Is auto tipping hurting service????

[sanmarcosman]

LounVal,

 

Overall service was better prior to auto tips. The difference I see, and don't see people talk about, is the apparent health of the staff now compared to years ago. Given the fact that most people wouldn't tip if simply given the option, I'd prefer the auto tips remain as they are now. If auto tips have improved the health of the overall staff, I'd like to see them stay for that reason as well.

 

I'm not convinced of the correlation you suggest that auto tips = improved health of the staff. In the days of tip envelopes I never saw front of the house staff missing teeth or otherwise disabled due to being stiffed by cheap passengers. The crew weren't offered a health and dental insurance plan by the cruise industry then and they aren't today and IMO that's unconscionable.

[Donray]

Well, I think that's horse hockey. Make or break service? :rolleyes:

 

I have seen zero change in the level of service since the auto tips have started.

 

Unless people sail monthly, does anyone really think that their once-a-year (or twice a year, or once every two years) sample size means that whatever service they received can be extrapolated across all those thousands of people who cruise?

 

Seriously?

 

And who cares if someone comes here and complains in their cruise review that the didn't see their steward until <gasp> the 2nd day! OMG! How dare they!

 

As usual, it's all about perception and expectations.

 

I don't care if I never meet my cabin steward as long as my cabin is cleaned, towels and changed and I have ice 2x a day! But then, I don't expect my cabin steward to be my personal servant for the week.

 

And I personally think the dining room service is every bit as good, if not better, than it's ever been.

 

I hate having people grovelling around just to get the tips they have already earned. Many people like that, apparently. Must make then feel important. I just don't get it.

 

To me, truly good service is service that is as unintrusive as possible while getting the job done in a timely manner. That's how I like it and, for the most part, that's what I get on my cruises.

 

 

I totally agree. I have been on over 20 cruises and think the service has been good under both tipping methods. I also agree that a lot of the people that don't like auto tipping are the people that don't tip anyways.

[momofzeke]

Can anyone tell me exactly when auto-tipping became the policy on Carnival?

 

I know it is not a "new" service, because there were auto-tips on our first cruise in 2004....that is not what I consider "new".

[metman146360]

Brad,

Gotta be careful on this agreement stuff...I don't want to lose my status as the "Most Hated Poster" for having my own Opinion, even if sometimes it is a dissenting one. ;)

 

No great threat of losing your covetted status there. And you are in the home stretch for the "Platinum" level of 1,000 annoying replies as well. :D

 

Happy posting.

 

Brad

[Kurbanfan]

Can anyone tell me exactly when auto-tipping became the policy on Carnival?

 

I know it is not a "new" service, because there were auto-tips on our first cruise in 2004....that is not what I consider "new".

 

The last time I remember giving tips on the last night was in 2001, didn't go on a cruise in 2002. In 2003 it was auto tips.........

[momofzeke]

Thanks, Kurb. :)

[tedjazz]

No great threat of losing your covetted status there. And you are in the home stretch for the "Platinum" level of 1,000 annoying replies as well. :D

 

Happy posting.

 

Brad

 

Kinda makes a guy proud, doesn't it? Will there be a ceremony or something? ;)

 

Oops, sorry I got caught up in a thread drift...back to the topic, Auto Tips and Service.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I have noticed lately more people commenting that they are not receiving the service they once had from either their cabin stewards or dining room waiters or sometimes both. We just got off the Glory and our dining room waiter was pretty bad. I'm wondering if because the staff knows they are getting automatic tips their service is not what it was when they had people giving tips voluntarily.

This observation comes from various cruise company boards who use auto tipping, not just CCL.

Maybe something the cruise lines who use auto tipping may want to examine.

 

While there are some bad waiters I don't attribute it to tipping. I think it's the reduction in staff and adding to the already heavy workload the staff already have.

 

Those waiters have WAY too many tables to attend to at each seating and are always rushing around.

 

Bill

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

I think if service is suffering at all (and I've not seen it)' date=' it's due to cutbacks in staffing on many ships. Wait staff have more tables, cabin stewards have more cabins. [/quote']

 

Can't believe I am saying this. I agree with G'ma.:eek:

 

I have found the staff to be outstanding on all of my cruises.

[Stevekiel]

I don't like the auto tip because it is no longer a tip when it does not matter what kind of service you receive. I can understand why it is done though. On one of my cruises, before the auto tip, none of the other people at my table showed up the last night of dinner because they did not want to tip. I think it was a group of 6. As we looked around we saw a lot of emtly seats that night. The waiter says it was fairy normal for people to stiff the wait staff. He was a good waiter. I think this was on RCC.

[dan40]

I received the worst service of any cruise, LONG before auto-tips came to be. And on an "upscale" line.

And I have received the very best service, on land or sea, on Carnival, and since auto-tips came to be.

I would agree that staffing is lighter both in the DR's and the cabins. And that bugs me since we are the paymasters for those crew, not the cruiseline.

 

I do not understand the complaint about auto-tipping by people that "claim" they will be tipping anyway.

Auto-tips are placed on your S&S account. They do not come out of your bank account until long after the cruise is over. So there is no 'tipping in advance' aspect to auto-tips. [There is in pre-paid tips, but that is a different subject]

Auto-tips are voluntary, and adjustable up to or down to any amount at anytime during the cruise, so why the concern. I had poor service on a different line and went and adjusted the tip accordingly. Took 2 minutes!

I cruised through the cash tip era and experienced and was embarrassed by the more than half empty dining rooms on the last night. I should not have been embarrassed since I was in the DR with my money in the envelope. But it was just bad and sad to sit in a 'Ghost Town' dining room, knowing all the hard working people were getting screwed and nothing I could do but take it with them. Might be why I cut no slack for the cheapo screws today.

 

Dan

[zqvol]

I have noticed lately more people commenting that they are not receiving the service they once had from either their cabin stewards or dining room waiters or sometimes both. We just got off the Glory and our dining room waiter was pretty bad. I'm wondering if because the staff knows they are getting automatic tips their service is not what it was when they had people giving tips voluntarily.

This observation comes from various cruise company boards who use auto tipping, not just CCL.

Maybe something the cruise lines who use auto tipping may want to examine.

 

Tipping is still 100% voluntary. You can remove it any time you want. Auto tipping is simply an easy way to collect the tips, and results in higher tips to the staff because people do not stiff them as often.

 

To answer your question, I have not noticed any change in service since they started allowing you to leave tips on your S&S card.

 

Just as it has always been some staff is better than others.

[molme]

LounVal

We were on the same sailing with you and our dining room service was terrible. On formal night DH and I both ordered a lobster each and a prime rib to split. I also ordered an extra baked potato so I would also have one. Our lobsters were brought to the table along with the other couples meals. BIL ordered lobster and prime rib also and they both came out at the same time. We just figured she didn't have room on the tray for all of the meals and didn't say anything at the time about it. She never returned to the table to check that everything was okay, so we couldn't ask about it. When she finally came back to our table it was to hand us our dessert menus and clear dishes. At that time DH asked about the prime rib and she didn't know he had even ordered one. Coffee cups and water glasses were never refilled during dinner. The service was so slow, we were always the last to leave the dining room. There didn't seem to be any communication between the dining team.

This is the worst service we have experienced on CCL.

[cathyz]

I don't think the auto tip has to do with the service, they don't even know if you have auto tipped or are depending on your cash tip at the end of the cruise.

That's not true, if you go to the Purser's desk to remove your tips, the crew and their managers are told and are then asked what the problem was and why the tips were removed.

[tedjazz]

That's not true, if you go to the Purser's desk to remove your tips, the crew and their managers are told and are then asked what the problem was and why the tips were removed.

 

Wouldn't that kind of question be answered by the Passenger removing the Tips, not the crew or managers?

[rzdj96]

Can anyone tell me exactly when auto-tipping became the policy on Carnival?

 

In answering your question, you can thank NCL for the change when they went anytime dining and the respective cruise lines followed as time went on. Although not always, but we've noticed changes in the "less effort" that the dining room stewards gave on Princess, NCL & RCCL since then (not so on HAL). Can't comment on CCL yet as our last Carnival cruise was before that time and they all were exceptional. On the first three, it was apparent that they all get the same tip no matter how they perform. I personally prefer the old "envelope" type of tipping. They just seemed to go that extra mile back then. On average, more money went into their individual pockets than having to share their hard earned tips amoung everyone else. JMHO

[Kurbanfan]

That's not true, if you go to the Purser's desk to remove your tips, the crew and their managers are told and are then asked what the problem was and why the tips were removed.

 

When you go to the pursers desk to remove a tip the purser will ask you and you tell them why you are removing it........;)

Off course if it was for bad service they should question their employee.....

[cathyz]

When you go to the pursers desk to remove a tip the purser will ask you and you tell them why you are removing it........;)

Off course if it was for bad service they should question their employee.....

And I'm sure some people don't tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I've never removed or changed them so wouldn't know.

[LounVal]

Not sure what all the complaining is about, we have never experienced bad service..

...this is merely an opinion here so flaming will be unnecessary and silly but, maybe poor service could be related to the attitude of the cruiser??? Just an opinion...

 

Excuse me but I do not believe anyone up to this point was complaining. I simply made a observation and brought it up for discussion. I thought that was what one of the reasons these boards were here.

[LounVal]

When you say that your waiter was pretty bad can you give some examples? How did you handle the situation?

 

Just a lot of little things that you would expect, such as consistently putting the wrong meals in front of people and everyone having to switch plates. A diners plates were also served and picked up by reaching across the face of another diner, instead of coming from behind the person. My dw likes her coffee half reg/half decaf, she had to explain this to the same person every night. Just many little things that we just had not seen on previous cruises.

We really didn't do anything about it. We chalked it up to possible inexperience. It was nothing that ruined our cruise. I brought this up on the board NOT to complain ,but just as an observation that other may have an opinion on.

[LounVal]

I thought WE were the last ones out of the dining room! We were in the Platinum Room table 203 early seating. As I said the service didn't ruin our cruise we had a great time and hope you did too.

[PaulMedik]

 

I'm not convinced of the correlation you suggest that auto tips = improved health of the staff. In the days of tip envelopes I never saw front of the house staff missing teeth or otherwise disabled due to being stiffed by cheap passengers. The crew weren't offered a health and dental insurance plan by the cruise industry then and they aren't today and IMO that's unconscionable.

 

sanmarcosman,

 

They do have health insurance now as well as free routine medical exams on board.

 

I also did not notice missing teeth or obvious disability years ago. I have noticed an improvement in healthy appearance over time. I will make no effort to try and convince you as it's likely you and I observe different things when judging a healthy appearance.

[kkmonga]

I'm afraid that the pre-tipping is greatly a result of selfish people who "stiffed" waiters and busboys on the last night of the cruise, when envelopes were traditionally given to them. I've cruised for nearly 30 years, and sadly remember how empty the dining room could appear on the last night of the cruise, as people opted to eat on the Lido, rather than pay out the tips to the staff. How sad! I do supplement the current tips with cash in person (thank you notes are a great take-along for this purpose) when I feel the service was especially good.

[zqvol]

That's not true, if you go to the Purser's desk to remove your tips, the crew and their managers are told and are then asked what the problem was and why the tips were removed.

 

 

And I'm sure some people don't tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I've never removed or changed them so wouldn't know.

 

Here is a case of 1 + 1 = 3

 

If you have never removed them or changed them, then how can you know that they are told and asked why?

[Cruise Organizer]

To everyone who leaves "a little" extra do you mind me asking what that amount is??? Do you do it daily or at the end of the week? Thanks!!:):o

 

I estimate what I would leave at a restaurant for the dinners that were served. The wait staff gets about $6 per person per day. "Most" people would leave ~$20 tip at a restaurant (15%-20%). With this in mind, I usually give an extra $5 to $10 per day to the wait staff. The service that I get has always been excellent. The wait staff has always be friendly and we interact with them - we seem to be the last to leave the DR. Maybe that is why our service has always be so good. They remember what we like and bring it without being asked. Even the wine stewart would stop and chat with us. Yes, he also gor extra.

The cabin stewarts do their job behind the scenes. We meet him, but we do not see him when he cleans.

An extra $10 to $20 per person is what I usually give, depending upon the service.

There will be disagreement with this, as the more generous will say give more, and the cheapstakes will say give less.

There are those that look for any excuse to give less, and will find one. People think that eating in the Lido, means that they didn't receive any service.

There are those that say increase the cruise fare and eliminate the tips. If the fare would increase $100 per person, what is the difference whether it is in the fare or as an auto tip.