How are tips distributed to HAL staff?

[Skilla6]

Thanks, Heather, for your sensible voice once again.

 

I just got off the Oosterdam 3 days ago (it was glorious). The cruise director said 70% of the auto tip is split between your cabin attendant and your waiter. The other 30% is split between other staff.

 

That being said, I did a little math. For 1 cabin, the attendant makes $7 per day (2 people) and $49 per week. Our attendant said he has 16 cabins. That makes $784 each week. Multiply that by 4 weeks and that makes $3136 per month in tips. One step further for a 10 month contract is $31,360 in tips! That's pretty good tip $$ and tax free! I am sure it is similar for the waiter. I am guessing the tips are bigger than their salary.

 

They work very hard and deserve their money and I can see why they choose to work away from home and loved ones for so long.

[twinkletoes4445]

It's a love fest - Awesome!:)

 

It's is...hugs to you Copper. :)

[Copper10-8]

It's is...hugs to you Copper. :)

 

Hugs and a high five back to you Twinkletoes:)

[IheartHAL]

It's a love fest - Awesome!:)

 

 

 

What a nice change of pace -- like a breath of fresh sea air!

Nothing like a good love fest to raise our spirits! (JMHO;) )

[Copper10-8]

What a nice change of pace -- like a breath of fresh sea air!

Nothing like a good love fest to raise our spirits! (JMHO;) )

 

Fresh sea air is good for you!!

[twinkletoes4445]

Hugs and a high five back to you Twinkletoes:)

 

I'm short (had to jump), but I caught it! :)

 

I loved your Eurodam reports. Thanks for taking time to write such detailed posts. I felt like I was there! :)

[twinkletoes4445]

What a nice change of pace -- like a breath of fresh sea air!

Nothing like a good love fest to raise our spirits! (JMHO;) )

 

It is nice. Now who wants to start the songs? :)

[pipedreams62]

It is nice. Now who wants to start the songs? :)

 

 

[hammybee]

[quote

 

When we're tipping, whether automatically or on our own, I think it's fair to want to know how that tip is divided among the staff. It's a very fair question.

 

Consumers of product/services pay everyone's compensation.

 

Tipping is discretionary and direct compensation, thus the curiosity, for some. It is apparent that many are motivated by their desire to do the right thing.

 

I remain perplexed why this is of more interest on a cruise ship than it is in our day day to lives, especially when pooling tips and tipping out, are common.

 

Passengers are asked for their cabin numbers whenever they choose an alternate dining venue. Management knows where and when we dine and who served us. They know the server in the bar and who was on duty pouring drinks. They know their best team players and those who are off their game. They know far better than we ever will, the teamwork that is necessary to operate a cruise ship and compensate their employees.

[twinkletoes4445]

 

LOL...I was wondering (and hoping) when you'd post. :)

 

That's good. Didn't the Brady Bunch sing that song at one point? This should be mandatory watching for anyone wanting to join CC. :)

[pipedreams62]

LOL...I was wondering (and hoping) when you'd post. :)

 

That's good. Didn't the Brady Bunch sing that song at one point? This should be mandatory watching for anyone wanting to join CC. :)

 

 

This was the original song they wrote, then Peters voice was changing so they had to go with

[HeatherInFlorida]

Hammybee, it's clear you're perplexed because you've mentioned it many times. I'm perplexed by most of the threads here and simply choose not to post on them. Whatever people want to talk about is fine with me:) . It's not my call and it's not yours.

 

To the best of my knowledge, Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, etc., don't have a message board. If they did there might well be a discussion there about how the tip jar is divided.

 

I still think it's a fair question and I believe the OP and the others with similar question deserve respectful answers.

 

Thanks, Heather, for your sensible voice once again.

 

I just got off the Oosterdam 3 days ago (it was glorious). The cruise director said 70% of the auto tip is split between your cabin attendant and your waiter. The other 30% is split between other staff.

 

.................

 

This is how I remember the letter I received. That of the $10/pp/pd, $3.50 went to the cabin steward, $3.50 to the wait staff and $3 split. I didn't post that because I wasn't sure, but your discussion with the CD bears that out.

[twinkletoes4445]

This was the original song they wrote, then Peters voice was changing so they had to go with

 

That's the one I remember! :) I loved that show. I had the biggest crush on Barry Williams.

[holidaybound]

I do think it would be helpful if cruise lines articulated the general distribution of tips.

We just returned from the Infinity in Alaska – where our dining room experience was pretty hairy. Our waiter slammed our plates down in front of us, it was impossible for our two daughters to get a drink, he told us not to bother ordering either from the listed alternative selections or the children’s menu because it would take too much time. The two dinners we had there were pretty unpleasant.

The couple seated at our table left after the first night and didn’t return until the last night because they told us they couldn’t take it. We ended up eating most of our dinners at the casual bistro where the service was terrific or by room service. We did try to get our table assignment changed but with no luck.

However in order to put our tips on our shipboard account – at least half of the tip distribution for our family went to the dining room. The amount of gratuities we paid for those two bad dinners for us sent the wrong message.

Though we did pay extra to our cabin steward and others, it was disappointing to encounter so many gracious staff in the buffet area for example but to end up giving such a large portion of our base gratuities to someone who provided us with very poor service. Hopefully some of our gratuities went to these nice people but we are not sure.

[sail7seas]

We always have the option to tip above the automatic tip amount placed on our shipboard accounts and DH and I always do that.

 

If you encounter someone you think deserves a special thank you, by all means give a bit extra to that person (those persons).

 

And, absolutely, mention in your comment sheets your disappointment with your dining steward. Those comment sheets are read and are very important for supervisors to learn who is doing their job well and who is not.

It's too bad you could not get your table changed. I would have spoken with Dining Room Supervisor, if situation not resolved, next would be Maitre d' (Dining Room Manager), then GRM, then Hotel Manager. I would NOT scurry away from the dining room. You are the guest and you and your family should have been served well in the dining room.

 

 

 

 

 

[Thrifty]

It may surprise you to learn that some of us are so innocent (uninformed) that we had no idea that the restaurant waiter or waitress on land or sea who we wanted to reward for good service was actually sharing our donation with people we had never met. I had assumed that those whose jobs didn't involve public contact were paid an amount commensurate with the fact that they didn't receive tips. As always when I learn something that impinges on my innocence (ignorance,) such as that there is no Santa Claus, I am a bit saddened but still a little better able to cope in this world.

[cf_chuck]

That's what I'd also heard, and it good to hear that what you were told. I take along thank-you notes, and for some of the staff, I write a personal note to them. I don't do this for everyone, but for a few, I do. But it's nice to know I can get envelopes at the front desk the others. :)

 

Nice touch, having pre printed thank you notes. I can probably stash some in the lugalong (notebook) rollalong and not worry about another thing to increase the weight of checked luggage.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I do think it would be helpful if cruise lines articulated the general distribution of tips.

 

We just returned from the Infinity in Alaska – where our dining room experience was pretty hairy. Our waiter slammed our plates down in front of us, it was impossible for our two daughters to get a drink, he told us not to bother ordering either from the listed alternative selections or the children’s menu because it would take too much time. The two dinners we had there were pretty unpleasant.

 

The couple seated at our table left after the first night and didn’t return until the last night because they told us they couldn’t take it. We ended up eating most of our dinners at the casual bistro where the service was terrific or by room service. We did try to get our table assignment changed but with no luck.

 

However in order to put our tips on our shipboard account – at least half of the tip distribution for our family went to the dining room. The amount of gratuities we paid for those two bad dinners for us sent the wrong message.

 

Though we did pay extra to our cabin steward and others, it was disappointing to encounter so many gracious staff in the buffet area for example but to end up giving such a large portion of our base gratuities to someone who provided us with very poor service. Hopefully some of our gratuities went to these nice people but we are not sure.

 

I am so sorry that you enountered such a rude water on your cruise.

Had that happened to us, we would have spoken to our area captain the very first night as well as the dinning room manager. If things weren't any better the second night -- then it is time to see the Guest Relations Manager.

Your children should have the right to order from their own menu without being told that it would take too long.

Hope you next cruise dining experience will be better.

[cf_chuck]

It may surprise you to learn that some of us are so innocent (uninformed) that we had no idea that the restaurant waiter or waitress on land or sea who we wanted to reward for good service was actually sharing our donation with people we had never met. I had assumed that those whose jobs didn't involve public contact were paid an amount commensurate with the fact that they didn't receive tips. As always when I learn something that impinges on my innocence (ignorance,) such as that there is no Santa Claus, I am a bit saddened but still a little better able to cope in this world.

 

Well, as you can see from the various testimonials, what happens to tips varies widely based on a number of factors. Some pool, some "tip out" and some get to keep the winnings (though this is getting rare on land, IME). Where the pools and the tip outs occur, there's the open question of who is covered, which also varies.

[cf_chuck]

I remain perplexed why this is of more interest on a cruise ship than it is in our day day to lives, especially when pooling tips and tipping out, are common.

 

I don't know about anyone else, but the nature of the experience is very different on a cruise than it is going to a restaurant, in general. On a cruise there are (typically) certain service people with whom there is a personal rapport due to the close quarters and the repetitive nature of what goes on. In my everyday life, it is rare for me to be seated in a section of a restaurant and be served by the same staff person due to schedules, attrition, etc., much less go to the same restaurant or watering hole repetitively day after day for an extended period of time. To develop the same rapport with the server staff of an every day occurrence takes many visits, but many visits are built into the cruise experience.

 

So my net is that the cruise experience is sufficiently different from the everyday analog that you are promoting. While the points you make about the everyday experience are valid, I am perplexed as to the applicability to the cruise experience due to the reasons mentioned above. When I have an established pattern with a restaurant or watering hole and when they establish a consistency of knowing what my name is and what my likely expectations are, then I do get underneath the tipping practices. But given the infrequency that this occurs, it's not a worthy comparison to what happens aboard ship, IMO.

[holidaybound]

Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions for handling dining room issues. I probably went into too much detail about the problems we had.

 

In the end we felt we had alternatives so we took advantage of that. Anyway we were too busy falling in love with Alaska for the dining room to matter too much!

 

My general point was just that I wished the gratuity system rewarded those that gave the best service.

 

In any case, it didn't deter us from cruising again since we are booked for the Noordam at Christmas!

[cf_chuck]

In any case, it didn't deter us from cruising again since we are booked for the Noordam at Christmas!

 

YEA you! If I got the right cruise, Christmas day at sea, way cuil.

 

I found St. Kitts and Barbados interesting ports. Ohter than HMC (which you'll be sharing with the E'dam), the others are for a future cruise, some of which will be visited in early Dec. Enjoy the HAL experience, if you haven't already.

[sail7seas]

YEA you! If I got the right cruise, Christmas day at sea, way cuil.

 

.

 

Please excuse my dumb but what is "cuil"?

Thanks.

[cruz chic]

Please excuse my dumb but what is "cuil"?

Thanks.

Cool

[hammybee]

I don't know about anyone else, but the nature of the experience is very different on a cruise than it is going to a restaurant, in general. On a cruise there are (typically) certain service people with whom there is a personal rapport due to the close quarters and the repetitive nature of what goes on. In my everyday life, it is rare for me to be seated in a section of a restaurant and be served by the same staff person due to schedules, attrition, etc., much less go to the same restaurant or watering hole repetitively day after day for an extended period of time. To develop the same rapport with the server staff of an every day occurrence takes many visits, but many visits are built into the cruise experience.

 

So my net is that the cruise experience is sufficiently different from the everyday analog that you are promoting. While the points you make about the everyday experience are valid, I am perplexed as to the applicability to the cruise experience due to the reasons mentioned above. When I have an established pattern with a restaurant or watering hole and when they establish a consistency of knowing what my name is and what my likely expectations are, then I do get underneath the tipping practices. But given the infrequency that this occurs, it's not a worthy comparison to what happens aboard ship, IMO.

 

Thank you, Chuck . This makes sense to me and the frame of reference varies person to person. I tend to dine out a lot. I tend to frequent the same places and know the people who serve me better than I do anyone on a cruise ship. That's different, not better or worse, than your perspective.

 

Some people prefer fixed seating and if inclined, frequent the same bars on a cruise ship and enjoy that the servers know their name and preference. Others, like to mix it up and do not necessarily want or have the same experiences.

 

Given the trend toward more alternatives to traditional dining on almost all cruise ships of size, this rapport thing is and will continue to evolve. I am struck by the opportunities to dine on the Eurodam, Open Seating at anytime or Fxed Seating, Tamarind, PG, Callenetto, The Lido, Slice and of course Room Service. ( Did I miss something?) It is possible that some passengers may never dine in the same place twice on the most common 7 day sails. And we also know that the waitstaff rotates into and out of dining venues.

 

The dining experience has and will continue to change and so will the way Auto Tips/Hotel Service charges are allocated.

 

When we keep the Auto Tip/Hotel Service charge is place, we each have the same opportunity to reward or not, any one, at anytime, as we deem appropriate.