|
Ten Timely Tipping Tips for Active and Senior Travelers |
 |
 |
 |
It is doubtful you’ll ever travel to places where tips are not expected, if not actually required. That practice is still in effect, even though the world’s financial scene may have lowered traveling costs for senior travelers. Tipping will always be with us.
For example, an elderly friend of mine recently booked an all-inclusive, one-week cruise for the amazing online price of $39.95. He packed his bags, flew in and dashed up the gangplank. A steward looked at my friend’s ticket and escorted him to his assigned quarters.
As they went down, down and down many decks, my friend assumed he’d get a cheap cabin because of the bargain price. But he wasn’t prepared when the steward pushed him through a hatch and my friend was chained to an oar.
A week later, as my exhausted friend was debarking, he asked the steward, “How much do you tip the whipper?” All right, it isn’t exactly a true story, but you get the idea that every server, no matter how good or bad the service, on your travels will expect a tip.
1. The basic first step for tipping information, before you start out on your journey, is to call or email in advance and ask what the tipping practices are at hotels, cruise ships, restaurants, sports clubs and other service-oriented destinations for your trip.
Some will respond, with tongues firmly in cheeks, that there is no tipping required. However, they’ll add, if the service is good, etc., etc. I remember at least one restaurant experience where the service was lousy, and when I left without tipping, the waiter chased me out to my car, demanding a tip. In some cases I ignored that kind of intimidation, and in others (if they were very tall and husky) I relented with a 10 percent tip. However, I did make sure waiter knew how poor his service had been.
2. Today, for decent restaurant service, a tip of from ten to 15 percent is adequate. If you were more than delighted, 20 percent may be your choice. If you’ve dined in a buffet, where a waiter typically only serves you drinks, a tip of five to 10 percent a person is sufficient.
3. Tipping on cruise ships, where there there is no automatic deduction can be intimidating, because in not other travel or restaurant situation do you see so many hands out. Let me count the ways. First, there’s the cabin attenandant, the young guy or gal who makes it up every day and puts a Hershey kiss on your pillow.
Even though neither can understand each other’s language, the service is usually very efficient. Your tip should be $3 to $5 per day, paid out on the last day of your cruise. Then, there’s the even more friendly waiter. In the old days of cruising, passengers ate all meals in the dining room at the same table.
4. Today, there are all kinds of options, and you may see individual waiters only once or twice. The suggestion is to tip for each meal as you would in a restaurant of from $3 to $5 per meal. On some cruises, there are posh restaurants where passengers pay extra for more upscale meals. You may want to up the tip to from $5 to $10 per meal there.
5. Then there’s the back-up waiter, the one who trails the senior waiter, and puts out water, soft drinks, bread and other bus boy/girl duties. That person should get from $1 to $2 per day, paid out on the last day.
6. The rest of the dining crew, the senior employees, should be paid amounts of your discretion or nothing at all. All the do is march around looking important, maybe stopping by your table once or twice to ask how you’re enjoying your meal. You may give the headwaiter, wine steward and the boss of the dining room $1 for each day of the cruise.
7. You’re expected to tip others, such as room service waiters, bartenders and liquor servers at social events, each time you’re served, as you would in a hotel. Something like $2 to $5 per service performed, but be aware that some cruise lines add automatic 15% tip for individual wine and liquor bills.
8. Then, there are the cruise lines that tell you all tips will be automatically deducted from your cruise account. Although it may feel intimidating, that system is not mandatory. If you don’t want to have that done to your bill, you must speak up at the ship’s service desk as soon as possible after you board. It is actually a convenient way to tip without having to seek out each ship’s employee at the end of the voyage and dole out dollars.
9. What are the typical all-inclusive tip amounts? For instance, Carnival, Holland America and several other cruise companies will add $10 a day per passenger to each cabin’s account. This is supposed to cover the entire list of employees. This does make it easier, but many frequent cruisers believe this affects crew members, taking away daily incentive to provide top service. If you want a simple way to pay all inclusive tips, sign up for the automatic deduction. If you believe choosing to decide at the end of the cruise who deserves what, do your own tipping as you see fit.
10. Senior travelers should always be well aware of tipping expectations for other service providers on cruises, in hotels and elsewhere. On one trip to Paris, as our taxi arrived at our destination, the cabbie insisted on dollars instead of francs. As we pulled some bills from our wallet and asked what the fare was, he just grabbed what he thought he had earned from our hand, jumped in his cab and sped away. Actually, it was the right amount plus a modest tip, but the transaction was unnerving.
As everyone knows, the word TIPS is an acronym for: to induce prompt service, implying that tips are rewards, not automatic amounts added to bills. However, even though senior travelers would rather make personal decisions about when and how much to tip, in most cases the service providers are paid minimum wages and depend on tips for their livelihood. With that said, the customer needs to decide on a balance between sympathy, quality of service and the customer’s personal rights. |
|
|
|
