Gratuities

[Genner]

I've noticed some people saying they go to the purser's office and "take out" the tips in cash to hand out. Is this right ? how do people normally go about this ?

[travelntreats]

nope... some people go and have the gratuities removed, but no cash is exchanged.... thats all I have to add to this thread before it turns ugly.

[Genner]

Have i missed something :confused:

 

Do people do it daily or do it for the week ?

[scchasgal]

Some folks remove them all and you can't possibly tip everyone that you don't even see behind the scenes such as the buffet area.

 

My opinion leave them alone.

[True Texan]

Some folks remove them all and you can't possibly tip everyone that you don't even see behind the scenes such as the buffet area.

 

My opinion leave them alone.

 

 

I agree with you 100%. .

[sparkscruiser]

Yep, we leave the tips alone (we prepay anyway) and take additional cash to tip our folks if we have service that we consider well done and above and beyond expectations!

[conchead]

By many it seems the general consensus is (not saying it is always true):rolleyes:

that if you go to have your gratutites removed so that you can

hand them over personally...you will not be giving them out at all

and are using that as a way of getting out of tipping, or in other words

just being cheap.

 

Unless you have some bad experience with someone, it is best to just

leave the auto tip or prepaid (whichever you chose) in place.

[firefly333]

I see you are from the UK where I guess its not as common to tip. NCL now calls it a service charge, which I wish Carnival would.

 

There will always be cheap people who remove the tips. In my opinion, if you dont want to cut the tips, there is no excuse to remove the tips. Someone telling you they do it to hand out in cash is just cheap.

[Crusin6]

Have i missed something :confused:

 

Do people do it daily or do it for the week ?

just leave the tips alone...if you want to tip a little extra to your servers and steward you can do it as well...just leave the tips on your sign and sail card...and forget about it.

[Genner]

I see you are from the UK where I guess its not as common to tip. NCL now calls it a service charge, which I wish Carnival would.

 

There will always be cheap people who remove the tips. In my opinion, if you dont want to cut the tips, there is no excuse to remove the tips. Someone telling you they do it to hand out in cash is just cheap.

 

Correct, hardly anybody gets tips in the UK, it's something us holiday makers generally hate as it's so out of the norm for us. I've been going to the US every year for 10+ years and i still hate it :eek:

[katiel53]

I see you are from the UK where I guess its not as common to tip. NCL now calls it a service charge, which I wish Carnival would.

 

There will always be cheap people who remove the tips. In my opinion, if you dont want to cut the tips, there is no excuse to remove the tips. Someone telling you they do it to hand out in cash is just cheap.

 

I totally agree with you. Some people are just cheap and certainly don't tell the staff they are stiffing them. Enough said for now at least.

[firefly333]

Correct, hardly anybody gets tips in the UK, it's something us holiday makers generally hate as it's so out of the norm for us. I've been going to the US every year for 10+ years and i still hate it :eek:

 

there is a saying ...when in Rome ...but I know the tips can add up. I just add it into the cost of my cruise and dont even think of it as tips.

 

I had heard that in the UK unless service is above the norm, they dont think a tip is deserved. Seems like a cultural thing and how people are raised too. If you live in the UK where other people arent tipping extra, then thats what you are used to and think is normal.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Personally, I always pre-pay my tips before the cruise & leave cash for the extra wonderful crew members I come across! Best way to go! ;)

[Genner]

there is a saying ...when in Rome ...but I know the tips can add up. I just add it into the cost of my cruise and dont even think of it as tips.

 

I had heard that in the UK unless service is above the norm, they dont think a tip is deserved. Seems like a cultural thing and how people are raised too. If you live in the UK where other people arent tipping extra, then thats what you are used to and think is normal.

 

Oh you don't have to tell me, after 10 years we've learned to just get on with it, doesn't mean we have to like it though ;)

 

I'm in the restaurant business myself and know full well that my staff get seriously pished when diners don't leave a tip, but as stated, it's a culture thing here in the UK, although saying that, one table last night did leave a $100 tip for a table of ten which they were happy with :cool:

[DocF]

The auto-tips on Carnival are one of the few bargains left in the world. The service we have experienced from our waiters and stewards on our cruises have given us such great service that we have added a bit of additional cash at the end of our cruises.

 

Doc

[04cruises]

I've noticed some people saying they go to the purser's office and "take out" the tips in cash to hand out. Is this right ? how do people normally go about this ?

 

Do what you wish.It is the American way to use their credit card instead of taking a few minutes of their time to give cash. We always cash tip for three reasons:

1: We like to hand someone a thank you for a job well done.

2:I don't pay for any service before I receive it.

3:Our biggest problem is how the cruise lines have started just to add that to our bill without ever asking permission.Then they make you go stand in line to change it.I thought I was their guest on a cruise.

 

So, now it will get ugly so just remember to do what you feel you want.

P.S. We still shop for Christmas and don't give gift cards. I guess we are just old-fashion.

[firefly333]

Do what you wish.It is the American way to use their credit card instead of taking a few minutes of their time to give cash. We always cash tip for three reasons:

1: We like to hand someone a thank you for a job well done.

2:I don't pay for any service before I receive it.

3:Our biggest problem is how the cruise lines have started just to add that to our bill without ever asking permission.Then they make you go stand in line to change it.I thought I was their guest on a cruise.

 

So, now it will get ugly so just remember to do what you feel you want.

P.S. We still shop for Christmas and don't give gift cards. I guess we are just old-fashion.

 

So the $1 per person per day that goes to the buffet workers...how exactly are you going to hand that out?? I dont know Iv ever given anyone a gift card either ...dont make excuses for removing the tip. Has nothing to do with what you buy people at Christmas.

[mikel24m]

Cant wait until Carnival FINALLY makes it so people cannot remove tips.

 

Cheap People stay home

 

PS I wish the Hershey squirts on those people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

[vanityfur]

Do what you wish.It is the American way to use their credit card instead of taking a few minutes of their time to give cash. We always cash tip for three reasons:

1: We like to hand someone a thank you for a job well done.

2:I don't pay for any service before I receive it.

3:Our biggest problem is how the cruise lines have started just to add that to our bill without ever asking permission.Then they make you go stand in line to change it.I thought I was their guest on a cruise.

 

So, now it will get ugly so just remember to do what you feel you want.

P.S. We still shop for Christmas and don't give gift cards. I guess we are just old-fashion.

 

About number one: You won't be able to hand out tips to the behind-the-scenes people. How can you justify to yourself not tipping someone who lives off your tips simply b/c you feel all warm inside when you hand it to someone?

About number two: You don't tip before you've received the service. It isn't taken out until around the last sea day... I would hope that you certainly consider the last sea day to be at the end of your cruise. Thus, you are not paying until your cruise is over.

Number three: The cruise lines don't have to ask you anything... You ARE their GUEST. You agree to their policies or you stay off their ships. Your choice. They don't have to get your permission to change their business policies.

 

Jeez.

[firefly333]

RCL now makes you prepay tips if you choose anytime dining. .. since you probably will be switching around to different waiters ...to those who think they have to hand out cash. I see this tip becoming more and more of a service charge trend.

 

Now Carnival has anytime dining but there will be some who claim they can find every waiter they had all week the last night and hand out tips in cash.

[mikel24m]

Carnival just makes it too easy to remove tips ...Its sad all these people work hard and long hours for very small wage

 

 

In case they didnt read it my last post Cheap people stay home

[N2DFIRE]

We have tipped extra to servers that we really liked, but after giving them a tip I wondered if they thought that was the only tip I was giving. Do they know if someone removed the normal tips. I don't want them thinking I'm not tipping them much. If I give them a little extra at the end of the week.

 

Even if I tell them that this tip is extra on top of the normal.

Do they think I'm just blowing smoke?

[04cruises]

Cant wait until Carnival FINALLY makes it so people cannot remove tips.

 

Cheap People stay home

 

PS I wish the Hershey squirts on those people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

 

It amazes me how nasty people can get to people they don't know because of a different opinion.

So, I'll tell you a little background.My wife was a high school drop-out with 2 kids.At 26,she decided to change her life and went back to school.10 years later she got a masters in accounting.I am a very sucessful in sales.So,I can tell you we "tip" very,very well any where we go.

Now,please don't be so nasty to a person who does something different than you.

Oh,I forgot to tell you,she put herself through school with 2 girls by being a waitress.Stiffing any wait staff is just never going to happen.

[farler05]

Because the tips go to folks that there's just no way we can track down, we leave the auto gratuities on our bill. That way everyone is covered who has contributed to us enjoying our cruise. We then tip extra to the folks who have really made our cruise enjoyable. It's varied from cruise to cruise. Last cruise we tipped on room steward & dining room bar server extra. Both were fabulous. On other cruises, we've tracked down specific bartenders & our dining room staff. I've never lowered the auto-grat because I've never felt that the staff didn't deserve them.

[djcass4199]

Because the tips go to folks that there's just no way we can track down, we leave the auto gratuities on our bill. That way everyone is covered who has contributed to us enjoying our cruise. We then tip extra to the folks who have really made our cruise enjoyable. It's varied from cruise to cruise. Last cruise we tipped on room steward & dining room bar server extra. Both were fabulous. On other cruises, we've tracked down specific bartenders & our dining room staff. I've never lowered the auto-grat because I've never felt that the staff didn't deserve them.

 

This sums up my views of the whole matter exactly.

 

We tip extra to our wait staff and room stewards if the service is great. Both cruises we've done, the staff just bent over backwards to make us feel great, so giving the extra tips was worth it.