Question for suite guests - Tipping

[nycmode]

I apologize in advance as this is a tipping question, so I will preface it by saying 'to each their own' about gratuities.

 

That being said, I have a question that's been lingering in my head. On my previous cruise we had a butler in our suite and we thought he did a fab job so we tipped him in addition to the pre-paid gratuities.

 

In hindsight, I believe we might be been too generous with our tips ($200) since we were unsure of what was the norm ... (Again, I know norm is a relative term, but we weren't sure what the metric was .. was it $20 a day? $10 a day? or $50 total? Etc. In the end we opted to be on the high side, to avoid any embarrassment in case we under tipped for some reason).

 

So fast forward to November. We're set to sail on the Silhouette and booked a Sky Suite. Let's say our butler was really awesome ... what would all you experienced cruises recommend as a reasonable tip?

 

(Please let's not pass any judgement on each other's tipping habits, as this thread isn't meant to be a debate. I just want to get a general sense of what people give so I don't over/under tip. Also out of curiosity, do folks usually tip the concierge as well on X? Just wanted to get this straight in my head from all the knowledgeable people here. Thanks!).

 

Edit: The cruise is for 12 days ...

[Compass Rose Monica]

I haven't been in a suite but a CC cabin and this year in a 1A cabin. I've tipped an additional $10 to the room attendant, waiter, and assistant waiter. I get smiles from them. Is that low? Who knows but it's above what they get in a cruise. There's a cruise tip calculator (google it and it will come up) which gives averages for each cruise line. Just plot in number of nights, people, ship, and cabin category.

[yayvacation!]

We have stayed in suites on all 4 of our cruises, and on each one I have had a different level of service from the butler.

 

Generally on a 7 day cruise we give an extra $40 to the Butler, Room Steward, Assistant Steward, Waiter, and Assistant waiter so $200 total. On our last cruise we had a few more requests from our butler and he also brought us in room dining 2 nights. We ate off the ship 2 nights as well, so we tipped the butler $75 and the Waiter/Assistant $20 each.

 

I would double those amounts for a 12 - 15 night cruise (so I would count on giving everyone $80) with adjustments for those I request extra from.

 

I've always wondered myself whether my usual $40 is enough or to little, but I haven't quiet been able to wrap my finger around it..... :)

[gyanhumara]

...what would all you experienced cruises recommend as a reasonable tip? ... The cruise is for 12 days ...

 

It's entirely up to you as to how generous you're feeling, whether it's the holiday season, and whatnot. Here is the breakdown of what Celebrity will charge your Seapass account every day, copied from the Celebrity FAQ: (And note that these amounts are per person, per day.)

 

How much do I pay in gratuities?

Subject: Payments

For your convenience, we will automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard Seapass account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion: $11.50 per person per day for guests in staterooms ($12.00 per person per day for guests in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms and $15.00 per person per day for guests in Suites). These service gratuities are based on the following recommended amounts:

 

Restaurant Service* Per Person Per Day Waiter $3.65 Assistant Waiter $2.10 Dining Room Management $1.00 Stateroom Service* Per Person Per Day Butler (Suites Only) $3.50 Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms) Alternative Service*

Other Service Personnel $1.25

Beverage Service personnel are acknowledged with a 15% service charge which will be automatically added to the bill.

 

*Please note that gratuities may be shared with other crew members depending on the particular service requirement.

[63galaxie]

We always tip extra, but it's not a set amount. We decide who gets what and how much extra based upon the service. It's if notable, we usually add an extra $25 per person. If it's not (for example, we never saw the head maitre'd on our last cruise), we don't go out of our way to give extra. Usually our cabin stewards and our servers in the main dining room always go above and beyond , and if we have a special bartender, we give extra throughout the cruise. The most generous tip we left was in a specialty restaurant. I think we left $50 because everything was above and beyond anything we'd ever experienced anywhere on the planet. Boy, did we get alot of smiles and attention when we met those same servers at a lunch venue the next day. They were really special folks! Wish we could give more, but we do what we can.

[lovevacadays]

I'm a big believer in tips having been raised by a waitress. Wow, if you tipped your butler an extra $200 he made out. But, if you are satisfied with that amount that's great as tipping is a very personal issue. I've never sailed with a butler but if I did and loved him I would probably tip an extra $50-$70 for a 7 day cruise.

[Project_gal]

We always start by knowing what the standard gratuities are for each person and then sit down towards the end of the cruise to decide who we believe deserves extra and how much based on the standards gratuity: as much again, double the original, 50% of the original or just a token amount. Of course, we then round these amounts up or down to a sensible figure.

 

Sue

[staygulf]

We always tip extra, but it's not a set amount. We decide who gets what and how much extra based upon the service. It's if notable, we usually add an extra $25 per person. If it's not (for example, we never saw the head maitre'd on our last cruise), we don't go out of our way to give extra. Usually our cabin stewards and our servers in the main dining room always go above and beyond , and if we have a special bartender, we give extra throughout the cruise. The most generous tip we left was in a specialty restaurant. I think we left $50 because everything was above and beyond anything we'd ever experienced anywhere on the planet. Boy, did we get alot of smiles and attention when we met those same servers at a lunch venue the next day. They were really special folks! Wish we could give more, but we do what we can.

 

I don't get this "above and beyond" concept. Maybe you just hadn't experienced good food and service anywhere else. Celebrity sets the suggested tip which is what the staff are obviously comfortable with, including the extra cover charge which you paid in the specialty restaurant which, as far as I'm aware, is a gratuity for the extra special you expect to receive, so you paid a gratuity and then paid another on top. That is your prerogative, I'm not saying its wrong, but no wonder the smiles and attention from those staff the next day. They saw the dollar bills sticking to your forehead and were hoping for some more of the same.

[ClaudiaB]

We've left our butler $50 or $60 extra and the steward maybe $40 extra. Basically about half again as much as is required.

We eat very little in the MDR when we stay in suites - we do the specialty restaurants 4 or 5 times on a 13 day cruise and Blu as often as possible (a perk with suite guests for a small fee, space available). So we don't always tip the MDR waiter extra (we might see him/her 2 times on a 14 day cruise) but we always tip a little in Blu and about $15 or $20 each specialty restaurant. We prefer to err on the side of high.

[Bababooey Land]

My rule of thumb, assuming the service is very good to excellent, I usually tip double whatever the prepaid gratuity amount is.

[BonnieVA]

$200 + pre-paid is a very generous tip IMO. But I know of butlers being tipped well above $200 as well.

[nycmode]

I think based on what everyone said here, I have a good idea (and yes, it seems I did over tip last time ha ha! I had a feeling I did, but I wasn't sure and didn't want to feel like a tool and tip too little ...).

 

This was very helpful, thank you all for the input! :D

[spursdebs]

we gave our butler $100 (approx £10 a day) and room attendant $50 on top of the pre paid gratuities our butler earned it with all our trays of tea, that was about as demanding as we got even when we came back from a shore trip he had set up a tray with our fav cakes on for us which was a nice touch, and our room attendant earned his extra as i admit on holiday i am a slob; although i like to call it organised chaos.

 

debs