Tipping Question

Wayne

"FOUR RRS" <fou...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000721203549...@ng-fj1.aol.com...
> Here is the scenario
> Five day cruise
> Four couples
> Seven children
> Dinner only in dining room (Breakfast and lunch at buffet)
> Children did not attend dinner (Ate before dinner and then went to
camp)
> A table was empty because the children were not present
> Service was average
> What is a fair tip for the waiter? This was a subject of debate.

As for being absent at dinner, I think you should tip the full amount based
on the number of people in your travel group. The dining room staff should
not be penalized because you made a decision not to use their services.

You did not mention the ages of your children; it's too bad that they
skipped the dining room entirely. They missed one of the joys of cruising.
I have been cruising with my son since he was 2 years old (now 16). He has
always gotten extra special treatment from the dining room staff.

On a recent cruise, there were two vacancies at our table because a couple
missed the ship. I cheerfully provided extra tips that more than
compensated for their absence. I was able to do this because I always
budget extra money for tips whenever I plan a cruise. It's just part of the
cost.

FOURRRS <fou...@aol.com> wrote in message

But... if the kids didn't EVER eat breakfast, lunch and dinner [as in
they fasted for all 5 days]... then you can go without tipping for
them. That seems fair to me.

What did you do?

--Tom <---- amazed that people pay $3000-5000 for a cruise and want to
save $25... no wonder NCL now puts it in the bill... I wish all other
lines did too...

Did these folks show up at tip night or
did you have to tip them in their respective venues?

AJ

i assume you all are not staying in one cabin and that each couple is
responsible for their own children... therefore one person is not paying the
750... you could multiply that by the 1400 passengers :) and see what you
get...when you porportion it the way it should be instead of making it seem one
person is paying 750 in tips then it is appropriate,, either way,, if one
person was to pay for 15 people a 750 tip amount per week would be
correct..that would equate to 50$ per person in tips for the week and i do not
see where that would be out of line...NCL is charging tips to your account but
you have the option of raising, lowering or eliminating them... hope this makes
sense :)
HOST CRUISE STAR (Simi)
Cruise Cafe Host
KW: Cruise Critic on AOL
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Wayne

"AJ" <sod...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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loonyhiker

Fredisg <fre...@aol.com> wrote in message
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<FOP...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:13007-397...@storefull-241.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
<snip>

FOP...@webtv.net wrote:

> show up. I am not going to tip for the 2 that didn't show up.

The only difference is that you didn't eat breakfast and lunch as well,
using the waiters in your fancy restaurant. But if the kids DID eat
breakfast and lunch in the buffet restaurant, they DID get service from
the waiters. Maybe not your waiters, but from someone else's. Having
everyone tip based on their dinner waiter helps balance all the tips
around.

--Tom

I don't believe that is true--we traveel with 3 young children-and always tip
the required amount for five adult people-and then we tip upward for special
service--above and beyond--

I thinksome waiters prefer not to handle children because they think the
tipping will be less--

have you ever shared a table with 2 non demanding adults and 3 extremely well
behaved children (us)--and also 2 very demanding adults and 3 very demanding
children--the gold and jewels was hanging from everywhere on the latter
couple--and the drinks were ordered galour by them--I found out that they never
tip because they think the ship should pay the waiters higher salaries---I
would guess the waiters would select the second couple as the big tippers.--

gross!!!!!

Our waiter just told us that if each person only gave the minimum of $3.50 per
day x 7 days a week--he had 24 guests at two sittings for a total of 48 guests
x 24.50 per person per week-his salary would be $1276.00 and most people over
tip--sounds fair to me even though I know that they work very hard.

A "minor" point... just how do you think that food gets TO the buffet? The
waiters carry it there, keep it stocked for you. The wait staff on a cruise
ship certainly earn more in total than you do, and they work MUCH longer
hours for it! Some start long before you arise in the morning and are still
at work long after you retire for the night.

Marsha

<Katie...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:2813-397...@storefull-243.iap.bryant.webtv.net...

Hi Katie,

You are right. It is a crock. Most cruise lines now pay them $50 a
month. <:+(

Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com

Katie
a 14 hour day waitress

If you were to look up as you were loading your tray, you would see "your"
waiter standing there. I know that because that's exactly what has happened
on more than one cruise for me. They take turns in the dining room for meals
other than dinner and that's when they man the buffets.

As for HOW they get paid, if the cruise line were to pay them more, you
would pay higher fares. Regardless, it would come out of YOUR pocket. Look
at it as a way of spreading out your costs, since most people pay for their
cruise way ahead. It's the same way it is in most if not all restaurants!

Fourteen hour day? Next time you cruise, ask the wait staff how long their
days are! They start before breakfast and don't end until after the midnight
buffet. Seven days a week for the length of their contract.

No, it's not our place to pay their "salary", but we should recognize just
how much service we're getting!

Marsha

<FOP...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:2191-397...@storefull-245.iap.bryant.webtv.net...

On the ships that I've been on a waiter grabs my tray at the end of the
buffet line and finds a table for me. Then, while I'm eating, they come
around with fresh coffee etc. and are available should I need them to
get something for me like more cutlery, a fresh napkin or whatever. In
my expeience they do much more than just serve the food an bus the
tables. Did you ever spill something? Who rushes to help you clean up?

This is yet another reason to use a travel agent. On the GGC2K,
George Leppla insisted that we all merely take our seats in the
buffet, and then proceeded to go get whatever we wanted and bring it
to us. Vicki spilled a cup of coffee on her dress, and George ripped
it right off of her and rushed it to the laundry, where he proceeded
to wash, dry and iron it himself.

I won't go on to describe all the other things he did, such as tuck-in
service, cleaning our staterooms and helping in the bathroom, but let
me just state that even THERE he was available, paper in hand.

Tom

> Don't know about the rest of you, but when I'm on vacation and eating out,
I
> expect to tip for good and better service. Waiters are assigned a certain
> number of tables (guests) and this is what determines their income. And
yes
> your waiter at times will be serving in the buffet, serving the gormet
bites
> around the ship and so many other duties for our enjoyment. We all go on
> cruises for many different things. One of the most mentioned is the
feeling of
> being pampered. I don't make alot of money, but I could not stiff these
hard
> working folks that make my cruise so enjoyable.

Very well said.

What criteria did the waiters use to determine who were the tippers?
Very interested to know.

Even grosser, when you consider (Sandy neglected to mention it) that
you are expected to put your NAME AND CABIN NUMBER on the tip envelope!

--
Avi Jacobson, Manager of Language Localization, Gallery Systems
A...@GallerySystems.com - (510) 652 8950, ext. 246

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

> --Tom <---- amazed that people pay $3000-5000 for a cruise and want to
> save $25... no wonder NCL now puts it in the bill... I wish all other
> lines did too...

And so do I, along with - I would guess - most of the other folks who
are offended by Carnival's hard-sell push for tips. Increase the price
of the cruise by 10%, but do not hand me a tipping envelope with a
space for my name and cabin number on it, do not lecture at me about
how the galley staff work eighteen-hour shifts (yes, the Cruise
Director actually was not ashamed to mention this, despite what it says
about Carnival), and do not place an obligatory tip on my bar tab.
Other companies - like Holland America - have a no-tip required policy.

Matt

Avi Jacobson <A...@GallerySystems.com> wrote in message
news:8lghpm$vbu$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...

To me, tipping is avery personal thing between the tipee and the tipor.
I tip before tip night and I tip cash - hand to hand and eyeball to
eyeball. NO envelopes. I want the tipee to know what I tipped them and
if the service is good, I want to personaly say something in way of a
complement.

HAPPY RAILS TO YOU

CRICK

Why not tip as you go instead of waiting until the last
night?

Lloyd

I agree with you, but in the case of the new Freestyle Cruising on NCL,
having a different waiter at every meal can make the process unwieldy.

I think NCL would be better off adding the $10 pp per day into the cruise
fare and then advertising that "Tips are included in fare" or even "Tipping
not allowed". However, this would add $140 per couple to the cruise fare...
which would not make their fares competitive with other cruise lines.

I enjoy tipping, but I think I could learn to enjoy paying the amount
upfront and forgetting about it. If someone were to provide a service above
and beyond.... I am sure I could figure out a way to personally give that
person something extra. If the service was not up to par, I am equally as
sure that I could get the purser's desk to adjust the amount of my tip...
and why the adjustment is necessary.

George in PA <--- just an opinion

--
http://CountrysideTravel.vacation.com
http://www.CruiseMaster.com
http://www.GroupCruise.net

Teresa

but, we have sat with other people who monopolize the whole show--giving out
their addresses??? visit when you are nearby--complimentary every minute and
demanding--you would think that they are the high tippers but not necessarily
so--we always tip for our children as if they were adults--many we have sat
with do not tip for their children--

due to their attitude they certainly get to be friendlier with the crew and
at times we feel neglected but I assume the waiters imagine they are bigger
tippers than us--but we have found that to be a real misconception on their
part--

See, this is what bothers me. s far as I can tell, adequate, average
service is part of what you're paying for. have notihng against
tipiing fo good service and tipping high for extraordinary service,
but bad service shouldn't just get a low tip -- it should get none at
all, and so should just-okay service. If it's not really special but
not bad, then they are just doing their job, which the cruise line
SHOULD be paying them for. If they do something truly above and beyond
the call of duty, I give them a gift of thanks, which is what a tip
ought to be.

-Naomi

Fact - Tipping on most cruise ships is a way of life. You should know before
you go that although tipping is not mandatory, it is expected and account
for this money as a part of your cruise cost.

Yes... it would be nice if tips were included in the fare and it would be
nice if the workers got a decent wage so they would not have to depend on
tips for their living, but that is not the way real life is. The system is
in place and if you go on a cruise you are expected to understand this.

How does this translate into real life?

Average person - Mr. and Mrs. Joe Average know how things work and allocate
the "recommended" amount of money for tips before they leave home. If they
receive adequate service, they pay the recommended amount. For exceptional
service, they may add more. If they receive poor service, first they inform
the supervisor of whatever department they are unhappy with and give them a
chance to fix the problem. If the problem is not fixed, they lower the
amount of the tip.... to $0 if appropriate.

The Crusader - This person rails against the injustices foisted upon poor,
unsuspecting third world workers and refuses to perpetuate a system that is
unfair to his fellow man. During the week he will call all the waitstaff by
their first names and instruct them to do the same with him. He will take
their pictures and get to know them and be their friend. He won't tip but
will instead hug his waiter and cabin steward the last night of the cruise.
After getting home, he will send a nasty letter to the cruise line
complaining that the service on the last morning of the cruise had
noticeably deteriorated and he will demand a 10% discount on a future
cruise.

Another version of the Crusader is the person who decides that paying the
wait-staff is the job of the cruise line and tipping should not be
necessary. Sure, they knew ahead of time that the system of tipping is in
place but they judge the system by their own standards and decide not to
take part. In the back of their mind they may think that they are striking a
blow for change in the cruise industry, but in reality they are just hurting
the very people that have provided them with the service they have come to
expect.

The Cheap Bastard - They come in a number of varieties. The one easiest to
spot is the guy who eats every meal (two entrees and three desserts) in the
dining room... except for the last night. That night he is content to eat
BLT sandwiches in his cabin, along with any food he scarffed up from the
lunch buffet. These will hold him over until the late night buffet. In
another version, the Cheap Bastard actually gives the waiter an empty
envelope with the hopes that the waiter will put them with the others and
not know who gave it to him. CAUTION: If you are going to try this, give the
waiter the envelope AFTER the last dinner. A little known version of the
Cheap Bastard tells the waiter on the last night that he forgot the tip
envelopes in his cabin and will "take care of you in the morning". Sure.
This person rationalizes that the servers are getting free room and board
and if the job doesn't pay enough then they should quit and get another job
doing something else.... after all, no one is forcing them to work on a
cruise ship.

I suggest that if you are a Crusader or a Cheap Bastard, you should be
honest with the service personnel on the ship. On the first day of the
cruise, TELL these people that you will not be tipping them. Explain that it
is against your principles or religion and that in spite of the fact that
you won't be paying them, you have respect for them and the job that they
do. After all, you don't have anything against them, you are just protesting
the system. I'm sure they will appreciate it.

George in PA <--- remembers what it was like to work for tips

A perfectly reasonable alternative is to travel only on the "tipping
not even permitted" lines; there are a few. If enough pepole do this,
the others may get the hint.

-Naomi

Your post sounds like you're bitter. Don't tell me that Tom didn't tip
you generously for your exceptional service on the GGC2K?

Beth-
"Charlotte" <charl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:5389-397...@storefull-211.iap.bryant.webtv.net...

Why yes, he did.... but to be honest, last year I had to paint his house
while he and Vicki went on a cruise and I thought he could have been a
little more generous. Of course, maybe I was wrong when I assumed that he
WANTED all the glass in his windows painted white.

BTW - Tom is a staunch supporter of the tradition of tipping. In the article
he wrote for the last day's edition of the Great Group Cruise News, he wrote
the following:

"We have also begun a new tradition of giving a tip to Tom Gauldin. The
suggested amount is $50 per person per day, but additional amounts would be
appreciated. Just place the money in an envelope and slide it under the
Gauldin cabin door on the night before disembarkation. If you do not have
this kind of cash available, he would also appreciate personal checks,
jewelry or liquor. Caution, do not attempt to pour liquor under his cabin
door."

I am not sure how many of our 430 members took this suggestion, but I do
know that after the cruise, Tom bought a new car. <vbg>

George in PA <--- not always sweet, but never bitter

--
Tom Gauldin tgau...@nc.rr.com
Here's to the land of the Longleaf Pine,
The Summerland, where the sun doth shine.
Where the weak grow strong, and the strong grow great,
Here's to Downhome, the Old North State.
<luvto...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:26986-39...@storefull-114.iap.bryant.webtv.net...

--------------------------------------------------------

This reminds me of something I overheard while waiting to
disembark from the Celebration when it returned to New Orleans
on September 26, 1999.

During the time we were waiting in the lounge to leave we over
heard four girls talking behind us. And they were talking quite
loudly, and laughing very hard at something that two of them felt
was very funny. It seems that the four of them were traveling
together and were seated together at dinner with some other
people. On the last night when the tip envelopes were being
passed out, two of them put thier envelopes in the center of the
table and suggested that the other two do as well. The other two
did this and by the sounds of it the rest of the table did too.
( probably just not to look different ). The big laughs on the
last morning was when the two girls that first put their
envelopes on the table told the other two that all that was in
their envelopes was some torn up " Carnaval Capers "

The other two girls were upset to say the least. They were
concerned that the waiter would think it was them. The two who
did it said that there was no way that the waiters could be sure
who it was. That they probably didn't open the envelopes until
later that night, and wouldn't even know what table they came
from.

I could not beleive that they would do some thing like that.
If I were a waiter I would rather receive no envelope at all
rather than be tricked. I don't know if they tried something
like this with their room steward, I doubt it. He would know who
they were.

If one of these two is reading this I suggest that you confine
your vacation travel to a bus.

I always hand give the tips and thank the person for taking care
of us so well, even to the room steward. (very easy to find him
on the last night )

Scott

;)
I do not endorse Keen.com !
The ad following is tacked-on by Remarq !
(An otherwise excellent newsreader service.)

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SUNNY<.........cant get over the friendly and considerate staff and crew
from top officers to maintenance.

When we were aboard the NCL Wind, the tip envelops along with the
suggested amounts came with the daily activities list two days before the
end of the cruise. That was it. No personal notes, no solicitations from crew
members, no pressure at all.

Skip

Next time you're on a cruise and outside looking at the crews windows,
notice that most of them have plants in the windows. I have been down in
the crews "quarters" and they truly do try to make them "homey". I tip
well but also remember that the crew enjoys "personalized" tipping as
well as $$$$. I always try to do something appropriate for each staff
member...it's just getting to know them and what they enjoy.

Happy Cruisin'....Liz

As for our bags, NCL had motor coaches waiting for us at the Vancouver airport and
we were invited to "throw them in" the luggage compartments. We didn't see the luggage
again until after dinner aboard the Wind that night. Once we boarded one of the stewards
showed us to our cabin. He asked if we'd like a mini tour of the boat on the way. He pointed
out things that I probably would not have noticed for a few days. He did an outstanding job and
got an tip commensurate with his actions.

I don't care about the crew's economic status, don't care to get to know them except and don't feel
I owe them anything other than what I feel they should get. My tipping philosophy has to do with
the standard of services they give us. Average to good service get's recommend tips, great service
get's more, poor service gets nothing.

The last night I gave the dining room staff and stewards what I thought they deserved and wrote
a commendatory letter to NCL regarding them. I don't care for people who have the "gimme"
attitude. As far as I'm concerned, if they deserve a tip they get it, if they don't, they do without.
Asking me for one would be a waste of time.

Skip

Terri & Larry

jec...@webtv.net wrote in message
<24367-39...@storefull-266.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...