auuto gratuity's ?

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viet630

Guest
I would like to know what the tipping policy is on Norwegian cruise line's? Do they have auto gratuity's ? If so can you elect to do it as deserved or do you have to do the auto thing?Thanks in advance.
Viet
 
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ccidaho

Guest
Hi -

We are sailing on Norwegian on our first ever cruise in August. I am wondering the same thing. I would like to have the option of giving tips to those that do a good job, vs. having the amount forced upon me and distributed as the cruise line sees fit. Hopefully someone helps clear this up for us!
 
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viet630

Guest
ccidaho
This is exactly how I feel ,this is why I was asking.We normally go on Celebrity and that is how it works there.They give you a guideline, but if someone gives excellent or above average service you can give them extra.I think the auto gratuity's are a form of socialism, everyone gets the same whether they do anything or not.jmho.
Viet
 
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Haze

Guest
We have been on the Norwegian Sea in 2002. We are currently booked on Norwegian Jewel for September. 18/05. I know that when we were on The Norwegian Sea, the tips were added to our on board ship account per person daily. I belive that you can go to the purser''s office and have that changed.
 
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Cruizer

Guest
I am booked on the Star in October, so I have been researching this myself. It is now a mandatory service charge. I am sure it can not be adjusted down. Not sure if it can be adjusted up. Also, I believe cash tips have to be pooled.

The reason for this is the Freestyle dining. You might not see the same waiter twice. I understand this, but the cabin steward should be the same each day.

There are articles in CruiseTravel about this. I know there were in 2004 and perhaps in 2005 (or in 2005 it may have been just letters to the editor.
 
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rshreib

Guest
The Gratuity can be adjusted (up or down). You may also single out any specific person who you felt did a great job. On our cruise on the NCL Majesty, the cruise was bad enough that I went to complain at the front desk. They gave me a sheet that was a gratuity adjustment sheet. They had a whole stack of them right at the desk so I guess I wan't alone on this particular cruise.
 
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Don Clark

Guest
Its automatic. However, you can tip more in person if you like.... The reasons why almost all of the cruise lines have gone to the automatic tips is that there were many who skipped out not paying the tips....
 
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viet630

Guest
I have never skipped out on a tip.. But I do want it left up to me as to the amount.Sometimes I tip the recomended amount sometimes more. But I want a cruise line where it is my decision and mine only. I do not need help from the cruise line as to how much to tip or to whom.This is why I will stay with the lines that have the traditional way of tipping.
Viet
 
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Don Clark

Guest
I know a lot of us don't skip out the tips, but there are many who do, and thus the reason why the cruise lines are going to auto tipping. Frankly, I find it easier to let the cruise lines figure the tips out.... and its easier to just charge the tips to the card.... why bother?
 
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viet630

Guest
Don
Why bother! Because tipping is all about good service.This is why you leave a tip in a resturant. The better the service the bigger the tip. If everybody get's the same pay where is the encentive?I have seen the service on cruise ships go down hill greatly after they started the auto gratuity's. Carnival started it and then spread it to all the line's they own and the service has reflected it.We have been trying to stay with Celebrity cruises and thier service has alway's been great. they are just getting very pricy.
Viet
 
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Don Clark

Guest
I have worked in restaurants before, I am of the opinion many people tip for future service. If you stiff your waitress at your favorite Dennys, see if you'll get a cup of coffee from them the next time, the next day or the next week. The problem with cruise liners is that many don't intend to come back soon, and can easily stiff a tip without any consequences on the last day of the cruise.....

Frankly, to do the tipping properly, we should be tipping everyday on the cruise ships, not the last day.......
 
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Cruizer

Guest
Even with the auto charge there is nothing preventing you from putting a little extra in an envelope and giving it to the person(s) you believe is/are deserving. That is how I did it on the last two cruises. Otherwise you have to carry on board over $140 just for tips. I think I gave out an extra $50 on each of the last two cruises and made sure the people I gave the extra tip to understood it was in addition to the normal tip (not instead of the normal tip).
 
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beckyw

Guest
I have read that the only way to adjust the auto tipping is if you have a complaint, you have to make it on the ship. Your complaint will be investigated and if found to be of merit, the adjustment will be made by the staff on the ship. This is only what I have read, not experienced personally.
 
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viet630

Guest
If we decide to try Nowegian I am just going to add the tip's to the price of the cruise and figure that as my total along with port taxes and parking.I don't like auto grats but since carnival started it some time back most of the others have followed suit.I don't find it a problem to get cash before we leave and fix the tip envelopes the last night, as a matter of fact I alway's enjoyed giving the service people thier tip's and telling good job. This has been this way for years and never been a problem.I have seen service decline due to the auto grat's but what can you do?Cruising is not like it used to be, not even 5 years ago. Viet
 
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ABoatNerd

Guest
RE: The impact of automatic tipping - Linked To Service Quality Declines?

Responding to "VIET630" - you said "but what can you do". Answer - DO NOT CRUISE! You absolutely have that control and there are many options for your vacation $.

My husband and I will not patronize cruise lines that have "auto tips" period. If all cruise lines go this way (I usually cruise Celebrity or Crystal), then cruising will be eliminated from my life. Auto tips are a form of socialism as noted by a previous poster and smack of "unions" where everyone is paid the same irregardless of effort or quality = decline in incentives to achieve.

I am not particularly impressed with the direction cruising is taking (informal, cell phones, "free range kids" out of control, declining food quality/presentation etc), so 50% of my cruise budget has been removed from cruising and reassigned to golf based resort vacations.

There are many posts on the various cruise boards about service quality declines on Holland America in particular.

Frankly the cruise lines are becoming arrogant - BECAUSE WE LET THEM, WE CONTINUE TO FLOCK TO CRUISES which continue to provide a declining product offering and increased "nickle and diming". No one forces us to cruise - if it bugs you. Don't give them your business.

When people stop taking cruises, the cruise lines will adjust.

Rember what Ann Landers said "no one abuses you without your permission

ABoatNerd
 
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Hi*im*lisa

Guest
There is a paper you can fill out to take off the gratities and adjust them or delete them.
I just got back from my cruise to Bahamas.. UNFORTUNETELY we never made it to Nassau. Problems with the propeller. The NOT so big compensation was 200.00 per stateroom. Alot of unhappy customers once again !!!!
 
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Cruizer

Guest
Lisa -

I understand your frustration on not being able to go to one of the ports you wanted to visit. However, none of the service staff had anything to do with missing the port or the decission to skip the port. So it would not be fair to allow this to affect how much you tip.

That being said, you are entitled to a refund of your port fees / taxes. Have you contacted NCCL about this?
 
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Don Clark

Guest
A hurricane once ruined by Western Caribbean cruise, and we ended up doing an Eastern Caribbean cruise instead. I did not get to see any of the ports I wished to visit, but had a wonderful time going somewhere else. If you are that desperate to get to Nassau, you can fly there the next time, or do the cruise again. No matter how much we take care of our cars, eventually they will have mechanical difficulties. The Dawn is one of NCL's newest ships. Yes, they can fix things at sea, but it takes time for the spare parts to arrive. There are several other ships with different lines having mechanical difficulties too, its not just NCL. The best thing to do is to not let these little things ruin your vacation.
 
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WCoastCdnCruisers

Guest
Ok, lets get this one straight .... Auto Tips were started by NCL when they instituted Freestyle Cruising. If you do NOT have dinner every night with the same wait staff who will you give your "regular" tip to? So many passengers were actually asking for convenience "can't you just put it our my account" that they decided to go that route. Once the wait staff were covered they added the room steward. Then Princess was next when they brought in Personal Choice Dining. It really had little to do with the stiffing of staff. These automatic tips on Princess are done daily onto your account at midnight (or thereabouts). You can go and have them removed, you can go and put more on, it's up to you. The other cruise lines followed suit when the Cruising Public seemed to like the convenience of it. For a short time the NCL America product made the $10.00 per day per person "tip" into a Resort Fee and there was no way to change it but I understand that has gone by the way side now. p.s. ABoatNerd - I agree that Celebrity and RCI have it right - they let you put it on your account and give a voucher for the convenience aspect. But then Celebrity and RCI still have formal 2 seating dining and thus you have the same staff the whole cruise long. Don't know about Crystal. Laurey
 
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viet630

Guest
Laurey
I tend to agree that you don't have the same wait staff every meal., So I also think that auto grat' s in this case are the best way to go.How else would you tip the large variety of people that would wait on you over the period of a week.I do not like auto grat's on a traditional cruise, but I do think it is in order on the freestyle cruises.JMHO. Viet
 
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