Pooled tips?
 

If you tip your room steward or dinner waiters to they have to share that tip with others in their department or do they get to keep the entire tip?
Thanks

All basic tips are pooled and shared.

If you tip the room steward extra, s/he is supposed to put it into the pool with the other tips. Do they really do it? I don't know.

We have assumed that the tips are pooled in the dining room.....

It's very difficult to tell what the real truth is. I think it depends who you talk to. I've been told by officers and staff alike that if the guests leave their "automatic" tips in place (to be pooled), and are then given additional tips over and above that directly from passengers, they are allowed to keep any amount above the automatic guidelines.

On the other hand if passengers remove their automatic tips, listing bad service in an area, the crew members are called on to explain.

If guests remove the automatic tips, and them tip some crew individually, they are expected to turn those over to the pool.

Gee, somehow that just doesn't seem fair that if someone did an outstanding job and you reward them at the end of the cruise, that they would have to share that extra gratuitity with some workers who were maybe not as conscientious.

That would seem to take the incentive to do an outstanding job away if you can ride on the coat tails of go getters.

So if I understand correctly, ALL the auto tips are pooled? Besides the room stewards, waiters, bus boys, folks working the buffet, who else shares in the auto-tips?

Thank you all for your input.

All the non-salary employees share in the tips. Even the ones in the laundry get a piece.

We always take the tip charges off our bill at the Purser's desk. We prefer to tip our "staff" personally for their service, which has always been TOPS on Princess. If they choose to pool their tip, that is their choice, but their tip is intended for their own personal pockets, and that's the way we want it to be.

Perhaps that is the way it was some time ago when a gratuity was our way of saying thank you for good service. But that is not happening today. As in the current model in Europe, a charge is added to your bill, referred to as the "service charge" and that amount is allocated in certain percentages to each participating employee. Whether or not you pay your "tips" in cash or via your onboard account, everyone in the system is going to get his or her share, their actual service performance notwithstanding. That is why we should no longer refer to this practice as tipping.

Having accepted this fact many many cruises ago, our daily service charges are left in tact and we then practice rewarding those who have made our cruise more pleasant with a true gratuity. It is our understanding that as we do not alter the daily service charge on our account the recipient can and will keep our gratuity. However, it has been hinted that when we do present a gratuity to an employee we do so in private.

I, too, will keep the 'normal' gratuity charge in tact, keeping in mind I can reduce that gratuity for under-par service at the purser's desk. Providing an additional tip for service's above and beyond what is expected, is something I will do discreetly with the employee.

Also, I always fill out the 'comments' card presented to me at the end of the cruise to give praise of those who deserve it.

Re: Pooled tips?
 

My understanding and no one seems to be completely clear about this: if you keep the auto tip on your account and tip anyone for doing something special they keep the tips, if you have the auto tip removed and tip individually those who recieve the tips must pool them.


Nita :)

Kuki, that is exactly how I understand the tipping process as well :) .
Nita

IF I GIVE THE ROOM STEWARD A TIP AT THE END OF THE CRUISE, AM I TO UNDERSTAND THAT HE HAS TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT I KEPT THE AUTOMATIC GRATUITY ON MY BILL BEFORE HE CAN KEEP THE TIP AND NOT POOL IT?

I AGREE WITH YOU JIM. THE AUTOMATIC GRATUITY IS PART OF THE COST OF A VACATION. I JUST WOULDN'T WANT THE ROOM STEWARD TO HAVE TO POOL THE TIP THAT WE GIVE HIM AT THE END OF THE CRUISE. THANKS FOR CLEARING THAT UP FOR ME.