tipping USA vs Europe

[sunshine nana]

We have been in an NCL suite 2 times recently. The concierge did nothing for us, not even escort us to our suite as she took the people in the larger suites and we were in the aft and were left to board with everyone else. We did not give her a tip. Our first butler only brought us coffee a couple of days and the daily snack. We tipped as we would have for a non-suite room service ($20 total). Our second butler brought us menus for the MDR for the week and also checked our cabin daily, brought extra wine glasses and coffee in the am a couple of times and the daily snack. We gave him $40 total. You are paying a lot extra for the suite which we felt included the daily snacks. We gave the stewards $20 extra as we always do.

[DutchBunny]

Well not sure your age, but I guess you missed the days, when you had crappy service from a waitress and you left a few pennies on the table as an insult to show that waitress they did not do a good job. Oh the good old days ;)

 

 

Oh I still do this! Leave just a few cents behind after a bad behaviour.

 

And because of this, I have an additional question. I think it is normal to tip of the service was good. If you get a bad service I do not tip. If I do this in the US I sometimes see really angry looking people. Is that normal? And another one, if you have breakfast in the same hotel 5 days in a row, buffet style, where the waiters only have to serve some coffee, do you have to tip?

 

For the topic starter (in Dutch)

Gefeliciteerd met jullie 25 jarig huwelijk. Geniet van de cruise (ben enorm jaloers) en jullie verblijf in de USA.

[che5904]

Oh I still do this! Leave just a few cents behind after a bad behaviour.

 

And because of this, I have an additional question. I think it is normal to tip of the service was good. If you get a bad service I do not tip. If I do this in the US I sometimes see really angry looking people. Is that normal? And another one, if you have breakfast in the same hotel 5 days in a row, buffet style, where the waiters only have to serve some coffee, do you have to tip?

.

 

As another poster wrote, tipping is now very confusing and I think it seems to have a life all of it's own. You will certainly get different views on the above scenerios. I think a lot has to do with old fashioned thinking, age of the tipper, views on tipping (are you tipping because some poor employee doesn't get enough money in someones eyes), where you are from. It think NCLs DSC is a smart idea considering there are people from all counties and it simplifies the process so much.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is there is no one answer you will receive from everyone regarding the first scenerio about bad service. Unfortunately everyone's mileage will differ. As one poster wrote "don't think of not tipping a cabbie in NYC" regardless of service. Because tips are so often shared between other employees. Anymore what I do is I leave a tip, but take my issues to management, sometimes they will make it right by you. Not that I get bad service very often, most service places have good employees.

 

IMO I think a majority of people would probably agree, even at a buffet it is customary to leave a few dollars because people are still serving you a beverage, setting and clearing your table as well as refilling dishes that become empty etc.

[Fishbait17]

And because of this, I have an additional question. I think it is normal to tip of the service was good. If you get a bad service I do not tip. If I do this in the US I sometimes see really angry looking people. Is that normal? And another one, if you have breakfast in the same hotel 5 days in a row, buffet style, where the waiters only have to serve some coffee, do you have to tip?.

 

It's been years since I actually had bad service in a restaurant - as a waitress in a past life I can generally recognize slow service due to kitchen problems vs. waitstaff problems - so I always leave at least 15%. If the service was truly awful, I think I would tip minimally (like 10%) so that the backroom staff wasn't stiffed completely, but also bring it up with the manager in charge. Everyone can have a bad day, but if the complaints pile up it's time to replace the bad server.

 

As for buffets, I generally leave $5-10 or so to tip for the (good) coffee service and the busboys who clean up the table after me.

 

Robin

[DutchBunny]

As another poster wrote, tipping is now very confusing and I think it seems to have a life all of it's own. You will certainly get different views on the above scenerios. I think a lot has to do with old fashioned thinking, age of the tipper, views on tipping (are you tipping because some poor employee doesn't get enough money in someones eyes), where you are from.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is there is no one answer you will receive from everyone regarding the first scenerio about bad service. Unfortunately everyone's mileage will differ.

 

IMO I think a majority of people would probably agree, even at a buffet it is customary to leave a few dollars because people are still serving you a beverage, setting and clearing your table as well as refilling dishes that become empty etc.

 

Thanks for your explanation.

It will probably always remain difficult; I will keep all the info in mind when I am coming to the US.

[agabbymama]

And another one, if you have breakfast in the same hotel 5 days in a row, buffet style, where the waiters only have to serve some coffee, do you have to tip?

 

 

Yes, those waiters that serve you coffee, probably have to clean the table where you sat and set it up for the next folks. I may not tip as much as a waiter in a regular sit-down restaurant, but I do leave a couple of dollars.

[che5904]

It's been years since I actually had bad service in a restaurant - as a waitress in a past life I can generally recognize slow service due to kitchen problems vs. waitstaff problems - so I always leave at least 15%. If the service was truly awful, I think I would tip minimally (like 10%) so that the backroom staff wasn't stiffed completely, but also bring it up with the manager in charge. Everyone can have a bad day, but if the complaints pile up it's time to replace the bad server.

Robin

 

Great minds think alike ;)

 

Our response was quite similar

[laxlove6]

On land I would say tipping on bills is closer to 15%. 20% for better then average service. In Canada, there's a 13% tax plus your average 15% tip which adds upto 28% on your bill. So, basically $30 on every $100 you spend!!! Not cheap.

[mjkacmom]

Oh I still do this! Leave just a few cents behind after a bad behaviour.

 

And because of this, I have an additional question. I think it is normal to tip of the service was good. If you get a bad service I do not tip. If I do this in the US I sometimes see really angry looking people. Is that normal? And another one, if you have breakfast in the same hotel 5 days in a row, buffet style, where the waiters only have to serve some coffee, do you have to tip?

 

For the topic starter (in Dutch)

Gefeliciteerd met jullie 25 jarig huwelijk. Geniet van de cruise (ben enorm jaloers) en jullie verblijf in de USA.

 

For bad service, most just give a lower tip (10%?). For service to warrant no tip, it should be bad enough that you would talk to the manager. I've never had service bad enough to not tip, but I have left 10% (one time we were the server's only table, she never came back to the table after serving us, and I had to track her town to get the check - she was just chatting with someone). Many times, bad service is not the server's fault (kitchen running late, restaurant understaffed).

 

I tip 10% - 15% in buffets, because with my kids, there's a lot of bussing the servers need to do, plus they still have to set the table, and take/bring drink orders.

[che5904]

On land I would say tipping on bills is closer to 15%. 20% for better then average service. In Canada, there's a 13% tax plus your average 15% tip which adds upto 28% on your bill. So, basically $30 on every $100 you spend!!! Not cheap.

 

Actually most people I know would base the 15-20% tip on the net not the gross. So 15% is pre our glorious HST. But everyone does it a little different. Regardless I will agree it is not cheap.

[mjkacmom]

Actually most people I know would base the 15-20% tip on the net not the gross. So 15% is pre our glorious HST. But everyone does it a little different. Regardless I will agree it is not cheap.

 

Here in the US, you base the tip before the tax, which is nice.

[fergusonvt]

We stayed in a suite the week before last and basically other than the daily delivered snacks used the butler and concierge for nothing. We were not offered early admission to the chocolate buffet (but may have if I had asked). We were able to book a pay restaurant for 6pm at 4:30 one afternoon so never really saw the need to call the concierge to have her call the restaurant when there was a phone in the room. We did tip the butler $50.00 for the week for the daily delivery of our snacks even though he didn't deliver what we asked for. My plan for minimal use was $100 each for the butler and concierge for the week. On our first cruise I tipped the cabin attendant extra because he was extraordinary and also filled out a style card for him. Our cabin attendant this time was just ok. Making towel animals each night didn't make up for the fact that we often had just 1 towel in our bathroom and had to go hunting him down several times at which point he asked "you mean you want extra towels" and we said, no we just want one for each of us. :rolleyes:

[sparks1093]

Here in the US, you base the tip before the tax, which is nice.

 

Oooops:o.

[RichNY]

Thank You so much, this is info I can use .

 

 

Like Dave said come join Roll Call at

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1332550

 

We have a nice cross section of nationalities cruising with us plus some New York and California residents to help answer all your questions.

This should be a fun cruise so please come join the fun...:D

[sdmike]

I treat ship and off-ship tipping differently.

 

Off ship I tip with normal customs, including taxi's, servers, drivers, etc.

 

On the ship I tip very little above the DSC. I tip folks that are not included in the DSC when I use their services, like personnel in the kid's club or local personnel that provide excursions (drivers, guides, etc.). However, I don't leave money on tables at the buffet or add money to the 15% already added to the bar tab. I will, however, provide a few dollars to room service if I use them.

 

Tipping in Amsterdam is quite different. I made a cab driver very happy one day when I added a 20% tip to the fare downtown from Schiphol. I didn't realize until later, when having dinner with a local friend, that tipping isn't the norm. He stopped me from tipping the server at dinner that night too. He said "it's all included in the bill...you don't need to tip".

[DutchBunny]

Tipping in Amsterdam is quite different. I made a cab driver very happy one day when I added a 20% tip to the fare downtown from Schiphol. I didn't realize until later, when having dinner with a local friend, that tipping isn't the norm. He stopped me from tipping the server at dinner that night too. He said "it's all included in the bill...you don't need to tip".

 

This is so typical Dutch that I am sometimes ashamed of the Dutch. It is not true that the tip is included in the bill!

 

But it is true that the waiters get normal wages like everybody here in the Netherlands. We have minimum wages set up by the government. But you can tip for very good service. (Therefore my previous question about bad service). When we go out for dinner we always tip 10% on the bill of the service was very good. If I take a cab I will add some mostly rounding the amount off. (so if the ride is Euro 18 I will give the driver a 20 Euro bill and let him keep the change).

 

So knowing it is not custum for us to tip for every service performed it is allways allowed and when you are a returning customer you will get more attention at your next visit.

 

In a lot of the southern countries of Europe you allways have to check on the menu of tip is included on the bill. Mostly it is stated either on the menu or on some board in the restaurant.

[sdmike]

Oooops:o.

 

I sometimes forget too, and end up leaving larger than normal tips as a result :)

[MSH from Norway]

You can smoke marihuana legally in the so called "coffeeshops" and prostitutes are standing behind windows in the red light district of Amsterdam. Lots off people come to Amsterdam for this, but I am always afraid people all over the world think that the Dutch majority lives like that, and the answer is NO ! :)

-----------

 

......you forget to tell that everybody in Nederland lives either in houses which are 4 meters wide or in windmills, and are always wearing wooden shoes......:D

 

And most of you shops in Black Market.....:rolleyes:

 

.......and tipping in usa is like crazy for us european......:eek:

They expect to get tipped even when they do nothing.......

 

I was in Disneyworld and ate at a self-service bufet. For all of us it was around 60 dollars. The waiter did nothing beside from hiding, and I gave her only 8 dollars in tip, and she got ANGRY and gave me the 8 dollars back!! I told her that had she worked in Europe, she wouldn't have got 1 cent!

 

There is one more thing you have to remember when you go cruising with americans : 90% of american hate to share a table.......:eek:

 

In Zuiderdam we saw americans sitting alone or two at tables for four, six or even eight, and when we asked very friendly if we could sit down, they looked at us as we where some of the crew.....

 

At the end I gave up, and the two of us went to a table for eight where one angry "lady" were sitting alone, and waited for none, and asked for one end of the table, and when she said no, we said that there is no more tables free and you cant expect to have eight chairs for your self before we sat down and had our breakfast.

It had been fun to see that woman in München in october.......:D

[aknz]

I find tipping is always an issue when in the US. It causes me a lot of stress. I realise that the culture is a tipping one and I follow this. I must say it generally means the service is far superior to anything you get anywhere else. The wait staff ask if everything is ok and appear to genuinely care for the most part.

 

I have an issue however when the service is bad. One time we were at a fairly expensive restaurant in LA and our entees (note my use of the correct American terminology) came out before the appetisers. We got blank looks when we asked for them to be removed but they finally took them away. When we were ready, the meals were cold and when we complained about that, they came back obviously just out of the microwave. We were dining with an American girl who insisted on leaving a full 18%. It really bothered me.

 

Also what to do when the taxi takes you to 8th street from 6th via 1st? In this case I didn't leave a tip.

 

The toughest thing for me is having enough cash actually ready. You know, porters etc. After a long flight it is quite hard to remember to have so many singles or whatever.

 

Interesting to note my daughter (a part time waitress) always gives extra good service to anyone with an accent that may suggest they come from North America, 10-20% is a BIG tip.

 

On the ship we tip our butlers and concierge according to the service. I usually start with the thought of $100 each and move from there. One time the butler got $150 and the concierge $50, one time it was the reverse as we barely saw the butler and the concierge made the cruise for us. The good thing is you can put it on your ship account (you have to go to the desk and it goes directly onto the staff member's account), no problems with having cash. I usually leave a little extra for the steward as well but that is entirely up to you.

 

Have a great trip and try not to stress about tipping.

[che5904]

I have an issue however when the service is bad. One time we were at a fairly expensive restaurant in LA and our entees (note my use of the correct American terminology) came out before the appetisers. We got blank looks when we asked for them to be removed but they finally took them away. When we were ready, the meals were cold and when we complained about that, they came back obviously just out of the microwave. We were dining with an American girl who insisted on leaving a full 18%. It really bothered me.

.

 

FYI if you have an issue like this, which I find quite rare. You don't have to make a scene but ask quietly to see the manager. In my experience most restaurants we have ate at in the Canada and the U.S. the manager will either discount your meal or even give a complimentary meal if you are not satisfied and if your complaint appears valid.

 

I filled a survey out for the hotel we stayed at after our MR cruise that disembarked in LA. I was appalled at the horrible service we got and the food was cold. Hey what the heck, I paid the billed tipped the waiter and figured I'd never stay there again so what was the sense of making a fuss while I was still in vacation mode. When I got home I received the survey and filled it out honestly. I received a phone call from the restaurant manager. At that point and time he couldn't do anything for me, he did look up my bill before he called. He asked if we were planning on returning to LA, I told him no. He gave me his name and told me if things changed and I was there again to ask for him and I would receive our meals on the house and he would personally see I received appropriate service.

 

So I'm sure if I would have just asked to speak to a manager at the time that he would have handled our issues promptly.

[mjkacmom]

The toughest thing for me is having enough cash actually ready. You know, porters etc. After a long flight it is quite hard to remember to have so many singles or whatever.

.

 

Interesting, whenever I'm flying anywhere, I always make sure I have 20 singles on me, because I know I'm going to need them. I still remember my parents doing the same when I was a child (usually I have to make a stop at the bank).

[Mooder]

I have an issue however when the service is bad. One time we were at a fairly expensive restaurant in LA and our entees (note my use of the correct American terminology) came out before the appetisers. We got blank looks when we asked for them to be removed but they finally took them away. When we were ready, the meals were cold and when we complained about that, they came back obviously just out of the microwave. We were dining with an American girl who insisted on leaving a full 18%. It really bothered me.

 

As an American, I disagree with the American girl you dined with. I would not give 18% to that waiter. Probably 10 - only because I know waiters are paid a lesser hourly rate, but low enough that they know I was unhappy.

 

When I am happy, I tip 20% on the total - I know I should only do it on the pre-tax bill, but I am mentally lazy and want to be generous. :o

 

As for a buffet. I never know what to tip. But will generally tip 15%. One time, we tipped less (about 10%) because the waitress never cleared our plates and never offered us more juice or coffee. This was a breakfast buffet and a refill of coffee would seem to me to be the least she could do. Once she had delivered our initial beverages, we never saw her again. Well, that is until we left. As I was wheeling my mother across the parking lot in her wheelchair, the waitress came running after us demanding more tip! :eek: I have never and will never return to that restaurant. That was a sign of horrible management in my opinion.

 

We have become tip happy in this country. I don't know why a job that is paid a full wage needs to be tipped. The tip jar at the pizza take out joint really makes me laugh. You handed me a box from a shelf and took my money and I should tip you for that?! :confused: Call me old-fashioned but the meaning of the term has been lost.

[che5904]

As I was wheeling my mother across the parking lot in her wheelchair, the waitress came running after us demanding more tip! :eek:

 

Oh my goodness how bold and rude :(

 

We have become tip happy in this country. Call me old-fashioned but the meaning of the term has been lost.

 

I couldn't agree more. Anymore I'm not sure who's suppose to be tipped :D And if you are suppose to be topping up someone's salary that makes lesser wage due to the fact they are in a tipping position, how do you know that (of course besides servers which is pretty well known). Are we suppose to go around now when we go any where and ask to have people produce a paystub?

[sparks1093]

As I was wheeling my mother across the parking lot in her wheelchair, the waitress came running after us demanding more tip! :eek: I have never and will never return to that restaurant.

 

:eek:Wow, I would have been writing a letter after that incident:eek:.

[che5904]

:eek:Wow, I would have been writing a letter after that incident:eek:.

 

I'd like to think I may handle it that maturely. But I'm afraid my mouth may go in gear before my pen ;). I shouldn't admit my temper sometimes has me engaging mouth before brain :o :D