When do you tip?

I'm not exactly a cruise novice, having been on eight cruises. On each one, I tip at the end of the cruise, giving notable individuals added compensation in addition to the daily gratuity charges.

I have read a few posts in which fellow CC members talk about added tipping throughout the cruise, which caused me to ask this question:

Do you tip prior to the end of the cruise, and if so, to whom?

I'm not exactly a cruise novice, having been on eight cruises. On each one, I tip at the end of the cruise, giving notable individuals added compensation in addition to the daily gratuity charges.

 

I have read a few posts in which fellow CC members talk about added tipping throughout the cruise, which caused me to ask this question:

 

Do you tip prior to the end of the cruise, and if so, to whom?

We tip in cash for Room Service, we usually do breakfast in our cabin, for example. Sometimes someone goes out of their way to respond to a request, for example, staff at the buffet, may look for whole grain bread or some other item we want not out at the buffet. Likewise, we would recognize such service with a small tip on the spot when the service is rendered. Otherwise, we tip at the end of the cruise.

Other than room service we tip at the end of the cruise.

There are some who tip up front or give a partial tip up front.

We've always done it at the end of the cruise.

Keith

We give extra tips at the end of the cruise to those who have earned them. We leave automatic tips in place,

Once we canceled all tips because of VERY poor service with our room steward. We could not lower or cancel just hers, we had to cancel all. We did leave her a small tip. So, we took cash with us and every night gave our waitress and her assistant a generous tip. At the end of the cruise they got an even bigger tip. This was a LONG time ago when automatic tips were only for room steward and dining room waiters. This was when NCL just started Freestyle but we sat at same table every night.

When we used to do room service, we would tip the person delivering the meal right then and there not knowing if we would see him again.

We also tip on the same night when we eat in the specialty restaurants. On HAL the price of the specialty meals does not include a tip.

Other than that, we tip at the end of the cruise those people whom we feel made our cruise an enjoyable one with their great service.

If we are on back-to-back cruises (Collectors Cruises on HAL), then we tip at the end of each segment not knowing if we will have the same servers in the dining room. We have even had cabin stewards change.

I tip at the end if appropriate

The last evening is when tips are expected....we may tip additionally to bartenders "as we go", but not to the rest of the tipped staff.

Nowadays, most cruise lines are adding the suggested tips to your account...so you no longer have to worry about when or how much. If there is someone who you feel deserves more that what you've already paid, do it on the last evening.

We tip at the end plus on the spot for those who go above and beyond their normal job

The only time I tipped before the end of the cruise, was on Celebrity New England/Canada cruise. We had purchased new wallets in Bar Harbor and when we returned to the ship my friend immediately began switching things from her old wallet to the new wallet. Then she threw the old wallet in the trash can in our room. We went to dinner. Upon returning from dinner, I noticed the wallet was now on the desk. As I picked it up, a plastic insert dropped out. I handed it to her as it still had all her store reward cards in it. I looked inside the wallet and found 3 $100 bills neatly folded and hidden in a back compartment. My friend was so happy to see those $100 bills that she immediately ran out to find our room steward and gave him a $20 tip on the spot for rescuing her wallet. Then at the end of the cruise, we were so pleased with his service and honesty, that we each gave him an additional $40 the last night.

As I said, this is the only time in 7 cruises that we felt the need to trip extra beyond the DSC.

We leave our auto tips in place and:

--tip $5 for room service

--tip $10 above the service fee in alternative restaurants (the service has always been great)

--tip drink waiters an additional amount if their service is fast/friendly

--tip servers in Diamond Lounge or Elite Happy Hour $3--$5 each evening

--tip a great cabin steward additional $20 per week

--tip a great waiter/asst' waiter additional $20 per week

--tip shore excursion personnel 15--20% of cost of trip

These are people that work so hard to make our vacation so special!

Kel:)

We leave the automatic tips in place. On arrival, when we ask the cabin attendant for plentiful ice, we slip an extra tip to them. We have never lacked for ice! :)

I leave the auto tips in place and tip extra (for above and beyond service) at the end of the cruise. All room service wait staff and bartenders get their tips in cash at the time of service. Specialty dining wait staff are also tipped at the time of service.

Most of the crew don't expect to see their tips until the cruise is done, so unless somebody performs an extraordinary act of service before that time (finding a lost item, bringing in extra pillows/blankets/hangers or helping with young kids or elderly relatives), I don't think it's necessary to give that gratuity before the end of the cruise. :)

I don't think it's necessary to give that gratuity before the end of the cruise. :)

Especially not necessary at the beginning of the cruise, which some attendants would think of as a bribe. No one likes to feel that now they "owe" the customer better service because they have been paid up front, which is the only reason such a bribe is made in the first place. Many consider it insulting, as if the customer doesn't trust them to provide good service unless they have been "bought" first.

I have never bribed anyone on a cruise and my ice bucket has always been kept full after I politely asked.

I'm not exactly a cruise novice, having been on eight cruises. On each one, I tip at the end of the cruise, giving notable individuals added compensation in addition to the daily gratuity charges.

 

?

You are doing it exactly right. Do not listen to anyone who does it differently.

DON

Especially not necessary at the beginning of the cruise, which some attendants would think of as a bribe. No one likes to feel that now they "owe" the customer better service because they have been paid up front, which is the only reason such a bribe is made in the first place. Many consider it insulting, as if the customer doesn't trust them to provide good service unless they have been "bought" first.

 

I have never bribed anyone on a cruise and my ice bucket has always been kept full after I politely asked.

I never looked at it from that standpoint but you make a good point. We would never want to insult or bribe a service worker. Will definitely rethink our tipping.

We always use auto-gratuities. I've read here on CC that the crew members know in advance who is and is not using them.

Honestly, it's been a while since we've had such a "WOW" experience that we felt anybody merited an additional amount but if we did, we'd give it just before departure. We do tip a few dollars each time for room service and would give our steward a few extra dollars if we made a special request (providing it was accommodated of course).

I never looked at it from that standpoint but you make a good point. We would never want to insult or bribe a service worker. Will definitely rethink our tipping.

I agree with Sloopsailor. I never tip in advance, but I usually tip generously at the end as I am almost always very happy with the service provided. As to having ice buckets filled, or special requests fulfilled, I find that treating the person with respect, and dealing with them the way I would want to be treated, is the best way to communicate my needs to the staff. I have rarely been disappointed with the service with this approach.