Star Class Service - tipping the Genie

We are traveling on the Ovation through Asia. We are staying in a Sky Loft and have our Genie with the Star Class service. He has been amazing, and it will be hard to cruise without one now. I'm just wondering if anyone knows if the Genie gets covered with the prepaid gratuities. We would like to recognize the superior service but want the amount to be appropriate.

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Just tip relative to the service you have received, as you do with anyone else.

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I don't believe it's included in the pre-paids. Since you say it will be hard to cruise again without a genie, I would give a nice $500 at the end of the cruise to show your gratitude.

On another note, you mention it will be ill it be hard to cruise without one? How so? i'm interested in details. :-)

Oh, and welcome to cruise critic, I see you have never been here before!!

Tip the is not included in prepaid gratuities. You should tip what you feel the service was worth.

Tip the is not included in prepaid gratuities. You should tip what you feel te service was worth.

I know people say tip what you feel the service was worth but I feel like people now a days did not get taught how to tip from their parents. People are always asking how much to tip. That could be because they haven't travelled very much or it wasn't in their culture growing up. I wish someone would have a minimum guideline

I was taught (keep in mind minimums)

$2 per bag (hotel, porter, etc)

$2 for your shuttle bus driver

$20 for your tour bus driver

Valet - tip nothing when dropping the car then min $5.00 when picking up

bartender - $1 per drink (minimum, unless its auto added)

servers - 20% if service is poor 15% remember

Cruises - always pay the suggested

hair/nails - 20%

To the OP, who said he couldn't imagine cruising without a genie. Sounds like the Genie made his cruise and was high value I would say $500 at the end of the cruise as I mentioned or at the very least $100 per person in the stateroom.

$500 tip for a star class genie seems a bit on the high side to me for a 7 day cruise. Doesn't the higher cruise fare for that class take care of some of that perk on the front end? Not saying the genie "gets" the extra fare. But isn't that part of the reason the star genie class is higher--because you get one?

And yes I always tip my concierge, waiters etc. extra.

From reading threads here, based on concierge, we could kind of guess at an amount...say a 'good' tip for concierge for one week is $100 (I think many people give less, some give more). But they have many guests and do much less than a genie.

A genie is with you all week, catering to you and a few other rooms. So I would *guess* that a 'base' tip amount would start at $250 and go up from there (for a week). If they are amazing every day you tip more towards $500. Purely a guesstimate as I have never had genie services.

Some will think this advice is way too cheap! Others may think it's too much! As always, tipping is at one's discretion. ymmv. etc, etc

Let the genie tipping threads commence!

I know people say tip what you feel the service was worth but I feel like people now a days did not get taught how to tip from their parents. People are always asking how much to tip. That could be because they haven't travelled very much or it wasn't in their culture growing up. I wish someone would have a minimum guideline

 

I was taught (keep in mind minimums)

 

$2 per bag (hotel, porter, etc)

$2 for your shuttle bus driver

$20 for your tour bus driver

Valet - tip nothing when dropping the car then min $5.00 when picking up

bartender - $1 per drink (minimum, unless its auto added)

servers - 20% if service is poor 15% remember

Cruises - always pay the suggested

hair/nails - 20%

 

 

To the OP, who said he couldn't imagine cruising without a genie. Sounds like the Genie made his cruise and was high value I would say $500 at the end of the cruise as I mentioned or at the very least $100 per person in the stateroom.

There's a snowball's chance in hell I'll tip 15% for poor service.

Poor service might not get any tip.

Good to excellent service is tip generously. Poor service is not.

Unless they did something truly extraordinary for me (unusual help in an emergency, something time consuming and outside of making a few calls) I would be comfortable giving $100 per week per cabin. Personal choice, I know.

servers - 20% if service is poor 15% remember

Cruises - always pay the suggested

hair/nails - 20%

So for a $100 meal you would tip $20 for great service, and $15 for poor service?

Makes sense.

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Unless they did something truly extraordinary for me (unusual help in an emergency, something time consuming and outside of making a few calls) I would be comfortable giving $100 per week per cabin. Personal choice, I know.

Tip 10% of what one pays for a "genie" cabin. Genies, according to their job description, do provide extraordinary service.

A tip of only $100 would be appropriate for a concierge who provided some services for you if you were staying in an inside, ocean view or balcony. A genie provides so much more for a Sky Suite guest than a concierge would be able to do.

If one can afford a Sky Class suite then one can afford a generous tip.

I know people say tip what you feel the service was worth but I feel like people now a days did not get taught how to tip from their parents. People are always asking how much to tip. That could be because they haven't travelled very much or it wasn't in their culture growing up. I wish someone would have a minimum guideline

 

I was taught (keep in mind minimums)

 

$2 per bag (hotel, porter, etc)

$2 for your shuttle bus driver

$20 for your tour bus driver

Valet - tip nothing when dropping the car then min $5.00 when picking up

bartender - $1 per drink (minimum, unless its auto added)

servers - 20% if service is poor 15% remember

Cruises - always pay the suggested

hair/nails - 20%

 

 

To the OP, who said he couldn't imagine cruising without a genie. Sounds like the Genie made his cruise and was high value I would say $500 at the end of the cruise as I mentioned or at the very least $100 per person in the stateroom.

For me, 15% for servers is the starting point. If the service is better than expected, it goes up. If it's poor service, it goes down.

Tip 10% of what one pays for a "genie" cabin. Genies, according to their job description, do provide extraordinary service.

 

A tip of only $100 would be appropriate for a concierge who provided some services for you if you were staying in an inside, ocean view or balcony. A genie provides so much more for a Sky Suite guest than a concierge would be able to do.

 

If one can afford a Sky Class suite then one can afford a generous tip.

Correction: meant to say "Star Class" instead of "Sky".

So for a $100 meal you would tip $20 for great service, and $15 for poor service?

 

Makes sense.

 

 

 

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yes, because servers make nothing

Standard tips cover cabin attendant, waiter, ass't waiter, head waiter, and assorted laundry folks.

Genie, concierge, free drink bartenders, etc...are NOT covered under those suggested tips.

There's a snowball's chance in hell I'll tip 15% for poor service.

 

Poor service might not get any tip.

 

Good to excellent service is tip generously. Poor service is not.

So for a $100 meal you would tip $20 for great service, and $15 for poor service?

 

Makes sense.

Not sure where either of you are from but this is a good example of the different tipping perspectives between US/non-US tippers.

Non US tippers are used to employees being paid a decent wage. Tipping is strictly for extraordinary service. Bad service? No tip, but they are still being paid.

US tippers are used to tipped employee positions being paid ~$2 per hour/the bulk of their income is from tips. So 10-15% for 'poor' service seems ridiculous, but one would tend to give that person the benefit of the doubt, for ex the person is having a bad day, things are going on we cannot see, etc. You wouldn't stiff a server (meaning no tip) unless the service was bad and they had a terrible attitude, because you are actually (part of) paying their salary.

An American leaving zero tip for not great service would be like a non-American going up to the manager and saying, 'take this person's salary away for the past hour'.

Most average, everyday servers in the US are quite good. I don't think I have ever left 'no tip' in my life.

Tip 10% of what one pays for a "genie" cabin. Genies, according to their job description, do provide extraordinary service.

 

A tip of only $100 would be appropriate for a concierge who provided some services for you if you were staying in an inside, ocean view or balcony. A genie provides so much more for a Sky Suite guest than a concierge would be able to do.

 

If one can afford a Sky Class suite then one can afford a generous tip.

I'm guessing that would be $1000-$1500 and that would fall into the 'very generous' category.

$100 for a week of genie service, as another poster mentioned, would be very inadequate, as these people are providing a specialized and personalized experience during the entire cruise. It's probably hard to imagine the value until you experience it (which I have not) which is probably why the suggested amounts are so varied.

I am guessing that RC would be reluctant to provide guidelines unless the genies were getting undertipped on a regular basis.

Does anyone know how many suites a single genie serves?

Does anyone know how many suites a single genie serves?

I think I saw 3-4 mentioned in the past.

Seems like no one really has a good handle on what to tip the Genie or for that matter the Concierge. Some of the Concierges tend to be more friendly and helpful while other only leave their desk to go to the potty. I think how much you ask of the Concierge should influence how much you tip.

Someone suggested 10% of the cabin cost for the Genie. I am a generous tipper but with a cabin costing $12,000 per week that seem to be a bit excessive especially if, as someone said, a Genie is responsible for three or four cabins.

Not sure where either of you are from but this is a good example of the different tipping perspectives between US/non-US tippers.

 

Non US tippers are used to employees being paid a decent wage. Tipping is strictly for extraordinary service. Bad service? No tip, but they are still being paid.

 

US tippers are used to tipped employee positions being paid ~$2 per hour/the bulk of their income is from tips. So 10-15% for 'poor' service seems ridiculous, but one would tend to give that person the benefit of the doubt, for ex the person is having a bad day, things are going on we cannot see, etc. You wouldn't stiff a server (meaning no tip) unless the service was bad and they had a terrible attitude, because you are actually (part of) paying their salary.

 

An American leaving zero tip for not great service would be like a non-American going up to the manager and saying, 'take this person's salary away for the past hour'.

 

Most average, everyday servers in the US are quite good. I don't think I have ever left 'no tip' in my life.

I'm Canadian so I think our tipping customs are similar.

If I get anywhere from mediocre to good service, they get 15%.

If I get excellent service, they get a bigger tip.

If the service is horrific, why should I reward them?

The minimum wage in Ontario is 11.25. For a liquor server, it is 9.80$. If they want to supplement their wage, they should give me good service.

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Seems like no one really has a good handle on what to tip the Genie or for that matter the Concierge. Some of the Concierges tend to be more friendly and helpful while other only leave their desk to go to the potty. I think how much you ask of the Concierge should influence how much you tip.

I agree about how to tip the concierge, based on how much of their time you need.

There have been quite a few concierge tipping threads over the years. $50 for a couple for a week has been a popular figure. $100 seems to be on the more generous side.

On one cruise that I was on, the crew was saying that one big spender usually tipped the concierge $300. He had a crowd around him every time I saw him onboard, so I am guessing the stories of his generosity were true.

$20 is a nice gesture for a couple that has used the concierge lounge for a week, but hasn't asked him for any favors. Zero may be appropriate for a poor attitude, which I have seen mentioned.

I think any amount would be appreciated.

I'm Canadian so I think our tipping customs are similar.

 

If I get anywhere from mediocre to good service, they get 15%.

 

If I get excellent service, they get a bigger tip.

 

If the service is horrific, why should I reward them?

 

The minimum wage in Ontario is 11.25. For a liquor server, it is 9.80$. If they want to supplement their wage, they should give me good service.

So they get minimum wage plus tips? Our servers usually get ~$2 per hour (not sure about CA).

I don't think anyone should be rewarded for horrific service; I have never had horrific service. I can remember one time getting fairly bad service, and I left 10%, and I told the manager why.