View Single Post   #13 (permalink)   Old September 24th, 2000,
12:01 AM Ed McGowan Posts: n/a Default RE: Tips added to Onboard
Account?  We recently returned from a Regal Princess cruise to
Alaska and I asked one of the staff, who depended on tips, about
charging tips to our on-board account. My question was: "do you
receive the full dollar amount of the tip I designate (and
charge to the room), or something less?" The answer from the
staff member was: "they charge us $1 per day for their handling
of the tips." That, fellow cruisers, means that if you were a
couple on a 7-day cruise and you tipped your room steward $42,
the folks at the Purser's Desk would deduct $7, resulting in a
net tip to the room steward of $35.  Unfortunately, this is not
disclosed to the passengers when this method of tipping is
offered. As a result, to reward the room steward his/her fair
tip the passenger needs to either increase the amount of the tip
or use cash.  As most everyone knows, the credit card firms
charge a percentage of