Don't Flame Me - Honest Question.

[melodyesch]

We do not tip up front and if the steward is really great, we will leave an extra $20 cash tip for a 7 night cruise.  But we empty the mini fridge ourselves, keep our cabin extremely neat, do not use ice or room service.  

 

As another posters mentioned, I do notice we rarely SEE our room steward since the DSC went into effect.  And that’s OK with us.  We’d rather them buzz through their work and have some free time rather than having to feign interest in yet another set of guests.  Just throw our covers up, wipe down the bathroom and leave us fresh towels every few days.  Other than that, we’re good.

[seemoreroyals]

I guess I don't get it.  I thought this whole DSC thing was so that all gratuities whether they be for room steward, drink service, or dining room service, could be paid in advance thereby eliminating the need to be concerned with how much to leave to who. Now it seems there is a movement to guilt people into tipping extra for the very things that are supposed to be covered with the prepaid gratuities (DSC).  Either go back to envelopes like it used to be so we can leave tips accordingly or stay with the new prepaid system.  Asking or suggesting that cruisers pay both is preposterous and unreasonable.

[NLH Arizona]

53 minutes ago, njkate said:

If that is truly what you tip very nice of you but please when people ask about tipping don't lead them to believe this is the norm because it's not.

I think it is nice for folks to get other's opinions as to what to tip, but theys should always remember that what they are posting is what they tip, as there is no standard, recommended or right amount for those tips that for Butlers, Concierge, Children's Club and those additional tips to Cabin Stewards, Servers, Bartenders, etc.  For those who are looking for what they should tip, keep in mind what services you are receiving, how well those services were given and, of course, your budget.  Rest assured that no matter what you tip, the person/persons getting those tips will be appreciative no matter what the amount is

 

BTW, there is no need to tip additional to Cabin Stewards, Servers, Bartenders, etc., unless it is something you want to do and don't feel guilty if you don't tip extra.

Edited October 28, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[cathi007]

6 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

We always pre-pay the DSC and then tip our room steward daily.  I tip the room steward above the DSC because he/she cleans up after me.

 

 

 

On occasion I tip a ship’s bartender or server but not very often.  The 20 % auto gratuity added to the beverage package is more than I tip a bartender or server on land.

 

I bring 100 singles and always tip the bartenders every time I get a drink. I give them a buck or two. They, in turn, give me excellent service. I do this on land vacays too. As far as the room steward, I was thinking of tipping up front, as the last cruise I was on I did not and he was terrible. But after reading this, I think I will do the 20.00 and ask him/her to empty fridge, and then wait until the end

[cathi007]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The room steward, complimentary restaurant wait staff, etc.  gets part of the Daily Service Charge (along with other outward facing and behind the scenes personnel who work tirelessly to make your vacation special. 

 

When people ask, a nice additional tip to show your appreciation is $5-$10 per person in the room per days of cruise for a room steward. 

 

We always carry about $100 in dollar bills to tip bartenders and wait staff. By day 3, the bartenders know exactly what I want when I get to the bar. 

 

 

I bring the 100 singles for the bar staff and I do tip extra to the room steward, if they do a good job, but 5-10 per person per day is ridiculous on a 14 night cruise that would be an extra 280.00, I give 20-50 per week, as that is all extra

[JamieLogical]

41 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

I guess I don't get it.  I thought this whole DSC thing was so that all gratuities whether they be for room steward, drink service, or dining room service, could be paid in advance thereby eliminating the need to be concerned with how much to leave to who. Now it seems there is a movement to guilt people into tipping extra for the very things that are supposed to be covered with the prepaid gratuities (DSC).  Either go back to envelopes like it used to be so we can leave tips accordingly or stay with the new prepaid system.  Asking or suggesting that cruisers pay both is preposterous and unreasonable.

 

 

I don't think you should feel guilty if you don't tip above the DSC. We only ever tip extra to our room steward and only if they do an excellent service. I don't know how the DSC is divided up, and our room stewards always seem to go above and beyond, having to tend to us every day. So I just want to make sure he/she gets well compensated. I also almost always fill out a Vacation Hero card for our room steward.

[OCruisers]

No additional tips are needed.  Totally up to you.

We do almost always tip additional in CASH.  

[ziggyuk]

I am completely bemused by this.

I book all inclusive, all service is included and that's it.... the whole point of all inclusive, my account is zero at the end unless I want extras.

Now, I agree completely, if someone does something exceptional I will tip more but I certainly will not board with the intention of paying extra to anyone.

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

Okay, now I know you are full of it.  lol

Why? They aren’t included in the DSC.

[mjkacmom]

55 minutes ago, cathi007 said:

I bring the 100 singles for the bar staff and I do tip extra to the room steward, if they do a good job, but 5-10 per person per day is ridiculous on a 14 night cruise that would be an extra 280.00, I give 20-50 per week, as that is all extra

We do exactly the same. We had 2 connecting cabins with 2 different stewards, 1 was good, 1 was pretty bad (didn’t open the Pullman 1 night even though 4 people were in that cabin, my teens shared a twin). I gave the good steward the $ I planned on giving the other steward.

[seemoreroyals]

5 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Why? They aren’t included in the DSC.

You would think as much as NCL charges for Haven accommodations and privileges that the least they could do is pay the butlers and others a decent wage so they would not be expecting compensation over and above the DSC.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, seemoreroyals said:

You would think as much as NCL charges for Haven accommodations and privileges that the least they could do is pay the butlers and others a decent wage so they would not be expecting compensation over and above the DSC.

But they don’t, the DSC covers all who used to be compensated with tip envelopes, bartenders and specialty dining servers get it added, the only ones who aren’t are the butlers and concierge. Maybe because they serve such a small population?

[seemoreroyals]

2 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

But they don’t, the DSC covers all who used to be compensated with tip envelopes, bartenders and specialty dining servers get it added, the only ones who aren’t are the butlers and concierge. Maybe because they serve such a small population?

 

Maybe they do. Maybe that is why it costs an arm an a leg to purchase Haven.  

[njkate]

22 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Why? They aren’t included in the DSC.

No they are not but $15 pp per day it a bit extreme, unless you are the type to run the butler ragged

[ColinIllinois]

40 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Why? They aren’t included in the DSC.

 

If you look at how much Bird Travels said they also give to the stewards/bartenders also you are looking at how much some people pay for their cruises.   Ridiculous amounts, if true.

 

But hey...it's their money.

[casofilia]

I overheard a comment recently on the Sea Princess from a Customs Service person that 65% of the DSC is shared among the staff. 

We prepay the DSC (or being from NZ it might be included in our fare depending on where we are cruising) but do give a LITTLE extra to our cabin steward and to the regular dinner waiter and assistant in the MDR.

[gymbomb]

In addition to the DSC we always tip our room steward extra, in addition to butler/concierge if we are in a suite, but we don't do it until the end of the cruise. We once tried to tip a butler for a specific service early in the cruise and he declined, telling us that we could show our appreciation at the end of the cruise if we were happy with his service. (Which of course we did, he was fabulous)

 

If we want to give a specific server or bartender a bit extra for great service we do that as we go along since we don't always know if/when we will see them again.

[mjkacmom]

46 minutes ago, njkate said:

No they are not but $15 pp per day it a bit extreme, unless you are the type to run the butler ragged

I agree that’s a lot, but that doesn’t mean they should get stiffed either, they’d be tipped in the envelopes were still used for everyone.

[casofilia]

On our one cruise in a suite, we had a VERY so-so butler.  On the penultimate day he came in THREE times to ask if we had been satisfied with his service!!!!!!

The Concierge and Hotel Director were not happy!!!!

[fshagan]

Is it a tip or a bribe?

[erdoran]

Conventional wisdom is that you should plan to tip butler and concierge if you are satisfied with their service because (right or wrong) they don’t get any DSC, not even the inflated DSC for Haven.  Sorry, but that’s reality.  Others it is truly optional and I’ve been guilted into tipping my steward an extra $20 at the end of the cruise, and on occasion handing the bartender a couple of dollars, even though I’ve paid a very inflated 20% on the “free” UBP. 

[OceanBlueWaters]

I am just off the Escape in a Studio Cabin.  On day of embarking, I could not get into my cabin.  Went to Guest Services.  They reset my card and still nothing.  Went back to Guest Services.  Long story short, Security came, replaced Key Lock and still nothing.  They told me to go back to Guest Services.  Three hours later, they finally figured it out.  My Cabin Steward was there.

 

I gave him $10 at that point as incentive.  Wrong.  I left a note for him on day one because the shower Gel was empty.  He thanked me for alerting him.  I left a note for him to please give me a box of tissues since they were empty like a day ago.  He thanked me for reminding him.

 

Point?  I think they owe me money.  LOL!  I will tip (or not tip) Cabin Steward at the end of cruise next time.  JMO on this.

 

Other than the cabin SNAFU, I tipped bartenders with every drink I had.  They are truly grateful and offers up great service

JMO 🙂

[Sotermarler]

2 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

I guess I don't get it.  I thought this whole DSC thing was so that all gratuities whether they be for room steward, drink service, or dining room service, could be paid in advance thereby eliminating the need to be concerned with how much to leave to who. Now it seems there is a movement to guilt people into tipping extra for the very things that are supposed to be covered with the prepaid gratuities (DSC).  Either go back to envelopes like it used to be so we can leave tips accordingly or stay with the new prepaid system.  Asking or suggesting that cruisers pay both is preposterous and unreasonable.

 

This is exactly why I wouldn’t want the gratuities included in the cruise price.  

[yankees111]

If one prepays gratuities then there is absolutely no need for one to tip any additional amount for the duration of the cruise unless a service provided to them is above and beyond expectations.

[zqvol]

17 hours ago, Shore>Mom said:

DH and I both work in the service industry. We are big tippers and would never screw a server, steward or bartender. That said, we prepaid tips on  a Disney cruise then  handed our steward $75 at check in and told him we would hit him up again at departure. U guessed it - never saw him again and our cabin was not really serviced well. I'm hesitant to go hard early or even pay gratuities up front after that experience. Who gets the prepaid gratuities? Does my steward even see that money? Any insight into the "cut" would be greatly appreciated. I want to tip the folks who make my vacation special the most - over and above what they might get from Norwegian. 

 

NCL has a daily service charge that is different than a gratuity, in that it goes to NCL, and is used among other things as part of the crews wages.  If you want to provide them a gratuity, you may do so whenever you wish. I would not give them anything at the beginning of the cruise unless you ask them specifically to do something that is not part of their normal duties. Keep in mind that bar tenders are compensated differently than in the US, and stewards make a living wage.