A Guide to Tipping.(Sorry)

[Taffy, Wales]

From todays Mail

A guide to tipping etiquette around the world | Daily Mail Online

Part of the piece has a guide to US tipping you can see where the cruise line get there Tipping rates from...Taffy

[Lacey, Wirral]

Just a personal observation - since gratuities have become automatically added to the cruise onboard spend, I feel the standards of service have dropped ( as if they don't need to make the effort) It could of course just be that as cruise lines compete for business they make cuts elsewhere and the standard of staff is one of them.

That has not been my experience.

[Harvey, Bristol upon Cream]

Well something has changed in 2000 tipping was not unusual.

My Chinese SIL tips - I take my lead from her rather than the Daily Mail.

Annie

Quite agree. I wouldn't even trust the 'Date' on the front page of the Daily Mail let alone any article inside it. It is a newspaper, and I use thae term loosely, not known for factual or truthful reporting. It's even worse than The Sun!

[Taffy, Wales]

I always read the Port info they leave in my cabin,it helps regarding the local attitude regarding tipping in bars and Taxis etc,

Found that in some countries they include the tip in the taxi fare ,no need to give extra.
The Amount expected in Bars and Restaurants varies country to country.
Try not Tipping in America ,my Daughter had a very nasty incident in NY when she did not tip enough.
They still expected a tip after the meal went back and she got ear ache from the waiter for complaining ,she threatened them with calling the police ,as she said very scary ...Taffy

[echo, derby]

Well, I didn't know tipping is not expected in China. That's handy. Every day's a school day!

Bill

Well the girl I met in a bar in Hong Kong in the 70s certainly wanted a tip.

[cruisedreams, Thirsk]

Maybe the ethnic Chinese don't like accepting tips from 'foreigners' ? However I know I may sound like a broken record but the Chinese relatives I have tip Chinese Home and Away.

Annie

Maybe you should visit China first hand Annie like I did, your relative maybe out of touch since 1995.

[SteveH2508, London]

Just a personal observation - since gratuities have become automatically added to the cruise onboard spend, I feel the standards of service have dropped ( as if they don't need to make the effort) It could of course just be that as cruise lines compete for business they make cuts elsewhere and the standard of staff is one of them.

I would suggest that it is not the standard of staff - it is the number of staff that has reduced. There were definitely less waiters in Bar City on Norwegian Jade (an area we are very familiar with!) on recent cruises. Room Stewards seem to have more rooms to clean - there are less drinks waiters around the pool - the MDR staff seem more stretched. I suspect this is probably true of several lines - a 'simple' cost-cutting measure for the bean-counters.

[annie, Glasgow]

Maybe it is different in Hong Kong (still China) but my niece who lives there told me not to tip when I visited last September, the Chinese look upon it as condescending,

Maybe the ethnic Chinese don't like accepting tips from 'foreigners' ? However I know I may sound like a broken record but the Chinese relatives I have tip Chinese Home and Away.

Annie

[cruisedreams, Thirsk]

Maybe it is different in Hong Kong (still China) but my niece who lives there told me not to tip when I visited last September, the Chinese look upon it as condescending,

[annie, Glasgow]

From the link you could not be bothered to read.


The guides are from travel experts and companies (Just printed in the Mail)...Taffy

Hi Taffy

All I will say is I know, from experience, the Chinese tip the Chinese whether in the UK or China.

Annie

[diana11, midlands]

I have just returned from a 2 week Cunard cruise. I was amazed by the number of passengers who told me on first meeting them that they had taken their gratuities off and did I know that I could too! One passenger went as far as telling me that I would be the only one paying them as EVERYONE takes them off. Please believe me when I say that I did not ever bring up the issue of gratuities. The lady at our dinner table even wanted to know whether we would add to her tip to our waiter as she had taken her tips off. We told her bluntly that NO we wouldn't as we had left our gratuities in place.

[Wilba]

My SIL has just done a River cruise in China She found the same thing ,no tip expected ,
They did give a small tip to some of the guides they had ..Taffy

The difference was Taffy on my cruises they were not allowed to accept tips............Wilba

[Lawnmowerman, Tain]

Excerpt from Viking River Cruises website:

Tips are not included in your cruise price, but are a voluntary way of showing satisfaction for good service. You may tip on board staff in cash if you like, or you may charge your tips to your on board account at the end of your holiday (except in Southeast Asia). These gratuities are distributed among the ship’s staff, including your Program Director. The local guides or tour escorts that travel with you in Southeast Asia, China, Russia and Ukraine and the on board Program Director in Russia and Ukraine do not share in the on board staff gratuities – it is customary to tip them separately and in cash.

Bill

[Taffy, Wales]

I did a couple of cruises with a Far Eastern cruise line in the late '90's and tipping was disallowed, with constant daily reminders to that effect.

The myth that service will suffer in these circumstances was blown away.

The service was without question, the best of the very best.

Quality service is a result of quality training and man management, not the size of the backhander...........Wilba

My SIL has just done a River cruise in China She found the same thing ,no tip expected ,
They did give a small tip to some of the guides they had ..Taffy

[Taffy, Wales]

Well something has changed in 2000 tipping was not unusual.

My Chinese SIL tips - I take my lead from her rather than the Daily Mail.

Annie

From the link you could not be bothered to read.

China: Tipping is not required or expected, but it is common at hotels and restaurants frequented by Western tourists. High-end hotels or restaurants may add a service charge to the bill. Tipping is very common in Hong Kong and Macau.

The guides are from travel experts and companies (Just printed in the Mail)...Taffy