3rd/4th person tipping

[lktomkies]

Hey all- I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I've searched and can't find any answers.

 

If you have a 3rd and/or 4th person in a cabin, do you tip the full suggested amount, even if the 3rd and/or 4th person is a child?

 

I am not trying to be cheap, nor am I trying to stiff the crew members, I am just curious! It would make sense to tip the dining room staff the full amount, as I'm sure the kids require as much work (probably more!) as the adults. What about the cabin steward?

 

Any suggestions, thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[Grayce]

Tip the full amount for each person.

[masterbaker]

The only cruiseline I know of that reduces the tip amount for children ($5pp/pd) is NCL. All the others we have sailed expect the full amount of $10pp/pd for adults and children. Honestly, they really go out of their way to make kids and thier parents happy and kids make more mess than adults usually so it's not unfair to ask the same tips for both.

[lktomkies]

Years ago, we took two of our daughters, then ages 7 and 5, on a 10 day southern sailing on HAL. There were only 13 children on board, I believe. The wonderful crew on that ship (Statendam) treated our girls like royalty! They were so happy to have children on board! The crew started making paper origami figures for the girls and they were so thrilled with them, it actually became a COMPETITION among the crew members for who could come up with new/inventive origami figures! Our daughters left that ship with an entire "treasure box" of origami. The younger daughter (now 14) has never lost interest in paperfolding and has several books of it on her bookshelf. I will never forget that cruise and how special the kids were treated. Even though the ship did not have dedicated kids' facilities, the kids program was excellent. We tipped the staff very well and it was worth every penny when we would see the girls' faces light up everytime one of the staff just smiled and said "hello" to them. I will never forget it!

[mrg0433]

I would wait and see how the service is before I do any tipping again. Our last cruise was the worst service ever, so I am anxious to see if things are better on our next cruise.

 

I guess everyone has a different take on tipping. If my children did not use the dining room, as many do not, I would tip accordingly. A child's meal in a restaurant is usually less money, so their portion of the tip would be less. I guess that is why NCL suggests a lower tip amount. If the service was horrible, as it was on our last RCCL cruise, I would also tip based on the level of service provided.

 

I prefer freestyle dining and enjoy the option of different restaurants and eating at the time of my choosing each night. However, our upcoming cruises on RCCL and Carnival will have assigned times--which means we will probably not use the dining room as often as others onboard. I am bringing a collapsable table for quiet intimate dining on my balcony on my cruise next week because I don't like the noise in a large banquet hall size dining room. Fortunately, my daughter and son-in-law are our other tablemates and will probably enjoy having the table to themselves the evenings we are not there.

 

Mary

Plymouth, MA

[Seago2]

I always tip more for each kid. I just cruised CCL with four kids and I made sure to thank the cabin steward with major $$. I gave the head waiter an extra $75 on top of the 10/each mandatory gratuity. This was for a 7 day cruise. I also tipped a waiter that really went above and beyond the call of duty in the buffet restaurant. As I see it, anyone who makes my children feel special should be recognized. And theydefinitely have to work harder for a child than for an adult (more clean up, more waiting patiently while the child orders, more substitutions, more hot chocolates, etc!).

[bplazo]

I always tip more when I have a child (even if their $ amount is less on a check) because they are way more work than an adult. I have seen many times a family leave less of a tip because they have children.