Tipping

[OctoberKat]

Thanks, Dave, I'm cognizant of that bit and other similar assurances from Regent. What I am hoping for is back up regarding Regent's above-average wages thereby diminishing the import of gratuities to the service staff aboard.

[DaveFr]

Thanks, Dave, I'm cognizant of that bit and other similar assurances from Regent. What I am hoping for is back up regarding Regent's above-average wages thereby diminishing the import of gratuities to the service staff aboard.

OctoberKat,

 

There isn't much online about Regent's pay structure. Here's a jobs website that mentions that Regent pays higher wages than some other cruise lines. (http://www.cruiselinejobs.com/regent-seven-seas-jobs/)

[Techno123]

The difficulty with the tip concept is that in most countries there is a minimum wage. I cannot believe that a first world country like the USA does not insist that it's citizens are not paid this. A previous poster has suggested on this Regent board that an average in California for service staff is 3 dollars that is deplorable. The minimum wage in the UK is not adequate but even so, it should not be up to customers to pay the staff their wages beyond what is paid for the food etc. A tip should be a reward for those people who go above and beyond. On cruise ships there are customers from a range of countries, for some, tipping is not the norm or actually culturally acceptable. I know this is a topic that is unlikely to be resolved until service staff are paid a living wage!!!

[frantic36]

I understand that the idea of giving extra tips on a cruise line where service and tips are officially all included is controversial, and is not good if it leads to crew standing with hands out on departure day ( or worse, expecting pre-tips for pax to get the already expected and paid for proper service). Many people encourage giving to the crew fund, just naming crew who did a good job. But do those crew you know did a spectacular job and whom you name then get proportionately more of the money than every other crew member whose performance you know nothing about, or whose performance may have been terrible?

 

I admit I haven't as yet sailed on Regent, though friends have and said it is similar to Seabourn. So based on that premise.........having sailed on Seabourn a few times I have encountered staff I have sailed with before. Some of these were people who were very good at the jobs and I know myself and others have made comments praising this people on comment cards. These crew have now been promoted and they have told me their promotions have been a result of positive comments. Long term those promotions are of benefit as it helps for better jobs when they decide to return to working ashore. So in a way they do end up getting more money long term then those who perform badly.

 

I would think this is possibly a similar occurrence on Regent as well? :confused:

 

OctoberKat I have no definite proof about wages but I have been in situations where I have gone to tip our stewardess and some of them have actually refused the tip. They stated "they get paid well and there is no tipping required". Maybe they also knew I had contributed to the Crew Welfare Fund?

[janecambridge]

Regent Seven Seas Cruises employees enjoy salary options much higher than what some other cruise lines offer. On top of base pay, some Regent associates receive employment benefits packages, which include 401(k) retirement plans, medical and dental coverage, life insurance options, disability coverage, and paid time off. Shipboard workers enjoy job perks, such as world travel, paid training, and an exciting work atmosphere.

 

As I read this I was surprised to see such a positive account of RSSC employment benefits,It is a heck of a lot better then my NHS nurse pay.We never get tipped and we often go above and beyond our duty..

When starting as a first year trained nurse,in a very poorly paid job,it is an incentive to strive to do my best to go up the job ladder and indeed earn a better salary.If I stayed where I was,got the included tips and the extra tips day in,day out,where would my pride and incentive be to improve myself?

I am more than happy about tipping crew with the tips included in the price I pay.But why tip extra to the crew member you see and not the crew member who covered two shifts in the laundry due to staff sickness and went above the call of duty?

Some people are just tip happy,want preferential service for it and probably get it..Maybe not doing the staff any favours...

 

Jane

[Techno123]

The difficulty with the tip concept is that in most countries there is a minimum wage. I cannot believe that a first world country like the USA does not insist that it's citizens are paid this. A previous poster has suggested on this Regent board that an average in California for service staff is 3 dollars that is deplorable. The minimum wage in the UK is not adequate but even so, it should not be up to customers to pay the staff their wages beyond what is paid for the food etc. A tip should be a reward for those people who go above and beyond. On cruise ships there are customers from a range of countries, for some, tipping is not the norm or actually culturally acceptable. I know this is a topic that is unlikely to be resolved until service staff are paid a living wage!!!

 

Sorry was typing this rather late last night - when I referred to 'most countries' I meant to add on most of the countries the cruise passengers come from rather than meaning most countries in the world!

 

I think the concept of stating who has done a great job is a far fairer way of doing things. Personally I generally hate tipping (not just on cruise ships) - not because I am mean but because it causes such confusion - who do I tip, how much, what about all the people in the background who help the person I see to do a great job. Like Janecambridge I also started out as a very poorly paid junior nurse and worked my way up I frequently earned less than when I worked as a waitress so why was I tipped as a waitress but not as a nurse? Both meant working long hours, on your feet, serving people - both were poorly paid but at least I generally didn't have to clean up people's bodily fluids when I was a waitress :) I far prefer to have the tip included in the cost and if the service is bad, then I say so and don't return and if it's good I also say so and do return.

 

And now back on topic, that is why I choose the cruise lines which include the gratuity because I know all of that angst is taken away from me and the crew actually receive a decentish wage.

[zimmer46]

I prefer the Regent way of the tips being included. Saves any angst, and I suppose it means something gets to every crew member rather than just those you may chose to tip directly. I wasn't aware of the "crew fund" option, but I like the idea of that and will bear it in mind fir the future. As for guides etc. I noticed on our recent cruise, Passages did make specific mention that guides and drivers were not Regent employees and tipping was optional but appreciated by the guides. I was happy to show some appreciation where earned, and would also suggest if tipping, make sure you give something directly to the driver. Don't assume the guide will share the tips.

[Travelcat2]

Why can't passengers simply accept and respect Regent's policy? It is none of our business what their salary is (and, no, crew salaries are thankfully not governed by U.S. law).

 

Posters often talk about how great Regent "was". One thing that is concerning is that passengers are tipping more often and creating expectations. In the "old days", most crew members refused tips.

 

If you want great service and want to tip, suggest sailing Oceania rather than spoiling Regent.

[UUNetBill]

Four Regent cruises so far, two with butler cabin upgrades, and we haven't tipped anyone on board yet. Call it cheap or call it respecting Regent's policy, I don't care - but I don't see the need to tip again if tips are already included. I equate this to dining with a large party in a restaurant when the gratuity is already included - I don't tip again on top of that.

 

That said, we ALWAYS tip the tour guides (except for maybe one or two who were abysmal) and we've donated to the crew fund. But we don't tip individuals on board.

 

Some people just love to tip...that's their perogative, I guess.

[Uncle D]

TC2- "If people only tipped for extraordinary service..."

 

Totally agree. Like you, we tip our butler for extraordinary service.

[JMARINER]

Why can't passengers simply accept and respect Regent's policy? It is none of our business what their salary is (and, no, crew salaries are thankfully not governed by U.S. law).

 

Posters often talk about how great Regent "was". One thing that is concerning is that passengers are tipping more often and creating expectations. In the "old days", most crew members refused tips.

 

If you want great service and want to tip, suggest sailing Oceania rather than spoiling Regent.

I have always tipped extra. None of the crew expects a tip. I have never had a sense that my tipping created any expectation. Sometime, I will give to the crew fund in addition. They used to have auctions that went solely to the crew fund, like diner with the Captain in his cabin, etc.

 

Almost all cruise lines, including Oceania, tipping policies are effectively the same as Regent except other lines hide the tip as being automatically added to the on board bill (prepaid gratuities). As far as I know the "tips" that are charged have no direct benefit to any individual crew member and is just part of their regular wage.

 

Speaking of the wages, while Regent may pay higher than one would earn in their home country such as Bali or the Philippines, the earnings are far below any western country. That waiter that serves you in the evening in Compass Rose has been up since 5 am and may not finish his day until 11 pm. He may get an hour or two off in the afternoon, if he is not stuck working a late lunch because a tour got back late. And he does this 7 days a week, every day for 8 or 9 months, without a day off. He might go weeks without even a few hours ashore. He has to spend his off hours in a shared cabin, eat his meals in the crew mess and pay for his internet. He gets to spend any free time in the crew bar, which is tiny, with 200-300 other crew members.

 

I have certain likes and expectations, so I always sit with a same waiter for the full voyage. If this waiter who serves me every day, always greets me with a smile and a hello, goes out of his way to accommodate me every night, no matter how crappy his day has been; he deserves something extra. He has earned it and I am happy to show my appreciation with a tip.

 

It is a personal choice. Those of you who don't want to tip and feel it is unwarranted, fine. But I don't feel anything but happy when I do. It reminds me of how fortunate life has treated me.

 

And if Regent wants to create some sort of "tipping not allowed" policy. I guess they will just have to kick me off the ship when I do!

 

 

j

Edited April 18, 2015 by JMARINER

[Travelcat2]

I have always tipped extra. None of the crew expects a tip. I have never had a sense that my tipping created any expectation.

 

Speaking of the wages, while Regent may pay higher than one would earn in their home country such as Bali or the Philippines, the earnings are far below any western country.

 

I have certain likes and expectations, so I always sit with a same waiter for the full voyage. If this waiter who serves me every day, always greets me with a smile and a hello, goes out of his way to accommodate me every night, no matter how crappy his day has been; he deserves something extra. He has earned it and I am happy to show my appreciation with a tip.

 

j

 

Agree that Regent wages are less than western countries. However, in the U.S. for example, a family with two working adults, may not be able to put their children through college or own a home. As I mentioned on another thread, our server has put one daughter through college (graduated last week) and his son graduates next year (he is from the Philippines and has worked for Regent for a long time).

 

The service you describe from a server that you sit with every night is typical, excellent service. If he/she did not provide that service, they would not be working for Regent. We have not only sat the the same server for one cruise but for several. We could not love him more if he were a member of our family (and he feels the same). We bring gifts for his youngest daughter for which he is very appreciative.

 

We know a couple that give their butler $100 when they get on board with the promise of more if the service is excellent. Of course they get good service...... but, do they care about these people any more than someone who did not pre-tip (or give a bribe) for good service?

 

When someone asks about tipping on CC, I always quote Regent's website and do not encourage tipping. IMO, the more people tip, the higher the expectation will be going forward.

[Hambagahle]

Regent does not use the negative word "discouraged". It is fairly straight forward when they that state that tips are included. With the number of foreign speakers I'm seeing on this cruise, it could be a good idea to print that policy (and other major ones) in multiple languages as some people do not seem to understand.

 

Jackie - you are abroad (out of the US or Canada or wherever) so you are a "foreign speaker" right now!

 

I assume you mean non-native English language speakers? I know that both Regent and Oceania are marketing heavily in Europe and on our TA I heard French, Spanish and German spoken by guests. (Spanish could have been Latin American of course). We are well used to a "Tipping included" policy and are therefore far less likely to tip at the end of a cruise. In Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain and Italy the service charge for everything is included in the price of the service. Americans do not understand this and tend to tip which they do not need to do nor are expected to.

 

In spite of that I have occasionally given a tip to my butler on Regent when the service has been above and beyond, so to speak. Never to the waiters etc. I really prefer the idea of a donation to the crew fund which helps everyone...

 

And I entirely agree that you simply cannot compara wages/hours of work on a ship to those in the US. Indeed if I were to do so I would think that all Americans are severely underpaid. I believe the minimum wage in the USA is around $10-15 per hour? (Not sure of the exact amount!) Here in Switzerland the lowest pay is over $25/hour with 1CHF = 1USD. Of course our cost of living (and standard of living too) is higher...so it is justified. But US wages to us are very low. The staff who work on Regent know that by comparison to similar jobs on other shipping lines they are well paid. Just ask them. (On Oceania last week our stewardess told me of someone who came to work on Riviera from Carnival and was delighted with not on the pay but the working and living conditions as well... not to mention the team spirit!)

Edited April 18, 2015 by Hambagahle

[fizzy]

I have always tipped extra. None of the crew expects a tip. I have never had a sense that my tipping created any expectation. Sometime, I will give to the crew fund in addition. They used to have auctions that went solely to the crew fund, like diner with the Captain in his cabin, etc.

 

Almost all cruise lines, including Oceania, tipping policies are effectively the same as Regent except other lines hide the tip as being automatically added to the on board bill (prepaid gratuities). As far as I know the "tips" that are charged have no direct benefit to any individual crew member and is just part of their regular wage.

 

Speaking of the wages, while Regent may pay higher than one would earn in their home country such as Bali or the Philippines, the earnings are far below any western country. That waiter that serves you in the evening in Compass Rose has been up since 5 am and may not finish his day until 11 pm. He may get an hour or two off in the afternoon, if he is not stuck working a late lunch because a tour got back late. And he does this 7 days a week, every day for 8 or 9 months, without a day off. He might go weeks without even a few hours ashore. He has to spend his off hours in a shared cabin, eat his meals in the crew mess and pay for his internet. He gets to spend any free time in the crew bar, which is tiny, with 200-300 other crew members.

 

I have certain likes and expectations, so I always sit with a same waiter for the full voyage. If this waiter who serves me every day, always greets me with a smile and a hello, goes out of his way to accommodate me every night, no matter how crappy his day has been; he deserves something extra. He has earned it and I am happy to show my appreciation with a tip.

 

It is a personal choice. Those of you who don't want to tip and feel it is unwarranted, fine. But I don't feel anything but happy when I do. It reminds me of how fortunate life has treated me.

 

And if Regent wants to create some sort of "tipping not allowed" policy. I guess they will just have to kick me off the ship when I do!

 

 

j

 

I would like to add that the crew fund is a nice idea that not everyone is aware of and may certainly be appreciated by the entire staff......I hardly think that anyone being hired for back of the house positions/ support jobs, would even think that the job might include tips or should. I have never experienced any expectations on Regent or Silversea and actually find the idea of bringing "gifts" on board for favored crew to be sort of odd....given the tight cabin quarters. It just goes to show you that people can provide tips if they want to in any form....whether cash in an envelope or a wrap it up type gift. We are extremely low maintenance people and feel that we are always appreciated by staff because we try not to infringe on their time by endless chatting.

[Caroldoll]

And also I am wondering how TC knows that someone who tips the butler doesn't care about them afterwards. Wow..it must be nice to know all. We have had a certain butler for close to 9 years now..mostly he is on board when we said. We know his wife and children and we DO CARE. OMG, forgive those who generalize.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

... I believe the minimum wage in the USA is around $10-15 per hour? (Not sure of the exact amount!) Here in Switzerland the lowest pay is over $25/hour with 1CHF = 1USD. Of course our cost of living (and standard of living too) is higher...so it is justified. But US wages to us are very low. ...

 

I think you've got that kind of high. Here in Florida the minimum wage is $8.00 per hour, although for tipped employees it's $5.

 

At home in Ontario, Canada, it's $11.00, I believe.

[computerworks]

Shipboard workers enjoy job perks, such as world travel, paid training, and an exciting work atmosphere.

 

Sorry, Jane...but that concept made me chuckle.

 

Sounds like a line from an Army recruitment ad. :cool:

[liptastic]

We always give a tip to the butler and the stewards and to waiters that we get to know on board. I think it's a matter of personal choice if you do this or not. We are all aware that gratuities are included and also about the crew fund, and like Fizzy we are very low maintenance people and we appreciate all the hard work of all the staff providing us with the comfort levels on board. Our way of looking at the extra tip it can let someone phone home in port to their family far away or go pay for WiFi where it's not free. We have never felt under pressure or that staff in any way expect tips, but we have felt its a small gesture of our appreciation to do it.:)

[Travelcat2]

As of 1/1/15:

 

Highest state minimum wage in the U.S. is 9.50 per hour in Washington D.C. followed by Washington state at $9.47 per hour. 9 states are $9.00 or higher.

 

Lowest is in Wyoming... $5.15 per hour followed by several states at $7.25.

 

NOTE ... many states allow lower minimum wages for employees that receive tips.

 

Regarding my gifts, a travel Scrabble set that he wanted and a child's bead set is not exactly an over the top gift. I do consider luggage requirements even though some crew members bring a case of alcohol with them (perhaps purchased with guest tips?????)

[fizzy]

As of 1/1/15:

 

Highest state minimum wage in the U.S. is 9.50 per hour in Washington D.C. followed by Washington state at $9.47 per hour. 9 states are $9.00 or higher.

 

Lowest is in Wyoming... $5.15 per hour followed by several states at $7.25.

 

NOTE ... many states allow lower minimum wages for employees that receive tips.

 

Regarding my gifts, a travel Scrabble set that he wanted and a child's bead set is not exactly an over the top gift. I do consider luggage requirements even though some crew members bring a case of alcohol with them (perhaps purchased with guest tips?????)

 

I truly don't want this to get crazy but perhaps it is also not correct for staff to ask customers for gifts?....no matter the cost? And I say that buying booze would certainly not be a priority for me if I were "struggling", cash allows them to get anything they want and it is actually none of my business. It seems that many do very well for themselves, as do guests onboard and I say "good for us all!"

[DaveFr]

One thing I've never seen in these tipping threads is whether a staff member who is tipped in cash gets to keep the tip or must turn it in to some sort of tipping pool or to the crew fund. Does anyone know?

Edited April 18, 2015 by DaveFr

[fizzy]

One thing I've never seen in these tipping threads is whether a staff member who is tipped in cash gets to keep the tip or must turn it in to some sort of tipping pool or to the crew fund. Does anyone know?

 

I would certainly not think that could be possible as "tips" are included. I am also going to start being more careful with wording lest the thread start to take on a condescending tone.

[Travelcat2]

One thing I've never seen in these tipping threads is whether a staff member who is tipped in cash gets to keep the tip or must turn it in to some sort of tipping pool or to the crew fund. Does anyone know?

 

Good point although I doubt if anyone on Cruise Critic would know. Unfortunately, whenever "tipping" is discussed, the thread goes downhill fast -- not only on the Regent board but on others as well. I felt it was important to let "tippers" know that their behavior affects others. Over the years, I have definitely seen the practice of tipping growing on Regent as well as other luxury lines. This definitely changes the "model" of what luxury cruising was set up to be.

 

We have seen what tipping (particularly by people living in the U.S.) can do. As one example, people did not tip in Fiji. However, when American's starting going there, they tipped. I am not sure if this was out of ignorance or whether they did not care what the culture of the country was. In any case, Fijians soon learned that American's tipped and Australians didn't. Even today, Americans are given better service than Australians.

 

As Gerry put so well: "We are well used to a "Tipping included" policy and are therefore far less likely to tip at the end of a cruise. In Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain and Italy the service charge for everything is included in the price of the service. Americans do not understand this and tend to tip which they do not need to do nor are expected to."

 

Anyway, not going to delve deeper into why people do what is not required or expected and could change the culture of luxury cruising. If passengers truly want to pay tips on their own, perhaps Regent will no longer include tip so that everyone will be expected to pay them.

 

I must, however, address the misunderstanding that a crew member on board "asked me" for anything. It would be horrible if Regent read this and believed this to be true. During a conversation about Scrabble (which we play on board), he mentioned that his Scrabble set at home was missing tiles and they were using pieces of paper. He wanted to get a new Scrabble set. I made a mental note of that - purchased the set at home and waited until we got on board to give it to him. Really quite simple.

[JMARINER]

Tips are not pooled or shared on Regent. This is not always the case on other lines though.

 

j

[warburg]

We have sailed on many cruise lines, even a container ship. In 1994, we went on a 46 day trip on the San Antonia, Iveran Line, now defunct, from New Jersey to Rio and back. We tip whenever we receive superior service. For example, our butlers have all been exceptional. When my husband was in college, he had a summer job in the Catskills as a busboy. Since then he has considerable empathy for those who serve the public.