Another Tipping Question :)

[SailorMom37]

My family is cruising for the first time in May on Freedom.

DH and I have a balcony room, and DS 13 and DS 14 will be in the room right across the hall (which was OK'd by the RCCL booking agent).

 

The boys will only be eating with us in the MDR 3 or 4 of the 7 nights - tops. They want to stay with the teens as much as we'll let them, and do not want to dress for the formal or smart casual nights.

 

On the flip side, as much as I will be harping on them to keep their room organized and cleaned up - I fear that while the servers in the dining room will have less work, their room steward will have more work.

 

My questions are -

A) Will our rooms most likely have the same steward?

B) If yes - should we combine all the tips onto one room account?

C) Should we alter our tips so that the stweard gets more than normal and the servers get slightly less?

D) Should we not worry about it, stick to the recommendations, and figure it works itself out?

E) Or - tip as usual, but leave a bit extra in cash in the boys' room?

[silentbob007]

Personally, and goodness knows this isn't the "right" or "only" answer ... I would tip the recommended amounts and then see what happens. If you feel the steward deserves a little extra, by all means leave it. If not, don't. As for dining ... that tip also covers you for casual restaurants as your waiters work there occasionally.

[marci22]

My questions are -

A) Will our rooms most likely have the same steward?

B) If yes - should we combine all the tips onto one room account?

C) Should we alter our tips so that the stweard gets more than normal and the servers get slightly less?

D) Should we not worry about it, stick to the recommendations, and figure it works itself out?

E) Or - tip as usual, but leave a bit extra in cash in the boys' room?

 

A- I have had rooms across the hall with a different room steward.

 

E- If your kids are that messy, I would do this.

[CGBCruiser]

My family is cruising for the first time in May on Freedom.

DH and I have a balcony room, and DS 13 and DS 14 will be in the room right across the hall (which was OK'd by the RCCL booking agent).

 

The boys will only be eating with us in the MDR 3 or 4 of the 7 nights - tops. They want to stay with the teens as much as we'll let them, and do not want to dress for the formal or smart casual nights.

 

On the flip side, as much as I will be harping on them to keep their room organized and cleaned up - I fear that while the servers in the dining room will have less work, their room steward will have more work.

 

My questions are -

A) Will our rooms most likely have the same steward?

B) If yes - should we combine all the tips onto one room account?

C) Should we alter our tips so that the stweard gets more than normal and the servers get slightly less?

D) Should we not worry about it, stick to the recommendations, and figure it works itself out?

E) Or - tip as usual, but leave a bit extra in cash in the boys' room?

 

Let me see if I can answer these...I too have traveled with my kids:

 

A)Maybe

B)No...I say keep them separate. They might need to be paid a little more if your children's room needs extra care! :eek:

C)No, you don't alter the tips...the tips are shared with the waiters/staff in the other venues so even if they eat in the Windjammer, the money will filter to them.

D)You have the option of giving the standard amount and having it added to your account. They will give you vouchers toward the end of your cruise. At that time you can add extra $ to the gratuities as you see fit.

E)I think I answered this in D above.

 

Hope this helps!

[FLACRUISER99]

You cannot go wrong if you follow the recommended guidelines!

[DonnaK]

My family is cruising for the first time in May on Freedom.

DH and I have a balcony room, and DS 13 and DS 14 will be in the room right across the hall (which was OK'd by the RCCL booking agent).

 

The boys will only be eating with us in the MDR 3 or 4 of the 7 nights - tops. They want to stay with the teens as much as we'll let them, and do not want to dress for the formal or smart casual nights.

 

On the flip side, as much as I will be harping on them to keep their room organized and cleaned up - I fear that while the servers in the dining room will have less work, their room steward will have more work.

 

My questions are -

A) Will our rooms most likely have the same steward?

B) If yes - should we combine all the tips onto one room account?

C) Should we alter our tips so that the stweard gets more than normal and the servers get slightly less?

D) Should we not worry about it, stick to the recommendations, and figure it works itself out?

E) Or - tip as usual, but leave a bit extra in cash in the boys' room?

 

 

a. Yes, we always book a room across the hall for our kids, and every time, we've had the same steward. The probability is very high that the same steward will have the two rooms

 

b. It doesn't matter if you combine the tips or not. We usually tip in cash, and put it all in one envelop with both room numbers on it

 

c. I would never give the servers less, even if not using the MDR, because they work other venues throughout the ship, and your kids will be eating in those other venues, so it all evens out.

 

d. IMO - don't worry so much about it. Just tip what is recommended (or more, if desired). Everything all evens out in the end.

 

e. It's not necessary to tip extra. We only do when we feel that the person went above and beyond the call of duty to serve us, and in our case, that's usually the dining room staff, not the steward.

 

Just our experience....we always insist that our children (who are 19 and 17 now) eat with us, because it is a family vacation, and that's our family time together. There is plenty of time to spend on their own away from us. Don't worry so much about the dress code. Young boys only need to wear khakis or Docker-style pants and a button down shirt with a tie on formal night, and on the other nights, as long as they aren't in shorts or logo tee shirts, they'll be fine. They can wear the same khaki pants with a polo or golf shirt. As long as they look neat and clean, no worries.

[Marie51]

I pick "E"...tip extra at the end if you think it is deserved. Do not stiff the dining room waiters...it's not their fault that the kids aren't there.

[firefly333]

I pick "E"...tip extra at the end if you think it is deserved. Do not stiff the dining room waiters...it's not their fault that the kids aren't there.

 

I vote for this answer. Dont stiff the waiters, because some times the chairs are empty for your teens. You will get your moneys worth of service for them.

[SailorMom37]

Thanks for the info :)

 

We weren't going to "stiff", anyone, don't worry - we are extremely generous tippers, and normal for us is usually 5% more than anyone recommends, as long as the service is good. The kids aren't that messy - just boys - who tend to not "see" what I see - and have different standards of what looks "clean".... Working on that....

 

DonnaK, I get the family vacation thing - which is why they are only getting out of 3 nights;). I appreciate the sentiment, and I have been on vacations where it seems people we're with choose to spend no time at all with thier kids.... which seems odd to me, but to each their own.... I do think that this comment, in addition to similar ones I've seen I've seen on the boards on other threads, involves many assumptions that may or may not be correct. Don't worry -this is being said conversationally and just as an FYI (I'm not the type to get worked up or read too much into posts- and I wasn't bothered at all:) ) I do think it is important to understand why people make different decisions on how they vacation.

 

We spend a lot of time with our kids on and off vacation, and plan to spend almost all of every day with them on the cruise (with the exception of some of the planned teen activities). That being said, my DH is deployed half the year, every year, to Afghanistan. We get very little time together (alone) as a couple, take very little (if any) time for dates when he is home so that he does spend a majority of his time with the kids. I firmly believe that our healthy marriage benefits our kids as much as it does us, and therefore, on every vacation we take time out for just the two of us to recharge our parental and marrital batteries.

 

So, anyway, it isn't just about the dress code. My kids have worn tuxes and suits, and own nice clothes, and are wearing them the other nights. But DH and I are really looking forward to our "date nights" on board :)

[bplazo]

I would tip the recommended amount and the tip more if you feel like someone did an outstanding job.