Help, how much do I actually pay for food and such!

[Waihekean]

How do I know beforehand how much something cost when going to lunch, dinner etc?

 

Say buy lunch at Giovanni's food truck at Waikiki. Listed price is $10.95. How much tax do I have to add and do I have to pay a tip as well?

Say buy dinner at a restaurant of $ 17.00, how much tax do I have to add on and how much tip? Read a review where someone paid a 20%, but still got the dirty look.

 

Then I read review where a lady had ordered a limousine. First it did not arrive on time, did not want to pick up from location agreed and pax had to carry luggage to the end of street where limousine was parked. Although the lady was very reluctant to give any tip at all, she said she had agreed to 20% beforehand, so she felt she had to.

So, how much tax and how much tip do you add for say a taxi or a transfer shuttle?

 

Then I know on the Pride of America I will have to add 18% to food and beverages, but when I booked some tours with them NCL added 4.335% tax to one tour, but 6.5% to another?

 

For someone that comes from New Zealand where there is just a standard rate of 15% sales tax, that is always included in any price that is listed and where tipping is not mandatory and only done in small amounts i.e round up some cash for a taxi or for a special occasion. It's just all mind boggling!!:confused:

 

Plus with one US dollar costing us $1.5 NZ dollar. I have to be careful not to overspend. But on the other hand do not want to short change somebody. Sorry for the long post, but please help........

[mongee]

I'd like to know the answer to this too. In Australia the price always includes tax and there is no tipping. It is the one thing that is worrying me about our upcoming trip.

[CruiserBruce]

Tipping in the US is generally 15-20%. All over the US.

 

Tax is a more complicated situation, as it varies by state, and frequently by city or county. I think, if you have any sales tax on food in Hawaii, it will be in the 5% range. But you may not have sales tax on all meals. Fast food is taxed, regular restaurants usually aren't.

[NanaJPB]

Here is a link to the sales tax by Hawaiian city: http://www.sale-tax.com/Hawaii

[cruzn single]

Not sure what you are referring on POA with tax on food--as that is included in your fare. Can't remember about tax on alcoholic beverages, but I really don't remember being taxed.

 

Off the ship, that is another issue and others have covered that.

 

POA also adds a daily gratuity/per person, so if you aren't comfortable with tips on the ship, then don't. We always tipped $1-2 per round of drinks in the bar, and at the end might tip others, but again---------?!?!?!?

 

Don't get hung up on taxes or tipping, but enjoy your cruise.

[smslms]

In our experience when visiting New Zealand and Australia ( both beautiful countries by the way ) we found the overall price of a meal to be somewhat higher than we would pay in North America. We thought that this was because staff would be paid a higher compensation due to the lack of tipping.

 

You may find that meals in Hawaii might cost a bit less than you are used to at home. We normally tip somewhere around 15%, but whatever you decide base it on the cost of the meal before any taxes are tacked on.

[smslms]

Just a quick follow up Waihekean.

 

Love Waiheke Island. Have walked all over and had a fantastic lunch at Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant.

[punkincc]

Not sure what you are referring on POA with tax on food--as that is included in your fare. Can't remember about tax on alcoholic beverages' date=' but I really don't remember being taxed.

 

Off the ship, that is another issue and others have covered that.

 

POA also adds a daily gratuity/per person, so if you aren't comfortable with tips on the ship, then don't. We always tipped $1-2 per round of drinks in the bar, and at the end might tip others, but again---------?!?!?!?

 

Don't get hung up on taxes or tipping, but enjoy your cruise.[/quote']

 

 

I'll add a bit more to the comments n the POA above. A Daily Service Charge is charged to your onboard account daily and if not paid in cash at the end of the cruise will go onto the credit card you have tied to your account. You can pay these charges precruise if you don't wish to be charged at the end. These charges cover tips for room steward and complimentary dining staff. There are 5 complimentry dining rooms. No other taxes or tips expected, although some do tip extra. The "Specialty" dining rooms are either "cover charge" when booked, or are "a la carte" pay for what you order. An 18% Specialty Dining gratuity/Service Charge is added to either the cover charge or the final bill if a la carte. Any tip beyond that is not expected and is discretionary. This same 18% is added to alcohol beverages or to the package price if you bought one to cover bar service.

 

If you think you might like to try a specialty restaurant 3 or more nights, it may benefit you to buy a 3 night ( this is the minimum you can buy ) Specialty Dining Package or SDP. This covers you in all the specialties. The 18% is added to the package price when you buy it. This works out to about $20 per meal and can be quite a savings over paying a la carte prices. The two restaurants with flat cover charges are Moderno and Teppanyaki.

 

I've never seen any additional tax added to any food charges on board the ship. At food trucks, no tipping needed. Not sure if county or state charges are added to tours. Most people tip their tour guides 5 or 10%. The story about the limo has to be a rarity. Look for private tour recommendations here and on Trip Advisor. Many times they are cheaper than the ships and provide a better experience. Rental cars shuttles are available at every port and is an easy and cheap way to see things vs a tour if you are comfortable driving.

[RobTheGob]

Read a review where someone paid a 20%, but still got the dirty look.

 

IMO, a 20% tip is generous. We normally tip in the 15% range, although for some strange reason I'm quite often more generous when I'm on vacation! I've never really understood why the percentage is increasing along with prices - when I was a kid, 5-10% was the norm. Inflation increases the cost of a meal, which also increases the dollar amount of the tip. How long before tips are 25%? 35%? I think it's crazy...

 

I'd love it if we in North America would kill tipping and just pay a "living wage", but I doubt it will ever happen... I just find it odd how some low paying jobs get tips, while other *worse* low paying jobs don't!

[chengkp75]

I'll add a bit more to the comments n the POA above. A Daily Service Charge is charged to your onboard account daily and if not paid in cash at the end of the cruise will go onto the credit card you have tied to your account. You can pay these charges precruise if you don't wish to be charged at the end. These charges cover tips for room steward and complimentary dining staff. There are 5 complimentry dining rooms. No other taxes or tips expected, although some do tip extra. The "Specialty" dining rooms are either "cover charge" when booked, or are "a la carte" pay for what you order. An 18% Specialty Dining gratuity/Service Charge is added to either the cover charge or the final bill if a la carte. Any tip beyond that is not expected and is discretionary. This same 18% is added to alcohol beverages or to the package price if you bought one to cover bar service.

 

If you think you might like to try a specialty restaurant 3 or more nights, it may benefit you to buy a 3 night ( this is the minimum you can buy ) Specialty Dining Package or SDP. This covers you in all the specialties. The 18% is added to the package price when you buy it. This works out to about $20 per meal and can be quite a savings over paying a la carte prices. The two restaurants with flat cover charges are Moderno and Teppanyaki.

 

I've never seen any additional tax added to any food charges on board the ship. At food trucks, no tipping needed. Not sure if county or state charges are added to tours. Most people tip their tour guides 5 or 10%. The story about the limo has to be a rarity. Look for private tour recommendations here and on Trip Advisor. Many times they are cheaper than the ships and provide a better experience. Rental cars shuttles are available at every port and is an easy and cheap way to see things vs a tour if you are comfortable driving.

 

At least when I worked the NCL ships in Hawaii, there was sales tax added to every purchase when in port or within 2 miles offshore. I remember the bridge had to call the pursers office to notify them to recalibrate the POS registers to stop adding sales tax. I believe this was the general Hawaiian "general excise tax" of 4%.

[mufc99]

No need to tip anybody at the bar - just give them your card and the drinks go on that - no need to carry cash with you.

 

My wife did give the room guy 20 bucks on the last day though.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

How do I know beforehand how much something cost when going to lunch, dinner etc?

 

Say buy lunch at Giovanni's food truck at Waikiki. Listed price is $10.95. How much tax do I have to add and do I have to pay a tip as well?

Say buy dinner at a restaurant of $ 17.00, how much tax do I have to add on and how much tip? Read a review where someone paid a 20%, but still got the dirty look.

 

Then I read review where a lady had ordered a limousine. First it did not arrive on time, did not want to pick up from location agreed and pax had to carry luggage to the end of street where limousine was parked. Although the lady was very reluctant to give any tip at all, she said she had agreed to 20% beforehand, so she felt she had to.

So, how much tax and how much tip do you add for say a taxi or a transfer shuttle

 

Waihekean, thanks for asking the question and wanting to do the right thing.

 

The link below is a link to TripAdvisors U.S. Tipping Etiquette. I read it and look at the links contained in it (AARP, U.S. News, Emily Post, etc) and come back with any questions or clarifications.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

 

I probably would not have paid the limo driver in the story 20%, even if I had agreed to it, but then again, if they were late and not picking me up at the agreed upon place I'd have taken a cab or Uber (which doesn't require tipping).

 

IMO, a 20% tip is generous. We normally tip in the 15% range, although for some strange reason I'm quite often more generous when I'm on vacation! I've never really understood why the percentage is increasing along with prices - when I was a kid, 5-10% was the norm. Inflation increases the cost of a meal, which also increases the dollar amount of the tip. How long before tips are 25%? 35%? I think it's crazy...

 

I'd love it if we in North America would kill tipping and just pay a "living wage", but I doubt it will ever happen... I just find it odd how some low paying jobs get tips, while other *worse* low paying jobs don't!

 

I love that you want to tell me what my employees are worth and what I should pay them, but when it comes time to put your own money out there YOU think 15% is just fine.

 

And what is a "living wage"? Who gets to decide? If I have to pay my Santa Barbara staff $15 an hour, can I pay my Bakersfield staff $7 an hour?

 

It is interesting that both Canadians responded with 15% as being the appropriate level for a United States city. I think 15% has become the bare minimum in the U.S. and 20% is more the norm now.

[smslms]

Well, you have to understand that we're close to being a third world nation, and most of our discretionary income goes towards buying whale oil to heat our igloos.:D

[RobTheGob]

And what is a "living wage"? Who gets to decide? If I have to pay my Santa Barbara staff $15 an hour, can I pay my Bakersfield staff $7 an hour?

 

The market decides. How do wages get set for non-minimum wage paying jobs? Uhh... easy - the market sets them... If a particular job can't get filled at your Bakersfield wage - then it needs to get increased. McDonald's workers in our oil patch were making $18/hr three years ago - now I'm sure it's less because people can't get jobs. It's call "supply and demand". It varies greatly by location.

 

It is interesting that both Canadians responded with 15% as being the appropriate level for a United States city. I think 15% has become the bare minimum in the U.S. and 20% is more the norm now.

Why not 30%? 50%? More?? I live in a tourism city where the majority of our "guests' come from your country - Americans are not known as heavy tippers around here. Perhaps they save their big tips for the US cities?!?

 

In the end - I consider tipping barbaric. You may kid yourself that it somehow "ensures prompt service", but you're kidding yourself. It's just part of the wage. Roll the tip into the costs, like every other industry. If a server isn't doing their job in a country that doesn't have tips - do they keep their job? No, they don't - they find a new job. If they do their job well - they make more money.

 

Do you tip your IT guy? Your bank teller? Your car salesman? If not - why not? They're all service jobs...

[smslms]

Hey ROB,

 

Clearly I'm just another poor dumb Canuck but I was wondering about something and thought you might have an opinion.

 

If you were a hot shot restauranteur in Santa Barbara, and perhaps other places ( mind you a food truck can move from A to B - gas is cheap these days) would you think it was a good idea to advise everybody that they have to tip at least 20%, because that would enable you to pay your staff minimum wage?

 

I would hope that a guy like that would post the names and locations of his restaurants so that if we cheap, underprivileged folks from the frozen north, ever had the chance to visit his area ( oh, wait a minute, been there numerous times) we would have the opportunity to decide for ourselves as to the quality of food and service and make our own decision as to what might constitute a reasonable tip.

[Susan-M]

Read a review where someone paid a 20%, but still got the dirty look.

 

 

I suspect that the reviewer misinterpreted the look as it would be almost unheard of for a wait staff to scowl at a 20% tip. 15 to 20% is a reasonable amount - and deciding between the two will depend on the level of service you receive and what you wish to pay. You can leave less or none if you have a bad experience with service. I think you'll find that almost all wait staff are gracious enough to say thank you for a 15-20% tip. If you leave an unusually low amount, they might ask if there was a problem with service, but I think that it would be rare for a wait staff to comment on it.

 

Don't worry about it - you'll figure it out pretty quickly, and if all else fails, you can ask an employee or even your waiter what the appropriate thing to do is. We had to figure it out in NZ when we were there for a month last year ... having read before our trip about the non-tipping culture, it came as a bit of a surprise to me that many cafes had tip jars, and some menus at nice restaurants had comments about tips.

 

Enjoy your trip.:)

[Lovex4]

Yes, just what the heck is a "living wage"? If someone is not making at least $15/hr, are they not living? If government is going to set an arbitrary wage then why not $75/hr? In a capitalist society the markets should determine wages. If someone is not making enough $ in their job they are free to go and find a higher paying one. If they cannot find a higher paying job perhaps they need to go and get better skills. It's called personal responsibility.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

The market decides. How do wages get set for non-minimum wage paying jobs? Uhh... easy - the market sets them... If a particular job can't get filled at your Bakersfield wage - then it needs to get increased. McDonald's workers in our oil patch were making $18/hr three years ago - now I'm sure it's less because people can't get jobs. It's call "supply and demand". It varies greatly by location

 

That is the complete opposite of paying a "living wage". The "pay a living wage" crowd wants to see workers paid a wage without regard to supply and demand. Santa Barbara is an expensive place to live, but so many UCSB graduates don't want to leave the area that I can pay someone with a masters degree $36k for a job that I would have to pay over $50k in San Diego and they might only have a bachelors degree.

 

The living wage crowd wants me to pay more than the market because SB is expensive to live in, but no one forces those people to stay in SB. They stay because they choose to.

 

Why not 30%? 50%? More?? I live in a tourism city where the majority of our "guests' come from your country - Americans are not known as heavy tippers around here. Perhaps they save their big tips for the US cities?!?

 

Do you work in a restaurant in Victoria? I don't tip any differently than I do in the U.S. and none of the other Americans I've traveled with to Vancouver and Victoria (and Whistler) do either.

 

In the end - I consider tipping barbaric. You may kid yourself that it somehow "ensures prompt service", but you're kidding yourself. It's just part of the wage. Roll the tip into the costs, like every other industry. If a server isn't doing their job in a country that doesn't have tips - do they keep their job? No, they don't - they find a new job. If they do their job well - they make more money.

 

Do you tip your IT guy? Your bank teller? Your car salesman? If not - why not? They're all service jobs...

 

And there is the crux of it.

 

YOU don't like tipping so YOU who thinks government should mandate my wages, is less than generous when it comes to taking money out of your pocket.

 

As to "If a server isn't doing their job in a country that doesn't have tips - do they keep their job?" I am going to say yes. I have had much slower, much more indifferent service in non tipping countries (mostly Europe and Australia/NZ) than I get in U.S. cities where they know a good portion of their income is discretionary.

 

I tip people according to the norms of their job and pay people according to the norms of their job. They chose the profession, I didn't choose it for them.

 

Hey ROB,

 

Clearly I'm just another poor dumb Canuck but I was wondering about something and thought you might have an opinion.

 

Who am I to argue with you when you are right?

 

If you were a hot shot restauranteur in Santa Barbara, and perhaps other places ( mind you a food truck can move from A to B - gas is cheap these days) would you think it was a good idea to advise everybody that they have to tip at least 20%, because that would enable you to pay your staff minimum wage?

 

Confused on this point because everyone in California does get minimum wage. The tip is what motivates the server to do more than a minimal job.

 

I would hope that a guy like that would post the names and locations of his restaurants so that if we cheap, underprivileged folks from the frozen north, ever had the chance to visit his area ( oh, wait a minute, been there numerous times) we would have the opportunity to decide for ourselves as to the quality of food and service and make our own decision as to what might constitute a reasonable tip.

 

I don't recall anyone saying they owned restaurants in this thread??

[smslms]

Bless your dear little heart Scottie

[RobTheGob]

YOU don't like tipping so YOU who thinks government should mandate my wages, is less than generous when it comes to taking money out of your pocket.

 

I don't recall ever saying "government should mandate" anything. Perhaps that is the reason why you're so hot and bothered? A living wage is just that - a wage that a person can "live" on.

 

I don't like tipping because it's barbaric. I could care less if my meal is $50 with tip or if it's $50 and there is no tip because the business paid their staff a reasonable wage (that they can live on). I suppose dangling a $5 bill over the nose of minimum wage server *may* increase your level of service - but I don't buy the idea that service is poor everywhere there is no tipping... Otherwise - they'd have tipping.

 

For some reason - people like to make tipping rules and expect all others to abide my them. At least apply the rules equally - tip all service jobs or none...

[MikeWazowski]

No need to tip anybody at the bar - just give them your card and the drinks go on that - no need to carry cash with you.

 

My wife did give the room guy 20 bucks on the last day though.

 

Wow, service must have been stellar for that $2.85/day tip

[MikeWazowski]

How do I know beforehand how much something cost when going to lunch, dinner etc?

 

Say buy lunch at Giovanni's food truck at Waikiki. Listed price is $10.95. How much tax do I have to add and do I have to pay a tip as well?

Say buy dinner at a restaurant of $ 17.00, how much tax do I have to add on and how much tip? Read a review where someone paid a 20%, but still got the dirty look.

 

Then I read review where a lady had ordered a limousine. First it did not arrive on time, did not want to pick up from location agreed and pax had to carry luggage to the end of street where limousine was parked. Although the lady was very reluctant to give any tip at all, she said she had agreed to 20% beforehand, so she felt she had to.

So, how much tax and how much tip do you add for say a taxi or a transfer shuttle?

 

Then I know on the Pride of America I will have to add 18% to food and beverages, but when I booked some tours with them NCL added 4.335% tax to one tour, but 6.5% to another?

 

For someone that comes from New Zealand where there is just a standard rate of 15% sales tax, that is always included in any price that is listed and where tipping is not mandatory and only done in small amounts i.e round up some cash for a taxi or for a special occasion. It's just all mind boggling!!:confused:

 

Plus with one US dollar costing us $1.5 NZ dollar. I have to be careful not to overspend. But on the other hand do not want to short change somebody. Sorry for the long post, but please help........

 

Everyone plans differently, I count on $100/day/person for "whatever!". Tax is tax, I pay it and move on rather than complain.

[Waihekean]

Thanks everyone for the good advise and Thanks scottca075 for the Trip Advisor Link, that was great and I'm sure also really helpfull for our Australian cruiser.

 

Have decided that as a general rule will tip about 18% for dining and beverages.

Liked a tip I saw on the T/A link. Say sales tax is 5%, then go x3 to get in the tip range. So say a meal is $50, 5% is 2.50 x3=7.50 tip plus 52.50, so meal costs $60. Can up that if dining and happy or if just had some drinks keep it at that level.

Good to know that don't have to tip at food trucks, just have to work out that the 10.95 meal plus 4.5% = + 0.49, will be 11.44. Then probably give $12 or so.

 

Also good to know that tipping tour guides was in the 5 - 10% range. Because 15-20% would really add up:eek: by the end of the cruise.

When on my Med cruises was used to tip 10% for transfers and tour guides.

 

Re: tipping on board I know that there is a daily charge for the servers and that the 18% charge only applies to beverages and with the food I meant the speciality restaurants. Even on a non tipping ship I always give an extra tip for my cabin steward and dining room servers, because I know that although they are sailing in New Zealand or the Med, they will be on the same wages as per usual.

 

Guess will get used to this adding taxes and tips, as suppose same sort of range of amounts will pop up again and again. Anyway feel much better about it now.

So, Thanks again for helping me to sort it out.

[Waihekean]

Ha, me again. Just never expected that this query about tax and tip would escalate in such a lively debate about a "living wage".

 

Although we have minimum wage here in NZ, there is debate here about providing a living wage. This because house rentals are really high (about half of a low income earners wage per week). Historically it was at least a quarter.

The minimum wage has been recently upped by 50 cents. Doop di doop.

 

As an employer I had to deal with this when we took on an apprentice and found that we were allowed to pay below the minimum wage which was at the time 12 per Hr and could pay him something like 10.45. There is no way you can live on that anywhere in NZ and this rate is based on school leavers that still live at home.

So, I paid him $15 the first six months and then upped it to $16 thereafter, as I thought that would be a living wage seeing that he had to get a drivers license for work and needed to save up for that.

 

I think it is good there is a minimum wage set and the market will also set it's rate like indeed a lot of demand for a certain skill then rate goes up and if not well it goes down.

 

What I always feel really sorry for that Americans do not have and that is a set time for holiday pay and time off. Here in NZ and in Australia it is 4 weeks paid annual leave and another 15 days for paid public holidays like Christmas and New Year etc. Plus if an employee gets sick there is at least 5 sick days paid.

So, often you read here on Cruise Critic, that a pax can not do this or that, because they only have one week holiday. In that respect I'm really glad that we can have a break from work. Unless you are self-employed of course then it is hard to get time off. The cruise we are going to do is actually annual leave for 2013 for my DH. So, about time!

[Waihekean]

Everyone plans differently, I count on $100/day/person for "whatever!". Tax is tax, I pay it and move on rather than complain.

 

???????? I was not complaining. Just tried to get a grip on how to deal with this.:rolleyes: