Tipping?

[hallux]

47 minutes ago, FreestyleNovice said:

like in any hotel.

See.. that's one place I DON'T leave anything, never have.  Maybe because most of my hotel stays are on business/work trips and I wouldn't be able to expense such an item.  Even on personal trips it never crossed my mind for some reason but my last two were simple overnights before cruises.

 

Thinking back - I probably should have given the solo host on my first Bliss cruise something extra, I thought he did a great job.  The member of the entertainment staff that one of the people I was traveling with on the second cruise gave the tip to just happened to be the solo host as well (it's usually one of the entertainment staff).

[billslowsky]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Exactly. Tip a bartender a couple of times and you'll get preferential service the rest of the cruise!

When that "preferential treatment" results in people intentionally getting served out of order, I use the handy comment cards. 

[nitesiren]

Hi All! As others have said, it's a personal choice. We've always tipped cash to the staff knowing the cruiselines do not pay them much with the gratuities we pay to Norwegian. Typically we tip the bar staff, especially the bar we will frequent throughout the cruise and our room steward. The dining rooms are hit or miss. We've never had the same person, so we don't tip them individually. How much is up to you, we normally give the steward from $50-100 for the week and for bar staff-1st day maybe $20 and a little here and there throughout the cruise.

[FreestyleNovice]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

See.. that's one place I DON'T leave anything, never have.  Maybe because most of my hotel stays are on business/work trips and I wouldn't be able to expense such an item.  Even on personal trips it never crossed my mind for some reason but my last two were simple overnights before cruises.

 

 

That's understandable, business vs leisure.  

[complawyer]

8 hours ago, Trimone said:

I get my Butler to follow me around with a suitcase full of cash !

$100 per drink, $100 to anyone in the elevator, $100 to anyone that smiles 

These tipping threads cause so much division, tip is you want too don’t if you don’t want too….it’s up to you

Now can you list your PayPal accounts I want to tip everyone that agrees X

youve had some very astute posts in the past, some ive agreed with, some not. this however, was completely unnecessary , horribly sarcastic, and way way beneath you.

why make fun of people who choose to tip? 

the only "division"  in these posts is some people tip, and some dont. i believe in the good old

proverbial vegas handshake. a little bit of $$$ can go a long,long way in getting you some extra goodies.

 

while tipping is certainly not required on a cruise, it's like grandma's famous chicken soup. it may not help, BUT IT COULDNT HURT!!

[nolatravelgirl]

I leave the DSC in place and have the drinks package which I am already paying a gratuity with but I will tip additional to a server who brings me drinks while out by the pool. Adding $1-$2 in cash gets me very prompt service the rest of the day by the pool and I don't ever have to leave my seat. 🙂

 

[SSFun]

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Exactly. Tip a bartender a couple of times and you'll get preferential service the rest of the cruise!

Not always necessarily the case that you will get better service/your name remembered. We have had bartenders that we tipped that didn't remember us. We have also had bartenders and wait staff that remembered us with no tip. Our best service ever was on the Spirit in the front lounge. The waitress there remembered us from day 1 and also knew what we liked to drink. She would bring us our drinks and then take our cards to go back and pay for them. At the end of the cruise we gave her a very generous tip and also left a comment card praising her. She was one that truly went above and beyond!

[PTC DAWG]

I tip with extra cash most every time I get a drink....no issue having it on me, it might be wet...I have my sea pass card and some cash...

[zerooveride]

My 2 cents on this (and no I don't tip 2 cents):

 

Usually on Embarkation Day I will give my Cabin Steward $20, then when I need something extra in the middle of the week another $20 and if they have gone above and beyond during the week then a $20 on the last night before Debarkation.

 

Bars: I usually find one bar that I get 90% of my drinks from. This usually takes a day or so to find one I like. Once I do, I round up to the nearest dollar on my receipt for my drinks and then tip them at the end of the cruise. Now with the drink package (something I have not had before), I will tip sometime around Day 2 or so then if they take care of me, I'll give them some money on the last night. Usually this practice worked on getting stronger pours and getting the occasional comped drink (enough to cover more than my tip).

 

With FreeStyle dining and not having the same wait staff, tipping becomes harder to dole out. On other lines when I have had the same wait staff almost everyday, I usually will tip at the end of the cruise. But if someone takes care of me for something I like (back in the lobster days, extra lobster) and want more of then I will usually tip.

 

I will usually tip in the $100 or so range per cruise. I think with the prepaids that is a fair number. Now if someone goes above and beyond, then that changes it.

 

I will add a time I didn't tip. I once stayed in an Aft-Facing Penthouse of the Jewel. The butler and Concierge were worthless. The Butler was no better than having a cabin steward. He would constantly say no, or tell me to call someone else. We had rough seas and only wanted to have some sandwiches for dinner in our cabin, was told no at first then I asked then what was the point of his job. As for the concierge, it was like pulling teeth getting a hold of him and getting him to help with anything. And then on the last night both had the gall to ASK me for the tip and tried to make it feel like it was mandatory (If you ask then I don't tip, it isn't something to be expected, it is given for exceptional service). This was the one cruise I almost removed the daily charges from. 

 

[GettotheSun]

Merriam Webster (bold is mine):

 

tip

 noun (5)

Definition of tip (Entry 10 of 10)

: a gift or a sum of money tendered for a service performed or anticipated 

 

Despite the views of some, a tip given in advance or in concert with a service provided is still a tip.  Some call it a "bribe", but again, that is their narrow (and facile) definition of a tip.  But let's not confuse the issue with facts.

 

[complawyer]

that's why you tip after getting the service, unless you expect something extra up front for the money, then it's a bribe.  getting an upgraded hotel room, a table without a reservation, any upgraded seats (thats a bribe) works wonders in las vegas.

 

and yes,i have no shame. i have discovered wherever you may be in the world, a $20 bill does wonders, opens doors, and speaks for itself

[Trimone]

Communication with staff, treating them as equals mean more than any $1 ask anyone that deals with the public directly X

[GettotheSun]

14 minutes ago, Trimone said:

Communication with staff, treating them as equals mean more than any $1 ask anyone that deals with the public directly X

 

"Extra" tipping and treating service workers with respect are not mutually exclusive.

 

I'd also hazard a guess that those of us who do tip "extra" are typically very respectful towards service workers.  

 

Other than conflating common courtesy with tipping, not sure what the point was....

[ColeThornton]

16 minutes ago, Trimone said:

Communication with staff, treating them as equals mean more than any $1 ask anyone that deals with the public directly X

 

A pat on the back from a customer doesn't pay their bills.  Dollars do. 

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, Trimone said:

Communication with staff, treating them as equals mean more than any $1 ask anyone that deals with the public directly X

Absolutely.

 

I read on here so often that tipping gives you that extra service, and that is undoubtedly correct, but the way that you treat the staff is equally important.

 

I know people who don't tip a penny extra, but who the staff know by name, serve them quickly and remember them on different cruises. I do tip extra, but when staff remember and greet me as I first walk into a bar at the start of a cruise it isn't because they remember my tipping, but that we got on well the last time.

 

This is probably more applicable on the smaller ships (it's one of the main things which I enjoy about the Spirit for example), where the staff have more time to chat.

 

Tipping is nice, but I don't do it to get better service. I get that service by treating the staff as I would want to be treated myself.

[alohayall]

Not whether or not to tip - but alternate methods to carrying cash on a daily basis - especially with the drinks package.

 

Do we have a paper bill to sign, with a place to add a tip? Or do they just verify you’re eligible with your card?

 

If you were able to sign for a tip - does it go to the bartender, waiter… who served you or get pooled? 

 

Or is it truly better to to take a wad of ones with you (or do the $20 bill route before, during, after)?

 

From my experience with wait staff over the years, There have attentive and inattentive servers - which is not obvious ahead of time.  The poster who figures out where he is getting most of his drinks seems to have a workable system.

[Trimone]

What people should realise you’ve already paid gratitudes when you book it’s an option, you tick it’s £196.00 for 7 days 

[KeithJenner]

13 hours ago, alohayall said:

Not whether or not to tip - but alternate methods to carrying cash on a daily basis - especially with the drinks package.

 

Do we have a paper bill to sign, with a place to add a tip? Or do they just verify you’re eligible with your card?

 

If you were able to sign for a tip - does it go to the bartender, waiter… who served you or get pooled? 

 

Or is it truly better to to take a wad of ones with you (or do the $20 bill route before, during, after)?

 

From my experience with wait staff over the years, There have attentive and inattentive servers - which is not obvious ahead of time.  The poster who figures out where he is getting most of his drinks seems to have a workable system.

There is no paper to sign unless you incur a charge (ie by buying something over the price limit).

 

You don’t need to take loads of one dollars with you. If necessary you can get change from the bill breakers in the casino.

 

Or you can wait and tip larger amounts. If the bill breakers haven’t been available on previous ships then I sometimes give a larger bill to staff after a while. To be honest I’ve never noticed any difference in how I am served before or after the tip.

 

I’ve never even considered tipping up front.

Edited July 30, 2021 by KeithJenner

[HowardK]

On 7/28/2021 at 5:35 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

I only tip chair hogs who cut in line at the buffet after removing the DSC and giving drinks to those who don't have a drink package while smoking on the balcony as my kids are running wild all over the ship including the Haven.

I am going to note this and do on my next cruise! 🙂

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, Trimone said:

What people should realise you’ve already paid gratitudes when you book it’s an option, you tick it’s £196.00 for 7 days 

I think those of us who like to add a cash tip know about the automatic gratuity.

[HowardK]

On 7/29/2021 at 1:55 AM, Trimone said:

I get my Butler to follow me around with a suitcase full of cash !

$100 per drink, $100 to anyone in the elevator, $100 to anyone that smiles 

These tipping threads cause so much division, tip is you want too don’t if you don’t want too….it’s up to you

Now can you list your PayPal accounts I want to tip everyone that agrees X

My friend Dave from Dayton does the same thing- he actually has his lawyer wire the money to the purser (tips him as well) and has his butler send the fax. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by HowardK

[ColeThornton]

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Trimone said:

What people should realise you’ve already paid gratitudes when you book it’s an option, you tick it’s £196.00 for 7 days 

 

 

From the original post:

 

"I wanted to see what people felt about tipping on the ship, on top of the prepaid gratuities."

Edited July 30, 2021 by ColeThornton

[KAYKAY121]

On 7/28/2021 at 10:21 PM, Named-Tawny said:

Nearly everybody tips.

They just don't tip extra.  Tipping 20% on your drinks and food, plus the per day gratuity are all tips.

Are you saying nearly everybody tips the servers and bartenders on the ship? I rarely saw anybody tipping besides us. People even question you about it. We budget for extra tipping and we follow bartenders on the ship to their designated place if we like them. We go to the casino every morning and get ones for this purpose. Some days we spend more than others but tipping the crew for individual service is something I will always do.

[cruzsnooze]

The cruise line already figured out what they want so why second guess it. I never tip extra.

[vswan]

On our very first cruise that the DSC was instituted we removed the charges from our bill and tipped our room steward, waiter and asst waiter as we normally would. Since then we've just left on our bill, just easier. Although I and my children have at one time or other worked in a job the relied on tips, I have a hard time being told who to tip and how much. I understand that this is a significant portion of the staff's wages, but feel that the cost should just be included in the overall price of the cruise. Because of my negative feelings about this whole thing I rarely tip extra. Would probably tip more if it was going to those I felt had provided great service.