Tipping in the YC lounge?

GULP!! $ 615.00???

 

Yes, I am aware this post will bother some people, but I am merely offering my opinion.

 

I fall into the "I'm already paying per day gratuities" and have tipped the Butler extra (note we didn't really use him except once I think) but aside from the extra to him and to the bartenders ...sorry but no (exception would be made if they did something really really extra special) I am not tipping extra. The biggest reason being I am already paying 2 or 3 times more when booking the YC. And for that yes I do expect my service and experience to be above that of what I would have paid for an inside, oceanview, or balcony cabin.

 

PS...What does the pool boy do? (not being snippy I am actually asking as I cannot figure out who you are talking about)

The pool boys often serve drinks around the area.

Bytheway, I very much agree with what you've just posted. We don't tip all and sundry - usually just the butler (only if we get decent service - we've had a couple of MIAs in the past) and/or the asst butler, our main waiter in the restaurant and, a couple of times, we've tipped the sommelier and asst m'D for wonderful service (there is only one m'D onboard, despite the asst m'D often erroneously being referred to as the YC m'D).

Still trying to figure out why anyone (American or not) cares about what others tip.:confused:

 

 

Tip as much or as little as you want to whomever you want. Seeking affirmation from random internet strangers is unnecessary.

 

 

I can understand questions such as "Does the concierge have envelopes?" (yes) or "Are they allowed to take cash?" (yes) but anything related to "How much should I....?" is silly.

I think asking "the going rate" or the minimum reasonable tip is a legitimate and useful question. Since a big chunk of MSC's clients are Europeans I think a big chunk are probably not only not leaving any tips but are removing the autocharge.

I agree tipping is out of hand but also understand people who say if you can't afford to tip you shouldn't be.. eating out cruising in YC etc.

The pool boys often serve drinks around the area..

LOL--thanks Beamafar. My idea of a pool boy was the handsome bronzed, muscled guy that cleans the pool (yep TOO much TV). I was wondering how "that" had escaped me!!

GULP!! $ 615.00???

 

Yes, I am aware this post will bother some people, but I am merely offering my opinion.

 

I fall into the "I'm already paying per day gratuities" and have tipped the Butler extra (note we didn't really use him except once I think) but aside from the extra to him and to the bartenders ...sorry but no (exception would be made if they did something really really extra special) I am not tipping extra. The biggest reason being I am already paying 2 or 3 times more when booking the YC. And for that yes I do expect my service and experience to be above that of what I would have paid for an inside, oceanview, or balcony cabin.

 

PS...What does the pool boy do? (not being snippy I am actually asking as I cannot figure out who you are talking about)

I do it discreetly on the last night or morning without any fanfare. Unless it is a non YC venue, then tip as I receive the service. It is your own way of showing appreciation for services rendered. I tip because I have worked for many years as waitstaff a long time ago.

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I believe we tip in general above the average. Since others are sharing here goes. 7-day cruise

 

Butler. 140

Asst. 100

Maitre d 50

Hostess 40

Waiter 100

Asst 70

Bartender in Topsail 50

Pool boys. 50 and 40

Concierge 20

Porter at YC tent 5

 

Nothing at Venchi (gelato) or at Seaview Lounge

 

Dennis

 

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It's nice of you to be so generous. Those amounts seem to me to be about what we tipped before there were prepaid gratuities.

Again - a little off-topic, but our cruise leaves from Barcelona and we will be spending a few days there before and probably after as well. I have read that in Spain, especially, tipping is not huge. The change left over, or perhaps 10% in a high end restaurant. And that locals consider large tips insulting - a big tipper is "showing off", and one can even insult by leaving too large a tip. Anyone care to weigh in on this?

Now we can see why folks like me are reluctant to share details. A cruise critic member asked a specific question referencing that few details are ever shared by others on tip amounts that they are comfortable leaving.

I will remember not to share so much detail in the future.

Dennis

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Well, I certainly appreciated you sharing, Dennis. I do think that the amounts (and number of people you tip) are incredibly generous. If even a fraction of cruisers tipped at that rate, the crew would really be doing very well, indeed!

Sometimes I wonder if anyone is listening. I always start my dialog on tipping with the words, “Tipping is a personal matter”. It is still a personal matter even though we are paying auto-tips. I am totally in agreement with auto tips because there are now so many people behind the scene on a ship that holds 5,000 people. It is true that many people from around the world do not want to tip and think other pax are just showing off, etc. I personally do not care what they think and I will continue to reward excellence when I experience it.

The lesson herein is: if tipping is a personal matter, then there is absolutely no reason at all to become stressed out about it. It is between you and those who have served you above and beyond.

Again - a little off-topic, but our cruise leaves from Barcelona and we will be spending a few days there before and probably after as well. I have read that in Spain, especially, tipping is not huge. The change left over, or perhaps 10% in a high end restaurant. And that locals consider large tips insulting - a big tipper is "showing off", and one can even insult by leaving too large a tip. Anyone care to weigh in on this?

That is correct and common in many countries in Europe. Waiters & Waitresses don't expect tipping. It's up to the guest to leave a small amount as token of appreciation. Example: 46.50 Euro for dinner , I would pay 50.00 Euro (3.50 Euro tip). A single 1 Euro coin can get you excellent service in a bar. Even small tips are appreciated, let's say 0.25 Euro on a 1.75 Euro Cappuccino. I tip in European hotels 2 Euro per night for 5+nights stay and 10 Euro total for 3-4 night stay.

I think the only folks who become "stressed" out about tips are North Americans...where we have created this strange tipping culture with related "tipping guilt." This is not shared by folks from most of the world and is even resented in many places outside of North America. While we think tipping is just a nice thing to do, in other countries there are folks who feel it corrupts their culture, is not necessary, and is just another way for Americans to flaunt their wealth.

For those who are relative newcomers to cruising we will give a little history lesson. Up until about 20 years ago, tipping on ships was a very private thing where passengers would only tip those who gave them direct services (i.e. cabin stewards, waiters, etc) and do it by putting cash in envelopes and handing it to their favorite crew members :). Although the cruise lines did publish what they called "tipping guidelines" it was a truly personal thing. But once cruise lines started with Open Sitting, teams of stewards (instead of a single steward), etc. the lines started autotips. Auto tips were originally seen as a replacement for direct tips. But now, we have the usual "tipping creep" where not only has the cost of autotips increased...but some passengers feel its proper to give even more tips. Perhaps it will all come crashing to an end when tips exceed the cost of the cruise :).

By the way, we have run into folks in both Europe (where we have done a lot of travel) and Australia that get annoyed and somewhat angry about North Americans tossing around tips. They will tell you that its not necessary and tippers are tampering with their culture. In Australia we will often hear something like "we pay our workers a decent wage and they do not need tips." In Mexico, where we live for part of the year, many Americans give generous tips to taxi drivers. So now, taxi drivers no longer want to pick-up Mexicans (who might need a taxi to get to work) because they will follow the normal Mexican culture which is to either not tip at all...or perhaps leave a very small tip. This breeds resentment.

Hank

Tipping in Europe is not the norm, nor is it expected in most cases. Restaurants typically charge a 12.5% service charge so coining up is the norm.

MSC has a No Tipping policy and already a $12,50 per day service charge per person added. I would say our personal tipping above and beyond that would depend on the level of personal service received... Most Yacht Club passengers choose that option for the experience of NOT having to carry cash.

Most Yacht Club passengers choose that option for the experience of NOT having to carry cash.

I really don't think that is correct!

We normally don't carry cash on a cruise but we shouldn't do that if we had a cheaper cabin either.

Is cash really more needed outside the Yacht Club? For what?

Tipping in Europe is not the norm, nor is it expected in most cases. Restaurants typically charge a 12.5% service charge so coining up is the norm.

 

MSC has a No Tipping policy and already a $12,50 per day service charge per person added. I would say our personal tipping above and beyond that would depend on the level of personal service received... Most Yacht Club passengers choose that option for the experience of NOT having to carry cash.

MSC DOES NOT HAVE A NO TIPPING POLICY. They discourage the soliciting of tips by their staff. Nowhere does it say that tipping is prohibited.

As we mentioned in our prior post, there is a long history of tipping on cruise ships with changing concepts. At one time HAL has a "no tipping policy" which was ignored by some and loved by others. Then HAL quietly changed their policy to "No Tipping Required" which we always found a little funny since, by definition. "tipping" is never "required." Eventually HAL imposed Auto Tips and is now relatively silent on additional tipping. Some cruise lines such as Celebrity not only have autotips, add 15% to all drinks.. but also have a line on their drink receipts where passengers can add extra tips (on top of the auto-tips and 15% imposed service charge on drinks).

The Ultra Luxury lines have a "tipping included" policy and some of those higher end lines actually discourage tipping. That being said, many of the passengers (mostly from North America) are very generous. We have never known any crew member of any line to refuse tips :).

But cultures do vary and North Americans sometimes need to adjust. For example, in Japan it is actually considered "rude" to offer tips in many venues. Many Asians see tips as an insult or unnecessary bribe..but even in Asia many have adjusted to the North American big tip habit. What is funny is that when in Europe we have sometimes seen folks almost soliciting tips (such as putting out their hand) from Americans....which is something they would not even consider when dealing with a European.

Hank

I suspect, just like our individual charitable giving, we all have tipping levels that make sense for,our own budgets. We are not wealthy but appreciate good service.

For a week-long cruise, MSC included, we generally tip $40 for butler/room steward, $40 for primary waiter, $20 for assistants, etc. On a cruise where we pay for,drinks, I always add a dollar to every drink. On MSC we gave $20 each to our regular servers in the bar.

To be honest, if I don’t keep a running track of names, I would forget some of the people. So I always bring a stack of envelopes, write down names of ANYONE on the ship who has provided excellent service, and tip at the end.

Except if I have a big win in the casino. On those nights, I turn into Daddy Warbucks with our cabin steward. :)

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MSC DOES NOT HAVE A NO TIPPING POLICY. They discourage the soliciting of tips by their staff. Nowhere does it say that tipping is prohibited.

and nowhere is it encouraged...

This is a great thread. Thank you for all who contributed as we will be staying in the YC on Seaside this coming March. We had not cruised in nearly 17 months (gasp) until our Carnival Vista cruise this past week and when "extra tip" time came, I was panicked, less by "guilt" but more so by the desire to not short change anyone who had provided great service according to "they system." I couldn't research in real time as we had opted for no internet and to totally disconnect. In any case, using the Carnival Hub app, I was able to determine the breakdown of autotips to stewards, waiters, and other staff and then use that as a factor along with who provided us with great service to leave anything additional. That said, I used my own formula to determine how much I would tip hotel or restaurant staff on land, etc. But that is probably not right and not exactly scientific. At the end of the day, I wasn't worried. Though, personally, I'd just like the lines to impose a mandatory auto tip across the board and offer suggestions on what would be an appropriate "extra" tip if someone wowed you, like our MDR wait staff this past trip.

Also, let's not forget the greatest tip of all could be recognition by name on your post-cruise survey. Our MDR wait team on Carnival who was outstanding in many aspects, handed us their names placard at the end of the last evening and asked us if we felt appropriate to recognize them as such, noting enough such recognitions lead to promotions, raises and ultimately higher tips. They didn't say that last part specifically btw, just that it helps them and online research reveals the specifics.

Dear Lakewobegon,

Tipping is a personal matter...you don’t need a company guide. The idea is that you give to the person whom you feel deserves extra recognition. It is up to you to decide the amount you can afford. That is why tipping is a personal matter.:)

Butler 60€

Conceirge 20€

Waiter 20€

Hostess 20€

Maitre’d 20€

That's more in line with the responses I was expecting; sounds very reasonable.

Butler 60€

Conceirge 20€

Waiter 20€

Hostess 20€

Maitre’d 20€

There was previous mention of an assistant butler. Do we assume they share tips?

There was previous mention of an assistant butler. Do we assume they share tips?

I very much doubt it!

I tipped the assistant one time that I didn't tip the butler as she was incredibly attentive, whereas he (the butler) was MIA.

Butler $100, asst butler $80, waiter $100, asst waiter $80, maitre d $40, bartender $50 each, four butlers working lounge $20 each, concierges $20 each. That is what we tipped the staff each week but tip what you feel confortable with. Way more than i have tipped sailing in suites on royal. The service is that much more attentive and pampering in yacht club.

 

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I agree and tipped on your scale. We sail NCL Haven and the YC is so much more attentive. We did also tip Onil the young guy at the pool. He was very attentive to us.

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