Tipping from a cruise staff perspective

[madelinerose]

....

[Algebralovr]

I was also wanting to ask the dollar v euro question. I'm a Brit going on a med cruise with pre-paid gratuities. So the only reason I'd need dollars is if I had to have them for tips. Obviously far more convenient NOT to have to do that...will staff accept euro tips or feel a bit put out? We're on Celebrity if that makes a difference. Hope somebody can reply soon as I'm getting holiday cash sorted tomorrow!

 

Since it is a Med Cruise, and you have pre-paid gratuities, feel free to tip in whatever you prefer - be it USD, Sterling or Euros. The Euros will be easy for the crew to spend or send home from any port along the Med and may actually save them a little bit of cash along the Med.

[AltarEgo]

That the cheap cruise booking is only an appetizer on the plate of industry profits.

[LHT28]

I was also wanting to ask the dollar v euro question. I'm a Brit going on a med cruise with pre-paid gratuities. So the only reason I'd need dollars is if I had to have them for tips. Obviously far more convenient NOT to have to do that...will staff accept euro tips or feel a bit put out? We're on Celebrity if that makes a difference. Hope somebody can reply soon as I'm getting holiday cash sorted tomorrow!

You may be best to tip extra in euros ..they can spend it ashore if they have the chance ...

they will accept any currency graciously ;)

[LHT28]

.

So, should I tip the extra in US$ or Euro, or won't it matter.

I also think our Cruise is basically in 2 sections, Barcelona-Venice & Venice- Venice, so should I tip after each section, or only if I become aware that staff are moving on?

Cheers

Hodgy11

It does not matter

We usually tip after each cruise ...the night before the 1st cruise ends

It is a personal choice

[happy cruzer]

I go with the cruise line recommended amounts whether they are pre paid or put in envelopes.

 

Cruise lines do the tips differently, some pool and others may not.

 

The service staff sign a contract and understand the cruise line's policies on tips ahead of time. I assume that they are ok with the recommended guidelines or they would not sign a contract. So I go with the recommended daily amount and don't worry about the details. Just as no one has ever worried about my personal compensation or lack there of :).

[Taxguy77]

Lets try to carry the logic of the OP a bit further. Supposed I want to buy a Mercedes that is advertised for $80,000. Now lets suppose that a local dealer advertises that Mercedes for $50,000....and of course I go running to that dealer. He says, yes, the car will only cost you $50,000 but we will also add an "automatic gratuity" to pay for the labor of building, shipping and selling the car and that "automatic gratuity" will only be $35,000.

 

We can also see this approach for education. Perhaps a school will charge $5000 a year in "automatic" gratuities to pay for the teachers, janitors, etc. And of course we might then be able to give you a $1000 reduction in your taxes.

 

My point is that the cruise lines have traditionally used the "tipping" scam as a way to market lower prices (which do not include gratuities). And then they try to turn the argument around by saying its the customers (cruiser) responsibility to pay the staff. What an idea! Perhaps I will run for President on the campaign promise that I will eliminate all income taxes......(and replace it with an automatic gratuity).

 

Hank

P.S. We will leave it to the reader to judge the seriousness of this post :)

 

Polititions will just add the auto tip to the taxes!:rolleyes:

Otherwise the "Opt out" feature would be used by too many of us who don't like the way taxes are misused and lost. :eek:

[Taxguy77]

Thank you for the kind words from all of you. Realizing that this was a topic that needed some basic clarifications and I thought I was doing the right thing about providing as much information as possible. I guess you can never please those who thinks that auto grats are a scam and I guess those people belong to the I am greater than having to tip people kind of attitude.

 

Majority of cruisers I met while working on board the ship have been pleasant to the point where you will just do about anything you can to please them. And from comments I get from you, you belong to this group. Hope I will be able to sail with you someday....:o

 

Perhaps your definition of 'scam' is different than theirs.

To me it is obviously a way to lower the advertised price of the cruise by $10-12/day. They also don't include port charges and other items that make the final cost higher, that's marketing (There's also a tax factor involved in the service charge.). You can call this a scam or not, as you wish.

BUT, notice that some sailings from Great Britain (Not noted for tipping) are priced differently,without the "tips:confused:).

[Taxguy77]

Aw, come on, can't we comment on it? Please? Imagine the fun we could have, combining a tipping thread with a smuggling thread! :D

 

Think it will pass the 1,000 mark?:confused::rolleyes::D

[helpthejuggler]

BUT, notice that some sailings from Great Britain (Not noted for tipping) are priced differently,without the "tips:confused:).

 

I think there is some misunderstanding. All cruise prices advertised in UK include port taxes and fees.

 

Pre-pay is quite common, although Cunard use auto-tips and I don't think pre-pay is an option.

 

X included the 15% within drinks prices from Southampton rather than as a separate itemised cost.

RCI intended something similar, but seem to cancel the charge on Independence.

 

Removing the auto tips is quite common though among Brits.

[Taxguy77]

I may be getting old, but I like the envelopes better than the auto.

Our first two week cruise, we adjusted the recommendation of the cruiseline; nothing to the maitre'd as he did nothing for us so we gave his portion to the waiter; matched the waiter's for his assistant, increased the room steward and ended up paying more than the recommended amount.

The waiter asked me to give his assistant a good notice on his evaluation with whitch I agreed, the assistant gave us the biggest smile I've ever seen when I told him we had recommended him for waiter and that was before he opened his tip envelope.

We mentioned 4 or 5 crew members by name for their outstanding work in hopes our remarks would help them get promotions.

 

Too bad they are so overworked in some venues now, just ruins the cruise experience.

[KievCruiser]

I don't think people should tip at the beginning of a cruise. That's more like a bribe than a tip!

 

The derivation of the word 'tips' is "to insure proper service." i like tipping up front for just that reason .... And it works! Bribery, maybe, but absolutely effective!

[calliopecruiser]

The derivation of the word 'tips' is "to insure proper service." i like tipping up front for just that reason .... And it works! Bribery, maybe, but absolutely effective!

 

That's an old wives' tale, or maybe an urban legend:

 

“Tip is an old word, and it has nothing to do with either acronyms or the act of attempting to influence quality of service. Although the word has many meanings, both as a verb and as a noun, the use of the term as it applies to monetary rewards to servants dates to the 1700s….. the use of tip to describe the act of giving something to another (where that list of possible 'somethings' could include small sums of money, intelligence on horse races, or the latest silly joke) goes back to 1610. Tip slipped into the language as underworld slang, with the verb 'to tip' (meaning 'to give to or share with') being used by shady characters as part of the then-current argot of petty criminals.” http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

[LHT28]

i like tipping up front for just that reason .... And it works! Bribery, maybe, but absolutely effective!

Do you tip cash upfront to the wait staff ?

 

If not the crew do not know you have tipped upfront & you will get the same service as those that just use the auto-tip or tip the last night

[lage1]

so the cruise line doesnot pay the staff the only means of pay is what passengers leave for tips so when we pay for a cruise where does that money go

[sail7seas]

That the cheap cruise booking is only an appetizer on the plate of industry profits.

 

 

Cruise lines are for profit businesses. They are like any other business that has stockholders and seeks to make profits.

 

We should not think of them as non-profit charities.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..

[paul929207]

so the cruise line doesnot pay the staff the only means of pay is what passengers leave for tips so when we pay for a cruise where does that money go

Fuel

Pay for not service personnel

Food

maintainance

....

[luddite]

The derivation of the word 'tips' is "to insure proper service." i like tipping up front for just that reason .... And it works! Bribery, maybe, but absolutely effective!

 

Simply not true. If it was derived from that line, it'd be teps, not tips.

Your insurance agent ain't involved with tipping.

[luddite]

so the cruise line doesnot pay the staff the only means of pay is what passengers leave for tips so when we pay for a cruise where does that money go

 

thedscor'tips' is howthecrew getspaid thatisthewaythat thesystemisanditisntlikely tochangeinour lifetime

[LHT28]

so the cruise line doesnot pay the staff the only means of pay is what passengers leave for tips so when we pay for a cruise where does that money go

Think about it:rolleyes:

 

maybe food, fuel etc....

They do pay the staff but just a small wage

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Perhaps your definition of 'scam' is different than theirs.

To me it is obviously a way to lower the advertised price of the cruise by $10-12/day. They also don't include port charges and other items that make the final cost higher, that's marketing (There's also a tax factor involved in the service charge.). You can call this a scam or not, as you wish.

BUT, notice that some sailings from Great Britain (Not noted for tipping) are priced differently,without the "tips:confused:).

Good thought ....

[nhohue2011]

Lets try to carry the logic of the OP a bit further. Supposed I want to buy a Mercedes that is advertised for $80,000. Now lets suppose that a local dealer advertises that Mercedes for $50,000....and of course I go running to that dealer. He says, yes, the car will only cost you $50,000 but we will also add an "automatic gratuity" to pay for the labor of building, shipping and selling the car and that "automatic gratuity" will only be $35,000.

 

We can also see this approach for education. Perhaps a school will charge $5000 a year in "automatic" gratuities to pay for the teachers, janitors, etc. And of course we might then be able to give you a $1000 reduction in your taxes.

 

My point is that the cruise lines have traditionally used the "tipping" scam as a way to market lower prices (which do not include gratuities). And then they try to turn the argument around by saying its the customers (cruiser) responsibility to pay the staff. What an idea! Perhaps I will run for President on the campaign promise that I will eliminate all income taxes......(and replace it with an automatic gratuity).

 

Hank

P.S. We will leave it to the reader to judge the seriousness of this post :)

 

I second this. Maybe it's the cultural different, but where I come from, people earn their tip. On cruise lines, it's not really tip, it's salary.

[nhohue2011]

:)Just a quick reply to all...cruises are not for the weak at heart or cheap with the pocket book! If you cannot go on a cruise and have the time of your life, then get off the ship! As far as the crew is concerned, whatever they are paid I can only hope that every passenger gives as much "tip" as he can afford. They all (meaning the crew) work their butts off and make you feel like royalty. It is the only place in the world that I personally receive service like that! Attention all crew, pay no attention to thoes unappreciative passengers and remember, most of us think you do a Great Job! Many heartful thanks.

Jacoussi George :)

 

Lol. Not sure where you get that from. Cruise is the cheapest (even after you include the auto tip & sales) and most relax way to travel. If you have a strong heart, try backpacking in a foreign country. If you have a deep pocket book, try private tours.

[triplett]

Hi Cruise Staff,

Thanks for all of your helpful info. I was wondering, what percentage of passesngers (roughly) per cruise removes the DSC? Is there a particular cabin category this is more commonly seen in? Just curious.