Is it customary to tip camp staff

[amanborob]

When DD was young we had to blast her out of Camp Carnival to get to spend any time at all with her--she adored camp. Those days we'd tip $50 at the end of a 7-day cruise. There was always a box to put the tips in, so I assume they pool them. As she got older and spent less time there, we lowered the tip to $20.

 

BTW, I found this a great opportunity to teach her about tipping and why we do it. She loved putting the tip in the box herself. She obviously learned the lesson...on our last Alaska cruise (she was 16 at the time), we went on a whale watching excursion. Toward the end of it, I pulled out some money and was going to give her half to put in the tip jar. She'd already taken $5 of her spending money out to tip herself and said she wanted to give some of her own money because she felt they had done such a good job. :D

 

That's great! We are taking our son, age 8 on his first cruise in Aug. He is actually paying his way on the cruise. He is saving his money from the good grades he makes. He wanted a huge Lego set, but instead we convinced him to save for a cruise. I can't wait to see his face when he gets onto the ship and see what he bought. :)

[Havingfun2010]

First cruise with kids, 7&12. I have no issue tipping if my kids are using it but what is the norm? Amounts? Who do you tip ect?

 

These are salaried personnnel, not tipped personnel so the pay structure is different. My question is this. Each passenger is given entertainment, right? Adult have adult entertainment, shows, clubs etc. Kids have kid entertainment, which is the clubs geared for them. Those items are part of the price. (which covers their salary). If you tip them, shouldn't you tip everyone on the ship that does something for you? No, just the people, that actually work for tips get tips.

 

I'm sure they appreciate it, but it is both not necessary, nor is it customary.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

These are salaried personnnel, not tipped personnel so the pay structure is different. My question is this. Each passenger is given entertainment, right? Adult have adult entertainment, shows, clubs etc. Kids have kid entertainment, which is the clubs geared for them. Those items are part of the price. (which covers their salary). If you tip them, shouldn't you tip everyone on the ship that does something for you? No, just the people, that actually work for tips get tips.

 

I'm sure they appreciate it, but it is both not necessary, nor is it customary.

 

 

I appreciate your logic, but never have I had the personal attention from ANYONE (including our steward and wait staff) that my daughter has gotten in Camp Carnival. In addition, if you're caring for my child and making sure she's having the time of her life and have the ability to handle any emergency that might arise, you're going to get a tip, plain and simple. When the first things out of my six-year-old daughter's mouth when she awakens every morning are "Can I go to camp now?" and you're the reason for those words, you're going to get a tip. When we're going into port and she realizes that means she doesn't get to go to camp so she cries because she doesn't get to see you, you're going to get a tip. It's just the way it is for me. :D

 

And, judging by the number of envelopes I've seen in the box at the end of a cruise, it is most definitely customary.