Tipping on Princess-Automatic?

[Seayalater]

I may be in the wrong thread, but I searched my cruise documents and can't find where tipping is mentioned. On Celebrity we passed out envelopes.

What about Princess?

 

thanks!

[sddsddean]

Princess add $10/day/person to your onboard account to cover the usual tips. If you want to 'do it yourself', go to the Passenger Services desk on the first day and say you don't want this to be charged. (You just have to sign a form). They will have gratuity envelopes available for you to give to room steward etc. if you would prefer to do your tips this way.

 

Simon

[LARGIN]

Yes, $10 per person per day will be charged to your account. There will be envelopes near the Pursers Office a few days before the end of the cruise if you wish to tip additional.

[-Lew-]

$10 per passenger per day will be added to your bill to cover tips and will be divided among various service crew. You have the option of removing this charge from your bill if you wish.

 

You may also tip individuals separately or in addition to the daily charge if you wish. There are envelopes available for this purpose.

 

Lew

[Plant]

Please be aware that if you cancel the automatic tips what you tip your Room Steward or Waiter in cash will be pooled and they might not get everything you tip. We always leave the auto-tip on and tip extra to anyone who goes "above and beyond" for us. If you've left the auto-tip on they'll get the extra tip.

[maple]

How much is enough for the room steward(s)??? after the $10???

[AAAAmerican]

Having cruised on ships from many slips for decades now ..I do appreciate the simple smile and your welcome when we say THANK YOU for the great services performed by the person(s) we hand the envelope to too.

 

It means more to them as well having a tangible instead of a Book-Entry best efforts Format...

 

Think of what YOU would see if you were them..((?))

 

Also you may want to bring along little special gifts/tinkets $2.00 US Thomas Jefferson Bills etc.... for them too that way it is really special.. we still correspond and see some we have met aboard ships before that served us well.

:cool:

 

 

 

 

I may be in the wrong thread, but I searched my cruise documents and can't find where tipping is mentioned. On Celebrity we passed out envelopes.

What about Princess?

 

thanks!

[bdjam]

Also you may want to bring along little special gifts/tinkets $2.00 US Thomas Jefferson Bills etc.... for them too that way it is really special.. we still correspond and see some we have met aboard ships before that served us well.:cool:

I believe the $2 bill thing is discouraged. They are so uncommon they are sometimes taken as counterfeit in foreign countries and they are difficult to spend in the U.S.

 

And right - the staff and crew are happy when they are presented with envelopes - but it shouldn't be at the expense of the auto tip - that should be considered a base service charge and should only be questioned if service is not up to normal.

[nytax]

hi everyone,

hubby and i are sailing crown nyc 9/06/07. i will leave the automatic tips alone. i was wondering if it is tacky to tip your waiter after being served a wonderful meal. if its not tacky, would that tip be pooled or would the server be able to keep it ?

thanx for the info. our first cruise with princess.

rhonda:)

[AAAAmerican]

Any amounts above and beyond that are still your personal choice.

 

We have even taken out ours on shore to a celebration etc.. all giving is usually accepted gracefully.

 

Other little trinkets too are a nice way to show appreciation..

 

:cool:

 

How much is enough for the room steward(s)??? after the $10???

[bdjam]

Well maybe there on the left Coast............ even in our Local paper someone wrote again still claiming California was still part of mexico and it was taken illegally as was TX, NM AZ etc...

 

Always Remember FREEDOM is NOT FREE!

 

Here and every State I have been in (50) they have to accept any US Bill Issued and US Stamp too! Yes even Gold Notes... or the $10,000 bill..but thats another story if I ever paid in those i would be foolish as they are worth more than face value..

 

A gift of a Two Dollar Bill should not meant to be spent..

I’m sorry – you’ve totally lost me. I’m not sure what the falsehoods about California being part of Mexico have to do with this debate – given that California has a good deal of economic and political power, one would think the rest of the country might value it a bit more.

 

But I’m off topic – in relation to the $2 bill, I’m just relaying to the posters here what I’ve heard about them and the ability to use them in other countries. As for the gift not meant to be spent – the best thing a passenger can give to a crew member is cash. They are able to use it to buy things that they need and they are able to forward it home to their families if warranted.

How, in Charles Dickens well lets use an American..Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) as his name is nautical, ..would it be construed in giving an envelope and not a Book Entry Auto Charge (TIP) well?

What? Here's why I give both - the auto tip being removed means any tip personally given goes into the pool and is split amongst the same people that would get the auto tip. The person you hand the envelope to gets nothing unless that envelope contains the value of the auto tip plus what you tip above that. Otherwise, it's into the pool.

and your saying it is a base service charge.. see not a tip gratuity or even complimenting charge...

No...I'm saying it should be considered a base service charge - right, not a tip. Whether or not someone agrees with me is up to them.

[dforeigner]

For those wondering how the tipping this works:

 

http://www.princess.com/faq/onboard_experience.html

 

Question: What are the tipping guidelines for my cruise?

Answer: During your cruise, you will meet many members of our staff in a variety of locations as they provide you with excellent service. Additionally, many more crew behind the scenes support those who serve you directly. For your convenience a Hotel and Dining charge of $10 per passenger per day (including children) will be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. The Hotel and Dining charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards and accommodations staff, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others.

 

Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.

 

A 15% charge is automatically added to your bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I really don't see the purpose of giving a crew member $2 bills and make them scurry about their limited port time (the infrequent times they do make it off the ship) trying to use them up. Or the purpose in giving them something with the intent they don't use them. They're not working on the cruiseships as well-heeled volunteers.

[OuiOnboard]

I really don't see the purpose of giving a crew member $2 bills and make them scurry about their limited port time (the infrequent times they do make it off the ship) trying to use them up. Or the purpose in giving them something with the intent they don't use them. They're not working on the cruiseships as well-heeled volunteers.

Yeah...I would tend to just give ones....and let them decide whether to save 'em or spend 'em.

[AAAAmerican]

Well what would you expect in a FAQ page ..?

 

Did you notice the verbage change once Carnival Bought the Majority of Shares and now its CCL/CUK: NYSE/LSE ?

 

Did you see its called a charge here in the FAQ page you quoted too ? So it being a charge not a tip or gratuity ... and a daily one... how come the so called charge is not broken down then in another page of a FAQ too...? What percentages go to whom and where? Or do they?

Is it the Hidden Wonder Charge now?

:eek:

 

For those wondering how the tipping this works:

 

http://www.princess.com/faq/onboard_experience.html

 

Question: What are the tipping guidelines for my cruise?

Answer: During your cruise, you will meet many members of our staff in a variety of locations as they provide you with excellent service. Additionally, many more crew behind the scenes support those who serve you directly. For your convenience a Hotel and Dining charge of $10 per passenger per day (including children) will be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. The Hotel and Dining charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards and accommodations staff, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others.

 

Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.

 

A 15% charge is automatically added to your bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff.

[LARGIN]

The crew hates $2 bills as well as most non-dead president tokens of appreciation.:eek:

[AAAAmerican]

Maybe this will help to understand more.

 

As in Christmas they have gifts and stocking stuffers.. So a US President Thomas Jefferson $2.00 US Dollar Bill would be a nice gift not given by many and remembered by all given to. The way the reciever uses it is like the stuff in the Christmas stocking they do what they want with it.. save it invest it bank it use it to call with etc..etc...

 

The $USD Two Bill is an example people may give anything they want to make a person smile another mile...:cool:

 

 

 

I really don't see the purpose of giving a crew member $2 bills and make them scurry about their limited port time (the infrequent times they do make it off the ship) trying to use them up. Or the purpose in giving them something with the intent they don't use them. They're not working on the cruiseships as well-heeled volunteers.

[AAAAmerican]

You must have had returns then ..?:rolleyes: I surely doubt that.

 

The crew hates $2 bills as well as most non-dead president tokens of appreciation.:eek:

[OuiOnboard]

When on the ships to Alaska, however, I give Cdn. bills. Likewise in Europe, Euros are very happily accepted.

[land lover]

$2 bills LOL

 

Everywhere I have used them every one has wanted them...In China and Costa Rica they are considered good luck...I have had venors give me better deals once they see I have $2 bills..porters love to get them at the dock...I have never had one refused when I have used them.

[LARGIN]

You must have had returns then ..?:rolleyes: I surely doubt that.

 

I do not give "gifts", just dead presidents and if you ask any of the crew would they prefer a $2 bill or 2 $1's, the answer is always 2 $1's... And to Quote from the Princess Crew Blog.. Tuesday, May 09, 2006

 

Onboard currency trading with your room steward. Aka: tipping money

 

If you are going to tip your room stewards, or anyone onboard for that matter, you should try and use only clean, fresh, unmarked American bills. No rips, no pen marks, no creases. The reason for this is that in Eastern Europe and the Philippines the exchange houses will not give full value on money that is marked or ripped or OLD. I have even had it happen to me; they will rip you off and give you 75% value. I have been to these places and exchanged money myself and I know it to be true. During payroll onboard the Eastern Europeans and Philippines crew even ask to be paid in clean, 1998 series bills because other series have a higher counterfeit instance and they often get less value for it as well. Sure it’s money making scheme by the exchange houses but there is NOTHING you can do about it.

 

If you tip in old, damaged bills they must exchange it onboard first and this can be a hassle as crew offices do not mind changing currency but just changing old for new sometimes isn’t always possible.

 

Also, tipping in “fun” or collector money is pointless. A $2.00 bill will not be exchanged by an exchange house in eastern Europe or the Philippines. Some crew offices won’t even take them. Yes, I know, your all getting angry now and saying “but this is good honest American currency”, well this is true but these people are not Americans nor are they in America.

 

In fact, even if they try and exchange money ashore in America old for new, or $2.00 bills for $1.00 bills they are treated like money laundering drug dealers because not everyone in the USA trusts a foreigner these days, let alone a foreigner on a temporary seaman visa trying to “clean” some money! You may want to argue that with me, but if YOU owned an exchange house and an Indonesian, South African, Romanian, Russian, Philippine or Malta citizen came to your window with a crumpled handful of 1000 dollars in old American money and asked to exchange it for new American money, what would you honestly think? We don't even have passports, just I-95's which look fake because they are on cheap tissue paper and ship ID cards. That's it. Would YOU trust these crew and not suspect them?

 

It is true that if they have a bank account in their home country they can exchange the bills but remember many crew in these countries do not have bank accounts. It is not the same in all countries as it is in the USA.

 

So do the crew a favor. If your going to tip I recommend new, clean $1.00 bills, or $5.00 or $10.00 they are easiest to exchange. $20.00 have a very high counterfeit rate so they are harder to exchange.

 

I read some comments from a person who was going to experiment and see if crew would take a two dollar bill. Well they probably will, but if you want to experiment properly offer them a choice of a two dollar bill, or two one dollar bills I am betting they will take the ones. ;0) Also, if your going to offer two dollar bills versus a single one dollar bill, then you would have to ask the Crew Purser how many two dollar bills of yours he ended up with because the crew will go right down and exchange them for "real money". They will not take them if they think the Crew office will not change them.

 

Also, if you don't have American money in good shape, and if you have them, Euros are very much prefered at exchange houses in Philippines and Eastern Europe, and Canadian money is exchanged for value almost everywhere as well because it is very difficult to counterfeit. The VERY NEW American money just released is VERY hard to exchange because the world is not used to it yet. So using American, a few years older but in mint shape is best for crew.

 

I know some Americans are going to get offended now, because they think I am insulting them about the US dollar. I am not, its just the facts of life. Not everyone wants or takes the US dollar like so many people believe. In fact, I am in Sydney Australia today and before I could even pay to get online I had to exchange my American money for Australian because they don't take American here.

[AAAAmerican]

Well isnt Thomas Jefferson passed away too?

 

And how many times did you ask that question? Once? Twice ? Thrice?

 

:rolleyes:

 

In Six of the Seven Continents I have been on they always said two is better than one.

 

I do not give "gifts", just dead presidents and if you ask any of the crew would they prefer a $2 bill or 2 $1's, the answer is always 2 $1's...

[LARGIN]

Well isnt Thomas Jefferson passed away too?

 

And how many times did you ask that question? Once? Twice ? Thrice?

 

:rolleyes:

 

In Six of the Seven Continents I have been on they always said two is better than one.

 

I suggest you read my whole post...

[peterv]

Somehow I find this whole discussion somewhat unbelievable. From this posting I guess we should assume that every tipped member of the crew holds on to each and every "dollar" that they receive and then carries this enormous wad of bills and coin with them when their contract ends and they go home. In addition do they also have a little safe in their room that is just crammed full of bills and coin, or do they just leave it lying about in their rooms. I guess we also need to assume that the crew payroll is doled out each week in cash and this also goes into the "wad" as well.

 

I would find it much more believable that each member of the crew has an account that they deposit with the cruise line and at the end of their contracts the cruise line would cut them a check for the balance, or wire it directly to their home country, or that the staff member would do this during their off time in one of the ports.

 

I would also assume that since a majority of the ports that these ships go to accept US Dollars, the staff at these money exchange places are quite used to crew members coming in to wire their cash home.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

I do not give "gifts", just dead presidents and if you ask any of the crew would they prefer a $2 bill or 2 $1's, the answer is always 2 $1's... And to Quote from the Princess Crew Blog.. Tuesday, May 09, 2006

 

Onboard currency trading with your room steward. Aka: tipping money

 

If you are going to tip your room stewards, or anyone onboard for that matter, you should try and use only clean, fresh, unmarked American bills. No rips, no pen marks, no creases. The reason for this is that in Eastern Europe and the Philippines the exchange houses will not give full value on money that is marked or ripped or OLD. I have even had it happen to me; they will rip you off and give you 75% value. I have been to these places and exchanged money myself and I know it to be true. During payroll onboard the Eastern Europeans and Philippines crew even ask to be paid in clean, 1998 series bills because other series have a higher counterfeit instance and they often get less value for it as well. Sure it’s money making scheme by the exchange houses but there is NOTHING you can do about it.

 

If you tip in old, damaged bills they must exchange it onboard first and this can be a hassle as crew offices do not mind changing currency but just changing old for new sometimes isn’t always possible.

 

Also, tipping in “fun” or collector money is pointless. A $2.00 bill will not be exchanged by an exchange house in eastern Europe or the Philippines. Some crew offices won’t even take them. Yes, I know, your all getting angry now and saying “but this is good honest American currency”, well this is true but these people are not Americans nor are they in America.

 

In fact, even if they try and exchange money ashore in America old for new, or $2.00 bills for $1.00 bills they are treated like money laundering drug dealers because not everyone in the USA trusts a foreigner these days, let alone a foreigner on a temporary seaman visa trying to “clean” some money! You may want to argue that with me, but if YOU owned an exchange house and an Indonesian, South African, Romanian, Russian, Philippine or Malta citizen came to your window with a crumpled handful of 1000 dollars in old American money and asked to exchange it for new American money, what would you honestly think? We don't even have passports, just I-95's which look fake because they are on cheap tissue paper and ship ID cards. That's it. Would YOU trust these crew and not suspect them?

 

It is true that if they have a bank account in their home country they can exchange the bills but remember many crew in these countries do not have bank accounts. It is not the same in all countries as it is in the USA.

 

So do the crew a favor. If your going to tip I recommend new, clean $1.00 bills, or $5.00 or $10.00 they are easiest to exchange. $20.00 have a very high counterfeit rate so they are harder to exchange.

 

I read some comments from a person who was going to experiment and see if crew would take a two dollar bill. Well they probably will, but if you want to experiment properly offer them a choice of a two dollar bill, or two one dollar bills I am betting they will take the ones. ;0) Also, if your going to offer two dollar bills versus a single one dollar bill, then you would have to ask the Crew Purser how many two dollar bills of yours he ended up with because the crew will go right down and exchange them for "real money". They will not take them if they think the Crew office will not change them.

 

Also, if you don't have American money in good shape, and if you have them, Euros are very much prefered at exchange houses in Philippines and Eastern Europe, and Canadian money is exchanged for value almost everywhere as well because it is very difficult to counterfeit. The VERY NEW American money just released is VERY hard to exchange because the world is not used to it yet. So using American, a few years older but in mint shape is best for crew.

 

I know some Americans are going to get offended now, because they think I am insulting them about the US dollar. I am not, its just the facts of life. Not everyone wants or takes the US dollar like so many people believe. In fact, I am in Sydney Australia today and before I could even pay to get online I had to exchange my American money for Australian because they don't take American here.

[mrdood]

They don't want trinkets or gifts (can you imagine the crap that would pile up in their very limited space).

 

They want money, not to hold on to for sentimental reasons, money to spend, that is why they work - period.