Tipping: Above and Beyond

[maryandmarge]

We've only stayed in oceanview or balcony rooms - and since our first cruise in 2008 we've left an envelope every morning for our room steward with $10 in it.   Our only request was ice in the bucket in the morning and towel animals at night if possible.    We've always had excellent service and towel animals.    That being said - we have always left our room in excellent condition when we leave for the day.    We figured they have enough dirty rooms to clean - we can at least make ours as easy as possible for them.     We aren't drinkers so tipping bar staff has never been addressed.   I will say that the last cruise we did in September 2021 on Nieuw Amsterdam I did go back the last day and tip the girl in the Lido who was making the omelettes,   She put a smile on my face every morning and was a great way to start out every day.   

[RD64]

For something different and completely outside of the box….

 

If you aresailing from Vancouver, and are staying there for a day or two, for any of the Filipino crew you plan on tipping….

 

Pick up a gift card at Jollibee (located right down). If you are unfamiliar with Jollibee, it is a Filipino restaurant that is immensely popular in the Phillipines. They have recently started expanding in Europe and North America. When the first Jollibee in Europe opened in Milan about five years ago, Filipino expats from all over Europe flocked there for a taste of home.

 

This is something they will truly appreciate - it also shows an interest in their culture - while still providing a financial component that they will benefit from. Here in Canada, if you ask a Filipino immigrant what they miss most, chances are they will answer with Family, Jollibee, and the weather.

 

just my two cents

 

 

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Related question - when extra tipping the room stewards how does everyone else handle this?  Separate envelopes for each, or both together?  I usually just put both names on the envelope but do not know if this is the best way to do it.

 

 

This question used not needed  to be asked.  Both Stewards were around and doing their duties when I left my stateroom before the evening's activities/dinner.  Now, only one of them seems to be on duty.  And, trying to track him/her down can be a problem in and of itself.  I used to provide two separate gratuity envelopes and amounts that differed between being the senior cabin steward and the assistant.  No more; one envelope with the amount that I would usually give and let them decide how to divide the sum.  Really do not like having to do that!  

 

Yes, the Neptune Lounge Concierge ought to be given an additional gratuity based on the serve provided.  My experience:  there are more than one whose other duties include being Front Office staff.  I will provide one envelope with the expectation that those dollars will be properly divided among whomever staffed the Neptune Lounge during my cruise.

 

2 hours ago, highland cruiser said:

once even the gal who was cleaning the women's room.  We got to chatting once and every time after I would see her (even in the hallways) she called me by name and wanted to know how my day was going!  She had tears in her eyes when I gave her an envelope the day before we disembarked. 

 

2002, Asia Pacific Cruise on the Volendam, there was a Deck Steward who went out of his way to accommodate this guest who was reluctant to leave my padded deck chair as he was collecting other pads around me.  Late seating diner, I enjoyed being on the Lower Promenade Deck when other guests had left to prepare for the evening.  At the start of the cruise, I would say to him:  "I'll move."  His response was:  "I will be back".  That last evening before arrival in Los Angeles, as he made his rounds, I rose from my "perch" and gave him an envelope with many thanks for his service.  Tears from him?  No, didn't see that.  But, I experienced sincere appreciation from him.  

 

This is the "Signature of Excellence" that I expect when embarking a Holland America Line Cruise.  When I receive it, any additional gratuity that I offer will reflect receiving such service.  
   

[MisterMatthew]

My cash tips that I provided -- I put them DIRECTLY into their hands.  No envelopes.  I am (in NO WAY) saying that using an envelope is wrong.  My room stewards took care of me especially well.  So, I frequently handed them $5 bills during my cruise. 

 

Of note -- my cruise was 10 days -- and, I know that on several occasions of "clean up / freshen up" my room, the normal steward assigned to my room was on another deck, or just not on duty. 

 

It's just a personal thing for me.  And, for them.  There were a couple of times that my room steward saw me in the hall -- and, dropped what she was doing from 60 feet away & asked if everything was okay.  I did not expect it, nor required that.  BUT, IT WAS NICE!!!

 

-----Matthew

[SSKJ572]

2 week cruise in Neptune (2guests), we tip 20.00 to each Neptune concierge, if we've  been to Neptune Lounge a few times and not had them assist us with reservations, etc. If we've asked them to help with issues, reservations, etc, we'll tip more. One year, 75.00 to each, but they did a ton for us. We usually tip around 100.00 a week to each room streward for 2 weeks, so 200.00 for each. 

[Torquer]

I suspect the vast majority of passengers do not give any additional tips than the amount that is automatically added to the bill.  First, unlike in the US and Canada, for most of the world tips are not a big part of the compensation for people in the food/travel industry.  So people don't do it nor are they expected by the service provider.  Now many HAL cruises do have a high percentage of Americans and Canadians, but I still think people will feel that the automatic payment is sufficient and generous.

 

We personally do not do any extra tipping.  But we make sure to mention outstanding crew members by name on the after-cruise questionnaire.

[Lady Chew]

We usually take long cruises, and have found that the stewards (and indeed, most of the crew) go above & beyond to be of service.  If we have two cabin attendants, we tip each of them separately, in separate envelopes with thank you notes.  (We also turn in comment cards)  If the service has not been extra -great, just basic, or maybe we never see them even though they have obviously done their jobs, we'll tip a little less.

 

We try to tip any crew member who has been of service to us.  I even tip the young lady, who is usually very junior, who has the fun (not) job of keeping the public ladies rooms clean.  I don't think Mr Chew ever paid attention to who cleaned the mens rooms, so no tips there.  

[blueridgemama]

We tip $5/night for our room stewart and for our waiters in the MDR 

We give them a thank you card with a personal message and put the money in the card.

We give it to them the next to last day of the cruise.

Also be sure to mention them by name in your post cruise survey.

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by blueridgemama

[PoppyBanks]

On 5/17/2022 at 5:33 PM, highland cruiser said:

We always tip extra to our room stewards, bar staff that we have interaction to often and once even the gal who was cleaning the women's room.  We got to chatting once and every time after I would see her (even in the hallways) she called me by name and wanted to know how my day was going!  She had tears in her eyes when I gave her an envelope the day before we disembarked.  I am sure with her personality and dedication she will move up in the hierarchy at HAL.

One more comment.  We usually received comment cards in our rooms on previous HAL cruises.  This time we didn't on either our September 2021 and Feb. 2022 cruise.   Do we need to pick them up at the front desk now?  I kept waiting for them!!

It’s part of the Navigator app now, I believe it’s called “Let us know”? 

[iceman93]

Hopefully no one will lash out in objection, but I typically do not tip extra unless particularly above-and-beyond service has been provided.  My thinking is that all the staff on the ship get a fair wage, and that gratuities are also added to our fare which are (in theory) intended to provide a reward for good service.  My family is neither high-maintenance nor low-maintenance, as far as I can tell.

 

That being said, on every cruise we've taken we have found particular crew members who did, in fact, earn extra tips from us.  Sometimes it was a wonderful dining room steward who spent extra time doing magic tricks for our kids, or a Neptune Lounge concierge who put extra time into setting up a CruiseCritic meet-and-greet, or a Club HAL staff member who our kids loved, or a Pinnacle Grill manager who got us a table in an otherwise-sold-out restaurant.  Things like that seem worth an extra bit of recognition, both monetary and on the end-of-cruise survey.

 

But for those staff members who are doing their jobs, and doing them well (which we expect on HAL), I consider them to be fairly compensated already.

[Laminator]

Last cruise we were on the Rotterdam, either last Oct or Nov out of FLL, my friend from the Netherlands needs to exchange some Euro for USD for the casino. It is embarkation day and the line at guest services was quite long. To my surprise many in line were removing the daily service charge. We haven't even sailed yet so there was no way they could claim lousy service. I was appalled. So by all means if you can afford to tip extra please do. And you can also leave great comments for those who deserve them. 

[DaveOKC]

6 hours ago, Laminator said:

Last cruise we were on the Rotterdam, either last Oct or Nov out of FLL, my friend from the Netherlands needs to exchange some Euro for USD for the casino. It is embarkation day and the line at guest services was quite long. To my surprise many in line were removing the daily service charge. We haven't even sailed yet so there was no way they could claim lousy service. I was appalled. So by all means if you can afford to tip extra please do. And you can also leave great comments for those who deserve them. 

HAL needs to make it a bit tougher to eliminate the charge - removing on embarkation day is unreal and should not be allowed!  The customer knows the charge is there when booking, so they should be required to provide some explanation why they are removing it.  

 

I like it when HAL include crew appreciation in a larger promotion (like HIA), as it makes it impossible to remove.

[MountainsAndRivers]

11 hours ago, Laminator said:

Last cruise we were on the Rotterdam, either last Oct or Nov out of FLL, my friend from the Netherlands needs to exchange some Euro for USD for the casino. It is embarkation day and the line at guest services was quite long. To my surprise many in line were removing the daily service charge. We haven't even sailed yet so there was no way they could claim lousy service. I was appalled. So by all means if you can afford to tip extra please do. And you can also leave great comments for those who deserve them. 

 

I have cruised with friends who hate the automated and they prefer to use envelopes.  They always tip above and beyond the required daily, they just like to do it that way and remove the "automatic" on the first day...

[Laminator]

5 minutes ago, MountainsAndRivers said:

 

I have cruised with friends who hate the automated and they prefer to use envelopes.  They always tip above and beyond the required daily, they just like to do it that way and remove the "automatic" on the first day...

 I would venture to guess there are 10% of pax who remove tips and tip above and beyond. The reason I leave the tips on is that when the tips are removed whatever tips are given to individuals are supposed to be pooled. If you leave the tips on then the individuals you tip get to keep that money. 

[NavyCruiser]

According to my Commander in Chief:  Just pay your fair share!!!

That means 32% - 37% of cruise fare, pre port taxes, depends on what kinda towel animals the room steward made for your zoologist son. 

But just for him, since he's obviously free-loading 3rd person in your cabin.

If the towel animal is just simple invertebrates, 32%, or $288 for the week.

If it's simple reptiles & fishes, 35%, or $315.

if it's complex mammals, 37%, or $333.

 

 

[JeffElizabeth]

On 5/17/2022 at 1:03 PM, twodjs said:

If everyone says it's up to you, that doesn't help the OP. On a 7 day cruise, we set aside $20 for each of the Neptune hosts - there are two. And we plan on $40 and $30 for our two room stewards - there are two. Everyone has their own comfort level. We also bring small thank you cards for each. Remember that filling out a comment card for anyone who provides exceptional service during the cruise can make a HUGE difference in their future on the ship.

Hope this helps.

Great point about the comment card. We were just on a 28 day cruise in the Neptune and gave $500 to our concierge and $500 to our steward. We got excellent service from both and due to our odd sleeping patterns, they worked around us very well. 

[albingirl]

We tend to be heavy tippers, and I think it's mean to take away the automated tips.  I don't gamble but one day I went to the casino and used a slot machine and won some money and gave it away that day in tips.  I like to always remember the people who make my grande americano in the morning and definitely tip them, as well as others who go above and beyond.  When the automated tipping first started, we thought that was a good thing so we wouldn't have to figure it all out at the end of the cruise.  But, we give extra, and the amount varies depending on the service.  

[DaveOKC]

2 hours ago, MountainsAndRivers said:

 

I have cruised with friends who hate the automated and they prefer to use envelopes.  They always tip above and beyond the required daily, they just like to do it that way and remove the "automatic" on the first day...

Do they realize that by removing the automatic tips they are requiring all the people they gave envelopes to turn that in?  Seems like a big waste of time for everyone IMO.  And in fact, the "extra" they give out also must be turned in, so they are not helping out the people they want to at all (actually hurting them).

 

You need to clue them in on how this works.

 

[HermmyGranger]

1 hour ago, NavyCruiser said:

According to my Commander in Chief:  Just pay your fair share!!!

That means 32% - 37% of cruise fare, pre port taxes, depends on what kinda towel animals the room steward made for your zoologist son. 

But just for him, since he's obviously free-loading 3rd person in your cabin.

If the towel animal is just simple invertebrates, 32%, or $288 for the week.

If it's simple reptiles & fishes, 35%, or $315.

if it's complex mammals, 37%, or $333.

 

 

This is by far the best answer I've gotten. I'm taking it to heart and will tip accordingly. Fingers crossed for a pangolin. 😄

 

[twodjs]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Do they realize that by removing the automatic tips they are requiring all the people they gave envelopes to turn that in?  Seems like a big waste of time for everyone IMO.  And in fact, the "extra" they give out also must be turned in, so they are not helping out the people they want to at all (actually hurting them).

 

You need to clue them in on how this works.

 

And the money never gets to the hard working staff that you never see. Sorry, but removing the auto tip is just plain cheap and insulting in my opinion.

 

[jeh10641]

HermmyGranger and others,

I tip extra. On Embarkation Day, I look for my room steward(s) and hand out $20-40 to each (length of cruise). No envelopes, hand to hand. I fill out daily comment cards highlighting one or more crew members who assisted us that day (Guest Service desk has them). I tip Lido/MDR staff cash at the end of the cruise again based on service above and beyond (friendly greeting by name, nonalcoholic drinks on table, etc.). No bar tenders since we do not use the bars. On our last cruise on Rotterdam, I asked our room stewards and dining staff if they needed anything ashore. I bought our room stewards chocolates at a factory (excursion visit) as an extra. I especially like to tip extra now after the staff was out of a job for so long due to Covid. I was in an inside cabin because I am a budget cruiser so I can afford the "extras" on board, such as tipping extra.

 

Jim

[twodjs]

I believe it's important to realize that not all cruiselines compensate their staff the same. In many parts of the world, people in the service industry are paid a living wage. Tipping is seldom done. Some cruiselines follow this policy - Seabourn and Virgin Voyages come to mind. Holland, however is not one of those lines. I'm always respectful of the traditions of the county I visit and the cruiseline I choose. We are all so lucky to be in a financial position to cruise. Please be respectful of those who are providing an excellent experience.

[Mary229]

We plan on a weekly stipend regardless of the length of the cruise.  You never know when a crew member’s contract ends and the weekly amount makes sure the money gets to the right person. On our last cruise our steward was reassigned at the end of the 2nd week 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

We plan on a weekly stipend regardless of the length of the cruise.  You never know when a crew member’s contract ends and the weekly amount makes sure the money gets to the right person. On our last cruise our steward was reassigned at the end of the 2nd week 

 

That is a very good thought to keep in mind when one is cruising on a b2b or on muti-day or long cruises.  Crew contracts do not always begin or end on a guest's embarkation/disembarkation day.  When I am on a longer than 7-11 day cruise, I will ask my Stewards "will you be my Steward throughout my cruise"?  If not, and if I wish to offer them an additional gratuity, I will make it a point to give it to them before they are not serving me.  

[RGEDad]

Recently on a 21 day cruise. On embarkation, told the steward when he introduced himself that we wanted service twice daily, 11AM when we went to lunch, and 5 PM when we went to dinner. Bring Ice each time. After the first week of service without issue, we left $10 for each of the two stuck to the Mirror with their names on them with post-it notes. Note: DW originally just left 2-$10 bills on the table for them, the bills were there neatly arranged when we returned later, then we did the notes on the mirror with their names on them. At the end of the cruise we did the same with $20 for each. 

Same amounts and time for the primary and assistant waiter (we had a set table for each meal). - I discreetly handed the bills to each.

Also gave $1 or $2 to the breakfast room service  delivery who brought a big tray of breakfast meal out to the balcony. It was always quite a balancing feat each day to get through the two doors.

We do it because we enjoy helping them out a little bit, and they seem always appreciative.