Mandatory Tipping ant

[sloopsailor]

18 minutes ago, GUT2407 said:

And yet every day another American starts a tipping thread, funny that isn’t it. And time and again I see Americans tipping in Australia, guess they don’t research either

In reality, most tipping threads are started by people from other countries not familiar with tipping, and post to complain about how unfair it is. But don't let facts get in the way of your imaginations. 

 

Your second comment suggests that it is better to err on the side of generosity than on the side of cheapness if there is any doubt of local customs. 😉

Edited November 28, 2018 by sloopsailor

[FLOURTOWN]

This will be our last one after 30 cruises.  So we are going back to the old fashioned way, envelopes!

We enjoyed handing it to them & saying goodbye to them.  Since it was changed it has become less personal.  I can understand why because people were being cheap.  We will request the same waiter & also give something to any other person who we come into contact with.  With asking $35. for the two of us a day plus the butler & concierge, we will do it our way. 

[sloopsailor]

2 hours ago, FLOURTOWN said:

This will be our last one after 30 cruises.  So we are going back to the old fashioned way, envelopes!

We enjoyed handing it to them & saying goodbye to them.  Since it was changed it has become less personal.  I can understand why because people were being cheap.  We will request the same waiter & also give something to any other person who we come into contact with.  With asking $35. for the two of us a day plus the butler & concierge, we will do it our way. 

 

Make sure you give a total to all that would equal what would have been added to your account via automatic tips. If you remove auto tips, the staff you give your cash to will be required to turn in all the cash you give them, which will be distributed appropriately. Those are part of the rules of employment. If they don't turn them in, they risk being disciplined and perhaps even fired for breaking that rule. 

 

May I suggest leaving the auto tips in place and then using the envelopes to give them extra? That is what we do. It keeps everyone in the tipping pool satisfied, and gives us a chance to be generous, and the staff receiving the extra tips are even better off than might have been otherwise since additional tips are kept by the individuals. It's a win-win-win situation for all.

 

Since we can afford to cruise in the first place, we certainly can afford to be generous towards people who work hard to make our cruises memorable.  

[Texas Tillie]

4 hours ago, FLOURTOWN said:

This will be our last one after 30 cruises.  So we are going back to the old fashioned way, envelopes!

We enjoyed handing it to them & saying goodbye to them.  Since it was changed it has become less personal.  I can understand why because people were being cheap.  We will request the same waiter & also give something to any other person who we come into contact with.  With asking $35. for the two of us a day plus the butler & concierge, we will do it our way. 

 

Do what you want, but you are accomplishing nothing but making yourself "feel" superior. Once you remove the daily gratuity the crew members who get the envelops are required to turn the money into the pool. If they don't they risk being fired on the spot and having to get home on their own nickel.

[Reina del Mar]

If you want to remove the autotips it is very easy..go to Guest Services and fill in a form ! 

 

It has been suggested you do this on embarkation so that your waiters/ stewards are not accused of bad service.

 

It has also been suggested that you do it on the last night so said waiters and servers think you are paying tips and give good service.

 

You will be blasted by many cruisers whatever you do.

 

Make your own decision ...consider these statements:-

 

Cruise lines should pay a living wage..yes !

But what is a living wage in some countries is not necessarily a living wage in others. 

 

if autotips are removed, any tips paid must be handed in to tipping pool.

 

When in Rome....cruiseline etiquette dictates tipping as a forgone conclusion.

 

Pay what you can afford !

 

If you pay auto tips then tip extra, you are setting a precedent that everyone will end up following sooner or later.

 

It is your decision....follow your conscience !

[Pyrate13]

11 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

Seriously Pyrate13?  Would you frequent any restaurant asking for a tip before you even sat down?

You seem to have missed the point entirely, whether you wanted to or just don't get it. Oh well, I'm out of here on this one.

[sparks1093]

13 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

What is the current thinking on the mandatory tip add on most lines use?  How do we know our waiter or stateroom attendant 

ever saw their share?  How difficult is it to tell Guest Services to remove the add on and return to individual envelopes? I have 

very mixed feelings on this and wonder why we should be paying wages when the cruise lines are making money hand over fist.

You know the people who are supposed to get the tips do because they are still working for the cruise line. They know how much passengers tip and they know what they are supposed to get. If my employer didn't give me what they were supposed to I would find a different employer. Whether it's the right way to compensate the crew or not it is the way that it is done under the agreement between the cruise line and the staff. If you remove your tips in protest you are simply hurting the crew that is working hard to make your cruise vacation special.

[mjkacmom]

13 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

Seriously Pyrate13?  Would you frequent any restaurant asking for a tip before you even sat down?

Family of 7 here, almost always have the tip added on to our bill. There are literally thousands of tipping threads on CC, started by those who want to save money by removing the gratuities, welcome to the club.

[beachbum53]

14 hours ago, mom says said:

How about reading one of the 9,999 tipping threads that already exist,? Many of them less than a year old. Then if you have anything new to add to the topic, come back and offer up your comments.

 

I'm a bit confused by the title of the thread. Are you talking about making tipping mandatory for all ants? Or making tipping mandatory TO all ants?

 

The title brought up some different questions for me. First, do ALL cruise lines now require a tipping ant, or just certain ones? Second, where do you find an ant that has money to take care of the tipping?  

[Schoifmom]

OK, folks.  Here is the technical answer to the question "how do I know that the employees receive the tips."  

1. All employees sign a contract specifically stating what percentage of tips they will receive of those that are collected (I do believe that there is a small percentage held back in a fund to be used when the ship has some sort of issue and the gratuities are not adjusted - think hurricane), how they are distributed, how withholding works, how withheld funds are distributed, and tax issues.  
2. Most of the cruise lines are incorporated in the US and publicly traded.  This makes them subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (google it, if necessary).
3. The corporation's internal and external auditors will be testing to ensure compliance with employment contracts and accounting practices are appropriate, including the distribution of collected gratuities to the employees.
4. Any failure in this testing would result in a deficiency and would be noted in the corporation's annual report.

For cruise lines incorporated outside of the US, I can't answer.  Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd; Carnival Corporation; Disney Cruise Lines are all incorporated in the US.  These major corporations own a majority of the cruise lines.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Schoifmom

[SRF]

13 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

I pretty much do the same, but have even been known to kick in a bit more to someone who gives really great service insome way, try to make note of them in feedback, and have even hunted out managers to let them know how good someone might be.

 

This also.

 

 

[pacruise804]

16 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

Not thinking conspiracy but questioning if the people actually doing the real work are seeing the “appreciation “ we provide through mandatory fees.  In reality I for one would prefer to return to the idea of tipping for superior service 

and not be forced to kick in to some communal pot.

 

I generally prefer self-directed tipping vs an auto charge, but recognize that certain places have daily service charges in place or other mandatory tipping.  Many land restaurants have gratuities added to large parties, and if I choose to participate in a large party dining experience then I expect to pay it.  The daily fee really isn't that much and we are usually pleased enough to extend an additional gratuity at the end.

 

What bothers me more is the auto tip on drinks which is the same if I'm given a can or a more complicated drink that actually took effort.  I know going into the purchase though that it is part of the experience and if I have lousy service I just make sure to frequent a different bar/server.

 

16 hours ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

Are you aware that in restaurants the waiters have to give part of their tips to the bus boy, the hostess and sometimes people in the kitchen?? I'd call that a communal pot.

 

Not all restaurants work this way.  Some do, but most in PA at least do not.

 

16 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

While I’m certainly not proficient with computers, I did look for posts on tipping and found nothing.  As for the crew returning year after year, it’s likely because they know no other life or routine and what they do earn  is probably more than what would be earned in their home country.  I do realize we will all pay in the end one way or another but it seems we are be compelled to “tip” in more and more venues everyday.

 There is something extremely wrong with the search feature if you couldn't find posts.  If you have something you are searching for again, try using different words if you don't get any results the first time (tip, tips, tipping, gratuities, daily service charge).

 

I agree that the current system may not be perfect, but it is better than alternatives for me.

[capriccio]

11 hours ago, sloopsailor said:

 

May I suggest leaving the auto tips in place and then using the envelopes to give them extra? That is what we do. It keeps everyone in the tipping pool satisfied, and gives us a chance to be generous, and the staff receiving the extra tips are even better off than might have been otherwise since additional tips are kept by the individuals. It's a win-win-win situation for all.

 

This is exactly what we do for staff that provide excellent service.  I also recommend filling out the comment card to commend staff to management.  We have been told by waiters and stewards that those cards are used to determine time off, promotions, etc. 

[Aquahound]

22 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

How do we know our waiter or stateroom attendant ever saw their share?

 

That is a matter between the cruise line and the employees.  I do not care.  I'm there on vacation.  I do not concern myself with the internal affairs of the business and its workers. 

[jagsfan]

21 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

While I’m certainly not proficient with computers, I did look for posts on tipping and found nothing.  As for the crew returning year after year, it’s likely because they know no other life or routine and what they do earn  is probably more than what would be earned in their home country.  I do realize we will all pay in the end one way or another but it seems we are be compelled to “tip” in more and more venues everyday.

I’m surprised you couldn’t find posts on tipping. Someone starts another one every day. 

If anyone doesn’t want to do what’s expected on cruises, they might want to find a vacation more in line with their preferences. 

[davekathy]

22 hours ago, marymorn513 said:

What is the current thinking on the mandatory tip add on most lines use?  How do we know our waiter or stateroom attendant 

ever saw their share?  How difficult is it to tell Guest Services to remove the add on and return to individual envelopes? I have 

very mixed feelings on this and wonder why we should be paying wages when the cruise lines are making money hand over fist.

Tips aren't mandatory. Not my concern how the cruise lines divvy up the gratuities. 

[Gwendy]

23 hours ago, sloopsailor said:

 

I don't find your argument that "Australian travelers find tipping very confusing and confronting" to be a valid excuse. Don't Australians research their holidays before they take them? Don't the bother to try to understand the cultural differences of where they are travelling to? Are they that incapable of checking out what might be different? As an American, I look up any place I visit - including cruise lines - and learn about local customs, currency, language, etc., so I won't be "confused and confounded" when I get there. Doing so makes my vacations much less stressful as surprises are kept to a minimum.

 

 I would consider that to be basic things any smart traveler should be doing. 

 

[Gwendy]

Just now, Gwendy said:

 

Wow!  I did say when cruising overseas I leave tips on to confirm with overseas expectations.  I am a very experienced world traveller, both cruising and land and always research in advance unlike the American woman in the Vasa souvenir shop in Stockholm, who demanded the shop assistant tell her the cost of the item she was purchasing in “real money” not whatever you people here use!

 

[h-sar]

On 11/27/2018 at 7:03 PM, marymorn513 said:

We don’t go to the Buffet as it’s a madhouse and never use the MDR.  We frequent a separate dining room and have the same waiter nightly.  I would simply hand him an envelope at the last meal to show my appreciation and do the same for the room steward.  Increase fares and pay a decent wage if you must avoid cutting into profits but  make tipping what it originally was........an extra reward for good service.

 

marymorn513, may I ask how you would reward those who do some of the hardest work  to ensure your comfort during a cruise, but are never seen by you? For example:

 

1. Those who toil hours upon hours in a hot laundry room (I’ve taken the ship tour and have seen the laundry facilities) ensuring you have fresh towels twice a day, clean linens on your bed, and spotless tablecloths on your dinner table? 

 

2. Those who spend their entire 6 month contract washing the dishes we use for the multiple meals we consume over the course of a day and scrub the enormous pots that those meals are prepared in?

 

3. Those who clean the public areas, wash down the decks while you’re asleep, vacuum the theatre, clean the public toilets, and... I could go on and on. Do you use none of these facilities?

 

marymorn513, how would you ensure that those individuals are taken care of by you (as you say you will get envelopes to those who have provided a service to you)? I stay away from responding to tipping threads, but this is a question I shout to my screen every time such a thread pops up. I very eagerly await your response.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[K32682]

I like the mandatory service charge because it relieves me from having to think about tipping and also provides me the option to directly tip in cash in recognition of or to provide an incentive for service that is over and above. 

 

It is also my view that the chronic complainers about mandatory service charges are unlikely to ever fill an envelope at the end of their cruise and are simply looking for an excuse to stiff the crew.  

[SRF]

23 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

What bothers me more is the auto tip on drinks which is the same if I'm given a can or a more complicated drink that actually took effort.  I know going into the purchase though that it is part of the experience and if I have lousy service I just make sure to frequent a different bar/server.

 

The can costs less than the mixed drink, therefore the tip is automatically lower.

 

It is not like they are charging a flat rate $2 tip per drink.

[mafig]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

 

 

It is also my view that the chronic complainers about mandatory service charges are unlikely to ever fill an envelope at the end of their cruise and are simply looking for an excuse to stiff the crew.  

I agree.

 

I have read that 97% of those who remove tips don't tip at all.

I don't believe it's 97%.

I think it's higher.

[SantaFeFan]

2 hours ago, K32682 said:

It is also my view that the chronic complainers about mandatory service charges are unlikely to ever fill an envelope at the end of their cruise and are simply looking for an excuse to stiff the crew.  

 

I don't believe they deliberately stiff the crew. Instead, I believe they think only of themselves and deliberately remove the tips to keep the money in their greedy, selfish hands. It's purely for the sake of greed. To do it to stiff the crew would take too much mental effort for these loathsome, self centered people.  

Edited November 29, 2018 by SantaFeFan

[douglanglois]

<recreated from a comment I made on a youtube video on cruise tipping>
 

I don't like the fact that staff have to rely on gratuities to get a fair wage. It's exploitation, and deceptive marketing practice by effectively making service charges a separate extra charge in order to market the cruise at a lower price.

However I sure won't punish the staff for the sins of the cruise line. While I'm not exactly the 1%, I'm financially comfortable and It would be morally wrong for me to have my server subsidizing the cost of my vacation. Given that a basic gratuity only brings servers to a fair wage, I don't see it as paying for 'exceptional service' - just basic service. Same with tipping in restaurant. I'll give even below par service a basic tip. To lose a tip altogether you pretty much have to pour my dinner on me and insult me to my face.

I'll tip additional if I receive truly exceptional service. On Independence of the Seas last year, we had two servers in the dining room who were absolutely stellar. My family loved them, and they couldn't do enough for us. By the third or fourth night they knew us well enough to anticipate and take care of our needs before we even asked. On the last night, I slipped them a generous cash tip to recognize that service.

Our steward, on the other hand, was pleasant and responsive, but certainly nothing 'above and beyond'. I did leave him a little something, since we had a couple of out-of-the-ordinary requests, but nothing extravagant.

I don't judge anyone for their own philosophies on tipping - we are all in different circumstances and stages in life after all. But I do encourage people to consider that if they can't afford the basic gratuity, then they can't afford the vacation. Rather than removing gratuities, consider booking something cheaper, and leaving the gratuities.

[NLH Arizona]

On 11/27/2018 at 3:53 PM, marymorn513 said:

Not thinking conspiracy but questioning if the people actually doing the real work are seeing the “appreciation “ we provide through mandatory fees.  In reality I for one would prefer to return to the idea of tipping for superior service 

and not be forced to kick in to some communal pot.

I would sail on Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea, Paul Gauguin or SeaDream Yacht Club where tips are included in your fare and then you won't have to worry about who is getting what.