Some Information On the $10.00 per day gratutity/service charge

[iluvcruzin]

As long as people leave the auto-tip on their account the cruiseline will think the new policy is fine. If enough remove the auto-tip they may consider re-evaluating the plan.

 

Saying "I'm leaving the charge on but I'm not happy about the distribution" will not cause for it to change. From what someone at HAL told me, they were trying this out. So far to them it's an overwhelming success as I doubt many have it removed.

 

Even if they do have to pool the money together, it is almost the same result as auto-tip except you'd be telling HAL that you don't care for the new policy.

[Jacqueline]

All I can say is that when I got my documents a few weeks ago, there was massive explanation of the new tipping policy. I cannot say that is was sprung on me.I am sailing in 10 days .

Anyone who has traveled on Celebrity or Princess is familiar with the concept.

Given the high level of service many are finding lately on Celebrity, the system seems to work well. I had the best service even in March on the Constellation. I will be pleased if HAL measures up.

[HeatherInFlorida]

What goes around comes around:D . We must have had a gizillion threads going awhile back on this tipping business and we all hoped that by this time they would have worked out the kinks a bit, but it seems they have not.

 

Longtimecruiser's story is appalling and inexcusable and I hope you get a resolution from the powers that be. In the meantime, what do we do? For myself, I think we'll leave the service charge (which I insist on calling it) and slip extra to our guys if we think they deserve it. It's been said they're not allowed to keep it, but somehow I feel they'll find a way around this.

 

However, I do find it interesting that so many are saying they're not going to "re-up" or renew their contracts. I've spoken with friends who recently cruised both Princess and Celebrity and the staff was saying the same thing on those ships. So one does have to wonder where they plan on going. More and more of these lines are switching over to this manner of "tipping" so it seems to be a problem all around.

 

In the meantime we're all running around like chickens with no heads wondering whether to take away, add, remove the charge, add to the charge, slip them something, don't slip them something because they'll get in trouble, and on and on and on. All this for a vacation????!!!!:eek:

[OCruisers]

The one thing we do know is we like is the 15% automatically added to Bar Tabs! :D

 

We always want to tip these folks ... and sometimes think others don't ... and it makes it lots easier for us.

 

Do any others feel the same on this part of the new tipping program? :confused:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[iluvcruzin]

The one thing we do know is we like is the 15% automatically added to Bar Tabs! :D

 

We always want to tip these folks ... and sometimes think others don't ... and it makes it lots easier for us.

 

Do any others feel the same on this part of the new tipping program? :confused:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

I haven't sailed Hal before but can say that I do like the 15% added for drinks. I seem to encounter very friendly bar attendants always willing to serve. This is my experience on the other lines.

[Santa Fe Jim]

 

Longtimecruiser's story is appalling and inexcusable and I hope you get a resolution from the powers that be. In the meantime, what do we do? For myself, I think we'll leave the service charge (which I insist on calling it) and slip extra to our guys if we think they deserve it. It's been said they're not allowed to keep it, but somehow I feel they'll find a way around this.

I believe it's been pretty well established from "official quotes" from persons having cruised recently that the staff IS allowed to keep individual tips unless the service charge is reduced/eliminated by the passenger. So your plan of leaving the service charge in place plus individual tipping WILL get the additional tips to the persons you want it to go to.

 

I do agree with you (and virtually everyone else) that the new system is not being responsive to the customers' desires.:(

 

SFJ

[gizmo]

The one thing we do know is we like is the 15% automatically added to Bar Tabs! :D

 

We always want to tip these folks ... and sometimes think others don't ... and it makes it lots easier for us.

 

Do any others feel the same on this part of the new tipping program? :confused:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

I don't like it at all. Why a 15% tip if service is bad? On my last cruise the bar service in the casino was the worst bar service I ever saw. We moved into the Ocean Bar which had excellent service for pre dinner cocktails. Mr. Gizmo also complained about the bar staff pouring "short" in the casino. Not only was the bar service bad, but while playing at the tables, the waitress was invisable. We never had this happen before. We had to ask the dealer to get someone, he would get the casino boss, and then he went off to find the waitress. This happened night after night. In the past, the casino waitress would always approach us and ask if we would like a drink. I would like to add the Explorer Lounge service was also excellent.

[rocks]

I agree with OCruisers...THANK GOODNESS they are adding the tip to bar bills! If I'm not being served, I would go up to the bartender & get my order or ask them to send someone over. If they don't serve drinks, they lose money...why wouldn't they want to serve you?? If fact, I remember some posters predicting that they would be hounded by pushy servers just to make more money.

If I'm at a busy bar around home & I have to walk up to the bar to get a drink (even if I have to wait because of the crowd) I would still leave the bartender a tip. If there were other bars on the ship that served me quicker, I would wonder over there & let them get the extra money. If I wanted to stay where the service was really terrible..like the casino..I would find a supervisor & let them know. I bet the service would change. HA makes a lot of money on the drinks they sell.

I still don't get the gripe about the $10.00 a day either...all the other lines do it. I guess I am just SO glad that they changed from the old policy that this doesn't sound that hard to understand. Again, if I get really bad service, I will voice my complaint right away so they have the chance to correct it.

Now...this is JMHO; and I haven't cruised yet under the new rules. But I find it hard to believe that I won't have a GREAT time on my next HA cruise!

rocks

[xeena]

this is from the HAL website......i assume that is a per person $10/day correct?? it does say you are free to adjust the amt at the end of the cruise......i take that to mean you CAN change (up or down) amounts for each crew member involved??

 

"Gratuity Policy

 

Our crew works very hard to make sure that every aspect of your cruise meets the highest standards. Gratuities are the customary means of recognizing and showing appreciation for good service. To save guests the need to locate crewmembers and determine the appropriate gratuity amount, a gratuity of $10 per day is automatically added to each guest’s shipboard account on a daily basis. If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of the cruise. All gratuities are paid to the crew and represent an important part of their compensation. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases."

[HeatherInFlorida]

I believe it's been pretty well established from "official quotes" from persons having cruised recently that the staff IS allowed to keep individual tips unless the service charge is reduced/eliminated by the passenger. So your plan of leaving the service charge in place plus individual tipping WILL get the additional tips to the persons you want it to go to.

 

I do agree with you (and virtually everyone else) that the new system is not being responsive to the customers' desires.

 

SFJ

I wouldn't debate you because I'm not positive, but there have been several threads talking about this stating that even if you leave the service charge in place, and give an additional tip to, for instance, your Cabin Steward then he must turn it in to be pooled with the rest. HAL may have come out with something since then, but this is what passengers posted here on CC. This is also what staff told some passengers.

 

I would be very interested if there is new information on this, but that's the last I heard and it came directly from HAL.

 

I'm very much in support of adding 15% to bar bills ... makes sense and it's much easier.

[HeatherInFlorida]

this is from the HAL website......i assume that is a per person $10/day correct?? it does say you are free to adjust the amt at the end of the cruise......i take that to mean you CAN change (up or down) amounts for each crew member involved??"

I was told by HAL that you can increase or decrease the gratuity TOTAL, but not individually. In other words, you cannot just increase the waiter's tip. You can increase from $10 to $15, from $10 to $5 or whatever, They then divide it proportionately not only to your waiter, cabin steward, etc., but also to people "behind the scenes". They wrote me a letter explaining that they feel everyone in the kitchen, laundry rooms, etc., should also receive a portion of our tips so a part of that $10 goes to people you have never seen.

 

I got this information directly, in an email, from HAL a month or 2 ago.

[Jacqueline]

The crew is only required to turn in tips from those cabins that have removed/reduced the autotip from the account.

A letter came with my onboard docs - between that and the Know before you go books its all there.

As I understand it from the Princess board, it is an incentive for the staff to turn in tips, as the percentage of pax that tip, in addition to ratings they recieve go towards their performance evaluation.

[Minybear]

We are going on our cruise at the end of August to Alaska (yahoo) on our first 7 night HAL cruise.

 

It says you tip $10 a day per person. How many people do we tip? How much does this total? I am trying to budget our trip and wondering how much in tips we will be spending?

 

I totally agree with everyone regarding this new tip policy. I am so used to the Disney Cruiseline tip policy and I would prefer tipping the crew like that (of course that is my opinion).

 

Minybear

[Orcrone]

It says you tip $10 a day per person. How many people do we tip? How much does this total? I am trying to budget our trip and wondering how much in tips we will be spending?

Minny,

 

The $10 per person per day is not per person tipped, but per person cruising. If there is one person traveling then it is $10 per day, if there are two of you travelling then it is $20 per day that goes onto the automatic tipping. That will then get split among the crew.

[Minybear]

Minny,

 

The $10 per person per day is not per person tipped, but per person cruising. If there is one person traveling then it is $10 per day, if there are two of you travelling then it is $20 per day that goes onto the automatic tipping. That will then get split among the crew.

 

Thanks Orcrone for your reply. That clears everything up :).

 

Minybear

[gizmo]

I agree with OCruisers...THANK GOODNESS they are adding the tip to bar bills! If I'm not being served, I would go up to the bartender & get my order or ask them to send someone over. If they don't serve drinks, they lose money...why wouldn't they want to serve you?? If fact, I remember some posters predicting that they would be hounded by pushy servers just to make more money.

If I'm at a busy bar around home & I have to walk up to the bar to get a drink (even if I have to wait because of the crowd) I would still leave the bartender a tip. If there were other bars on the ship that served me quicker, I would wonder over there & let them get the extra money. If I wanted to stay where the service was really terrible..like the casino..I would find a supervisor & let them know. I bet the service would change. HA makes a lot of money on the drinks they sell.

I was not talking about a corner bar packed on a Saturday night. The bad service in the casino took place not only at gambling tables, but the lounge area next to the bar and at the bar itself. I did say we moved to other lounges and had excellet service.

 

Why would they not want to serve me? Beats me, it seemed like they were busy chit chatting or staring in space. If 2 people sit at the bar, with maybe only 2 others sitting there and the bar tender sees you sit down and does not come over and ask you if you would like a drink, I call that lousy service when you have to call him over. As far as getting a drink at the tables, the casino boss handled it and I got my drinks. We moved to the Ocean Bar and Explorers lounge and had excellent service. I am not the type to go running off to complain about every little thing. We did note it on our comment cards. What I am trying to say is service was not up to the standards. Why should lousy service get a 15% tip? The more I think about it, I think the casino boss deserved the tip more than the waitress.

 

I still don't get the gripe about the $10.00 a day either...all the other lines do it. I guess I am just SO glad that they changed from the old policy that this doesn't sound that hard to understand. Again, if I get really bad service, I will voice my complaint right away so they have the chance to correct it.

Now...this is JMHO; and I haven't cruised yet under the new rules. But I find it hard to believe that I won't have a GREAT time on my next HA cruise!

rocks

Just because other cruise line do it does not make it right. How do other cruise lines split the 10.00? Why should you be expected to tip laundry and other behind the scene crew members? Hal should be paying them!!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

:)

 

In a way, we are glad that HAL has changed their tipping policy. When we were on the Oosterdam this past Feb/Mar, while our waiter and his assistant were on the stairs sining their farewell song the last evening, everyone in our waiter's area got up and left the dining room. When they returned to our area, you could see the sad expressions on their faces. We were the only ones they got a tip from. And our waiter and assistant were excellent.

BUT, I don't think that the $10 should be split among all the "behind the scenes" crew.

JMO

:)

[gizmo]

People can stll remove the charge, so those that skip out the last night will probably have it removed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) gizmo

You got that right. But at least the crew are getting more than if everybody didn't tip.

On our May cruise, we were in the Neptune Lounge when one of the suite passengers turned in his form to the concierge indicating that he wanted the automatic tipping charges removed from his bill. Boy I would have loved to see the reason he marked down for having the charge removed.

:)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Just because other cruise line do it does not make it right. How do other cruise lines split the 10.00? Why should you be expected to tip laundry and other behind the scene crew members? Hal should be paying them!!!!

Gizmo, as is so often the case I could not agree with you more!!! This is the part of the new policy that galls me. Tipping is supposed to go directly to the person who served you for service above and beyond the norm. Anything else is a service charge. There's no way it can be called a gratuity.

[gizmo]

This is the part of the new policy that galls me. Tipping is supposed to go directly to the person who served you for service above and beyond the norm. Anything else is a service charge. There's no way it can be called a gratuity.

Agree 100%, this is not a tip but service charge.

[DFD1]

We are sailing on the Volendam on 11/26/04. Booked directily with HAL and discussed the tipping policy with the company's curise consultant. We asked him directly if we could remove the $l0.00 per day charge from our account and tip traditionally. His answer was clear. He advised that, when we received the approval copy of our onboard charges, we take it to the front desk and "tell", not ask, the front desk to remove the $l0.00 per day charge. He also advised that if the desk personell resisted the request to remove the charge,that we INSIST that it be removed and then they would remove it.

Apparantly HAL has advised the front desk personell to try and get passengers not to remove the charge, but not to refuse to remove it when the passenger was insistant.

We intend to have it removed and tip traditionally.....Otherwise, it is simply not a tip.

It becomes a service charge. There is quite a difference! DFD!

[elmorejj]

My husband has to use a wheelchair to embark and disembark. Usually he is pushed by one of the stewards and we usually tip $5 for this. Will the steward have to turn that tip in also?.....jean

[the2ofus]

I wish they would just increase the price of the cruise by $10 per pax per day and then say tips are included in the price of the cruise.

 

How much simpler could it get?

[HeatherInFlorida]

We intend to have it removed and tip traditionally.....Otherwise, it is simply not a tip. It becomes a service charge. There is quite a difference! DFD!

I couldn't agree more. The only problem with your plan (which I support) is that we've been told that if you remove the so called "gratuity" from your bill and give the tip directly to the individuals, they are not allowed to keep it. They must pool it.

 

If anyone has other information since I heard this, please let us know. Because that is our understanding. Otherwise, most of us (I think) would remove the service charge and tip according to our discretion.