Marcie:

The HAL situation is pretty close, except HAL said "tipping not mandatory or required" and CAREFULLY never said "tips included" as Radisson does. They weren't. IMO, HAL's former policy statment was meant to be misleading from the beginning. Of course, tipping is never mandatory. Did anybody ever hear of a customer being sued or jailed for not tipping?

But Radisson's "tips included" statement has a different meaning, both in language and in practice. Several Radisson stewardesses have told me that their salary on Radisson is actually equal to what their total pay would be on a "tipping" ship if all guests tipped just a little more than the suggested amount. Of course, they went on to say that they had worked on such ships before, and the tips never amounted to that much, so the Radisson deal was a good raise for them. Also reported is a rather long waiting list of applicants for this position on Radisson from those who are working in it on lines where tips are relied upon. And of course, we all know we pay a higher fare on Radisson for this, and many other things.

As always, Ngaire knows what she is doing. Best for all concerned if we follow her advice and practice.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)