Do you ever remove the standard tips and add them later?

[wombat_5606]

I agree with this and your reasoning @squirk. It is a bit presumptuous for DCL to automatically assume that their service was to my standards (as far as tipping goes). It irritates me that it is an assumed tip. It also annoyed me that when our room host was HORRIBLE, I had to go to guest services and "reduce" a tip that was never earned in the first place. I guess, if they made it so the general population added tips at their discretion, I have a feeling a lot more people would opt out or just leave less and then DCL would have to figure out how to compensate their employees to keep them working there, so its just easier to assume tips and force guests to reduce (if they know they can do that) tips at the end.

The cruise industry does this, not just DCL. I believe DCL is unusual in that they let you remove or decrease tips.

Do you mind sharing what your stateroom host did, because it would have to be major for me to decrease tips?

 

[Dug720]

The cruise industry does this, not just DCL. I believe DCL is unusual in that they let you remove or decrease tips.

Do you mind sharing what your stateroom host did, because it would have to be major for me to decrease tips?

And why it was not addressed at the time so the person knew you weren't happy and had a chance to fix things?

 

[squirk]

I agree with this and your reasoning @squirk. It is a bit presumptuous for DCL to automatically assume that their service was to my standards (as far as tipping goes). It irritates me that it is an assumed tip. It also annoyed me that when our room host was HORRIBLE, I had to go to guest services and "reduce" a tip that was never earned in the first place. I guess, if they made it so the general population added tips at their discretion, I have a feeling a lot more people would opt out or just leave less and then DCL would have to figure out how to compensate their employees to keep them working there, so its just easier to assume tips and force guests to reduce (if they know they can do that) tips at the end.

Thanks. Yes, I think part of it is that I travel a lot for work, so I am tipping constantly - hotels, restaurants, valets, etc. - so making sure I take care of the people who take care of me is part of my daily routine. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have not tipped someone.

So with all this, maybe in the back of my head, I bristle at the auto-gratuity because I'm subconsciously like, "Hey, DCL. I tip all the fricking time. I know when a tip is merited. I know what a tip amount should be. I never stiff anyone. I don't need you to tell me if/when/how to tip, thanks."

 

[MunFam]

The cruise industry does this, not just DCL. I believe DCL is unusual in that they let you remove or decrease tips.

Do you mind sharing what your stateroom host did, because it would have to be major for me to decrease tips?

And why it was not addressed at the time so the person knew you weren't happy and had a chance to fix things?

@Dug720 Please do not assume that we did not address the issue with the SR host or GS. We absolutely talked to both our SR hostess AND GS before finally making the decision to reduce the tip. I work in the hospitality industry, so I am more than generous with tipping, however, there is a line when service goes from standard, to subpar and then unacceptable. So here is what happened to us on our 14 night WBPC in 2015.

We asked our room host on the 2nd day if she could please fill our ice bucket each day. She said no. Call room service (which meant I had to tip for each delivery). Fine, we ended up getting ice each day and paying $2 for each ice delivery.

Around day 5, the morning service the towels were removed, but not replaced. Hmmm, we thought, perhaps she got distracted. She will surely replace them at turndown. Nope no towels. So I ran up to the pool deck to get them. This happened again around day 7. Again...up to the pool deck.

On Pirate Night, we noticed all of the guests in their bandanas, so I went to GS to ask if they were something we should purchase and where can we get them. We were told that they should have been left at our morning service...so I ran back to our room to double check. Nope, not there. SO I went back to GS to inquire and that is when I told them about the ice and the missing towels. They followed up and also sent some strawberries as a "were sorry".

The next day, late morning, there was a knock on our door. It was a room hostess. She said "I heard you were looking for these, here!" And without ever making eye contact, she THREW them at me?!?! Now I am pissed. I went back to guest services, because ***!

Two days later...no towels again and our SR phone is missing. I go BACK to GS...turns out our phone was found in another SR because our SR host was using it. And mind you...no ice...still.

The 2nd to last night of our cruise was the unveiling of Frozen...She left us a "Crest of Arendale" yeah, it was 100% a toilet with chocolate poops on it. We all compared pictures at dinner.

At this point, I decide to just leave the DND on and "service our room" myself.

The last evening, our SR hostess had the guts to stop me in the hallway as happy as ever and remind me to give her a perfect score so she did not lose her job. That was it for me. I went to GS and reduced her tip to the standard $3 a day that I leave a hotel housekeeper. I used to be a hotel housekeeping supervisor at a AAA 5 Diamond Resort. I know service standards and I am 100% aware of "cleaning up before they enter to clean up". So I felt that there was no excuse for the ongoing non-sense that we experienced. We later found out that our SR hostess was on her last sailing before her contract ended and it did not get renewed.

Thanks. Yes, I think part of it is that I travel a lot for work, so I am tipping constantly - hotels, restaurants, valets, etc. - and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I have not tipped someone.

So with all this, maybe in the back of my head, I bristle at the auto-gratuity because I'm subconsciously like, "Hey, DCL. I tip all the fricking time. I know when a tip is due. I know what a tip amount should be. I don't need you to tell me if/when/how to tip, thanks."

I agree with you. I left the hotel industry a few years ago and Im now a corporate travel director, so if I am working, I am on the road and living in a hotel, so I keep $100 in $1s in my wallet at all times, but I could see how a new traveler or an infrequent traveler would not know or recognize the need to tip a bellman, housekeeper, etc.

 

[squirk]

@Dug720 Please do not assume that we did not address the issue with the SR host or GS. We absolutely talked to both our SR hostess AND GS before finally making the decision to reduce the tip. I work in the hospitality industry, so I am more than generous with tipping, however, there is a line when service goes from standard, to subpar and then unacceptable. So here is what happened to us on our 14 night WBPC in 2015.

We asked our room host on the 2nd day if she could please fill our ice bucket each day. She said no. Call room service (which meant I had to tip for each delivery). Fine, we ended up getting ice each day and paying $2 for each ice delivery.

Around day 5, the morning service the towels were removed, but not replaced. Hmmm, we thought, perhaps she got distracted. She will surely replace them at turndown. Nope no towels. So I ran up to the pool deck to get them. This happened again around day 7. Again...up to the pool deck.

On Pirate Night, we noticed all of the guests in their bandanas, so I went to GS to ask if they were something we should purchase and where can we get them. We were told that they should have been left at our morning service...so I ran back to our room to double check. Nope, not there. SO I went back to GS to inquire and that is when I told them about the ice and the missing towels. They followed up and also sent some strawberries as a "were sorry".

The next day, late morning, there was a knock on our door. It was a room hostess. She said "I heard you were looking for these, here!" And without ever making eye contact, she THREW them at me?!?! Now I am pissed. I went back to guest services, because ***!

Two days later...no towels again and our SR phone is missing. I go BACK to GS...turns out our phone was found in another SR because our SR host was using it. And mind you...no ice...still.

The 2nd to last night of our cruise was the unveiling of Frozen...She left us a "Crest of Arendale" yeah, it was 100% a toilet with chocolate poops on it. We all compared pictures at dinner.

At this point, I decide to just leave the DND on and "service our room" myself.

The last evening, our SR hostess had the guts to stop me in the hallway as happy as ever and remind me to give her a perfect score so she did not lose her job. That was it for me. I went to GS and reduced her tip to the standard $3 a day that I leave a hotel housekeeper. I used to be a hotel housekeeping supervisor at a AAA 5 Diamond Resort. I know service standards and I am 100% aware of "cleaning up before they enter to clean up". So I felt that there was no excuse for the ongoing non-sense that we experienced. We later found out that our SR hostess was on her last sailing before her contract ended and it did not get renewed.



I agree with you. I left the hotel industry a few years ago and Im now a corporate travel director, so if I am working, I am on the road and living in a hotel, so I keep $100 in $1s in my wallet at all times, but I could see how a new traveler or an infrequent traveler would not know or recognize the need to tip a bellman, housekeeper, etc.

Is that all? Sheesh, you are hard to please.

What did GS say about the "thrown bandanas" thing?

 

[MunFam]

Is that all? Sheesh, you are hard to please.

I know!! I was expecting a personal butler!!

Oh! I forgot...I sent my evening gown out to be pressed. It came back ruined. It was a ruched top...It came back in one flat floppy fold and completely un-wearable! Not sure who to blame for that one. I never even said anything about it. Needless to say, we had a rough experience.

 

[wombat_5606]

@Dug720 Please do not assume that we did not address the issue with the SR host or GS. We absolutely talked to both our SR hostess AND GS before finally making the decision to reduce the tip. I work in the hospitality industry, so I am more than generous with tipping, however, there is a line when service goes from standard, to subpar and then unacceptable. So here is what happened to us on our 14 night WBPC in 2015.

We asked our room host on the 2nd day if she could please fill our ice bucket each day. She said no. Call room service (which meant I had to tip for each delivery). Fine, we ended up getting ice each day and paying $2 for each ice delivery.

Around day 5, the morning service the towels were removed, but not replaced. Hmmm, we thought, perhaps she got distracted. She will surely replace them at turndown. Nope no towels. So I ran up to the pool deck to get them. This happened again around day 7. Again...up to the pool deck.

On Pirate Night, we noticed all of the guests in their bandanas, so I went to GS to ask if they were something we should purchase and where can we get them. We were told that they should have been left at our morning service...so I ran back to our room to double check. Nope, not there. SO I went back to GS to inquire and that is when I told them about the ice and the missing towels. They followed up and also sent some strawberries as a "were sorry".

The next day, late morning, there was a knock on our door. It was a room hostess. She said "I heard you were looking for these, here!" And without ever making eye contact, she THREW them at me?!?! Now I am pissed. I went back to guest services, because ***!

Two days later...no towels again and our SR phone is missing. I go BACK to GS...turns out our phone was found in another SR because our SR host was using it. And mind you...no ice...still.

The 2nd to last night of our cruise was the unveiling of Frozen...She left us a "Crest of Arendale" yeah, it was 100% a toilet with chocolate poops on it. We all compared pictures at dinner.

At this point, I decide to just leave the DND on and "service our room" myself.

The last evening, our SR hostess had the guts to stop me in the hallway as happy as ever and remind me to give her a perfect score so she did not lose her job. That was it for me. I went to GS and reduced her tip to the standard $3 a day that I leave a hotel housekeeper. I used to be a hotel housekeeping supervisor at a AAA 5 Diamond Resort. I know service standards and I am 100% aware of "cleaning up before they enter to clean up". So I felt that there was no excuse for the ongoing non-sense that we experienced. We later found out that our SR hostess was on her last sailing before her contract ended and it did not get renewed.

Oh my!!! That is definitely the worst story I've ever heard. I think, in that instance, that you were very generous with leaving ANY tip.

 

[wombat_5606]

I know!! I was expecting a personal butler!!

Oh! I forgot...I sent my evening gown out to be pressed. It came back ruined. It was a ruched top...It came back in one flat floppy fold and completely un-wearable! Not sure who to blame for that one. I never even said anything about it. Needless to say, we had a rough experience.

Yea, I learned cruise ship laundry service is not what people think it is, very early in my cruise career, too.

 

[bumbershoot]

The 2nd to last night of our cruise was the unveiling of Frozen...She left us a "Crest of Arendale" yeah, it was 100% a toilet with chocolate poops on it. We all compared pictures at dinner.

What does that mean?

 

[MunFam]

What does that mean?

The towel animal...

 

[IRLdisneyprincess]

What bugs me about this post is the notion of tipping for "exceptional" (or whatever adjective you want) service. If you don't tip them, they don't get paid. So, you are actually tipping for service, good/bad/fair. They wait on you for 3,4,7, etc nights. How the heck can anyone think they should lower the tip because someone didn't meet an arbitrary standard? What if your boss came to you and said, "Well, you didn't quite meet my desires so I'm not paying you this week." How would that feel? Because if you lower or eliminate the tip, that's what you just did to that server.

If you delete the tip and add it later, who would even know? Unless you keep telling the server you gave them 0 tip and they have to earn it back, I'm not sure anyone would know or care. You could email Disney (and every other cruise line) to get your point across. But again, you are tipping for service. If you feel someone shouldn't get paid unless they meet your criteria, you should tell them to their face the first night.

Tipping isn't mandatory though. The point of tipping is to reward the service. What if the service is subpar? Some people always tip a certain percentage no matter what, while others tip based on the quality of service. It's not supposed to be mandatory; it's up to the discretion of the customer.

I also don't like the idea that people should be pressured to tip someone, regardless on how good the service is, just because that person isn't getting paid a "fair wage". I don't think it should be the customers' responsibility to overcompensate or pad someone else's wages. I say this as someone who works retail.

The prepay tip thing is insinuating that you are going to tip a certain amount. It could be more, less, or not at all depending on the person. Why not leave the option for prepay before sailing, and then have an option for those who want to credit it or pay in cash later? What about the people who don't tip? What about those that don't feel like the level of service they received earned a tip?

I actually never tip on my credit or debit card. I don't know how Disney works, but I have several friends who are servers that have worked at places where either management didn't give them their tips or the amount of tips given was divvied up amongst everyone, and servers who didn't put in much effort profited off tips earned by the hardworking servers. That's why I just carry cash and make sure that it gets in the hands of the person that took care of me, not just left on the table.

Sent from my iPhone

 

[squirk]

The towel animal...

She really was going for the "scorched-earth campaign", wasn't she?

 

[squirk]

I actually never tip on my credit or debit card. I don't know how Disney works, but I have several friends who are servers that have worked at places where either management didn't give them their tips or the amount of tips given was divvied up amongst everyone, and servers who didn't put in much effort profited off tips earned by the hardworking servers. That's why I just carry cash and make sure that it gets in the hands of the person that took care of me, not just left on the table.

I was wondering the same thing. Is there an advantage for your people if you tip in cash? I mean, other than the fact that they instantly have cash in their hands? How long does it take for a tip to make it to their pocket (paycheck) if it's charged to a credit card? Is there tax withheld on the tips?

If you tip in cash, are your folks required to report that to their supervisor? I don't know why, but I have images of gold and diamond miners in my head, forced to turn out their pockets and shoes in front of the boss at the end of their shift before they can go home.

 

[Dug720]

I was wondering the same thing. Is there an advantage for your people if you tip in cash? I mean, other than the fact that they instantly have cash in their hands? How long does it take for a tip to make it to their pocket (paycheck) if it's charged to a credit card? Is there tax withheld on the tips?

If you tip in cash, are your folks required to report that to their supervisor? I don't know why, but I have images of gold and diamond miners in my head, forced to turn out their pockets and shoes in front of the boss at the end of their shift before they can go home.

Just like any tipped position, yes tips must be reported.

And there is paperwork for gifts given that must be filled out - usually involving your signature so that it is clear where the gift came from.

 

[squirk]

Just like any tipped position, yes tips must be reported.

And there is paperwork for gifts given that must be filled out - usually involving your signature so that it is clear where the gift came from.

So if I want to give my server a gift - not cash, but maybe a small personal item - I'm required to fill out and sign a form?

 

[Dug720]

So if I want to give my server a gift - not cash, but maybe a small personal item - I'm required to fill out and sign a form?

Pretty sure yes. It covers everyone's butt to prevent accusations of it being stolen.

But they REALLY do not have room for trinkets and stuff.

 

[apathetic]

Tipping isn't mandatory though. The point of tipping is to reward the service. What if the service is subpar? Some people always tip a certain percentage no matter what, while others tip based on the quality of service. It's not supposed to be mandatory; it's up to the discretion of the customer.

I also don't like the idea that people should be pressured to tip someone, regardless on how good the service is, just because that person isn't getting paid a "fair wage". I don't think it should be the customers' responsibility to overcompensate or pad someone else's wages. I say this as someone who works retail.

The prepay tip thing is insinuating that you are going to tip a certain amount. It could be more, less, or not at all depending on the person. Why not leave the option for prepay before sailing, and then have an option for those who want to credit it or pay in cash later? What about the people who don't tip? What about those that don't feel like the level of service they received earned a tip?

I actually never tip on my credit or debit card. I don't know how Disney works, but I have several friends who are servers that have worked at places where either management didn't give them their tips or the amount of tips given was divvied up amongst everyone, and servers who didn't put in much effort profited off tips earned by the hardworking servers. That's why I just carry cash and make sure that it gets in the hands of the person that took care of me, not just left on the table.

Sent from my iPhone

That's my point, it shouldn't be called or considered a tip. How the heck does anyone justify paying zero for service just because it didn't meet their completely arbitrary expectations? I blame Disney (and the entire food service industry) for calling it a tip and leaving people to decide if they should pay for someone serving them. They should call it a service charge but then they would have to notify you upfront in the cruise cost. So they play this game where servers work 80+ hours per week and they are at the mercy of people not paying them because they didn't meet some completely arbitrary standard. All this so the cruise line can avoid telling you the true cost of the cruise upfront. It should never be considered a tip because these people do not get paid if you do not "tip" them. If you feel the hard working service team shouldn't get paid after waiting on you for 3,4,7etc nights on a cruise, then that is more of a reflection on your character than their serving skills.

 

[Flossbolna]

I was wondering the same thing. Is there an advantage for your people if you tip in cash? I mean, other than the fact that they instantly have cash in their hands? How long does it take for a tip to make it to their pocket (paycheck) if it's charged to a credit card? Is there tax withheld on the tips?

If you tip in cash, are your folks required to report that to their supervisor? I don't know why, but I have images of gold and diamond miners in my head, forced to turn out their pockets and shoes in front of the boss at the end of their shift before they can go home.

From what I have learned, all the crew members have an account with the ship where their salary and their tips go into. Most do not have a lot of cash around because they don't need it for anything onboard and they often do not have a lot of opportunities to spend money in port. Also, most of them prefer to send a lot of money home and that has to be done through their account. Finally, with crew quarters being shared, I am sure most don't want to have cash lying around as you never know who might be tempted. So, I have been told that the CMs prefer not to be tipped in cash as it saves them time. If they have cash they need to deposit, make sure to get to the place where you deposit cash when it is open, maybe wait in line. And if it is one thing that crew members all seem to have very little of, then it is spare time. So, why would they want to waste it on cash.

 

[squirk]

From what I have learned, all the crew members have an account with the ship where their salary and their tips go into. Most do not have a lot of cash around because they don't need it for anything onboard and they often do not have a lot of opportunities to spend money in port. Also, most of them prefer to send a lot of money home and that has to be done through their account. Finally, with crew quarters being shared, I am sure most don't want to have cash lying around as you never know who might be tempted. So, I have been told that the CMs prefer not to be tipped in cash as it saves them time. If they have cash they need to deposit, make sure to get to the place where you deposit cash when it is open, maybe wait in line. And if it is one thing that crew members all seem to have very little of, then it is spare time. So, why would they want to waste it on cash.

Thank you. Good to know. I need to stop slipping extra cash in those envelopes.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thank you. Good to know. I need to stop slipping extra cash in those envelopes.

I also have the suspicion that it cannot do any harm if it is noted that the tips are adjusted up. Just like @Dug720 says about how it is noted when the gratuities are adjusted down, I think someone regularly getting larger tips might be noted as well.