wrote in message
...
..Perhaps I missed something, but.... The way I understand it.... If
one prefers to tip individually, the crew member must put the money in a
"common" pot if "HE" knows that the cruiser has had the 10 bucks per day
removed from his account. ...However... The cruiser supposedly cannot
have the added "tip??" charge removed from his account (if he so
desires), until the last day of the cruise.
..So how would this work, as even now, everyone (who does tip), does so
before receiving his final "disputable" bill ?
..So you end up tipping the dining room staff etc., as per usual.
...Then, they turn their tips in (Or hold them upfront) until they know
for sure you haven't had the automatic charges removed on the morning of
your departure ?? ...I think not; nobody's that honest.

..And what about room service? ...We always tip 2 or 3 bucks for the
morning coffee delivery, or for a sandwich delivered at night. ...Does
the crew man have to turn this money into a common pot too? ...Jon

You have the basic gist of it. Believe me...your activities are tracked,
both by room and table number. I believe the pool arrangement works,
whether the staff agrees with it or not. Remember, these folks want to
renew their labor contract, and any glitch, such as withholding a direct
tip, could mean their dismissal. Even if they are on their 'last' labor
period, they want a good recommendation for their future.

Our HAL waiter was immediately on the 'hot seat' for bringing our dessert
menu before the normally scheduled moment.

That brings up an interesting scenario....who gets your table tip if you
choose to eat on the Lido all the time? My best guess would be your
assigned table personnel. On the other hand, if you were a real chiseler
you could remove your auto-tip, eat on the Lido and save all the table tips
for yourself.

Which begs the question...why cruise at all? tongue-in-cheek You can stay
home, save the price of the cruise, airfare to the port, eat at McDonalds
and buy National Geographic travelogues of the places to which you would
otherwise cruise. Then you could bequeath your savings to your eligible,
deserving heirs.