Reducing tip percentage.

[stubbywillow]

What is the proceedure if you want to either reduce your percentage tip or not pay it at all? NCL cruise line. I have heard you have to stand in a queue and be gawped at.(embarassing )

[SeattleCruiselover]

What is the proceedure if you want to either reduce your percentage tip or not pay it at all? NCL cruise line. I have heard you have to stand in a queue and be gawped at.(embarassing )

 

That's pretty much the procedure, and you also have to explain why you want to do so.

[operafan]

What should be embarrassing is not paying any tips at all, not the standing in line to remove them.

[cb at sea]

If you feel you're not getting the service that you should, you should immediately speak to the proper supervisor and have the situation corrected, rather than suffering in silence and THEN removing tips!

[paul929207]

What should be embarrassing is not paying any tips at all, not the standing in line to remove them.

I agree.

[iheartbda]

What is the proceedure if you want to either reduce your percentage tip or not pay it at all? NCL cruise line. I have heard you have to stand in a queue and be gawped at.(embarassing )

Please explain why you want to do this?:confused:

[njhorseman]

Please explain why you want to do this?:confused:

 

The poster is British...and many Brits just don't understand or agree with tipping as it is commonly practiced in the US.

[LHT28]

Isn't it a service charge on NCL ....not classed as a tip so you cannot remove it???

 

I would wonder why you want to remove or reduce the tip in the first place :confused:

[PennyAgain]

Not tipping is fundamentally stealing from the employees who served you. You are asking them to work for free.

 

I hope that you are completely embarrassed while removing your tips.

[LHT28]

This may help

from NCL site

http://www2.ncl.com/faq#n19261

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is such a shame that so many of the British and Wuropean people do not feel that it is necessary to tip -- especially when so many of the crew will go out of their way to make you have a wonderful and enjoyable cruise.

[iheartbda]

The poster is British...and many Brits just don't understand or agree with tipping as it is commonly practiced in the US.

Yes, I saw that but want clarification from the other horse's mouth.:p:D

[AltarEgo]

The initial meaning of "tips" was an acronym for a phrase such as "To Insure Prompt Service".

 

Now that more of the cruise lines are moving toward a compulsory tipping policy, the acronym will soon take on a whole new meaning, which is " To Insure a Paid Salary".

[iheartbda]

The initial meaning of "tips" was an acronym for a phrase such as "To Insure Prompt Service".

 

.......

 

Nope.;):)

Any explanation of a word that is pre-1950s that involves acronyms is false. Tip has been used as far back as 1610, meaning "give".

[Cygneagile]

Sometimes European TA’s have to charge the service charge as part of their cruise. When we were on a Mediterranean cruise this September, the only people that could alter the automatic service charge were the American and Canadian (that’s me). We did review this with Guest Services.

So if they paid the Service charge as part of their package, they will not be able to remove it. They may give move at their discretion but cannot remove it.

It is sad to say that someone would not tip at all. But then again, I am from the old school; earn it before you get it. Remember, should you choose to take the automatic tipping off, the Cabin Steward and your Head Waiter will be advised. They will know.

[luddite]

The initial meaning of "tips" was an acronym for a phrase such as "To Insure Prompt Service".

 

Now that more of the cruise lines are moving toward a compulsory tipping policy, the acronym will soon take on a whole new meaning, which is " To Insure a Paid Salary".

 

I have never heard of a way to insure a salary. A good disability could help a bit, but it technically wouldn't be insuring that salary. Most don't pay out at 100% of salary.

 

The DSC isn't a tip. It is how the crew gets paid. There really two reasons for adopting the system with the DSC:

First, you have different waiters with Freestyle Dining and cannot hope to keep track whom to 'tip'.

Second, it is a method of ensuring that the crew gets paid, thus it's different than the good ole' dayd of empty dining rooms on the last night of a cruise wherby a BUNCH of cheap sacks managed to stiff their waiters.

[dexter99]

It is such a shame that so many of the British and Wuropean people do not feel that it is necessary to tip -- especially when so many of the crew will go out of their way to make you have a wonderful and enjoyable cruise.

No, it is more of a shame that North American restaurants would rather list their food for a lower price and offload the service charge to the arbitrary payment from the customer. European restaurants usually pay their staff a reasonable wage, unlike North American ones. So when you get used to living in culture like that, this silly way that North Americans do it makes no sense (as a Canadian, I far prefer the European way...)

[tulsacubfan]

No, it is more of a shame that North American restaurants would rather list their food for a lower price and offload the service charge to the arbitrary payment from the customer. European restaurants usually pay their staff a reasonable wage, unlike North American ones. So when you get used to living in culture like that, this silly way that North Americans do it makes no sense (as a Canadian, I far prefer the European way...)

 

I am an American - and I agree with you.

[crenee44]

No, it is more of a shame that North American restaurants would rather list their food for a lower price and offload the service charge to the arbitrary payment from the customer. European restaurants usually pay their staff a reasonable wage, unlike North American ones. So when you get used to living in culture like that, this silly way that North Americans do it makes no sense (as a Canadian, I far prefer the European way...)

 

Agreed, and I am American. However, tipping is so ingrained into North American culture that I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.

 

And if someone chooses to cruise on a line that uses that system, IMO it is unfair to cheat the workers out of their share (assuming they did their jobs well) because you don’t agree with the idea on principle.

 

On another note, during a cruise a couple of years ago near the end of our cruise, DH told the woman at the service desk he wanted to change the tip amount. She automatically asked how much he wanted to lower it by. He said the look on her face was priceless when he said he wanted to RAISE it.

[tulsacubfan]

It is such a shame that so many of the British and Wuropean people do not feel that it is necessary to tip -- especially when so many of the crew will go out of their way to make you have a wonderful and enjoyable cruise.

 

Actually, I think it is more a shame that Americans (and yes I am an American) feel that our way is the only right way and cannot understand different cultures have different ways of doing things that are just as "right." I don't see it as a shame that Brits and Europeans do not find it necessary to tip....that is not their culture....

[paul929207]

I think you need to go with the culture where you are. If you are on an American oriented ship with the staff dependent on tips, then that is part of the cost of your trip. If you are on an Australian or UK oriented cruise, then tips are not expected.

 

If a Brit comes to the US and rents a car, does he drive on the left like at home?

[crenee44]

Actually, I think it is more a shame that Americans (and yes I am an American) feel that our way is the only right way and cannot understand different cultures have different ways of doing things that are just as "right." I don't see it as a shame that Brits and Europeans do not find it necessary to tip....that is not their culture....

 

Because when someone travels internationally they can’t just walk around saying “that’s not how we do things where I come from so I‘m not going to do it” every time they run into something they don’t like.

 

No one culture is superior and people should respect the culture of the areas they visit.

[smeyer418]

as I said I hate tipping threads mostly because there is so much misinformation(in some cases deliberately so by people who have an ax to grind or a particular view of the world).

 

The service people on most of the tipping cruise lines are paid a base salary of something around $100 per MONTH plus on board room and board and some on board medical care) here is a thread from someone who works/ed in the dinning room that talks about this.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1107696

 

They do take home more because they get a draw against the tips and the tips themselves.

 

This method of paying the traditional tipped crew goes back to at least the early 1900's and was continue by Samuel Cunard who was born in Canada and immigrated to England.(although there is some evidence that the tipping began in England when people were invited to someone's estate they "borrowed" a servant from the host and were expected to tip the borrowed servant to show appreciation. Who tipped and didn't tip were well know among the servants and were assigned staff accordingly-the non tippers got the least experienced staff- as this was a relatively small group.

 

In fact in the 1910-30 there was a movement in the US to do away with tipping-which obviously failed.

 

Because of the fare structure now the remuneration for the traditionally tipped crew is NOT included in the fare. Generally those cruise lines that do include it charge more than the difference between the cost of tipping non tipping(Azamara announced a 25% increase and included the "basic" tipping and some other items-none of which when added together could justify a 25% increase-but I don't know if the full increase has held this is an example I realize that NCL is not Azamara or Seaborn or other of the luxury lines where in general you pay a premium to get the base tip included-do you really think that people no longer tip on these lines).

 

Whether its in the fare or the expected tip, its you are paying it anyway. I really don't see why you may want to pay more to have it included in the fare.

 

On most cruise lines and especially on NCL when you remove the auto -tip all or most of the cash tip is put back into the pool anyway so in fact you make it more difficult for those who you want to reward. The best way to reward these people is to either write a note to their supervisors explaining how they went over and above or giving them a little extra(at your discretion of course).

The auto tip takes care of what the employees were required to do anyway(called tipping out). The rooms stewards traditionally tipped out the laundry room supply room staff and asst head housekeeper(the name for this varies among cruise lines); and the waiters tipped out the bus boys, dishwashers, line cooks and asst head waiter/maitre d(also varies by cruise line).

Do the employees just pocket the cash? mostly no. If the auto-tip/dsc is removed and they don't turn it in(BTW I have been told by some staff they sometimes convert extra tips left by some which they don't have to turn in at all to pay for the cheapos/stiffers because they ARE marked down when people keep taking the auto-tip off and leave nothing or less than the suggested amount-rightfully or wrongfully its held against them). The employees live in close quarters 3-4 in a room and they don't want large amounts of cash lying around either. The employees know pretty quickly who are the slackers and pocketers and since the supervisor is one of the people being stiffed by the employees they get a. fired b. non renewed or c the worst assignments....and also have been known to be visited by their own countries of origin mafia on board.

Ships are clearly a different culture with somewhat different rules. The tipping culture is a tradition on board. I know some people dis like being told when in Rome....but you aren't in Kansas either.

If you don't like the auto-tip you are of course free to chose another cruise line that includes it but if you like NCL's product and the service you really SHOULD follow the tradition.

 

There is also not one iota of evidence that the entire auto tip doesn't make it to the traditionally tipped and tipped out crew. The cruise lines even absorb the credit card charge. Cruise employees sue cruise lines all the time and there is NOT one report of any crew member that the entire amount doesn't eventually get to them and not one reported lawsuit...yet(I monitor a number of cruise lawyers reports who would report any such lawsuit)

I will remove the auto tip in England but if the service warrants I will tip.

 

Now them is the facts. If you would like to discuss the facts please do but just like some of you may complain when someone on formal night wears shorts, traditions should be obeyed.

[mamasue]

This topic comes up so often!!

the way I look at it is.... calculate tips, parking, air fares, whatever as part of the cruise....

if you can't afford them.... don't cruise!!

We always prepay auto tips, then we don't have to think about it again..... we very occasionally give extra tips... we never 'bribe' the cabin steward up-front..we never tip the maitre'd... they earn a decent wage.... we always get great service!!

On one transatlantic cruise we were on.... our cabin steward was cleaning sh***y diapers up off the floor all week, he said he'd never had such a dirty family in his entire career..... and they removed the whole 14 days' tips on the last day!!!:rolleyes:

 

 

Incidentally.... this comes from the CC UK P&O forum....

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

 

["]All my life I have given a tip to people who have given me good service but I object to it being taken for granted that you will accept £1.60 per person per day, you can as I did opt out. I gave our cabin steward and the waiters in the restaurant a very good tip and that was my choice as it should be..................

__________________[/

 

Yep... they're griping about spending $2.00 a day on auto tips.... on a P&O cruise!!!

[iheartbda]

Smeyer RAWKS!:D

I particularly like the reference to Samuel Cunard.....Canadian......immigrated to England.......;)