Tipping protocols

[English Tim]

Does no-one expect better, more personal service, when paying so much more for the cruise in the first place?

[pacheco18]

Does no-one expect better, more personal service, when paying so much more for the cruise in the first place?

 

Your question makes no sense. Should I tip the bellmen or the maid less when I stay at the Four Seasons than when I stay at the Marriott? After all, it's more luxurious -- I am paying a lot more; I should expect "better, more personal service."

 

Why are you so concerned about what others do about tipping?

 

It's a personal choice. Some people tip more than others or not at all. Same is true in restaurants, in hotels. Nothing different about a cruise ship. There are no rules (thank goodness), the tipping police are not on board and we are all entitled to do what we think is best in any given circumstance.

 

It is also cultural. Most Americans are generally big tippers! It's part of our culture. In some European countries tipping is not expected and that translates when those folks travel. (Just ask the tour guides -- they will tell you who tips, who tips well and who doesn't by country of origin). If you are looking to make things "uniform" you are wasting your time.

[English Tim]

Your question makes no sense. Should I tip the bellmen or the maid less when I stay at the Four Seasons than when I stay at the Marriott? After all, it's more luxurious -- I am paying a lot more; I should expect "better, more personal service."

 

Why are you so concerned about what others do about tipping?

 

 

I'm not at all concerned. I didn't start the thread! I just gave my opinion, but can't understand why others are surprised, hence tipping extra, when special touches are given. I have paid £500-£1500 for a weeks' cruise on different ships and found the cabin and dining service to generally be pretty good. Maybe I haven't been lucky enough to receive 'special' service, which may have encouraged me to tip extra.

 

However, I do expect more personal service when cruising the premium lines, even when tipping is included, as opposed to Carnival, Celebrity and Princess.

 

I believe that service standards are improving on other lines, now that there is so much competition. I have been addressed by name on all three of the above, but maybe that's because I'm infamous!;)

[uktog]

So what do you define as special service?

 

I too run my own company and prudent financial management is important, but so too is managing the relationships I have with suppliers and customers. If I ran the business purely on thrifty lines I would not survive very long.

 

I have never come across any Brits on Azamara who removed auto tips, indeed I do not even think you can do that.

 

Yes, it is preference, but it is also about recognising norms in the country I visit or in the culture of the operation I am visiting, so regardless of where the cruise ship is based, I expect to tip.

 

Pacheco18 is right, tips should not vary because of the establishment you are in, and as one who has posted elsewhere this week about direct experience between Azamara and Celebrity I am more than happy that the baseline service standard is higher on Azamara in any event so back to the original consensus of most posters, using that baseline, where there is service above and beyond that higher norm, I reward it, both in cash and with appropriate comments.

[English Tim]

So what do you define as special service?

 

I too run my own company and prudent financial management is important, but so too is managing the relationships I have with suppliers and customers. If I ran the business purely on thrifty lines I would not survive very long.

 

I have never come across any Brits on Azamara who removed auto tips, indeed I do not even think you can do that.

 

Yes, it is preference, but it is also about recognising norms in the country I visit or in the culture of the operation I am visiting, so regardless of where the cruise ship is based, I expect to tip.

 

Pacheco18 is right, tips should not vary because of the establishment you are in, and as one who has posted elsewhere this week about direct experience between Azamara and Celebrity I am more than happy that the baseline service standard is higher on Azamara in any event so back to the original consensus of most posters, using that baseline, where there is service above and beyond that higher norm, I reward it, both in cash and with appropriate comments.

 

I have been running my business for 20 years, so presumably I must be lucky and doing something right.

 

In my experience, cabin staff keep the cabin spotlessly clean, refill the ice bucket and fridge, etc. I'm not sure what extras I'd like, but if I perceived someone had gone out of their way to assist I would reward them accordingly.

 

Wait staff tend to remember ones preferences and act accordingly.

 

I would always put names on comment cards and often tell guest services, good or bad.

 

Perhaps someone on our next cruise will do something special, though I don't know what that might be.

 

Removal of auto-tips by Brits is common place on the larger ships.

 

I'm sure that most people become frequent AZ cruises, due to the high levels of service and pay a premium price for that experience. Interestingly, not many have commented on this thread, so we don't have much idea on what the majority do.

 

In my business we try to offer exceptional service, realising the value of repeat custom and referrals, but rarely do we get tipped.

[Wacktle]

Having only done one Azamara cruise, I can't say if anyone will remember our names when we return in May. My partner thinks he was only called by name once anyhow, and I don't remember it happening at all.

 

As English Tim says, I don't know what I'd expect exceptional service to be. We also expect the cabin to be kept clean, and any faults to be rectified. In return, we keep it as tidy as possible so as to ease his/her job. I can only recall asking for ice on one cruise (not Azamara), and can't think of much else, except for room service tea in the mornings when a kettle isn't supplied and a personal one is banned or discouraged. Maybe we're easy passengers.

 

On our last cruise (again not Azamara - a very British tour operator run cruiseline that we expected to find inferior, but was surprisingly good), on the first day my partner asked for a cocktail that wasn't on the menu. The waitress said she'd consult the bar staff. It duly arrived and after that, no matter which bar we went in, or whoever took the order, it arrived without question. Similarly, I like martinis without olives. When I ordered a different cocktail that came with cherries, the waitress asked if I was OK with them in the drink as she knew I didn't like olives. Is that exceptional service? Or just very good staff and good teamwork?

 

Where a cruise is advertised with "gratuities included", I take it to be so. Our 7 night Azamara Med cruise with flights costs the same as a relative's 14 night Med cruise with flights. Theirs excludes drinks and gratuities. As such, I don't expect to pay extra gratuities onboard unless someone really stands out. I don't feel that's mean. It's just a result of how the product that I have purchased is marketed.

[2fromTO]

Tipping, or acknowledging exceptional service, in whatever way is a personal decision. Period.

[dln929]

Tipping, or acknowledging exceptional service, in whatever way is a personal decision. Period.

I agree with you providing that one conforms to the standards set. If tipping is included--as it is in Azamara--how one rewards exceptional service should be a matter between the rewarder and the rewardee.

 

I do understand the OP's question though. I think people want to do the right thing and sometimes it's helpful just to get some tips about how to go about it. Hehe pun on me. ;)

[SALAD MUNCHER]

Hi, having sailed on other cruise ships (mainly Cunard) I have just booked my first Azamara trip for later this year. One of the advantages for me was that the grats are pre-paid. I felt really happy that unlike Cunard and Co's, I wouldn't need to worry about adding (or deducting) tips here and there over and above what Cunard automatically add to your account as it was all sorted - it seems I was wrong! Please don't tell me that the discussion about who pays what, to whom, when, for what etc. etc. is a feature on Azamara too! Does anyone have any idea what the pre-paid grats amount to? If the answer is no then how can we possibly decide whether it's enough or not? Please folks, let us all have a relaxing cruise happy in the knowledge that all grats have been paid by everyone aboard and the staff are happy and show this by doing a fantastic job. However, I am very happy if any individual wants to give someone a little extra for something over and above, but please, for your fellow traveller's sake, do not talk about it on here, as it probably is personal between you and that member of staff, maybe it's a one off but mainly because it makes everyone else think they are not doing enough and so the discussion on grats goes on and on and on......

[Glenndale]

Hi Sue,

Don't worry, gratuities are taken care of and any extra tips that you may want to give are between you and the recipient.

Hopefully you will enjoy Azamara as much as we do.

As you say tipping is a private issue and whilst I understand some people get anxious about this (hence the myriad of threads on every board re tipping) just go ahead and have a wonderful cruise :D

Glenn

[Wacktle]

Salad Muncher - Oh, thanks so much for your post. I feel the same. The very British cruise I referred to in my post above was Thomson, who include all gratuities. Some of the staff on Thomson Dream were amazing (and we will be interested to see how our forthcoming Azamara cruise compares!). There was no touting for tips; they all seemed to just be extremely happy to be working on that ship. We too have cruised with Cunard, and also with P&O, and have left the auto-tips in place, viewing it as part of the bill. However, there's still that awkard last night when you wonder what to do. On Cunard in June, we did, in fact, give something to the assistant waitress for our table as she was friendly and efficient. The bulk of our cruises were with Ocean Village, before they left the UK. Gratuities were always included, but extras could be given via a tips box at the entrance to the restaurants. Given the pricing of an Azamara cruise and, as I said above, how it is marketed, I myself feel that extra tips shouldn't be the norm. It would be lovely to go on a cruise where the acceptance of tips is actually forbidden; we would all know where we stood - staff and passengers alike.

[wangeling gal]

On our Spice Route Cruise on the Journey last year, we spent a lot of time at the Pool Bar and Sunset Bar. The two young men who ran these bars were, in our opinion, exceptional, and not just as bartenders. They were friendly, kind, funny, interesting and generous. They took the rudeness of some fellow passengers with good grace and never showed that it had hurt or angered them. You could tell that they enjoyed their jobs. We were lucky enough to be able to chat to these young men about their families, countries and life on the ship.

At the end of the cruise, even though we knew we had paid our gratuities, we thought we would offer them something extra to say thank you for helping make our cruise so special. Both thanked us very much, then turned us down, saying there was no need to give them extra as they would get their share from the pre paid gratuities, BUT, if we would be so kind as to mention them in the comments card when we filled that out, they would be most grateful. We were more than happy to do this, as well as mention them in our review when we got home.

Every time I have a Long Island Ice Tea or a Gin & Tonic, I fondly remember Mariano and Kutut, and hope that all is well for them.:D

[curiouscat]

Now I have a suite with a Butler.. I would assume we would need to tip him extra? Is that correct and how much is appropriate?

 

CC

[pacheco18]

No, that is not correct.

It is personal and depends a great deal on your butler and how or if you utilize his services.

 

Some people really work the butler hard -- even use him to draw a bath -- those people who maximize the use of a butler generally will give something extra at the end of the cruise. Up to you. There is no "correct" amount. It depends on the length of the cruise and the extent to which you utilize the butler's services.

 

If you are someone who will not use the butler much (and there are many folks who do not -- they just want to be low maintenance) -- then there is no reason to tip extra. Your butler will probably encourage you to use him because butlers want to be helpful and they generally feel like they are disappointing you if you do not utilize them.

 

There are lots of threads on this issue on CC on different cruise line boards. The Oceania boards have discussed this ad nauseam. You might do a search if you want additional information or guidance

[shedridt]

If I were traveling on a C or P____ cruise in a room that did not have a butler, I would expect X in terms of service. On Azamara in a Continental Suite with a butler, I expect a higher level of service - but I haven't received it at a level that is perceptible enough to me to give an extra tip. We were SUPPOSED to get appetizers in the afternoon & sometimes they showed up & sometimes they didn't. No butler ever asked if he could help unpack or pack in my two suite level experiences, or indeed do anything outside of what we asked for. In short - the service was very good but not extraordinary (actually, it hasn't risen quite to the promised level!). I'm certainly not going to give an extra gratuity for this.

 

This is a dangerous observation, but in traveling the world I've found that Americans want to be loved, & tipping when it is not expected seems to me to be part of this. I expect all sorts of different opinions - please understand that this is just my observation in traveling all 7 continents.....hope it helps.

[SALAD MUNCHER]

Hi Sue,

Don't worry, gratuities are taken care of and any extra tips that you may want to give are between you and the recipient.

Hopefully you will enjoy Azamara as much as we do.

As you say tipping is a private issue and whilst I understand some people get anxious about this (hence the myriad of threads on every board re tipping) just go ahead and have a wonderful cruise :D

Glenn

 

Hi! Maybe we will meet up again on one of these trips, we do seem to be zig zagging each other...Anyway about your quote, I agree that extra tipping SHOULD be a private issue, but unfortunately it seems some people enjoy enlitening others about what extras they give! Hence the fact these threads go on and on about grats...:eek:

[nordski]

...Anyway about your quote, I agree that extra tipping SHOULD be a private issue, but unfortunately it seems some people enjoy enlitening others about what extras they give! Hence the fact these threads go on and on about grats...:eek:

 

Perhaps some people enjoy "enlitening others" if they are responding to a specific question such as that posed by the OP.

 

I've enjoyed this discussion, since on ACC ships extra tipping IS a private issue. On all of our cruises, we have never seen an obtrusive or indiscreet distribution of tips and we follow that policy ourselves. Thus, it was interesting and informative considering the different points of view.

 

In my experience, tipping threads here, like those concerning appropriate dress, are infrequent. Thus no one, I'm certain, lurks here eagerly anticipating the next appearance of those topics.

 

On the other hand, occasionally revisiting the topic helps us understand if norms have changed.

[grandpops]

Hi everyone,

 

this is Grandpops the OP.

 

sorry to have caused such a fuss but it was a just sincere question.

 

Nevertheless thank you all for your thoughts and opinions.

 

Best Regards.

 

Grandpops

[English Tim]

Lively debate Grandpops.

 

Today, at a Seabourn presentation, I specifically asked about tipping, when tips are included. 'Apparently' crew are actively 'discouraged' from accepting any gratuities.

[sabbo55]

Just to add a little humor to this thread:

 

Vincent 'Vinnie' Antonelli: It's not tipping I believe in. It's overtipping.

 

Steve Martin in "My Blue Heaven"

[delgados129]

FWIW: If anyone is interested in a detailed discussion on the economics of tipping, the following paper is available: Tipping: The Economics of a Social Norm.

 

The thesis is:

...The analysis suggests that in many cases the social norm of tipping has economic justification, because it solves some inefficiency and increases welfare. In particular, tipping can promote good service where other mechanisms fail to do so...While a service contract can provide this incentive [to exert some effort], writing such [a] contract between the customer and the server involves prohibitive transaction costs. Therefore, tipping serves as a substitute that economizes these transaction costs....

 

Posted in homage to my fellow table/excursion mates on my last Azamara cruise with memories of the many wonderful, spirited and rigorous discussions/debates we had.

[nordski]

FWIW: If anyone is interested in a detailed discussion on the economics of tipping, the following paper is available: Tipping: The Economics of a Social Norm.

 

The thesis is:

 

 

Posted in homage to my fellow table/excursion mates on my last Azamara cruise with memories of the many wonderful, spirited and rigorous discussions/debates we had.

 

Thanks for the very interesting article.