Any interesting tipping tricks?

[scschnur]

I have seen some very creative tipping ideas in past posts - things that provoke extra special service in many different areas on the ship. I know when I sailed the Disney Cruise last year, the prepaid phone calling cards were a HUGE hit with the staff. We handed them out to our steward, our waiter and the workers in the child center - and we were treated like royalty.

 

Does anyone else out there have any great ideas on how to tip to get even better service? Thanks for any thoughts and ideas.

[LARGIN]

Dead Presidents are much more appreciated.. :D

[Pam in CA]

I've always found that I get excellent service with a smile of real appreciation and a "Thank you!" without the need to flash cash. I leave the auto-tipping on and if they've been really, really good by the end of the cruise, I leave an envelope with extra.

[spongerob]

Just be your normal present self and treat the crew as you would anyone working hard. A smile, and a thank you always go a long way. Pre-tipping always seems (to me) to be a little callous and presumptive.

[Bowlersbus]

We ususally sail at Thanksgiving, so I would assume they would miss their families during the holidays. I usually make a little goody basket with a phone card, disposable camera, some stamps and notecard stationary.

 

Sometimes I've included samples from the local department stores perfume counters.

 

I couldn;t imagine being away from my family for so long like they are.

[Nitemare]

Cash. Always cash.

 

Ship employees can buy phonecards much cheaper than we can buy them. They also have VERY little storage area, imagine if 10 guests each week gave them a gift of some sort, that's 40/month with no place to put it.

 

They treat you well, give them cash, and fill out one of those "You Made A Difference" cards. MUCH more useful to them then stuff.

[Freedom55]

We ususally sail at Thanksgiving, so I would assume they would miss their families during the holidays. I usually make a little goody basket with a phone card, disposable camera, some stamps and notecard stationary.

 

Sometimes I've included samples from the local department stores perfume counters.

 

I couldn;t imagine being away from my family for so long like they are.

 

You should note however - that your thanksgiving is only a holiday in the USA. Unless they are from the USA its not "the holidays!"

[spongerob]

Just be your normal present self and treat the crew as you would anyone working hard. A smile, and a thank you always go a long way. Pre-tipping always seems (to me) to be a little callous and presumptive.

 

That should have been "pleasant". Oops.

[Dreamer333]

I usually get a stack of $2 bills from my bank and give those out as tips... Since they are more "rare" than regular bills, they seem to be a bit more special (But I know, I know... cash is all the same!!) ;)

[DeltaOne]

$2 bills: Yeah, $2 bills are cute but don't you think the crew would prefer good ol' ones, fives, tens or even a twenty dollar bill? We don't like having to deal with $2 bills...what makes you think the crew does?

 

And another pet peeve...those folks that take a coffee maker and leave it for the room steward. As noted above, they don't have much room for personal possessions. How much do you want to bet the cruise ship harbors have coffee makers piled up 20 feet deep underneath the ship?

[Dreamer333]

$2 bills: Yeah, $2 bills are cute but don't you think the crew would prefer good ol' ones, fives, tens or even a twenty dollar bill? We don't like having to deal with $2 bills...what makes you think the crew does? And another pet peeve...those folks that take a coffee maker and leave it for the room steward. As noted above, they don't have much room for personal possessions. How much do you want to bet the cruise ship harbors have coffee makers piled up 20 feet deep underneath the ship?

 

Why would you think the crew would prefer ones, fives, and twenties?

(When I said I give out $2 bills, I certainly didn't imply that I only give a $2 tip)... And why do you think that "we" don't like dealing with $2 bills??

 

You seem to criticize people's ideas, but don't offer any of your own.

[derf5585]

How about a 3 dollar bill

from

http://www.wolfnet1.com/wolfplay/Underground2000/Bobland/HTPXclinton01.html

[Nitemare]

Cows have a low center of gravity, so make sure you get down real low to tip them over.

 

And watch out for the ones with the horns and the big ring in their noses.

[derf5585]

Cows have a low center of gravity, so make sure you get down real low to tip them over.

 

Virtual Cow Tipping FAQ

from

http://www.*****.com/users/cowtipping/faq.html

 

where "Tb" means "believed true, but not conclusively proven".

from

http://www.tafkac.org/animals/cow_tipping.html

 

Can sleeping cows be tipped over, or is this a myth?

from

http://www.answerbag.com/c_view.php/1179

[CariBlue]

Flirting always gets me great service!

[DeltaOne]

My idea was to tip in ones, fives, tens or a twenty. Not the "cute" $2 bills.

 

As for who doesn't like dealing with the $2 bills...quick...how many are in your wallet right now? Ah, that's what I thought...

 

 

 

 

Why would you think the crew would prefer ones, fives, and twenties?

(When I said I give out $2 bills, I certainly didn't imply that I only give a $2 tip)... And why do you think that "we" don't like dealing with $2 bills??

 

You seem to criticize people's ideas, but don't offer any of your own.

[Dreamer333]

My idea was to tip in ones, fives, tens or a twenty. Not the "cute" $2 bills. As for who doesn't like dealing with the $2 bills...quick...how many are in your wallet right now? Ah, that's what I thought...

 

Hence the reason I use them...

Read my original post (they are more "rare")... I never said they were "cute"... those were your words.

 

I have no problem "dealing" with $2 bills... I don't stress easily.

If any "cute" $2 bills come your way, I'd be more than happy to take that burden off your hands... send them my way... And I'll save them for my next cruise! ;)

[kryos]

I've always found that I get excellent service with a smile of real appreciation and a "Thank you!" without the need to flash cash. I leave the auto-tipping on and if they've been really, really good by the end of the cruise, I leave an envelope with extra.

Exactly!

 

I've found that always works.

 

I've yet to remove auto tipping ... I've always found the service to be either adequate or exceptional ... and as long as it is, I leave the auto tip in place. If the service is exceptional, then I might give a little something extra to that person at the end of the cruise. And, that person does not necessarily have to be my waiter or cabin steward either. I've "slid" a little something at the end of the cruise to a bar server who made my experience extra nice.

 

But, I would never tip in advance unless I had "special" needs that I knew were gonna involve a lot of extra work for someone. To me, advance tipping borders on bribery ... what? I have to pay extra to get what I should be getting for my cruise fare? I think the whole idea of tipping has gotten out of hand everywhere. Personally, I never tip for food in a restaurant unless I eat it at the restaurant. I will not tip for take-out because I feel the money I am paying for the food should certainly cover someone packing it up for me! I never tip at Dunkin Donuts or another such place either. That's not what tipping was meant to be.

 

Tipping is for service ... service that goes above and beyond the expected. And you can call me cheap if you want, but that is all I will ever tip for. And on a ship, adequate service gets the auto tip and that's it. Deficient service would get nothing, and I wouldn't hesitate to remove the auto tip in that case, and to inform the purser's desk as to the exact reason I was doing so. Thankfully, I've never experienced the latter case.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[GloriaF]

Forget the gifts, toiletries, $2 bills, T shirts of your local team, etc. CASH is the way to go in normal spendable bills. A $2 bill is like a Susan B. Anthony dollar - it is likely to be used for less than it's face value because of the unfamiliarity. I always get rid of those SBA $ as soon as possible, otherwise I'll end up spending them for a quarter. The same for $2 spent as $1 all too easily.

 

If I ask for something out of the ordinary and troublesome to do, like bringing 2 lounge chairs for the balcony, then I tip at the time of the request so they know I appreciate their extra work. Otherwise, I'm with Pam a genuine smile and thank you goes a long way day to day, and the auto tip and whatever is warranted at the end of the cruise.

[star gazer]

Dead Presidents are much more appreciated.. :D

 

Sacagawea may not fit the quote, but I enjoy giving the "Golden Dollars" to crew members. I like their reaction to the coins.

 

BTW Paul of Maryland, I always keep a $2 bill in my wallet.

[Kaye from Chicagoland]

I don't know about cruise ships, but I do know that $2 bills are appreciated in Mexico. On our various trips to Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa, and Cancun we always get that special smile when they are given out. The only trouble is that they are considered Good Luck and often the recpient will hesitate to use them. Rather, they save them as 'lucky pieces'. I have a few friends in MX who carry one in their wallets at all times. One girl I know carries one for each of her children daily. So if I give them as a tip, I always leave extra in addition.

 

On my last trip to Cancun, I had a minor accident and the doorman saw when I came in. He brought ice and fresh towels to my room for cleansing - I gave him a tip and a Chicago Cubs hat - he wore it the rest of the week. I used to give out Chicago Cubs lighters to the bartenders - no more of that with the new security about bringing lighters.

[crusdiva]

I've always found that I get excellent service with a smile of real appreciation and a "Thank you!" without the need to flash cash. I leave the auto-tipping on and if they've been really, really good by the end of the cruise, I leave an envelope with extra.

 

I agree...as my mother told me a long time ago, "Treated people as you would like to be treated."

[Pam in CA]

Here's a question: is it a generality that men tip extra and women smile? If so, who gets the "better" service?

[travelgirl87]

We leave the auto-tip on but also use extra foreign currency (e.g. Canadian dollars on a Vancouver to Whittier trip) as a little "extra" when appropriate. Of course, we only do this on cruises where the staff is likely to get substantial free time off the ship in ports where the currency is accepted. Saves time re-exchanging money for us and it often gets the recipient a slightly larger tip than would otherwise be given.

 

When we run out of foreign currency, those "dead US presidents" also work as little "day brighteners". The smiles and polite treatment to the crew are automatic -- my mama raised me right!

 

Happy Cruising!

[pjajatt]

I read once what TIPS stood for. It means To Insure Prompt Service. Years ago one would tip before the meal was served to insure that service was prompt and good. Somewhere down the line we started tipping after the meal or service that was given.

 

A question though....if you tip additional monies, do they have to put that in the pot and share with others? Is that just the wait staff?

 

Thanks!

 

Pam