Haven Tipping and the DSC

[Jnn61144]

Not to hijack the thread but I don't want to start another one on tipping and get yelled at by the NCL police.

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to add the tip for butler, concierge and steward into my onboard account? I want to limit the amount of cash I take with me.

[phoenix1181]

Not to hijack the thread but I don't want to start another one on tipping and get yelled at by the NCL police.

 

Does anyone know if it's possible to add the tip for butler, concierge and steward into my onboard account? I want to limit the amount of cash I take with me.

 

Yes, go to the service desk & they'll take care of that for you.

 

We didn't tip the Concierge. We saw her for 2 minutes at embarkation, listened to her instruction regarding disembark & saw her again for about 2 minutes the morning we left the ship. We asked for nothing from her & saw no reason to tip her.

 

The DSC was prepaid. We gave our butler $250 & cabin steward $100. They both were wonderful & took such great care of us. We had a full breakfast served every morning & that alone was worth the tip for the butler!

 

I can't wait to cruise in a suite again. We enjoyed the benefits tremendously...........

[Jnn61144]

Yes, go to the service desk & they'll take care of that for you.

 

We didn't tip the Concierge. We saw her for 2 minutes at embarkation, listened to her instruction regarding disembark & saw her again for about 2 minutes the morning we left the ship. We asked for nothing from her & saw no reason to tip her.

 

The DSC was prepaid. We gave our butler $250 & cabin steward $100. They both were wonderful & took such great care of us. We had a full breakfast served every morning & that alone was worth the tip for the butler!

 

I can't wait to cruise in a suite again. We enjoyed the benefits tremendously...........

 

Thank you!

[BirdTravels]

Not to hijack the thread but I don't want to start another one on tipping and get yelled at by the NCL police. Does anyone know if it's possible to add the tip for butler, concierge and steward into my onboard account? I want to limit the amount of cash I take with me.

Guest services can help you. BUT,,, you don't know whether your they will get the money directly, or whether it is added to make up a portion of their base salary like the room steward. Cash given directly to them is always better.

[garycarla]

Guest services can help you. BUT,,, you don't know whether your they will get the money directly, or whether it is added to make up a portion of their base salary like the room steward. Cash given directly to them is always better.

 

 

Yea, I never trust where that money goes. (reword - I wonder where it goes). Carrying a few hundred extra bucks is no big deal.

 

WAIT - it is a big deal. It easily can become another donation to the casino - LOL!

 

Oh well... gonna go get some more popcorn and feed it the horse.

Edited September 21, 2017 by garycarla

[Jnn61144]

Yea, I never trust where that money goes. (reword - I wonder where it goes). Carrying a few hundred extra bucks is no big deal.

 

WAIT - it is a big deal. It easily can become another donation to the casino - LOL!

 

Oh well... gonna go get some more popcorn and feed it the horse.

 

Yes I don't trust myself with cash in the casino. I will ask the butler what he prefers and what happens with the money. Thank you.

[Gampy1967]

It seems like the $10-$15/day/person is a common general tipping range for the Butler based upon several tipping threads. However, if you have them read to you right before you go to bed at night, is that included in your $10-15/day/person or do you give them a one time tip on the spot? Just wondering for a friend.

[garycarla]

Still incorrect. There are multiple suites but only one haven.

 

 

You are so right.

[Love my butler]

It seems like the $10-$15/day/person is a common general tipping range for the Butler based upon several tipping threads. However, if you have them read to you right before you go to bed at night, is that included in your $10-15/day/person or do you give them a one time tip on the spot? Just wondering for a friend.

 

You are really only obligated to tip them on the spot if they give you a kiss right after they have read to you.

 

 

P.S. That 10-15/day/person is on the extreme low end. Go big or go home!

[Glide_Path]

So how do you order breakfast to be served the following morning? Do I ask for a breakfast menu of some kind the night before, or call in the order the morning of? Will be first time going on NCL next week.

[mjkacmom]

So how do you order breakfast to be served the following morning? Do I ask for a breakfast menu of some kind the night before, or call in the order the morning of? Will be first time going on NCL next week.

Wrong thread.

[Love my butler]

So how do you order breakfast to be served the following morning? Do I ask for a breakfast menu of some kind the night before, or call in the order the morning of? Will be first time going on NCL next week.

 

I have found the most reliable way is to talk to your butler the night before. Usually they will take the order from you right then. Sometimes they will ask you to use the doorknob/order sheet.

[Glide_Path]

I have found the most reliable way is to talk to your butler the night before. Usually they will take the order from you right then. Sometimes they will ask you to use the doorknob/order sheet.

 

Thank you for your insight

 

Also, thank you OP for letting me sneak in a quick question.

[BirdTravels]

So how do you order breakfast to be served the following morning? Do I ask for a breakfast menu of some kind the night before, or call in the order the morning of? Will be first time going on NCL next week.

 

There will be breakfast cards in the room with standard breakfast items offered by room service.

 

IGNORE the check boxes and write what you want on the card. It can be from the MDR or the Suites restaurant.

 

For example, egg white omelet with tomato and mushroom, eggs over easy, filet steak, ham, bacon, sausage, grilled tomato, mushrooms, hash browns, breakfast potatoes, toast, breakfast breads, jellies, fresh fruits, juices, coffee, tea, and a Diet Pepsi.

 

You pick delivery time.

 

Leave the card in your room when you go to dinner and your butler will pick it up during nighttime turndown.

 

In the morning, your butler will show up with a white table cloth and your breakfast.

 

Enjoy!

[gingersvp]

We traveled in the Haven on the Pearl this past July with 3 kids. Pearl does not have a Haven restaurant so we made heavy use of the pool valet's services to have breakfast and lunch in the courtyard (much easier with our 2 year old than to try to sit in Moderno's).

 

We tipped:

Butler: $350 - She delivered at least 3 meals to our room, but did not serve them as courses as I expected. She did however, dote on my daughter and I do not doubt that she would have read us a bed time story. Steward: $100 - As I understand it the steward is included in the DSC, but she had to deal with my 2 teenaged boys and their bathroom habits. She also doted on my daughter.

Pool Valet: $100 - I hadn't budgeted for this, but we really spent a lot of time in the courtyard. He brought us breakfast and lunch daily and remembered all our meal preferences, like middle kid wanting pancake toppings on the side. He also brought us drinks all day long.

Concierge: $80 - She rearranged two reservations for us. I had pre-booked our dining and didn't make huge use of her services, but we did want to move things around once we were on the ship. She also did a good job with priority disembarkation at each port.

 

I budgeted for the tipping as part of my overall vacation plan. We were already spending insane amounts of money and I think the tipping portion was one of our most trivial expenses.

[Sam Ting]

We traveled in the Haven on the Pearl this past July with 3 kids. Pearl does not have a Haven restaurant so we made heavy use of the pool valet's services to have breakfast and lunch in the courtyard (much easier with our 2 year old than to try to sit in Moderno's).

 

We tipped:

Butler: $350 - She delivered at least 3 meals to our room, but did not serve them as courses as I expected. She did however, dote on my daughter and I do not doubt that she would have read us a bed time story. Steward: $100 - As I understand it the steward is included in the DSC, but she had to deal with my 2 teenaged boys and their bathroom habits. She also doted on my daughter.

Pool Valet: $100 - I hadn't budgeted for this, but we really spent a lot of time in the courtyard. He brought us breakfast and lunch daily and remembered all our meal preferences, like middle kid wanting pancake toppings on the side. He also brought us drinks all day long.

Concierge: $80 - She rearranged two reservations for us. I had pre-booked our dining and didn't make huge use of her services, but we did want to move things around once we were on the ship. She also did a good job with priority disembarkation at each port.

 

I budgeted for the tipping as part of my overall vacation plan. We were already spending insane amounts of money and I think the tipping portion was one of our most trivial expenses.

 

Sounds a little light.

[gingersvp]

Sounds a little light.

I really had no idea what was appropriate and spent lots of time trying to figure it out beforehand. I've had other threads people tell me I was generous.

[DMH15]

We traveled in the Haven on the Pearl this past July with 3 kids. Pearl does not have a Haven restaurant so we made heavy use of the pool valet's services to have breakfast and lunch in the courtyard (much easier with our 2 year old than to try to sit in Moderno's).

 

We tipped:

Butler: $350 - She delivered at least 3 meals to our room, but did not serve them as courses as I expected. She did however, dote on my daughter and I do not doubt that she would have read us a bed time story. Steward: $100 - As I understand it the steward is included in the DSC, but she had to deal with my 2 teenaged boys and their bathroom habits. She also doted on my daughter.

Pool Valet: $100 - I hadn't budgeted for this, but we really spent a lot of time in the courtyard. He brought us breakfast and lunch daily and remembered all our meal preferences, like middle kid wanting pancake toppings on the side. He also brought us drinks all day long.

Concierge: $80 - She rearranged two reservations for us. I had pre-booked our dining and didn't make huge use of her services, but we did want to move things around once we were on the ship. She also did a good job with priority disembarkation at each port.

 

I budgeted for the tipping as part of my overall vacation plan. We were already spending insane amounts of money and I think the tipping portion was one of our most trivial expenses.

 

 

 

Are you saying you did or didn't expect meals served couse-by-course?

 

 

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[travler27]

I'm sorry but if you can afford the Haven then you can afford the DSC.

 

That's about the silliest thing I've read in some time.

[mjkacmom]

I really had no idea what was appropriate and spent lots of time trying to figure it out beforehand. I've had other threads people tell me I was generous.

Ignore the troll.

[DMH15]

Ignore the troll.

 

 

 

Which one? LOL.

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

That is your opinion, mine was that is was much more than generous.

...and neither of you is wrong.:)

 

The person who gave the amount that they felt was appropriate wasn't wrong, either.

[GatorMomInNC]

We just returned this week from our first NCL cruise, first Haven, of course. I did use my OBC for extra tips for the steward and tips for concierge and butler. The last night we heard others in the hall apparently handing out tips, but I just went to Guest Services about day 5 and asked them to use the OBC for tips.

 

Even though I know the steward gets some of the DSC, I gave her $100 extra because she was so awesome. I think if I had been given envelopes or some prompting on the last night, I would have left more for her. I also wished I had left something for the Maitre'd in the Haven but I never had cash on me at dinner. I would have liked to tip extra to the wait staff, but I didn't have one particular waitress, so... I wasn't sure what to do there. I did tip an extra dollar or 2 when I got drinks at all the different bars, not just the Haven.

 

So I consider myself a pretty good tipper -I worked my way through college waiting tables - but I didn't tip that great on this cruise, apparently, based on what I am reading here. I had read on here that some people tip $10 PP/day for the butler and same for the concierge, which in my case would have been $700 for the week, on top of the DSC of about $500-$600 I had paid. I decided to play it by ear and see how much we used them.

 

We didn't even see our butler until halfway through the 2nd day of the cruise. My husband and I ordered a meal in the room once, my sister ordered a meal in the room once, and my kids ordered one pizza and about 5-6 bowls of pasta (total). On a normal cruise we would have tipped $1-$2 for each of the room services- more for my husband and I's meal. The butler brought us snacks and pitchers of water each day starting on the 2nd day . So I tipped her $140. That was $15 for each day she brought snacks and water, and about $5 for each time we ordered room service. I really don't feel like I under tipped the butler for the services we got - even after reading about how much others tipped here.

 

We used the concierges more actually - from being escorted off the ship, or down to the theater. They escorting our whole party on or off the ship 5 times (with a larger group from the Haven); I went down to the theater on my own 2x with the group from the Haven; they moved or made about 3-4 dining or show reservations. They were most helpful in getting a fax and email out to our CPA regarding an IRS/tax deadline. They told us the fax went through when it turned out it didn't, but I don't blame them for that as they tried their best (nor for what will probably be a hefty fine from the IRS - I blame my husband for waiting until the last minute to deal with this while we are on a Med cruise!). But if I had tipped as we went along, I would have tipped them $5-$20 for each interaction. We had about 14 interactions, so I tipped $10 for each one, or $140 for the cruise. I split that proportionally between the 2 different concierges. If there had been some formal way to tip on the last night I probably would have added a little more, as they were very helpful.

 

If I had to do it again, I would have tipped more for the steward and something for the maitre'd, and if there had been an option, I would have tipped extra for the entire wait staff of the Haven.

 

As nice and helpful as the concierge was (and to a lesser extend the butler), I probably ended up tipping them $1 for every minute they either interacted with us or got anything for us, and I really think if I had tipped $50 to each of them everyday it would have been, for me, excessive. But I think it is great others tip that much as I know they all work very hard and deserve any tips they get.