Pinnacle Grill Tip Goes in the Kitty?

[vacationfun]

We have read elsewhere that HAL waiters, cabin stewards, etc. are REQUIRED to turn in any extra tip money received (above the $10 automatically charged to each passenger per day) to be placed in the kitty that is split between all shipboard employees. Furthermore, they can lose their jobs if they don't turn it in. Would this not also apply to waiters in The Pinnacle Grill? And if so, are they really realizing any benefit personally for good service given by the time their tip is divided between several hundred employees? So what would be the purpose of tipping in The Pinnacle Grill? We're not trying to be tightwads, but what's the point of tipping if the waiters don't get to keep it?

 

If anyone has concrete info about this, please enlighten us.

[dakrewser]

We have read elsewhere that HAL waiters, cabin stewards, etc. are REQUIRED to turn in any extra tip money received (above the $10 automatically charged to each passenger per day) to be placed in the kitty that is split between all shipboard employees. Furthermore, they can lose their jobs if they don't turn it in. Would this not also apply to waiters in The Pinnacle Grill? And if so, are they really realizing any benefit personally for good service given by the time their tip is divided between several hundred employees? So what would be the purpose of tipping in The Pinnacle Grill? We're not trying to be tightwads, but what's the point of tipping if the waiters don't get to keep it?

 

If anyone has concrete info about this, please enlighten us.

 

Only tips that come from those who reduce or remove their automatic, $10/day, tip are required to be shared. Crew keep all of the tip they are given over & above the $10/day.

[RuthC]

My understanding is the same as Dave's. All tips given may be kept by the recipient as long as the service charge stays on place at $10/person/day.

 

I don't know where you read otherwise, but it not correct that extra tips are pooled. Is it possible you misinterpreted what you read? If not, it's a shame that incorrect information is out there.

[JDee]

Dave & Ruth's responses leave me confused. I have always thought that the automatic tips were not shared by the Pinnacle staff. Many, many posts on these boards always seem to indicate that. When a question arises about the costs of Pinnacle, seems the answer includes "plus tip". If you leave the auto tip in place, why would it be necessary to add a tip at Pinnacle?? I have only eaten at the Pinnacle once, tipped, but that was before auto tipping....

 

And on the other side of the question, if a person never eats at the DR, and leaves the auto tip in place, wouldn't it be fair to state the pax has indeed tipped the Pinnacle staff??

 

And lastly, does anyone know FOR SURE that the Pinnacle staff is or is not part of auto tipping scheme???? And how to you know that?? Thanks.......

[RuthC]

JDee, my understanding is that a pittance of the $10/person/day filters down to the Pinnacle staff from the $4.00 distributed to the "behind the scenes" staff. So, any individual diner has contributed little to their tip, but also many who have not dined there have also contributed.

I'm in the camp that would want to leave an additional tip for exemplary service.

Also, I agree, for those of us still used to the old system, it can be all too confusing.

[ekerr19]

JDee - I don't know FOR SURE, but I believe what RuthC says is correct - at least that is the way it has been explained to me by HAL staff. We tip the Pinnacle staff "outside" the auto-tip with cash on the nights we eat in the Pinnacle. The same goes for the wine steward and Maitre D' in the Pinnacle.

 

We have never removed or reduced the auto-tip and I can't think of a reason where I would be inclined to do so, but we only ate in the D/R 3 nights on our last cruise and for the first time ever, did not tip additional amounts to the D/R staff. Our auto-tip amounted to $400 for our cruise and we tipped our room steward a good deal extra as he was the one person we had the most contact with on this last voyage.

[vacationfun]

How would the individual employee know whether or not you had left the automatic $10 a day tip in place, thus letting him know if he could keep the extra tip or had to turn it in? Surely he wouldn't take down your name and check at the end of the cruise!

 

This whole tipping policy is quite confusing and it seems HAL should give some information to passengers that makes it clear--especially regarding giving extra tips to those who give exemplary service and the policy governing employees of The Pinnacle Grill.

 

To answer the earlier question, no we did not misunderstand what was written on the post we read. We just think a whole lot of people are equally confused on the issue.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been on several cruises since the new automatic tipping was put into place.

In the dining room, we have observed the area captain watching to see if anyone who had the automatic tips removed tried to tip their waiter and his asiistant. On one cruise, the area captain was called to a table when the people tried to tip on their after having the automatic tips removed. Their problem was not resolved. Then the maitre'd came and talked to them - still problems. Finally the purser came to talk to them.

I can give you this information - they were in a penthouse suite and removed all tips and wanted to tip on their own. After much ado's they found out that that in SOME areas the tips they gave personally had to be divided among many crew members.

NOW - I am not sayong this happens all the time - but on this one cruise - it did happen.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We checked with HAL - via e-mail - about the Pinnacle Grill. We were informed that they are considered part of the crew and only get a few "Cent's" of the $10 automatic tipping - and it doesn't make any difference whether you remove the automatic tips or not. They are considered part of the "crew".

[Scrumpy]

Is it possible to leave tips at the service desk or do you have find the individuals? Last time, our routine was so set that we saw easily everyone we wanted to tip. If our routine were more varied, would we have to go find everyone? That is assuming the $10/day charge stays intact.

thanks

Scrumpy

[JDee]

It's good that HAL has taken steps to clear up the old "tipping not required" policy that was so confusing. Now everybody understands the new policy.

 

Thanks for all the responses......

 

Happy cruising......

[james j feller]

How does the help know if you removed your tips at the end of the cruise ?

 

JIM

[sail7seas]

The Stewards (and supervisors etc) are informed if people in cabins they take care of or if pax in their dining section have elected to remove the automatic tips. They Know whether you have left the automatic in place of not. Therefore, they know if they are obliged to turn anything you give them into the pool.

 

We have been on a number of cruises since automatic went in effect. I am sure that the policy is that anything you give over and above the automatic is theirs to keep. If you remove the automatic, anything you give must be pooled.

The Pinnacle stewards do get a teeny, tiny piece of the automatic. It is a small pittance by the time it filters down to them. We have always tipped when we dine in Pinnacle.

[dakrewser]

How does the help know if you removed your tips at the end of the cruise ?

 

JIM

 

I believe all tips are turned in (and noted with tipee's name) then distributed at the end of the cruise. If the tipper did not reduce autotip, then the tipee gets all of it. Otherwise, it goes into a pot to be shared.

[james j feller]

Thank you SAIL 7 SEAS and DAKREWSER, i wasn't sure about how to tip extra , i usually give a little bit more to those that deserve it.

 

We are going on the RYNDAM this week and i wanted to be sure.

 

JIM

[sail7seas]

Thank you SAIL 7 SEAS and DAKREWSER, i wasn't sure about how to tip extra , i usually give a little bit more to those that deserve it.

 

We are going on the RYNDAM this week and i wanted to be sure.

 

JIM

 

If you wish, Jim, you can go to the Front Office and request envelopes into which you can place any tip you may wish to give someone. The ladies at the office are happy to give you as many envelopes as you wish. Unlike other cruiselines, they do not as a matter of course place the envelopes in your cabin. You need to stop by the office whenever it is convenient for you....anytime during the cruise ---if you want them.

Hope you have a great cruise.

[RuthC]

Is it possible to leave tips at the service desk or do you have find the individuals? Last time, our routine was so set that we saw easily everyone we wanted to tip. If our routine were more varied, would we have to go find everyone? That is assuming the $10/day charge stays intact.

thanks

Scrumpy

It's customary to deliver the additional tips to the recipient yourself.

On my last cruise there was a steward who had helped me in the Lido, but I couldn't find him on the last day; turned out he was sick and confined to his cabin. I left the envelope with his superisor.

 

I've never heard of leaving tip envelopes at the Front Desk, but can't think of any reason it can't be done. I have left notes there for officers and staff, and know they were delivered.

[mmh0805]

First time poster, but have enjoyed reading for two years and have cruised on HAL. Please know that if I ate at the Pinnacle I would tip the wait staff well, but I wonder what percentage of the passengers eat at the Pinnacle?

 

If most people keep the autotip and most people don't eat at the Pinnacle, the Pinnacle waiters are probably getting compensated about equally with the wait staff in the dining room. I think :) . Say a Pinnacle waiter gets something like $0.10 per day from everyone's daily autotip (regardless of whether the passenger chose to enjoy the Pinnacle), and say everyone keeps the autotip and no one tips the Pinnacle waiter an additional amount, I *think* that comes to $840 a week for the Maasdam-size ship($0.10 X 1200 passengers X 7 days).

 

But like I said, even if I knew this for a fact I would still tip well if I dined in the Pinnacle and I personally wouldn't remove the autotip and would tip additional to the cabin stewards and the dining room wait staff.

[EmilyM]

On one cruise, the area captain was called to a table when the people tried to tip on their after having the automatic tips removed. Their problem was not resolved. Then the maitre'd came and talked to them - still problems. Finally the purser came to talk to them.

 

I can give you this information - they were in a penthouse suite and removed all tips and wanted to tip on their own. After much ado's they found out that that in SOME areas the tips they gave personally had to be divided among many crew members.

 

NOW - I am not sayong this happens all the time - but on this one cruise - it did happen.

 

I can't believe they would make a scene with a penthouse guest. I am sure they weren't being cheapskates. I wonder if those guests ever sailed with HAL again.

[JDee]

Just to follow that $840.00 to final distribution: Maasdam Pinnacle may have 5 waiters & 5 assistant waiters, each would get $84.00 for the week or $12.00 for a day's work.....Now that's surely a pittance......

 

Happy cruising.....

[mhb1757]

Why would the Pinnacle staff be compensated any differently than the dining room wait staff from the auto tips?? If they were getting stiffed from the auto tips do you think anyone would want to work in there? I don't.

[anngie]

Why not just raise the price of the cruise to include the service charge that is filtered down to everyone and let pax tip for exceptional or special services? Wouldn't this be less confusing?

[Peggy Sue]

On the Volendam last November we asked the Pinnacle maitre'd(at the podium) if we left a tip how would it be treated by the new tipping system. We were advised that tips charged to the bill would have to be pooled (via room key) however, tips in cash stayed with the wait staff .. so we tipped in cash. We asked the wait staff too, and they confirmed what we were told by the maitre'd. We placed the cash tip in the folder with our signed charge slip. All staff came by to thank us for the cash tip. Every person we tipped we asked how the system worked for them. We advised we left our auto tips when we thanked them for their service at the end of the cruise and offered an additional cash tip.

 

We were also surprised to learn the 15% bar tip is pooled with the bar staff. During our cruise we had a few waiters who took very good care of us, remembering what we drank, making sure our second order was in before the end of happy hour, etc., so we also thanked them at the end of the cruise with a cash tip.

 

I don't mind the auto tips...I wish they wouldn't allow them to be removed by anyone. $10. a day per person is a small price to pay for the amazing service one receives all day long on a cruise. I've seen many people undertip staff..some to the point of skipping out on it all together. I can understand people removing tips if service is horrible, but not because they are just plain cheap! Ok...I got off topic, sorry!!

 

I would simply ask when your on board .. they staff will thank you for taking the time to make sure the person providing the service receives the tip you would like to leave.

 

Have a terrific cruise!!

 

Peggy Sue

[mmh0805]

Wow, if the Pinnacle crew gets only $12 a day from autotips (that would be only 1 cent of each passenger's autotip).... that is terrible.

[blueseasrformee]

Well said Peggy Sue!:)