Wonderful rationale LeeAnne. My sentiments exactly.
Doug and I have been discussing this based on your story. By Radisson's no tipping policy/tips included in cruise fare, each and every employee knows that the equivalent of a tip will be paid to them. They don't have to worry about deadbeat cruisers. Therefore, the employees' focus is not on "me getting my tip," but rather the focus is on the employee representing the cruise line and the level of service we have come to expect on RSSC.
LeeAnne told the story of the employee who accosted the cruiser demanding a tip. In that example, the employee's focus was soley on himself (where is MY money?) By that action, whether he intended it or not, he gave that cruise line a huge black mark that will only get worse by each retelling of the story, even by folks not there. His focus was not on representing the cruiseline, his employer. The Tipping included policy helps RSSC enforce good service.
That being said, I think the crew fund, personal gifts (ie. calling cards) are appropriate for exceptional service. By not being "monetary" in nature, they do not equate to an expected tip, but a gift of thanks. We also tip in the spa and for extra service (over and above a normal role) provided by the crew.
On one cruise, we were blatantly ignored by a crew member until the day he was to get a tip. We stopped cruising on the other lines, because of the tipping situation. If service is excellent, as on RSSC, it is hard to single out crew. The exceptional service provided seems to increase with each cruise, thus being the norm.
