tipping policy on Silversea

[Zimmy]

We will be taking our first Silversea cruise in January, Ft. Lauderdale to Barbados on the Whisper. I have been reading previous threads and gaining much information, for which I thank you all. I have a question regarding tipping in the spa and at the hairdresser. How are the prices structured there? Are the services priced to be inclusive of a gratuity, or is it expected or appropriate to tip?

 

Joyce

[LibLively]

The quoted price of the service in the spa is all you are expected to pay. Tipping is discouraged on SilverSea and that includes the spa. I even tried to tip (we had been on a line previously that expected a tip) and it was turned down! A big plus for SilverSea...your price is all-inclusive! They do not nickel and dime you to death!!! You will love it!!!!

[uk1]

Hi Joyce,

 

I can only talk generally and not with respect to specific services.

 

As Liblively correctly said - all charges include gratuities. However some feel happy to leave something extra if they feel that they've received exceptional service, but you needn't feel guilty if you don't. There's still free choice on this. We had an exceptional Stewardess on our first trip and an average one of the second and felt on the first she made all the difference. So we left a large tip on the first and no tip on the second.

 

On our first trip we were rather upset when a very loud individual sitting close by us in the restaurant felt compelled to very obviously tip everyone in sight including the maitre d, head waiter, wine waiter and ordinary waiter - and I felt that the way it was done was obvious and demeaning and I felt that the staff involved had been embarrassed.

 

Enjoy your trip and I suggest you put the tips out of your mind - unless you feel that someone provided extraordinary service that you really really want to say a very private thank you for.

[LOGHL]

Having been on Silverseaver 600 days, I feel qualified to respond. Now that they have 2 people serving our cabin, it is not as easy to recognise exceptional service (which one did what??) If We have had really great service, we give a gift to the head stewardess, and a smaller one to her assistant. Other than that, we always make a donation to the crew's welfare fund.(We usually travel at least a month at a time) that way all our servers,etc, enjoy the benefits of the donation. Tips have been refused in the Beauty shop & spa.....Hope this answers your question...

[LibLively]

FYI

We have also donated to the crew's fund in the past, but were told on our last cruise that this fund has been discontinued.

[LOGHL]

we departed our last Silversea cruise on June 15th, and had donated to the cruise welfare fund on those cruises....Don't know who told you that they were discontinued.

[LibLively]

Justan

This is very strange. We embarked on the Shadow for a back-to-back starting June 5 this year, and it was on this cruise that we were told the fund had been discontinued. I have always thought it was a great idea, because all the members of the crew benefit equally, so no one gets left out. But when we tried on this last cruise to donate, we were told it had been discontinued.

[LOGHL]

this is getting more weird by the minute...the ship that we had been on was the Shadow???????

[uk1]

Not neccesarily weird - perhaps one staff member just got it wrong?

 

In retospect I do like the idea of an additional pooled fund and perhapstipping one person well is unfair to all those that had less effect day to day on our trip. I'd have liked to do both perhaps. However I'd still like to encourage those that would like to tip in addition to what's already included to do so if they want to and not feel it's wrong in any way. They are paid better than the industry but it's still not very much.

 

Also - and I know it's stating the obvious to many - I personally think it's nice to leave the tip in an envelope with a nice note than to embarass by doing it personally hand to hand! The note is treasured as much as (well almost as much) as the cash.

[ORV]

This is good information to know. In their booklet they use the term, "none requested, none expected" which seems to indicate that it's not forbidden.

 

We've stayed at an all inclusive resort where we had a worker tell us that they could lose their job by accepting a tip. I was wondering if the management of SS took it to that extreme.

[uk1]

It would contradict their basic philospohy and that is that you are a guest and within reason whould do what you want. Nobody would get fired for taking a tip I'm sure.

[CLapple]

It would contradict their basic philospohy and that is that you are a guest and within reason whould do what you want. Nobody would get fired for taking a tip I'm sure.

 

 

What is there about "Tips Included", that is confusing? I never "stiff" anyone, where tipping is the norm. But why insist on fighting the system?

[uk1]

I didn't suggest you "fight the system" - just that you do what you want.

[gr8twocruz]

I rarely tip on Silversea except for service above and beyond. After all, I am already expecting exceptional service with my tips included.

[simonv]

"Tips included" is a very big part of what attracts me to Silversea. Let's not start giving additional tips. It might be just a few tipping for 'exceptional' service, then the crew start to expect it, then before we know it becomes "tips not expected' of Holland America where all the wait staff expected one. It'll ruin the whole Silversea experience. For what they charge, the service is expected to be exceptionally good.

[luxlady]

I agree with Simon. You are already paying a premium for the all-inclusive policy of this line. The only time I would tip is if my cabin steward, for example, performed services I considered to be above and beyond her normal duties of cabin cleaning, refreshing, replacing toiletries, etc.

 

g

[uk1]

We are all agreed then.

 

1) Tipping is included.

 

2) This is an attractive part of the package

 

3) Some feel that no one should ever tip over and above that but

 

3) It's a free world and if someone wants to reward what for the want of a better description is "exceptional, exceptional service", then it's their own business.

 

Is this the end of this ever repeated thread or shall we do a tuxedo one again?

[luxlady]

How about "quality of champagne and toiletries?" that one brings out the posters..........although with all the brand changes, I think we have to wait and see whats what......

 

g

[goeurope]

Speaking of tips, I'm always amazed by the number of Americans who tip in dollars even when they're ashore. Or who try to pay local merchants and museums in dollars, for that matter. (And who post complaints on message boards when their dollars aren't accepted by a Parisian shopowner or a taxi driver in Rome!)

[uk1]

How about "quality of champagne and toiletries?" that one brings out the posters..........although with all the brand changes, I think we have to wait and see whats what......

 

g

 

I was waiting for that one as well! It almost started didn't it?

 

Well ..... I think that people who can afford to buy SS (even at discount) should plan to take their own soap and if the stuff given away for free is good - well that's a bonus. And I was stunned to hear from Mrs UK1 that we managed to get through the last trip without me touching the bottle of champagne put in the suite on the first day. I must be losing my touch.

 

The one downside of the changes is that Mrs uk1 took a shine to Bulgari on the first trip. She had always been content with a big bar of cheap amber coloured carbolic and a heavy bristle floor scrubbing brush - but Bulgari turned her head. I found myslef in a shop in Vienna paying $25 for a bar of soap to keep the grin on her little face and she insisted on a soft brush. Now there's going to be new soap. I bet it's from a small vilalge from Italy where the owners aunt (in her mid nineties) is making this stuff by hand for a $100 per bar but heavily discounted as a promo to SS and her nephew. And I'll have to cough up for this now. Mrs uk1 was fragrant with the carbolic and even better with Bulgar. There is an unintended downside to all this luxury.

[goeurope]

Mrs uk1 was fragrant with the carbolic and even better with Bulgar.

 

I tried to talk my wife into scrubbing with Bulgar soap, but she didn't want to go against the grain.

[uk1]

I tried to talk my wife into scrubbing with Bulgar soap, but she didn't want to go against the grain.

 

She should drink malt instead of bourbon whilst scrubbing. That'll cure it.

[luxlady]

Durant, you've met your match in uk1.

 

You guys give me a real giggle this a.m.! (beats watching campaign coverage....)

 

g