R
Rembrant
Guest
This being more of an opinion really and conversation starter, I'm assuming that people WILL tip as I write 
What does everyone prefer? Personally, one of the first things I do when the ship gets underway is to remove all tips from my S&S account and get a bunch of envelopes from the pursers desk. Being as in the past I've been a waiter and worked a coffee bar, I know how it made me feel to personally recieve the tips. Made me feel like I made their experience worth more than the cost of the food. I can appreciate that people want to kinda just let it all go on vacation and the less we all have to worry about the better, but having the tipping automated just kinda robs me personally of something. When you hand them what they have rightfully earned, it makes me feel good in their appreciation. They work their tails off for us. It's the least I can do. They deserve their tips.
I know there are people (like my father in law) who believe that they paid for the cruise, that's all they should have to pay for and don't tip. My wife's folks came with us on our last cruise and I had it out with him twice about this. He's a good guy, but somethings just don't always sink in The only time I've ever stiffed someone was on that last cruise. Hear me out now. I base my tipping on service, same as everyone. Industry standard doesn't mean much to me, really for one big thing. When I was a waiter, I made crap for wages, so I worked my tail off to get tips, to make their experience worth more to them, and then to me. Our waiter last cruise was rude to both my wife and I and ignored half of our very reasonable requests made during meals. it wasn't until thursday afternoon, over halfway through the cruise, when my wife and I went to lunch without her parents. He asked where OUR parents were. I just shook my head and and pointedly said "HER parents. MY Inlaws." His face was in shock at his mistake. He'd been treating us as children who didn't pay their way and who weren't therefore doing the tipping. That didn't quite sit well with me. We were treated VERY well the last couple nights.. as we should have been all along. I'd like to point out that this is also the ONLY poor experience either my wife or I have ever had with Carnival. It was the wiater's poor decisions that lost him his tip. And it was our Room Stewards EXCELLENT service that earned her her tip as well as our waiters!
Anyway, I got a bit long wided there.
Opinions on it all? automated or otherwise?
Rembrant
What does everyone prefer? Personally, one of the first things I do when the ship gets underway is to remove all tips from my S&S account and get a bunch of envelopes from the pursers desk. Being as in the past I've been a waiter and worked a coffee bar, I know how it made me feel to personally recieve the tips. Made me feel like I made their experience worth more than the cost of the food. I can appreciate that people want to kinda just let it all go on vacation and the less we all have to worry about the better, but having the tipping automated just kinda robs me personally of something. When you hand them what they have rightfully earned, it makes me feel good in their appreciation. They work their tails off for us. It's the least I can do. They deserve their tips.
I know there are people (like my father in law) who believe that they paid for the cruise, that's all they should have to pay for and don't tip. My wife's folks came with us on our last cruise and I had it out with him twice about this. He's a good guy, but somethings just don't always sink in
The only time I've ever stiffed someone was on that last cruise. Hear me out now. I base my tipping on service, same as everyone. Industry standard doesn't mean much to me, really for one big thing. When I was a waiter, I made crap for wages, so I worked my tail off to get tips, to make their experience worth more to them, and then to me. Our waiter last cruise was rude to both my wife and I and ignored half of our very reasonable requests made during meals. it wasn't until thursday afternoon, over halfway through the cruise, when my wife and I went to lunch without her parents. He asked where OUR parents were. I just shook my head and and pointedly said "HER parents. MY Inlaws." His face was in shock at his mistake. He'd been treating us as children who didn't pay their way and who weren't therefore doing the tipping. That didn't quite sit well with me. We were treated VERY well the last couple nights.. as we should have been all along. I'd like to point out that this is also the ONLY poor experience either my wife or I have ever had with Carnival. It was the wiater's poor decisions that lost him his tip. And it was our Room Stewards EXCELLENT service that earned her her tip as well as our waiters!Anyway, I got a bit long wided there.
Opinions on it all? automated or otherwise?
Rembrant
