Anyone NOT tip extra above the daily service fee?

[digitl]

Does anyone choose not to give extra tips over the auto service fee?

No 'extra' tips here unless we experience exceptional service, and I remove the 'auto tip' as I paid the cruise personnel for their services when I booked and paid for the cruise.

 

The so-called 'auto-tip' isn't a tip (which is a payment for service over and above) but an excuse for the cruise company to quote unreasonably low (false) up-front prices and then try to regain revenue through a spot of moral blackmail.

[Former Goalie]

No 'extra' tips here unless we experience exceptional service, and I remove the 'auto tip' as I paid the cruise personnel for their services when I booked and paid for the cruise.

 

The so-called 'auto-tip' isn't a tip (which is a payment for service over and above) but an excuse for the cruise company to quote unreasonably low (false) up-front prices and then try to regain revenue through a spot of moral blackmail.

I must disagree that (on HAL and most mass market lines) a passenger has "paid the cruise personnel for their services when I booked and paid for the cruise." If that was the case, cruise fares would be adjusted higher to reflect wages necessary to compensate staff. I'm not passing any judgment on whether this is good or bad, it's just the way it is for the great majority of the cruise industry.

I don't view the Hotel Service Charge (what you refer to as the auto-tip) as moral blackmail, I'm happy to pay that, and most times some extra, for the service provided by the staff. It's just the way business is done - you can either pay upfront on the likes of Seabourn or Regent, or the way HAL and others suggest.

[TrikeRider]

I have never tipped over and above the auto tip. I have never had such exceptional service to warrant it.

[DRWhit]

On the last cruise, I slipped some extra cash to the Head Waiter and Assistant Waiter, as well as the Room Steward. I thought they worked hard for us and they deserved it. I wanted to do it, but did not feel it was in any way required.

[CtheW0rld]

i just leave the auto-tip, unless i feel like i received extra-special service.

[digitl]

I must disagree that (on HAL and most mass market lines) a passenger has "paid the cruise personnel for their services when I booked and paid for the cruise." If that was the case, cruise fares would be adjusted higher to reflect wages necessary to compensate staff.

That's exactly what should happen (IMO).

 

The cruise line would quote an honest price, their employees would be paid a 'proper' wage and the passenger would know exactly what the cruise was costing without going through this elaborate deception called tipping.

[jennynoel]

Thanks all for your detailed and balanced opinions. I will not stress about tipping now. :)

[olefin32]

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 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.

 

Yes, the nice concierges are included, if they wasn't, you better believe HAL would be adding a tip fee. And we always use the Neptune Lounge for we like the suite directly across the hall.

 

We always get excellent service for the people are doing their job as required by HAL. And we always tip the recommended HAL set fee.

 

I really don't care what anyone "thinks or guesses" is the standard tipping or if others tip over the required set fee, for that is their business.

 

Locally at restaurants we may tip up to 100%, all according to service and how well we know the individuals.

[CtheW0rld]

i forgot to say i do tip the room service people a buck or 2.

[Cruise Fanatic]

I have no objection to the daily "auto tip" or "hotel service charge" that is added to my account, as I probably would tip within those guidelines, and I don't have to go around giving out my tip envelopes at the end of the cruise. The only other people that I do tip extra are the room service stewards and the personnel in the Neptune Lounge, since we usually book a deluxe suite. For me to tip my cabin steward or waiter extra, they would have to really give me some super extra service.

[DebEsteb]

Just a thought.. How many people do you think split that $11 per person per day? And on the tip that is automatically applied to your bar bill.. How many bartenders and servers do you think split that small amount applied to each receit? The staff that delivers room service, where do they come in? The $11 per day covers your room steward, their assistant, your waiter in the formal dining room, their assistant, and a couple of others. It does not cover the room service, the bar staff, or the kitchen staff that cooks hours and hours to prepare all those meals.

 

So, yes.. my hubby and I do tip above and beyond.. We have our favorite bartenders.. wine stewards.. servers.. etc.. and the last night on the ship we write them a personal note thanking them for making our cruise so wonderful. The amount is based on how often they waited on us. I've been known to slip our bartender $100, and servers $20 and up. Some go way above and beyond to make your cruise incredible. I could not get 7 nights in Alaska with hotel, meals, room service, pampering, entertainment, and everything else that I get on a cruise for near what we pay for the cruise. So it's with pleasure that we give out extra :)

[Kween Karen]

On my long Grand Voyage I found it fun to randomly hand out $5 bills to those who served me well or made an impact with their friendliness. It was fun to do this throughout the cruise.....and of course the service continued!!

[almondleaf]

I just returned from a cruise aboard the Noordam- I'll look for a different thread to post my thoughts on it.

However, I didn't tip extra, and neither did my friends whom I was travelling with. We all felt that the daily charges were sufficient. That said, if someone were to have gone above and beyond, then I would have, but unfortunately, they didn't.

[jtl513]

It does not cover the room service, the bar staff, or the kitchen staff that cooks hours and hours to prepare all those meals.

Not true. The only crew it does not cover are the officers, maintenance/engineering, and bar staff. The latter has their own pool funded by the 15% beverage service fee, but virtually everyone else on the ship (besides those 3 categories) gets a piece of the $11/p/d. Everyone in the kitchens, laundry, front desk, Pinnacle Grill waiters, etc, etc, are included. (I'm not sure about entertainers or contractors like Spa staff and SeaMobile employees.)

 

As far as room service delivery, that is not their only job. We have had our MDR steward deliver room service on occasion. Others work in the Lido at other times of the day. So they are included too.

 

As to how much they are getting: your cabins stewards and MDR stewards get the largest shares, with about $3/p/d going to "the rest". On a Vista ship that would amount to roughly 3x1900, split among maybe 650 to 700 people, or $8.15 to $8.75 per day.

[Copper10-8]

We leave the auto tip in place and tip extra to our two rooms stewards, dining room & asst. dining room steward and the two NL concierges. We have also tipped the area supervisor in charge of our section in the dining room at times as well as any room service stewards plus the PG and Canaletto stewards assigned to our table

[Ontariotrekker]

I tipped the staff in the Canaletto extra because of the very good service. They do not have as many passengers to deal with so I did expect better service than the MDR.
The second time we were there, our waiter smiled, gave us a window seat - 2 women travelling alone often do not get the better seats - and he remembered the wine we had for dinner the previous time. Our MDR expeience was not always great - wrong entre, forgotten desserts etc.

[Copper10-8]

[quote name='jtl513']Not true. The only crew it does not cover are the officers, maintenance/engineering, and bar staff. ...........................[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Not 100% sure positive but I don't think the security staff (the guys and girls "manning" the machines at the gangway/making rounds 24hrs a day, etc) is included in disbursement of the auto tip. Same with the sailors (tender drivers), bo'sun & quartermasters assigned to the Deck Dept.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[jtl513]

[quote name='Copper10-8'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=navy]Not 100% sure positive but I don't think the security staff (the guys and girls "manning" the machines at the gangway/making rounds 24hrs a day, etc) is included in disbursement of the auto tip. Same with the sailors (tender drivers), bo'sun & quartermasters assigned to the Deck Dept.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]Yeah, and there's a couple other grey areas I'm not so sure about. Maybe a better way to put it is "just about everybody in the Hotel Dept except the officers there"?? :confused:

[DebEsteb]

Oh ok.. So what you are saying then is that the small $11 per person per day is actually split up between even more of the crew. Which would make the amount they are receiving even smaller. Not to mention there are people that dispute the $11 per day at the end of the cruise and either adjust it smaller or request to give their own amounts, which could again be lower. I guess my main point on this topic is this:

The crew works very very hard to make sure that each and every one of us have a most enjoyable cruise. They do not make a lot of money and rely on tips to give them an income that a good percentage of them send home to their families. I really was not looking for an arguement :) Also, keep in mind that there are cruises that have large groups that have totally booked up a particular cruise that do not drink. It is requested that they put the liquor away. So for those cruises, the bartenders and wait staff make very very little in tips. Just my thoughts..

[quote name='jtl513']Not true. The only crew it does not cover are the officers, maintenance/engineering, and bar staff. The latter has their own pool funded by the 15% beverage service fee, but virtually everyone else on the ship (besides those 3 categories) gets a piece of the $11/p/d. Everyone in the kitchens, laundry, front desk, Pinnacle Grill waiters, etc, etc, are included. (I'm not sure about entertainers or contractors like Spa staff and SeaMobile employees.)

As far as room service delivery, that is not their only job. We have had our MDR steward deliver room service on occasion. Others work in the Lido at other times of the day. So they are included too.

As to how much they are getting: your cabins stewards and MDR stewards get the largest shares, with about $3/p/d going to "the rest". On a Vista ship that would amount to roughly 3x1900, split among maybe 650 to 700 people, or $8.15 to $8.75 per day.[/quote]

[woody14h]

[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

Highlight of our cruises were always the banter and fun with the dining room stewards. HAL in it's infinite wisdom has wait-listed us on the 20 day Noordam on Apr 24 for fixed seating. Bummer after 11 cruises on HAL, we now have to grovel when boarding to try for fixed seating.
Hopefully we will be successful. As the above poster states the MDR stewards always seem to remember little things so important to each of us.

Will revert our experience after May 14.

[Randyk47]

Yes and no. Yes in the sense that the service in the MDR on our last cruise was poor. Poor enough that leaving the auto-tip in place was a debate at least in terms of how we would address the MDR service other than on our comment card. No in the sense that we did tip our room steward and assistant, the Neptune Lounge staff, and the Crow's Nest staff additional. We don't feel obligated to tip additional and do only when we feel it's warranted.

[photomikey]

[quote name='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. [/quote]
This is among the most important and least stated comments on this board. Completely true.
[quote name='DebEsteb']Just a thought.. How many people do you think split that $11 per person per day? And on the tip that is automatically applied to your bar bill.. How many bartenders and servers do you think split that small amount applied to each receit? The staff that delivers room service, where do they come in? [/quote]
Well, according to Holland America...
[quote]
[B][COLOR=purple]HOTEL SERVICE CHARGE[/COLOR][/B]

[COLOR=purple]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. [/COLOR][/quote]
Many people here concern themselves with exactly what percentage is paid to whom, and if that percentage changes based on the number of tables waited, number of rooms cleaned, or the ambient temperature on the 7th deck. I am not one of those people. HAL says that for eleven bucks a day, I am giving appropriate thanks to everyone in front of and behind the scenes, and that's good enough for me.

Personally, I [B]have[/B] tipped above and beyond the $11. Service has to be pretty good for this to happen. Not just the food arrives at the table with a smile, but "above and beyond" service, like when I ask the waiter about two appetizers, and he recommends one, I order it, and he brings both anyhow. This on it's own wouldn't warrant much of a tip, but sometimes, over the course of a week or two, a number of these things add up and I drop an extra $20 on the last night.

I can't imagine getting enough service from room service to warrant a tip above the $11/day. It is hard for me to get a lot of "service" out of someone dropping off a tray and turning around. This is not intended to discredit those who do this job, but a compliment to their efficiency. I don't tip room service.

I don't generally (or, at least, haven't yet) tip at the add'l fee restaurant, even when I get great food and great service, because in my view, the add'l fee is paying for the great food and great service.

This will catch some grief from those on this board, but IMHO it sums up the behaviors of the vast majority on board.

[photomikey]

[quote name='DebEsteb']Oh ok.. So what you are saying then is that the small $11 per person per day is actually split up between even more of the crew. Which would make the amount they are receiving even smaller. [/quote]
Between my wife and I, we (auto) tip $22/day. Over a 7 day cruise that's $154. Some people here can rattle off the exact numbers (and they do so in every thread - forgive me if I don't go look it up), but it's something to the tune of 30 or 40 rooms my team cleans, and they get something like 30% of the take. that's something like $1,600/week, $800 for each one if they split it evenly. That's $42k/year in tips alone.

For the people in the back of house? ZOMGOMGOMG the dishwashers split 1% of the pot!!!!!1111oneeleven1!!

Even still, if the ship has 1500 people on it... That's $165/day for the wishwashers to split... still not bad.

I am not asking the entire ship to split my $11. They get to have a piece of everyone else's $11, also.

[bulgargirl]

I have read so many of these threads on tipping and I am [I][U]more[/U][/I] confused then I was before!

I will out myself - I have frequently [B][I][U]NOT[/U][/I][/B] tipped above the automatic gratuity because I thought that was exactly the purpose of it. And I didn't tip extra at the bars because they added the tip in for me.

That being said, I had one bartender on an 8 day cruise that was just wonderful so on the last night I added an extra gratuity onto my bill for him. And I have left money for the room stewards on one cruise that kept making wonderful towel animals for me (like twice a day because I loved them so much!).

What I [I][U]do[/U][/I] get - extra great service can deserve an extra tip. Makes sense to me. I get it.

What I [I][U]don't [/U][/I]get - the number of people that say they tip extra when service warrants it and go on to mention always tipping room service.

How can you have had [I][U]extra[/U][/I] or special service in the delivery of room service, particularly if you automatically tip every single time? What did the room service deliverer do in those situations that was so much better than normal delivery? And if you do it every single time, aren't you really saying that you tip before knowing whether or not you got good service? Or are you doing this to ensure future great service?

I don't get it.

[schoolinmy3]

[quote name='photomikey']Between my wife and I, we (auto) tip $22/day. Over a 7 day cruise that's $154.[/quote]

Our family of 5 is tipping $55 per day for a 12 day cruise. And I can't imagine what our 10 yo daughter is going to do that would warrant the $11 per day. The boys, well maybe, depending on how they keep their room :D but my daughter there is no way.
diane