Automatic tipping

[hotrockstar]

I was wondering about the tipping procedures. I was on my second cruise ever a month ago on the Golden and it seemed like we did a lot of tipping. $10 a day automatically added to the tab, then 15% for every drink, then we ended up tipping $10 a day to our server AND the room stewart and a little extra for the head server. It totaled almost $170 per person!! I used to be a server in the fine dining industry, but even for me this seems a little steep? Don't the employees make some sort of wage? I want to show them my appreciation for the hard work they do, but yikes our tipping seemed over the top. I'm going on the Golden again on Feb 23 so I'd love it if anyone had any advice? Thanks!!!

[qiangf2]

With automatical tipping, you are not required to tip the server in dinning room and room steward. But you should tip the bar tender since they are not on the tipping pool. With that, it will be your personal preference. If someone from tipping pool did an excellent job, you still can tip them.

[Murphey]

I was wondering about the tipping procedures. I was on my second cruise ever a month ago on the Golden and it seemed like we did a lot of tipping. $10 a day automatically added to the tab, then 15% for every drink, then we ended up tipping $10 a day to our server AND the room stewart and a little extra for the head server. It totaled almost $170 per person!! I used to be a server in the fine dining industry, but even for me this seems a little steep? Don't the employees make some sort of wage? I want to show them my appreciation for the hard work they do, but yikes our tipping seemed over the top. I'm going on the Golden again on Feb 23 so I'd love it if anyone had any advice? Thanks!!!

 

Any particular reason you felt you had to tip the server and the room steward that much extra??

[coiran]

Stop and think about it - for a tip of $10 per day you get your room cleaned, breakfast, dinner and lunch. The cost of the food alone would be:

 

Breakfast - $10

Lunch - $20

Dinner - $30

 

This totals $6 - a 15% tip on this alone would be $9

 

Now - does it seem so outrageous?

 

You are not required to tip extra and you can remove the auto tip if you desire. But if you remove the autotip and then tip the individual he/she is required to put it back in the pool. So - you are only hurting them.

 

BTW - the Princess wage for Waiters and room stewards is %50 per month.

[Tinkrbell]

The 15% gratuity on drinks is automatically added to the tab. There is no need to tip an extra 15% here.

[hotrockstar]

Thanks Coiran! I was only wondering about the extra tipping. The added $10 a day doesn't bother me. This past cruise was only my 2nd and it was with my mom who's cruised many times so I just did what she said was appropriate. I would never change the automatic tip. I'm just unsure about the extra tipping. :p

[BJS]

Thanks Coiran! I was only wondering about the extra tipping. The added $10 a day doesn't bother me. This past cruise was only my 2nd and it was with my mom who's cruised many times so I just did what she said was appropriate. I would never change the automatic tip. I'm just unsure about the extra tipping. :p

 

It is not necessary to do any extra tipping or is it expected. Many, many people cruise and just leave the auto tip in place.

 

 

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[morriscats]

For the mini's the auto tip is $11.00. Since we did anytime dining on occasion and usually just ate at Horizon Court we did not have any extra tipping there. I was talking to our room steward and said his "cut" of the auto tip per day was $2.00 to $3.00 per day. He had 18 rooms and no help. He worked so hard. We have him an extra $100.00 at the end of our 15 day cruise. My DH occasionally tipped over the 15% for bar drinks. And we tipped extra at the specialty restaurants and for the UBB and UBD. Those were excellant.

[Big Kielbasa]

I was wondering about the tipping procedures. I was on my second cruise ever a month ago on the Golden and it seemed like we did a lot of tipping. $10 a day automatically added to the tab, then 15% for every drink, then we ended up tipping $10 a day to our server AND the room stewart and a little extra for the head server. It totaled almost $170 per person!! I used to be a server in the fine dining industry, but even for me this seems a little steep? Don't the employees make some sort of wage? I want to show them my appreciation for the hard work they do, but yikes our tipping seemed over the top. I'm going on the Golden again on Feb 23 so I'd love it if anyone had any advice? Thanks!!!

If you were a waitress you would know the answer to the question you asked. They do make a wage but I highly doubt it a living wage, a waitress would know that.:eek:

[hotrockstar]

Hi, I know servers in the US only make minimum wage plus the tips. I just wasn't sure about the cruise lines and how their tipping and salary policy worked. Some places pay their waiters very well! I'm new to cruising, so that's why I'm asking. I want to make sure everyone is taken care of fairly.

[spongerob]

Crew members get very little more than room and board from the cruise line. Their income is derived almost entirely from tips.

[Elationismyship]

Sounds to me like you doubled the tip. Did you realize that the auto tip was for all three - room steward, waiter & staff? Would have been $70 per person (for 7 night) total of $140 for the two of you. Are you saying you did $140 each for a total of $280?

[geoherb]

I want to show them my appreciation for the hard work they do, but yikes our tipping seemed over the top.

You tipped double. We generally give our waiters and/or cabin steward a bonus tip ($20 or so) in addition to the auto tip when they've gone above what is expected. I like to put this in a small envelope with a note thanking them (and letting them know we've left the auto tip in place).

[zaandam_2]

i think the auto tip is very reasonable.

[Pam in CA]

i think the auto tip is very reasonable.

I agree. And, I have no problem with a 15% tip for a drink. As the others have said, you do not have to tip anything extra to your steward or the waitstaff unless they've gone way beyond what you expected. The auto-tip includes not just your dinner waitstaff but the staff in the buffet, the dining room for breakfast and lunch, and the specialty dining staff so that no matter where you choose to eat, you do not have to tip extra.

[Love Cruis'n]

I guess the only part of tipping that bugs me is when you buy a bottle of water as you get off the ship. The staff person is sitting behind a table, and doing little other than writing up your room charge for the (overpriced) bottle of water, and for that we are made to pay an additional 15%!

 

Other than that minor exception, the Auto tip is quite reasonable (IMHO) and we always add something for our traditional dinning room servers, and cabin attendant.

[zaandam_2]

I guess the only part of tipping that bugs me is when you buy a bottle of water as you get off the ship. The staff person is sitting behind a table' date=' and doing little other than writing up your room charge for the (overpriced) bottle of water, and for that we are made to pay an additional 15%!

 

[/quote']

 

people actually buy the water? :eek:

[coiran]

I guess the only part of tipping that bugs me is when you buy a bottle of water as you get off the ship. The staff person is sitting behind a table' date=' and doing little other than writing up your room charge for the (overpriced) bottle of water, and for that we are made to pay an additional 15%!

 

Other than that minor exception, the Auto tip is quite reasonable (IMHO) and we always add something for our traditional dinning room servers, and cabin attendant.[/quote']

 

Don't buy the water - take a container and fill it from the ship water tap. They don't add a gratuity on this.

Ron

[hotrockstar]

Hi again. In regards to Elationismyship's response.....

I think we did tip double. My mom and I both got charged the standard $10 a night. Then we tipped the waiter (combined) $70 and the room stewart between the 2 of us $70 and the head waiter $35 between the 2 of us. Our total of tipping for the cruise (excluding the 15% added for drinks) was $315 total for the 2 of us. :cool:

[Philip217]

hotrockstar,

 

The servers on your ship are paid US$1 per day, plus tips, for working 13 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 10 months. How does that compare to your salary when you were a waiter?

[cruiser113]

Before the auto tip we would give our cabin person $100 as well as our wait person and the bus person $50 for a 7 day cruise. That totals to $250 plus extra fo the Maitre'd. With auto tip you would only pay approximately $150 depending on the cabin booked. We now leave the auto tip and then can compensate anyone extra based on service. We always give our cabin person extra from the beginning and have never had a bad experience. We also do the same for wait staff and when we find a great wait staff person we make reservations for their area even if we have to wait for the table. They work long hours with virtually no time off and they always cater to our every need. We think they are worth the extra funds. I have cruised 13+ times with number six coming up on Princess.

[Stevesan]

For the mini's the auto tip is $11.00. Since we did anytime dining on occasion and usually just ate at Horizon Court we did not have any extra tipping there. I was talking to our room steward and said his "cut" of the auto tip per day was $2.00 to $3.00 per day. He had 18 rooms and no help. He worked so hard. We have him an extra $100.00 at the end of our 15 day cruise. My DH occasionally tipped over the 15% for bar drinks. And we tipped extra at the specialty restaurants and for the UBB and UBD. Those were excellant.

 

Good for you.

$100 is a very nice add on.

Assuming the steward received the low end, $2, his weekly take would be @ $500 assuming an avg two pax per cabin.

Not bad for basic "hotel service". $2x2x18x7

Although it's low, the stewards also receive a base monthly salary and room and board, of course.

 

I doubt the maids at Ritz Carlton make that much. :p

[Royalpair]

We're new to Princess, and what I want to know is - with the auto tipping, do you receive a voucher and envelopes to give to the people? On RCI, they give you this so you can hand somehting to the individual, and we always place extra in it. On HAL, we didn't get any envelope to give out, and that made it awkward to give extra. We only gave the room steward extra.

[zaandam_2]

We're new to Princess, and what I want to know is - with the auto tipping, do you receive a voucher and envelopes to give to the people? On RCI, they give you this so you can hand somehting to the individual, and we always place extra in it. On HAL, we didn't get any envelope to give out, and that made it awkward to give extra. We only gave the room steward extra.

 

they don't give you anything automatically. on hal and ccl, i've gone to the purser's desk and gotten envelopes. maybe you can on princess, too.

[dlp252]

they don't give you anything automatically. on hal and ccl, i've gone to the purser's desk and gotten envelopes. maybe you can on princess, too.

 

Yes, they will have envelopes at the purser's desk.