Tips

[Princess Di]

Kids mess up far more than adults. My grandson (now 16) was on the Royal Princess with his Auntie and he just Loved throwing his clothes around the cabin (and he changes several times a day). He must keep everything put away neatly when at home. Mum is strict. ;)

His biggest delight was coming back to the cabin and finding all of his clothes very neatly folded for him. Of course, he over-tipped flagrantly (Mum gave him his own credit card for the trip). :eek:

We still kid him about his Big Tipping.

Some parents don't think that their Babies are people also. Babies also tip - did you ever see how much equipment they lug on the ship?? And, the ship special-orders their baby food, sets up their highchairs, their cribs, hauls off diapers, etc. :p

The crew mostly has family back home and they enjoy talking and playing with all the children, and the kids love the attention. Kids are people too.

You can afford a cruise. Don't be cheap. You're on a Yankee Ship. Tip like a Yank. :D

[first-time-with-kids]

Kids mess up far more than adults. My grandson (now 16) was on the Royal Princess with his Auntie and he just Loved throwing his clothes around the cabin (and he changes several times a day). He must keep everything put away neatly when at home. Mum is strict. ;)

His biggest delight was coming back to the cabin and finding all of his clothes very neatly folded for him. Of course, he over-tipped flagrantly (Mum gave him his own credit card for the trip). :eek:

We still kid him about his Big Tipping.

Some parents don't think that their Babies are people also. Babies also tip - did you ever see how much equipment they lug on the ship?? And, the ship special-orders their baby food, sets up their highchairs, their cribs, hauls off diapers, etc. :p

The crew mostly has family back home and they enjoy talking and playing with all the children, and the kids love the attention. Kids are people too.

You can afford a cruise. Don't be cheap. You're on a Yankee Ship. Tip like a Yank. :D

 

Not cheap, just trying to find what's done that's all. But thanks. Don't mind tipping like a Yank so long as I don't have to..... Nah, best not, have some great American friends even if they...whoops

[first-time-with-kids]

Not cheap, just trying to find what's done that's all. But thanks. Don't mind tipping like a Yank so long as I don't have to..... Nah, best not, have some great American friends even if they...whoops

 

Anyway, my question was about what tips you frequent travellers have for us, it was nothing to do with tipping policies etc.

 

Keep up!!!

[Princess Di]

I always figure the tip (+ an extra tip) into my cruise budget. My Sydney-Sider friend told me to just fold the $100 tip (10-day cruise) into the cruise fare for my cabinmate. :rolleyes:

Sue is also from Oz and is not accustomed to tipping across the Pond. I just added it onto her fare to share my cabin.

However, I didn't realize that my Bank would charge me a $10 Wire Transfer Fee (I had never received a wire transfer before). So it is too late to ask her for more money. I'll just figure that it is one day's tips that I eat. :o

Kathy is so Americanized (originally from UK) that she knows when and where to tip.

I also give $20 to $50 to the Cabin Steward the first day of boarding, along with my typed list of requests.

1. Lounge for my balcony.

2. Extra ice bucket and ice every day.

3. Cut up lemons every morning (I make lemonade)

4. a New terry bathrobe (don't like those waffle ones)

and other things I can't remember right now.

I have always received top service, even before I started tipping up front. (Maybe it's my infectious Smile.)

They make you feel like Queens and Kings. :D

[first-time-with-kids]

I always figure the tip (+ an extra tip) into my cruise budget. My Sydney-Sider friend told me to just fold the $100 tip (10-day cruise) into the cruise fare for my cabinmate. :rolleyes:

Sue is also from Oz and is not accustomed to tipping across the Pond. I just added it onto her fare to share my cabin.

However, I didn't realize that my Bank would charge me a $10 Wire Transfer Fee (I had never received a wire transfer before). So it is too late to ask her for more money. I'll just figure that it is one day's tips that I eat. :o

Kathy is so Americanized (originally from UK) that she knows when and where to tip.

I also give $20 to $50 to the Cabin Steward the first day of boarding, along with my typed list of requests.

1. Lounge for my balcony.

2. Extra ice bucket and ice every day.

3. Cut up lemons every morning (I make lemonade)

4. a New terry bathrobe (don't like those waffle ones)

and other things I can't remember right now.

I have always received top service, even before I started tipping up front. (Maybe it's my infectious Smile.)

They make you feel like Queens and Kings. :D

 

Thanks Donna but I'm puzzled now. Don't they just add the tips to your ship bill? You seem to imply you pay cash out?

[first-time-with-kids]

And is it fair if you dish out cash when others pay centrally and it gets distributed equally between the staff?

[Princess Di]

Dear Nick,

Some pax like to do it the old-fashioned way, that is, by putting the cash in an envelope (and sometimes with a personal Note of Thanks - some even give nice cards). In that case, they may have the Purser remove the tips from their Folio.

You will see the D.R light on the last night because those that will stiff the staff will eat at the Horizon Court Buffet.

Just so you know, It is required that ALL tips are pooled, no matter if cash or cheques. Then it is distributed evenly among all the staff and, if one has chosen to tip extra, that overage is returned only to the crewmember who earned it and turned it in.

What this does is that it counts as an incentive because a bean-counter keeps track of it all and then when review time comes (and, therefore, raises in pay), the amount of the tips one has received reflects positively for a larger pay increase.

[Princess Di]

The crewmembers always turn in all their tips because there are severe penalties if they don't. It is a Team Concept. They live in a 4-man cabin and everyone knows everything.

If someone stiffs their own servers, they stiff all the crewmembers on the ship.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Relative to the topic of tips is the critique. When you fill out your comment card, any crew member that is dissed (which means anything less than "excellent") can find themselves demoted. With waiters, that means smaller tables or fewer diners which in turn means less money to send home to their families. You'll find the best waitstaff at the major size tables (maybe that's one reason we go for the large tables in traditional).

You'll also find (as you have kids) that many crew members miss their kids and love talking to the little ones. On Carnival, our little one was swept off into the little parades the waiters had during dinner. She loved it.

[merela]

And is it fair if you dish out cash when others pay centrally and it gets distributed equally between the staff?

 

Since the auto-tipping system has been instituted, how does Princess prevent someone from pocketing the extra cash tips they receive from passengers. By their rules, all cash tips must be pooled, then distributed amongst all personnel. I think Princess has set up a reward system for its staff--let's say if the cabin steward received extra cash tip from the passenger, he/she won't get to keep it until they have verified that the auto-tipping was not removed from that cabin. The more cash tips one receives on top of the auto-tipping, the more merits one gets.

 

I may not have explained well. Go back a year and do a search on auto-tipping or tips and you'll see lots of explanations on how Princess figures out the auto tipping system.

 

 

....afternoon tea?

 

Check your Princess patter for the time and location of afternoon teas. On the Star and the Diamond, the tea was served from 3:30pm-4:30pm in the same dining room where lunch was served. It's white-gloved service with tea sandwiches, small cakes, cookies, and scones (and cream). If you blink, you will miss it. We have only made it once out of the 3 Princess cruises. Sometimes we just weren't that hungry for an afternoon tea. Personally, I prefer having an afternoon snack in the Horizon Court (buffet area) because there are more choices such as fruits and desserts.

[first-time-with-kids]

Thanks