Gratuities

[JoeyandDavid]

We normally don't.. however this next cruise (Mediterranean)we have opted to.... I havent made my mind up about the cruise after that (P.Canal)..

Do you think that pre-paying results in slower service?

[Suzila]

We like to pre-pay the gratuities. It's so much easier than having to come up with the cash at the end of the trip. We saw so many people skip the last night's dinner, obviously so they wouldn't have to give a tip to the waiter, bus boy, etc...how rude is that?

I remember reading that the reason the cruise lines changed this was because of the spring break kids who cruised. They would spend all their money during the cruise and then not have anything at the end of the cruise to give as tips. When we sent our kids on their graduation cruise, we sealed the envelopes and told them they were not to use that money for anything...it wasn't their money! I was actually pretty proud of our oldest son. He called home during the trip and said the steward was great- he'd come into the room and pick up the kids' dirty laundry off the floor, and fold it, and put it back in the suitcase. He said the only problem was that he couldn't tell which pair of underwear was clean, and which was dirty! LOL! But for that, he gave the steward an extra cash tip...more than we had sealed in the envelope.

Anyway, I prefer having the tips go on the credit card in advance, and then we usually hand out cash to the steward, the waiter, the busboy, as service warrants, during the cruise. If they're doing a good job, we pass along our thanks with cash.

I guess I prefer to take a positive view. I don't think you get slower service when the tips are included on the sea pass card.

[Peddler]

We have always prepaid standard gratuities. We have, although, extended extras as the service permits. A wheel rolls a lot easier with grease than sand. :grin:

[cruiseduo]

We prefer the pre-pay concept. We don't have to worry about envelopes of cash, dividing it up, etc.

We still have the option to reward those that provide better service with an extra gratuity.

[hansi]

I NEVER prepay gratuities. I don't agree with that system. I give gratuities to those have given me good service. I always give a larger gratuity to my cabin steward ( providing he or she had done thier job properly)First thing I do on board is opt out of the automatic gratuities.

[JoeyandDavid]

Hansi

I know what you mean.. I am beginning to look at prepaying as part of the cruise price.. and then tips are extended from there..

Joey

[teacp]

We also prepay and like it that way. It is easier and if we feel one or more persons has gone above and beyond then we tip them extra at the end. I think the tipping is small anyway for what they do. That is probably why I tip extra when warranted. I really don't know where you would go for a whole week and the tips are only 70.00 pp.

[hansi]

70.00 tips for a weeks' holiday!. I guess you are talking dollars here. There is no way I would tip UK£42 for a week's holiday!! But then our American friends have an entirely different view on tipping than we here in the UK have. Just as well :wink: :wink:

[hansi]

We also prepay and like it that way. It is easier and if we feel one or more persons has gone above and beyond then we tip them extra at the end. I think the tipping is small anyway for what they do. That is probably why I tip extra when warranted. I really don't know where you would go for a whole week and the tips are only 70.00 pp.

70.00 tips for a weeks' holiday!. I guess you are talking dollars here. There is no way I would tip UK£42 for a week's holiday!! But then our American friends have an entirely different view on tipping than we here in the UK have. Just as well :wink: :wink:

Oops! I just noticed you said 70.00 pp!!! No way!!

[Gregswife]

Our last cruise was the only one that we pre-paid and we have decided not to do that anymore. I think the attention to our cabin needs was much lower than when we tip at the end. We have always found that in the case of tips being distributed the last night of the cruise, we have always been treated like royalty but with the new method, many things were found lacking. Also, the last night of the cruise was the only time we ate in the formal dining room. We had decided ahead of time not to take any formal wear nor dress clothes and spend our vacation in shorts and eating at out leisure instead of a scheduled time. Anyway, because of the prepay, we ended up tipping the waiter and busboy for a full weeks worth of service for one meal. I know they say you can go to the pursers desk and have the tips adjusted but have you ever seen the line there on the last night of sailing???? Trip before last, we gave our cabin stewardess $250 because she went above and beyond in every aspect of the term, but last time, I think he hardly deserved the standard tip that the cruise line charged at the onset of the trip. The remedy to that is that we will always hand out tips on the last evening of sailing in the future.