Don't Discount Their Tips

Why do parents think their children should be a discount when it comes to thanking the staff?

The ENTIRE staff of the ships work very hard, many more than we could ever think about that have a hand in helping us enjoy our vacation. Tipping the standard should be done without giving it a second thought. After all it's generally only the room and dining staff that we are showing appreication to.

Every parent should know without a doubt what it's like to cook, clean, pickup, and wait on children and young adults. Those that do receive monitary compensation for services that involve children shouldn't be discounted but rather receive more than the standard. My reasoning, children are parents most prescious gift from God. Therefore, those that help assure the children are taken care of, picked up after, and kept them safe deserve our utmost graditude. If you cherish your children cherish those that take care of them. Cherish yourself and those that take of you too.

My suggestion for the poster that was asking about tipping for 15, is to not look at the tipping for 15 as a whole, as that can make that total tipping figure seem expensive. Rather the fact that in the world today $10 a day for a service as personal as it is on a cruise is cheap. A bargin for sure.

If you have a problem with the service, speak up at the moment, not at the end of your vacation. It's called taking care of business, when it needs to be addressed.

Bottom line if you can't afford the vacation, with all the expense, then find an alternative that does fit your budget.

Mother of 4 children, rather teenagers.
Em

[Donna]

Hi Em,
I totally agree with you, the staff (I think) works even harder to make the kids cruise fun, they deserve the regular amount in tips, I've always tipped the same for my kids.

What a lovely attitude, EM.

[pg.]

Well that's one opinion.

And don't forget that on Shore Excursions, the "Very Much" part of thanks is more tangibly known with a bill(larger than a one!). If they obviously did more than what you expected, helped with your kids, give your kid the 20 and train him or her to do the "very much" routine of thanks to the vendor.
just my 2 cents or more... :-)

[pg.]

Scott you tip TWENTY DOLLARS for a shore ex!!!!!!!!You guys are crazy!!!!!!!!!You know we love American tourists up here( Victoria) and you now know why, but doesn't it feel kind of like " buying friends" ( you know how kids do) . Give 5 bucks , smile say thanks and you will still be a great guy, 20 bucks reeks of " hey big spender".JMHO

PS. Please feel free to tip at any Canadian ports you ever stop in , just like that, it will keep us smiling.

I will not tip on tour trips from ships. I pay enough money to go on the tour which always seems overpriced. The tour company should pay their tour guides good wages. 20 dollar tips, you must have money to burn.

[bicker]

Not tipping because you feel you've paid "enough money" is isn't defensible (in any scenario, not just this one). The cost of any service needs to be considered as a whole, when considering whether you can afford it and whether it is "worth it" to you. If the entire cost, fee plus standard gratuity, is too high, either based on affordability or your perception of value, then you should not partake of the service (again, regardless of what service we're talking about).

Having said that, there is a real question in my mind what is the standard gratuity for tour guides on excursions. I have read $5 and $10 most often. I agree that $20 seems far beyond the standard expectation.

I don't feel I should have to tip a tour guide who is doing their job.They are not doing anything special for me or my group. They are not taking care of my cabin or doing or getting something I requested. I will continue to take part in these tours if I wish. I pay the tour fee and from that, their company pays their wages.

[bicker]

Sorry, but I don't see the distinction you're making. How is the person changing your sheets doing something "special" for you? How is the person who answers your personal questions about the sites you visit, and make sure you don't get lost, not doing something "special" for you?

Bicker, do you tip EVERYONE!!!!!!
I doubt it.
Do you tip at the gas station, do you tip the receptionist at your doctors office, do you tip at the grocery store?No, probaly not. So who are you or anyone else to say who should get tips and who shouldn't?
Tour guides are generally paid a decent wage, they should be since the tours are so overpriced.
I think some people are just totally off their rockers when it comes to tipping.
Tipping should be special, for good service. I tip very little to none for bad service. I tip 15 % for good service. That's it, no extra 20, nothing.
It is amazing that almost EVERY other country in the WORLD gets by with either a no tipping, or low tipping mentality. And no, I am not referring to third world countries only, there are in fact many other well run , financaly,politically and economically stable countries that do not go have a major tipping policy in place.

You do tip everyone who serves you right? Do you tip at a fast food joint, and if you don't please tell me why ! I bet it gets real complicated.

[bicker]

No, I do not tip EVERYONE!!!!!! <rolling eyes>

I tip service workers who provide services for which the fee is structured based on an expectation that tipping will complete the compensation.

An individual doesn't get to determine whether a specific wage is "decent" or not. Society decides that. The actual dollar amount they get paid, even if you were actually in a position to know in every case, is irrelevant. A server at a fancy restaurant makes more salary (before tips) than a gas station attendant, yet patrons tip the restaurant server and don't tip the gas station attendant, because that is our culture's mores.

I'll ask you again to explain the distinction YOU make between tour guides and restaurant servers. What is your rationale for tipping one and not the other?

Tours guide are paid more .

" rolling eyes" ( just a bit condesending aren't we?, must be nice to believe that your opinion is of course the correct one and that others are just too stupid for words.

Tour guides ( unless on a private tour) are not giving you a personal service, it is a group service.

Interesting to me is how many posters state we should tip because the workers don't get paid much( I see this REPEATLEY posted) , yet by YOUR own admission their wage should have nothing to do with it. ( gas station attendent, versus waiter at a nice restaurant)
Choose which "value" you are applying.

So do you tip based on quality of service rendered, on " societys values" , or because you must make up the workers wage?

I suppose we tip based on getting "personal service" ie: hairdresser, wait staff, etc.

I tip cab drivers. It's a small thank-you..I suppose we can look at it that way.

Not a guarrantee, not a "I subsidize your crummy wage", but just a small bit of kindness that is part of the cost of being in society and dining out, etc.

[bicker]

Tour guides are paid more than what? How do you know (1) how much they're paid? and (2) how much they should be paid?

Rolling of eyes is a very standard indication of disbelief. In this case, disbelief that you would presume that I tip everyone. Your "condescension" -- complete with online YELLING -- warranted far less polite treatment than you got. Quit while you're ahead.

Restaurant servers are also about giving a group service. Indeed, on cruise ships, we're seated with up to 10 complete strangers, and the server serves all of us together, just like a tour guide leads a tour group. Again, I don't see any defensible distinction in the statements you're making.

I agree that paying tips "because the workers don't get paid much" doesn't make sense. Gas station attendants are the best counter-example. I agree with you on that one. I think it is silly for you to expect me to defend the statements made by others, given I disagree with them. Here's another <rolling eyes> for you.

You tip based on society's values (as reflected in the compensation structure of the service in-question), which specifies what services warrant tips and what the standard tip is for that service, and includes applying your discretion with regard to varying that standard tip up or down within a range, to reflect quality of perceived service.

We took our first cruise to Alaska this year and in the documents from Celebrity it said to tip half of the recommended about for any child as a third or fourth passenger under the age of 12.

That is exactly what we did.