NCL Tipping Butler/Concierge?

[dexddd]

Relative cruise newbie, here, so patience please!

On the one prior cruise I've been on (DCL), we were suite level and at the 100 day mark prior to cruising, the concierge called US looking to help us with reservations, excursions, etc. A lovely service, followed up by a great team on the ship who knew us by name when passing us on board on day 1, etc. My husband took care of tipping and did extras for butler/concierge.

For our upcoming NCL cruise, we are again suite level (but not Haven). In reading the "insider's guide to tipping" from CC, they indicate that suite level guests are charged $15.50 pp/day instead of the baseline $13.50 pp/day for non-suite guests, so my question is, doesn't some of that $2/day charge go to the butlers and suite concierges? Also, it was only in passing when I was on the phone with an NCL staff member that I even learned there were concierge services available to suite level cruisers prior to boarding. I never received anything via email/mail or by phone to offer services, and we've already made all of our excursion plans and dining reservations ourselves.

For experienced NCL cruisers, does this lack of pre-cruise service seem odd? And with the up-charge in DSC for suite guests, do you factor that in at all with regard to supplemental tipping? Just feeling like I haven't really gotten any help or info from NCL for the extra charge I'll be paying...

 

Other than the word "concierge" in the name, the shoreside concierge desk is nothing like DCL. DCL is responsive and takes care of everything that is allowed. NCL is hit or miss with roughly 75% of the people who talk about it here saying the things they asked for were not completed or not completed fully. Some will say just ask when you get on the NCL ship and your butler will do it so that is an option.

 

Which NCL are you going on? The onboard concierge service is watered down on the larger ships due to the number of passengers. Butlers will vary as well.

[DMH15]

Other than the word "concierge" in the name, the shoreside concierge desk is nothing like DCL. DCL is responsive and takes care of everything that is allowed. NCL is hit or miss with roughly 75% of the people who talk about it here saying the things they asked for were not completed or not completed fully. Some will say just ask when you get on the NCL ship and your butler will do it so that is an option.

 

 

 

Which NCL are you going on? The onboard concierge service is watered down on the larger ships due to the number of passengers. Butlers will vary as well.

 

 

On the larger ships the concierges have assistants.

[Travel Junkie Judy]

Other than the word "concierge" in the name, the shoreside concierge desk is nothing like DCL. DCL is responsive and takes care of everything that is allowed. NCL is hit or miss with roughly 75% of the people who talk about it here saying the things they asked for were not completed or not completed fully. Some will say just ask when you get on the NCL ship and your butler will do it so that is an option.

 

Which NCL are you going on? The onboard concierge service is watered down on the larger ships due to the number of passengers. Butlers will vary as well.

 

Sorry you don’t have a very high opinion of the service on NCL.

*Maybe you do and I just read it wrong. :)

I find the concierges on NCL very, very responsive and helpful.

Some are overworked and need more assistance, but I find that they go way above and beyond, trying to please.

I have never had a Butler on NCL that I didn’t think was fantastic.

We do have the Butler deliver coffee in the morning before we wake.

Our verbal request allows him/her to enter, no matter what the door sign says.

They have always tiptoed in, left the coffee, and departed.

We keep the bedroom curtain or door closed, so they do not disturb or see us.

 

Judy

[MichiganDVC]

Hi everyone!

 

I just found this thread. Leaving tomorrow for Sunday's first ever NCL cruise (Pearl, Alaska, non-Haven suite.)

 

So far, here is what I know we get for suite perks:

In-room: Pillows, deck blankets, snacks, coffee delivered, meals delivered.

 

Out of room: Breakfast+Lunch at Cagney's, priority tendering, concierge help with reservations.

 

Are there any other great perks that I should consider? Anything else I should expect from Butler/Concierge?

 

Thanks!!

[Travel Junkie Judy]

Hi everyone!

 

I just found this thread. Leaving tomorrow for Sunday's first ever NCL cruise (Pearl, Alaska, non-Haven suite.)

 

So far, here is what I know we get for suite perks:

In-room: Pillows, deck blankets, snacks, coffee delivered, meals delivered.

 

Out of room: Breakfast+Lunch at Cagney's, priority tendering, concierge help with reservations.

 

Are there any other great perks that I should consider? Anything else I should expect from Butler/Concierge?

 

Thanks!!

 

Have fun and enjoy the “Suite Life”

 

You will receive afternoon snack in your cabin.

You can request what kind of snacks you prefer or let the Butler decide.

There is reserved seating in the balcony for Suite guests for the shows.

 

Pretty anything you might want, you can ask the Butler if he/she can help.

They will do everything possible to make you happy.

 

Remember that the Concierge and Butler are not included in the pre-paid gratuities.

Check with other guests and see how they are tipping & be sure to leave something for them.

 

Judy

[FM]

Hi everyone!

 

I just found this thread. Leaving tomorrow for Sunday's first ever NCL cruise (Pearl, Alaska, non-Haven suite.)

 

 

Thanks!!

 

Have fun!

 

 

Gummy Bear overload, trust me.

 

On-demand is free. DVD player is there but I don't know if it was Blu-ray. I never used it since I didn't bring any discs,

 

It has been a year since we cruised but the DVD players have always been regular DVD, not Blu-Ray.

 

 

Thanks ...

 

 

Email me and I will give you more suite information.

 

Judy

 

Will do :)

[FM]

... DCL is responsive and takes care of everything that is allowed ...

 

Our last three cruises were aboard the Fantasy ... hoping that one day we can afford Disney Concierge :)

[darlene62]

Have fun and enjoy the “Suite Life”

 

You will receive afternoon snack in your cabin.

You can request what kind of snacks you prefer or let the Butler decide.

There is reserved seating in the balcony for Suite guests for the shows.

 

Pretty anything you might want, you can ask the Butler if he/she can help.

They will do everything possible to make you happy.

 

Remember that the Concierge and Butler are not included in the pre-paid gratuities.

Check with other guests and see how they are tipping & be sure to leave something for them.

 

Judy

My mother and I went the Breakaway 5/22/16. She is being treated for cancer but had dr approval.....a few weeks prior to cruise I had an accident and injured my back and knee. I needed to make this a special vacation for my mother, she has been through so much in a short time. We both had some hiccups.... I was not as mobile as I expected I would be and she had a bit of a relapse. We weren't able to get around the ship as I had hoped. That said.....our Butler Gian and our room Stewart Geng ...they were awesome ...i really don't know how I would have done without them. When we were cabin bound because my mom was ill both took care of us. Gian was on top of things and when we were able to leave cabin I was secretly able to tell Geng to service room quickly because I knew we would be back shortly. Both were so on spot and just so caring that i wish i could have tipped them more then I was able too. That said....I was begging my mom to eat more, there were a couple of occasions where during the late night I may have persuaded her to have room service. She was having none of it......She loved Gian and didn't want to be the cause of him losing late night sleep to serve her......of course he insisted he be called. So I ask........do the butlers ever get sleep? I too hated to call and didn't for a 2 am room service to the butler.

[elruth]

We’ve had butlers that sneak in in the morning and deliver coffee and juice so that we have it when we wake up.

 

I sure wouldn't want a butler to " sneak in in the morning " so you can have coffee and juice when you wake up!

 

One time when we were in a suite, I was on the balcony sleeping. The butler came into the cabin and opened the door to the balcony to see if I wanted anything. He scared me!

[dexddd]

On the larger ships the concierges have assistants.

 

Right Donna. But from our experience on BA, they are tied to their desk. We never heard peep from either of them the whole week. We had pretty much all planned out, but not one point of contact.

[dexddd]

Sorry you don’t have a very high opinion of the service on NCL.

*Maybe you do and I just read it wrong. :)

I find the concierges on NCL very, very responsive and helpful.

Some are overworked and need more assistance, but I find that they go way above and beyond, trying to please.

I have never had a Butler on NCL that I didn’t think was fantastic.

We do have the Butler deliver coffee in the morning before we wake.

Our verbal request allows him/her to enter, no matter what the door sign says.

They have always tiptoed in, left the coffee, and departed.

We keep the bedroom curtain or door closed, so they do not disturb or see us.

 

Judy

 

Just doing a comparison of DCL Concierge (both shoreside and on ship) and DCL is leaps and bounds above NCL. Have you sailed DCL and/or DCL Concierge? On the smaller ships, NCL does get closer though.

 

As far as NCL butlers, I'm glad you've had fantastic butlers on most/all of your trips. We have not.

[dexddd]

Our last three cruises were aboard the Fantasy ... hoping that one day we can afford Disney Concierge :)

 

DCL is nice pretty much whatever category you are in. That being said, the Concierge Lounge on Fantasy is nice. Different treats all day long that change, water, soda, open bar hours at night.

 

They keep jacking up the prices every year so that is keeping us away a bit but the off season prices aren't too bad.

[Cuizer2]

We're in an NCL suite next month on a 7 day cruise and seeing as how we've never done the Cruise Ship Suite thing I was wondering about appropriate tips for for the Butler and Concierge? I'll list out my questions...

 

1: Are "suggested" tips for these two included in your final bill?

 

2: If not, I'd guess they are part of a pool or otherwise highly compensated from the cruise line?

 

3: If tips are expected, how much are they per day or week for each?

 

4: Do you also have a room steward that needs to be taken care of like you would in standard balcony or other room?

 

5: What are we looking at as far as a total $ amount in tipping the people that are making sure we have the time of our lives?

 

I'm just a simple man with simple means who happened to come across a pretty good deal on a Suite so I'm not looking to go overboard with tips but I have no problem taking care of all the staff, I'd just like to know what I'm looking at as far as budgeting for the final bill. Thanks for any replies..

 

1) No.

2) No, they are not.

3) It depends on how much you use them and what they do for you.

4) Yes.

5) That is up to you.

 

The butler is for things inside the cabin. When food and drinks magisterially appear on the table inside your cabin - that is the butler. If you need a reservation at one of the restaurants, that is the concierge.

 

If you don't make any special requests of your butler, maybe $5 per day is fair. If you have a big party every evening in your cabin with extra food, and your butler expedites your laundry, maybe $100 per day is fair. The same with the concierge. At any rate, what you tip is up to you and there is no suggested amount.

[Travel Junkie Judy]

My mother and I went the Breakaway 5/22/16. She is being treated for cancer but had dr approval.....a few weeks prior to cruise I had an accident and injured my back and knee. I needed to make this a special vacation for my mother, she has been through so much in a short time. We both had some hiccups.... I was not as mobile as I expected I would be and she had a bit of a relapse. We weren't able to get around the ship as I had hoped. That said.....our Butler Gian and our room Stewart Geng ...they were awesome ...i really don't know how I would have done without them. When we were cabin bound because my mom was ill both took care of us. Gian was on top of things and when we were able to leave cabin I was secretly able to tell Geng to service room quickly because I knew we would be back shortly. Both were so on spot and just so caring that i wish i could have tipped them more then I was able too. That said....I was begging my mom to eat more, there were a couple of occasions where during the late night I may have persuaded her to have room service. She was having none of it......She loved Gian and didn't want to be the cause of him losing late night sleep to serve her......of course he insisted he be called. So I ask........do the butlers ever get sleep? I too hated to call and didn't for a 2 am room service to the butler.

 

First, Gian is an awesome Butler. You were so lucky to have him.

While we have many favorites, Gian is one of the best of the best.

 

Butlers do get to sleep!

There is one Butler each cruise that is assigned to “Night Duty”

 

All calls for service will go to him or her.

He/she does not have duties during the day, so he/she can sleep/rest.

 

Now you can rest easy, knowing that.

 

Judy

Edited July 8, 2016 by Travel Junkie Judy

[Travel Junkie Judy]

Just doing a comparison of DCL Concierge (both shoreside and on ship) and DCL is leaps and bounds above NCL. Have you sailed DCL and/or DCL Concierge? On the smaller ships, NCL does get closer though.

 

As far as NCL butlers, I'm glad you've had fantastic butlers on most/all of your trips. We have not.

 

 

 

Hi,

 

First, I think it’s a good thing that we all don’t prefer the same cruise line.

That would make for some big problems with booking. :rolleyes:

We have not sailed on DCL and have no plans to do so.

I know that they have “adult only” areas, but I taught Spec Ed for 43 years and I prefer to cruise when the kids are in school.

I volunteer at our local schools and I volunteer when we spend time in Central America. I do love kids, just not when I cruise.

It’s not the kids, it’s usually the adults of the kids (lack of supervision) that bother me.

 

My kids and grandkids have cruised on DCL and they loved it more than just about any other kind of vacation. :p

I have absolutely nothing against DCL, in fact, I would highly recommend them to folks with kids or who like to sail with kids.

We have been to Disney parks many times and I assume that the organization is similar. Some of our very favorite family vacations were at Disney parks.

My hat is off to them for this type of service.

 

So, I will not be able to compare the services.

I think it all depends on what kind of service different people want.

I guess I just happen to like that the Butlers we’ve had were always willing to go the extra mile to be sure we were happy.

 

The concierge service that we’ve had on NCL has always been excellent also.

I can not imagine a way that we could have better service.

 

And, the price of the cruise in a suite on NCL is more acceptable to retired folks like us.

 

Thanks for your input. :)

 

Judy

[darlene62]

First, Gian is an awesome Butler. You were so lucky to have him.

While we have many favorites, Gian is one of the best of the best.

 

Butlers do get to sleep!

There is one Butler each cruise that is assigned to “Night Duty”

 

All calls for service will go to him or her.

He/she does not have duties during the day, so he/she can sleep/rest.

 

Now you can rest easy, knowing that.

 

Judy

Thank you so much for your reply! I know this is a perk of a haven suite and I fully understand and respect that this is something that is paid for and to be expected and people should use that perk. I had kept the price of the haven a secret from my mother so not to stress her....but even if she had known and even for me....we still wouldn't be able to reconcile a person being woken up for a tuna sandwich at 2 am. LOL next time I book a haven suite I will be less concerned :)

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Wait until you see how the butler and concierge treat you. Our experience has been that the concierges concentrated on the higher end suites at the front of the ship, not the aft where we have been. We make our own reservations for dinner, excursions etc and prefer to eat in Cagneys or dining rooms, not our cabin. Our second concierge was rude the one time we did ask her a question. She also told us it was not allowed to do self-debarkation (wrong information).Neither time did we get escorted to our cabin by the concierge or butler. They took the high end suites first and we waited. The second time, we didn't get on the ship until all the cabins were called.

Our first butler did nothing. We did not know then that we could get breakfast other than the short form he put on the door. We also did not know we should ask him for dinner menus so we could decide when to eat at a specialty. Neither time we were invited to the chocolate buffet early.

We love the suites because of Cagneys for breakfast and lunch, larger room, and priority tendering. We have paid extra for these perks. We had great stewards and tipped them extra. We did not have great or even good concierges either time and one butler was terrible. We did tip the second butler extra because he did provide extra service. Do not feel pressured to tip people who do not do a good job.

 

Thanks for saying this...we will be going in our first suite. We don't ever need a suite, but Pride of America has such small balcony rooms that we really would not be comfortable without a full size couch to sit on. My husband is very tall and has broken his back twice...he needs something comfortable not the mini couch. S0 with that said, we have no desire to have a butler...I have no idea what we would use him for. A concierge won't be used as we book everything ourselves. We are do it ourselves kind of people! Can someone tell me what I would be tipping them for?

[dexddd]

Thanks for saying this...we will be going in our first suite. We don't ever need a suite, but Pride of America has such small balcony rooms that we really would not be comfortable without a full size couch to sit on. My husband is very tall and has broken his back twice...he needs something comfortable not the mini couch. S0 with that said, we have no desire to have a butler...I have no idea what we would use him for. A concierge won't be used as we book everything ourselves. We are do it ourselves kind of people! Can someone tell me what I would be tipping them for?

 

Which suite do you have on POA?

[FM]

...

The butler is for things inside the cabin. When food and drinks magisterially appear on the table inside your cabin - that is the butler. If you need a reservation at one of the restaurants, that is the concierge.

 

If you don't make any special requests of your butler, maybe $5 per day is fair. If you have a big party every evening in your cabin with extra food, and your butler expedites your laundry, maybe $100 per day is fair. The same with the concierge. At any rate, what you tip is up to you and there is no suggested amount.

 

It's good to know! As for laundry I was just starting to think about how to handle that issue as our travel plans for next year will likely be the 9-day RCL Anthem Canada/New England cruise followed by the 7-day NCL Florida/Bahama cruise. I do not know if either cruise line have laundry rooms like Disney does ... so the option of having the Butler expedite any laundry servicing request will be great when we board the Breakaway portion of our B2B.

 

 

DCL is nice pretty much whatever category you are in. That being said, the Concierge Lounge on Fantasy is nice. Different treats all day long that change, water, soda, open bar hours at night.

 

They keep jacking up the prices every year so that is keeping us away a bit but the off season prices aren't too bad.

 

Agree - DCL is great. Our first Disney cruise(s) was a B2B aboard the Fantasy. So when DW's sister wanted to experience her very first cruise, we decided to taker her aboard the Fantasy last year - we would rate DCL as one of our top choices. The dilemma re Disney concierge for us is just how pricey it can be. One day perhaps ... heck, we'd skip Concierge if we could snag an Adult Cabana on Castaway Cay again!!

 

 

...

 

It’s not the kids, it’s usually the adults of the kids (lack of supervision) that bother me.

 

We concur - lol

 

...

 

Some of our very favorite family vacations were at Disney parks.

 

My two favorite "holidays" - Cruising ... and WDW :)

 

...

 

And, the price of the cruise in a suite on NCL is more acceptable to retired folks like us.

 

We always have the exchange rate working against us up here in Canada so we try to make the most of our travel to the States. We've cruised with NCL twice before, the last one being in the Mediterranean 19 years ago, so am very curious to see how NCL is now.

 

[Travel Junkie Judy]

Wait until you see how the butler and concierge treat you. Our experience has been that the concierges concentrated on the higher end suites at the front of the ship, not the aft where we have been. We make our own reservations for dinner, excursions etc and prefer to eat in Cagneys or dining rooms, not our cabin. Our second concierge was rude the one time we did ask her a question. She also told us it was not allowed to do self-debarkation (wrong information).Neither time did we get escorted to our cabin by the concierge or butler. They took the high end suites first and we waited. The second time, we didn't get on the ship until all the cabins were called.

Our first butler did nothing. We did not know then that we could get breakfast other than the short form he put on the door. We also did not know we should ask him for dinner menus so we could decide when to eat at a specialty. Neither time we were invited to the chocolate buffet early.

We love the suites because of Cagneys for breakfast and lunch, larger room, and priority tendering. We have paid extra for these perks. We had great stewards and tipped them extra. We did not have great or even good concierges either time and one butler was terrible. We did tip the second butler extra because he did provide extra service. Do not feel pressured to tip people who do not do a good job.

 

I am so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience.

Your Butler should have come by your cabin on day 1 to see what he/she could do to make your cruise special.

Like all people, there are a few bad eggs....

 

We did have a very bad room steward once when we were in a suite.

He was an older gentleman and we found out he would retired soon after we cruised - dementia problems. Sad for all.

 

We have been in aft suites and found that we were treated no differently than those anywhere else - well, maybe the Garden Villa got more attention from their Butler.

 

Did you not receive afternoon treats in your cabin each day? If not, then you did have a very bad Butler.

You should have gotten either a bottle of wine or champagne in your cabin also.

Latitudes Platinum get one and Suite guests get the other.

This is taken care of by your Butler.

 

Maybe another cruise line would work better for you.

RCCL, Princess and Carnival have suites with no butler.

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

Which suite do you have on POA?

 

Penthouse...but have not selected the exact one yet...doing that next week. Any suggestions of which Penthouse? We are looking at deck 11 I think...just looked like that would fit our likes best.

[Jeff&Pam]

Hi,

 

First, I think it’s a good thing that we all don’t prefer the same cruise line.

That would make for some big problems with booking. :rolleyes:

We have not sailed on DCL and have no plans to do so.

I know that they have “adult only” areas, but I taught Spec Ed for 43 years and I prefer to cruise when the kids are in school.

I volunteer at our local schools and I volunteer when we spend time in Central America. I do love kids, just not when I cruise.

It’s not the kids, it’s usually the adults of the kids (lack of supervision) that bother me.

 

My kids and grandkids have cruised on DCL and they loved it more than just about any other kind of vacation. :p

I have absolutely nothing against DCL, in fact, I would highly recommend them to folks with kids or who like to sail with kids.

We have been to Disney parks many times and I assume that the organization is similar. Some of our very favorite family vacations were at Disney parks.

My hat is off to them for this type of service.

 

So, I will not be able to compare the services.

I think it all depends on what kind of service different people want.

I guess I just happen to like that the Butlers we’ve had were always willing to go the extra mile to be sure we were happy.

 

The concierge service that we’ve had on NCL has always been excellent also.

I can not imagine a way that we could have better service.

 

And, the price of the cruise in a suite on NCL is more acceptable to retired folks like us.

 

Thanks for your input. :)

 

Judy

 

Here is the thing. dcl...it is not like the parks. It is actually disney light. I was surprised by this. Yes there Disney touches everywhere, but it is more subtle. Think of the grand Floridian in fl. It is very Disney but nothing making it feel cheap or childlike.

 

We do not have kids and did not know what to expect when we took my nephew and dad...and we were pleasantly surprised. The ships are very beautifully designed in an Art Deco style! Yes the shows are Disney. Yes there can be kids at dinner. But Disney staff comes to pick up the kids after they have their accelerated meal....so they spend a short time with family and then are whisked away with the cruise staff to have fun.

 

My nephew was 14 and a pretty serious no nonsense kinda shy kid...we never saw him after the first meal except for the last day at breakfast! My dad said he was up with him for breakfast a few times, and besides that he was meeting other kids his age and eating with them. We not see many kids during our trip. The kids club is THAT good. It is not like anything I have seen anywhere else. The adult areas are very lovely themed and not Disney cute. Wow. Blown away.

 

Now NCL is wonderful and the service seems good, but I was truly impressed with how the adults can be adults and the kids can be kids, and the ship is really impressively laid out to avoid lots of screaming kids.

 

Now....there is no casino. It is expensive...but I enjoyed a few short Disney cruises without feeling like I was in an amusement park, even a Disney amusement park, it did not feel like the other cruises I have been on.

 

My only disappointment was the wait staff, but we have typically been disappointed with the wait staff on many of our trips. We got unlucky and kept getting pairs that were at the end of their contracts and it was obvious they were fried. Also, no one has been able to compare with the wait staff on princess. We got lucky a few times there.

 

If you dislike the Disney brand then obviously a DCL cruise is not for you.

 

Impressed. We are sailing in a Haven class room on NCL Escape this time...let's see how that goes!

[Travel Junkie Judy]

Here is the thing. dcl...it is not like the parks. It is actually disney light. I was surprised by this. Yes there Disney touches everywhere, but it is more subtle. Think of the grand Floridian in fl. It is very Disney but nothing making it feel cheap or childlike.

 

We do not have kids and did not know what to expect when we took my nephew and dad...and we were pleasantly surprised. The ships are very beautifully designed in an Art Deco style! Yes the shows are Disney. Yes there can be kids at dinner. But Disney staff comes to pick up the kids after they have their accelerated meal....so they spend a short time with family and then are whisked away with the cruise staff to have fun.

 

My nephew was 14 and a pretty serious no nonsense kinda shy kid...we never saw him after the first meal except for the last day at breakfast! My dad said he was up with him for breakfast a few times, and besides that he was meeting other kids his age and eating with them. We not see many kids during our trip. The kids club is THAT good. It is not like anything I have seen anywhere else. The adult areas are very lovely themed and not Disney cute. Wow. Blown away.

 

Now NCL is wonderful and the service seems good, but I was truly impressed with how the adults can be adults and the kids can be kids, and the ship is really impressively laid out to avoid lots of screaming kids.

 

Now....there is no casino. It is expensive...but I enjoyed a few short Disney cruises without feeling like I was in an amusement park, even a Disney amusement park, it did not feel like the other cruises I have been on.

 

My only disappointment was the wait staff, but we have typically been disappointed with the wait staff on many of our trips. We got unlucky and kept getting pairs that were at the end of their contracts and it was obvious they were fried. Also, no one has been able to compare with the wait staff on princess. We got lucky a few times there.

 

If you dislike the Disney brand then obviously a DCL cruise is not for you.

 

Impressed. We are sailing in a Haven class room on NCL Escape this time...let's see how that goes!

 

I hope you love the Haven as much as we do.

We love the staff and everything about it.

Be sure to contact the Concierge Desk at NCL before you sail.

They can help you get all of the perks you want and need.

 

I think I am attaching a photo of our Butler fixing something in the Haven pool and a photo of the Haven lounge area.

 

Let me know if you want more information.

I can send it to you in an email.

 

Judy

[BabeRuthless]

This is such a great thread! We are sailing to Alaska on the Sun next month in an aft penthouse. This is only our second cruise and the first in a suite, so I was curious about the tipping. Do I tip a certain amount up front and the rest at the end or all up front? Or? I'm not sure how much we will utilize the butler and concierge because that's new to us but I'll try.

 

I'm excited about the priority boarding, that's for sure!

[BirdTravels]

This is such a great thread! We are sailing to Alaska on the Sun next month in an aft penthouse. This is only our second cruise and the first in a suite, so I was curious about the tipping. Do I tip a certain amount up front and the rest at the end or all up front? Or? I'm not sure how much we will utilize the butler and concierge because that's new to us but I'll try. I'm excited about the priority boarding, that's for sure!

 

O.K.,,,, you are responding to a thread that is over a year old.

 

 

 

Tip your concierge, butler, and room steward on the last full day of the cruise. Your butler will serve you snacks every day. Ask for additional items (bowl of gummy bears, M&Ms, etc.) We always ask for PB&J sandwiches. On Alaska cruises, we ask our butler to bring us a pile of deck blankets so that we can hunker down on glacier watching days and in the evenings. On port days, we get our butler to bring breakfast to our room. There will be cards with "check the box" breakfast items. Ignore the boxes and write down whatever you want from the MDR or Suites dining room. For example: Eggs over easy, filet steak, bacon, sausage, ham, hash brown, breakfast potatoes, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, breads, fruits, juices, and a diet pepsi.

 

 

 

Tipping is up to you. We use a rule-of-thumb of $5-$10 per day per person for the concierge, $10-$15 per day per person for the butler, and $5-$10 per day per person for the steward (who is covered by the daily service charge, but we give them a little extra because of the big room).