Pause,----- a tipping?

[JLSPOOL]

My question is:

does plan (1) mean better service or plan (2)?

 

(1) We pre-pay tips for cabin and dining service. Then give extra.

 

(2) I'm re-thinking the auto pre-pay in favor of paying all appropriate tips in full during the last two days aboard for even division and no slights. Then give extra for extra service that can be pocketed by the individual.

 

My ? is inspired by a thread on RCL forum re minimal cabin service.

Thanks for your comments.

 

jls

Edited May 9, 2014 by JLSPOOL

[20pluscruises]

My question is:

does plan (1) mean better service or plan (2)?

 

(1) We pre-pay tips for cabin and dining service. Then give extra.

 

(2) I'm re-thinking the auto pre-pay in favor of paying all appropriate tips in full during the last two days aboard for even division and no slights. Then give extra for extra service that can be pocketed by the individual.

 

My ? is inspired by a thread on RCL forum re minimal cabin service.

Thanks for your comments.

 

jls

 

The bar staff has to split the extra tips...found this out on the last day. Not that we wouldn't have tipped, but when i tip a certain person I like to think it all goes to him/her

[ghstudio]

My question is:

does plan (1) mean better service or plan (2)?

 

(1) We pre-pay tips for cabin and dining service. Then give extra.

 

(2) I'm re-thinking the auto pre-pay in favor of paying all appropriate tips in full during the last two days aboard for even division and no slights. Then give extra for extra service that can be pocketed by the individual.

 

My ? is inspired by a thread on RCL forum re minimal cabin service.

Thanks for your comments.

 

jls

 

Remember that tips are a major part of the income for those serving you on board in various capacities....they rely on your automatically charged or prepaid gratuities. Consider that part of the cost of your cruise.

 

I think a better question you might ask is whether there is value in giving your cabin steward or waiter a few extra $'s at the beginning of the cruise. If you think about it, you certainly are not going to get better service by giving someone a tip at the end of the cruise.....as a matter of fact, I have seen it suggested that the crew knows who has opted out of the automatic gratuities and that gets translated into...I'm not going to get any tip (I don't know if this is true or not...but if true and they do know those who opted out, it's not a bad assumption that they are going to be stiffed).

[Hapytocruise]

Just a suggestion: Save yourself a lot of time and trouble by leaving on the auto tip and then give extra to whom ever you like. We always give extra to our cabin steward, the assistant cabin steward, dining room staff and elite cocktail hour servers.

 

I agree that they know who has removed the auto tips. Room steward has a list as would your waiter if you are on set dining.

[miched]

Try it one way on one crusie and then do it the other on another cruise, then you will find out what works out and makes you feel the best.

 

Personally I no longer try to figure out or ask the employees about how tips are shared or paid. I don't think that they appreciate being asked and from what I have learned you will never get the same answer.

 

I have a niece that is a college student working as a waitress. One day she will complain about how lousy the job is and not making any money and always being broke and then she will brag about how much she making from tips and what a great job it is.

 

There is a brew pub that I have a mug club membership in and frequent. Sometimes I over tip and others I don't. They know me and I don't feel that I get any better service the next day after I over tipped or following when I left the minimum. Those that are bad still give bad service and those that are good still give good service.

 

 

🍻🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited May 9, 2014 by miched

[cruzsnooze]

Service has always been good on a cruise. I just leave the auto tips intact and have no more worries. The cruise has already worked out what it needs and wants in the way of tips so why reinvent the wheel. My cruise last month on the Century the service wasn't stellar but i still left the auto tips intact. I personally do not tip extra unless something is over and above great service.

Edited May 9, 2014 by cruzsnooze

[miched]

Just a suggestion: Save yourself a lot of time and trouble by leaving on the auto tip and then give extra to whom ever you like. We always give extra to our cabin steward, the assistant cabin steward, dining room staff and elite cocktail hour servers.

 

I agree that they know who has removed the auto tips. Room steward has a list as would your waiter if you are on set dining.

 

A friend of mine went on a cruise with another couple, his BIL. At the end of the cruise his BIL removed the auto gratuity and said the h#ll with them they don't know me and I will never see them again. When they got off the ship his BIL couldn't find his luggage. My friend and his wife left them at the port as they had a flight to catch. His BIL never did find his luggage and they also missed their flight.

 

As you posted they have a list.

 

 

🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

A friend of mine went on a cruise with another couple, his BIL. At the end of the cruise his BIL removed the auto gratuity and said the h#ll with them they don't know me and I will never see them again. When they got off the ship his BIL couldn't find his luggage. My friend and his wife left them at the port as they had a flight to catch. His BIL never did find his luggage and they also missed their flight.

 

As you posted they have a list.

 

Ah, karma!

 

My suggestion would be that you leave the auto tips charged to your account every day. Then decide if you wish to tip over and above to specific people.

 

I agree with another poster, good people are going to give good service and the not-so-good will give that kind of service. It's the luck of the draw. But I think it's mean and cheap to remove the auto tips. That is part of the cost of cruising and I wish Celebrity would just declare it a hotel service charge, make it mandatory, and be done with it.

[richsea]

A friend of mine went on a cruise with another couple, his BIL. At the end of the cruise his BIL removed the auto gratuity and said the h#ll with them they don't know me and I will never see them again. When they got off the ship his BIL couldn't find his luggage. My friend and his wife left them at the port as they had a flight to catch. His BIL never did find his luggage and they also missed their flight.

 

As you posted they have a list.

 

 

 

I love that story!

[JLSPOOL]

Ah, karma!

 

My suggestion would be that you leave the auto tips charged to your account every day. Then decide if you wish to tip over and above to specific people.

 

I agree with another poster, good people are going to give good service and the not-so-good will give that kind of service. It's the luck of the draw. But I think it's mean and cheap to remove the auto tips. That is part of the cost of cruising and I wish Celebrity would just declare it a hotel service charge, make it mandatory, and be done with it.

 

 

Two thumbs up for your post. This thread has put my question to rest.

 

Yes, we leave auto-tips on the tab as if a service charge. If a problem occurs a chat with a housekeeping supervisor in the hallway or the Head of Housekeeping is better than slighting any crew in the tip chain.

 

The post were interesting. In the ex. of BIL there is a chuckle.

 

jls

[lovestx]

We will leave autotips on and in past cruises have given extra on the last two days for those we feel really helped us (cabin attendants, Martini bartenders, folks in Blu).

 

With the popularity of the beverage packages...is it wise to tip the Martini, Pool Bar and sommelier extra at the start of the trip? Or is that rude?

[20pluscruises]

The bar staff has to split the extra tips...found this out on the last day. Not that we wouldn't have tipped, but when i tip a certain person I like to think it all goes to him/her

 

So there is no confusion...we ALWAYS pay the auto tips...and then tip extra during the cruise. I can't imagine not tipping...the crew works very very hard and very long hours.

[ClaudiaB]

We give the room steward and butler (if we have one) something extra every few days. Just how we like to do it. We still do the auto tips and we still tip a couple dollars for room service delivery. And we give a larger "chunk" at the end of the cruise. This is in addition to the auto tips. I can't wrap my brain around someone who would completely stiff the staff for the hard work they do. That's pretty low class.

[cpj]

Is there a reason they just don't call it a service charge, and make it mandatory.

[ghstudio]

Is there a reason they just don't call it a service charge, and make it mandatory.

 

This is pretty much a weekly discussion here. If they roll the tips into the cruise fare, celebrity will appear less competitive so they keep it very well separate. Most of us just consider it part of the cost of the cruise and most of the time we get free gratuities from someone (celebrity or our TA for that cruise). It is also a major portion of the earnings for the crew so not tipping because a) you don't believe in it; or b) if celebrity wanted you to tip, they should have included it in the cruise fare both penalize the hard working folks who make your cruise a wonderful experience.

 

I share the advice of the others here...just autopay the gratuities and then tip for exceptional service.

[A Sixth?]

The bar staff has to split the extra tips...found this out on the last day. Not that we wouldn't have tipped, but when i tip a certain person I like to think it all goes to him/her

 

On several cruises, including my "live" reports here on CC that's not what I was told.

 

Extra tips stay with the person receiving them.

 

If a particular bar team chooses to pool their extra tips on a shift I suppose they can, but it still stays out of the general pool.

 

At least that's what I've been told by servers I've chatted with on Celebrity (and Princess)

Edited May 9, 2014 by A Sixth?

[neverbeenhere]

tipping, our favorite subject:rolleyes: We were long time holdouts for the envelopes at the end of the cruise, however even we have changed our ways. For a few years we have been leaving the gratuity fee on our account and giving directly to those who provide us services. Decided after many years that we aren't hurting for cash, but most of the crew isn't so fortunate. Please, do whatever makes you comfortable...

[karena1]

My question is:

does plan (1) mean better service or plan (2)?

 

(1) We pre-pay tips for cabin and dining service. Then give extra.

 

(2) I'm re-thinking the auto pre-pay in favor of paying all appropriate tips in full during the last two days aboard for even division and no slights. Then give extra for extra service that can be pocketed by the individual.

 

My ? is inspired by a thread on RCL forum re minimal cabin service.

Thanks for your comments.

 

jls

 

We love pre-paying out tips and then just tipping extra as we go. We have never noticed any difference in service no matter what we do, but we like pre-paying and then giving extra when we want to.

[just_looking]

... Please, do whatever makes you comfortable...

 

Oh, that's bad advice. Some people (like a previous poster's BIL) are jerks! :rolleyes:

[ronrythm]

Is there a reason they just don't call it a service charge, and make it mandatory.

If they make it a mandatory service charge, it is now income for the corporation and must be reported as such, and possibly taxed. Since it would be income with an equal or greater expense (depending on taxation), it would dilute earnings, however slightly, making corporate stock less valuble. If it is mandatory service charge, it must be included in any advertised prices or the corporation will be charged with deceptive advertising.

 

There are even more reasons, but this is long enough. :D

 

Enjoy

Ron

[drarill]

A friend of mine went on a cruise with another couple, his BIL. At the end of the cruise his BIL removed the auto gratuity and said the h#ll with them they don't know me and I will never see them again. When they got off the ship his BIL couldn't find his luggage. My friend and his wife left them at the port as they had a flight to catch. His BIL never did find his luggage and they also missed their flight.

 

As you posted they have a list.

 

 

🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Great story!!! We always pre-pay our gratuities and give extra at the end of the cruise. Our room attendant usually gets the extra $$ when he/she is taking care of our luggage on the last day. So far, so good, never had a problem finding our luggage the next day. ;)

[neverbeenhere]

as said on many tipping threads, in many different ways... jerks will be jerks. Cruise on...

[Leviathan2772]

Karma, Golden Rule, Etc.

 

Good attitudes make for a good time. Good vibes are infectious.

 

If you have the means to be a big tipper, do it. If not, just be a nice and gracious to all staff members, they'll appreciate a big "thank you" and a meaningful smile from a sometimes thankless job.

[Sara Smile]

We always leave the tips on the account but just wondering, what is an average extra amount to tip the cabin attendant every couple of days on the cruise?

[Cruise Junky]

On several cruises, including my "live" reports here on CC that's not what I was told.

 

Extra tips stay with the person receiving them.

 

If a particular bar team chooses to pool their extra tips on a shift I suppose they can, but it still stays out of the general pool.

 

At least that's what I've been told by servers I've chatted with on Celebrity (and Princess)

 

We tipped about $25 to the martini bar staff this week, didn't matter who we gave extra to, it all went in the shared tip box for that group. No idea how other bars work but we saw all martini bar tips going into the same box.