Very Interesting Input on Tipping from the Inside

[NHCruisr]

We genuinely enjoy meeting the staff members of each ship we're on. We spend time chatting and getting to know people. Often we show each other pictures of family and talk about our homes and cultures. We leave the auto tipping in place. I bring note cards that have pictures of our beautiful home area - the White Mountains of NH. On the last day, I write a personal note to those people we've gotten to know and include a few extra dollars for a tip. I make a special point to write a note and tip one of the more junior crew members. Maybe that's just the Mom in me. I know how hard it must be to be away from home for the first time. I have great respect for those who work on ships and always want them to know that there are passengers who treat them with care and respect.

[mickeyfitz]

I have no great problem with the auto tip system, but it really is no longer a true "tip" and is really becoming more like a "service charge" such as is found in Europe.

[kelhair]

I have been an "executive" in the service industry for my entire career, and actually began my real work life right out of high school with Disneyland. So I've been on the management & non-management sides of the fence. I know what it's like "dealing" with the public on holiday!

 

The difference IMHO in tipping while on board is knowing that the cruise lines take "advantage" of the tipping incentive when recruiting staff. Don't flame me as professionally I've been there, done that. These companies know they can pay the $50 per week/or month (or whatever it is, we will probably never know) due to the fact that passengers tipping is incentive for the kind, wonderful, generally non-complaining crew (only one individual was the exception in all my cruises) to leave families and homeland to make a better life for all.

 

What would happen if the lines paid a prevailing wage? And what would that be? If you figured the number of hours worked per week through the length of their contracts I seriously doubt that most "cruisers" would be happy with what that would do to the average price of a cruise. I know the restaurant industry in the US is guilty of that (my company as well as EVERYONE else in the restaurant industry unless prohibited by state law, California as an example) by paying a wage considering tip credit, relying on tips to pull the servers "wages up". If you think about what your tips, spread out from week to week, afford these folks, as well as you as the consumer because you are "sharing" in their compensation with the passengers that had your cabin the week before you and the week after.

 

We always tip in addition to the auto, with the exception of a cabin steward on Princess who spent the entire trip telling us how tired he was, and when we called him for something at noon one day (his stated "lunch hours were 2-3" yet he said we were interupting his lunch, huh?), well we left the auto in place but did not tip extra. First time ever. Look at the range of lines I've been on. One of the best cabin stewards ever was the last Carnival trip in 5/05 (I know, Carnival but it was a girls reunion and the iten and price was right.) She was unreal!!! A Mom from the Ukraine who had only 2 more weeks on contract before going home to husband and kids. Her service was perfection. She got an extra tip and a silver bracelet from Puerto Vallarta. She wore it the rest of the trip and thanked all the gals every time she saw us. Another story of "beyond a tip, gift wise" was on Silver Sea (OK start chuckling, Carnival to Silver Sea!) where tips are not expected. It was early December so we took boxes of really fine chocolate (are you reading this Ruth C?) and gave them out the last night. I can't tell you how emotional the reaction was from our favorite staff. Our most awesome bartender, Peder (Viking man) said it was the first Christmas gift he had received in 6 years.

 

As the Mastercard commercial says . . . priceless.

 

Tip well and tip often.

 

All my 2 cents, but the memories of the reactions of crew regarding how we acknowledge them is something I will treasure forever. As much as the beautiful sights and places we have been.

 

Regards-Kelly

[HeatherInFlorida]

..........................

One of the best cabin stewards ever was the last Carnival trip in 5/05 (I know, Carnival but it was a girls reunion and the iten and price was right.) She was unreal!!! A Mom from the Ukraine who had only 2 more weeks on contract before going home to husband and kids. Her service was perfection. She got an extra tip and a silver bracelet from Puerto Vallarta. She wore it the rest of the trip and thanked all the gals every time she saw us. Another story of "beyond a tip, gift wise" was on Silver Sea (OK start chuckling, Carnival to Silver Sea!) where tips are not expected. It was early December so we took boxes of really fine chocolate (are you reading this Ruth C?) and gave them out the last night. I can't tell you how emotional the reaction was from our favorite staff. Our most awesome bartender, Peder (Viking man) said it was the first Christmas gift he had received in 6 years.

 

.................

 

This is my favorite part of your post, Kelly. And it supports what the writer of the article says ... that a personal gift is much appreciated on a cruise just as anywhere else.

 

When someone takes the extra time to choose something special for someone, that gift is appreciated. I'm not suggesting we all shouldn't tip the extra cash as well, but I refuse to believe that any of these fine people would resent or be upset by the personal thought that goes into choosing a small gift for someone.

 

I know I'm harping, but I remember all too well how I was jumped on severely when I said this about a year ago. Everyone insisted it's all about money. And while we may have come to that in many parts of our own country, I will continue to hope that it's not so everywhere.

 

Peaches, I totally agree with you. I don't know how I missed that part of his post. I can't imagine anyone believing that if they tip enough, they can treat someone poorly. However, unfortunately I have seen people who do seem to think that if they throw money at someone, they somehow control them. So Craig may not be totally off base where some are concerned.

[dakrewser]

The difference IMHO in tipping while on board is knowing that the cruise lines take "advantage" of the tipping incentive when recruiting staff. Don't flame me as professionally I've been there, done that. These companies know they can pay the $50 per week/or month (or whatever it is, we will probably never know) due to the fact that passengers tipping is incentive for the kind, wonderful, generally non-complaining crew (only one individual was the exception in all my cruises) to leave families and homeland to make a better life for all.

 

I really don't understand your point. What makes the tip given on board a ship any different from a tip given in, say, a restaurant on land? Weren't the restaurant wait staff recruited with the "incentive" of tips????

[kelhair]

Can you tell I have strong opinions re. tipping?

 

Forgot to share room service. Always tip around $2 per delivery, but let me share an amazing example of above and beyond.

 

Same Princess cruise (with tired room steward man). After a port day we came back just in time to order from the dining room lunch menu (suite benefit, 10 minutes or so before closing.) After 30 minutes or so of no delivery we called back. They had lost the order and were beside themselves. We said, no problem we'll run up to the buffet or grill. Room service man extraordinaire said "Absolutely not". We again, said "huh?" He replied "I will go". (I'm thinking, we're on Princess for God Sakes!) We assured him that was not necessary but he had hung up. He called from the buffet and told us what the offerings were and asked what we preferred. We said, well anything with carbs of course so here came pasta and quesadillas, et al:) . Unreal. We tipped $10. Why? Because this was so above and beyond our expectations.

 

He then called back in 15 minutes after delivery and asked if everything was alright and did we need anything more.

 

Wow factor?? Yes . . .

 

We still talk about him.

 

Kelly

[kelhair]

My point is there is no difference.

 

Would you consider not tipping at Chili's for a burger or their ribs and begrudge tipping on board as a previous poster stated.

 

Right or wrong there are industries that rely on tip compensation to supplement wages. The cruise industry, as well as the restaurant and hospitality industry in the US, rely on that. If they didn't we'd all be paying $15 dollars for that Chili's burger.

 

Regards-Kelly

[dakrewser]

My point is there is no difference.

 

Would you consider not tipping at Chili's for a burger or their ribs and begrudge tipping on board as a previous poster stated.

 

Right or wrong there are industries that rely on tip compensation to supplement wages. The cruise industry, as well as the restaurant and hospitality industry in the US, rely on that. If they didn't we'd all be paying $15 dollars for that Chili's burger.

 

Regards-Kelly

 

 

Thanks for clearing that up Kelly - I did get the wrong impression :o

[kelhair]

When I get a little "compassionate . . . read would up" about a subject I type fast and assume everyone knows what I mean!

 

Thanks for the response.

 

Kelly

[bardgal]

The lunch room service guy was so hilarious! What was even funnier is that when we got to our dinner table that night, our adorable waiter asked us how we liked the tortellini & quesadillas. He had been up there when SuperRoomService Man™ was getting our stuff. He knew we were pasta freaks, and thought... hmmm.. I bet I know what cabin that's for.

 

Craig - I hear ya. Although it's a crime what we pay law enforcement, military, and our educators/teachers in this country...... but you're right, it's a damn shame how I've seen the customer-service/hopitality industry people treated by people who could never in a millenia do the same job - just because somehow they think they're better than these people. It's horrible. Belive me I know. I started way back in the last century in this industry with Kelly at Disneyland.[/minirant]

 

In French Polynesia (as in other parts of the world) tipping someone in the service industry is considered very insulting. They are well paid even to wait tables and bring your bags to your room, take great pride in their profession and would think you were an ugly American for handing them a bribe/handout/etc. That said, there are places in French Polynesia and elsewhere with signs that say "tipping welcome and greatly appreciated."

 

The saddest, I think, is as Kelly described, when a state (most everywhere other than CA) doesn't even pay minimum wage because of the tips - it's factored in to the position and figured into the hourly wage. I remember (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) when minimum wage was $3.25 an hour (and I was waiting tables at TGIF with all my freakin' flair) I got a FRIDAYS passport and went to work in Kansas City one summer. Thankfully my hourly wage was paid out of my homestore so I got $3.25 still, since at the time people in KC were in a time warp and thought they were highrollers leaving 10% on a check..... the servers in KC were making $2.10 an hour plus tips... that was BELOW MINIMUM WAGE, and it's LEGAL.

 

sorry... thought I already climbed down off my soapbox.

 

tip well, tip often.

[fridayeyes]

Here's another funny bit about working as a tipped employee: you can get negative paychecks.

 

The restaurant takes taxes, social security, SDI etc out of your wages, so for a 40 hr week, I was getting just over $80 (at the 2.10 rate mentioned above). Tax withholding is figured on wages plus a percentage of your sales for the week -- about 9% when/where I worked. So if I sold $2000 worth of food in a week, my employer reported $80 in wages and $180 in tips. My withholding would then be calculated on $260/week instead of $80.

 

The sales percentage was provided to the IRS whether or not you got that amount in tips, btw. You could declare that you recieved more than the standard percentage, but there was no way to declare that you made less if you had a bad week. I know for me, particularly if I had a bad run at lunch (not many tables, a stiff or two), I could end up with nothing at the end of my shift after tipping my bartender and server-assistant (both of whom were being paid $4.25/hr vs. my $2.10).

 

Anyhow, our paychecks routinely came to less than a dollar after taxes and such were taken out. Once, I even received a check for -.46. My wages had not covered my withholding.

[kstemple3]

I always have trouble understanding any of the gripes about tipping. The meals are usually the quality of good restaurants and the rooms like good hotels. You would certainly tip more per day for restaurant meals in even very inexpensive restaurants than the suggested tip on board. And the cabin steward certainly does more than any hotel maid. I think we get off cheaply with cruise tipping, even when adding extra for some people.

I really never thought about small gifts unless it was for a holiday cruise. But I do make thank you cards before leaving home, then add names and cash to them later. They always seem to be appreciated.

[scopewest]

Just want to briefly state I never tip before the end of the cruise. My husband is in a job where he can earn tips and no one pretips him. What I did (and only on the Christmas sailing) was to give a holiday card with a little cash in it. I figure everyone loves to get cards, the steward can throw it out or hang it up or show it off or whatever, but it's the thought that counts at a very emotional time of year for everyone. Most people exchange cards and/or gifts on/around Dec. 25. Even my husband gets a card or two from his clientele at Christmas. And since someone commented about local items, I think I'll look for an AZ-themed card this time (we do have them). Yee-hah!

[Grumpy1]

I remember (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) when minimum wage was $3.25 an hour

AHEM! Dinosaurs? Then I guess I predate the dinosaurs by several millenia:eek: My first job was clerking in a dairy store. They had a soda fountain and served meals and sandwiches, too. Hardly ever saw a tip. Oh, yeah, the job paid fifty cents an hour... it went up to seventy cents when I was promoted to assistant manager! Since I was still in school, I wasn't allowed to work past 10pm. But the worklist that the manager left to be done could seldom be completed before 11:30p. We worked until the work list was done, but pay stopped at 10p. Started that job 49 years ago this month. Good old days? In some ways, maybe, but I'll take today.

[stellasue]

Anyone know where the word TIP originated??? A gazillion years ago in merry old England....it means "To Insure Promptness" (though I might have said Ensure)....and it meant that money was given "up front" to motivate promt, efficient service. Tipping "after the fact" came along much later.:)

[DougK]

Two separate strands of this discussion pose an interesting thought. First, many people have said (quite correctly, IMO) that tipping on a cruise is just like tipping at a restaurant -- it's an expected part of the economics of the industry. And second, others have talked about pretipping.

 

So my question is, do people ever pretip anywhere other than on a cruise? I honestly have never heard of anybody tipping a waiter, bartender, valet parker, hairdresser, etc. up front. Do some people actually do that? Or is a cruise somehow considered to be different?

 

Doug

[fridayeyes]

That's a common and fun folk etymology, yes, but history doesn't bear it out.

 

Check here: http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.htm

 

Re: tipping up front - I believe that when one wishes to 'grease' a maitre d' (e.g. for a better table or when you don't have a reservation), one does so up front else the desired service might not materialize.

[HeatherInFlorida]

In today's world, tipping up front is a bribe. What tipping may have been when dinosaurs roamed the earth doesn't matter anymore;) . I'm constantly told here that things change and I have to adjust so I am:) .

 

Seriously, I know people are posting here now who aren't even bothering to read the article, but what the writer says about "bribes" is very interesting and worth the read.

 

Grumpy, me too!!! My first job at G. Fox & Co. in Hartford, CT, paid $45/week. That works out to about $1.25/hour!!!! But I was on commission (lucky me:rolleyes: ) and got 5% of everything I sold. That might not be so bad except that an average blouse sold for $5.98.:D

[stellasue]

.....and it's a NICE thing to do. Fortunately, we are able to be generous to those who help up and/or serve us, in many ways. Money, before or after the fact is always appreciated. The trick is knowing how and when to do it in a gracious way - one that does not demean the tipper, tipee or the task!It's a pleasure to leave a little something extra for the college student waiting on our table and here in Manhattan every other server is a aspiring actor...waiting tables and waiting for the big break. Many of the folks we iall nteract with on a daily basis have come to depend on these tips...that's just the way it is. On a ship it's pretty much the same....an extra twenty or fifty doesn't mean as much to me as it does to our steward or the bar server - given "up front" or at the end...it doesn't matter; just do the right thing, be generous and be thankful that you are able to do it.:)

[dakrewser]

Anyone know where the word TIP originated??? A gazillion years ago in merry old England....it means "To Insure Promptness" (though I might have said Ensure)....and it meant that money was given "up front" to motivate promt, efficient service. Tipping "after the fact" came along much later.:)

 

You might think that but, alas, it's a folk tale. See the entry for TIP at World Wide Words - "Modern folk etymology has a curious idea that the source of almost any short word lies in an acronym (perhaps because we’re surrounded by them), but the truth is that few such inventions are found before the 1930s..."

[stellasue]

It sounded like it made sense!! The important thing, for me anyway, is to be generous and gracious towards those who help us out and who, by the very nature of their job in our society, expect to be "tipped" for services rendered. I've never had anyone turn down a tip.....and, as I said before, a lot has to do with the way the tip is offered.

[scopewest]

HeatherInFlorida:

 

You worked at G. Fox! Oh, the memories I have of shopping and eating at that store prior to the pre-chain store, giant mall days. This is off topic so I won't bore anyone else but I just had to comment.

[HeatherInFlorida]

HeatherInFlorida:

 

You worked at G. Fox! Oh, the memories I have of shopping and eating at that store prior to the pre-chain store, giant mall days. This is off topic so I won't bore anyone else but I just had to comment.

 

:D ... it was a wonderful store, wasn't it? Ah, the good 'ole days;) .

[kelhair]

By now you are all aware what my opinion on tipping is:)

 

That said, I have not and will never "pre-tip" because to me it implies that you would not receive good (to great) service without "the bribe". I feel it is very insensitive, regardless of the intent.

 

Off to Vegas for a Galz birthday celebration. Wish we could meet up with Jim, Lisa and all LV CC'rs!

 

Happy weekend,

Kelly

[tlmlb]

how most of you folks would feel if you were the tipped individual...

 

money is like manure; no good unless its spread.....

 

just remember, everyone has to make theirs....

 

i usually tip upfront, in the middle and extra at the end...never had anyone look offended and never had any problem with service that i could not resolve with the individual directly providing the service...