Senga Posted April 8, 2005 #1 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Just returned from the Summit where our tablemates put their tips on their credit card. They were not given anything to pass on to the staff but we were told by our waitstaff there is a list posted around 11 a.m. on "tip day" to advise staff of the amount and stateroom of the guests. They also told us they DO NOT receive their tips the same day. Payday is the 15th and 30th of the month so, if a cruise ends on April 1st (for example) the staff don't receive their money until the 15th!!!!!! So glad we always pay personally with cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABSCruiseLuvers Posted April 8, 2005 #2 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I think they enjoy cash more anyway...that is what we still do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingChick Posted April 8, 2005 #3 Share Posted April 8, 2005 We also always do cash on the last night of the cruise. I feel it's much more personal than charging the tips. Plus we usually have such great service we really want to thank them personally. Anne Maria Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehau Posted April 8, 2005 #4 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I've talked with staff members, and while they certainly appreciate tips in whatever manner guests wish to give them, cash is more convenient and immediate. Crew members get very limited opportunities to send funds back home, and while they usually can take the cash they receive from a trip and get it on its way to their family at the ship's home port, they do have to wait for the other funds that come from guests using their onboard accounts. Also, some crew prefer the privacy aspect of cash, as that way no-one but you and they know how much they have received. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpal1993 Posted April 8, 2005 #5 Share Posted April 8, 2005 This info/advice just solved my dilema.We will be on a Scandinavian/Russian cruise.All the ports use different currency so this way I will not have to wonder if they want their tips in Euros or other monies.They work very hard and we appreciate all that they do for us so I hope they get the correct amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted April 8, 2005 #6 Share Posted April 8, 2005 We charged gratuities to our accounts on the Century. Perhaps I'm a bit selfish to do it this way, but it's more convenient to us. We got slips with the amount stated for each person. We put the slips in the envelopes our cabin steward provided. We charged the basic rate for everyone and then tipped additionally in cash to those we wanted to reward for outstanding service. We've grown accustomed to charging tips through our cruises on Princess, where tips are automatically charged to your account unless you tell the purser to take them off. One thing I've read on the Princess boards is that tips are pooled. When the automatic tips are supplemented with extra cash, the person receiving the cash gets to keep the extra. When the tip is all in cash (after someone has turned off the auto charge), the employee has to turn it all in to the pool and may not get it all back. Don't know if a similar situation exists on Celebrity. The employees probably wouldn't want to talk about it if it does. (And I'd never be so bold as to ask.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsshel Posted April 8, 2005 #7 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I agree with cash. Someone on this board asked a number of waiters and cabin personel what they preferred-----it was always "cash, please". It may be easier to put it on your credit card, but it is nicer to give them an envelope and tell them how much you appreciate their service. Sonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted April 8, 2005 #8 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I am very confused, on the last Celebrity cruise we took we did put the gratuities on our card but were still given envalopes to give the crew with any remarks and the amount we were giving. We had to go to the receptionist to get the envalopes, and as someone stated, having the right cash when doing a Europian cruise or for those who are not from America can be very difficult. I like the new way much better. NMnita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubaran Posted April 8, 2005 #9 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Hi, As other's have said in other threads, if you want to pay cash but want the convienence of charging to your card, go to the casino and get cash from them. It goes on your card without a service charge and you don't get binged by the credit card company as it's just part of the total charges of the ship (no special cash advance rates). That way the crew gets cash and you get the convienence so everyone is happy. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted April 8, 2005 #10 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Always cash from me as well. And I don't use those envelopes they supply either. I bring Thank You Cards with me and the cash goes inside with a small note. I always feel better doing things that way. Just a bit more personal (to me anyway). The wait staff and cabin attendants always take such good care of me~I feel like a card is the least I can do in return.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruising with marti Posted April 8, 2005 #11 Share Posted April 8, 2005 I don't tip at all, the cruise lines pay very good wages. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottie99 Posted April 8, 2005 #12 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Can I be controversail? Do all you Americans realise the rest of the civilised world find your tipping culture uncomfortable to say the least ( if not downright insulting and patronising to the workforce of the worlds richest country). Yes , in the UK we do tip people but not in the mindless way you folks in the USA fell compelled to. If a waitress brings a drink to our table we give a tip but if we go to the bar and collect a drink ourselves we do not feel compelled to give the barman a couple of pounds (or dollars). In the UK (worlds 4th richest economy) we try to pay a living wage (governed by a Statutary Minimum Pay as decided by the Government) so we do not have the undignified spectacle scenario of coach drivers, porters etc touting for tips. I realise market forces will drive a workforce to the cruise industry from ''third world economies' ( currently East Europe) but PLEASE pay a decent wage. Treat them with dignity. Dont have them performing like trained animals to earn their tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted April 8, 2005 #13 Share Posted April 8, 2005 Lois, I think your idea is a great one: a little thank you note. I would never have thought of that. Scottie, I know all countries handle the tipping situation differently but some of what you say has to do with a society and government that differs from ours. I don't think we want to go there right now. I don't mean to Uk, I mean dealing with what way is the correct way to pay our employees. Of course most of those crew members we are tipping do not reside in America as you know. NMnita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehau Posted April 8, 2005 #14 Share Posted April 8, 2005 In the UK (worlds 4th richest economy) we try to pay a living wage (governed by a Statutary Minimum Pay as decided by the Government) so we do not have the undignified spectacle scenario of coach drivers, porters etc touting for tips. I realise market forces will drive a workforce to the cruise industry from ''third world economies' ( currently East Europe) but PLEASE pay a decent wage. Treat them with dignity. Dont have them performing like trained animals to earn their tips. Actually, while the US also has a Minimum Wage law, the cruise companies flag their ships and register their companies in countries other than the US, to some degree to take benefit of more lax regulatory environments and tax advantages. While some workers in the US fall under different minimum wage guidelines because their occupations traditionally are tip or commission based (wait-staff, sales, etc,) there's no real impact for cruise workers (other than those working US flagged vessels for US companies.) Actually, tipped employees over here usually make out far better than they would on what would be customary wages - my 18 year old son works as a waiter and has brought home more in tips on some nights than I made working as a mid-level technical worker. Also, I worked for some time with folks whose spouses were over in the UK for much of the year, and actually have talked to them about tipping. While you may feel it's insulting, it seems few of the workers over on your side of the pond turn down tips when they're offered. :D One other note: Celebrity employees do not pool tips, as I have been told by several of their staff. If I found a line did force the pooling of tips, I'd do anything I could to make certain that the staff I tipped did not have to drop theirs in the bucket, a practice that makes absolutely no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fireguy911 Posted April 8, 2005 #15 Share Posted April 8, 2005 "When the tip is all in cash (after someone has turned off the auto charge), the employee has to turn it all in to the pool and may not get it all back" ------------------------------------------- Thats pretty dumb of the employee isn't it. Thats like not cheating on your taxes.lol How would the cruise line know how much cash you gave them.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted April 8, 2005 #16 Share Posted April 8, 2005 "When the tip is all in cash (after someone has turned off the auto charge), the employee has to turn it all in to the pool and may not get it all back"------------------------------------------- Thats pretty dumb of the employee isn't it. Thats like not cheating on your taxes.lol How would the cruise line know how much cash you gave them.:rolleyes: We hear about the pooling of tips all the time, but no one seems to know if any lines really do. Even talking to employees may not give us the correct answer. As for knowing how much we tip in cash, of course no one could ever know. On some lines, that now have the $10 or $11 suggested tip which is split, many of us will leave a little extra for our cabin steward or whomever. We were told they had to report all that> How does the ship know, no they have hidden cameras in the hallway or in our cabins where we would put the extra? You are so right, the cruise line has no idea what exactly a service person is getting in tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmtraveler Posted April 9, 2005 #17 Share Posted April 9, 2005 We charged gratuities to our accounts on the Century. Perhaps I'm a bit selfish to do it this way, but it's more convenient to us. We got slips with the amount stated for each person. We put the slips in the envelopes our cabin steward provided. We charged the basic rate for everyone and then tipped additionally in cash to those we wanted to reward for outstanding service. We've grown accustomed to charging tips through our cruises on Princess, where tips are automatically charged to your account unless you tell the purser to take them off. One thing I've read on the Princess boards is that tips are pooled. When the automatic tips are supplemented with extra cash, the person receiving the cash gets to keep the extra. When the tip is all in cash (after someone has turned off the auto charge), the employee has to turn it all in to the pool and may not get it all back. Don't know if a similar situation exists on Celebrity. The employees probably wouldn't want to talk about it if it does. (And I'd never be so bold as to ask.) According to our cruise director on our last cruise (Zenith 13-24 March) tips are NOT pooled on Celebrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
65Cardinal Posted April 9, 2005 #18 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Maybe "X" has coached its employees but I asked 3 of them on our recent cruise on the Infinity which method they preferred. All 3 said "whichever you desire". When pressed they actually prefer the cc as it all gets directly deposited to their shipboard account which makes it easier for them to send home and reduces impulsive spending. They also said there is no pooling - they get 100% of whatever is given by the customer. We still did cash as we like the option of adding and subtracting from the suggested amount based on the service we received. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrandle Posted April 9, 2005 #19 Share Posted April 9, 2005 I don't tip at all, the cruise lines pay very good wages. Phil Check this one out http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zcarn08apr08,0,5316641.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mahdnc Posted April 9, 2005 #20 Share Posted April 9, 2005 We still prefer to tip in cash. When we were on the Horizon last week, we asked our butler which method was preferred, we also got the polite "either way is fine" response. Our butler mentioned that it does take 15 days for tip money that is charged against a shipboard account to get to them...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Lois R Posted April 9, 2005 #21 Share Posted April 9, 2005 jcrandle, please don't believe Phil;) . I know him, and again I will call his bluff:D He does tip~I sailed with Phil and Marti last year. Phil~I caught you again!!! Nita, I learned about the Thank You cards from these boards! It really is a nice touch. I pass out my cards and usually give a nice hug to the person as well. I have always had fantastic service on my Celebrity cruises:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinderellen Posted April 9, 2005 #22 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Always cash from me as well. And I don't use those envelopes they supply either.I bring Thank You Cards with me and the cash goes inside with a small note. I always feel better doing things that way. Just a bit more personal (to me anyway). The wait staff and cabin attendants always take such good care of me~I feel like a card is the least I can do in return.:) Thank you for this tip. My husband and I just took our first cruise and not really knowing better, we had the tips charged but did add an additional amount for those that gave exceptional service on the Millie (and there were several). We did run into a couple later that evening who we had met during the cruise who were experienced cruisers. They had envelopes for each special person to them and I thought it was such a nice gesture. Thanks again for the idea. I will remember it on our next cruise. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruising with marti Posted April 9, 2005 #23 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Lois Ok, Ok you caught me again, so you saw me tip the bartender a buck, that does not mean that I am a big tipper:D PHil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Sweet Posted April 9, 2005 #24 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Charging tips to your sea pass does not preclude you from leaving extra for good service. That is one of the options on the charge form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcrandle Posted April 9, 2005 #25 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Can I be controversail? Do all you Americans realise the rest of the civilised world find your tipping culture uncomfortable to say the least ( if not downright insulting and patronising to the workforce of the worlds richest country). Yes , in the UK we do tip people but not in the mindless way you folks in the USA fell compelled to. If a waitress brings a drink to our table we give a tip but if we go to the bar and collect a drink ourselves we do not feel compelled to give the barman a couple of pounds (or dollars). In the UK (worlds 4th richest economy) we try to pay a living wage (governed by a Statutary Minimum Pay as decided by the Government) so we do not have the undignified spectacle scenario of coach drivers, porters etc touting for tips. I realise market forces will drive a workforce to the cruise industry from ''third world economies' ( currently East Europe) but PLEASE pay a decent wage. Treat them with dignity. Dont have them performing like trained animals to earn their tips. Then perhaps you should cruise on UK flagged ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.