Gratuities & Tipping Question

[lexdisic]

Mr Joseph S Schmoe (who, along with Mrs Schmoe, jointly represents the Schmoes of Tallahassee) wonders about your reference to the metric system. If you were serious about going metric you would be reporting weight in Newtons and pressure in Pascals (1N/M^2). The kg, as defined in the metric system is a unit of mass, not a unit of weight. At least the English system reports weight in pounds which are true units of weight (force actually but we won't quibble). The pound originated as a unit of trade during medieval times (or earlier). One pint of milk weighs one pound. What accessible physical entity is the kg associated with

 

My post was a tongue in cheek reply to someone posting that we drive on the wrong side of the road - but as you are asking for an answer :-

 

Cows milk ? goats milk ? camel milk ? ......1 Litre water = 1Kg - simple

Your argument for the defense of distance ie inches, feet, yards & miles vs metres & Km consists of ?

 

Back to tipping :)

 

I assume that stewards and others are low paid - my assumption is based on the fact that majority of housekeeping staff are from emerging markets that have low incomes. I personally dont know what they actually get paid because a) its none of my business b) its all relative to which part of the world they come from. c) allowances have to be made for return trips home, food accomodation etc. It is quite evident too that judging by this thread and others like it, that the gratuities requested by the cruiseline are reduced or removed by a % percentage of passengers, all of which makes me believe it will vary from line to line and cruise to cruise. One can only hope that the cruise line pays enough wages to keep staff, and all I can do is tip what I feel is deserved for what I have experienced. If everyone paid their grats as suggested, then from recent experience on RCI, the cabin steward, who had 29 cabins to look after, would have received 29cabins x 2pax x 7days x $3.50 = $1421 split between himself and his assistant. No way are they receiving that and no way would the cruise line pay that much even if they did receive it. I believe the cruise lines should include the so called gratuities within the base fare and pay a fare wage so that we can then tip as we feel we want to, regardless where they're from, and those that dont tip , wont cause hardship to the staff as they have already paid their share of the wages.

Only the cruislines can solve this, but they strive to get the lowest possible ticket price and exclude everything they can to achieve it and rely on the conscience of pax who have one. Not a very good business ethic in my book.

[May B]

I never knew how to spell your last name. Thank you for clarifying for me!

 

I would generally choose B, b/c I would presume the pair is servicing twice the number of cabins as one attendant would do alone, so they would not in theory be experiencing a shortchange.

 

I do also agree with jomf's philosophy, as well as a previous poster's comment that we often are treated to truly outstanding service by always cheerful crew members who have chosen to work far from home for many months at a time. We are happy to help them add a bit to their own comfort or nest egg with additional cash when we feel they take excellent care of us.

 

And personally, it's been about 15 years since I last saw a waiter seem to be expecting his additional tip on the last night of a cruise. That was on HAL, which at the time had "gratuities included" pricing. I've been fortunate enough to have taken 16 cruises since then! In fact, we sometimes find our wait staff to be hard to track down to give our extra on the last night. I think they're ready to move on to the next batch of customers!

[Banjo]

For the last 4 years we annually went on a European cruise on Celebrity in the Fall and went on 3 Caribbean cruises in the winter also with Celebrity in that time period. Each time we had set dining in the MDR except for 2 Caribbean cruises when it was select due to booking late.

 

At the set dining we always sat at a table of 10 or larger and always Americans/Canadians (they never seem to mix the Americans with non-North Americans, wonder why?). Folks varied on cruise experience with some being Elite and others on a first cruise. Each time on the last night of the cruise the waiter and in some cases the server received an envelop from every couple. You would have been embarrassed if you didn't hand over an envelop.

 

In my limited observations, most folks seem to tip above the required gratuities.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Banjo

[lexdisic]

For the last 4 years we annually went on a European cruise on Celebrity in the Fall and went on 3 Caribbean cruises in the winter also with Celebrity in that time period. Each time we had set dining in the MDR except for 2 Caribbean cruises when it was select due to booking late.

 

At the set dining we always sat at a table of 10 or larger and always Americans/Canadians (they never seem to mix the Americans with non-North Americans, wonder why?). Folks varied on cruise experience with some being Elite and others on a first cruise. Each time on the last night of the cruise the waiter and in some cases the server received an envelop from every couple. You would have been embarrassed if you didn't hand over an envelop.

 

In my limited observations, most folks seem to tip above the required gratuities.

 

I hope you are right, but we have met many that dont/wont tip - all nationalities. There have been several threads that have mentioned that some pax avoid the MDR on the last night, specifically to avoid the envelope situation.

 

The table mix of nationalities I would have thought would be mainly US as the majority that cruise are US. The itinerary itself would also dictate the numbers. Our first X cruise in 2000, we were 2 of 50 Brits and 50 Europeans, but did share a table of 8 with 2 US couples and a Scottish couple. Considering there were 1200 on board of which 1100 were US it was expected the majority to be US. We were told by one Maitre D that the age group played the biggest part in deciding who sits where.

[boogs]

Like you I have seen the terms 'above and beyond' and 'outstanding service' but have yet to understand these terms in relation to my cabin being cleaned or my food served:rolleyes: any specific examples would be appreciated!

I expect my cabin to be clean and my food served as requested within a reasonable time scale so what do cruisers get beyond this?

I would give a tip if I asked a member of staff to do something extra for me that was not part of their role but otherwise I do think the gratuities are sufficient.

 

We had one attendant who would rush over to unlock our door and open it for us if he was in the area, and always greeted us by name and with a smile every time. Sure, we were fully capable of opening our own door. But he did make us feel as if we were being well taken care of. He received extra tips at the end of the cruise.

 

Our MDR service team were husband and wife. You could see the affection they had for each other in the way they shared duties. They would hold our chairs out for us whenever they were close by, took the time to ask us how our day had been. When we let it known that it was our anniversary, they brought out a special desert for us and wished us a happy marriage in the way of their culture. This amounted to having us hold hands, wrapping a cloth around our wrists, and singing a celebratory song from their country. They could have just said 'happy anniversary', but the went several steps further. They also received extra tips.

 

It is my opinion that the service staff are quite good at sensing which passengers are kind, respectful, and appreciative of the service being provided and will happily give them better than average service. They are also very capable of sensing those passengers who see them as lesser people expected to wait on their every need while also being invisible so as to not diminish the dining experience.

Edited June 2, 2014 by boogs

[Adidas4fun]

I have an example for you.

First night of our cruise we are in the MDR and we order a baileys with dessert (we are select dining). Every night for the rest of the cruise, we receive a baileys delivered to our table, directly after the mains dishes are cleared but before we can order dessert and/or a baileys. This happens no matter which table we are at and no matter what time we are dining and even occurred when we were in a specialty restaurant. That is service above and beyond. And yes, she got a nice tip at the end of the cruise.:D

I have an example for you.

 

P&O Australia Pacific Pearl - which as you know has no daily service charges, tipping etc

 

By Day 3 they had established our usual lunchtime drinks order, before I had even reached my seat drinks staff would approach and check "Your usual today sir? Where are you sitting?" And my drinks would be at my table within moments of my arriving.

 

No tip, just great service.

 

And as I see you are Australian do your waiters etc in your home town restaurants not give good service without a tip?

[MicCanberra]

I have an example for you.

 

P&O Australia Pacific Pearl - which as you know has no daily service charges, tipping etc

True, it is included in the fare price.

 

By Day 3 they had established our usual lunchtime drinks order, before I had even reached my seat drinks staff would approach and check "Your usual today sir? Where are you sitting?" And my drinks would be at my table within moments of my arriving.

 

No tip, just great service.

Definitely great service

 

And as I see you are Australian do your waiters etc in your home town restaurants not give good service without a tip?

They do but they are paid well here and will still receive a tip as well (it may just be a nominal amount rather that 10% or 15%). If they provide bad service they will not last long as they will be looking for another job.

 

Edited June 2, 2014 by MicCanberra