HAL's Tipping Policy

Some time ago there was a thread concerning the confusion over HAL's new
policy of a standard per diem charge which was to be added to your passenger
account and pooled among the folks who worked in the service areas.

I wrote to HAL who sent me a stock answer which didn't add anything, but
when Danni asked, unlike myself who added the booking number, as someone
interested in booking, she received the following reply:

Dear Ms. Goldhaber,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our tipping policy. To answer your
question, crew members are allowed to keep additional tips from passengers
who do not ask to lower the $10.00 a day amount that is posted to their on
board account. This is done because we feel that the service our guests
receive requires a teamwork of many people, many whom passengers never
see.
Therefore, we do not feel it would be fair for a passenger to adjust the
tipping amount off of their on board bill and then only tip a select few
crew members. However, if a passenger wants to tip a select few crew
members above the tipping amount automatically posted to their on board
bill, then those crew members are allowed to keep those tips personally.

We realize that this new policy will bring up some questions from
passengers, and we hope we have helped you understand the specifics of
this tipping policy.

Best regards,

Debbie
Customer Relations
Holland America Line
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ

"Dick Goldhaber" wrote in message
news:ONednTjMFoFyFlXdRVn- Dear Ms. Goldhaber,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our tipping policy. To answer your
question, crew members are allowed to keep additional tips from
passengers
who do not ask to lower the $10.00 a day amount that is posted to their
on
board account. This is done because we feel that the service our guests
receive requires a teamwork of many people, many whom passengers never
see.
Therefore, we do not feel it would be fair for a passenger to adjust the
tipping amount off of their on board bill and then only tip a select few
crew members. However, if a passenger wants to tip a select few crew
members above the tipping amount automatically posted to their on board
bill, then those crew members are allowed to keep those tips personally.

We realize that this new policy will bring up some questions from
passengers, and we hope we have helped you understand the specifics of
this tipping policy.

Best regards,

Debbie
Customer Relations
Holland America Line


Dick, now that Danni has gotten their attention, I wonder if she might now
reply asking why the CDs on the cruise ships are telling us that the extra
tips given to selected crew members MUST be turned into a common pool? She
might specify the Westerdam as one since I had personal experience on it..
Thanks,
--Jean

Jean,

I am certainly not suggesting that the CD didn't tell you exactly what you
reported as you are not the only person to report it, but the answer that
Danni got would seem to me to be what they should be doing.

While many people do not have any contact with the Table Captain, on our
most recent HAL cruise he gave us special service every night, whether it
was insuring the preparation of special orders (yes, those ever popular
thymus glands) or making sure that Danni got to see the next night's menu.
Under the new guidelines I believe that he is included in the $10, and it
would be unfair to him if he had to share our gratuity.

If you go by what I remember as the suggestion, it was $3.75 for the cabin
steward and the waiter, and half of that for the assistant waiter. That
allocates about $8.75 of the $10.

In their original answer to me they also included the following, which
accounts for the wine steward, and that is fair. The wine steward should be
"tipped" by the people that he serves.

"A gratuity of $10 per guest per day for dining and stateroom services will
be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. We are
confident that you will find the service onboard exemplary and, should you
wish to make adjustments, you may do so at the end of the cruise by
contacting the front desk. A 15% service charge will be automatically added
to your bar charges and dining room wine account."

Right now Danni is on "special assignment", but I will request that she
follow up on your question as soon as she returns.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ


"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
m...

Dick, now that Danni has gotten their attention, I wonder if she might now
reply asking why the CDs on the cruise ships are telling us that the extra
tips given to selected crew members MUST be turned into a common pool? She
might specify the Westerdam as one since I had personal experience on it..
Thanks,
--Jean

"Dick Goldhaber" wrote in message
news:ONednTjMFoFyFlXdRVn-

Dear Ms. Goldhaber,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our tipping policy. To answer your
question, crew members are allowed to keep additional tips from
passengers
who do not ask to lower the $10.00 a day amount that is posted to
their
on
board account. This is done because we feel that the service our
guests
receive requires a teamwork of many people, many whom passengers never
see.
Therefore, we do not feel it would be fair for a passenger to adjust
the
tipping amount off of their on board bill and then only tip a select
few
crew members. However, if a passenger wants to tip a select few crew
members above the tipping amount automatically posted to their on
board
bill, then those crew members are allowed to keep those tips
personally.

We realize that this new policy will bring up some questions from
passengers, and we hope we have helped you understand the specifics of
this tipping policy.

Best regards,

Debbie
Customer Relations
Holland America Line

From: "Jean O'Boyle"
Date: 06/10/04 01:32 PM Eastern Daylight Time, asked:

Dick, now that Danni has gotten their attention, I wonder if she might now
reply asking why the CDs on the cruise ships are telling us that the extra
tips given to selected crew members MUST be turned into a common pool? She
might specify the Westerdam as one since I had personal experience on it..
Thanks,
--Jean

Jean,

After you reported what you heard on the Westerdam, I relayed the contrary
information (the same reply that Danni received) from our CD on the Maasdam. I
think it is just a matter of everybody still trying to get on the same page
with this change in HAL's policy. It is a shame that they (HAL's CDs) missed
the opportunity to have a seamless transition, but those things happen. I've
been involved with enough policy 'roll-outs' to know that every one may not go
perfectly. You try your best to make it perfect, but it doesn't always happen.


Ray

Wishing light winds and smooth seas to all

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 15:57:19 -0400, "Dick Goldhaber"
wrote:

Jean,

I am certainly not suggesting that the CD didn't tell you exactly what you
reported as you are not the only person to report it, but the answer that
Danni got would seem to me to be what they should be doing.

While many people do not have any contact with the Table Captain, on our
most recent HAL cruise he gave us special service every night, whether it
was insuring the preparation of special orders (yes, those ever popular
thymus glands) or making sure that Danni got to see the next night's menu.
Under the new guidelines I believe that he is included in the $10, and it
would be unfair to him if he had to share our gratuity.

I have noticed that the HAL table captains (or whatever they are
called) actually work, unlike most lines. They stay busy trying to
make sure everything is done -- even filling water glasses, etc.

My last HAL cruise I tipped our ass't maitre d, which I rarely do.
One thing about HAL, they really do run a smooth dining room IMO.


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Mason Barge wrote:

I have noticed that the HAL table captains (or whatever they are
called) actually work, unlike most lines. They stay busy trying to
make sure everything is done -- even filling water glasses, etc.


Yes, and moreso at the end of the cruise than at the beginning, we noticed.

My last HAL cruise I tipped our ass't maitre d, which I rarely do.
One thing about HAL, they really do run a smooth dining room IMO.


Yes, I agree. I prefer that the waiter not have to carry all the heavy trays,
a la Celebrity. On HAL, it was the assistant who did the carrying.

Our waiter on Celebrity was a sturdy Macedonian guy who said he was personally
responsible for all the dishes, though, and did not seem to mind carrying the
weight.

"Mason Barge" wrote in message
...

I have noticed that the HAL table captains (or whatever they are
called) actually work, unlike most lines. They stay busy trying to
make sure everything is done -- even filling water glasses, etc.

I noticed that too, Mason..they were even wiping down areas at the stations
and helping out where they could. Several times, during lunch time in the
dining room, they would come over and ask if they could do anything and if
everything was all right..

--Jean

Dick Goldhaber wrote:

Some time ago there was a thread concerning the confusion over HAL's new
policy of a standard per diem charge which was to be added to your passenger
account and pooled among the folks who worked in the service areas.

I wrote to HAL who sent me a stock answer which didn't add anything, but
when Danni asked, unlike myself who added the booking number, as someone
interested in booking, she received the following reply:

Dear Ms. Goldhaber,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our tipping policy. To answer your
question, crew members are allowed to keep additional tips from passengers
who do not ask to lower the $10.00 a day amount that is posted to their on
board account. This is done because we feel that the service our guests
receive requires a teamwork of many people, many whom passengers never
see.
Therefore, we do not feel it would be fair for a passenger to adjust the
tipping amount off of their on board bill and then only tip a select few
crew members. However, if a passenger wants to tip a select few crew
members above the tipping amount automatically posted to their on board
bill, then those crew members are allowed to keep those tips personally.

We realize that this new policy will bring up some questions from
passengers, and we hope we have helped you understand the specifics of
this tipping policy.

Best regards,

Debbie
Customer Relations
Holland America Line
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ


What about if one were to eat in the Pinnacle Grill, their alternative dining
restaurant? Would one tip them out-of-pocket as normal?

Mason,

Before I go off, to us the Maitre 'd is the guy that runs the dining room.
Years ago he would have been the guy we now call the Table Captain.

Given that, I don't recall that there was an assistant. Ours was Andrei,
and he was the only person we had contact with.

On the night that we dined at Pinnacle we walked back to the dining room
when we were done to try to find Andrei and the following night's menu. The
staff went out of their way to find him for us.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ



"Mason Barge" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 15:57:19 -0400, "Dick Goldhaber"
wrote:

Jean,

I am certainly not suggesting that the CD didn't tell you exactly what
you
reported as you are not the only person to report it, but the answer that
Danni got would seem to me to be what they should be doing.

While many people do not have any contact with the Table Captain, on our
most recent HAL cruise he gave us special service every night, whether it
was insuring the preparation of special orders (yes, those ever popular
thymus glands) or making sure that Danni got to see the next night's
menu.
Under the new guidelines I believe that he is included in the $10, and it
would be unfair to him if he had to share our gratuity.

I have noticed that the HAL table captains (or whatever they are
called) actually work, unlike most lines. They stay busy trying to
make sure everything is done -- even filling water glasses, etc.

My last HAL cruise I tipped our ass't maitre d, which I rarely do.
One thing about HAL, they really do run a smooth dining room IMO.


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please
bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Not necessarily more noticeable.

Maybe it was because he was efficient, or maybe it was because Danni is
pretty, or maybe he left a dog at home when he signed up, but Andrei was
always very attentive.
--
DG in Cherry Hill, NJ



"RTCReferee" wrote in message
...
Mason Barge wrote:

I have noticed that the HAL table captains (or whatever they are
called) actually work, unlike most lines. They stay busy trying to
make sure everything is done -- even filling water glasses, etc.


Yes, and moreso at the end of the cruise than at the beginning, we
noticed.

My last HAL cruise I tipped our ass't maitre d, which I rarely do.
One thing about HAL, they really do run a smooth dining room IMO.


Yes, I agree. I prefer that the waiter not have to carry all the heavy
trays,
a la Celebrity. On HAL, it was the assistant who did the carrying.

Our waiter on Celebrity was a sturdy Macedonian guy who said he was
personally
responsible for all the dishes, though, and did not seem to mind carrying
the
weight.