ship we immediately go to the Customer Service desk and cancel the auto-tipping. We did this the first time many years ago on the advice of our TA and we have never looked back. I am not sure about this leave it on until the end, because we saw many people on the last cruise (18 months ago) try to remove it close to the end of the cruise, and they were told that they should have done so at the beginning (as we did), because it could not be removed now. Maybe they have now learned that they need to be able to remove it any time upon request of the passenger, but I agree with you. I choose to tip what I want and do not feel that we often get the service that warrants that amount of tip every day. In answer to your question...YES, you can remove the tip at the time of embarkation and tip at the end of the cruise. If they did not expect passengers to do this, then why still have all the color coded envelopes at the front. That is what we use and feel more comfortable doing so.

 

 

**Lovely weather we are having isn't it. I can't tell the difference between my front yard and driveway anymore. Will our cruise never come?!

 

Dolores

--------------------------

 

March 27/05 - Star Princess

[cruiserforlife]

I agree,I have always had the auto-tip removed usually within the first day or so and then I tip using the envelopes provided,usually for more than the amount specified by the cruiseship guidelines.

 

Call me old school but I would prefer to tip on service received rather than service implied.

[LARGIN]

The auto-tips are entirely discretionary, so you can do as you please in that regard. I think the majority of people here will recommend that you leave them in place. First, one of the methods used to track crew performance is the amount of tips received. When those tips are removed, it can hurt performance ratings. I'm not saying that's a good system to monitor job performance, but it's the way it's done.

 

Second, the auto-tips go into a pool that is shared among the entire crew. If you tip exclusively via the envelopes, the crew member receiving the tip will have to turn it in. An amount equivalent to the auto-tip will be deducted and put into the pool, and any excess will be returned to that crew member. There is really no advantage to cabin stewards and waiters to have the tip amounts given to them personally, and it can hurt them.

 

Again, though, it is at your discretion.

 

Agree 100%

All tips via envelopes must be turned in and tips equivalent to the auto-tip will be put into the pool, and any excess will be returned to that crew member.

For what is is worth, my friends that work on Princess tell me that the vast majority of passengers that have the auto-tips removed do not tip at all..

[bdjam]

I agree,I have always had the auto-tip removed usually within the first day or so and then I tip using the envelopes provided,usually for more than the amount specified by the cruiseship guidelines.

 

Call me old school but I would prefer to tip on service received rather than service implied.

I guess I don’t understand. If you’re going to leave a tip what difference does it make if it’s accrued daily or if it’s left in a lump at the end of the cruise? If you feel that those receiving the auto-tip don’t deserve it you can have it removed before your account is finalized.

For what is is worth, my friends that work on Princess tell me that the vast majority of passengers that have the auto-tips removed do not tip at all..

Absolutely – and given that the tip is often the only clue as to the level of service, this new auto-tipping system allows a lot of passengers to skip out and leaves quite a few dejected crew members who have done a good job. I’m sorry folks, I can’t see leaving these people without tips and I can’t tip enough to make up for the rest of y’all.

 

[regnig]

Absolutely – and given that the tip is often the only clue as to the level of service, this new auto-tipping system allows a lot of passengers to skip out and leaves quite a few dejected crew members who have done a good job. I’m sorry folks, I can’t see leaving these people without tips and I can’t tip enough to make up for the rest of y’all.

 

 

Without rehashing this war, WELL SAID bdjam!! Most of us regular Princess cruisers concur.

[Pam in CA]

Something else to consider is that the auto-tip also goes to the crew in the buffet area who do everything from clean off the tables to assist you if you want more coffee, get you soda etc. There are many behind-the-scenes people who do a good job and make your cruise experience wonderful, not just those who are "exceptional" or give you "personal" service who are in the tip pool. The tips are their income and you're stiffing them if you remove the tip.

[bdjam]

Something else to consider is that the auto-tip also goes to the crew in the buffet area who do everything from clean off the tables to assist you if you want more coffee, get you soda etc. There are many behind-the-scenes people who do a good job and make your cruise experience wonderful, not just those who are "exceptional" or give you "personal" service who are in the tip pool. The tips are their income and you're stiffing them if you remove the tip.

And also as ‘rob pointed out above – if the auto-tip is removed, the cash given in it’s place is required to be pooled – and is again used as a testament to the level of service the crew member is providing.

Without rehashing this war, WELL SAID bdjam!! Most of us regular Princess cruisers concur.

;)

[katisdale]

Amen to BDJAM! I am astonished that anyone would stiff people who work so hard!

[spongerob]

color coded envelopes

 

Color-coded? What ship was that? I've never seen it. In my opinion, your TA gave you terrible advice - and if you aren't routinely paying the minimums while getting great service, you are, with all due respect, shortchanging the crew. I beg you to look at the numerous posts on this subject.

[IKE]

I feel tipping is a personal matter and up to each individual. Not everybody is lucky to get great service. We always remove the Automatic tipping after boarding and then decide at the end of cruise what the staff deserve. We have never short changed anyone. In fact, they have gotten more than the recommended tip in most cases. I like to be able to hand the envelope to each employee that has made Our Cruise Great, shake His or Her hand and wish them Luck and Thank Them. Automatic tipping, to me. is like the employees never received the tip from us. Also since Automatic tipping was put in place, We feel service has gone downhill as the staff knows they are getting a certain tip. Also I was told the Staff prefers personal tipping. Never heard they had to turn it in. I have sailed 45 cruises on all Cruise lines and never heard that the staff prefers automatic tipping. I have heard the opposite. So you do what you feel most comfortable with as it is nobody 's business but your own. Just My Opinion!

[LARGIN]

Ike.. Different strokes for different folks..

 

FACT.. All staff personnel do have to turn in all tip envelopes at the end of each cruise. They will put your room number on the envelope before they turn it in. If you want to make a good expression, leave the auto-tip in place and then tip fextra or excellent service. They will receive that extra $$.

FACT.. The staff prefers the auto-tips as more $$ ends up in their pocket. You don't realize how many times they are not tipped or tipped way less then what is recommended.

FACT.. The unseen staft gets a piece of the auto-tip pie ..

FACT.. The quality of service has degraded not because of the auto-tip but of cost cutting measures of the cruise line. Cruises today are far cheaper than they were 20 years ago.

FACT.. I went out to dinner last night at a local restaurant.. My tip for dinner and drinks was over what I would have to auto-tip my waiter and assistant waiter for an entire 7 day cruise.

FACT.. The majority of passengers that remove auto-tips do not tip at all.

[Hulagirl]

The first comment I have to make about this subject is, how could you have taken the auto tip off 5 years ago? Princess didn't start auto tipping then, so this puzzles me. In 2001, Princess first started Personal Choice and that was basically when auto tipping started since not everyone had the same waitstaff. Same with TA saying, "many years ago on the advice of our TA" to take the auto tip off. It hasn't been that many years that Princess has been doing this.

 

Personally, I don't see how you can tip with envelopes, unless you have traditional dining. There are so many people on the ships that wait on you that you won't be tipping. They all work so hard.

 

Just had to make the comment about the 5 year thing because that just doesn't hold water.

 

Hulagirl

[spongerob]

I feel tipping is a personal matter and up to each individual. Not everybody is lucky to get great service. We always remove the Automatic tipping after boarding and then decide at the end of cruise what the staff deserve. We have never short changed anyone.

 

Tipping is personal, so however you wish to do it is up to you. I'm only suggesting that since the auto-tips are shared by so many people, those who tip less than the suggested daily amount except in cases of very poor service delivery are not being fair to hard-working people.

 

Also since Automatic tipping was put in place, We feel service has gone downhill as the staff knows they are getting a certain tip.

 

I'm not really sure that argument holds water. I know I'm getting a paycheck every week, does that mean that I work less hard? And since automatically-charged tips are still discretionary, you can respond to lapses in service by removing daily charges if you prefer.

 

Also I was told the Staff prefers personal tipping. Never heard they had to turn it in. I have sailed 45 cruises on all Cruise lines and never heard that the staff prefers automatic tipping. I have heard the opposite.

 

Remember, we are talking about Princess here, not all cruise lines in general. Princess crew are required to turn in all tips. Auto-tip amounts from cabins who removed those charges from their folio are deducted from the cash, and any excess is returned to that crewmember. If there is any excess, that is.

[Coral]

The first comment I have to make about this subject is, how could you have taken the auto tip off 5 years ago? Princess didn't start auto tipping then, so this puzzles me. In 2001, Princess first started Personal Choice and that was basically when auto tipping started since not everyone had the same waitstaff. Same with TA saying, "many years ago on the advice of our TA" to take the auto tip off. It hasn't been that many years that Princess has been doing this. Just had to make the comment about the 5 year thing because that just doesn't hold water.

 

Hulagirl is right. Personal Choice dining became an option in 2001. At the time, auto-tipping was done for dining staff only. It was expanded to include the room stewards in 2002.

 

-----------

 

I agree with SpongRob, Largin, Bdjam, Pam, Mike, Larsen, Katisdale and Hulagirl (I think I got everyone). If you are pleased with your wait staff and room steward, the best thing to do is leave the auto tips on and then tip additionally (if you want to give more) with envelopes.

 

I understand that some people feel tipping is personal and want to do it personally - I find I can do this with auto tips and additional envelopes. I leave auto-tips on and the write our names and room numbers on the envelopes (if you don't write your room number, they will ask - though your room steward probably already knows your room number so he probably won't ask). When I hand the envelopes to our wait staff and room steward, I say - "this is extra - we left the auto tips on, thank you so much for your exceptional service this week".

 

If you are just giving the tips personally because it makes you feel better - realize you may have good intentions but you may be financially hurting those who you really want to help.

 

I have yet to see a room steward or wait staff on Princess who is not working incredibly hard. Yes, there have been times in which our wait staff service has been a little slower than desired but it is not because the waiter is not working hard, it is because he has several tables he is covering and more people he is responsible for serving then when I first started cruising.

[CruiseFever]

Just a personal observation-

 

Most everyone I have read about here or been aware of on a ship that takes the auto tips off has been a cheapskate looking for any reason to NOT tip.

 

That surprises me too as it was just a few years ago that tipping cash, as suggested by the cruise line minimums, was the way it was done, with envelopes provided and labeled for the recipients.

 

In all fairness I've got to believe that there are a lot of passengers, old time cruisers, who like to do it this way and are quite fair. I don't read much about them though. I don't see or hear about them on a ship. I bet they are generous in their tipping too.

 

I just really disgusts me to think of the people that remove the tips to save money. Tipping IMHO really is part of the deal. Prepaid tips could indeed be added to the price of the cruise and there are those who believe that in effect they have.

 

I think that now the discretionary part has become what I might tip above and beyond the minimums.

 

Board members like to criticize Carnival for a lot of things but I really like that they give passengers the ability to pre-pay gratuities even before they board by adding it to the cruise fare, as a separate item (like travel insurance, air, hotel or transfers) up front and then it's paid by final payment time. For the budget sensitive (me) it's a great feature that I hope they bring to Princess.

[Genessa]

I feel tipping is a personal matter and up to each individual. Not everybody is lucky to get great service. We always remove the Automatic tipping after boarding and then decide at the end of cruise what the staff deserve. We have never short changed anyone. In fact, they have gotten more than the recommended tip in most cases. I like to be able to hand the envelope to each employee that has made Our Cruise Great, shake His or Her hand and wish them Luck and Thank Them. Automatic tipping, to me. is like the employees never received the tip from us. Also since Automatic tipping was put in place, We feel service has gone downhill as the staff knows they are getting a certain tip. Also I was told the Staff prefers personal tipping. Never heard they had to turn it in. I have sailed 45 cruises on all Cruise lines and never heard that the staff prefers automatic tipping. I have heard the opposite. So you do what you feel most comfortable with as it is nobody 's business but your own. Just My Opinion!

 

we leave the auto tip on and, then, hand over a tip envelope to each crew member who has helped us or given us fantastic service on an individual level. We also use the cards to let Princess know about their great help.

[MaryPoppinz]

– if the auto-tip is removed, the cash given in it’s place is required to be pooled – and is again used as a testament to the level of service the crew member is providing

;)

 

As a manager, if I discovered that a steward's auto-tip of $50-ish dollars for a particular cabin had been removed, but the steward turned in $75 to the tipping pool for that cabin...I think I'd be able to determine that a more-than-satisfactory "level of service" had been provided. I think I would clearly be able to understand that the passenger has a preference for tipping in cash, rather than thinking that removal of the auto-tip reflected a "service issue" with the steward.

 

It is only when tips are removed, and then (without explanation) a tip is not provided at all that it makes it difficult to distinguish a service issue vs. a neglectful passenger.

[matthewL]

I'm reading all of the posts here about the auto tipping and find it quite fascinating about how so many folks perceive tipping and can judge someone who chooses to follow the institution of tipping. In addition, the points made about auto tipping and the pooling of tips received is against the law under the federal government. Now whether this law applies to the cruise lines or not, I really dont know but one can argue the same about the laws of manufacturing in third world countries, however this same practice does go on in many places outside of the cruise industry...typically restaurants.

 

Federal laws clearly state that the tip pooling which is allowed under federal law is that which is among employees who customarily and regularly receive tips, however federal laws also state that tips must be received as money belonging to the employee, which he may use as he chooses free of any contol of the employer in order to determine that the employee receives tips customarily and regularly and thus is a tipped employee. The tip pooling which is being required by employers is not the tip pooling which has been alllowed under federal law for undeniably the tips which are received from customers are not received as money belonging to the employee which he may use as he chooses free of any control of the employer. An employer who mandates or requires tip pooling is undeniably controlling the tips received by customers when he mandates that they must be used for a tip pool. Since the tips received by customers are not being received as money belonging to the employee, which he use as he chooses free of any control of the employer, clearly the employee is not retaining his tips and the tip sharing arrangments is not a valid tip pooling arrangement as allowed under federal law for undeniably such an arrangement cannot be construed to be among employees who customarily and regularly recieve tips.

 

My last point here is as follows, are the tips on cruises somehow viewed differently then that of going to dinner at a restaurant or even for that matter going to an all inclusive resort where it is discretionary and used to reward great service.

 

Disney is best in class in all faucets of guest service, whether it be on their cruise ships or parks. They do not pool tips, they do not exercise the auto-tipping policy and are the prized cruise line to work on for 99.9% of the employees of the mainstream cruise lines.

 

If tipping the pre-set amount is now somehow part of each employees set income, raise the price of the cruise.

 

Lastly, ever wonder who controls the auditing of the tipping pool to ensure that all funds in it are paid to the employees? 3,000 people at $70 per week should work out to just under $200 per employee on most mega ships. So when you get on board, simply ask a couple of people what amount they were paid out from the auto-tip pool the previous 4 weeks.

 

Auto-tip or not. It's a personal choice.

[ahracer]

U.S. Federal labor regulations do not apply to foreign flagged cruise ships.

 

Tipping is the employees salary on a cruise ship!

 

Scott

[spongerob]

Disney, 7 night Eastern Caribbean, lowest price $1343

Princess, 7 night Eastern Caribbean, lowest price $702

 

Both depart 2 April, 2005.

 

For an additional $1282 per cabin, I can do a hell of a lot of tipping and still be ahead...I wonder how much of that differential goes to the employees and how much ends up in the pockets of Darth Maus?

 

Regardless, whether salaries are included in the fare or paid through tips, the customer always pays.