tipping above and beyond re: freestyle.

[Love1jill]

Hello. We are sailing on the Norwegian Jade in October. We have prepaid gratuities. My question is this. On Royal Caribbean, since we had a fixed dining time, we have always given an additional tip to the waiter and assistant waiter on the last night of the cruise. However, on NCL, since there is no set dining time, I assume we will have a different wait staff each night. How do you additional tipping for wait staff? Thank you. Jerry & Jill C.

[BirdTravels]

You could do it every night. Your wait staff is covered under you Daily Service Charge.

 

We normally carry a bunch of $1 for bartenders and drink servers.

 

We give our room steward above and beyond.

 

Our butlers and concierges are not covered by the daily service charge and we tip them independently .

[ClevelandCruisin]

I only tip extra for the people who handle my drinks. We bring a lot of $1 which they appreciate with speed and some heavy pours.

[fshagan]

Hello. We are sailing on the Norwegian Jade in October. We have prepaid gratuities. My question is this. On Royal Caribbean, since we had a fixed dining time, we have always given an additional tip to the waiter and assistant waiter on the last night of the cruise. However, on NCL, since there is no set dining time, I assume we will have a different wait staff each night. How do you additional tipping for wait staff? Thank you. Jerry & Jill C.

 

Dining is more like it is on land. If you want to tip servers more you will have to do it like you do on land ... after each meal. There is no check in the main dining rooms so you can leave cash. In the specialty restaurants you will have a sales slip to sign and, while your 18% gratuity has already been collected in the price of the package, there is a line for an additional tip.

[easyboy]

You can give cash tip to your waitstaff every night after service, or at the end of the cruise.

[NLH Arizona]

If you feel that the service you received from your waiter was above and beyond, feel free to tip them at the end of the meal. It is not necessary to tip, but I'm sure it would be appreciated if warranted.

[Clay Clayton]

Dining is more like it is on land. If you want to tip servers more you will have to do it like you do on land ... after each meal. There is no check in the main dining rooms so you can leave cash. In the specialty restaurants you will have a sales slip to sign and, while your 18% gratuity has already been collected in the price of the package, there is a line for an additional tip.

 

Just be advised that according to what one server told us one time, that if you add something to the line on the sales slip, that doesn't go to the actual server like it does in a restaurant on land. Rather it does to the same pool that the DSC goes which is shared (using some mystical formula) by all crew. Therefore as others have suggested, if we have exemplary service, we tip the server in cash.

[Zeno]

Personally, I only tip extra for exceptional service. The last time I did so in a dining situation was actually in the buffet because one of the attendants there really went out of her way to assist me every time I was there (I have mobility issues).

 

We also tend to tip our cabin stewards a small amount because we usually ask for a few extra things.

 

It really is entirely up to you.

[garycarla]

Probably the most talked about topic here.

 

One thread from the first page.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2521545

[fshagan]

Just be advised that according to what one server told us one time, that if you add something to the line on the sales slip, that doesn't go to the actual server like it does in a restaurant on land. Rather it does to the same pool that the DSC goes which is shared (using some mystical formula) by all crew. Therefore as others have suggested, if we have exemplary service, we tip the server in cash.

 

No, that is incorrect, according to NCL:

 

While you should not feel obligated to offer a gratuity, all of our staff are encouraged to “go the extra mile,” so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities for exceptional or outstanding service if you care to offer them.

They can accept, and they get to keep, any cash tips.

[Clay Clayton]

No, that is incorrect, according to NCL:

 

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They can accept, and they get to keep, any cash tips.

 

Not sure why you are saying I am incorrect....I said I tip in cash rather than putting onto the sales slip and paying via my onboard account because by giving cash, I KNOW that the server I am giving it to, gets it. Otherwise, it is not at all clear what happens to my tip.

[Sciencechick74]

For those that have tipped for drinks, waiters etc how much are you tipping? Still trying to figure out how much cash to take :)

[fshagan]

Not sure why you are saying I am incorrect....I said I tip in cash rather than putting onto the sales slip and paying via my onboard account because by giving cash, I KNOW that the server I am giving it to, gets it. Otherwise, it is not at all clear what happens to my tip.

 

Oh, sorry ... I misunderstood. :o

[Clay Clayton]

For those that have tipped for drinks, waiters etc how much are you tipping? Still trying to figure out how much cash to take :)

 

I usually tip a $5 the first time I order drinks from a bar where I know I will be spending alot of time (Great Outdoors for me) and then a buck the rest of the time....more if I have it or less if I don't. I usually also hand over a $5 when I order my last drink.

 

Oh, sorry ... I misunderstood. :o

phew, was worried I was wrong!