Can someone tell me if this is true?

[Adidas4fun]

Well I don't know if i agree with part of your last statement.....Remember that although tipping has changed over the years.....it still is ToInsure PerfectService. it is not stiffing someone if they do not give good service....and remember this is there job and tips are a gauge of how well they do it.

 

Insure= guarantee against loss or damage

 

In other words your alleged acronym is a nonsense, as is all the rest of the rhetoric in support of tipping. Properly conducted studies have proven this to be the case.

[Hlitner]

I want to take this topic in a slightly different direction. Yes, it is true that you can remove "auto tips" on Celebrity unless you are doing "Anytime dining" in which case it must be pre paid. That being said, this entire discussion has been caused by the mass-market cruise lines playing silly pricing games. Rather then simply increasing the cruise price a few dollars per day and having a "no tipping" policy....the cruise lines prefer to advertise slightly lower cruise prices and then do their best to make passengers believe that tipping is mandatory. So, if a passenger decides to remove all of their tips and "stiff" the crew perhaps the blame should go to the cruise line. When a "tip" is mandatory it is not actually a "tip" but rather an obligation or simply a price increase to the agreed cruise price.

 

I would add that Princess quickly realized that their tipping scheme would not work when they based their Sea Princess in Australia. The Aussies generally do not believe in tipping and feel that their price should include enough money so that employees are adequately compensated. So Princess had to change their pricing (for Australia only) to include enough for tips, and have a no tipping required policy.

 

So here is another point of view. Those that do not tip are not really "stiffing" anyone but simply resisting a cruise line "con" when it comes to the price of a cruise. The only one "stiffing" the crew is their employer who underpays them for their work and then depends on the generosity of the cruisers to make up the difference.

 

Hank

P.S. We are personally very generous when it comes to tipping the crew on our cruises....but do understand the culture of no-tipping.

[hate2shop]

I dont believe that crew know who has removed grats. They are often removed on the last day . What, do they update a list that is circulated to the crew whenever someone removes grats?

 

There is a photo of just such a list on the Carnival forum. A passenger on a Behind the Scenes tour saw it hanging on a crew bulletin board and posted it to CC. The purpose was to shame the cabin stewards and waiters, not the tightwad passengers. Another passenger saw the same list on the cabin stewards cart.

[LabGuy64]

Full Definition of INSURE

 

transitive verb

1

: to provide or obtain insurance on or for

 

2

: to make certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions

 

 

 

Now do you want to cite the literature where your "properly conducted studies" were written up?.......please also cite the edition and date of publication

 

we see where the "nonsense" is coming from.....a load of half correct and unsubstanciated statements

 

 

Insure= guarantee against loss or damage

 

In other words your alleged acronym is a nonsense, as is all the rest of the rhetoric in support of tipping. Properly conducted studies have proven this to be the case.

Edited February 3, 2015 by LabGuy64

[LabGuy64]

i see your point...However, tipping has become an obligation..cruise ships, restaurants etc would all have to chance policy....also...it has become so much a part of the culture that even with auto tipping...there is alot of second level tipping going on....

 

 

I want to take this topic in a slightly different direction. Yes, it is true that you can remove "auto tips" on Celebrity unless you are doing "Anytime dining" in which case it must be pre paid. That being said, this entire discussion has been caused by the mass-market cruise lines playing silly pricing games. Rather then simply increasing the cruise price a few dollars per day and having a "no tipping" policy....the cruise lines prefer to advertise slightly lower cruise prices and then do their best to make passengers believe that tipping is mandatory. So, if a passenger decides to remove all of their tips and "stiff" the crew perhaps the blame should go to the cruise line. When a "tip" is mandatory it is not actually a "tip" but rather an obligation or simply a price increase to the agreed cruise price.

 

I would add that Princess quickly realized that their tipping scheme would not work when they based their Sea Princess in Australia. The Aussies generally do not believe in tipping and feel that their price should include enough money so that employees are adequately compensated. So Princess had to change their pricing (for Australia only) to include enough for tips, and have a no tipping required policy.

 

So here is another point of view. Those that do not tip are not really "stiffing" anyone but simply resisting a cruise line "con" when it comes to the price of a cruise. The only one "stiffing" the crew is their employer who underpays them for their work and then depends on the generosity of the cruisers to make up the difference.

 

Hank

P.S. We are personally very generous when it comes to tipping the crew on our cruises....but do understand the culture of no-tipping.

[Adidas4fun]

Full Definition of INSURE

 

transitive verb

1

: to provide or obtain insurance on or for

 

2

: to make certain especially by taking necessary measures and precautions

 

 

 

Now do you want to cite the literature where your "properly conducted studies" were written up?.......please also cite the edition and date of publication

 

we see where the "nonsense" is coming from.....a load of half correct and unsubstanciated statements

Yawn - you have a closed mind and it wouldnt matter a jot what I siad.

[Adidas4fun]

Snopes: Tip is an old word, and it has nothing to do with either acronyms or the act of attempting to influence quality of service.

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

 

The word “tip” is often inaccurately claimed to be an acronym for terms such as “to insure prompt service”, “to insure proper service”, “to improve performance”, and “to insure promptness”. However, this etymology contradicts the Oxford English Dictionary and is probably an example of a backronym. Moreover, most of these backronyms incorrectly require the word “insure” instead of the correct “ensure”.

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/to_insure_promptness_tip_false_etymology

[andrew cooper]

We cruise annually as our main holiday and sail out of Southampton in the UK . We therefore meet many Brits on these cruises which have been mainly with Celebrity , Cunard and RCCL . We come across some who just do not tip - you will see them at the pursers desk on the 1st day removing gratuities . These people are not all Brits , there are quite a few from other European countries as well . We also meet many like ourselves who do pay gratuities but do not hand out extra tips as we consider that we have already paid for the 1st class service that the cruise company tell us that we should expect as the norm .

At home we have several friends who have not cruised before but have asked us for advice on costs . When we tell them about the tipping system and that as a family of 4 they will also be expected to pay around £440 extra in gratuities , 18% service charge per drink and will be given envelopes for additional optional tips they are shocked . All say the same - why is there just not a single cruise price that avoids the need for all this nonsense and staff are paid a fair rate in the 1st place ?

Many of these friends are put off and instead take a land based all inclusive holiday where costs are fixed . Others have taken a cruise but where all costs and tips are included eg with Thomsons .

[hate2shop]

Why would they be shocked when its clearly presented in the cruise contract ? And as far as land based all inclusives are concerned, Americans tip at those as well.

 

I agree that they should just tack it on to the price of the cruise fare as a service charge but that is never going to happen.

[andrew cooper]

The people who have asked us about cruising costs havn't got round to checking brochures or cruise company websites at that point ....... they are just at the curious stage .

 

Gee - there seems to be a massive difference in tipping habits between us !! Is there anything you don't tip for ??!!

[caladezi]

Well I don't know if i agree with part of your last statement.....Remember that although tipping has changed over the years.....it still is ToInsure PerfectService. it is not stiffing someone if they do not give good service....and remember this is there job and tips are a gauge of how well they do it.

 

Then you should at least have the balls to show up that last night and tell the server that you are not giving him/her a tip because you think their service was subpar.

Edited February 3, 2015 by caladezi

[Pickels]

We never remove the auto-gratuities; we consider those as a "starting point". If we ever were subjected to poor service, that's all he/she gets. But, if someone provides great service and makes our cruise memorable, well, we add to the starting point with an envelope at the end of the cruise.

[20pluscruises]

The people who have asked us about cruising costs havn't got round to checking brochures or cruise company websites at that point ....... they are just at the curious stage .

 

Gee - there seems to be a massive difference in tipping habits between us !! Is there anything you don't tip for ??!!

 

LOL! Nope, we tip just about everybody, waiters, bartenders, hairdresser, hotel maids, the guy who calls a taxi for you at the hotel, cruise port, airport, etc. house painters, mail carrier, garbage pickup, lawn service, car wash, baggage handlers at the airport, baggage handlers at the cruise port, the guy who put a small wooden chair in my trunck from the furniture store, the limo driver, the taxi driver, the paper boy, the pet nanny, the moving company, snow plow guy, pizza delivery, babysitters, nanny's, house cleaners, down to the guy who holds the door open at grand central train station.

Anyone want to add to the list as I'm sure I left out quite a few others...

Edited February 3, 2015 by 20pluscruises

[Bolthead]

LOL! Nope, we tip just about everybody, waiters, bartenders, hairdresser, hotel maids, the guy who calls a taxi for you at the hotel, cruise port, airport, etc. house painters, mail carrier, garbage pickup, lawn service, car wash, baggage handlers at the airport, baggage handlers at the cruise port, the guy who put a small wooden chair in my trunck from the furniture store, the limo driver, the taxi driver, the paper boy, the pet nanny, the moving company, snow plow guy, pizza delivery, babysitters, nanny's, house cleaners, down to the guy who holds the door open at grand central train station.

Anyone want to add to the list as I'm sure I left out quite a few others...

How about doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, teachers, paramedics, social workers, volunteers, politicians..... no, no, no, I take back politicians. [emoji1]

 

sent from Bolthead's Samsung 3

[DinaS]

Then you should at least have the balls to show up that last night and tell the server that you are not giving him/her a tip because you think their service was subpar.

 

Why on earth would anyone accept sub-par service for their entire cruise?

 

If I received bad (or sub-par) service on the first day, I would expect it to be corrected before the next day.

 

I would go to the Hotel Director and tell them the situation.

 

At that point, if the server was not going to change, I would simply ask to have my table changed.

 

I believe the Hotel Director WANTS to know these things upfront so they can assure the rest of your cruise will be enjoyable.

Edited February 3, 2015 by DinaS

[Bolthead]

......... [snip] bagage handlers at the cruise port..

 

That reminds me of a story, we were going on the Sea Princess from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco. We pulled up in the front of the terminal and the baggage handlers were there. This large overweight gentleman just sat in his chair and said 'just place your bag in the cage sir' he didn't lift a finger and then he had the audacity to ask for a tip. I responded with 'you have to be joking, are you the comedy entertainment on the ship'... I then walked off. My wife was worried that our bags would not turn up. They did....

 

sent from Bolthead's Samsung 3

[20pluscruises]

That reminds me of a story, we were going on the Sea Princess from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco. We pulled up in the front of the terminal and the baggage handlers were there. This large overweight gentleman just sat in his chair and said 'just place your bag in the cage sir' he didn't lift a finger and then he had the audacity to ask for a tip. I responded with 'you have to be joking, are you the comedy entertainment on the ship'... I then walked off. My wife was worried that our bags would not turn up. They did....

 

sent from Bolthead's Samsung 3

 

OMG! That is hilarious!!!

 

Good thing you didn't do that in Miami...sorry all, but they are a very aggressive bunch in Miami. They literally stand there with their hand out. My DH got a bit short with the guy (as he always tips) and said, "hang on a second I didn't forget about you" Yep, luggage ended up in the naughty room. They questioned my hair staightner / flat iron.

[LabGuy64]

What is with your hostile attitude? I am not saying people should not tip.....or use the Auto tip....but I am saying that if I get bad service I might not tip.....poor service does not deserve a tip.....AND I would not have ANY problem telling the server why they either got a reduced or no tip....But, I do not EVER not tip as a cost saving measure...which was the point of this thread

 

 

Then you should at least have the balls to show up that last night and tell the server that you are not giving him/her a tip because you think their service was subpar.

[Jane2357]

Tipping is very much a cultural thing. On my 1st visit to Europe I was traveling with a French friend - who explained that they tip very little. I was shocked and thought that leaving only the little bit of change (small coins) would be insulting to the server. She explained that the server earned a living wage. (While uncomfortable I tried to tip according to local practices.)

 

This is not true of how many service people in the U.S. are paid, same for the cruise line service people. Just like a waitress - the cruise line worker is offered a very small wage with the incentive to earn more in tips. They do not earn a living wage - meaning that their paid wage would never come close to providing them with bare living expenses.

 

Several years ago when the Euro became more valuable to the American dollar we started to see many more Europeans coming to visit in Florida. On a visit to a restaurant that I had dined at previously - I noticed that they had automatically added on the tip - I suspected why but asked just to clarity and I was correct. Their staff wasn't being tipped by the Europeans. This of course was then a mandatory tip for everyone - I wasn't a fan of the practice but what else could they do?

 

If you purchase a cruise you should know what is expected tipping wise and adhere to the norm of the host. To stiff the cruise worker for any reason other than poor service (which should be addressed immediately) is WRONG regardless of where you are from. And no - adjusting a tip because travel is more expensive where you are from is not an excuse - perhaps you should vacation else where.

 

[Emperor Norton]

For some peoples edification:

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

 

Claim: The word "tip" comes from an acronym for "To Insure Promptness" or "To Insure Performance."

 

Status: False.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Emperor Norton

[waterbug123]

I have a friend who is going on Celebrity with a group of friends. One of the friends makes all the travel arrangements...he's dabbling in TA.

Anyway, this is her first cruise and the group had a meeting to finalize plans and the guy that planned the cruise said they do not have to pay gratuities

 

The guy that's the wannabe TA is nothing but a cheapskate in training.

 

I have not read the entire thread so perhaps this has already been addressed, but reading this about the TA makes me wonder.... if he's such a cheapskate, are you sure all of the plans are transparent?

What I'm getting at is, if there are enough people in this group (I think it's 8 cabins or more) then they officially constitute a "group booking" as far as X is concerned, and may be getting some group benefits, such as a free berth. I was with a group booked this way once and we were able to choose whether to give that free berth to a particular person, or divide the savings up among everyone who was going. This guy sounds like a guy who would pocket the savings and not even tell the others about it.

[midwestchick]

I have not read the entire thread so perhaps this has already been addressed, but reading this about the TA makes me wonder.... if he's such a cheapskate, are you sure all of the plans are transparent?

What I'm getting at is, if there are enough people in this group (I think it's 8 cabins or more) then they officially constitute a "group booking" as far as X is concerned, and may be getting some group benefits, such as a free berth. I was with a group booked this way once and we were able to choose whether to give that free berth to a particular person, or divide the savings up among everyone who was going. This guy sounds like a guy who would pocket the savings and not even tell the others about it.

 

I'm not sure how many couples are going but I didn't think it was 8 or more. I'll have to ask her when we talk today. Thanks for the heads up on the amount of cabins for a group.

[ALLSTU]

HI CRUISERS- Quick answer is "YES" you can on the first day ask for gratuities to be taken off your on board account if you so wish to do.

As a Brit I would like to make a few points if I may, & apologies up front if any fellow cruiser's are offended !!

Firstly I think I am correct in saying most BRITISH folk do not as a matter of principle appreciate the enforced AMERICAN TIPPING SYSTEM !!

As a general rule in the UK and Europe we simply do not have or support such a system, of enforced 15-20% ++gratuities. ( explanation later)

Having said that some very upmarket restaurants & chains have began to add or offer customers to add a tip usually only 10% .

Most restaurants in Europe happily leave it to your discretion.

Now to the nitty-gritty , if one receives great service in a friendly professional manner I ( and most other Brits & Euro folk will leave a decent tip) & that's quite correct - however in Europe Waiters (servers), Barmen, Restaurant Managers ,& other Catering staff are well trained with qualifications, & they are justly proud to be part of a bone-fide profession.

As such these guys & gals are paid excellent salaries by the hotel/restaurant depending on their position.

It seems in the States catering staff are paid very poorly or even nothing at all !!

The hotel or restaurant still charge the going rate for the food & wine & make their desired profits for the company but are not prepared to pay the staff reasonable wages , & then expect the customer to pay over and above the normal rate for a tip just to give the staff a living wage .

This is simply an unfair system and I do I wonder just how this system encourages staff to sign up !!

I recently read an article in an American magazine along the lines that even if you had a bad meal you should still tip the waiter really well - "DREAM ON "

If that was me apart from complaining and not paying the bill other than for the consumed wine I certainly would not tip what-so-ever !!( In the UK its Law that should you refuse to pay for an obvious good reason you must leave your name and address . ( I haven't actually had to do this )

However as an example my wife and I were having lunch in a Fort Lauderdale restaurant, we were not well received and had to keep trying with no success to attract the serving girls for more drinks and coffee etc- this simply was a non starter thus I only paid the exact bill. As we walked out I overheard the server say to her pal >>"Bloody Europeans ,they never leave a tip."

I returned to her and said if she refrained from smoking and talking to her pal throughout the meal and paid more attention to her job and looking after the customer she certainly would have had a tip from me !! She didn't have an answer !!

End of rant .

To sum up for circa £4000 per couple ($6000) for my cruise it is reasonable to think there is enough profit for every body to receive a good quality living wage.

Sadly I know this is simply not the case.

I will be looking for good service throughout the cruise on the "Equinox" on

23rd of February , I cannot say more & I will tip the people who please me & make the effort to go out of their way to make our holiday special, this is for me the reasonable and correct way forward. I don't expect to tip the Captain & other Senior Officers as they are for sure earning just a bit more than my cabin steward eh??? We shall see in due course !!

Regards & Happy Cruising to all. Stewart.

[caladezi]

HI CRUISERS- Quick answer is "YES" you can on the first day ask for gratuities to be taken off your on board account if you so wish to do..

 

So, my question to you is, do you plan to do this?

[hate2shop]

So, my question to you is, do you plan to do this?

 

Of course he does. He made it clear that he does't believe in enforced American tipping no matter where he goes.

 

Florida is full of Brits not getting waited on because of their well known refusal to tip " because they don't have to at home" and" the management should pay a decent living wage" and my favorite " I paid a lot of money for my holiday and I'm not paying more.

 

That waitress had no expectation of a tip from you and probably figured it was a great time to take a break and hope you would just leave, freeing up the table for a paying customer.