Viking Tipping

[TravelBugM]

Agree with franski. You may never see quite a few crew/staff that work tirelessly. We only met the full kitchen staff when we took the galley tour. And the Captain and his crew definitely deserved acknowledgment.

 

We used the envelopes provided for the CD and the crew/staff. We tipped our bus driver individually as well as one of the night front desk staff that helped us out in a minor emergency one evening.

 

We essentially followed the guideline provided for tipping and felt it was more than fair.

 

One day we returned to our cabin to find our housekeeping staff on her hands and knees scrubbing herself out of the bathroom. That deserves a tip in my mind.

[squarevanman]

Since Europe is not commonly known for tipping, or at least in the percentage we are, it would be interesting to know if passengers on non-American boats are given the same advice.

 

I will tip based on service.

 

I have used Croisieurope (French) Danube and Adriatic and PNC (Egyptian) on the Nile. Both companies left envelopes in cabins with no suggestion as to how much (or how little) for the crew. However PNC did suggest 100 Egyptian for the Egyptologist. Around £10 sterling, 25 in a group so a very reasonable £250 for the week. The Brits on these cruises seemed to prefer this method.

[cruiseryyc]

That's why I chose Scenic for our upcoming cruise - all tips (and drinks) are included; won't have to think about anything at the end of the week.

[Osnab]

I agree that may be the norm for North Americans but please believe me when you come from a country that does not have a "tipping culture" it is far easier to have the tips included in the fare.

 

It does make a difference, and in the opposite direction. Being American, I always have a difficult time not automatically leaving 15-20% tip in a restaurant. I feel like I'm doing something wrong leaving loose change.

 

Felicia

[Stratheden]

That's why I chose Scenic for our upcoming cruise - all tips (and drinks) are included; won't have to think about anything at the end of the week.

 

We have also chosen Scenic for our 2014 cruises for exactly the same reason.

 

We have just returned from 7 weeks in US and Canada and apart from the time spent on our all inclusive tour I worried about how much I should be tipping and who I should be tipping.

 

One morning we were on an early morning transfer to the airport when I realised that In our rush we had forgotten to leave a tip in our room for housekeeping. I felt really guilty but it is something so foreign to us at home.

[Mark_T]

One morning we were on an early morning transfer to the airport when I realised that In our rush we had forgotten to leave a tip in our room for housekeeping. I felt really guilty but it is something so foreign to us at home.

 

I wouldn't feel too upset about it, only about 50% of US citizens would tip housekeeping so you are far from alone ...

[cruiseryyc]

One morning we were on an early morning transfer to the airport when I realised that In our rush we had forgotten to leave a tip in our room for housekeeping. I felt really guilty but it is something so foreign to us at home.

 

I only leave a tip for housekeeping if I've stayed more than two nights; don't worry about it.

[John99]

Hi to All,

 

Clarification about tipping.

How do most cc members pay tips -- US dollars or Euros?

How about a combinations using both US dollars and Euros?

If you run out of currency for tipping do they have an ATM aboard?

 

John

[cruiseryyc]

You are in Europe, use Euros.

[duhgbert]

This is interesting enough that I want to comment.

 

1. If you think a CD gets paid too much relative to your salary, become a CD or get a better job, but don't hold it against them, because...

 

2. Wait until you see how much that CD works his a$$ off for his pay! :eek:

 

3. And that goes for the rest of the crew as well. They pull double & triple duty from what I saw last year. Some are even more above & beyond than others, and it is they who get some extra cash specifically handed to them by us.

 

4. The crews sign on for the 10 month season, and while I am sure there are some days off or something, it's a 10 month contract. Of note, we were on the last sailing of that contract last year (and will be again this year) and no one acted like it wasn't top priority to make our trip awesome. If anything, I think it was almost like the last day of school for them and they enjoyed the trip with us.

 

5. The tips are dispersed by ratios agreed upon when they sign their contracts, so the newbies may not get as much as the veterans, or who knows...maybe someone is a great contract negotiator. Either way, those ratios are set, so if you want one person to get more tip, see #3 above.

 

6. I see the benefits from the US and the Euro side of including tips/service charges or not. Personally, I'd rather it not be "included" (because I guarantee you are paying for it in the price of the cruise!) and I would prefer to make the election to tip how I feel is appropriate once my experience is done.

 

One thing to point out for new cruisers regarding the excursions. There will be times that the Viking staff will lead your tours (including the CD), and there are times they utilize local guides...and bus drivers. We had some VERY good local guides and drivers that were often overlooked when the tour was done when it comes to tips. It was at least as common for me to drop the customary Euro or two only to then watch others scramble in an "oh yeah, we should give her a tip" kind of way.

 

Again, it is all optional, and frankly, I saw no way whatsoever that anyone from Viking would or could know if you did or did not drop an envelope in the locked bin. Tip directly, tip the ratio pool, or don't tip at all. No matter what, you will receive non-stop deals to come back for future cruises! (which worked for us because we're going back a year later with some MAJOR discounts) :D

 

-Duhg

[lahlah57]

I now gravitate to cruises that have tips included. "HATE" dealing with this at the end of the cruise. Even though I tipped a little to our room stewards which were outstanding on Azamara!:D

[CruisingAlong4Now]

I prefer "no tipping is expected" and only travel with companies that do so. I expect the cruise line to hire good people and pay them a living wage.

 

Check the boards for the skinflint travelers who avoid the main dining room on the last day of an ocean cruise. And they are proud of not tipping. Check the comments of the travelers who say that their waiters were not fast enough on refilling the water glasses and so didn't tip them.

 

To those travelers who say that people won't perform their jobs well unless they are rewarded with a "tip" at the end, I say that if you hire good people, pay them properly, and train them well, everyone should be well-satisfied.

 

To wit: the workers have a good-paying job, customers have an excellent experience, and companies get stable staffing with lower turnover.

 

Sounds win-win-win to me. :):):)

[duhgbert]

Just curious...how would/do you feel if/when you don't get good service on a "non-tipping" cruise? :confused:

 

Not criticizing your opinion, I just like to learn how other people think and feel about things...

 

I prefer "no tipping is expected" and only travel with companies that do so. I expect the cruise line to hire good people and pay them a living wage.

[jiminyC_fan]

That is really too bad for the rest of the crew.

 

On a river cruise, most crew members do more than 1 "job". You might see the bartenders helping out in the dining room, or the sailors and/or captain moving luggage. The front desk is often manned 24/7 - so there are people there who you may never meet if you go to bed before the night crew starts working. The sailors keep the outside areas of the boat clean... so although they might not interact with you directly (and they are traditionally a "shy" bunch....) they do impact your experiences on the boat.

 

If you want to tip over and above the "group" amount, that it one thing... but to tip individuals and not the group means that you will be - most likely - excluding people who worked hard behind the scenes to make your trip an enjoyable one.

 

Fran

 

Fran, this is how we tip on OCEAN cruiises and how the cruise line sets it up. We then tip anyone outside of the tipping circle individually. We even tip for drinks when tips are included. So actually, we tip MORE than the average person. My question was in regards to river cruises.

[Osnab]

I only leave a tip for housekeeping if I've stayed more than two nights; don't worry about it.

 

May I ask for the reason behind this? I don't want to start a war here, but tipping is for going above and beyond. So if you are there 3 nights, what guarantee is it that your tip will go to the same person for the 1st 2 nights that cleaned the 3rd day?

Felicia

[Osnab]

This is interesting enough that I want to comment.

 

 

2. Wait until you see how much that CD works his a$$ off for his pay! :eek:

 

 

-Duhg

 

Yeah and they have to deal with all KINDS of people!

Felicia

[Osnab]

I prefer "no tipping is expected" and only travel with companies that do so. I expect the cruise line to hire good people and pay them a living wage.

 

Check the boards for the skinflint travelers who avoid the main dining room on the last day of an ocean cruise. And they are proud of not tipping. Check the comments of the travelers who say that their waiters were not fast enough on refilling the water glasses and so didn't tip them.

 

To those travelers who say that people won't perform their jobs well unless they are rewarded with a "tip" at the end, I say that if you hire good people, pay them properly, and train them well, everyone should be well-satisfied.

 

To wit: the workers have a good-paying job, customers have an excellent experience, and companies get stable staffing with lower turnover.

 

Sounds win-win-win to me. :):):)

 

Can you clarify this for me? I have cruised plenty and almost always skip dinner the last night, but I still tip. I just leave it on my bill. Am I supposed to have it removed from the bill, but take cash (in the envelope) because that's just a little too much work for me to do on vacation!

 

I have seen people with envelopes in their hands the last night, and I always wonder why, when the tip is added on the bill. One cruise line (forgot which one) had cards you could put in the envelope and hand over that said something about good service and the tip was added onto our bills. I like that.

 

Felicia

[franski]

Fran, this is how we tip on OCEAN cruiises and how the cruise line sets it up. We then tip anyone outside of the tipping circle individually. We even tip for drinks when tips are included. So actually, we tip MORE than the average person. My question was in regards to river cruises.

 

Hi -

 

My response was for river cruising... Perhaps I misunderstood your question, as I thought you were indicating that you preferred to tip individually instead of the "group" gratuity.

 

The biggest difference between ocean and river cruising when it comes to tipping (and, my ocean experiences are limited, I will admit...) is that the gratuity was an auto-add in to the final bill on our ocean cruise - and it is not on a river cruise.

 

The gratuities on a river cruise are suggested amounts, and you either put cash in an envelope, or pay by credit card on the last day. When we decided to put our gratuities on our credit card on our last cruise, we had to indicate what the amount was - and write it in... no auto-fill in of the amount.

 

If you do put cash in an envelope - then no one has any idea who tipped, and how much. The envelopes are blank with no identifying marks. The boxes are separated - one for the crew, one for the CD. If you wish to tip over and above, then you can seek out the individual(s) that provided exceptional service. I just think it is unfair if people choose to pay gratuities only in this manner (ie: give just to individuals) instead of recognizing the crew as a whole.

 

Again - sorry if I misunderstood your original comment. But this has been (and most likely will continue to be) quite a contentious issue here on CC. Some people post here that they think the gratuities are "too much" - as if to receive validation for their decision to tip less than suggested, or not tip at all.

 

Fran