Tipping

[SipeShape]

Yes, a loaded question. Just went on a 7 day cruise in April, bought the plus package that covers $16-$18 per day crew appreciation. Is this money paid to our room steward, if not what’s the breakdown? I understand it’s up to each individual discretion how much you give. Just trying to figure out who I should tip more often who’s not included in this gratuity. I have a 12 day cruise come up in January on the Emerald.

[skynight]

It goes into a fleet wide account. The funds are distributed to those you see, cabin stewards,  and those you never see. Only corporate accounting and high ranking managers know how the funds are distributed.

Just like your pay.

Edited August 8 by skynight

[LACruiser88]

Questions regarding tipping usually opens a HUGE can of worms.    Below is a recent thread on this topic.  Good luck!

 

 

 

[startedwithamouse]

There's no breakdown in writing, like on DCL.

 

It's fleetwide.

Edited August 8 by startedwithamouse

[2 cruises a year]

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/onboard-experience

 

Anything else you read here is rumor, speculation, innuendo, personal preference, and...  Need I go on?

 

Edited August 8 by 2 cruises a year

[DCThunder]

Save yourself all the angst and just give your cabin steward a little something for his efforts, in cash, the last night of the cruise.  Let your conscience be your guide as to how much that is, but these are hardworking dudes and a little appreciation for their work is warranted.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, DCThunder said:

Save yourself all the angst and just give your cabin steward a little something for his efforts, in cash, the last night of the cruise.  Let your conscience be your guide as to how much that is, but these are hardworking dudes and a little appreciation for their work is warranted.

we prefer to bribe upfront ... unlike dangling a potential carrot at the end of the cruise

[DCThunder]

Just now, voljeep said:

we prefer to bribe upfront ... unlike dangling a potential carrot at the end of the cruise

That works too, especially with bartenders.

[2 cruises a year]

5 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Save yourself all the angst and just give your cabin steward a little something for his efforts, in cash, the last night of the cruise.  Let your conscience be your guide as to how much that is, but these are hardworking dudes and a little appreciation for their work is warranted.

What about the men and women that keep the triangle fold on the toilet paper in the restrooms?  We always lay a couple of bucks on them also.  Just a personal preference.

[SipeShape]

9 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

Save yourself all the angst and just give your cabin steward a little something for his efforts, in cash, the last night of the cruise.  Let your conscience be your guide as to how much that is, but these are hardworking dudes and a little appreciation for their work is warranted.

This is exactly what I did on my last cruise. If I ordered room service, mainly 4 beers, I gave them $5 each time. 

[JGmf]

This thread will likely be 4 pages long by tomorrow.  I'm trying to resist, but can't:

 

The up-front 'crew appreciation', like others have said, goes into the Princess supercomputer and gets distributed to those you do see and those you don't.  It's basically part of your base cruise fare.

 

IMO, like you would at home; tip your steward extra (read: hotel maid); definitely tip your bartender if you frequent the same bar a lot (or even if not); tip your deck server; and once in a while, give the buffet water/beverage person a buck if they provide good service.  For me, at least, a dollar here or there means more to them than to me.

[mtnesterz]

2 hours ago, 2 cruises a year said:

Anything else you read here is rumor, speculation, innuendo, personal preference, and...  Need I go on?

I would have only added virtue signalling.

So, here is what Princess posts about the "breakdown," question. Who is in the tipping pool:

"All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees (except Service Charges for spa services which are not pooled for the fleet). The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas."

Edited August 8 by mtnesterz

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Questions regarding tipping usually opens a HUGE can of worms.

 

Yep.  No live and let live attitude on this one. Everybody has a fierce opinion.

[cruzsnooze]

4 hours ago, SipeShape said:

Yes, a loaded question. Just went on a 7 day cruise in April, bought the plus package that covers $16-$18 per day crew appreciation. Is this money paid to our room steward, if not what’s the breakdown? I understand it’s up to each individual discretion how much you give. Just trying to figure out who I should tip more often who’s not included in this gratuity. I have a 12 day cruise come up in January on the Emerald.

Why are you trying to figure it out? Princess already got what they wanted extracted from you and you want to give more? 

[JimmyVWine]

21 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Why are you trying to figure it out? Princess already got what they wanted extracted from you and you want to give more? 

Well, if a person were allowed to see the recipe for the secret sauce and learned that of their $17 per day, their steward received $9 of that; or alternatively, they learned that he received $0.50 of that, it might change their view of whether an additional gratuity that goes straight into their pocket was warranted.

 

That said, I trust that Princess, with decades of experience, has figured out a formula that distributes the pool fairly (if not equitably) and that the OP's steward is being fairly compensated.  Otherwise he wouldn't stay very long.   

[Over from NZ]

From a country that doesn't understand the tipping culture - we find it's great that Princess simplify it and simply charge us a pre-paid amount added to our bill.. and then we don't have to think about it again. Let's not over complicate it.. 😆.

[memoak]

40 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Why are you trying to figure it out? Princess already got what they wanted extracted from you and you want to give more? 

If you ever had to make a living in the hospitality industry in the United States you might have a different attitude. Tippers in restaurants put me through college

[MacMadame]

40 minutes ago, memoak said:

If you ever had to make a living in the hospitality industry in the United States you might have a different attitude. Tippers in restaurants put me through college

Yes, but a cruise ship isn't equivalent to a hotel or restaurant in the US.

[memoak]

4 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

Yes, but a cruise ship isn't equivalent to a hotel or restaurant in the US.

A good portion of their income still comes from tips just like when I was a waiter

[tserface]

3 hours ago, DCThunder said:

That works too, especially with bartenders.

With bartenders I always give $1 or $2 extra per drink.  They always seem to appreciate it.  I know the gratuity is built in, but it's an easy gesture and easy enough to care a few $1's in your pocket each day.

 

[cruzsnooze]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

A good portion of their income still comes from tips just like when I was a waiter

That's not true anymore. When we paid cash it was true. Now the greater portion goes to employee incentives and parties and employee of the year. There is no comparison to US workers who rely on tips and pay taxes on tips and have a much higher cost of living. I always tip 15% of my food costs in a restaurant here in the US. 

   If you look up tip fatigue there are tons of articles of how we are getting sick of the constant begging for tips and are actually tipping less not more. 

 As for handing out dollars as stated above, that's not tipping that's charity.

[PescadoAmarillo]

7 hours ago, 2 cruises a year said:

https://www.princess.com/en-us/faq/onboard-experience

 

Anything else you read here is rumor, speculation, innuendo, personal preference, and...

 

judgement. 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

That's not true anymore. When we paid cash it was true. Now the greater portion goes to employee incentives and parties and employee of the year. There is no comparison to US workers who rely on tips and pay taxes on tips and have a much higher cost of living. I always tip 15% of my food costs in a restaurant here in the US. 

   If you look up tip fatigue there are tons of articles of how we are getting sick of the constant begging for tips and are actually tipping less not more. 

 As for handing out dollars as stated above, that's not tipping that's charity.

I was referring to tipping whether through cash tips or CA. Wait folk on ship or on land in US do not get a large salary 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, cruzsnooze said:

That's not true anymore. When we paid cash it was true. Now the greater portion goes to employee incentives and parties and employee of the year. There is no comparison to US workers who rely on tips and pay taxes on tips and have a much higher cost of living. I always tip 15% of my food costs in a restaurant here in the US. 

   If you look up tip fatigue there are tons of articles of how we are getting sick of the constant begging for tips and are actually tipping less not more. 

 As for handing out dollars as stated above, that's not tipping that's charity.

If you only pay the CA you are tipping way way below 15.% for all your meals. And 15% is well below the norm in the states especially in LA

[trbarton]

7 hours ago, DCThunder said:

Save yourself all the angst and just give your cabin steward a little something for his efforts, in cash, the last night of the cruise.  Let your conscience be your guide as to how much that is, but these are hardworking dudes and a little appreciation for their work is warranted.

A agree & since I’m usually at the same table/waitstaff for dinner each night, on the last night, I give the waiter & assistant waiter something. It has nothing to do what they get from the ship. 
 

I also hand something to the stateroom steward at the end of the cruise. 
 

Tom😁