Gratuities onboard?

[ronrick1943]

I like to think of gratuities as "what would I like to get if offering good/outstanding service".  Pretty simple, I know a lot of people don't like to give extra and that's up to them.  But what I do doesn't effect your cruise experience - so don't worry about what others do or not do.

 

[jonthomas]

it does affect it....

 

staff around the pool were buzzing around a couple of people who were handing out tips for chairs, towels, etc....

 

open for all to see...unless you have vision issues...

 

as I have said many times, the included gratuities now are meaningless, they are included for good service or not, staff are now trained to expect extra, not hard to figure that out, it is  human nature...it is not O that has trained them for this expectation, it is the cruising public.

 

what is really difficult is that no matter how much extra you now give, that is also not enough...

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

it does affect it....

 

staff around the pool were buzzing around a couple of people who were handing out tips for chairs, towels, etc....

 

open for all to see...unless you have vision issues...

 

as I have said many times, the included gratuities now are meaningless, they are included for good service or not, staff are now trained to expect extra, not hard to figure that out, it is  human nature...it is not O that has trained them for this expectation, it is the cruising public.

 

what is really difficult is that no matter how much extra you now give, that is also not enough...

If true that’s sad! Not the Oceania I know and love! But ……..

[Harters]

1 hour ago, jonthomas said:

what is really difficult is that no matter how much extra you now give, that is also not enough

I think the thing that most resonated with me about cruise related tipping was the mentions on CC of the porters at Miami port pretty much demanding a tip "to ensure your bag didnt go missing or get damaged". It's outrageous demand for a bribe - but I still coughed up $10.

[Socky Sunshine]

3 minutes ago, Harters said:

I think the thing that most resonated with me about cruise related tipping was the mentions on CC of the porters at Miami port pretty much demanding a tip "to ensure your bag didnt go missing or get damaged". It's outrageous demand for a bribe - but I still coughed up $10.

Wow! That's another one we have never experienced.

[tarhoosier]

That is extortion and not a bribe.

[jonthomas]

30 minutes ago, Harters said:

I think the thing that most resonated with me about cruise related tipping was the mentions on CC of the porters at Miami port pretty much demanding a tip "to ensure your bag didnt go missing or get damaged". It's outrageous demand for a bribe - but I still coughed up $10.

 yes....we do too, after the one time we didnt and our luggage was thrown somewhere in the hull of the ship...it took reception staff overnight to find it...

 

these guys at the pier are vicious....

 

we travel very light and often just take on the luggage ourselves, that too gets dirty looks from the pier guys....

[Harters]

Here's the Miami porters thread I referred to

 

Extortion is the right word

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2953787-tipping-porters/#comment-65813755

[ronrick1943]

6 hours ago, jonthomas said:

it does affect it....

 

staff around the pool were buzzing around a couple of people who were handing out tips for chairs, towels, etc....

 

open for all to see...unless you have vision issues...

 

as I have said many times, the included gratuities now are meaningless, they are included for good service or not, staff are now trained to expect extra, not hard to figure that out, it is  human nature...it is not O that has trained them for this expectation, it is the cruising public.

 

what is really difficult is that no matter how much extra you now give, that is also not enough...

Sorry but I don't believe that about how much you give isn't enough.  However only one person can really stop extra tipping if they want.  That would be the CEO, all he has to do is make a rule that if any employee excepts a trip from a guest is fired.  That is the only way it will happen, and really it isn't up to the guest to enforce a rule.  Until that is don't I'll decide who gets what and how much extra from me.  Just a personal opinion.

[ORV]

Oh boy.

[clo]

10 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

That is extortion and not a bribe.

Difference between the two:

 

The biggest difference has to do with the direction in which the money flows. With extortion, someone is generally threatening someone else to try to get money from that person. Or, they might be using threats to try to get a special service. With bribery, there is not necessarily a threat involved.

 

[Harters]

5 hours ago, clo said:

Difference between the two:

Thanks for posting those definitions. So, based on that, extortion is definitely the right word to describe what the porters are up to.. Threat that your bag might go missing unless money changes hands. My apologies for wrongly describing it as  a bribe in #29.

[tarhoosier]

Extortion involves the exchange of something of value under duress. It is a form of Coercion.

 

Coercion: any scheme, plan, or pattern intended to cause a person to believe that failure to perform an act would result in harm, loss, or physical restraint against any person.

 

Coercion can, in some cases, be a kind of benefit. A judge offers a guilty person the opportunity for public service or jail. The coercion is to take the service because jail is not desired by either party but but the powerful party alone has the ability to enforce the choice.