With Apologies - Extra Tipping for us regular/lower class passengers

[Dreamscaper]

I don't know how to ask this without sparking more controversy, but the recent thread about a dining room manager suggesting tipping his team in the Reserve Class dining room and people chiming in on how much extra they tip (or don't tip) has me wondering... I apologize if this starts off another round of arguments about what is "right" and "wrong" when it comes to extra gratuities.

 

We are just average Jo/Joes going on our third ever cruise.  We are in a balcony stateroom because they don't have ocean view on the Regal and we do appreciate an outside view.  We have Princess Plus because we enjoy having some cocktails/wifi/gratuities covered, and we will be doing one specialty dining dinner, possibly two, but that's the extent of the bells and whistles or 'extras' we'll be indulging in.

 

For us regular cattle - what is the "extra tipping" culture like?  We were kind of hoping that the included crew appreciation meant that the staff weren't looking for or expecting extra tips, but now I fear that may not be the case.  We don't want to be "uncouth".  Honestly, from the non-suite, non-reserve type of people.. should I be tipping extra?  Has anyone noticed that a certain percentage seem to tip extra gratuities?

 

I guess my question isn't "should I" or "shouldn't I" and all the arguments that come with it - but how common does this seem to be among passengers in general?

 

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Dreamscaper

[memoak]

This is an individual decision but even when we’re younger and cruising in inside staterooms we always tipped over the suggested amount of the device was outstanding 

[Dreamscaper]

18 minutes ago, memoak said:

This is an individual decision but even when we’re younger and cruising in inside staterooms we always tipped over the suggested amount of the device was outstanding 

Thank you - would you estimate that the majority of people do this?

[Thrak]

Some will try to tell you that pretty much everybody tips extra all the time. I believe that the truth is just the opposite and most people figure that the automatic gratuity they are charged for every person every day is enough. I live in the US where tipping is crazy out of hand. One is expected to tip for anybody doing any job no matter how poorly they do that job. Picking up a pizza that I have to take home and cook myself they want a tip. In my youth I was a cook in a couple of restaurants. I never got a tip. If I did a good job, made great food, and plated it in a pleasing manner the waitress might get a good tip but I never got - or expected - a tip. These days it seems like everybody feels they are "entitled" to a tip for simply doing the job they are paid to do. When I worked in IT I was often offered "tips" or "gifts" or payment for taking care of somebody's problem with their personal laptop. As long as I had the extra time and it didn't interfere with my regular work my employer didn't mind me helping the other staff with their personal issues. I always refused any sort of tip or payment as I was already on the clock for my regular employer and it didn't seem right to accept any extra compensation. (If I had actually been working for them on my own and charging them for my services they wouldn't have liked my bill at all.)

[Dreamscaper]

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

Some will try to tell you that pretty much everybody tips extra all the time. I believe that the truth is just the opposite and most people figure that the automatic gratuity they are charged for every person every day is enough. I live in the US where tipping is crazy out of hand. One is expected to tip for anybody doing any job no matter how poorly they do that job. Picking up a pizza that I have to take home and cook myself they want a tip. In my youth I was a cook in a couple of restaurants. I never got a tip. If I did a good job, made great food, and plated it in a pleasing manner the waitress might get a good tip but I never got - or expected - a tip. These days it seems like everybody feels they are "entitled" to a tip for simply doing the job they are paid to do. When I worked in IT I was often offered "tips" or "gifts" or payment for taking care of somebody's problem with their personal laptop. As long as I had the extra time and it didn't interfere with my regular work my employer didn't mind me helping the other staff with their personal issues. I always refused any sort of tip or payment as I was already on the clock for my regular employer and it didn't seem right to accept any extra compensation. (If I had actually been working for them on my own and charging them for my services they wouldn't have liked my bill at all.)

Thank you.  I guess really I want to know if most people do it ("right" or "wrong") and if they tend to expect it.  I figure I'll tip sometimes.. especially if we're drinking multiple drinks from the same bartender or waiter/waitress.  But if they expect a tip for every drink they make or bring.. I need to be prepared for that!

[Thrak]

4 minutes ago, Dreamscaper said:

But if they expect a tip for every drink they make or bring.. I need to be prepared for that!

 

You are already automagically charged an 18% gratuity on every drink you order...

[Dreamscaper]

16 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

You are already automagically charged an 18% gratuity on every drink you order...

I meant extra gratuity.  But I do get your point :)

[mnocket]

There is absolutely no reason for you to feel you must, or should, tip over and above the standard gratuity charge.  It is not expected and certainly not required.  If someone gives you outstanding service that goes above and beyond what is expected, you may want to give them something a little extra, but that is totally up to you and is the exception. Some people still hand tip envelopes to everyone who provided regular service, but they are a small minority (this was the standard practice before cruise lines implemented a daily gratuity charge).  Despite what some may say, routine tipping above the included gratuity charge is not the norm.

[Dreamscaper]

1 minute ago, mnocket said:

There is absolutely no reason for you to feel you must, or should, tip over and above the standard gratuity charge.  It is not expected and certainly not required.  If someone gives you outstanding service that goes above and beyond what is expected, you may want to give them something a little extra, but that is totally up to you and is the exception. Some people still hand tip envelopes to everyone who provided regular service, but they are a small minority (this was the standard practice before cruise lines implemented a daily gratuity charge).  Despite what some may say, routine tipping above the included gratuity charge is not the norm.

thank you!  this is what I kind of what I expected, but I was getting worried that maybe it was more expected that I had thought!

Edited June 29, 2023 by Dreamscaper

[mnocket]

1 minute ago, Dreamscaper said:

thank you!  this is what I kind of what I expected, but I was getting worried that maybe it was more expected that I had thought!

No you will not see people leaving tips on the table left and right.  For instance, I would estimate that when I'm sitting in a bar I only notice 5-10% of the patrons leave a tip.  A small minority. It's totally a personal choice.

[N.Ice]

My thought is that they are charging me the automatic 18%-20% tip, so that is what I am giving.  I think for people that normally tip more than that amount (or if I feel like I want to tip more than that amount), then they may want to tip more as additional cash to get to their preferred amount.  It's personal and frankly it's your hard-earned money, so you should decide how you spend it.  I don't think in this case, cruising is any different from the rest of life.

[dides]

We also try and make a note of any crew members names if we received great service and mention them in the post-cruise survey in the hope that it helps in their performance reviews (and chance of being promoted).Just another form of gratitude. 

[justafem]

The best thing you can do for crew is note their name in the post cruise survey.  

 

The daily gratuities were supposed to end the discussion and amount given.  But sadly, it didn't. 

[amajaa]

What is the Reserve class dining room anyway?

[PacnGoNow]

17 minutes ago, amajaa said:

What is the Reserve class dining room anyway?

Club Class dining area.  They changed the name to Reserve Class now.

[PacnGoNow]

4 hours ago, Dreamscaper said:

I don't know how to ask this without sparking more controversy, but the recent thread about a dining room manager suggesting tipping his team in the Reserve Class dining room and people chiming in on how much extra they tip (or don't tip) has me wondering... I apologize if this starts off another round of arguments about what is "right" and "wrong" when it comes to extra gratuities.

 

We are just average Jo/Joes going on our third ever cruise.  We are in a balcony stateroom because they don't have ocean view on the Regal and we do appreciate an outside view.  We have Princess Plus because we enjoy having some cocktails/wifi/gratuities covered, and we will be doing one specialty dining dinner, possibly two, but that's the extent of the bells and whistles or 'extras' we'll be indulging in.

 

For us regular cattle - what is the "extra tipping" culture like?  We were kind of hoping that the included crew appreciation meant that the staff weren't looking for or expecting extra tips, but now I fear that may not be the case.  We don't want to be "uncouth".  Honestly, from the non-suite, non-reserve type of people.. should I be tipping extra?  Has anyone noticed that a certain percentage seem to tip extra gratuities?

 

I guess my question isn't "should I" or "shouldn't I" and all the arguments that come with it - but how common does this seem to be among passengers in general?

 

 

Do not feel as though you have to tip extra.  I don’t see a lot of extra tipping. 
 

That is the whole reason for the daily gratuities added to your bill.
 

We always tip room service a couple

of dollars each time, because they are not part of the tipping pool. 
 

There are so many threads on this subject, that you’re going to get a lot of opinions, but it’s really a very personal decision.  No worries, enjoy your cruise.

[EDVM96]

37 minutes ago, justafem said:

The best thing you can do for crew is note their name in the post cruise survey.  

This.

[Serious Cruisers]

2 hours ago, dides said:

We also try and make a note of any crew members names if we received great service and mention them in the post-cruise survey in the hope that it helps in their performance reviews (and chance of being promoted).Just another form of gratitude. 

I was recently on a b2b2b2 and sat at the same table in mdr. After week two my waiter said thank you for the great review!  He said he did receive a copy to read. 

[PacnGoNow]

2 minutes ago, Serious Cruisers said:

I was recently on a b2b2b2 and sat at the same table in mdr. After week two my waiter said thank you for the great review!  He said he did receive a copy to read. 

That’s great.  I’ve always been told that it means so much to them, because it can mean a promotion for them.  

Unless of course, they are leaving the ship or retiring. Then, not as important.

[Reina del Mar]

8 minutes ago, Serious Cruisers said:

I was recently on a b2b2b2 and sat at the same table in mdr. After week two my waiter said thank you for the great review!  He said he did receive a copy to read. 

That’s interesting to know.

 

Left a wonderful review of our excellent MDR waiter and his assistant and would like him to know we thought he was so impressive.

 

Left a not so good review of the Assistant Maître d’hôtel and hope he got to learn something from our comments too !

 

Edited June 29, 2023 by Reina del Mar

[amajaa]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

Club Class dining area.  They changed the name to Reserve Class now.

Ah got it now, thanks

[JG&Lcruisingnewbies]

The UK is notorious for not tipping anyway but on the handful of cruises I’ve been on, all in Europe, I’ve not seen anyone tip. Of course I’m sure some do. But we don’t often sit at the same table in an MDR, or even at the same time, so we don’t have the same wait staff. nor do we frequent the same bar over and over.

 

if you do and that’s what you prefer, that’s great. Personally We don’t stick to any kind of time scale on holiday but that’s just us.

 

we have tipped our cabin attendant on a few occasions for looking after us brilliantly

 

one occasion quite a lot. We’d travelled across the Bay of Biscay on a bad day & 2 out of the 3 of us got seasick. Not me. But Including my then 5yr old. The cabin attendant went above & beyond checking on us & helping with whatever was needed. I felt so bad for the trouble he went to.

 

and we’ll be sure to leave reviews mentioning staff we’ve had great interactions with, now I know just how important it is 😃 

 

[RLK33853]

Totally up to the individual and has nothing to do with the type of cabin you are in.  We have cruised with Princess for over 30 years and over time we have tipped less and less - due to the automatic gratuities, but also since the overall personal touch/service has not warranted it.  Don't get me wrong, the service is certainly adequate, just for the most part not extraordinary.   There are lots of reasons for this but in many cases it is the staff are overworked and can't spend the time getting to know you like they used to.

 

Do we still tip - yes:

     - usually our cabin steward (we ask for extra towels, the bed made with two top sheets, etc)

     - favorite bartenders who bring in bottles of wine from Vines for us

     - waiters that will get a special dish made

You get the picture - we tip for extra service.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[tobyt]

I guess I am going to be the outlier of this thread…..we travel simply generally in ocean view rooms, while sometimes a great deal leads us to balcony and drink packages mainly without although always a soda package. I always stop and get 50 nice crisp dollars to tip on my Caribbean cruises when I am poolside frequently especially when you have just the soda package. I am not demanding but it helps getting service especially if only getting a couple of sodas. We will usually tip our waiter (if we have the same table) at the end of the cruise if service was extra helpful (assistant too if there is one) and our cabin steward. In total maybe 100 over the trip plus the all important comment cards. I hope it expresses our appreciation for their efforts and long hours. We rarely have any special requests beyond a couple extra towels or an additional dessert to try! Our coming Europe trip I will have the same with me (the crew will be heading back to the Caribbean shortly after) but last Mediterranean cruise really never tipped, it felt, somehow off so we shall see.

[Lady Arwen]

It’s easy, really.  Leave on the auto tips and let Princess distribute them as they and the crew have contracted.  Give extra cash to those who have gone above your expectations and you feel deserve the recognition.  Perhaps, offer a little something to the people who deliver your room service orders, even if only a couple of dollars.

It’s completely up to you and you won’t be judged if you just leave the auto tips in place and choose not to give extra cash.  It’s your vacation and your money, so enjoy yourself.

If you should decide to remove the auto tips, then we’re gonna have a problem.  Please don’t do that.