question on tipping policy

[dmwnc1959]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Leave your DSC alone. Tip extra to others if you wish. (We normally give our room steward a generous tip). 

Never even really thought about this, even on my last cruise, where I prepaid the tips. Just out of curiosity - and a serious question - as a solo traveler (booked in a Category IT inside solo on Norw. Jade) and doing a 25-night repositioning from Florida to Alaska, how much extra would you suggest I tip the room steward? I am most definitely NOT a messy person, pretty much always keep my room very nice and tidy, and basically just looking at turn-down service and changing out towels. Definitely not looking at stiffing the room steward.

[MoCruiseFan]

1 hour ago, FPMoosally said:

 

Of course. But are we expected to tip more? Is that a thing we should do?

 

 

 

Each person should do as he sees fit.  However using the lame excuse that one has paid the DSC as a reason not to tip is being extremely cheap and more than a tad rationalizing.

[MoCruiseFan]

10 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Never even really thought about this, even on my last cruise, where I prepaid the tips. Just out of curiosity - and a serious question - as a solo traveler (booked in a Category IT inside solo on Norw. Jade) and doing a 25-night repositioning from Florida to Alaska, how much extra would you suggest I tip the room steward? I am most definitely NOT a messy person, pretty much always keep my room very nice and tidy, and basically just looking at turn-down service and changing out towels. Definitely not looking at stiffing the room steward.

 

There is no suggested amount to tip anyone.  The ONLY valid answer to tipping is to top whoever you want any time you want any amount you want.  What oterhs choose to fo is none of anylne else's business and it is not at all relevant...

[graphicguy]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

But,,, the OP has also asked this same question on multiple cruise line boards... so they may only be interested in starting multiple tipping threads. 

This seems to be the case more often than not with those who start these threads.

 

The vast majority of these sorts of questions are answered on the NCL web site.  So, why post them here is a head scratcher to me!

[dmwnc1959]

29 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

Each person should do as he sees fit.  However using the lame excuse that one has paid the DSC as a reason not to tip is being extremely cheap and more than a tad rationalizing.

 

25 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

There is no suggested amount to tip anyone. The ONLY valid answer to tipping is to tip whoever you want any time you want any amount you want.  What oterhs choose to fo is none of anylne else's business and it is not at all relevant...

It’s statements like these that seemingly contradict themselves.
 

With all due respect, and not to nit-pick, but as a solo if I have pre-paid $500 in DSC, been pre-charged $565 gratuities on my beverage package and 2-dinner package, $51 in gratuities on a 7-meal SDP, and then decide all of that (over $1100.00 in gratuities) is fine I’m being ‘extremely cheap’ (based on the first quoted statement) yet it’s a decision I’ve made (based on your second quoted statement). 
 

I don’t want to come off as ‘cheap’ to my room steward, but I don’t want to shell out money if I’m making their job exponentially easier as a self-described neat freak. 
 

😁

Edited February 25 by dmwnc1959

[FPMoosally]

55 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

Each person should do as he sees fit.  However using the lame excuse that one has paid the DSC as a reason not to tip is being extremely cheap and more than a tad rationalizing.

 

52 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

There is no suggested amount to tip anyone.  The ONLY valid answer to tipping is to top whoever you want any time you want any amount you want.  What oterhs choose to fo is none of anylne else's business and it is not at all relevant...

 

You seem to be a wise man.

 

[EngrJones]

43 minutes ago, FPMoosally said:

You seem to be a wise man.

Presto!!

Edited February 25 by EngrJones

[icft]

58 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

 

                      *                              *                                    *

I don’t want to come off as ‘cheap’ to my room steward, but I don’t want to shell out money if I’m making their job exponentially easier as a self-described neat freak. 
 

😁

 

I'll give you my take on room stewards, but I warn you it is not a popular one.

 

Twenty years ago the room steward did what butlers in the haven areas do now plus more. There was no once or twice a day service, they were always checking on rooms to see that everything was in order or anything needed while guests were out (which they kept up with). They introduced themselves and told you to let them know if you needed anything or had any requests and they meant it and could do it. They had far fewer cabins to cover but were always to be found somewhere in the hallway. They gave true personalized service. It was expected passengers would tip them well as they earned it with excellent personal service.

 

Over time the role evolved and post-covid often they provide no service beyond what housekeeping does at a Holiday Inn.

 

When we cruise Carnival the "stateroom attendant," as they call them, almost always introduces themselves on the first day at which point we ask for bath robes and daily ice. In addition to the prepaid gratuities we leave them a cash tip the last day. The more personal service, and some have been quite helpful, the more cash tip.

 

Our experience on NCL has been that it is more common to never see the room steward. We have to call housekeeping to get bathrobes and request daily ice. No personal service no cash tip.

 

Cleaning the room is the bare minimum of their job. If that is all they do then what have they done to be worthy of a show of extra appreciation above the prepaid gratuity? In that case we don't add a cash tip.

[FPMoosally]

6 minutes ago, icft said:

Over time the role evolved and post-covid often they provide no service beyond what housekeeping does at a Holiday Inn.

 

I'm not sure why we should expect anything more. Just because you got it in the past? I used to hit golf balls off the back of the ship. Why can't I do that now? It's the past. Leave it there and move on.

 

 

[EngrJones]

12 minutes ago, FPMoosally said:

Why can't I do that now?

FAS beverage package?

[icft]

7 minutes ago, FPMoosally said:

 

I'm not sure why we should expect anything more. Just because you got it in the past? I used to hit golf balls off the back of the ship. Why can't I do that now? It's the past. Leave it there and move on.

 

 

I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything more either. I didn't say anything to indicate I did. The point is tips are for service provided. If a job has evolved such that the position holder provides less service and value to a customer then the tip should be smaller.

 

[dmwnc1959]

3 hours ago, icft said:

I'm not sure why anyone would expect anything more either. I didn't say anything to indicate I did. The point is tips are for service provided. If a job has evolved such that the position holder provides less service and value to a customer then the tip should be smaller.

 

 

[Miss Ellsworth]

7 hours ago, FPMoosally said:

 

That's not an answer. What is expected by the crew? Am I doing it wrong?

 

I talked to an NCL CSR about this yesterday while I was adding some packages to my trip. She was extremely knowledgeable and helpful on all things and gave me a decent answer on this.

 

She said that the 20% gratuity that they add at the time of a drink package purchase does go to bartenders and drink servers across the ship - not really anyone behind the scenes like the DSC. Similar with the 20% on the dining package going only to food servers, 20% spa reservations to spa workers, etc. She said that they have incentive programs to work as teams and also provide great service overall, and the gratuity charges feed those incentive pools. So individual workers get money from the incentive pools/mandatory gratuities based on performance somehow. But I think everyone gets at least something - a little fuzzy on this, but that's how I read it

 

So they know that you've already tipped. She said that they absolutely don't expect it because they know that they are getting tip money from you via the surcharges. Still, she said that some ppl still tip at times or to certain people

 

So I'm probably going to continue to tip a buck or two per drink as I go - a dollar for a simple pour, two for a mixed drink. If I end up visiting one particular bar repeatedly and recognize the bartenders and they recognize me, I'll tip a bit more bc it's more of a relationship - and that helps if the bar is crowded at times!

 

I still haven't decided what I'll do with specialty dining tips. I'll have specialty dining every night of my trip (can't stand the slow pace of main dining rooms at dinner.) A buck or two works for a drink, but not really for expensive meals. But I certainly won't leave 20% of the value of the meal

 

Hope that helps. It's not just that tipping "is not expected" in the way that, by the very definition of a tip, it should never be expected. It's that they specifically know that you've already tipped 20%, that that money (in the cases of the 20%  package surcharges) goes to them in some amount, and they don't look for anything point-of-service

[pullen0]

I spent 10 days in Paris over Christmas.  I loved that the price was the price and no silly games.  It would be so much easier to just pay people a proper wage and show the real price of the cruise instead of the bait and switch of a low fare and 50% more after taxes, service charges, and gratuities.  

[wilsonhold]

Say you decide to give an extra tip on a reposition transatlantic cruise to either England or Europe,  should the tip be in usd (now NCL only currency) or attempt to give them the tip in the final destination currency?
 

Not sure the hoops and difficultly the stewards, etc  have converting usd to either euros or pounds.

[RocketMan275]

40 minutes ago, pullen0 said:

I spent 10 days in Paris over Christmas.  I loved that the price was the price and no silly games.  It would be so much easier to just pay people a proper wage and show the real price of the cruise instead of the bait and switch of a low fare and 50% more after taxes, service charges, and gratuities.  

So, please define 'proper wage' for a room steward from the Philipines.

[pullen0]

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

So, please define 'proper wage' for a room steward from the Philipines.

The cruise lines feel it’s their current actual wage plus your 20% daily service charge plus gratuities they add to your packages.  I’d start there.  

 

The cruise I just booked listed a price of $1049 pp.  Add the taxes, fees and gratuities from the “free” Free at Sea, it came to over $1400 pp.  And another $140 pp for prepaid service charges.  So we’re at nearly $1550 pp.  I’d rather the upfront price just be the $1550 instead of the bait and switch.  

[Lionkingrichard]

Taxes and fees change with the ports and you don't have to take free at sea.

[RocketMan275]

45 minutes ago, pullen0 said:

The cruise lines feel it’s their current actual wage plus your 20% daily service charge plus gratuities they add to your packages.  I’d start there.  

 

The cruise I just booked listed a price of $1049 pp.  Add the taxes, fees and gratuities from the “free” Free at Sea, it came to over $1400 pp.  And another $140 pp for prepaid service charges.  So we’re at nearly $1550 pp.  I’d rather the upfront price just be the $1550 instead of the bait and switch.  

It's not a bait and switch.

Of course, if they did that, then there would be complaints about being forced to pay for gratuities.

[G-DawgMN]

7 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's not a bait and switch.

Of course, if they did that, then there would be complaints about being forced to pay for gratuities.

Bingo.  Ding ding ding. 
 

 

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, wilsonhold said:

Say you decide to give an extra tip on a reposition transatlantic cruise to either England or Europe,  should the tip be in usd (now NCL only currency) or attempt to give them the tip in the final destination currency?
 

Not sure the hoops and difficultly the stewards, etc  have converting usd to either euros or pounds.

I'd say it depends on the line.

All of the US operated lines use US dollars as their base currency, even if they don't restrict to it like NCL.

Getting tips in dollars should not be an issue for crew. If you have already purchased Euros, and wish to tip in them, it should be fine if your itinerary is covering part of Europe.

There are very few places in the world where the US dollar is not readily accepted.

[pullen0]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's not a bait and switch.

Of course, if they did that, then there would be complaints about being forced to pay for gratuities.

We manage in virtually every other aspect of our lives.  There’s no tip line at the big box store, grocery store, monthly bills, amazon checkout, etc.  

 

The most spectacular dining/service I have ever received, the gratuities were included into the price and were paid before I ever entered the restaurant.  

[bkrickles1]

4 hours ago, pullen0 said:

The cruise lines feel it’s their current actual wage plus your 20% daily service charge plus gratuities they add to your packages.  I’d start there.  

 

The cruise I just booked listed a price of $1049 pp.  Add the taxes, fees and gratuities from the “free” Free at Sea, it came to over $1400 pp.  And another $140 pp for prepaid service charges.  So we’re at nearly $1550 pp.  I’d rather the upfront price just be the $1550 instead of the bait and switch.  

It's like you don't know what bait and switch means. 

In no way, is what you describe, a bait and switch. 

[pete_coach]

6 hours ago, pullen0 said:

The cruise lines feel it’s their current actual wage plus your 20% daily service charge plus gratuities they add to your packages.  I’d start there.  

 

The cruise I just booked listed a price of $1049 pp.  Add the taxes, fees and gratuities from the “free” Free at Sea, it came to over $1400 pp.  And another $140 pp for prepaid service charges.  So we’re at nearly $1550 pp.  I’d rather the upfront price just be the $1550 instead of the bait and switch.  

There was no bait and switch.

You are fully aware of all expenses when you get to the bottom line.

It is a same when you buy an airline ticket...all extra fees and taxes are noted at the bottom of the bill before you agree to purchase.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, bkrickles1 said:

It's like you don't know what bait and switch means. 

In no way, is what you describe, a bait and switch. 

 

"Bait and switch", "price gouging", "nickel and dime", etc. are just trigger words that people often (incorrectly) use when they're mad at the big meanie corporation.