Diamond Lounge Tips !!!!!!!!!!

[marci22]

Most of our UK friends tip nothing, remove tipping and sail very happy being catered to for such loyalty being top cruisers. I have never seen any of these people in the lounge ever tip for anything.

 

Terrible behavior by your UK friends.

[nelly55]

Please don't put all UK cruisers in the same category, we always pre-pay our gratuities and most times tip extra because we feel the crew deserve it. We try to hand them the tips when others are not around as we don't want to make a show of it. I prefer to do that rather than flash a wad of cash around which we saw in the CL on Indy earlier this year.

[JasonV1]

I'm in no way an elite tipper, but I bring at least $50 in singles to give out on the boat, mainly to bartenders/bar waiters. On average, 50% of that money is returned to me (so to speak) in the form of more generous pours, and in at least one case a round of shots for my wife and I (that took more than one dollar).

 

For the 3-4 weeks a year I vacation a few extra hundred in tip money generally enhances the experience. Since I cruise often, I do my part to help the good crew members out because I want them there the next time I cruise. I'm not saying that my extra $1-$2 (on average) changes their life, but I can tell you that they are more likely to remember you.

 

Plus, cruises are cheap (relatively speaking). Even Oasis class inside cabins could be found for less than $800 this past summer if you will willing to book last minute. If no one tipped the rates would have to go up, or even worse Royal wouldn't drop billions on new ships.

[heatherb1958]

We have sailed Adventure multiple times but just got back from our first cruise on her with the drinks vouchers in situ, which we love by the way, a lot of the crew know us and know that we tip. We usually tip for the CL/DL at the end of the cruise but because we were using bars as well as the CL/DL during cocktail hour and tipping as we went DH noticed he went through more money! It is no wonder we got excellent service:D

[Grandma Dazzles]

As far as the thank you note writers go ...... since we have often had more than one or two bartenders in the diamond lounge have tended to write a short note, put in an envelope addressed to the bar staff along with cash (usually $50 or more), and given to whomever seemed to be the head bartender, along with lots of praise and thanks. If there were more than one bartender/server involved we have thanked the others and mentioned that an envelope was left with "John, or whomever his name was." This seems to work well.

 

This has happened a lot when overflow lounges were opened - e.g. Blaze - we tended to sit at the bar most nights. This saves carrying cash every night and seems to work well.

[Guest maddycat]

You might have seen a thread a month ago where I was honest about the fact I don't (sorry cross that out. . . ) DIDN'T pay tips to servers in the DL.

 

This was because I strongly believed the principle that the DL drinks hours are a perk and if I paid tips then this takes the free earned status of this away.

 

I AM REFORMED ! Ha ha ha !!

 

I paid our 2 regular servers $20 each on the recent Oasis TA cruise (don't flame the amount - this is a big change for me !!).

 

They looked after us so well.

 

Thanks to those people who nicely and thoughtfully gave me their opposite view on DL tips for me to reflect on and NO THANKS :mad: to those who just decided to flame me a month ago and be nasty.

 

 

I'm glad that you are reformed. I think that your tip amount was fair and I'd guess, much appreciated.

[Jeannie333333]

Please don't put all UK cruisers in the same category, we always pre-pay our gratuities and most times tip extra because we feel the crew deserve it. We try to hand them the tips when others are not around as we don't want to make a show of it. I prefer to do that rather than flash a wad of cash around which we saw in the CL on Indy earlier this year.

 

 

yep, us too :)

[Guest maddycat]

Not to hijack the thread but you were all talking about tipping and I had a thought. I am in a tiny inside cabin on Legend of the Seas. Probably one of the smallest cabins I have had, but my tip is the same as others in much larger cabins. Then I thought about the price I paid. I got very lucky with the BOGO half sale before they doubled their pricing. When you take out the taxes and port fees and ask your TA what the cruise fare is, you will be shocked at how much less it really is. So, I used the formula of a restaurant that we tip between 15%-20% depended on good to exceptional service.

My cruise fare for a 10 day cruise with my husbands come to $554! If we are tipping $24 per day which will come to $240, that is so much more than any tip we have ever paid if looking at percent.I would gather that is close to 45%?

I never thought of now tipping for a perk given to us because we got to diamond and higher cruising on RCI. I thought it was their way of thanking us! Each of these waiters still share in the general split of the tips.

I have sailed with so many Europeans and they have told me we Americans tip for every single thing and it is quite ridiculous. Most of our UK friends tip nothing, remove tipping and sail very happy being catered to for such loyalty being top cruisers. I have never seen any of these people in the lounge ever tip for anything.

 

Let's not talk percentages for tipping on a cruise. It's just not realistic. Even though you got a bargain on your cruise fare, you still get the same service as a passenger who paid much more for the cruise.

 

Your $24 a day in tips includes your MDR staff and your cabin attendant. The servers in the CL/DL are bar servers. They don't share in the waiter tip pool or the bartender tip pool.

[jbond]

It actually shocked me how many people didn't give anything on our last cruise. Many were suite which annoyed me a little. If you can afford to cruise in a suite, you can afford to tip.

How did you know they didn't tip?

[delirious9876]

Delirious 9876 - Thank You!!!! - both for reflecting and being willing to rethink - AND for being so thoughtful as to say so - I had read the entire previous thread and this was a most unexpected and wonderful surprise - thanks again - and congratulations -

somehow it made my day -

Nancy

I'm glad I helped to make your day - ha ha ha !!

 

:) :) :)

Edited September 16, 2014 by delirious9876

[camofwilliamsburg]

I meant no disrespect to any people from the UK. I have meet and hung around with tons of UK people and each told me they expect service to be good or they would not cruise as often with a certain cruise line. On PCL these people are most traveled passenger and also in the top 5 most traveled. I talked to each and they told me that they give for over the top, extra service and it does not happen each time.

 

Ad far as % of cruise fare as compared to others paying more.... my tips are still almost 50% of my cruise fare.... a bit high I think.

 

What do you do when you leave something on the floor and it is not picked up all week. Like a thread or a tiny piece of paper to see if they are vacuuming. I think it is a lot of money per day if all they do is make up the bed and then turn it down. They do not even change the linens anymore.

 

In writing this, I realize how much I really hate the auto tipping. On one hand I understand that it goes to behind the scenes people.... but what is a tip? To insure proper service. To be given for service beyond what is paid for. We use to pay about $10 pp per day when handing out at the end of the cruise. I liked that more. ( 3.75 per day for waiter and room steward, and 2.50 for the wait staff assistant).

 

Since Royal closes the dining rooms for lunch during port days, where is my service if I skip a port and want to be on the ship. I have to go to the buffet, which I really do not enjoy. On OAsis, I was shocked that the staff told me to get up myself in the main dining room when I asked for fruit that was on the buffet in the main dining room. SO what service was I getting to give the full tip?

[k9x8]

[quote name=camofwilliamsburge tips.

I have sailed with so many Europeans and they have told me we Americans tip for every single thing and it is quite ridiculous. Most of our UK friends tip nothing, remove tipping and sail very happy being catered to for such loyalty being top cruisers. I have never seen any of these people in the lounge ever tip for anything.[/quote]

 

In Italy, at least, a cup of coffe costs twice as much if we drink it sitting down, even if we carry it to the table ourselves.

 

We pay a nonnegotiable service charge in European restaurants. More than once, I've wanted to crawl under the table as a loud, boorish, fellow American pitched a hissy fit over that service charge.

 

A person with only four teeth pays as much for a six- month visit as one with a mouthful.

 

Do you really test the steward by leaving a thread on the floor? :confused:

[basilisk43]

So, do you also tip the server when they hand out the free glasses of champagne at the Park Art auctions?

[basilisk43]

And also what about the Hot Dog dude, do we need to slip him a buck for each free dog?

 

I never have before, something I never considered

Edited September 17, 2014 by basilisk43

[tserface]

And also what about the Hot Dog dude, do we need to slip him a buck for each free dog?

 

 

 

I never have before, something I never considered

 

 

So far as I can tell no one is saying anyone else has to do anything they don't want to do. I've been told you *can* tip anyone you think has enhanced your experience and they will appreciate it. Last cruise we tipped the coffee people because they made our specialty coffee just the way we like it every day. They made us feel really great by remembering us and remembering what we liked and making us feel special when we showed up each morning. We appreciated their smiling faces and they even laughed at some of my jokes.

 

It was only a few bucks, but they really appreciated it. If I loved hot dogs as much and the hot dog people made me feel extra special I'd probably tip them. But, that's just me. I don't think anyone is expecting extra even if they are thrilled when they get it.

 

Tom

[EmpressofPurple]

Delirious 9876 - Thank You!!!! - both for reflecting and being willing to rethink - AND for being so thoughtful as to say so - I had read the entire previous thread and this was a most unexpected and wonderful surprise - thanks again - and congratulations -

somehow it made my day -

Nancy

 

Ditto :D

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[Folk Singer]

So far as I can tell no one is saying anyone else has to do anything they don't want to do. I've been told you *can* tip anyone you think has enhanced your experience and they will appreciate it. Last cruise we tipped the coffee people because they made our specialty coffee just the way we like it every day. They made us feel really great by remembering us and remembering what we liked and making us feel special when we showed up each morning. We appreciated their smiling faces and they even laughed at some of my jokes.

 

It was only a few bucks, but they really appreciated it. If I loved hot dogs as much and the hot dog people made me feel extra special I'd probably tip them. But, that's just me. I don't think anyone is expecting extra even if they are thrilled when they get it.

 

Tom

 

 

Good thought. We tip extra just because we feel like it. If the service is bad then no. If they go the extra mile then yes.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Folk Singer

[pcur]

Delirious 9876: You're my hero! Good on you for re-thinking the whole thing and coming back to discuss it. :D

 

To those that think people are not tipping on the last night: We frequently put our DL/CL tips on our seapass account for the Concierge.

 

The bar staff get cash tips, and we tip at least 15% gratuity (rounded up) we would have paid if we were charged per drink. Actually, we tip over that, because I usually just round it off to $1 per drink, including his Diet Cokes.

[karena1]

I fully understand and agree. I typically tip like $1/drink and then some extra at the end if we were really happy with the service. So far we've always been happy with the service.

 

Most of the time they recognize us after the 1st day and know what we like to drink. They are really amazing and the extra few dollars doesn't make me feel like it's any less of a perk. If I get a coupon for a restaurant discount we always tip against what the meal would have cost. It isn't the server's fault that we got a great deal.

 

The Diamond Lounge is often one of our really great experiences on a cruise. We meet other people who cruise often, become friends, and love meeting up with them before dinner each night. If we weren't Diamond level we'd gladly pay to get the benefit :rolleyes:

 

RCI knows how to do this... people who don't care about the DL experience can just use vouchers and others who are more social can meet up in the lounge. It's the best of both ideas.

 

Tom

 

We normally also pay $1 tip per round. We always figure we are drinking for free, so why not. Even though I have the Bev Pkg, we go up to the CL or DL every single night and spend at least a couple hours there. It is worth it.

[delirious9876]

Delirious 9876: You're my hero! Good on you for re-thinking the whole thing and coming back to discuss it. :D

 

To those that think people are not tipping on the last night: We frequently put our DL/CL tips on our seapass account for the Concierge.

 

The bar staff get cash tips, and we tip at least 15% gratuity (rounded up) we would have paid if we were charged per drink. Actually, we tip over that, because I usually just round it off to $1 per drink, including his Diet Cokes.

Thank you :)

[delirious9876]

Interesting that lots of people who flamed me previously and were a little nasty haven't been on to comment :)

[Merion_Mom]

Interesting that lots of people who flamed me previously and were a little nasty haven't been on to comment :)

 

I will ignore the specifics of THIS post and give you a "high five" for the first post of this thread!

 

I am cruising, and just saw your thoughts.

 

"Good on you" as the Brits say. :D

 

Tipping is ABSOLUTELY a personal issue.

 

Thank you for sharing your personal "conversion". ;)

[caribbean sailor]

How did you know they didn't tip?

 

Funny how some people spend their time trying to impress each other on how much they tip.Then they act like they know what other people are tipping.If you mind your own business,you will not be bothered by what other people do. :)

[John&LaLa]

So, do you also tip the server when they hand out the free glasses of champagne at the Park Art auctions?

 

Touche'

[JohnSnowGOT]

We normally also pay $1 tip per round. We always figure we are drinking for free, so why not. Even though I have the Bev Pkg, we go up to the CL or DL every single night and spend at least a couple hours there. It is worth it.

 

Hey Karena, we too usually get the Bev pkg bit still visit the CL and DL to look for people we know and up spending time in there.

 

Take good care of the Vision this month! She has become our newest favorite little ship!:)