What amount do people REALLY tip?

[CC Help Michell]

Our Family of 5 have a history of cruising of over Fifty Years & have never tipped the recommended amount.The large Cruise Travel Agents in the U.K. do not normally include gratuities in the quoted price as Brits do not have this tipping mania so prevalent in other parts of the World. Yes we give, but usually about half the recommended & I know I'm not alone in this,as I know many Brits do the same. There are many other crew members onboard a Cruise Liner who never see the light of day who don't get tips & are probably on a lower income than than Cabin & Wait Staff. so why make a big deal of it.To Lady or Gent Going on the Victoria, Enjoy it & pay what you can afford. You won't be alone I can assure you.

 

:rolleyes: For anyone who ever wondered why some cruiselines started requiring autotips/mandatory service charges.... here's your answer.

 

To the OP, posts like the above notwithstanding, if you are on a line where tipping is expected (you'll know because there will be recommended amounts given) I'd say the majority of cruisers do tip the recommended amounts, plus many give a little more to people who have given extraordinary service. We factor in the tipping costs as part of the cruise costs -- if we can't "afford" them, we don't go.

[daiB]

For anyone who ever wondered why some cruiselines started requiring autotips/mandatory service charges.... here's your answer.

 

To the OP, posts like the above notwithstanding, if you are on a line where tipping is expected (you'll know because there will be recommended amounts given) I'd say the majority of cruisers do tip the recommended amounts, plus many give a little more to people who have given extraordinary service. We factor in the tipping costs as part of the cruise costs -- if we can't "afford" them, we don't go.

 

 

Auto tipping is found on US cruise lines not UK ones and it is in the UK that there is not the tipping culture.

 

P&O tried it on one ship and removed it within the year as it did not work.

 

BTW the more aggressive and deriding posts on here and other boards the more the British will not respond well and the tips will not go up. We are a stubborn lot.

 

Having been to the US twice I found it difficult at first to get it right but after a while I was tipping as if I was American. :D

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

[sea-explorer]

As a Brit I will probably get flamed about this too as we don't belong to a tipping culture. If eating in a top end restaurant, I wouldn't generally tip as the prices more than cover it, a service charge is probably included anyway, especially in high tourist areas such as London etc. Balancing this, the cost of living for the workers here is much higher than in many other parts of the country, so I don't really mind. On the other hand, if I were to go for a quick pub lunch & received helpful & friendly service, I would very likely tip, even at home, but I should think a much smaller amount than our American cousins.;)

 

On cruises, I do tend to tip. The staff do work hard & give good service in general. If you talk to them they will probably tell you they plan to work the cruise ships for about 5 years, after which time they will have enough money put by to set them up for life. Our bar stewardess on our last cruise was a qualified teacher but earned much more on the ship than as a teacher in her home country. (Bulgaria). The cost of living in their home countries is much lower than ours & working this way gives them a head start in life. I admire them for this & am quite happy to help them out on this in the form of tipping for good service when I can. We will give as much as we can afford/feel is appropriate.

 

I do feel a little upset though by the comments if you can't afford the recommended tips don't go. :eek: We have to work hard & save hard for what is probably a trip of a lifetime..are people really saying if you then have to watch your budget & can't afford to hand out the $ willy nilly, you should forego the whole experience?

 

What I can tell you is that cruising is generally cheaper for those who live in the US. I cannot speak for all cruises on all lines as I haven't checked but what I can tell you is that the cruise we have booked would have been $2000 cheaper if we had been US citizens booking through a US TA. $2000 more for exactly the same ship, same itinerary, same dates, same cabin, same service etc. I wonder where that money goes? :confused:

 

No, I'm not having a gripe, it's just the way it is. The cultures are just different that's all. We do tend to pay higher prices in general in our country so tipping isn't really expected, rather than the lower prices in the US which are topped up by tips in the service industry in particular. I suspect the wages of these workers are generally higher here than their US counterparts too.

[sea-explorer]

Oh, I forgot to say, our cabin steward told us his share of the included tip came to $2-$3. True or not, I really cannot say, but this did of course encourage to tip separately.

[standby 06.30]

Sparky, why dont you do what we do book your flights then use an American TA you get the same deals.

 

The culture difference? the U S min wage is between $5 and $6 an hrs but it does not apply to any job that is tipped, a chain like Outback will pay its waitstaff $2.50 an hour, here you work in Mcdonalds you get $11 an hour, so the culture is get the punters to pay the wages.

 

Rcl and Carnival pay your waiter about $50 for a 28 day working month of 14 to 18 hr days, some other lines like say thomsons pay a living salary.

 

So when I am in the Carrib I will tip well, to salve my conscience.

 

This I must admit is helped by the fact that in Jan we payed $2500 for a large balcony suite on the RCL Nav and $2250 in sept for cat 11 balcony suite on Carnival. Cheap as chips through an American TA all you got to do is phone and pay they dont care. regards

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

I really like the way you worded this. Not that it is the OP's intent, but anyone concerned about auto tipping probably should not cruise until they are comfortable with the expense.

 

Should'nt the tips just be added into the fare then?Why the dance?

[sea-explorer]

Hi standby.

 

My deposit's all paid now & as you know, we don't get anything back here if we cancel & cabin availibity might be an issue. I'll make some enquiries though & as for next year...yes, I'll defnately look for a TA in the US. :)

 

I'm learning. ;)

[standby 06.30]

Hi standby.

 

My deposit's all paid now & as you know, we don't get anything back here if we cancel & cabin availibity might be an issue. I'll make some enquiries though & as for next year...yes, I'll defnately look for a TA in the US. :)

 

I'm learning. ;)

One other tip, tip yourself and take £ sterling given the choice they dont want the $, kalo taxidi

[greatam]

Auto tipping is found on US cruise lines not UK ones and it is in the UK that there is not the tipping culture.

 

Dai

 

Cunard has auto tipping. And extra tips flow VERY freely from pax on Cunard ships, even the Brits. Cunard words the charges more politely than gratuities.

 

From the Cunard website for the April 2008 QE2 transatlantic (6 days-$11.00 per day, other than the Grills)

 

Discretionary Hotel and Dining Charges Charged on Board Per Person

Q1-P4 and QG/PG $78

C1-M7 and CA-MI $66

 

To the OP:

 

The following will be charged to your on board account in addition to 15% for each drink. You have to go to the Purser's office to have it taken off your account.

 

V801:Maiden Canary Islands Festive Celebration

 

Discretionary Hotel and Dining Charges Charged on Board Per Person

Grill Accommodation $208

All Other Accommodations $176

[fenreed]

Hey folks, thanks for all your responses to my post for 'gratuitous' advice! I'm literally overwhelmed with the varying degrees of advice. Yes, in the UK, I've got to agree that we generally are not in a tipping culture. For those folks from the USA, when you comment that in London when you get your bill there is always a service charge added to it, you must do what we British do and put a line through it. The service you mostly receive in the UK is pretty grim anyway, because nobody cares a toss these days, generally!

 

If you are paying by Credit Card, you must always be strictly aware that the CC m/c sometimes prints it's own empty line for the tip, after the sub-total, and before the final total, leaving the the final total line for you to fill in after you've done the maths.

 

This tip is NOT obligatory. Far from it. And if you do leave this line blank, there is a high chance that some eagle eyed person will add to it after you've left the premises! Put a line through it and fill in the final total yourself.

 

Moreover, when you pay on a CC and pay your tip on that slip, it won't be the serving staff that will pick up your thanks, your offering will just increase the profit margin for the owner. Personally, if I choose to tip and I'm paying by CC, then I give the server his thanks in cash. OK, rant over!

 

But, taking stock of all your responses, it would seem that tipping IS really a culture thing, and I suppose one must do what one should, or what one's heart dictates.

 

Thanks again folks, and many thanks for those that wished us well on the new Queen Victoria.

 

Fenreed

[cruise_lover]

We tip the recommended amount PLUS we leave a gold dollar coin on each of our pillows every evening and IF there is a second person that cleans our bathroom for us we also leave 2 gold collar coins of him/her.

 

If we get a drink from the bar even though they add a gratituity to the bill we give the bartender an extra dollar.

 

By the 3rd day all these people know that we appreciate their service and goes out of their way to help or please us.

 

When we eat in a specialty restaurant (we always eat in at least one on every cruise we take - all 2 of them) we also tip extra even though a tip is already added to the bill.

 

And at the end of the cruise we also give our waiter(s) $20.00 each.

 

We are not rich just comfortable but we feel so lucky that we are able to afford cruises that we just feel like sharing that feeling with the people who make our cruise more comfortable.

 

After all we have someone to make our beds, vaccum the carpet, clean our bathroom, cook and serve our meals, clear the dishes from the table while we are enjoying a cup of coffe, wash the dishes (this is very important), deliver coffee and pastries to our room if we call for it and turn down our beds. Something we did not get when we are home.

 

CRUISING ROCKS BABY!

[daiB]

Cunard has auto tipping. And extra tips flow VERY freely from pax on Cunard ships, even the Brits. Cunard words the charges more politely than gratuities.

 

From the Cunard website for the April 2008 QE2 transatlantic (6 days-$11.00 per day, other than the Grills)

 

Discretionary Hotel and Dining Charges Charged on Board Per Person

Q1-P4 and QG/PG $78

C1-M7 and CA-MI $66

 

 

 

So you are saying Cunard is UK firm, well not when the charges are in US dollars and not pounds.

 

Cunard, in particular QM2 is international.

 

UK lines are P&O, Thompsons, SAGA, etc.

 

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

Dai

 

 

P&O of course is part of the Carnival group but is run from Southampton and caters solely for UK cruisers. As far as I know the cruises are not even advertised in the US and no US internet TA has then on their systems.

[cruisinbuddy]

I have never strayed from the recommended tip, except for when I've tipped more in cash. These folks work hard for you, and when you think about it, $3.50 a day to have your room cleaned twice isn't bad. And your wait staff, if you were in a restaurant you'd tip more than the recommended amount.

[c legs]

I have never cruised before but why does everyone go on about tipping all the time. People get paid to do a job and they should make your trip enjoyable surely thats part of there job.Dont be bullied into tipping just because its expected. Spend your hard earned money on yourself and have a good time. And yes im English.

[CC Help Michell]

Auto tipping is found on US cruise lines not UK ones and it is in the UK that there is not the tipping culture.

 

P&O tried it on one ship and removed it within the year as it did not work.

 

BTW the more aggressive and deriding posts on here and other boards the more the British will not respond well and the tips will not go up. We are a stubborn lot.

 

Having been to the US twice I found it difficult at first to get it right but after a while I was tipping as if I was American. :D

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

 

That's why I at least TRIED to stress in my post about IF you are on a cruiseline where tipping is the expected norm, then yada yada. It's not true for all cruiselines -- but if you choose to book a cruise on a line where it is, isn't that kind of "accepting the terms" when you make the booking? If you find doing so personally or budgetarily offensive, then book another line? One reason the US cruiselines frequently have lower fares (often a LOT lower) is precisely because a portion of the overhead for the cruises is covered by tips from passengers. There are cruising options for everybody -- but by analogy if you buy a house under an airport's flightpath, should you really be able to complain later that you got a great price on your house, but gosh there's a lot of airplane noise overhead? (wink)

 

I know the topic of tipping and Brits is a "hot" one, but I've never understood why, to be honest. When I travel I always try to inform myself of the conventions of the place I'm visiting, and not impose MY expectations on them (a/k/a the "ugly American" syndrome). How come that's not a two-way street? (smile)

 

PS, sorry for the parentheticals -- I'd have used some emotes/smilies to convey meaning and tone, but the post I quoted already has the max allowed for CC's boards)

[newmexicoNita]

Our Family of 5 have a history of cruising of over Fifty Years & have never tipped the recommended amount.The large Cruise Travel Agents in the U.K. do not normally include gratuities in the quoted price as Brits do not have this tipping mania so prevalent in other parts of the World. Yes we give, but usually about half the recommended & I know I'm not alone in this,as I know many Brits do the same. There are many other crew members onboard a Cruise Liner who never see the light of day who don't get tips & are probably on a lower income than than Cabin & Wait Staff. so why make a big deal of it.To Lady or Gent Going on the Victoria, Enjoy it & pay what you can afford. You won't be alone I can assure you.

No one can change your mind and tipping is a pesonal thing, but I have to disagree with you when you say "many who don't tip" other than Brits, I bet 75% or more give the recommended amount. What about the 10% that is added to the bills in England which is referred to as a service charge? What is the difference? Most cruise lines have gone with the $10 per day policy, which is far less than 15% if you just consider what you would pay for your meal on land, just dinner alone.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I have never cruised before but why does everyone go on about tipping all the time. People get paid to do a job and they should make your trip enjoyable surely thats part of there job.Dont be bullied into tipping just because its expected. Spend your hard earned money on yourself and have a good time. And yes im English.

And do you have a clue how much the crew earns? Almost all their wages are determnined by the tips they recieve. of course if you want to pay more for your cruise and have no choise as to what kind of service you get that is your business.

 

Nita

[megnsamsgracie]

We have only done one other cruise, a 5n on RCCL EOS. We gave our room steward $25. Our Maitre D we gave $20... our Head Waiter we gave $40 and our assistant waiter we gave $35. We tipped above the recommended because we felt they deserved it. We were "supposed" to tip $9.75 pp/per day.

[daiB]

That's why I at least TRIED to stress in my post about IF you are on a cruiseline where tipping is the expected norm, then yada yada. It's not true for all cruiselines -- but if you choose to book a cruise on a line where it is, isn't that kind of "accepting the terms" when you make the booking? If you find doing so personally or budgetarily offensive, then book another line? One reason the US cruiselines frequently have lower fares (often a LOT lower) is precisely because a portion of the overhead for the cruises is covered by tips from passengers. There are cruising options for everybody -- but by analogy if you buy a house under an airport's flightpath, should you really be able to complain later that you got a great price on your house, but gosh there's a lot of airplane noise overhead? (wink)

 

I know the topic of tipping and Brits is a "hot" one, but I've never understood why, to be honest. When I travel I always try to inform myself of the conventions of the place I'm visiting, and not impose MY expectations on them (a/k/a the "ugly American" syndrome). How come that's not a two-way street? (smile)

 

PS, sorry for the parentheticals -- I'd have used some emotes/smilies to convey meaning and tone, but the post I quoted already has the max allowed for CC's boards)

 

Michell,

 

I fully agree, I personally am not against tipping but I was putting forward the reasons behind the British concern about tipping. It smacks to much of the 'lord and master with his underlings'. We are far happier with someone being paid the proper rate for the job and not having to rely on getting tips. As a teacher I expect to be paid the going rate and do not expect 7a to tip me 50p on their way to the next lesson. Therefore I would expect restaurant and bar workers to be paid what they are worth. But then that moves us into political as well as cultural differences between our two countries.

 

However if the British attitude is factored in to our cruise price it does not explain the huge differences which are to be found either side of the pond for the same product.

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

[KS&JW]

Non-tipping cultures may wonder why don't owners of the establishments in tipping cultures just pay the service personel enough so that customers do not have to tip? I do not know why, but that is just the way it works. You cannot change this, you just need to abide by the rules.

 

The people who are serving you on the ship are doing it for tips. To not tip them is the same as stealing part of their paycheck. I am sure that I will get flamed for that statement, but that is how I feel. Tips on an US based cruise ship are part of the cost of going. If you cannot afford the whole price, then do not go.

[CC Help Michell]

Michell,

 

I fully agree, I personally am not against tipping but I was putting forward the reasons behind the British concern about tipping. It smacks to much of the 'lord and master with his underlings'. We are far happier with someone being paid the proper rate for the job and not having to rely on getting tips. As a teacher I expect to be paid the going rate and do not expect 7a to tip me 50p on their way to the next lesson. Therefore I would expect restaurant and bar workers to be paid what they are worth. But then that moves us into political as well as cultural differences between our two countries.

 

However if the British attitude is factored in to our cruise price it does not explain the huge differences which are to be found either side of the pond for the same product.

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

 

Hey! :) I'm a teacher, too, in elementary (primary, or grammar) school here in the US. And my "tips" come in smiles, sticky-fingered hugs, loving construction paper "thank you" notes, and (best of all) -- a brilliantly shining face saying "OH! Now I get it!" Thanks for the additional info, and I agree with you about the enormous price differential on some US-based cruises that you folks in Great Britain face -- tips alone don't account for it.

 

To amplify, on US lines I'm a big fan of auto-inclusion of tips -- it spikes the guns of a lot of the people who just conveniently "have to pack" and "can't" attend dinner on the last night (tip night) -- but I've posted elsewhere that people who are adamantly opposed to autotips because they think that the crew will furnish better service in return for the cash envelope tip system are pretty, um... patronizing to say the least, and offensive to say the most. I guess that ties into the "lord and master" thing, just with a different spin.

[daiB]

Hey! :) I'm a teacher, too, in elementary (primary, or grammar) school here in the US. And my "tips" come in smiles, sticky-fingered hugs, loving construction paper "thank you" notes, and (best of all) -- a brilliantly shining face saying "OH! Now I get it!" Thanks for the additional info, and I agree with you about the enormous price differential on US-based cruises that you folks in Great Britain face -- tips alone don't account for it.

 

Michell,

 

Well I am just grateful that we now in the happy position of being able to afford GB cruise fares and give the tips. However if we had the same income and lived in the States we would be cruising 3/4 time a year. And these would be 14 night cruises as we do here:D:D.

 

I shall think of you tomorrow in school and you can tell them you communicated with someone from Newcastle upon Tyne. You could then give them homework to find out where it is and what goes on around here.

 

Well it is after midnight so I am off to bed

 

 

:)Happy Cruising Pet:)

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

Dai

[JolieMadam]

This topic has certainly made for a lively debate about different cultures and how it affects the tipping world. Whatever happened to "doing as the Romans do when in Rome." When my family travels to Europe and other parts of the world, it's simple...we follow the customs regarding tipping in that particular country. We would be embarrassed to not be doing otherwise. I really don't understand why this concept is so difficult to accept. Are people from the British Isles and the continent not grasping this?

[newmexicoNita]

Michell,

 

I fully agree, I personally am not against tipping but I was putting forward the reasons behind the British concern about tipping. It smacks to much of the 'lord and master with his underlings'. We are far happier with someone being paid the proper rate for the job and not having to rely on getting tips. As a teacher I expect to be paid the going rate and do not expect 7a to tip me 50p on their way to the next lesson. Therefore I would expect restaurant and bar workers to be paid what they are worth. But then that moves us into political as well as cultural differences between our two countries.

 

However if the British attitude is factored in to our cruise price it does not explain the huge differences which are to be found either side of the pond for the same product.

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

daI, there is just no way you can compare being an educator with a wait person. of course the tipping subject comes up at least once a month on these boards and always the same responses.

 

Nita

[cruiserbryce]

we tip whatever the recommended amount is...we will tip more if the service was especially good...