Foreign tipping customs?

[GenieDana]

Another dumb tipping question?

I heard a "rumor" from a friend who said that many Europeans don't tip, as it it is not customary (rather an insult). I've never been to Europe so I don't know? Question is, are the wait staff, hostesess, etc. getting stiffed?

Thanks,

Dana

 

[ThreeCircles]

Disney does a good job of providing tipping information in several publications throughout the cruising process.

Everyone should receive the information in their cruise documents, on publications within their stateroom, and accompanying the tipping envelopes distributed by the Stateroom Host/Hostess on the second to the last night of the cruise.

Everyone should encounter the proper tipping procedures at some point.

 

[off2disney]

I work in the restaurant industry and know from observation that many Europeans do not tip - I have seen my wait staff stiffed many times. I do know that a lot of cruise lines will automatically add tips to your "sail and sign card", and give you the choice of removing that option if you wish to tip directly. So most cruisers do know that tips are expected for certain positions.

 

[Buckaroo's Dad]

Good morning, GenieDana.

Question is, are the wait staff, hostesess, etc. getting stiffed?

Probably, if their spouses are sailing with them...

 

[Penny12]

In Europe the reason why tipping isn't prevalent is because the wait-staff in the first place are better paid than in the States so I think using the term that it's an 'insult' is very much mis-placed. In a restaurant if service is very good I'll leave 10% max - if service is bad it'll be less - in fact, I might leave none at all and not think twice about it. Tips here are given for performing above and beyond the bare minimum of their job.

Now, I'll not deny that this can be a problem when Europeans come to the States because some, not all, are in the same mind-set as at home. However - it's not all one way traffic. I open my mouth to the server...and I am obviously English. Some servers automatically assume they are going to get 'stiffed' and Service is poor as a result - therefore, I won't leave a good tip - so... there is a bit of a catch22 in this situation

Anyhow...with regards specifically to DCL it's unlikely that the staff will get stiffed (or atleast hopefully not often). Quite aside from the fact that tipping is made obvious from the left envelopes in the Stateroom, most Travel Agents, in the UK atleast, who sell DCL as a package (obviously we all need flights to get there) sell it with tips already <b>included</b> in the package price - so effectively, they pre-pay them.

 

[dianthus]

I think you have the right idea in Europe. Wait staff in the US should be compensated better!Then it wouldn't be a problem. The good ones would get recognized for excellent service, the poor ones none.

As an experiment, we tried pretipping on our 2nd cruise. We gave our steward & servers their suggested tip up front on the first night. We told all 3 there certainly would be more if service exceeded our expectations & it did. We gave the Head Server his tip on the last night as usual.

We can honestly say there was no difference in service from our first cruise to the 2nd. DCL staff is wonderful, so pretipping did not make a difference. It just took the anxiety out of wondering whether they would get stiffed at the end of the week... Our servers told us about 15% of the passengers leave no tips at all & everyone is well aware of the guidelines. From the sounds of it, the problem was not with the Europeans. Just cheap people!

They said they usually know it's going to happen when people don't show for Friday dinner, without them knowing about it. They said if they don't show there, they usually never show at breakfast the last morning.

If you're going to have dinner in Palo on Friday, make sure you let your servers know you'll see them at breakfast Saturday morning, so they'll feel better...

 

[jgalecpa]

To say that the wait staff in the US are better or worse compensated, or to say that europeans don't tip, is off the mark.

In the US as in many other areas, a servers total compensation is made from the COMBINED amounts of employer's pay PLUS tips from customers.

In some areas, for example, pubs in Britain and Ireland, the pay is purely from employers (and tourists who don't know).

In many countries, one must watch the menu for the magic phrase "includes service charge" which is builit in.

Be aware that in all countries, one rule is true. THE CUSTOMER PAYS FOR EVERYTHING. If US employers took over the entire compensation for servers and tipping was eliminated, Costs would rise for everyone.

When I travel abroad, I always do a few basic things. I learn how to say please and thank you in the local language, and I learn whether tipping is expected for everything from taxis, pubs to restaurants.

To say Europeans don't tip is a slur. To say one does not tip some places in Europe, whether one is a Yank or a local, is correct.