spunky123 Posted September 12, 2011 #1 Share Posted September 12, 2011 We are booked on Regatta for a 21 night cruise. Due to our work schedule Oceania has granted us permission to board the cruise on Day 9 because our jobs will not allow us to leave for 22 days. I believe Oceania automatically charges tips for the full length of the cruise but I am not sure. What are your suggestions for how to handle tipping? There are different ways of looking at it. One is that the person who takes care of our stateroom doesn't have the opportunity to earn the full amount if we do not pay for the 21 nights of tips. Another way is that we should pay for what we use and the quality of the service for the time we are on the ship. If anyone has experience with Oceania regarding this please advise how it was handled. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted September 12, 2011 #2 Share Posted September 12, 2011 In MHO they are cheated while your cabin is empty and I would certainly tip on the entire cruise. Of course others may feel differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKS Posted September 12, 2011 #3 Share Posted September 12, 2011 We boarded Nautica the second day in Istanbul, just a few hours before sail away in 2009 because we were staying with friends. Our cabin steward immediately came to welcome us and express his concern because he hadn't yet seen us. He wanted to make sure we were fine, had no problems and were settled in. He "went the extra mile." This meant he had been checking our cabin, doing work, even if we weren't there. We happily tipped him for the entire cruise, not short the day we were not aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 12, 2011 #4 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I am sure if you discuss this with the Purser & have your tips adjusted from the time you board on day 9 would be fine You may or may not want to tip the room attendants more if they go above & beyond A personal choice Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Rosebery Posted September 12, 2011 #5 Share Posted September 12, 2011 We are booked on Regatta for a 21 night cruise. Due to our work schedule Oceania has granted us permission to board the cruise on Day 9 because our jobs will not allow us to leave for 22 days. I believe Oceania automatically charges tips for the full length of the cruise but I am not sure. What are your suggestions for how to handle tipping? There are different ways of looking at it. One is that the person who takes care of our stateroom doesn't have the opportunity to earn the full amount if we do not pay for the 21 nights of tips. Another way is that we should pay for what we use and the quality of the service for the time we are on the ship. If anyone has experience with Oceania regarding this please advise how it was handled. Thank you. Pay for what you get. If you followed Orchestrapal's logic, who would pay for a cabin that was empty for the entire voyage? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted September 12, 2011 #6 Share Posted September 12, 2011 In MHO they are cheated while your cabin is empty and I would certainly tip on the entire cruise. Of course others may feel differently. While I do not agree with the use of the word "cheated," I agree with you that I would tip them for the entire cruise. If a cabin is empty for an entire cruise, that is entirely different from a cabin where the occupant has chosen to board later in the voyage and occupies the cabin for most of the voyage, since no one else can book the nine days left vacant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orchestrapal Posted September 12, 2011 #7 Share Posted September 12, 2011 While I do not agree with the use of the word "cheated," I agree with you that I would tip them for the entire cruise. If a cabin is empty for an entire cruise, that is entirely different from a cabin where the occupant has chosen to board later in the voyage and occupies the cabin for most of the voyage, since no one else can book the nine days left vacant. Well put!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spunky123 Posted September 15, 2011 Author #8 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. I always think it is nice to see how others view situations like this one. Since Oceania adds the tips to the bill I will be interested in seeing their protocol. Oceania does charge the full price even though we are boarding 9 days after the start of the cruise so my guess is they will add the 9 days of tips as well. We typically tip more than the recommended amount if the service is excellent because we appreciate the extra touches that go into making our vacation a luxury experience. If the service is excellent my guess is we will tip the standard amount for the 21 days even though we were only on the ship for 12 days. The difference is the extra we would have given for the above and beyond service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted September 15, 2011 #9 Share Posted September 15, 2011 I appreciate everyone's thoughts on this. I always think it is nice to see how others view situations like this one. Since Oceania adds the tips to the bill I will be interested in seeing their protocol. Oceania does charge the full price even though we are boarding 9 days after the start of the cruise so my guess is they will add the 9 days of tips as well. We typically tip more than the recommended amount if the service is excellent because we appreciate the extra touches that go into making our vacation a luxury experience. If the service is excellent my guess is we will tip the standard amount for the 21 days even though we were only on the ship for 12 days. The difference is the extra we would have given for the above and beyond service. I didn't realize that you were paying the full fare even though missing almost half the cruise. Given the fact that your "per diem" is almost double of what others are paying, tipping for the missed nine days will be peanuts compared to paying for the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seberus Posted September 18, 2011 #10 Share Posted September 18, 2011 The major part of the pay for the attendants ( waiters , butlers, stewards etc.) is their tip. It means alot to them! Probably more than it means to you , with all due respect, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedridt Posted September 18, 2011 #11 Share Posted September 18, 2011 ...to consider tipping for services you are not receiving. I tend to be generous in tipping but it would not even occur to me to tip for days of a cruise that I did not take. AND....as tips are included in Oceania Cruises isn't this point moot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedridt Posted September 18, 2011 #12 Share Posted September 18, 2011 It seems to me that the point is that the ship would never allow you to buy a shortened cruise if they could have sold the entire cruise, & so your partial booking is all gravy to them. In other words -- you are filling a total void by booking the cruise in part & the cruise line is entirely the winner for having filled at least some portion of the void. I would not feel in the least bit guilty about tipping only on those services that were actually provided to me. I am not a mean person, but DUH??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondorner Posted September 18, 2011 #13 Share Posted September 18, 2011 ...to consider tipping for services you are not receiving. I tend to be generous in tipping but it would not even occur to me to tip for days of a cruise that I did not take. AND....as tips are included in Oceania Cruises isn't this point moot? Tips are not included on Oceania in the sense that I think you mean. Tips are automatically added to your shipboard account at the end of the cruise, which is then charged to your registered credit card. However, many (but not all) travel agents pay the tips for you, so they never appear on your account. If you book directly with Oceania, they will not be included except in rare special promotions for an underbooked cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Hughy Posted September 18, 2011 #14 Share Posted September 18, 2011 We are booked on Regatta for a 21 night cruise. Due to our work schedule Oceania has granted us permission to board the cruise on Day 9 because our jobs will not allow us to leave for 22 days. I believe Oceania automatically charges tips for the full length of the cruise but I am not sure. What are your suggestions for how to handle tipping? There are different ways of looking at it. One is that the person who takes care of our stateroom doesn't have the opportunity to earn the full amount if we do not pay for the 21 nights of tips. Another way is that we should pay for what we use and the quality of the service for the time we are on the ship. If anyone has experience with Oceania regarding this please advise how it was handled. Thank you. the standard is 13.50 per day if no butler service is provided. If you have butler service add another 5.00 per day. If you don't agree or wish to pay this level of gratuities the go see the purser and they will adjust the rate to what ever suits you. Tipping is not mandatory except on purchases in lounges for drinks at a rate of 18%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 18, 2011 #15 Share Posted September 18, 2011 so they never appear on your account. Don Our gratuities were added on the account then the credit for the gratuities from the TA was added... so it balanced out in the end. But you do see it on your statement Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted September 18, 2011 #16 Share Posted September 18, 2011 The irony is that even though gratuities are added to your onboard account many people seem to tip in addition so the whole theory of making tipping easier goes out the window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted September 18, 2011 #17 Share Posted September 18, 2011 The irony is that even though gratuities are added to your onboard account many people seem to tip in addition so the whole theory of making tipping easier goes out the window. Yeah, we don't understand either. We figured our tip was charged to our onboard account and that was that. Along the way we often bring back little things like a pastry or a box of sweets (that salted caramel in St Malo is delicious!) to give to our cabin staff. But tipping beyond.....?? We don't ask for anything more than ice in the afternoon and sending out laundry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Rosebery Posted September 19, 2011 #18 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Yeah, we don't understand either. We figured our tip was charged to our onboard account and that was that. Along the way we often bring back little things like a pastry or a box of sweets (that salted caramel in St Malo is delicious!) to give to our cabin staff. But tipping beyond.....?? We don't ask for anything more than ice in the afternoon and sending out laundry. I strongly suspect that a large chunk of your mandatory gratuities will go to the more senior staff, some of whom you will never see, such as housekeeping supervisors, chefs, etc. Therefore less than you expect would go to the junior staff like housekeepers and waitresses. That's why giving a bit extra to the ones with whom you are in direct contact is a nice touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted September 19, 2011 #19 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I strongly suspect that a large chunk of your mandatory gratuities will go to the more senior staff, some of whom you will never see, such as housekeeping supervisors, chefs, etc. I do not think any part of the tips go to the chefs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaitape Posted September 19, 2011 #20 Share Posted September 19, 2011 I strongly suspect that a large chunk of your mandatory gratuities will go to the more senior staff, some of whom you will never see, such as housekeeping supervisors, chefs, etc. Therefore less than you expect would go to the junior staff like housekeepers and waitresses. That's why giving a bit extra to the ones with whom you are in direct contact is a nice touch. A larger part of the tips go to Senior Staff rather than line staff???? Is there a formula for tip distribution? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted September 19, 2011 #21 Share Posted September 19, 2011 A larger part of the tips go to Senior Staff rather than line staff???? Is there a formula for tip distribution? There is no formula available to the public (no cruise line ever releases such information) and if you press the issue, you will get a stream of double talk unmatched since Victor Borge passed away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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