Tipping - Tampa/Miami/Tampa

[Pinderella]

Hello,

My 10 yr old son and I will be taking our first trip from Tampa to Miami and back. I would like to be sure I do not under tip any of the attendants. What is a reasonable tip? I am assuming I tip the sleeper attendant (we have a bedroom, but the trip is not overnight), the dining room attendant and... am I missing someone? In the dining car I would leave the tip on the table (right?) and do I hand the tip to the sleeper attendant or leave it in the room when we leave?

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Tipping is encouraged but up to you, I would say since your not going over night you could tip the attendant between 5-10 dollars. I would hand the tip to the attendant as you exit the train.

In the dining car you can just leave the tip on the table, again for tipping I would say 3-5 dollars per meal is about right.

There is no set scale some people never tip on Amtrak others may suggest more its really up to you, and how well each person performed.

 

[Pinderella]

Tipping is encouraged but up to you, I would say since your not going over night you could tip the attendant between 5-10 dollars. I would hand the tip to the attendant as you exit the train.
In the dining car you can just leave the tip on the table, again for tipping I would say 3-5 dollars per meal is about right.

There is no set scale some people never tip on Amtrak others may suggest more its really up to you, and how well each person performed.

Thank you for your fast reply. I would never DREAM of not tipping someone who has helped me - in any service business. Its just part of the cost of the ticket as far as I'm concerned. Of course, there are some places that frown on tipping - such as airline cabin crew and even some grocery store baggers. If it is encouraged, I tip, no problem.

My only beef - and I know this can elicit some major controversy, is having to tip a percentage of the cost of my meal at restaurants. I just don't get it. If I sit at a restaurant the same amount of time with the same amount of "service" from the staff as the next guy, but I decide on a higher priced meal choice, why do I have to tip more?? Well, never mind. I'm not even going to go there... just a personal pet peave. I am a very good tipper when I get good service - and when I get exceptional service, I am an exceptional tipper. I'll just leave it at that.

Thanks again!

 

[MrFSS]

Tipping is encouraged but up to you, I would say since your not going over night you could tip the attendant between 5-10 dollars. I would hand the tip to the attendant as you exit the train.
In the dining car you can just leave the tip on the table, again for tipping I would say 3-5 dollars per meal is about right.

There is no set scale some people never tip on Amtrak others may suggest more its really up to you, and how well each person performed.

Thank you for your fast reply. I would never DREAM of not tipping someone who has helped me - in any service business. Its just part of the cost of the ticket as far as I'm concerned. Of course, there are some places that frown on tipping - such as airline cabin crew and even some grocery store baggers. If it is encouraged, I tip, no problem.

My only beef - and I know this can elicit some major controversy, is having to tip a percentage of the cost of my meal at restaurants. I just don't get it. If I sit at a restaurant the same amount of time with the same amount of "service" from the staff as the next guy, but I decide on a higher priced meal choice, why do I have to tip more?? Well, never mind. I'm not even going to go there... just a personal pet peave. I am a very good tipper when I get good service - and when I get exceptional service, I am an exceptional tipper. I'll just leave it at that.

Thanks again!

And, that is the point - service. If you get none or very poor service on Amtrak - no tip should be given.

 

[rrdude]

Yes I agree, it's all about service. Although the menu's printed prices should give you an idea of what the retail cost is, I often tip far higher than 15-20%, and occasionally tip much lower, purely based on service.

Some of the main duties of a sleeping car attendant are:

• Politely welcome you.
  Offer to assist with and stow luggage.
  Direct you to your room.
  After the train is underway, explain the features of the room to you.
  Explain the layout of the train.
  Offer to turn down your bed at XX:xx time.
  Take your reservation for the next meal.
  Check on you occasionally as they see fit.
  

Unfortunately, a good many sleeping car attendants "make themselves hidden" for a good portion of the trip. (look in the diner, lounge, or kitchen to find them.........)

Hopefully you'll get a good, happy, young (read "not a long time" employee) attendant.

I was on the Acela, in first class yesterday, for a short jaunt from Philly to Baltimore. The two attendants in the car were opposite. One pretty old guy, telling the younger woman, "what it was like, how to serve, not to listen to the passengers, do it my way, NOT the Amtrak way and you'll be 'alright honey'..........."

Thank God I was about 8 rows back, or I would have got up and confronted him. As it was, I handed the young woman $5.00 as I got off, advised her to "not listen to a single word that old crumudgeon was talking about, and to treat her customers the way she would like to be treated." She broke out in a BIG smile, thanked me, and said not to worry, she was "letting it go in ear, and out the other."

Tip on service. Period.

 

[zephyr17]

Yes I agree, it's all about service. Although the menu's printed prices should give you an idea of what the retail cost is, I often tip far higher than 15-20%, and occasionally tip much lower, purely based on service.
Some of the main duties of a sleeping car attendant are:

• Politely welcome you.
  Offer to assist with and stow luggage.
  Direct you to your room.
  After the train is underway, explain the features of the room to you.
  Explain the layout of the train.
  Offer to turn down your bed at XX:xx time.
  Take your reservation for the next meal.
  Check on you occasionally as they see fit.
  

Unfortunately, a good many sleeping car attendants "make themselves hidden" for a good portion of the trip. (look in the diner, lounge, or kitchen to find them.........)

Hopefully you'll get a good, happy, young (read "not a long time" employee) attendant.

I was on the Acela, in first class yesterday, for a short jaunt from Philly to Baltimore. The two attendants in the car were opposite. One pretty old guy, telling the younger woman, "what it was like, how to serve, not to listen to the passengers, do it my way, NOT the Amtrak way and you'll be 'alright honey'..........."

Thank God I was about 8 rows back, or I would have got up and confronted him. As it was, I handed the young woman $5.00 as I got off, advised her to "not listen to a single word that old crumudgeon was talking about, and to treat her customers the way she would like to be treated." She broke out in a BIG smile, thanked me, and said not to worry, she was "letting it go in ear, and out the other."

Tip on service. Period.

Over thousands miles of Amtrak sleeper travel since inception in 1971, I've had rotten young, new attendants, and rotten old attendants. I've also had excellent new attendants and excellent long service attendants. I will say there is no better attendant than a good, long-service attendant. They know the rhythm of the job, can size up people immediately, and know all the tricks on how to repair or work around all the minor problems on the car. I've had many attendants that were fair to good, too.

Most of my riding is on the western long-distance trains. While I can't generalize about Silver Service trains in general because I've only ridden them twice, I will say that the two absolute WORST attendants I ever had -- they simply disappeared, were on the two times I rode Silver Service trains. Those two rides were 3 years apart, BTW.

One thing I can generalize, because I've ridden with an awful lot of them, is that in the West, on average, the LA-based crews are generally quite a bit better than the Chicago-based crews. Not every time, but it definitely averages out in the LA crew base's favor.

But don't tip if you don't get at least decent service.

 

[pennyk]

Most of my traveling has been on the Silver trains. I have always had decent service in the sleeper and dining car. I have never failed to tip because of bad service. However, there were times that I tipped more for excellent service and times when I tipped less for not so excellent service. I have yet to take Western trains, so it is possible that my standards are low. :lol:

 

[dlagrua]

We tip according to what the service is worth. For instance our dinner was worth about $40-$45.00 acccording to the menu prices so we left $8.00. Robie our waitress was very pleasant and accomodating so we left her $8.

Our SCA was equally accomodating. Greeted us with "can I take you bags sir" . When we requested that the beds be put down, he was there in 5 minutes. He received $10.00. Now that was on the CL Chicago to Was run.

Going it was a different story . Terrible waiter for breakfast, slow, disinterested and he served our "hot breakfast" ice cold. The SCA was an arrogant man with a puss on his face who looked like he didn't want to be there. They still got tips but they did not deserve them.

 

[daveyb99]

Tipping is encouraged but up to you, I would say since your not going over night you could tip the attendant between 5-10 dollars. I would hand the tip to the attendant as you exit the train. In the dining car you can just leave the tip on the table, again for tipping I would say 3-5 dollars per meal is about right.

There is no set scale some people never tip on Amtrak others may suggest more its really up to you, and how well each person performed.

Encouraged? Really? Since when.

I tip based on quality of service, not because someone might expect a gratuity.

In the diner, if it is nothing more than routine, then a buck or two, maybe more at dinner.

For sleepers, expect nothing during a daytime only trip, but again, dependent on level of any extra service. Overnight, bed turndown is expected, but what else did that person do to make my trip better.