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Why should I tip if pre paid gratuities?


AppyAmmer
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We tipped our room steward extra because he was awesome, we did anytime dining on Ncl so we didn’t see the same wait staff. Prepaid gratuities have you covered, but it’s nice to have extra to give for the employees who go above and beyond!

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As someone else mentioned, the porters aren't cruise line employs so they don't get the tips you prepay. Give them $1 or $2 per bag and you'll be fine. Also don't forget your excursion operators. Uber drivers as well, but you can just add their tip onto your final payment on the app.

 

We were thinking about that for the porters or rounding it up (We have never cruised so I dont know how much my wife is planning to take!) But tipping everywhere apart from the ship is something I will do. (I think!)

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Our room crew last week was adequate. Forgot things like some initial cleaning from previous passengers and we didn’t get the ice we requested until I asked again on the 5th day. But we had a few incredibly disgusting diapers that the bags we brought couldn’t contain the smell and on a rough sea night I vomited in 2 trash cans—I found out the hard way that the bathroom trash can leaks and would be a pain to clean. They got an extra tip for that! Our wait staff in the dining room was pretty good but they were especially excellent and understanding of our autistic son. Their attempts to interact with him often didn’t turn out as they planned but they didn’t give up trying connect with him and eventually they did. It can be stressful taking him in public especially for such a long dinner and we appreciated their efforts. They also got an extra tip.

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When you DO tip extra, do you tip in US$? I'm going on a cruise in and out of Italy. Should I tip in Euros or Dollars? For the porters too?

 

For ship's crew, USD or Euros are equally acceptable. And other currencies eg sterling depending on the itinerary

USD has the advantage of $1 bills, whereas under €5 the euros are coins which to me always look "cheap" .

 

I know that a lot of Americans tip baggage handlers when they hand over their bags at the ship, but it's not the norm. in Europe.

For a porter (who carries your bags any distance, for instance from reclaim to kerb) euros are preferable, but they deal with all nationalities and receive all currencies, so any mainstream currency is acceptable. In many countries there's a set charge for porters at airports - quite expensive & no need to tip on top.

 

JB :)

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For ship's crew, USD or Euros are equally acceptable. And other currencies eg sterling depending on the itinerary

USD has the advantage of $1 bills, whereas under €5 the euros are coins which to me always look "cheap" .

 

I know that a lot of Americans tip baggage handlers when they hand over their bags at the ship, but it's not the norm. in Europe.

For a porter (who carries your bags any distance, for instance from reclaim to kerb) euros are preferable, but they deal with all nationalities and receive all currencies, so any mainstream currency is acceptable. In many countries there's a set charge for porters at airports - quite expensive & no need to tip on top.

 

JB :)

 

 

Thank you!

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All over the world, I have tipped baggage porters in hotels with US dollars. Never have a comment, complaint, or nasty look.

 

Euro, even in non-Euro countries are happily accepted, except in the US. :D

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  • 4 weeks later...
Right, because people always get a receipt when they give a bartender a buck.

 

How sad that some people mock and resent other peoples' generosity.

 

I can't believe it even though it happens often! As long as we tip with money that isn't theirs, what does it matter?

 

I appreciate threads like this because I often learn something. While I tip the room stewards and dining stewards if they make any attempt to make my vacation extra special, I had forgotten about tipping for room service. I have been told that employees sign up for extra duty delivering room service, in the hope of picking up a few extra dollars. We tip $2 each time we order room service. A small amount to give for the convenience. Necessary? Nope. But it's what we do.

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I prepaid my gratuities, and have the free drink package with gratuities on that prepaid as well. Call my a crazy American, but I'm going to feel horrible getting drinks from the bar and NOT leaving a tip behind. But in reality, I am already covered and have paid those tips, correct?

 

How do the staff know that I've already prepaid their gratuity and I'm not just a cheap bastard so that they don't spit in my drinks next round?

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I prepaid my gratuities, and have the free drink package with gratuities on that prepaid as well. Call my a crazy American, but I'm going to feel horrible getting drinks from the bar and NOT leaving a tip behind. But in reality, I am already covered and have paid those tips, correct?

 

How do the staff know that I've already prepaid their gratuity and I'm not just a cheap bastard so that they don't spit in my drinks next round?

 

They know that the gratuity is included in the drink package.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Are spa staff not covered? They automatically add in 15%.

 

No they are not. That is why the 15% is added to your spa service. The reason they are not covered is because not everyone uses the spa so only those people who use the spa should tip spa employees.

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I can't believe it even though it happens often! As long as we tip with money that isn't theirs, what does it matter?

 

I appreciate threads like this because I often learn something. While I tip the room stewards and dining stewards if they make any attempt to make my vacation extra special, I had forgotten about tipping for room service. I have been told that employees sign up for extra duty delivering room service, in the hope of picking up a few extra dollars. We tip $2 each time we order room service. A small amount to give for the convenience. Necessary? Nope. But it's what we do.

 

I'd find it easier to be a lot more generous with room service tipping if I wasn't being charged $7.95 for it by RC

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  • 10 months later...

Having just returned on a HAL, and having paid US$203 compulsory gratuities, which at only AU62c to our dollar,so add another 38c to the dollar, is hardly a bargain! I felt it was enough tip for my 14 day cruise, and YET the cabin stewards still hung around on the evening before disembarkation for an additional tip. I felt very uncomfortable and ended up giving the 2 guys $10 each extra as well! As Aussies we don't like to pay tips, unless they have done some extraordinary thing for me! I felt annoyed. Other cruises I have always tipped the stewards and table guys at least $100 each and that should be enough! Pay the staff better wages or put it on our fare but do not expect a double tip from me!!

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On 1/19/2018 at 1:22 AM, RandallFlagg said:

"Tips" are a way of expressing your thanks for "good service". If you have pre-paid for gratuities there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to "tip" again - unless you feel that the service has been exceptional.

 

We always pre-pay gratuities before we sail and, on occasion, we have tipped the room steward an extra $20 at the end of the cruise. But not always. It is totally up to you.

 

For UK cruisers, worth noting that “tips” do not mean the same thing as they do in the US, and on US styled cruise ship culture.

In the UK, also Europe, Australia etc, tips are a voluntary thank you for exceptional, above and beyond, service ON TOP OF the service staff actually having been  paid properly. 

In the US, what are called tips are actually part of the staff wages, withheld, I understand, to ensure good service!

if you leave the auto tips on, or pay them as added on to your on board account, you have paid the “tips” in the same way as US customers do. The “ tips” are also added onto any drinks bought on board, so no need to give extra cash, although I do note that many US cruisers do like to do this as a bribe for preferential service, a practice I find very wrong, as it implies that the rest of the customers will get a lesser service than they have paid for.

It is then up to you entirely if you want to give any particular member of staff a little extra cash as a thank you, in the same way we might do in a restaurant in the UK. No obligation whatsoever. 

i would give room service a couple of dollars if I ever used it, which I haven’t, or if I had made a mess of my room, or asked the steward to do something above and beyond what might be expected.

thats just for the ship.on land in the US, “tips” ie staff wages, aren’t fully covered in the cost of the food or service!

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On 1/16/2018 at 8:36 PM, AppyAmmer said:

As the title suggests, why should we pay extra? We dont mind paying the extra but when exactly are we paying the pre paid gratuities for. There seems to be quite a few posts on CC about tipping with all different figures and methods of paying for service but as I say,has that not been paid for already?

 

I feel slightly bad even asking this and feel really mean as well!

 

We only tip extra at the end of the cruise to those people who made our cruise an enjoyable one.

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On 1/21/2018 at 7:13 PM, robindina said:

We tipped our room steward extra because he was awesome, . . . 

 

Seems like they always are!  We appreciate it and don't take it for granted.   We do the same as you and give extra.      

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I will often tip the cabin steward extra early in the cruise if he handles a request, and then again at the end if he has gone above and beyond.  I will also tip others that take exceptional care of me.

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On 2/24/2018 at 7:02 AM, Sailing12Away said:

I prepaid my gratuities, and have the free drink package with gratuities on that prepaid as well. Call my a crazy American, but I'm going to feel horrible getting drinks from the bar and NOT leaving a tip behind. But in reality, I am already covered and have paid those tips, correct?

 

How do the staff know that I've already prepaid their gratuity and I'm not just a cheap bastard so that they don't spit in my drinks next round?

 

They add 15% tip for everything that you order.  That is plenty if all they do is pour your drink out of a bottle or squirt it out of a fountain.

 

DON

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/16/2018 at 11:48 PM, CruiseGal999 said:

People on CC and in America especially seem to LOVE to tip people copious amounts of money. AND they LOVE telling everyone on CC that they do so and how much to each.

 

 

Painting people with a broad brush is a fail. 

 

American here. I prepay gratuities, and don't tip anybody while on board.

 

I'm so sorry I don't live up to your preconceived notions of American cruisers.

 

 

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I do not think you should tip extra if you don't want to.

 

I tip extra when I get exceptional service, or I want exceptional service.  As was alluded to in another post, people respond to those they perceive as caring about them.  Saying thank you is one way to show, and I try to do that every encounter, and then an extra tip also shows that you appreciate their service.  A third thing that I always do is get the waiter, and the cabin steward to put their information on a comment card, keeps me from messing up the spelling, and then turn it in.  

 

I do think that tipping the bartender in cash can improve the quality of your drinks, especially if you frequent the same bar.  

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What a number of posters seem to overlook is the fact that auto-gratuities, prepaid or not, are intended to compensate the staff for their services.  You are able to reduce/remove auto-gratuities if you feel the service has been sub-standard, just st as you are able to tip extra if you feel individuals have gone above and beyond.

 

The daily rate is what you are believed to “owe” for reasonably expected services on board.

 

I do not understand the notion of pre-paying gratuities - any more than I can understand paying for anything before payment is due.  “To get it out of the way” seems a silly reason - do you pay your May rent in April “to get it out of the way”, or stop by your local grocer’s to put up funds for what you might want to buy next week?

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