Question for Aussies on tipping while there

[GUT2407]

Not even to the tour guides? It will feel weird not doling out cash as we go along. ;)

 

Nope not even tour guides.

 

Maybe now you understand how we feel when we are expected to hand money out every few seconds to someone who is just doing their job.

[Mr&MrsCookie]

Not even to the tour guides? It will feel weird not doling out cash as we go along. ;)

 

Trust me it would be weird for the tour guides to accept money too. A suggestion - everytime you are over here and want to hand over a tip, just put that money in a separate place and at the end of the trip do something nice with it :)

[GUT2407]

Trust me it would be weird for the tour guides to accept money too. A suggestion - everytime you are over here and want to hand over a tip, just put that money in a separate place and at the end of the trip do something nice with it :)

 

I'll throw in this about tour guides some will have a tin floating around, and in many ports they will be volunteers.

 

But remember if they are employed workers the minimum adult wage here is just under $17 an hour. Yep $17 an hour regardless of what job they're doing, unless as I said they are volunteers.

[MicCanberra]

The important thing to remember is that you do not have to tip but I think if someone wants to tip someone for doing a good job, they can, hell, they can tip me if they like.

Edited January 20, 2017 by MicCanberra

[kobecat]

Commonly discussed here and elsewhere on Cruise Critic- frequently in a heated fashion, that tipping is not in the Australian culture.

 

 

Hi Bruce, I found this a bit condescending. It is not in the "culture"as you say because we all get paid a decent wage in Australia, by law, and don't have to have wages topped up by customers.

 

Beryl

 

 

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

Hi Bruce, I found this a bit condescending. It is not in the "culture"as you say because we all get paid a decent wage in Australia, by law, and don't have to have wages topped up by customers.

 

Beryl

 

 

 

 

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Whatever the reason, it is not the Aussie way of doing things. I am not arguing why, good or bad, just that is the way it is done in Australia.

 

Tips or not, the customer is always paying the wage of the employees.

Edited January 25, 2017 by CruiserBruce

[kobecat]

Point taken, but don't you find that North America is out of sync with the rest of the developed world in not paying service staff properly, thus necessitating topping up of wages. Tipping is not the norm throughout all of Europe or Asia. Please don't attempt to tip in Japan, you will be insulting them.

[Captain Canuck]

worst situation is France..they include a service charge and many waiters treat you like you are infringing upon their personal liberty when you order something

[Pushka]

The thing I hate is hotels and restaurants that have a service charge added to the room charge I think usually just overseas ones, and then you get the luggage person obviously hanging around for a tip. Or the total at the bottom of the bill in a restaurant is left open to add on tips. It's already been included!!! We only ever round up taxis if paying in cash in AUS but these days with paying with paywave not even that happens anymore. We may round up in restaurants to next $10 in restaurants that haven't already tacked on some charge. But only if it's been extra special.

Recently a diner was on his own at a restaurant and he discretely leaned across and asked if we tip. (Canadian). We said not to.

 

We've booked some private European Baltic shorex and they state that tips aren't included and then suggest a rate. What to do....

Edited January 25, 2017 by Pushka

[NSWP]

I was recently in Huntington Beach, California, pre cruise. All the restaurants gave you the bill and you crossed the 18%, 20% or 22% boxes for compulsory gratuity, they are getting greedier. So forget the 10 to 15% tipping in the Land of the Free.

 

As for tipping on Cruise ships, the auto tip system was brought in to reward all service staff on the ships, so these days it is commonplace to give them extra as well, why ? It has set a precedent and staff expect it from all nationalities, wrong !!! I never have and will not 'double tip' I find it abhorrent. I leave our auto tips on so all the service staff get a slice and that is it.

 

Stand by for incoming !!

Edited January 25, 2017 by NSWP

[Pushka]

Tips went up to 20% last time I heard. A friend in NY suggested looking at the tax charged and pay about the same.

[Aus Traveller]

As for tipping on Cruise ships, the auto tip system was brought in to reward all service staff on the ships, so these days it is commonplace to give them extra as well, why ? It has set a precedent and staff expect it from all nationalities, wrong !!! I never have and will not 'double tip' I find it abhorrent. I leave our auto tips on so all the service staff get a slice and that is it.

I agree with your comments. I also don't like the trend of handing out sizeable tips on the Australian based ships where the service staff are paid quite well.:) It will come to be expected.

 

Les - I will stand with you if there is any 'incoming'. :D

[GUT2407]

Tips went up to 20% last time I heard. A friend in NY suggested looking at the tax charged and pay about the same.

 

I've got a mate in Bufallo NY, now he is a Yank, only other place he has been is Canada, across at Niagara Falls and back again.

 

Now he thinks America is the greatest place on earth (and I'd think it was sad if he didn't). Thinks the tipping culture is a great way to get great service.

 

He was complaining the other night that he had tipped 25% and was called a tightwad. Seems 27.5% is considered normal in his area now and he hadn't eaten out for a while.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I was recently in Huntington Beach, California, pre cruise. All the restaurants gave you the bill and you crossed the 18%, 20% or 22% boxes for compulsory gratuity, they are getting greedier. So forget the 10 to 15% tipping in the Land of the Free.

Stand by for incoming !!

 

and that is exactly the reason why , when Americans come over here they are astonished at how expensive restaurant meals are.....until they realise that the tips are included in the total and that all the staff get a higher wage whether they give good service or not.

[NSWP]

I agree with your comments. I also don't like the trend of handing out sizeable tips on the Australian based ships where the service staff are paid quite well.:) It will come to be expected.

 

Les - I will stand with you if there is any 'incoming'. :D

Cheers, you aim, I will fire. lol. It is unfortunate that this double tipping mania started over the pond and I don't mean NZ. !!

[GUT2407]

Cheers, you aim, I will fire. lol. It is unfortunate that this double tipping mania started over the pond and I don't mean NZ. !!

 

It's almost like a guilt mania. I'm doing OK so I must fling it around, or maybe it's a form of big noting, I know I don't understand it.

 

Now I fully support the idea that a workman is worthy of his hire, but this more and more and more, just totally bamboozles me.

 

As for the increased % it's a higher % on a higher price when I first came across this tipping idea, probably in the 70s 10% was the norm in the USA, now it's around 25%, I'm not sure any other incomes increased at 2.5 times the rate of inflation over that time.

[shireboi]

ah.. that 'tipping' and 'gratuity' debate yet again...

 

anyone 'care' to explain this one away to me....

 

 

Vitality Spa prices on the RCI....... got to almost laugh at this one....

"For your convenience (sic), an 18% service charge will be automatically added to the treatment price"

WHAT THE ??? convenience.. or scam ??

 

You already have someone priced to provide an expensive service - and then they just 'add' something else on top for the sake of it.

 

This is one of the madnesses of 'tipping' and 'gratuities' - don't ADD something else when you have already 'priced' a service.... Isn't this a bit like getting in a tradesperson, agreeing on a price.. and then getting a bill for a 18% 'tip' for your convenience of them actually doing what you paid them for ??

 

 

Bit like the 18% added just to serve a bottle....

Edited January 26, 2017 by shireboi

[GUT2407]

ah.. that 'tipping' and 'gratuity' debate yet again...

 

anyone 'care' to explain this one away to me....

 

 

Vitality Spa prices on the RCI....... got to almost laugh at this one....

"For your convenience (sic), an 18% service charge will be automatically added to the treatment price"

WHAT THE ??? convenience.. or scam ??

 

You already have someone priced to provide an expensive service - and then they just 'add' something else on top for the sake of it.

 

This is one of the madnesses of 'tipping' and 'gratuities' - don't ADD something else when you have already 'priced' a service.... Isn't this a bit like getting in a tradesperson, agreeing on a price.. and then getting a bill for a 18% 'tip' for your convenience of them actually doing what you paid them for ??

 

 

Bit like the 18% added just to serve a bottle....

 

Yep crazy.

[NearEnough]

Nope not even tour guides.

 

Maybe now you understand how we feel when we are expected to hand money out every few seconds to someone who is just doing their job.

 

I worked as a 'tour host' and always refused tips. I feel tipping is demeaning when someone is simply doing their job to the best of their ability. It is NOT a custom in Australia because Australians are paid decent wages. I do round up the amount if I take a cab which is rarely. I do however, tip on cruise ships and when in the US and other countries where people depend on it for their livelihood. In restaurants here, you will often see a 'tip' glass on the counter where you pay. This will have mostly only loose change - a 'drink at the end of your shift' money. We do not want tipping to become customary here.

Edited January 26, 2017 by NearEnough

[MicCanberra]

So many people confuse the service charge and a gratuity. On the ship, they call them gratuities when in reality they are service charges so even they are confused. The reason for this confusion is so they can save paying as much tax and to shift the onus directly to the passenger. Guilt them into paying it.

We like the way we do things here but if all the world operated the same way, I doubt we would like it as it probably would not be the Aussie way.

[mrs and mrs]

It's almost like a guilt mania. I'm doing OK so I must fling it around, or maybe it's a form of big noting

 

OH so true.

[mrs and mrs]

We will be staying for a vacation in Australia after our cruise to Fiji. I gave read that you do not usually tip, is this correct? Say for waiters or cabbies? Thanks!

 

 

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Just round up, and don't get stressed or hung-up about this tipping CRAP, just enjoy youre holiday.

 

Or get a tee-Shirt printed.

 

FROM MIDDLE-CLASS DETROIT

GOT ****ED OVER.

[GUT2407]

Just round up, and don't get stressed or hung-up about this tipping CRAP, just enjoy youre holiday.

 

Or get a tee-Shirt printed.

 

FROM MIDDLE-CLASS DETROIT

GOT ****ED OVER.

 

Answer of the thread.

[mrs and mrs]

We will be staying for a vacation in Australia after our cruise to Fiji. I gave read that you do not usually tip, is this correct? Say for waiters or cabbies? Thanks!

 

 

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Or on a more important note.

Tell us how, we can buy a 30 foot plus yacht out of Florida, or the Lakes, and get it to AUS, without paying the customs ,gst, sales tax, import duties etc ,etc.

Frustrating, frustrating, frustrating.:):)

[ceba]

Being from the US and as an adult, I hate tipping. Yet my son worked his way (with our assistance) through college as a waiter in Huntington Beach. Working through school this way was good for him and he had to "fine tune" his people skills for maximum profit ;). He learned a lot about himself and other people. When we first started traveling to Europe many years ago we were told we were "spoiling" the locals and we became very sensitive about that. In 3 weeks we're on our way to your beautiful countries and I can't wait. I've always thought the Aussies and New Zealanders we're most like Americans. You know, good sense of humor, not afraid to speak our mind, always looking for a good time, and exceptionally handsome (really just a gratuitous moment to pat ourselves on the back;) )!! I was not aware until a few years ago that tipping was simply not done in your countries, and why. I respect you for it. So when I get there, rest assured....I WILL NOT TIP :)

 

An article that talks about tipping coming to the US.

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-tipping-2015-10

Edited January 26, 2017 by ceba