Tipping on cruise - please off some advice

Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is, "
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie

"Eddie-Type2" wrote in
:


Eddie, tips are a part of the price, you know in advance and the people
working are working for the tips.

It is not 15% of everything, just everything from the bars. and the room
steward is working for the tips. it isn't like they get great food, they
get really meidoicre at best foodand live in tight accomodations, the
nly bright light is that they get tips to send home.

You don't tip at a hotel, you will get worse service as you stay longer,
don't tip on a cruise ship and someone's family suffers. So yes, you are
missingsimething here, the cruises emplyees are depending on your tips.
You don't tip and they suffer, not the cruise line, but the employee.

So think about it, if you can't or won't tip, DON'T GO!




--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/

Tipping is quite easy. On HAL it is merely added on to your bill. Relax,
Mary!
"Eddie-Type2" wrote in message
...
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree
with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is,
"
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no
way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for
normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie

"Eddie-Type2" wrote in message
...

I'm not trying to be cheap at all,
Eddie

You almost had us fooled, Eddie!

The first thing you need to understand is that tips for waiters, cabins
stewards, etc., is really their salary. They are not really paid by the
cruise line. They sign a contract for something like $100 for 7 months.
The tips really represent their full salary. So it's not really just a
"tip" per se. It's paying them for work performed.

Hotel workers on the other hand are paid a salary.

You will not have the option of paying cash for drinks. If you have a
problem with the 15%, simply drink the free water, lemonade or iced tea like
I do.

--Tom

"Eddie-Type2" wrote in message
...
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree
with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is,
"
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no
way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for
normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie

"Eddie-Type2" wrote in message
...
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree
with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is,
"
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no
way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for
normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie

Eddie,
From the sounds of your post, you apparently have not cruised before.
Your cabin steward has many cabins to care for..Your cabin is cleaned each
day, the beds made up and clean linens provided when necessary..Your
bathroom is cleaned and towels and washcloths replenished twice a day..Your
ice bucket is refilled twice a day..more if you need it...In the evening
there is a turn down service and your cruise newsletter and any information
pertinent to your cruise and its activities is delivered to your stateroom
by your cabin steward....If you need anything such as extra hangers,
blankets, pillows or anything else...your room steward provides it. He/she
is there to make your cruise as pleasant as possible..Your room steward is
often from a third world country and his/her family depends on what he/she
make...The cruise line only pays him/her $50-100.a month, so your tips mean
a great deal to them.

We always leave a tip whenever we stay in a hotel...usually the people who
must work cleaning hotels rooms for a living are not especially well off or
they certainly would not choose to do that type of work...If the room is
well maintained, we feel that they deserve it.

If you have five young children, I understand your concern, especially since
it sounds as if you may need more than one cabin.
Some cruise lines have a lesser tipping rate for children...some do not.
Sometimes, children means more work for the cabin steward..sometimes not, if
they are well behaved...Children are really treated special on cruises and
the crew makes a big fuss over them as many of them have small children back
home whom they have not seen for six months or more at a time.You'll find
that this especially applies to your dining room staff.

As your cabin steward, your waiter has many tables that he/she is
responsible for. For you to get the service you'd like and expect, they need
an assistant who keeps the water glasses filled, brings the bread and rolls,
takes care of your drink order (milk, iced tea, coffee, etc.) and helps the
waiter with the trays of food when they arrive..usually carried from a
galley which is sometime some distance away...They too, often are from third
world nations and depend on tips for their salary..
When you break it down, $3.50 a day for the waiter equals not even $1.17 a
meal if you eat three meals a day..The assistant only gets $1.75-$2.00 a
day..On a ship, you may wish to eat in the buffet, at specialty stations and
pizza parlor...These areas are also staffed by the very person who may also
be your dining room waiter...they pull double shifts, so their lives are not
very easy ones by any means.

The 15% gratuity is only when you purchase drinks from the bar or in the
Coffee Cafe that has specialty coffees. Regular coffee is always available
in the buffet area, as well as iced tea...Cocoa is usually available in the
morning, also.You do not use cash for anything on the ship except if you go
to the casino or play bingo..Also anything you buy in the ship's stores is
put on the credit card that you plan to use and that you give to the person
who processes you before you board the ship.

When planning a cruise, it is always best to figure in the amount for the
extras that you will need to pay for, such as tips and any other gifts or
souvenirs that you may purchase in some of the ports...

Hope I have been able to give you the information that you needed.
Have a wonderful cruise!

--Jean

Jean O'Boyle wrote:
"Eddie-Type2" wrote in message
...
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree
with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is,
"
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no
way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for
normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie

Eddie,

From the sounds of your post, you apparently have not cruised before.

Queenie Jeannie, did someone stomp on your tri-focal and broke it?
Or has your head been deep in the sand and where the sun don't shine
for so long that you're going blind.

Eddie We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

That means Eddie has not cruises before.


Your cabin steward has many cabins to care for..Your cabin is cleaned each
day, the beds made up and clean linens provided when necessary..Your
bathroom is cleaned and towels and washcloths replenished twice a day..Your
ice bucket is refilled twice a day..more if you need it...

and the cabin steward is being PAID by the cruise line that hired him.

The cruise line only pays him/her $50-100.a month, so your tips mean
a great deal to them.

Actually some cruiseships AUTOMATICALLY hold out a fixed amount
per day for tips. But if the steward is underpaid, it's up to the
cruise
line to make it equitable. By the same token, the steward takes the
job because that's the best paying job he could get (coming from the
Philippines and the job-depressed countries in Europe) -- it's called
the Free Market.

Your lecture to Eddie only shows your lack of education, and lack of
perception that Eddie feels automatic tipping is unwarranted. In
some countries tipping is very much frowned upon, by the workers
themselves, such as in UK and Japan, and some other countries.

Have you ever been to those countries?

There the workers take pride in their work and not expect any
condescending handouts, as O'Boil treat them like beggars
needing her few lousy dollars.

Hope I have been able to give you the information that you needed.
--Jean

What you have given Eddie was a gratuitous low-brow lecture, from
an uneducated yapping Old Bag.

-- Bob.

Eddie,
It appears those who have already responded have pretty well covered
everything. These folks that you don't seem to want to tip, work 10 and 12
hour days to make your stay as pleasant and memorable as possible. In fact,
if the cabin steward and the folks in the dining room do an exceptional job,
I normally pass them and extra $20 or so. I agree with one person here who
said to be more satisfied just drinking the tea, coffee, hot chocolate,
lemonade, water that is provided to you at no extra and only buy a few
drinks just to be sociable and therefore save your 15%. I'm not sure I
totally agree with automatically taking another 15% either, but it is now
the way things are done. I'm sure once you've enjoyed your cruise, you will
be more than willing to pay your gratuities. As I understand it, you don't
have to pay if you truly don't want to. Go take it up with the purser, but
I think you will think it's a deal once you see how it all works. Relax and
enjoy your cruise.

Ray B.


"Eddie-Type2" wrote in message
...
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree
with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is,
"
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no
way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for
normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie

Eddie-Type2 wrote:
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree with
it at all.
snip
I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?


No, Eddie. You don't sound rude at all! Unaware of traditions, maybe
.... but not rude. the US is real big on tipping. Many workers in the
service industry have their pay made up primarily of tips. The cruise
ship industry is the same way.

LOTS of people had expressed the same concern when the cruise lines
started adding the tips to the bill automatically.

However, if the cruise lines paid the employees an equivalent amount of
the tips, then they would have to raise the pricing another 10% or more
on the tickets. Then the various unions would take a bigger bite of the
employees' pay, yada, yada, yada ... it is a vicious cycle! It is just
easier to make the basic cruise ticket cheap and then ding you for
everything else!

Now, that said. Enjoy your first cruise and forget about the tips. It
is a small amount compared with the rest of the trip (air, transfers,
tours, trinkets, photos, etc.).

But, if you REALLY don't want to tip, then find fault in EVERYTHING that
your steward and servers do and complain every day to the purser's desk.
That way they will understand when you want to take off the tips at
the end of the cruise. Of course, you will have had a miserable time,
but you will have saved $122.50!

Just my $.02


--

Ray Contreras
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Webmonkey for:
http://www.ossystems.com
http://www.bobs-garage.com
http://www.clanwolverine.org
http://www.rayzplace.com

Eddie-Type2 wrote:
Hello,

We are going on our first cruise at the end of this month.

I've been reading a lot about tipping and quite frankly, I don't agree with
it at all.

I'm not trying to be cheap at all, but my philosophy regarding tipping is, "
I tip if I think the service is worth it !".

I read that tipping for room stewards should be $3.50 per day per person -
This is crazy in my opinion! I have a young family of 5 and there is no way
that I should feel compelled to tip $17.50 per day! I don't want to sound
rude, but why do I need to tip on a cruise when I don't even tip for normal
room service at a hotel? Am I missing something here?

I also read that we should tip our main server and assistant server during
dining. Why do I need to tip 2 people instead of only one person like any
other normal restaurant? How much is an appropriate amount?

I read that every passenger must have a sign and sail card and that each
time you use it, a 15% gratutuity will automatically be applied to my
account? What the heck is all that about? Will I have an option to just
pay cash for sodas and stuff?

Any comments are sincerely appreciated

Eddie


Sounds awfully suspicious. He knows a lot about the policy yet is
complaining like he didn't know all these details.

He's either a troll, or cheap.( no tipping room service?)

I say tipping is what it is on a cruise, live with it and enjoy your trip.

Clay