Autotipping for infant/baby...leave full tip on bill?!...

[drumline13]

I'm sure this topic has been beaten to death, but we've been debating this one...

 

My wife and I are good tippers....we leave the full $10.50/day autotip on our bills, and we have always tipped our room steward (well) extra on the final day.

 

So, here's the question: For an uncoming 10-day cruise, we will now have our 12-month-old-at-the-time baby with us. The cost, per Princess, to bring our baby onboard is approximately $800, which is, in itself, absurd. But, this is how it is, so we accept that by cruising with Princess, we will be paying a ton of extra $ for our baby.

 

So, the real question is, should we leave the full $10.50/day autotip on our bill for our baby?! My wife and I are FAR from slobs, so we won't be leaving anything "extra" laying around for anyone to clean. Our baby will be eating either....1. Food we bring, or 2. From one of our plates. Our baby can not use the pools (due to age), so we won't be using extra pool towels. I understand the $10.50/day for my wife and me, but since we will be taking care of/cleaning up after the baby, we find it hard to justify another $105 of tipping!

 

Thoughts? Has anyone brought a baby onboard?....and did the baby receive $10.50/day worth of service??

 

Thanks!

[cherylandtk]

Yes, leave it on. Yes, they get the service worth that.

[drumline13]

What kind of service, though? That's what I'm trying to understand. How does a baby, that we will be taking care of/cleaning up after, receive service that is equal to the service that my wife and I receive?

[Toto2Kansas]

IMHO it is no difference than the demanding passenger vs the passenger who asks for very little. Both are charged the same hotel charge for the cruise, even though the demanding passenger's needs outweigh the non-demanding one 2 to 1.

 

If all else fails, I would wait until you board the ship to make the final decision. You might be amazed at the extra service you will receive when traveling with an infant. ;) And enjoy your babies first cruise!

[mizLORInj]

We traveled last month on a 10 nighter and my one year old nephew was with my bro and SIL. It was a family vacation and we all enjoyed the family time. He ate little, yes, but there were times the cabin was indeed a mess with toys and stuff, and there is towel change out, etc.

Some may choose to remove autotips charged for kids, but we chose to leave them as is.

 

I hope you have lots of fun!!

[grandmato4]

If we were bringing a 12 month old with us we would be leaving the auto tip in place. We would consider that a cost of cruising with a third person in our cabin no matter what their age.

 

Not wishing to get into a long detailed debate I will just say that tipping today anywhere in the US or on a cruiseship is no longer simply about something extra beyond the original cost for service workers that go over and beyond in doing their jobs. Its more often today for simply doing their jobs. Didn't say I agreed with it, but it is the way it is. In our local restarant we can choose to have a $20 meal and leave a 15% tip or order a $40 meal and leave a 15% tip. Same waitress, same number of customers to wait on and same amount of work for that waitress but we are expected to leave a larger amount of money for the more expensive meal.

 

Don't over think the tipping issue as it will drive you crazy!;) Just enjoy your cruise:)

[janina]

You will be catered too as will your baby. I think if you feel you can afford to cruise, just think of it as the price of the cruise. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just leave it in place and enjoy your cruise. :)

[drumline13]

We already consider the $800 charge as part of the cost, so my wife and I are not debating that one (although, it truly doesn't make that much sense....most hotels would not charge that much for a baby....if anything. It's an $800 charge for the 3rd person in our room...no matter what age...but, whatever, it is what it is...that's a whole different topic)!

 

We would not consider leaving the baby at home...we want this to be a family vacation...

 

Anyway, some good points were made about extra towels being washed, etc. (thanks to that poster!), and this is the kind of thing I am interested in hearing (however, I did point out that we also tip the room steward separately). I am not willing to just hand out $105 because Princess says we should. That's why I asked about what a baby gets for $105. I have no problem paying it IF I know that it is being earned! We tip 20-25% when we eat out at restaurants, but that depends on the service. We don't add an additional $10 because the waiter looked at our baby. If the waiter did do something extra, then sure, we would add extra tip!

 

We haven't "made up our mind" yet, and I'm not saying the employees don't deserve it. I just want to know what we would be getting for the $105! :)

[drumline13]

Janina,

 

It IS true that $105 is peanuts compared to the cost of the entire trip! :) If our baby gets pampered like us, then that tip will stay right on there!

[bigeagle12]

If you are paying $800 for a third person you are obviously in a nice suite. Consider dropping back to a cheaper room to reduce the cost. Otherwise relax and enjoy your cruise.

[Coral]

The baby will use towels, will attribute to the trash in the room, will be eating food in the dining room or buffet (even if it is on someone else's plate), they will probably get drink refills in the dining room or buffet. Something tells me that your room will have more trash in it (due to diapers, etc...) compared to other rooms with out infants.

 

Tipping is part of cruising. I wouldn't consider going unless you consider paying the recommended amount.

[cherylandtk]

... I just want to know what we would be getting for the $105! :)

The same types of services for your child as for you. Yes, a baby gets quite a few different actual services, but on the whole, gets more service than the average adult. The 'tip' you are referring to is actually a hotel and dining service charge. It really should be considered part of the cost of the cruise just like the fare, not an additional gratuity that you may or may not choose to bestow for specific services needed. FWIW, I think Princess should/could do a better job of explaining this fee, but at least they no longer refer to it as a tip.

 

Earlier you said your child would be cleaned up after by yourselves. I know you are going to assist, but let's be realistic, a 1 YO eating makes a huge mess compared to adults. Even the most observant parents are going to have a hard time cleaning bits of food off the floor or exuberantly slung applesauce from the floor or table. Somebody has to bring you extra napkins, clean the area before the next passenger uses it and as much as you will wipe up, you two are not going to get down on your hands and knees and brush the carpet after every meal. During the course of your cruise you and your child will use linens, plates, cups, utensils, food and facilities. The people who maintain, stock and clean these items are the ones who receive the service charge, which is assessed per person, not per service.

 

Services that we received when we took a 9 MO included setting up the berth and taking it down each day (some babies use the PacNPlay), extra changes of linens (spills, spit-up and splashing baths, not to mention the occasional leaky diaper), spare sheets to put on the floor for a play area, heating up food at her mealtimes, cleaning up the extra mess a baby makes when eating, high-chair ready at our table each night, bringing Cheerios at dinner or applesauce at lunch even though they are not on the menu, cleaning the handprints off the door to the balcony, providing extra blankets to roll up and use as bolsters for her naps, bringing plastic cups to use in the room, storing her stroller out of the way and bringing it to us when needed to go ashore, and I am sure many others that I cannot remember.

 

What they also provided, while not exactly 'services', was a friendly game of peek-a-boo by the head waiter on formal night, silly rabbit puppets made out of dinner napkins to fascinate her while we grabbed a few bites of food, magic tricks on deck making things disappear and re-appear from her nose or ears, and all sorts of extra attention no matter where we went.

[cherylandtk]

If you are paying $800 for a third person you are obviously in a nice suite. Consider dropping back to a cheaper room to reduce the cost. Otherwise relax and enjoy your cruise.

Actually, on OP's cruise (10 Day Voyager) the current fare for a third person in a balcony is $774, plus tax. Not a fancy suite.

[bigeagle12]

Actually, on OP's cruise (10 Day Voyager) the current fare for a third person in a balcony is $774, plus tax. Not a fancy suite.

 

If that is true .. they need to find a new TA.

 

Voyager .. this is a Princess board .. that is a RCL ship ???

[billet]

The same types of services for your child as for you. Yes, a baby gets quite a few different actual services, but on the whole, gets more service than the average adult. ...... was a friendly game of peek-a-boo by the head waiter on formal night, silly rabbit puppets made out of dinner napkins to fascinate her while we grabbed a few bites of food, magic tricks on deck making things disappear and re-appear from her nose or ears, and all sorts of extra attention no matter where we went.

 

Sounds like your baby had as much fun as you on that cruise! What a nice long list of services and a good explanation for the discretionary Hotel and Dining charge

[cherylandtk]

If that is true .. they need to find a new TA.

 

Voyager .. this is a Princess board .. that is a RCL ship ???

Princess named the itinerary the 10 Day Voyager; the ship is the EP. And the rate I noted is the Princess rate; even at 10% discount, with tax it is still slightly over $800 at a discounted rate.

[drumline13]

bigeagle: It has nothing to do with the TA...the TA is already discounting the Princess fares by around 10%. And, as cherylandtk pointed out, this rate is for the least expensive balcony for the cruise. Princess charges 1/2 for the 3rd person on some cruises....and close to full (OR full) for the 3rd person for other cruises. It just depends on the cruise. Anyway, the $800 is already discounted from the Princess rate... :) Also, "Voyager" is just what they call that itinerary...

 

coral: Thanks for your input....good points!

 

cherylandtk: Thanks for taking the time to give such detail! It was really nice to hear your point of view. Our baby is our first, so we aren't yet accustomed to all of the "baby messes"...like spilled apple sauce, lots of crumbs, etc. All of the different services you mentioned are great....I hadn't thought about most of them (nor did I know they were available). Those are the kinds of services that I would expect from Princess! Your post definitely says that the "tip" is well earned!!

[cherylandtk]

Sounds like your baby had as much fun as you on that cruise! What a nice long list of services and a good explanation for the discretionary Hotel and Dining charge

Billet, yes she did. Too bad she has no recollection of it now that she is 8 1/2! But she was one of very few small children onboard and was completely fearless at the time; she thought the entire ship was her personal playground. Fortunately her curiosity was encouraged by nearly everyone onboard.

[above sea level cruiser]

Billet, yes she did. Too bad she has no recollection of it now that she is 8 1/2! But she was one of very few small children onboard and was completely fearless at the time; she thought the entire ship was her personal playground. Fortunately her curiosity was encouraged by nearly everyone onboard.

 

I'm traveling in May with my 540 month old husband.......he is very tidy:D. I was wondering if I should tip for him :confused:.

[stretchcruz]

One more thought...if you remove the autotip your room steward would have to turn in whatever cash you gave him/her according to what our dinig room servers told us.

We got off the Sapphire a few weeks ago, and all of us at our dining table were giving extra to our servers...all 8 of us left the auto tip on. Someone at one of their seatings had removed the autotip, which meant that our servers had to turn in whatever cash we gave them, even though we left ours on. So we "hid" the tips inside the menus so that they could sneak them. They asked us to do it this way so that they could keep the money.

When we gave our room steward extra, I aksed him if he could keep it and he said that he could since we kept the autotip on.

[mytime53]

Cherylandtk, you covered this so thoroughly that you saved me a lot of writing.

As parents, we left the largest tips in restaurants when we could least afford it...back when the kids were 1 - 3. Now, as the grandparents of 5, I see even more clearly the extra work involved, because I'm not the parent who just does it automatically. When the grandkids are around, there's always more trash, more laundry, more cleaning the floor, cleaning high chairs (and other furniture), more food choices needed...

And lest someone think I'm complaining (I'm just stating facts), more joy!!!

 

Drumline13--you might find the 1 year old uses more "pool" towels than you, pool or not. We don't have a pool, but the beach towels come out frequently for the grandkids. At home you might put a blanket down for your child to sit, lay, play on. But you probably have a large supply of those at home, plus can do laundry every day if you like. Pool towels can be a great substitute when traveling. I don't know when your cruise is, so don't know the age of your child now, but it appears that this is your first child. I don't know any one-year old who isn't eating finger foods by themselves (in fact, insists on it). And quite possibly by then, a child is also eating part of their meal, messy or not, by themselves. Whether you bring the food or feed off your plate, there will still be cleaning to do (and won't it be nice to not be responsible for all of it?)

Unlike others, I don't advocate leaving your child behind--have fun!

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Yes leave the auto tip. You have to remember it is your cabin seward is disposing of the diapers, wipes, etc.....the waiters who clean up after your child is fed in the dining room. Babies do need cleaning up after!

[billet]

I'm traveling in May with my 540 month old husband.......he is very tidy:D. I was wondering if I should tip for him :confused:.

 

I suppose that Depends :)

[Tggrtoes]

You are going to have so much fun with your 1 year old on your cruise. We took DS on his first cruise when he was 15 months old - Sapphire Princess. He had a BLAST!

 

Our son received so much extra attention from the waiters and other staff. Many of them have children at home so they cater very well to them. If your child is anything like mine, he will likely make some messes in the dining room while he's trying to eat... the first night in the MDR, I requsted strawberries (my DS' favorite) and chicken nuggets and fries w/broccoli and thereafter, when we got to the table, there was always a huge bowl of cut-up strawberries waiting for him. Server always got dinner out quick so that he wasn't ancy for his food.

 

I agree leave the tips on. Even if your room is super clean and tidy (ours sure wasn't, so I applaud you! :cool:), you'll use extra towels, extra messes - especially w/diapers, I'm assuming you'll use the Princess kids club off-hours to play with the toys (recommend this - we even got some of the crafts that they made for the older kids to do - coloring a t-shirt, etc.), if you bring a small inflatable pool so that he can splash around in it, they may help you fill it or give you a bucket from the bar, etc.

 

If you get there and find that your child didn't make messes warranting the amount of auto tips, then maybe adjust it, but I think it's worth it in any event.

[drumline13]

Wow, this thread got a lot of posts! I just want to thank everyone for their input on this subject; I found your posts to be VERY helpful (as did my wife); we read them all!, and they made my wife and I realize that there really is more involved with taking care of a baby on a cruise than we originally thought! Thanks to all of your posts, we've decided that we will leave the autotip on for our baby...and only deduct if, for some very unlikely reason, our baby doesn't receive the 5-star service to which we have become accustomed on Princess cruises! So, to sum it up, I got EXACTLY what I was looking for in this thread, so thanks again to everyone for sharing their opinions!

 

And just to respond to the few "snarky" comments that made their way onto this thread...

 

The first cruise that my wife and I ever took was on Princess (the Star), and it's the cruise on which we got engaged. It's also the same cruise that caught on fire at 3am in the middle of the Caribbean in March 2006, and burned 120 rooms. It's the same cruise in which we spent 7 hours in the muster station wondering if we would have to board the already-lowered lifeboats. It's the same cruise that made every national headline....and ended early....and caused us to spend 27 hours over 2 days trying to get home from Jamaica. I think you get the point (if you check out my first post ever on CC, you can read the description of our experience). Anyway, it would have been very easy for us to call it quits and to tell all of you why you shouldn't cruise with Princess. However, we've sailed with Princess a few more times, and the reason we re-sailed with Princess for our 2nd cruise was that we were treated incredibly well by the employees during the fire cruise (see my first post ever for specifics). And, we've been treated equally well on all Princess cruises since. So, before you post a "snarky" response to a valid thread posted on CC (because you think the OP may be trying to get away with removing employee tips), please keep in mind that the OP just may already be the best advocate for taking a Princess cruise and the biggest fan of Princess employees. :)