Tipping While Unemployed

[cruiserbryce]

Apologies to any service industries people that I may have duped on my first visit to the US in 1999.

 

 

surely no grudges held;)

[redrob1234]

____________________________________________________________

Please tell us Aussie customs, cultural information very helpful in travel.

 

So what do Aussies do after meals in restaurants?

Or is service charge included in the bill, as in France?

Do you leave tip for housekeeper after night in hotel?

Do you give a tip after having hair cut?

tip after manicure? after massage? After drink in bar? Taxis?Ever?

Do you know if same customs apply in England?

 

 

After a meal in a restaurant - we pay the bill (or check i think you call it). The bill will consist of Meal prices and drink prices. THAT IS ALL. It is up to each individual restaurant to add services charges into the cost of their food & beverage to ensure they pay thier staff a decent wage. Tipping is not expected but in a more up market style of restaurant it would be fairly standard to round up the bill - or leave the change. E.g. if the charge was $95 you would probably leave $100 - but you would have to.

 

You will find that food and beverages in restaurant cost a fair bit more in Australia to cover wage costs. It is the employers responsibility to ensure their staff are paid at least minimum wage and this is very strictly monitored.

 

I could not ever imagine tipping after a haircut, manicure, massage etc.

 

Taxis and drinks in bars, again - just round up the bill or leave the change but no more than $1 or $2 bucks.

 

This is why it's a bit strange for us. E.G If I go to a restaurant and order a meal for $25 and a drink for $5 my total cost is $30. If I left $3o I would not be frowned upon, but a couple of bucks tip would be appreciated of course.

 

Of course, we don't always get great service because the staff get paid either way.

[zhou]

The wait staff is rotated through the dining venues so just because you do not eat in the dining room for dinner does not mean you are not getting service from them.:p

[tgray69]

thanks

[neatokimmo]

If I were unemployed and chose to go on a cruise (which I think is insane, sorry) and I was to the point where I was thinking about cheating people out of tips I'd seriously go sell my plasma to raise extra funds.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

If I were unemployed and chose to go on a cruise (which I think is insane, sorry) and I was to the point where I was thinking about cheating people out of tips I'd seriously go sell my plasma to raise extra funds.

This thread has gone on several pages now and you might have missed that the OP lost their job after FINAL Payment was made and if they canceled would lose their money. I am in exactly the same boat so to speak :D I lost a 14 yr job that I made a very good living at because my position was eliminated but it occured after my final payment to HAL for a S Suite, I also purchased nonrefundable Pre hotel stay and air tickets. We cruise 4 times a yr and with that frequency I do not purchase insurance. But I also put aside money in savings for each and every cruise and that includes all on board costs including TIPS and plenty of additional tipping. I also prepurchased 2 nights of specialty restuarants and excursions. So I do not feel the least bit worried about spending the money and plan to tip in additional to the Hotel Service Charge that HAL charges. This cruise will be like all our other cruises. I think the OP needs to decide which is more important the loss of money he has already spent or the additional loss he is going to incurr. But he did say that this cruise also involves some possible Job possibility so he needs to figure he is going to write it off for expenses incurred while job hunting.

[julieanne]

This thread has gone on several pages now and you might have missed that the OP lost their job after FINAL Payment was made and if they canceled would lose their money. I am in exactly the same boat so to speak :D I lost a 14 yr job that I made a very good living at because my position was eliminated but it occured after my final payment to HAL for a S Suite, I also purchased nonrefundable Pre hotel stay and air tickets. We cruise 4 times a yr and with that frequency I do not purchase insurance. But I also put aside money in savings for each and every cruise and that includes all on board costs including TIPS and plenty of additional tipping. I also prepurchased 2 nights of specialty restuarants and excursions. So I do not feel the least bit worried about spending the money and plan to tip in additional to the Hotel Service Charge that HAL charges. This cruise will be like all our other cruises. I think the OP needs to decide which is more important the loss of money he has already spent or the additional loss he is going to incurr. But he did say that this cruise also involves some possible Job possibility so he needs to figure he is going to write it off for expenses incurred while job hunting.

OP NEVER stated they had made final payment. If you look, you will find OP started said thread and left it for their 14 day cruise roll call board. They have not responded to this thread since starting it! Considering their postings on that board, I have to wonder about the validity of this thread.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

OP NEVER stated they had made final payment. If you look, you will find OP started said thread and left it for their 14 day cruise roll call board. They have not responded to this thread since starting it! Considering their postings on that board, I have to wonder about the validity of this thread.

OK I agree that he did not say Final Payment had been made but a good assumption is that when I checked his other postings and saw his post on the Mercury Roll Call for November 21st 5 days before he was to leave he definitely would have had to make final payment many weeks ago. We have posted on for days about this thread while the OP in question had already boarded the ship on the 21st of November. I am just saying that it is a fairly good assumption that the OP would have lost all his money had he canceled the cruise. So at this point any comments to the OP are going unheard and I am assuming he will not come back into this thread. But definitely interesting with the economic times we are in.

[julieanne]

OK I agree that he did not say Final Payment had been made but a good assumption is that when I checked his other postings and saw his post on the Mercury Roll Call for November 21st 5 days before he was to leave he definitely would have had to make final payment many weeks ago. We have posted on for days about this thread while the OP in question had already boarded the ship on the 21st of November. I am just saying that it is a fairly good assumption that the OP would have lost all his money had he canceled the cruise. So at this point any comments to the OP are going unheard and I am assuming he will not come back into this thread. But definitely interesting with the economic times we are in.

Well, he lost his job in September, sounds like he would have come in under the wire to cancel as this was a Panama Canal cruise. Final payment would be due between 45-60 days and I am guessing they could have done it. From OP's posts, sounds like he just wanted to stir the proverbial pot at this point and didn't sound to me like they were concerned about money except for stiffing the staff.........

[rednancy1]

Totally agree with your theory, but, from an America perspective, its just not how our world works. Some might say the concept is that the server must own up to his/her "personal responsibility" to do a good job. That the tipping systems puts the employee in control of his/her wages. Others might say its just a way for buisness to make more profit in a captitalist society. Whatever the rationale, the end result is that we, the customers, have to account for the fact that the cost of the meal is only the food, and if you want someone to bring it to you and wash your dishes, then you must pay extra for that service. Is it right? Depends on who is pontificating at the time.

 

 

Beautifully put. I couldn't agree more. :)

[behindthescenes]

After reading the previous replies I can only re-emphasize that these people who work on the ships get paid bupkus for the long days they work. They work 24 hours/day and 7 days a week. When you get on for your exciting vacation they just cleaned up after the previous family in your cabin. It's a constant job and that is actually a very tough day.

They are trying to save money like crazy to support their families back home. They have many rules and behind the scenes jobs as well. It isn't easy, "like a vacation" when you WORK on a ship. It's exhausting and they deserve and rely on your tips.

It is a good sign that you have a concience and are even asking the question. There are people who stiff these people and I have been there when they cry, after all they have done to try to make your vacation special. PLEASE find a way to do the right thing. You won't forgive yourself if you don't.

Somehow you will get through your unemployment. You live in a great country. Trust me, I know because I worked on a ship. Do the right thing.

[PhoenixCruiser]

I'm just wondering - those that eat exclusively in the WindJammer, do you leave something on the table when you're done eating? I generally leave a couple bucks on the table after eating breakfast and lunch, and then eat dinner in the DR. I've heard that the staff in the WJ is also the staff from the DR (I've seen it with my own eyes), yet I don't normally see people leaving anything in the WJ. Am I the only one doing this?

 

No you are not alone, we usually leave a buck or two or three for the servers in the WJ.

 

###

[cruiserbryce]

I work in the service industry and am very sensitive to tipping...and believe it should be common practice but

 

After reading the previous replies I can only re-emphasize that these people who work on the ships get paid bupkus for the long days they work. They work 24 hours/day and 7 days a week.

 

Tipping is recognition for good service not a substitute for poor wages...dont tip out of guilt tip because the person has made your experience better. And come on lets be realistic, 24/7. They work long days, more than a lot of people here but 24/7 is a bit of an exageration.

[kiggy]

I'm probably going to get flogged for this very opposite opinion, but here goes anyway. I too, have worked as bar staff, wait staff, retail, etc. where my wages depended on tips. BUT, that was always in a place where the job encountered few people a night or shift. I have been given NO tip for giving great service, and I've been tipped well, when I gave crappy service...

 

If this person (because of circumstance) cannot tip, but practically everyone else does on the ship, then the wait-staff will still be getting a decent wage for the cruise, just minus a little.

 

I have been on five cruises with Cunard, Azamara, Princess, RCCL, and Carnival. I travel solo and have overpaid for many services. There were a few times I "should" have demanded my "automatically charged" gratuity be removed, but did not. So the staff was paid, but probably should have been punished instead.

 

Therefore, if this cruiser has still decided to cruise, despite being unemplyed, to lift his spirits, by all means GO! Tip if you can. If you cannot, so what! Don't let all the above posts shame you.

 

Life is unfair for ALL of us at some point....

 

Good luck and have fun!

 

 

Thanks for that perspective. I feel like, reading these posts, the OP just landed in a circle of maneating sharks! Honestly, people -- the poor guy just asked a question -- he doesn't deserve to be flogged! He lost his job. Thank God you have jobs and/or extra money. Are you so self-involved that you can't extend a little empathy? Geez, Louise. Have a great cruise, tip what you can, and enjoy yourself.

[momofmeg]

I think it depends on how many people are going on this cruise. If there are 4 of you @ 10/day automatic gratuity and the trip is 10 days, the automatic tip is $400.00, which is a lot of money for an unemployed person to come up with or charge to your credit card. Can any of the other cruisers with you help with the tip? if so, tell them to chip in before leaving, including your children, have them take the money out of their savings accounts or have them get a part time job, or tell them no holiday presents because cruise is holiday present. If it's just 2 adults, with you paying, suck it up and pay the automatic gratuity, since its the only decent thing to do. Also, if you are not going to tip them, the people serving you will be able to tell from your body language and you will get bad service and literally have a bad trip. But you don't have to tip regular NYC style extra on top of automatic gratutity if you are unemployed and you don't have to feel guilty as long as you pay the automatic daily gratutity. Re British tipping habits: cheap and no tipping makes the servers very unhappy-I was on a 14 day cruise with mainly British passengers and when I gave the girl who handed out the breakfast plates $5 on the next to last day, the dining room manager demanded to know my cabin number! He explained that so many British passengers were not paying the suggested automatic tip that they kept count of the EXTRA tips to put into a pool for the untipped servers. Since my extra tips are really for personal service, I made sure to hide all my other extra tips. My cabin steward,to whom I gave a great tip, told me that due to this general bad tipping, all the servers were very unhappy and he was glad he was at the end of his contract.

So you hope to be employed again and cruise again, don't contribute to bad morale now, since it will affect you and all the rest of us cruisers in the future.

 

WHY would the unemployed person be taking a TEN day cruise and taking his WHOLE family?

 

Back in 91 my hubby lost his job. I had a little two -bit job that paid for the groceries and a couple of tother things but we were defientely NOT swimming in money. Fortunately, he got another job 3 months later, but our meagre savings were gone making the house payment.

 

Guess what? It was FIVE years before our family took a vacation. WHY? Because hubby's new job paid HALF what his previous job paid and it was nearly 4 years before he found a decent paying job.

 

This is what we did; we bought family passes to either White Water or Six Flags. (We live near Atlanta, Ga) We alternated, one year we would buy the pass for once place, the next year to the other. We also visited the local museums in our area, we also did things like spend a day at Calloway Gardens, or Roosevelt's "little White House," which were within a 2 hour car drive for us, so no hotel room cost. We visited the Atlanta High Musem of Arts, we went to the zoo, Stone Mountain, etc. so we vacationed AT HOME. We often packed picnic lunches for these "vacation days" instead of eating out.

 

We still enjoyed ourselves, we still had an enjoyable time, we simply did things that cost MUCH less.

 

Bottom line, why would anyone cruise unemployed? A cruise is a LUXURY vacation. The OP said he lost his job in SEPTEMBER, so it would have been before final payment, so he should have canceled his cruise if he could not afford the measly $10 a day for tips. Or else do as I said in a previous post, don't take the extra excursions, heck on our last cruise of 7 days, my hubby and I spend over $300 on excursions. We spent another $150 plus in the speciaity restuarants. Those two things alone were enough to cover the OP's tips for a 10 cruise for a family of four.

[MarleneAm]

Since you are quoting my general response, I decided to check out the OP's previous posts on all CC boards for the OP's actual story.He is going on a 1 Year anniversary cruise with his wife; he got married last year in between 2 cruises arranged to allow a week off for wedding in home town of the bride. While in late stages of getting ready for this cruise, he got laid off after 27 years. But Note: Before leaving on his pre-wedding cruise last year, he posted that he thought he should dispute and not pay the tips for the last 2 days of the cruise since he was leaving the cruise 2 days early. So his ideas about tipping pre-date his loss of job.

Let's leave OP to his karma.

And let's agree that in the USA and on current mainstream cruises, the service workers are underpaid and depend on tips.

So I think we should tip them at least as per quidelines, more for good service, a lot more for great service, and extra tips to those outside of tip pool who make us happy.

[momofmeg]

Since you are quoting my general response, I decided to check out the OP's previous posts on all CC boards for the OP's actual story.He is going on a 1 Year anniversary cruise with his wife; he got married last year in between 2 cruises arranged to allow a week off for wedding in home town of the bride. While in late stages of getting ready for this cruise, he got laid off after 27 years. But Note: Before leaving on his pre-wedding cruise last year, he posted that he thought he should dispute and not pay the tips for the last 2 days of the cruise since he was leaving the cruise 2 days early. So his ideas about tipping pre-date his loss of job.

Let's leave OP to his karma.

And let's agree that in the USA and on current mainstream cruises, the service workers are underpaid and depend on tips.

So I think we should tip them at least as per quidelines, more for good service, a lot more for great service, and extra tips to those outside of tip pool who make us happy.

 

I also noticed in his profile that he is a lawyer. If he was laid off after 27 years-surely he would have savings to covers tips. Lawyers have good incomes.

[shorebilly]

He was making enough to originally schedule a long cruise then he should tip. As you said, he is a lawyer. I hate to use stereotypes, but often lawyers and doctors look down their nose on people in the service industries, and are some of the Worst tippers around, always trying to shave a little. Disgusting!:confused:

[cruiselover57]

I've been unemployed since the end of September, with no employment prospects in sight. Money is diminishing from my savings, and only $405 per week being added through unemployment insurance.

 

Should my lack of employment and financial certainty affect my tipping of the people employed by the cruise line, the tour operators, etc.? If yes, to what extent?

 

[To answer anyone's question about why I might be cruising while unemployed, the trip in question was booked prior to the unemployment. It is a one-way cruise from the west coast (where I am meeting with colleagues in my industry and perhaps even learning of some employment prospects) back home to the east coast.]

 

If I were you, I wouldn't run a bar tab, stay out of the casino and maybe eat at the buffet!

[mafig]

Has the OP been back?

 

Don't you find it curious that he didn't ask this question on his roll call? Or on the cruise message board? He participates in both.:p Embarrassed to do so, you think?;)

 

Just checked. He's already cruised -- he left November 21.

[cruiserbryce]

Has the OP been back?

 

uh...nope:rolleyes:

[mafig]

uh...nope:rolleyes:

 

The rest of my post noted that he's on his cruise.:rolleyes:

[kittyluvrnurse]

Not that anyone's opinion on here is right or wrong, but if I were him, I wouldn't want to respond too much in this thread. What a wildfire!

 

My two cents (however) is that I'd cancel my cruise for whatever I could get back (even if it's 50-75%) and make my mortgage with the money.

[DanishTraveler]

I work in the service industry and am very sensitive to tipping...and believe it should be common practice but

 

 

 

Tipping is recognition for good service not a substitute for poor wages...dont tip out of guilt tip because the person has made your experience better. And come on lets be realistic, 24/7. They work long days, more than a lot of people here but 24/7 is a bit of an exageration.

 

I don't quite agree with you but I'm even more astonished by the one who started this thread. So I thought I would contribute with some "inside-info" on the life as a cruiseship member.

 

I live in Denmark, where we have minimum wages that are quite high (more than in the US, but we also pay a minimum of 50% in income tax). Here, you tip solely if you receive good service - your server does not depend on it, but it's nice to receive a recognition that proves their service was special.

 

I worked on different cruiseships approx. 17 years ago, first as a bar waitress and later on in the casino. I did not do it out of need for money, but solely because I wanted to travel and see the World.

 

I lasted 4 months as a waitress, as I could not put up with the working conditions (coming from a Western country where working conditions are completely different and well-sorted even for people with no education like me back then).

I paid for my flight myself from Denmark to the US and signed up for a one year contract. Had I not paid myself, I would not have been allowed to leave the ship until my flight was paid for - or after fulfilling the one year contract. (So if I wanted to leave, I would have had to pay for my flight ie. have saved up for this as I was working). I imagine that flights from the Philipines where a lot of the crew were from, do not come cheap - or at least I don't think they did then. One thing I still remember clearly, is that a crewmember from the Philipines was refused to leave the ship. His father had died suddenly, and he was denied to go home for the funeral. This crewmember had not paid for his own flight (most couldn't afford to).

 

My basic wages were 300 dollars a month plus "room and board" (I still have a copy of my contract), the room was a pitchdark cabin shared with only one other girl (I was lucky, most people shared with 3 others, sometimes there were 6 in one cabin), we had to share a bathroom/showers with several others. I won't go into detail about the lack of cleaning and cockroaches in there. The "board" was the crew dining room, where I was afraid to eat anything other than boiled rice and ketchup. I lost about 30 pounds working on that ship. When I came home I was hospitalised with a virus in my blood and I was malnutritioned.

 

I worked 7 days a week - every week - between 10-14 hours a day. Sometimes I worked in the pool area early in the morning and would have a few hours off and then work again at a buffet in the afternoon and then in the disco till it closed at 2 am. Two days a week, when entering American ports, we had "Special clean" which meant working until late at night/early in the morning before US health inspections.

 

I collapsed at one point, had a high fever and a virus (several of the passengers were also sick), and I was forced to go back to work after the ship doctor gave me a shot of something, I still don't know what was.

 

This was way before tiping was automatically deducted from the passenger's account, so we worked very hard for our tips - and lots and lots of passengers did not tip - or didn't tip the 10-15% of the bill that was recommended then, no matter how good a service you rendered. I made ok money, but not as much as I would have made at home sitting at a cash register in a supermarket;-) (however, I'm not from a 3rd World country where people back home depended on me sending almost all my wages home). I could keep everything for myself.

 

I could go on and on - I'm not going to. It was the time of my life despite all of the above. But I also always knew that I had my return ticket and could leave when I wanted to (and that is what I did). I met so many nice people from all over the world, and I met my husband who worked in the casino - that's another thread...

 

So when we go cruising (2nd cruise coming up in January) we certainly know how hard all the crew - who surround us and make us feel right at home - work to make us feel this way. And I'm HAPPY to pay 10 bucks a day, and when it goes up to 12 bucks I'm still happy to pay that plus we'll tip the crew who gives us a nice service.

 

Sorry if I'm off-topic, I know my experience was from many years ago, but little has changed I'm sure. I can see this from the many blogs, discussion forums etc. that crewmembers from all the different ships write on (the Internet is a great thing)

[new salt]

I have only one cruise behind me but in the new year we are doing the Nile and Lake Nasser, and, subject to our foul mis-government not reducing the UK currency to utter worthlessness, we plan an AZAMARA cruise next September.

 

I have to say that, as a Brit, this cruise tipping business confuses me. On our last cruise there was a daily rate of €4 per day per pax. I was told by a senior member of front of house staff that a lot of people opted out. The pax were principally Spanish and they tend not to tip. We tipped the lady who looked after our suite another €50 and our two waiters and their busboy(?) another €25 each at the end of the cruise. Given that we happily paid the going daily tipping rate, was this too little or enough? I ask this in all innocence; I note that on Azamara there is an $11 dollar pp pd tipping charge and what I see as an outrageous 18% added to bar bills ( I make no apologies for being something of a bar flie. I like to enjoy a drink and strike up conversations with strangers). Now should we plan on an additional tip for those we have immediate contact with, and if so how much? I am puzzled by the idea that (apart from speciality restaurants) some posters seem to leave tips each time they eat or drink. One of the attractions of cruising is that of resort living and nt having to cart cash around each time you set foot out of your cabin.

 

Advice please!