Tipping?

[Thenagers]

I know it is included but curious if people tip more while on board? I have read that Europe doesn’t have the tip culture of the US. It just seems weird to not tip a server or the room steward? 

[frantic36]

33 minutes ago, Thenagers said:

I know it is included but curious if people tip more while on board? I have read that Europe doesn’t have the tip culture of the US. It just seems weird to not tip a server or the room steward? 

 

Depends where you come from. To me it doesn't seem weird at all because in Australia we pay higher wages for service industries. I would only tip if I received service beyond normal expectation. Even then on Seabourn I have had crew refuse a tip. So we give to the crew welfare fund at Guest Services in Seabourn Square. That way all the crew benefit with special events etc.

[AnnieO2019]

I agree with frantic36, in the UK we don’t have a tipping culture either so it’s not at all strange. It’s one of the reasons we choose Seabourn because there is no requirement to tip. I have been at guest services when a guest has asked how to tip their room steward and the receptionist has replied that tipping is not expected or required.

I know if you’re from the US or Canada it seems wrong not to tip because that’s your culture but it’s better to contribute to the crew fund. 
Why should only your server benefit when it’s the chef who prepared the fabulous food (for example) ?

[Host Dan]

I always contribute money to the Crew Welfare Fund at the beginning of the cruise.  This way all employees benefit.  The crew knows what guests participate.  Tipping individually on SB can lead to a slippery slope of expectation.

[cruiseej]

7 hours ago, Thenagers said:

It just seems weird to not tip a server or the room steward?

 

Does it seem weird even if you know the tip has already been added? We go to some nice restaurants in the US where an 18% or 20% tip is automatically added. Would you feel compelled to tip anyway, when the restaurant is telling you they've already charged you for the tip to insure their workers are properly compensated? That's basically the same situation as on a Seabourn ship. Yes, the crew works hard, and is delightful. But the tip has been included; no further tip is necessary or expected.

 

And why tip just your cabin steward or waiter, but not the chefs, bar staff, laundry staff, destination services staff, customer service staff, etc., all of whom contributed to your excellent experience onboard? If you appreciate the staff so much you want to express it monetarily, you can make a contribution to the crew fund, as others have suggested.

[Mauzac]

I wouldn't dream of tipping individuals on SB, they ALL work so hard.  I would feel really awkward about that but I come from a non tipping culture, very different to the US.  

 

So we tip via the Crew Welfare fund.

[Thenagers]

29 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

Does it seem weird even if you know the tip has already been added? We go to some nice restaurants in the US where an 18% or 20% tip is automatically added. Would you feel compelled to tip anyway, when the restaurant is telling you they've already charged you for the tip to insure their workers are properly compensated? That's basically the same situation as on a Seabourn ship. Yes, the crew works hard, and is delightful. But the tip has been included; no further tip is necessary or expected.

 

And why tip just your cabin steward or waiter, but not the chefs, bar staff, laundry staff, destination services staff, customer service staff, etc., all of whom contributed to your excellent experience onboard? If you appreciate the staff so much you want to express it monetarily, you can make a contribution to the crew fund, as others have suggested.

I think it is a US thing. We tip certain service positions and not others. I have tipped over the amount for exceptional service even when it is already included. You don’t see it already included much in the US unless you have a larger party at dinner? Our Country club includes a service charge on all food items. I don’t consider this a tip and always give extra. In the US these positions rely on tipping to make a decent wage. It is interesting how different parts of the world feel about this issue. Would we tip our excursion leader? How about car services? What about porters or bellmen? We have traveled a lot but always to places where tipping is common. 

[cruiseej]

33 minutes ago, Thenagers said:

You don’t see it already included much in the US unless you have a larger party at dinner?

 

True. But in those cases, you know the tip has been included (and how much). Generally, one doesn't tip above that, or very nominally if the service was unusually outstanding. There are now some fine dining restaurants which include a 20% tip even for a party of two or four, as chefs/owners are addressing the issue of good pay for their entire staff by adding the charge automatically. (Doing so makes it a service charge for tax purposes, which means the employer pays payroll taxes on it, rather than the employee needing to report it and pay higher social security tax.. but that's getting off topic. 😉)

 

I think the point when it comes to a Seabourn cruise is that the tip has been included, and it is distributed among the staff, including those you don't see or directly interact with. (When you go off ship on an excursion, it is always noted that tips are not included, and it's on travelers to tip their guides/drivers in any areas of the world where this is customary behavior. The same for a taxi driver or pre/post-cruise hotel bellman.) Seabourn and other luxury cruise lines include tips so their staff is already well compensated and not expecting to receive tips to complete their compensation. 

 

In any case, you asked if people tip staff while aboard. The simple answer is that some do, directly to one or two staff members; some do, via the crew fund to provide some non-compensation benefits for the entire crew; and some don't, because they feel their cruise fare has covered this. There could be 100 more posts in this thread, and you will hear variations of these three points of view. 😉 If you feel compelled to tip, then go ahead. (Although some people feel that the more people who do this, the more it undermines the tip-included concept, conditioning crew members to expect extra tips.) And know that many people don't tip individual crew members, as it isn't expected.  

[rkacruiser]

51 minutes ago, Thenagers said:

Our Country club includes a service charge on all food items. I don’t consider this a tip and always give extra.

 

This is what a hotel's room service does.  Do you know why your Club does this?

 

6 hours ago, Host Dan said:

I always contribute money to the Crew Welfare Fund at the beginning of the cruise.

 

Is there a reason why you do this at the beginning of a cruise?  

[LMB01]

We tip several individuals

Room attendants, definitely bartenders and some waiters 

Also the TK Grill hosts if we have been lucky enough to get in multiple times

 

i will add that on all of our Seabourn cruises, we have seen individual tipping.  It was really prevalent at the end of our holiday cruise.

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by LMB01

[skybluewaters]

Although tipping is primarily done for the benefit of the recipient, it also can benefit the giver by rewarding him/her with a sense of satisfaction for doing a good deed.  When a tip is already included, that benefit no longer exists as the choice to give has been removed.  So giving a tip over and above the included amount is good for the recipient as well as for the giver.  In our zero-sum world, it's nice that there are still some win-win situations.

[Host Dan]

33 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

This is what a hotel's room service does.  Do you know why your Club does this?

 

 

Is there a reason why you do this at the beginning of a cruise?  

Yes, so its out of the way.  One less thing to think about.

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, LMB01 said:

We tip several individuals

Room attendants, definitely bartenders and some waiters 

Also the TK Grill hosts if we have been lucky enough to get in multiple times

 

i will add that on all of our Seabourn cruises, we have seen individual tipping.  It was really prevalent at the end of our holiday cruise.

 

 

I remember a bartender we knew well explained it to me thus. When people get tipped by certain passengers regularly it can upset the equilibrium below decks as human nature means people jockey to try and serve them to get the tip. Thus some jealousy develops. Not a good thing below deck. 

 

Wouldn't surprise me if you saw people tipping, which I thought was supposed to be discrete so people shouldn't see it. From friends who have sailed a few times in the last year there are quite a few new to Seabourn onboard and mainly Americans.

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, Host Dan said:

Yes, so its out of the way.  One less thing to think about.

This is what we do as well. Maybe not straight away but early in the cruise.

 

We used to do it at the end but once on a shorter cruise when I went too guest services it was busy every time so I had to try to remember to do it after dinner when likely to be quiet. Easier to do it early.

[LMB01]

1 minute ago, frantic36 said:

 

I remember a bartender we knew well explained it to me thus. When people get tipped by certain passengers regularly it can upset the equilibrium below decks as human nature means people jockey to try and serve them to get the tip. Thus some jealousy develops. Not a good thing below deck. 

 

Wouldn't surprise me if you saw people tipping, which I thought was supposed to be discrete so people shouldn't see it. From friends who have sailed a few times in the last year there are quite a few new to Seabourn onboard and mainly Americans.

The people we saw tipping were not new to Seabourn 

Many were people we knew so we know they are experienced cruisers on the lin

 

I will agree with you on lack of discretion

we tend  to do it with folded bills when no one else is around

what surprised me the most was the last morning in the Colonade, tips being passed out very, very openly

 

 

[frantic36]

1 minute ago, LMB01 said:

The people we saw tipping were not new to Seabourn 

Many were people we knew so we know they are experienced cruisers on the lin

 

I will agree with you on lack of discretion

we tend  to do it with folded bills when no one else is around

what surprised me the most was the last morning in the Colonade, tips being passed out very, very openly

 

 

How sad for it to be so obvious. Was there a point to prove about their wealth? 

 

Oh well, I will continue to give to the Crew Welfare Fund as I prefer to thank all onboard who helped make the cruise enjoyable including the laundry people and the person who cleans the stairwell frequently every day.

[LMB01]

5 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

How sad for it to be so obvious. Was there a point to prove about their wealth? 

 

Oh well, I will continue to give to the Crew Welfare Fund as I prefer to thank all onboard who helped make the cruise enjoyable including the laundry people and the person who cleans the stairwell frequently every day.

I am going with no, the intent was not to show wealth

also interesting, it was a mix of ages

the older folks we sat with at the pool had envelopes but handed them out publicly 

folks in the Colonade were a mix of ages, some with envelopes, some without but very, very obvious 

[cruiseej]

Interesting... I haven't seen overt tipping on any of our cruises on Seabourn, Silversea or Regent. Or maybe I'm just oblivious because I don't do it. 😉

[firsttimers68]

I have tipped particular staff members at the end of my cruise. Those who have really gone above and beyond, which on Seabourn is not easy as the service is superb. Each to their own!

[BasandSyb]

A passenger on one of our cruises purchased an expensive item from the shop for a crew member they saw gazing in the window - their interpretation of no tipping. It made things very uncomfortable for the rest of the trip. The crew member was fawning and the other crew were jealous/livid and vying for attention. Created an awkward atmosphere for everyone. Hate to think how it was below decks.

 

No tipping is a leveller for crew and passengers. We are all on the same footing and receiving the same excellent service, well executed and well intentioned without ulterior motives. 

An observation - interesting when you consider this in the context of one of the other current threads about dress in the MDR. The cruise line has guidelines and everyone is poking at the boundaries. Why have dress codes/no tipping policy? Perhaps to ensure the same experience for every passenger?

 

 

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

3 hours ago, BasandSyb said:

A passenger on one of our cruises purchased an expensive item from the shop for a crew member they saw gazing in the window - their interpretation of no tipping. It made things very uncomfortable for the rest of the trip. The crew member was fawning and the other crew were jealous/livid and vying for attention. Created an awkward atmosphere for everyone. Hate to think how it was below decks.

 

No tipping is a leveller for crew and passengers. We are all on the same footing and receiving the same excellent service, well executed and well intentioned without ulterior motives. 

An observation - interesting when you consider this in the context of one of the other current threads about dress in the MDR. The cruise line has guidelines and everyone is poking at the boundaries. Why have dress codes/no tipping policy? Perhaps to ensure the same experience for every passenger?

 

 

 

 

Well said.

I always think that talking about money and who you tip and when is vulgar.

Crew fund has always been the way to go since I can remember on Seabourn.

[saminina]

IMO, tipping individuals is disregarding fellow passengers and the policy created when Seabourn set sail.  Whether you talk about it, or not.

[SLSD]

Seabourn clearly states that tips are included in your fare.  Clearly, contributing to the crew fund is the way to go.  I come from a tipping culture (US), but if I am told tips are included in what I have paid, that seems definitive to me.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, SLSD said:

I come from a tipping culture (US), but if I am told tips are included in what I have paid, that seems definitive to me.

 

I agree with your thinking.  I wonder if it would help those who wonder if they should or should not tip know what job classifications receive a tip and the amount (or percentage of the cruise fare).  Trying to obtain such information from a cruise line Is a "mission impossible", almost.  

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Host Dan said:

Yes, so its out of the way.  One less thing to think about.

 

Thanks for your reply.  I have never considered making a contribution to the Crew Welfare Fund.  I will do so in the future.