Waiters pooling tips

[steveaaaa]

Steve- why do you think the tips are pooled?? Posting that information could be misleading to people who have not cruised before.

 

They are not--unless you took your tips off the sign and sail card and gave cash-- you in turned ripped your workers off.

 

IF you leave the tips on your card-- the workers get to keep it all.

if you tipped extra in cash on top of that-- they get to keep all of that too.

 

If you took the tip off the card and tipped in cash-- that money then went into a pool.

 

You will have some servers only waiting on two tables.. and some working 3-4 tables. Experience gives that that opportunity. (I for one would not want an inexperienced person waiting too many tables)

 

He will get his tip for those two tables only. Experince will get him more tables.. which to me seems fair.

 

Same with cabin stewards-- some work only 4 cabins some will work 10- they willnot get the same tips.

As for thinking they dont get paid very much-- with tips some of these people can make almsot 2000 a week.

 

Hi Serene,

Because they tipped in cash.

 

I still wonder about this pool thing at all. I bet the Maitre'd gets a cut and he wants every cent and this is the only way he gets his extra.

If I were to believe the tips left on S&S they keep,extra tips in cash they keep, but base tips paid in cash are pooled and split????Whats wrong with that.

I have sailed with friends and their big Italian family who were comprised of 20 people.I know he removed all tips for his group of 20 and tipped in cash.I watched him peel off the hundreds and not even putting them in an envelope,but right into the waiters hand.Yes he felt like a big shot doing this,but that is just him, it what makes him the great person he is along with his family.

Why would this waiter have to pool with 2 dozen others? If the cruiseline does not get involved,then why are they getting involved?

What is wrong here?

 

Steve

[Lisab733]

On our last cruise aboard the Conquest our head waiter started out with 5 tables, by the third night three of the tables just quit coming........ The tables were set and waiting but no one ever showed up. I have read where a lot of people don't bother to go back to the dining room and unless they let their wait staff know they won't have a clue. It was great for us and the other table, we had very personal sevice since she was only serving two tables....:p Also from what I've read when anyone removes their tips the employees are questioned as to why (bad service, etc). So I guess they feel that if the passenger took away their tips that they weren't deserving????:confused: So thus the pooling of tips.....

[Cassandra]

Guys -

 

It's the restaurant business. This doesn't only take place on a cruise ship with the tipping situation out to others.

 

They also do this in all restaurants that everyone reading this has been to. When you give a tip - keep in mind its not going to your waiter/waitress. They take that tip & at the end of the nights its also pooled out to the busing staff & in some places, the cooking staff.

 

So keep this in mind when tipping regardless of how good or bad your service is. They have to make a living too & minimum wage doesn't cut it. :D

[AdmiralJohnson]

I Yes he felt like a big shot doing this,but that is just him...

 

...that is usually the reason people like to pay in cash, even though you screw over the staff by removing the auto tips.

 

...the other reason to remove the autotips is to just be cheap, and end up tipping nothing - have seen that one as well.

 

If you really want to thank the staff for a good job, you do not have to remove the autotips and show your largesse, leave them a nice note, and leave the autotips in place.

[truecruiser]

Steve- why do you think the tips are pooled?? Posting that information could be misleading to people who have not cruised before.

 

They are not--unless you took your tips off the sign and sail card and gave cash-- you in turned ripped your workers off.

 

IF you leave the tips on your card-- the workers get to keep it all.

if you tipped extra in cash on top of that-- they get to keep all of that too.

 

If you took the tip off the card and tipped in cash-- that money then went into a pool.

 

...

 

wow. that alone is a good reason to leave your tips in place. w/ so many tipping threads, i mostly skim them all, so i guess this never registered. since the auto tips have been insititued, i have never removed them. just left them in place and tipped above, in cash, when appropriate.

 

i cannot believe that if you tip the waitstaff in cash (i do remember seeing that the cabin stewards had to hand them in), those tips get pooled. you make a valuable point serene. if i understand it correctly, those who receive strictly cash tips, get less than they would otherwise, while others who have their auto tips in place get not only those tips, but a piece of your cash tip?

 

why would anyone who wants to pay cash tips (under the argument that they want to give what they want to give to their servers, tip in a way which gives extra $ to people who have done nothing for them????:confused:

[Kurbanfan]

why would anyone who wants to pay cash tips (under the argument that they want to give what they want to give to their servers, tip in a way which gives extra $ to people who have done nothing for them????:confused:

 

Because it's just that.....an argument...

[serene56]

why would anyone who wants to pay cash tips (under the argument that they want to give what they want to give to their servers, tip in a way which gives extra $ to people who have done nothing for them????:confused:

 

 

many people are under the misconception that its the money left on the card that is pooled- so they figured if they remove them and give the worker cash its better for the workers.

 

Another of our misconception is that most people pay the tips-- reality is that we would be surprised at the number of people that take the tips off--- and give nothing.

 

Lots of people feel like the OP -- we paid enough for the cruise-- the cruiselines should pay these people--

but bottomline is-- for the 60-70pp that it costs me to tip- I'd rather tip then have it added to the costs of the cruise. THat way IF my service is not what it should be I will remove it

[truecruiser]

...I have sailed with friends and their big Italian family who were comprised of 20 people.I know he removed all tips for his group of 20 and tipped in cash.I watched him peel off the hundreds and not even putting them in an envelope,but right into the waiters hand.Yes he felt like a big shot doing this,but that is just him, it what makes him the great person he is along with his family.

...

Steve

 

was he on elation in feb, by any chance? i saw a tony soprano peeling a hundred off a wad in his palm and handing it to my (our -- we obviously had the same one) cabin steward as i approached them in the corridor to ask a question about the non-working a/c.

 

now, i'm not crazy enough to do that, even if i cld afford it. why do some feel they must go way over the top? gotta wonder what that pax asked for to warrant that type of tip. 1st day this was, BTW.

[serene56]

I dont know how one person is able to remove the tips from that many people--- unless he was the main account holder on the various cabins.

I was not able to take off the tips for the dining room on our destiny cruise for the other cabins unless the person was with me.

 

As for tipping the first day-- I dont do that== as for me it becomes a bribe/

[Theicom1]

I was just speaking with some friends who got off a ship Yesterday and they told me how wonderful the waiter and assistant were.They were served quick,ect,ect.

What shocked me was he told me the waiter had only 2 booths both for 6 people (12 total) ,while others had a minimum of 20 people.

 

If they all pool tips, why do some people pull a larger load?

Steve

 

Sometimes it has nothing to do with experiance, skill, etc.

 

On most ships there may be an underground society, the more money you "kick up" the more tables (or cabins, etc) you get to take care of.

[ShedQueen77]

How would you like all your tips pooled and to have them split at the end of the night with the other servers for an equal share? Especially when you had twice as many tables(diners/seats,ect) as another server.

Steve

 

Been there, done that. I don't mind doing it because:

 

1. In that situation, it's usually a trainee or a newer staff member who can't handle the volume I can yet. By my picking up some "slack" I'm helping that server become better at their job and I won't have to pick up their "slack" all the time. Also, providing the best service to our customers at a small personal cost is best in the long run. Repeat business makes up the largest portion of a restaurant's revenue. If we don't have customers, I make no money.

 

The same can be applied in a cruise dining situation. If someone gets horrible service, they are less likely to sail the ship/line again.

 

2. There are times when that just happens; even if the server is a "veteran". There is a lot more behind how servers are assigned to tables than meets the eye of the average customer. It may *seem* like one is doing more work than the other, but it's usually not the case. One server could have a table of 20; another could have 10 tables of 2. Another scenario is a server has only 8 tables, but 4 are on one side of the restaurant and 4 are on the opposite side. It makes more sense to have another server perhaps take a cluster of 12 tables vs. the one who only has 8 because that other server is running his/her tail off to just GET to both sets of tables. The travel time, as we call it! :)

 

I don't have to pool tips at this job though. Although not required, I always share some of my tips with the bartender, who works for minimally more than I do an hour and is very helpful when I need to get drinks to a table quickly. I liken it to parts of a machine; the parts being the staff and the machine being the restaurant. If not for their help, I couldn't provide the good service I do! :D

 

I've been in the restaurant industry for 13 years, 10 in management and 3 as a server. There is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes that isn't always visible to the customer. (No, not spitting in the food! :D)

[VentureMan_2000]

I was just trying to emulate your post. Now looking back, I think that I'll never be able to match your wit or Sma** A@@ come backs. I will now crawl back into my hole as I am far less superior than you:cool:

 

Tom

 

And yet... another value added reply... :rolleyes:

[Katz A Prowl]

LOL, no but I need assistance as to understand why anyone thinks it's proper to ask people how they get paid. Or what happens to tips above and beyond the suggested amount you decide to give them.

 

When I tip my maid, I don't question her how much the other families tip her.

Or does she share it with her helper that she occasionally has with her. Quite frankly, that is none of my business. I tip her because I am pleased with the job she does.

 

Maybe they wanted to know so they could tip each person. After all if they were tipping the person an extra $100 because they wanted to give them $100 then they would not want $30 of that to go someplace else. Geez!! Snippity much?

[steveaaaa]

was he on elation in feb, by any chance? i saw a tony soprano peeling a hundred off a wad in his palm and handing it to my (our -- we obviously had the same one) cabin steward quote]

 

No he wasn't.He got off this past Saturday and he looks like Tony.:eek:

 

 

Serene,

He paid for 8 cabins and he pays ALL expenses for every person in his party.He is allot of fun when he has too much Vino.:eek:

He's also the guy in the casino who wants the table limit raised and they don't do it.

Steve

[tomboyy]

And yet... another value added reply... :rolleyes:

and yet... another value added reply