General question about tipping

Has anyone tipped a person that has provided exemplary service that wasn't your stateroom assistant, waiter, head waiter etc? (Ie, to a staff member not covered by the prepaid gratuities!) if so, and you don't mind sharing, how much?

I'm hoping that there will be other cruisers who has tipped staff other than who the prepaid covers!

Share your stories :)

I tipped $25 to a young lady working in Cafe Promenade on the Liberty. She burst into tears and her supervisor happened to be around. He had the biggest smile on his face. I am a very early riser and I just thought she was sweet and always smiling.

Once, we tipped the greeter at the entrance to the Windjammer. She was just so upbeat, happy and sweet, and we couldn't help smiling after encountering her throughout the days.

Always tip CL/DL bartenders. They do such a great job. Also now that 3 drinks are loaded on my Seapass card I tip $1-2 per drink wherever I get a drink.

Always tip CL/DL bartenders. They do such a great job. Also now that 3 drinks are loaded on my Seapass card I tip $1-2 per drink wherever I get a drink.

we do the same

We tipped a person at Guest Services who cleared up a problem for us, as well as sent an unexpected bottle of wine to our stateroom with a handwritten note. $10.

Absolutely! We have tipped the omelet maker in the Windjammer on Jewel who, after a few days, knew my husband's order before he even opened his mouth. We also tipped the sweet little ice cream girl in Windjammer on Explorer, who never failed to smile and make this most hum-drum job seem a bit more cheery. :)

Another great way to show that you appreciate the "exemplary service " is to mention there name when you fill out the survey at the end of the cruise.

Has anyone tipped a person that has provided exemplary service that wasn't your stateroom assistant, waiter, head waiter etc? (Ie, to a staff member not covered by the prepaid gratuities!) if so, and you don't mind sharing, how much?

 

I'm hoping that there will be other cruisers who has tipped staff other than who the prepaid covers!

 

Share your stories :)

the CL bartenders, always. the head bartender usually earns 50 and the assistant half that. the actual Concierge gets a token if we never need their services but more if we use them to make or change reservations or handle any issues.

beyond that we have yet to encounter any over the top service from 'general' staff. excellent service, yes. friendly and efficient, absolutely. but nothing to warrant any sort of compensation.

I LOVE THIS THREAD…it makes me smile.

We basically tip the same way that others have mentioned. We've tipped the suites deck pool attendant and the crew member who polishes the stair railings. We also tip the golf cart driver who takes us to Barefoot Beach on Labadee or the driver on Coco Cay that returns us to the tender.

Giving a tip to a crew member who would never be tipped is wonderful. A tip to someone who doesn't expect it is a fantastic gesture. Wouldn't it be terrific if this thread inspires others to tip extra.

Spreading around / sharing some of what we have to enhance someones life is so easy to do and is such a small $ amount compared to what, what we who can afford to cruise, spend on a vacation.

The only thing about tipping that I've heard is that one should not tip 3-strip and above officers.

We always tip the Adventure Ocean staff when the kids sail with us. We've also tipped staff at Guest Services, bars, My Time Dining desk and the diamond lounge wait staff and concierge.

I LOVE THIS THREAD…it makes me smile.

Thank you :) I wanted to ask something a little more uplifting amongst what can be quite a thorny topic!

My story is our waiter from Chops Grille on Allure. We made a reservation through the Head Waiter at the MDR and he said his wife on board worked at Chops Grille and would deal with our request there and then. He made a call and we were immediately booked in at exactly the time we were after.

At our arrival at Chops Grille, the gentleman serving us already knew our drink orders ("ah, you are the diet cola drinker, I've heard all about you etc!") and he listened to our tastes and tried to recommend a wine that would suit all our tastes. He was very very attentive, helpful and truly went, what we felt, was above and beyond that expected. Chops was the third fee dining option we chose that week (the third of three booked, the other two being Samba Grill and Giovanni's) and we couldn't have asked for better service. We gave him a tip of $20 and mentioned him on our Wow survey. Least we could have done. Amazing gentleman and a credit to RCCL.

All of the above. :)

We've tipped the people who get our toast, omelet and salad orders just right in the buffet. The ice cream girl for being so friendly. The waitress in Al Bacio who never served us but always had a great smile and some friendly conversation for us. The handrail cleaner who told my DH "our smile is part of our uniform" when DH commented that he was always smiling. The pizza guy on our last cruise who made the best gluten free pizza DH has ever had. Washy washy outside the buffet.....the list goes on.

It's not usually a lot (between $5 and $20 usually), but it is accompanied with heartfelt thanks, a comment to their manager if available, and on the comment cards or survey. These people work their butts off and have to deal with (sometimes) some not-so-pleasant people. If they make our day then we try to make theirs too.

Yes we do tip more. We have tipped waiters & his staff, room stewards and bar waiters in cash at the end of the cruise for great service.

We do not drink during the day but I get glasses of just ice from the same bar and usually same bartender each day. What is 15% of just ice? So I usually give him/her $20 on our last day when I get our last glass of just ice!

We also make a point of naming all great crew on our comment card that is emailed to us. Their boss I will be sent these and I've been told they are read at their crew meetings.

There was one Lido bartender on my Princess cruise that always remembered my drink order and that I liked lemon with my drink. He always had a little cup of sliced lemons for me and let me take them with me. Well needless to say we tied him extra with the drinks we bought and then at the end of the cruise we tipped him a $20 to say thanks for always remembering us and going the extra distance to have lemons for me. He knew me and my husband by name very early on in the cruise and we just appreciated it so much!

I'm disappointed that this thread was moved from the RCI board because it provide an unusual bright spot there.

I'm disappointed that this thread was moved from the RCI board because it provide an unusual bright spot there.

I just noticed that, bit of a shame really. I was just trying to encourage some niceties there as it's been a bit... Negative there lately :(

I'm going to enjoy the subject matter instead of lamenting on where we think it "should" be. It is a general question - perfectly reasonable that it was moved. :)

Has anyone tipped a person that has provided exemplary service that wasn't your stateroom assistant, waiter, head waiter etc? (Ie, to a staff member not covered by the prepaid gratuities!) if so, and you don't mind sharing, how much?

 

I'm hoping that there will be other cruisers who has tipped staff other than who the prepaid covers!

 

Share your stories :)

Absolutely we tipped people who were generally improving the ship in general but not specifically for us.

We tip some of the housekeeping staff we see cleaning the handrails, the staff cleaning the public restrooms, Lido workers........ I can't think now of others but there have been many.

My plumbers always got excited when a call came about jewelry dropped in the sink. Taking the trap apart and retrieving the lost item was almost always good for a Jackson.

My plumbers always got excited when a call came about jewelry dropped in the sink. Taking the trap apart and retrieving the lost item was almost always good for a Jackson.

Sure have to agree to that! :) But... you make it sound like it happens often?

Sure have to agree to that! :) But... you make it sound like it happens often?

'bout once a month or so. Mainly earrings, but engagement rings on occasion.

We have been known to tip people who have helped me with my walker -- especially get on and off the ship.

'bout once a month or so. Mainly earrings, but engagement rings on occasion.

Engagement rings?? Now that really made me laugh! ;) :D

I came into Cagneys a little late for breakfast .

Still got a great filet. :)

I ask the head chief to take a twenty from me and buy his guys a round of beers in the crew bar after their shift was done.;)

He did.

.