You and me both aprata.

I sent you a PM several days ago.

Please let me know if you received it.`

peteinil

you got it nothing beats a crowded bar or restaurant and not having to wait forever for what ever it is you need i have been a plumber for 33 years and during busy season my clients that pay faster or more prompt get the better service that is just a fact of life maybe the average joe cant comprehend that oh well hopetheir drink comes soon cause im on my second ha ha

Ragtop-

Ain't it the truth, like it or not!

This thread is almost as good and controversial as the tipping threads on cruisecritic.com!!!! Really, isn't one of the great things about an AI is that you don't need to and aren't expected to tip? I personally find it to be liberating - I don't have to carry cash to every tom, dick, and harry w/their hand out. That being said, I do leave a couple of bucks for the maids as my kids are pigs!!! Other than them I usally do not tip at an AI. I have never tipped my mailman (and my SIL is one!!), my newspaper delivery person, FEDEX man, UPS man, etc. Aren't they just doing their JOB? Everyone has their own opinion on tipping and will follow whatever practices they deem appropriate. For those who don't tip and feel like their experience and service suffered make the management aware. Let them know you are unhappy, point out why, whom, whatever and let them know that your vacation experienced has been affected by the lack of service.

You really don't "need" to tip anywhere-no one will ever hold a gun to your head if you stiff your waiter (maybe they would) here in the U.S. but how many of you who say tipping isn't necessary at an AI would dream of doing that here? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

The difference is this - Go to an AI and tipping is included or as we say the gratuity is automatically paid at the time of booking. If you go to a restaurant w/ a party of 6 or more and the restaurant says it will automatically add gratuity to the bill do you tip more on a regular basis? I'm willing to be that no, most people don't.

When you say the difference is that the gratuity is "included", yes, it TECHNICALLY is. BUT, the workers DON'T GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you go to a restaurant here and the tip is added on, THEY DO GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There's the DIFFERENCE. I just don't understand what people don't get here. Actually though, I do. It's called "cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap.

How can you say the difference is just cheap, cheap, cheap? I don't consider $4000 for 5 nights to be a cheap vacation. How do you know what the workers get in tips that are pre-paid? How do you even know what they are paid in salary? You don't know and if their situation was as dismal as people make it out to be then why would anyone work there? Not everybody will agree on this tipping subject- in fact everybody has their own ideas and interpretation of what is appropriate tipping. The only problem I can see is if extra tipping becomes expected by the employees and they hold it against non-extra tippers.

No, 4000 for vacation is not cheap-that's what we're paying for our IB Grand vacation in December. I think it is a lot of money and even more reason to justify a few more dollars for those who will make that vacation memorable. Thinking that the Iberostar chain is going to give any of what we pay, beyond the worker's paltry wages, is pure justification fantasy. How do I know they don't really make a ton of money as opposed to what they say they get? Oh, I forgot how many mansions I saw them living in. You asked why, if the jobs were so bad, would anyone want them. Duh! the question is "to eat or not to eat."

Oh right, just "ok" employees get to stay, but at the bad employee's rate of pay and the ones who we all write wonderful letters about, get all the "tips". Well, you're not the only one who speaks to employees of these resorts and I've never heard your version or anything close to it. And, for as long as this particular thread has been winding along, you've never mentioned your "inside track" to the way it really works. I guess you e-mailed your close resort manager friends today, to get this wealth of info and insight. You can be "number 4" or any other number you choose. I'm gonna be number "I'm tipping as much as I can because I WANT TO!! I'll paste 50 dollar bills to my forehead if I want to! I know in a past posting you just about ordered all of us to stop this discussion but who made you the boss? When everyone gets tired of it, that's when it will stop. Truthfully, I can't believe I'm spending so much time on this but I haven't been this annoyed in a while. It must be due to my "inferiority complex".