Pre-Paid, and auto tips. I'll just say it

[Can'tstopcruising]

[quote name='jackdiamond']I agree that the auto tipping, or whatever nomenclature, is appropriate, should be mandatory and should equally apply to everyone. I also feel that the amount of the tips should apply equally to very passenger, irrespective as to their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or prior condition of credit card.[/quote]

You crack me up. I love to read your posts because I never know what you will come up with next!

[lovesublime]

[quote name='Denny01']Since I'm a business traveler and stay at many hotels, it is the 'norm' among professionals to tip the housekeepers. They clean my room, set a few things aside properly, turn my bed down that night and so on. Sometimes I leave more than a normal 'mess' and they take care of it. So I tip, just as many of my collegues do.

[B]by the way, I'm also an American, whatever that had to do with it.[/B] And as to your statement that 'there is no need to tip' them, I'd suggest, a better statement would be there is no reason for You to tip them. Your choice. And since this isn't something most of us talk about outside this very strange community of CC posters, I bet a number of your friends do leave a tip for the 'room attendant/house keeper/maid....' whatever.

Denny[/quote]



What it has to do with it-is this. I was responding to comments made by a poster who is from the U.K. who remarked on whether Americans do or do not tip hotel maids-or room attendants as he put it. Perhaps if you had actually taken the time to read through. Your sarcasm is unnecessary and unappreciated:rolleyes:

[Denny01]

[quote name='jackdiamond']I agree that the auto tipping, or whatever nomenclature, is appropriate, should be mandatory and should equally apply to everyone. I also feel that the amount of the tips should apply equally to very passenger, irrespective as to their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, or prior condition of credit card.[/quote]

Shouldn't I get a discount if I don't tip back home for anything? I mean, it just isn't right that I'm forced to go on this cruise, forced to follow the various guidelines and forced to pay various charges they tell me up front that I'm going to pay! Why do I have to pay for a port tax if I don't leave the ship in that port? Why should I have to pay for the various entertainers when I don't like any of them or go to any of the shows? Why do I have to pay for all those maintenance crewmembers when I found a spot of rust on my balcony?........Ohh, forget it. Life is just not fair!

Denny

[Denny01]

[quote name='lovesublime']What it has to do with it-is this. I was responding to comments made by a poster who is from the U.K. who remarked on whether Americans do or do not tip hotel maids-or room attendants as he put it. Perhaps if you had actually taken the time to read through. Your sarcasm is unnecessary and unappreciated:rolleyes:[/quote]
Ohhh, my saracasim is always necessary and greatly apprecaited (at least by me!)...but it is an acquired taste!

Den

[jackdiamond]

[quote=Can'tstopcruising;25990448]You crack me up. I love to read your posts because I never know what you will come up with next![/quote]
neither

[jackdiamond]

You crack me up. I love to read your posts because I never know what you will come up with next!

Join the club.

[jackdiamond]

Ohhh, my saracasim is always necessary and greatly apprecaited (at least by me!)...but it is an acquired taste!

 

Den

So are martinis; and, I believe that I will have one in your honor.

[jagoffee]

I have been getting my haircut at one of those hair clippery places in the local mall, not a beauty salon mind you, just a hair cut place. Been using different ones of course over the period of 30 years, didnt know you were suppose to 'tip' the person cutting your hair either!

 

I worked at a pizza delivery place and it was a crap shoot on if you got a decent tip or none at all, now most delivery places add a 'delivery surcharge' which the driver gets half of.

 

Suppose to 'tip' the mail service delievery person come Christmas? The guy who changes my oil at the jiffy lube now has a 'tip cup' out in plain sight. Am I suppose to tip him?

 

Comment cards, evaluations, and elevation of any issues not resolved should be effective tools for improving service if needed. If you get bad service this doesnt do jack for me and my cruise now, maybe if implemented several weeks after I leave they take notice and mail me an apology letter?

 

People that tip 'exceedingly well'? Thats all fine and dandy for you, but there are some folks that have saved up for years and years for this cruise and they will tip, but those who tip exceedingly well make the rest who tip the 'norm' like were are cheapskates as well.

 

Do people realize that the cruise industry as a whole is not even paying these people minimum wage for their 6-day work weeks, working 10-12 hours/day? Like I've said before I am sure these folks didnt take shipboard jobs with a promise of an 'expected income' based on tips. Sounds like the local pizza delivery place where you can /make up to $20 an hour'.

 

Personally I am just not comfortable with the concept of holding back a "service charge" as a punishment for poor service. So you tip them anyway? For poor service?

 

First I would like to commend you and thank you for debating this issue without any personal attacks.

 

Yes, I always tip my barber who is an owner working out of a one person regular barbershop. Although at times, I feel that my lack of much air might make it a bargain for him.

 

I believe that comment cards and reports (verbal and written) can be done at the time of the poor service with the objective of improving the service immediately. I also admit that I always feel very special on a Celebrity cruise and I am not very demanding. I truly do not look at the staff as my servant, but just someone working hard to make the cruise special.

 

Yes, I believe that most if not all of the people working in the jobs that share in the service charge work in those jobs because of the service charge and would not work at those salaries otherwise.

 

Yes, I would leave my service charge on even if the service was poor. I believe that lowering or removing the service charge adversely affects all the people in the service charge pool and that removing it does not really impact the individual that provided the actual service. I believe the comments and feedback to management affect them much more. I believe that all service people share in the service charge equally and the only way that an individual would get an additional amount would be if the service charge stayed on the account and you gave them extra that they could keep. I believe that all the various dining options and habits on cruises has forced the cruise industry to implement this type of approach. Furthermore I believe that it is really a service charge and not a gratuity. I also believe that cruise lines do not put the charge into the basic fare for either some kind of tax impact or for competitive reasons.

 

Understanding why I feel and act the way that I do should make it clear why I think that people that do not pay at least the service charge are being subsidized by those that do.

 

I certainly do not want to make anyone feel like a cheapstake. I apologize if any of my comments lead to this misunderstanding. The only fear that I have is that the cruise lines will put the service charge in the basic fare and then going forward people would be made to feel as if they had to leave a "real gratuity" on top of the service charge built into the fare. I like the practice used in many places that just adds a service charge to the check.

[txsloth]

WOW, really?? Leaving a tip for the Housekeeping staff is actually very common, even in TX...

 

###

 

Ok, what's with all the swipes at Texas in this thread?:rolleyes: I'm assuming it's some sort of inside joke stemming from another thread...:confused:

 

Anyway, this Texan has known it's proper to tip your hotel housekeeper for as long as I can remember. Of course, I was born in California...

[Denny01]

So are martinis; and, I believe that I will have one in your honor.

 

Just give me 2 more hrs, and I'll join you! I think I'll work on that baby while we are packing. This time next week, we'll be in Seattle, enjoying that town, then training to Vancouver and onto the Millennium, and cruise to San Diego. An overnight in San Francisco with a 'hotel' in the Embarkadero.

 

Can't believe we are doing it again.....going to keep 'doing it' until I'm one of those old geezers sitting in my wheelchair being loaded onboard while complaining about paying for all those tips!

 

Den

[Can'tstopcruising]

First I would like to commend you and thank you for debating this issue without any personal attacks.

 

Yes, I always tip my barber who is an owner working out of a one person regular barbershop. Although at times, I feel that my lack of much air might make it a bargain for him.

 

I believe that comment cards and reports (verbal and written) can be done at the time of the poor service with the objective of improving the service immediately. I also admit that I always feel very special on a Celebrity cruise and I am not very demanding. I truly do not look at the staff as my servant, but just someone working hard to make the cruise special.

 

Yes, I believe that most if not all of the people working in the jobs that share in the service charge work in those jobs because of the service charge and would not work at those salaries otherwise.

 

Yes, I would leave my service charge on even if the service was poor. I believe that lowering or removing the service charge adversely affects all the people in the service charge pool and that removing it does not really impact the individual that provided the actual service. I believe the comments and feedback to management affect them much more. I believe that all service people share in the service charge equally and the only way that an individual would get an additional amount would be if the service charge stayed on the account and you gave them extra that they could keep. I believe that all the various dining options and habits on cruises has forced the cruise industry to implement this type of approach. Furthermore I believe that it is really a service charge and not a gratuity. I also believe that cruise lines do not put the charge into the basic fare for either some kind of tax impact or for competitive reasons.

 

Understanding why I feel and act the way that I do should make it clear why I think that people that do not pay at least the service charge are being subsidized by those that do.

 

I certainly do not want to make anyone feel like a cheapstake. I apologize if any of my comments lead to this misunderstanding. The only fear that I have is that the cruise lines will put the service charge in the basic fare and then going forward people would be made to feel as if they had to leave a "real gratuity" on top of the service charge built into the fare. I like the practice used in many places that just adds a service charge to the check.

 

I really have to take issue on tips for poor service. If I were in that position, I would complain to whomever and tell them at the same time that I did not want to tip (whatever). Only once on a cruise, did I have a really neglectful waiter. I even had to wait around for him after the last meal to give him his tip. If I weren't such a wimp, I would not have tipped him.

[smtcan]

"No one has ever refused my tip in any venue all over the world."

 

Try tipping in China - they will chase you out of the restaurant and hand you your money back. In some cultures it is offensive to leave tips.

 

You beat me to this comment! We ordered a pizza in Shanghai (don't ask.....) and tipped the delivery man. Half an hour later there was a knock on the door and he handed us our change. DS said the extra was for him and he just said no, thrust it into his hand and left. He had gone back to the shop to get the change and brought it to us.

Sheila

 

PS We always use auto tips, sometimes tip more if service is extra good and also write thank you notes to the staff.