Anyone NOT tip extra above the daily service fee?

[jennynoel]

Hi everyone,

 

Forgive me for asking yet another tipping question. Does anyone choose not to give extra tips over the auto service fee?

 

I've seen that many people give an additional cash tip in different situations. My SO thinks that if a service fee is charged, no additional tip is necessary. I think it would be nice to tip a little extra here and there but I also know the most important person to keep happy on this trip is SO!

 

Thoughts?

Jenny

[alpal1993]

If service has been above the norm I give extra,to the person in person.This automatic tipping isn't as nice as handing them cash IMO.If we go to the same Bar on more then one occassion we usually tip as well.Your drinks and sevice always seem to improve.

[GloBug]

You absolutely have to take care of the people who take care of you. So yes, I always tip extra to the room steward and the MDR staff. If I ask the room steward to do something extra, s/he earns something right then and there. I usually bring $2 bills with me, so much easier to carry half the number of $1 I would usually carry to tip with. People like and remember those $2. Porters get $2 per bag, room service gets $2 per tray, etc.

 

And for the staff that is part of the regular tipping program, well... my DH never finds out about the extra tips. :rolleyes:

 

note to self... bring extra $ to tip the Amtrak cabin attendant in our sleeper car...

[traveler111]

Yes, I tip the cabin personnel. Since I've been using anytime dining lately I'm sorry to say I don't. However, if there is someone whose service I appreciate I remember him or her. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since this new system started there have been only a couple of times when we did not tip a person little extra -- we just felt that they had not done anything special or went of their their to do something for us, etc.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

As others have mentioned, I'm inclined to give a little extra when the situation warrants, my husband is not. It's really and totally up to you. Tipping extra is a personal matter. You are under no obligation to do so, and the crew will not look down on you for staying with the $11 per person per day gratuity which is already charged to you.

[CowPrincess]

We usually tip extra to the dining steward, assistant dining steward, wine steward and cabin stewards. Our last cruise we did not tip extra to anyone, as we felt the service rated as "barely adequate" (and that was being generous). One cruise, we had anytime dining, seated at different tables each time, and therefore did not tip the dining stewards or wine stewards.

[jennynoel]

How much would you budget for tips for a 7 day cruise? 2 women, 4 bags at most, around 3 drinks a day, room service maybe twice.

[whogo]

I did not tip the dining room staff or room stewards extra on my last cruise. My "As You Wish" dining was not as I wished, it was as HAL wished. Forced into open seating, I felt that service suffered. I never knew who was waiting on me. As for the room stewards, having the beds made after lunch is unacceptable.

[earl_m]

The auto tips do not include people at the Neptune Lounge. so give something , They give great service!!

[Jemima]

Based on comments by fellow passengers, I think most people consider the automatic service charge sufficient and they do not tip extra. Tipping posts on this board differ from what I hear onboard.

You are not expected to tip extra. You may if you wish. We still do some extra tipping, but are moving towards not doing so except for cabin stewards. We do open seating in the MDR and often eat in the lido, so we no longer tip dining stewards

The auto tip includes MDR, lido, cabin stewards, room service, bar servicers and others including "behind the scenes". I don't think anyone should feel that they need to tip extra.

[RuthC]

Usually I give extra tips to those who have served me. But there have been one or two cruises where I found no one who I felt deserved extra, so I didn't give out one cent in extra tips. I have never reduced or removed the auto-tips, though.

[olefin32]

HAL includes a $11 tip fee, we like that for we don't have to bring extra cash and feel that is plenty for tips for all.

And that includes the Neptune Lounge for that is included in the price of the suite.

 

Your will note that HAL automatically adds tips where necessary, example the bar.

 

So no, we don't tip any extra for we don't use the bar.

[NMLady]

How much would you budget for tips for a 7 day cruise? 2 women, 4 bags at most, around 3 drinks a day, room service maybe twice.

 

Are you taking shuttle or taxi or motorcoach tours?? To me, those drivers and/or guides usually deserve a tip too. So that is part of my cash budget.

 

I don't tip for drinks aboard ship since the gratuity is already included. However, if I chatted with the bartender or server I might feel differently.

 

I do tip for room service: $1 for morning coffee, more if we order more.

[nchank]

IF service is good, and it usually is, we give the cabin stewarts extra in additional to any left over wine and spirits.:D

[Former Goalie]

HAL includes a $11 tip fee, we like that for we don't have to bring extra cash and feel that is plenty for tips for all.

And that includes the Neptune Lounge for that is included in the price of the suite.

 

Your will note that HAL automatically adds tips where necessary, example the bar.

 

So no, we don't tip any extra for we don't use the bar.

Because a portion of the $11 pp is dedicated to all personnel, i suppose you could say that concierges in the Neptune are included. I know that we tipped the wonderful ladies who were our concierges, and I would say it tis pretty much standard practice to tip any concierge when services are rendered.

I would also guess that a large majority of those who have access to the Neptune tip the personnel there.

[Taxguy77]

#1 - I don't like the term "auto-tip". A tip should be something other than a way to pay the crew!

#2 - I appreciate the hard work the crew, including the unnoticed such as the laundry personnel, do to make my cruise enjoyable. They deserve the portion they get.

#3 - On our HAL cruise (been on several other lines over the years) we found the MDR noisy and slow [almost service].:(, so we ate most of the time in the Lido. The wine steward (beer in the afternoon by the pool) was friendly and very helpful . We gave him a generous tip, and DW tipped an attendant in the casino who was helpful.

[LuckyLoon]

Auto tipping is a wonderful thing.

 

I guess I've never felt comfortable tipping people. I can leave the tips on a table or bar or salon but handing people tips seems to stress me out. Should I?, did I tip enough?, did I tip too much?, did I forget someone? etc.

 

Thinking about cruising and having to make up envelopes with money to deliver to a whole ship full of service people was a negative to me when we first discussed cruising. I'd happily pay more to avoid the whole tipping thing. I'm one of those who think charges should reflect the true cost of a service.

 

That said, I do leave something in an envelope for the cabin stewards as they put up with us for the whole cruise and do so quietly and unobrusively. I don't know who does the hiring for HAL but they do a marvelous job.

[Rutland Gate]

We always leave a bit for our friends.

[cruzmann]

I still can't imagine eating at the lido, or main dining room anytime service? One of my favorite parts of any cruise is handing out something to the dining staff who have served me, as well as all of the friends I have made, very well for the entire cruise at my reserved table. They remember my one glass of iced tea before the meal and my decaf with desert. They show me tricks and tell me stories like the people at the local coffee shop or my barber. I remember them by their name and their home. I have pictures with them.

Every Holland America cruise I have taken has had a dining staff that made me happy to be at my table at the appointed time.

Why would I not show my appreciation.

[luvs2travl]

Because a portion of the $11 pp is dedicated to all personnel, i suppose you could say that concierges in the Neptune are included. I know that we tipped the wonderful ladies who were our concierges, and I would say it tis pretty much standard practice to tip any concierge when services are rendered.

I would also guess that a large majority of those who have access to the Neptune tip the personnel there.

 

We positively tip those wonderful concierges in the Neptune Lounge extremely generously. They go above and beyond in all aspects of service. I cannot imagine anyone utilizing their services day in and day out and NOT tipping them extra, for goodness sake. The price of the suite has nothing to do with our giving them a gratuity. I was given to understand that those fine young ladies receive no portion of the $11.00 pp auto-tip. that is divided up between the cabin stewards, the dining staff, the kitchen workers and the laundry personnel.

 

We also tip our cabin steward(s) if their service warrants, something extra as well. We have had only one cruise (not HAL) that we received extremely poor cabin service, and he received nothing.

 

Since we do Anytime Dining, unless we have the same waiter night after night (which we usually don't, but did on our last cruise 'cause we asked to be seated in his section :)) we feel the $11.00 pp per day is adequate.

 

We always manage to find our "favorite" bar tender and he gets extra as well, 'cause he remembers what we drink and has one at the ready when he sees us coming.

 

We give a dollar or two for room service, depending on what is ordered.

 

Tipping threads always tend to get a bit "testy" and it is certainly a personal choice on every one's part. We have been asked how much we tip, and I really think that is a private matter. Each person should do what their conscience dictates. Suffice to say we tip what we feel the service has been worth to us, and 99 times out of 100, we have been treated with great kindness and attentiveness - and we return the favor at the end of our cruise.

[jtl513]

#1 - I don't like the term "auto-tip". A tip should be something other than a way to pay the crew!

Neither do I, and neither does HAL. That's why we both call it a Hotel Service Charge ... which is a way to pay the crew. Tips are extra IMO.

 

HOTEL SERVICE CHARGE

Our crew works very hard to make sure that every aspect of your cruise meets the highest standards. This includes those crew members who serve you directly, such as our dining room wait staff and the stewards who tend to your stateroom each day. There are also many others that tend to your care that you may never meet, such as galley and laundry staff. To ensure that the efforts of all of our crew members are recognized and rewarded, a daily Hotel Service Charge of US$11 per passenger is automatically charged to each guest's shipboard account. If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of the cruise. The Hotel Service Charge is paid to Holland America Line crew members, and represents an important part of their total compensation package. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases. In terminals, airports, ports of call and on shore excursions, we suggest that you extend gratuities consistent with customary local practices.

[Ya Ya Cruiser]

We tip $2 for room service delivery; Unless service has been less than acceptable we tip our cabin steward; We usually use anytime dining and if we find a waiter we like we try to stick to his section and will usually tip the waiter and assistant waiter. This past cruise we ate alot in the Lido just because that's what we felt like doing; there was one young woman, a bar server and 4 young men, waiters as well as one particular chef who catered to my husband's food allergies and we tipped them all. I also wrote each one of them a note on a comment card telling them how much their great service meant to us, put it in an envelope with the tip and handed it to each one personally on our second to last day. They were all very appreciative. This was in addition to the $11 Service Charge, which we left on our bill.

 

It's a very personal thing, but I believe in tipping for good service, not necessarily above and beyond, but consistently courteous and professional service. Everyone likes to be appreciated and it makes me feel good when they know their efforts are truly appreciated. Just MHO.

 

Ya Ya

[pris993]

We generally special order in the MDR. So we deal with the Assistant Mgr primarily. So we tipped this individual which is not required.

 

We tip for room service when ordered and received, so we do not tip extra to our room steward.

 

We tip in the speciality restrauants as service is received as well.

 

So we tip extra to various staff when we receive service and feel the auto tip takes care of the MDR staff and our cabin staff for basics.

[Gablin]

I go way back to when HAL advertised "No Tipping Required." I tipped back then, although less than the total service charge plus extra tipping that I do now.

 

On my last cruise (not on HAL) I did not tip the cabin steward extra, as he was only barely adequate. I tipped everyone who brought room service, and I tipped extra to the MDR waiter and assistant, as well as one server in a bar. Also, there were three wait staffers in the Lido who provided extra and excellent service, so I looked for them in the last 48 hours aboard and gave them each a tip.

 

My daughters and two of my granddaughters have worked for tips while going to school, so I am probably sensitive to the tipping issue. In an ideal world, everyone would be paid a fair wage for what they do, but my world is not ideal.