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deducting cost of cruise for tax purposes?



 
 
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  #51  
Old January 2nd, 2011, 11:17 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Bill[_1_]
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On 1/2/2011 1:14 PM, Carol Eskra wrote:
Jean,

Your response was great, but Ohio guy does not have a credit card. I
wonder if he realizes he will have to put up a large cash deposit,
unless he doesn't plan to have a drink, buy photos etc.


Maybe he's planning to pay the deposit in dollar coins as well???

Bill

  #52  
Old January 4th, 2011, 03:36 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ohioguy
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Default As Always, Ask a Professional!

What an interesting world we live
in...all sorts of personalities!


Ah, finally someone else recognizes that conformity is sometimes boring.
  #53  
Old January 4th, 2011, 03:51 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ohioguy
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Posts: 61
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!

They've set up a program that
works... and everyone on the ship is comfortable with. Why deviate?
Because you feel like? That's not a good answer.


If I'm on the ship, and I'm not comfortable with it, then 'everyone'
on the ship is NOT comfortable with it.

Why deviate? Because I typically think things through on my own, and
decide to do what makes me feel the most comfortable. The customer is
always right - I firmly believe that, and if I'm paying, then I'm the
customer.

I like using cash to tip. I believe that if I give cash directly to
the server, there is a much greater chance that they will actually get
the money they deserve. If it automatically goes to the restaurant, I
always wonder if the server gets 100% like they should.

Plus, if a tip is automatic, there simply is not as much incentive
for excellent service.

Also, I pay for meals and such with cash 100% of the time, so it just
makes sense for me to do the same with tips. It would be rather silly
to pay for the meal with cash, then whip out a credit card for just the tip.

Why do I pay cash for everything I buy in person? Because when I pay
with virtual dollars (c.c.) I tend to pay more. Thus, in order to stick
with our stringent budget, I pay cash.

And guess what? Paying cash and sticking to our budget is what
allowed us to save up and take this cruise in the first place. In a
way, the whole cruise, for us at least, is a monument to fiscal
responsibility, and paying with cash.

And now you know .... the rest of the story. Good Day!

  #54  
Old January 4th, 2011, 05:25 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Tom K
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Posts: 2,578
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!

On 1/3/11 9:51 PM, Ohioguy wrote:


I like using cash to tip. I believe that if I give cash directly to
the server, there is a much greater chance that they will actually get
the money they deserve. If it automatically goes to the restaurant, I
always wonder if the server gets 100% like they should.


But you're not in a restaurant. You're on a ship. And even if you hand
them money directly, they don't get to keep it, it goes into a pool that
gets split up among all the waiters. The only way that wouldn't happen
is if you auto tipped, and then gave them a little more on the side with
cash.

Plus, if a tip is automatic, there simply is not as much incentive
for excellent service.


Yes there is. It's called keeping their jobs. They will be serving you
all week anyway, before any tips are even given out.

And... as strange as this might sound. If you auto tip, they will know
it ahead of time, so they know you won't be stiffing them. If you opt
out of auto tipping, they may have a concern you will stiff them at the
end, after giving good service to you all week.
  #55  
Old January 4th, 2011, 07:39 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle[_3_]
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Posts: 624
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!


"Tom K" wrote in message
...
On 1/3/11 9:51 PM, Ohioguy wrote:


I like using cash to tip. I believe that if I give cash directly to
the server, there is a much greater chance that they will actually get
the money they deserve. If it automatically goes to the restaurant, I
always wonder if the server gets 100% like they should.


But you're not in a restaurant. You're on a ship. And even if you hand
them money directly, they don't get to keep it, it goes into a pool that
gets split up among all the waiters. The only way that wouldn't happen is
if you auto tipped, and then gave them a little more on the side with
cash.

Plus, if a tip is automatic, there simply is not as much incentive
for excellent service.


Yes there is. It's called keeping their jobs. They will be serving you
all week anyway, before any tips are even given out.

And... as strange as this might sound. If you auto tip, they will know it
ahead of time, so they know you won't be stiffing them. If you opt out of
auto tipping, they may have a concern you will stiff them at the end,
after giving good service to you all week.



Ohioguy,
This is true, not only do they know, the maitre d' and the waiters
know...They see it on their computers. The maitre d' once verified that to
me, telling me that they had computer access to that information right at
the doorway to the dining room. The evening before your last day, the cabin
stewards place on your bed, your new colored luggage tags indicating the
time you will be disembarking, tip envelopes for the waiter, asst.waiter,
cabin steward, head waiter (sometimes) and head housekeeper (sometimes)
depending on the cruise line, along with a note to put in each envelope
telling them thank you and that you have put their tips on your
account...so, there is no way to get around it...they know right from the
beginning whether you automatically put the tips on your account, so when
they don't see your name there, don't think that they will give you better
service. We always ask for an extra envelope as we tip the cabin steward's
assistant...he/she have the tough jobs...the scrubbing down of the
bathrooms!

If no credit card is available, at least cash in those bulky coins at your
bank and get traveler's checks that you can put down on your account and
save the rest for cashing them as you need them at the pursers' desk! You'd
still be dealing in "cash" which you seem to want so badly. You just don't
treat your dining room staff the same as you would when dining in a
restaurant on land. There is a certain procedure to be followed when onboard
a ship and it will make you look very naive and foolish to behave otherwise.
I should think that since so many experienced cruisers have advised you
against this and nobody has said that what you were planning to do is wise,
should tell you something.

--Jean


  #56  
Old January 4th, 2011, 07:43 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jean O'Boyle[_3_]
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Posts: 624
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!


"Ohioguy" wrote in message
...
What an interesting world we live
in...all sorts of personalities!


Ah, finally someone else recognizes that conformity is sometimes boring.



Who also realizes that inconformity is sometimes unwise and can prove
embarrassing.

Jean


  #57  
Old January 4th, 2011, 07:58 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A.
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Posts: 385
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!

On Tue, 4 Jan 2011 00:43:49 -0600, Jean O'Boyle wrote:

"Ohioguy" wrote in message
...
What an interesting world we live
in...all sorts of personalities!


Ah, finally someone else recognizes that conformity is sometimes boring.


Who also realizes that inconformity is sometimes unwise and can prove
embarrassing.

Jean


Inconformity?

*LOL*

It's 2AM, get to bed, Queenie. Your either drunk, drugged or
senile..or all.
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.
http://www.cruisecompare.co.uk/ USA site due 1Q 2011.
  #58  
Old January 4th, 2011, 02:21 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Sue Mullen
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Posts: 1,730
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!



On 1/4/2011 1:39 AM, Jean O'Boyle wrote:

If no credit card is available, at least cash in those bulky coins at your
bank and get traveler's checks that you can put down on your account and
save the rest for cashing them as you need them at the pursers' desk! You'd
still be dealing in "cash" which you seem to want so badly.


If you don't want to get traveler's checks you can just take cash(not
coins). Your cabin will have a small safe you can use for cash or
travelers checks and anything else important.

sue
  #59  
Old January 4th, 2011, 06:37 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Goomba
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Posts: 190
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!

Ohioguy wrote:


If I'm on the ship, and I'm not comfortable with it, then 'everyone'
on the ship is NOT comfortable with it.

Why deviate? Because I typically think things through on my own, and
decide to do what makes me feel the most comfortable. The customer is
always right - I firmly believe that, and if I'm paying, then I'm the
customer.


So you're also a thoughtless little man who needs to feel "different" to
imagine your own import, when in fact all you're doing is
inconveniencing the crew whom you bestow those annoying coins on.

I like using cash to tip. I believe that if I give cash directly to
the server, there is a much greater chance that they will actually get
the money they deserve. If it automatically goes to the restaurant, I
always wonder if the server gets 100% like they should.

Plus, if a tip is automatic, there simply is not as much incentive
for excellent service.

Also, I pay for meals and such with cash 100% of the time, so it just
makes sense for me to do the same with tips. It would be rather silly
to pay for the meal with cash, then whip out a credit card for just the
tip.

Why do I pay cash for everything I buy in person? Because when I pay
with virtual dollars (c.c.) I tend to pay more. Thus, in order to stick
with our stringent budget, I pay cash.


So your lack of self control is reason to inconvenience others?
Whataschmuck.
  #60  
Old January 4th, 2011, 10:54 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
RayC
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Posts: 242
Default As Always, Ask a Professional!

On 1/4/2011 8:59 AM, John Sisker wrote:

Since the subject of travelers checks came up, that alone prompted me to
comment on this subject as well. We used to carry travelers checks
everywhere we went, but no longer. Simply put, we discovered that fewer
and fewer business and people will accept them. It became more of a
hassle than a convenience. On our last trip, once we returned home, case
cashed all our travelers check back into our bank, and put the money in
our saving account. During our 21 days of American and foreign travel,
not one travelers check was used.

Yet, this does not necessarily answer the tipping question that was
brought up in these threads. For that, we simply rely on the amount that
most cruise lines automatically add to our credit card as pre-paid
gratuities. It is pretty close to what we would have tipped anyway, plus
is a lot more convenient for us. Besides, we always have the option of
adjusting this amount either up or down as we see fit, or even leaving a
few extra bucks (in USD) in an envelope if we felt someone deserves a
bit more.

Most of the time, since travelers checks are now out for us, we put our
bigger purchase items ashore on a credit card. For small tips, for shore
excursion hosts for example, we do carry mostly ones, fives and a few
tens, again in U.S. Dollars, just for this purpose. This worked out we
for us, and even all through Northern Europe and the Baltic's, no one
complained about small amounts of money outside their countries
currency. Apparently, the locals have no problem converting this to
their currency.

As mentioned, this works out well for us, which may or may not work for
you. Besides, it is just a suggestion.

John Sisker
Ship-To-Shore Cruise Agency®
http://www.shiptoshorecruise.com





John ... you are right in that travelers checks are a thing of the past.
The paper dollar is one of the most widely traded and accepted
currency in the world.

All this doesn't really matter in the thread though. The guy is on his
first cruise and is just trying to get out of paying the full tip
suggestion before he even see's if it is justified. Remember how he
started this thread ... how to write off the cost because he might be
working on board.

As for the coins, he is showing his disregard for other cultures and
other countries. He apparently thinks that giving a shiny gold plated
coin is going to make the little brown people go oooh and ahh like
children. PFFFT!!

He apparently came here just to argue with people that have cruised ...
not to learn anything.



--

Ray
+++++++++++++++++++++++
www.CompressorStuff.com
 




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