Restaurant Tipping

[margsipie]

What is the norm for tipping at the end of the cruise in the YC?  We will plan to tip our waiter, assistant waiters, hostess, and an excellent musician who is frequently in the lounge (in addition to butler and junior butler), but is it customary to tip the maitre d?  It’s our first time on MSC, so just trying to get a handle on things!

[sealynx]

Not only there is no need for tipping, it is not allowed. Crew is not allowed to accept your tips. They get wages + service fee, and according to MSC (and the crew members I spoke to) that makes a decent and fair salary.

[perakcruiser]

5 hours ago, margsipie said:

It’s our first time on MSC, so just trying to get a handle on things!

As you have probably read many times: "MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff". 

 

But as you are still asking, if you want to tip someone above the Service Charge, you can do so. Just do it as discreet as possible. Don´t cause troubles for someone by tipping him in front of other staff. Or in the worst case in front of his superiors. 

 

Another option is to raise the Service Charge at the Guest Relations Manager if you want to give more than the norm of 14 USD per person per night. 

[no1talks]

5 hours ago, margsipie said:

"It’s our first time on MSC, so just trying to get a handle on things!"

Don't let others talk you out of tipping. If you want to tip, go right ahead and do so.

 

YC staff graciously accept tips and you can get envelopes for tips from the YC concierge desk.

 

If tipping is as taboo as some like to imply, MSC would be unlikely to provide tip envelopes upon request.

[Morgsmom]

5 hours ago, sealynx said:

Not only there is no need for tipping, it is not allowed. Crew is not allowed to accept your tips. They get wages + service fee, and according to MSC (and the crew members I spoke to) that makes a decent and fair salary.

It is not ENCOURAGED, however it is certainly allowed.  And appreciated.

[morpheusofthesea]

This bears repeating. The world is divided into two types; the givers and the takers. We all start out as takers and many of us eventually evolve into givers. "With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone." Oscar Wilde

[Paphillyguy]

9 hours ago, sealynx said:

Not only there is no need for tipping, it is not allowed. Crew is not allowed to accept your tips. They get wages + service fee, and according to MSC (and the crew members I spoke to) that makes a decent and fair salary.

The part about not being allowed is a complete falsehood.  After a few cruises on MSC within the past year, I can attest that they are allowed to accept your tips and are extremely thankful and grateful when you do.  

[JAGR]

6 minutes ago, Paphillyguy said:

The part about not being allowed is a complete falsehood.  After a few cruises on MSC within the past year, I can attest that they are allowed to accept your tips and are extremely thankful and grateful when you do.  

Curious if any of your MSC cruises have sailed from outside of the US.  I think we all agree that tipping is accepted wholeheartedly on cruises from US ports.  We have found it a bit more frowned upon overseas.  I've had tips refused on board in Europe.  You can hardly get envelopes at the YC concierge desk overseas, but they are readily available at YC concierge desks from US ports.  I think Sealynx is not guilty of a falsehood.  His statement is a more accurate description of expectations in Europe.  I mean, here in the U.S, we tip everyone including bartenders, restaurant servers, etc.  If you are in Ireland or England, for example, you would never be able to have a barman take a tip.  You can get around that by having him or her take a a drink for themselves when you order a round.  My point is, I would encourage you to be more understanding and a bit kinder in your reaction to what Sealynx offered as their observation.

[Paphillyguy]

17 minutes ago, JAGR said:

Curious if any of your MSC cruises have sailed from outside of the US.  I think we all agree that tipping is accepted wholeheartedly on cruises from US ports.  We have found it a bit more frowned upon overseas.  I've had tips refused on board in Europe.  You can hardly get envelopes at the YC concierge desk overseas, but they are readily available at YC concierge desks from US ports.  I think Sealynx is not guilty of a falsehood.  His statement is a more accurate description of expectations in Europe.  I mean, here in the U.S, we tip everyone including bartenders, restaurant servers, etc.  If you are in Ireland or England, for example, you would never be able to have a barman take a tip.  You can get around that by having him or her take a a drink for themselves when you order a round.  My point is, I would encourage you to be more understanding and a bit kinder in your reaction to what Sealynx offered as their observation.

He is stating his observation and I am stating my experience.  His statement is not correct in my real experience.  Yes, I was sailing from the USA but he stated something that I did not experience so yes I found his statement to be false.  Could I have stated it differently perhaps but I really do not find my statement to be mean.  

Edited September 23, 2022 by Paphillyguy

[perakcruiser]

4 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

This bears repeating. The world is divided into two types; the givers and the takers. We all start out as takers and many of us eventually evolve into givers. "With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone." Oscar Wilde

I would say the world is divided into the societies that see tipping as antisocial behaviour. And others that see not-tipping as antisocial behaviour. For me tipping is antisocial and should not exist in a modern civilized society, but that is just my point of view, I have no interest that my opinon becomes an eternal law.

 

Things get strange when people think they have the absolute truth on their side. And everybody should behave like Americans. For some stange reasons "normal workers" usually have a much better income in non-tipping societies. 

 

Certainly you can do whatever you want, it is not about MSC forbids tipping, they just "do not recommend". It is not about guests are not allowed to tip, it is about if workers are allowed to take the tips. Maybe MSC already has given up their non-tipping policy in the US cruise market. So do with your money whatever you want, but by no means tipping makes you a "giver" and others a "taker". 

Edited September 23, 2022 by perakcruiser

[morpheusofthesea]

Thought this MSC listing might be interesting. There is no designation that these salaries are different around the world.

The following table represents salaries offered by MSC Cruises for crew members working in different departments. Depending of your previous working experience you may be offered one of the following positions with respective salary.

Usually in first contract crew members start with the lowest position and progress to the next depending of their onboard evaluation. 

MSC Cruises Galley Positions and Salaries  

PositionSallaryAssignments / Descriprion

Bartender Assistant US$ 1250.00Assists the bartender in the bar organization and preparation ofcocktails and commands the bar boys and cleaning organization.

Bar WaiterUS$ 1113,00Direct care in the bars. Responsible for drinks delivery service

Bar BoyUS$ 657,00Assists in the stocking the bar. Cleaning, transport materials.

MSC Cruises Galley Positions and Salaries  

PositionSallaryAssignments / Descriprion

1st. CookUS$ 1200,00First cook. Assists the Executive Chef in the
team organization and command routine tasks.

2nd. CookUS$ 1000,00Second cook. Assists in routine work
kitchen and help in organizing workers.

Assistant CookUS$ 835,00Assists in the routine tasks of the kitchen.

Kitchen UtilityUS$ 657,00Deep cleaning and sanitizing of the ship's kitchens

MSC Cruises Housekeeping Positions and Salaries  

PositionSallaryAssignments / Descriprion

Hotel CleanerUS$ 1000,00Caretaker of the passenger area. Working throughout the
 public areas, ensuring and
maintaining cleanliness at all times.

Pool AttendantUS$ 1000,00Cleaning, organizing chairs and towels, and other
Services in the pool area.

Cabin Stwd AssistantUS$ 1000,00Responsible for cleaning and maintenance of the bathrooms of the cabins and the material Work section.

Cabin Stwd FF US$ 1200,00Responsible for organizing and cleaning the cabins
passengers, minibar replenishment and organization of the section

Staff Cabin StwdUS$ 657,00Responsible for organizing and cleaning the cabins
staff and organization of the section.

Officer Cabin StwdUS$ 657,00Responsible for organization and cleanliness of the cabins
officers, spare minibar and organization of the section.

Crew CleanerUS$ 657,00Responsible for areas intended for cleaning
crew, as crewbar, elevators and staircases and
etc.

MSC Cruises Restaurant Positions and Salaries  

PositionSallaryAssignments / Descriprion

Waiter Assistant UtilityUS$ 1000,00Waiter assistant Passenger restaurants.
Responsible for the organization and maintenance of equipment
Working his station and for search requests within
from the kitchen

Waiter FFUS$ 1200,00Waiter passengers' restaurants. Responsible
the direct care pax, and the services it targeted.

Buffet BoyUS$ 1000,00Care and cleaning of the pool restaurant
passengers, food replacement in lines and organization
the sector.

Officer WaiterUS$ 657,00Waiter vessel's officers. Responsible for cleaning and
organization of the officers' mess.

Staff WaiterUS$ 657,00The ship's waiter staffs. Responsible for cleaning and
organization of the cafeteria staffs.

Crew Mess BoyUS$ 657,00Responsible for cleaning, organizing and spare
food restaurant crew.

[morpheusofthesea]

6 minutes ago, perakcruiser said:

I would say the world is divided into the societies that see tipping as antisocial behaviour. And others that see not-tipping as antisocial behaviour. For me tipping is antisocial and should not exist in a modern civilized society, but that is just my point of view, I have no interest that my opinon becomes an eternal law.

 

Things get strange when people think they have the absolute truth on their side. And everybody should behave like Americans. For some stange reasons "normal workers" usually have a much better income in non-tipping societies. 

 

Certainly you can do whatever you want, it is not about MSC forbids tipping, they just "do not recommend". It is not about guests are not allowed to tip, it is about if workers are allowed to take the tips. Maybe MSC already has given up their non-tipping policy in the US cruise market. So do with your money whatever you want, but by no means tipping makes you a "giver" and others a "taker". 

"When in Rome...." I agree. But most every cruise ship is foreign flagged to 'skirt' a country's labor laws and "normal workers" DO NOT have these better incomes. Only a generous soul tries to balance this inequity.

[morpheusofthesea]

Please compare the above salaries with your country's salaries for the same positions.

[morpheusofthesea]

Gratuities charged to ones account ($98 pp for the week) go to paying the staff's wages. Those that remove the gratuity, for whatever lame reason, then the cruise line has to make up the difference. OBC used to tip a particular staff member may not go 100% to the designated person, and may be shared. Tip in cash directly to service provider.

I got permission from a FB poster to repost this: "Recently I saw a Tik Tok by Captain Kate. She was giving out envelopes to her staff that a passenger asked her to do for them. One staff member opened the envelope to find $5. He went crazy with joy, you would have thought it was a $100. She received so many comments on why the young man was overly excited and happy for such a small amount. A few days later she did another Tik Tok with him asking him why his reaction was so grand. He said that he would have reacted the same way if it was only $1 dollar. He said with those $5 dollars he can buy rice, bread and a lot more stuff for his family back home. That video opened my eyes on tipping anyone who serves me and our family. Please tip extra by cash. The included tips are the bare minimum that are divided between many.

[hamrag]

16 hours ago, margsipie said:

What is the norm for tipping at the end of the cruise in the YC?  We will plan to tip our waiter, assistant waiters, hostess, and an excellent musician who is frequently in the lounge (in addition to butler and junior butler), but is it customary to tip the maitre d?  It’s our first time on MSC, so just trying to get a handle on things!

Norms are:

Waiter $1000

Assistant Waiter $500

Hostess $250

Musician, excellent or otherwise $125

Butler $1000

Junior Butler $500

Maitre D £250

 

These are averages, but many give more than that! 😉

[CarolnLarry]

11 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Norms are:

Waiter $1000

Assistant Waiter $500

Hostess $250

Musician, excellent or otherwise $125

Butler $1000

Junior Butler $500

Maitre D £250

 

These are averages, but many give more than that! 😉

Woww!!!!!!  I thought I was a generous tipper but there is no way I would tip 3625 dollars pounds or euros for a cruise. There is a reason why we differ on tipping so I usually don't comment but this is ridiculous.  Just my opinion.

[morpheusofthesea]

57 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Norms are:

Waiter $1000

Assistant Waiter $500

Hostess $250

Musician, excellent or otherwise $125

Butler $1000

Junior Butler $500

Maitre D £250

 

These are averages, but many give more than that! 😉

          "Many crew members working on cruise ships rely on receiving tips as part of their income.  Some cruise lines have required tipping policies, but others allow each cruiser to leave tips as he or she wishes. There is no correct or incorrect way to tip a crew member because there are different methods people like to use for tipping. The goal of this is to share basic information about tipping for cruises and to help give suggestions on how much you should tip crew members based on the level of service received. 
            Do not forget to add tips into the cost of your vacation or into your cruise budget. The overall cost of your vacation should include the base price of your vacation, extras, and tips.


Tipping Suggestions For Your Cruise Vacation:
     I have created this suggestion guide to give you a basic idea about which crew members you should tip and for how much you should tip based on the level of service you feel you have received.  Please note, the way this set up is the better service you receive from a crew member will earn him or her a higher tip. In some areas you may want to tip higher for exceptional and great service, but in others you may want to lower tips because you feel the crew member did not to their job well. 

I.  Baggage Handlers
         These are people who take your luggage at the cruise terminal and bring it to be loaded onto the ship.  Baggage handlers are often not employees of the cruise line or of the cruise terminal.  In some places they rely solely on tips to make their money. 

I recommend tipping these people based on the number and size of the suitcases/bags you give them:
Small Bag: $3          Suitcase:  $5           Important Baggage or Medical Equipment Bags:  $6 - $10

Note:  Baggage handlers are usually never included in a cruise line's auto gratuity. If you choose to use your cruise line's auto gratuity, you should still tip baggage handlers separately because they are probably not included. I recommend giving your baggage handler cash before he or she takes your luggage away. 

II.  Stateroom Stewards & Stewardess
        These are the people who clean your room during your cruise vacation. On many cruise ships tips are supposed to be shared between head & assistant stewards. I recommend on deciding a total amount you want to tip your steward or stewardess team for the entire cruise vacation and then splitting that total amount to include something for all members of the team. Be careful not to leave a stateroom steward or assistant out that cleaned your room.
Tip Amount:
High Level of Service (Above & Beyond)       -     $4.50 - $6.00 per person per day
Excellent Service (Performed Duties Well)    -    $4.25 - 4.50 per person per day 
Average Level of Service                             -    $3.75 -  $4.25 per person per day 
Poor Service                                                -   $3.25 -  $3.75 per person per day 
Awful Poor Service                                      -   Consider Removing Tip or Giving Little

III. Dining Room Team
          These are the people that serve you in the main dining room. On some cruise ships you are assigned to a specific table with specific servers, but on other cruise ships you have flexible options that don't give you the same service staff each night. If you do not think you will have the same service staff each night, leave auto-gratuity on. Most cruise lines will give you the option to increase (or decrease) the auto-gratuity for certain staff, teams, or departments. 
Tip Amount:
Above & Beyond Exceptional Service            -       $7.50 -  9.00 per person per day
Excellent Service  (Performed Duties Well)   -       $6.00 -   7.50  per person per day
Average Service, But Still Good                    -       $5.00 -   6.00 per person per day
Poor Service                                               -       $3.50 -   $5.00 per person per day
Terrible Poor Service                                  -       Consider Removing Tip or Giving Little
            
            On some cruise ships you may have an option to eat at a specialty restaurant. Don't forget to leave a tip for these crew members too! 

IV.  Shore Excursions and In Port
Tour Bus Driver -  $5 - $10
Tour Guide -   $5 - $10
If the tour bus driver is also your tour guide I would give $10 - $15, assuming this person have you a safe quality tour. Sometimes shore excursions require tipping, but if not the amount you tip is up to you."   

"V. Other People To Consider Tipping
These people are sometimes included in auto-gratuities and work hard during cruises. Consider giving these people a tip to show your appreciation for their hard work: 

Dining Room Maitre D' -   $5 - $8  
Entertainment Staff Member  -   $2-$5 
Kitchen Staff  -   $3-$4  per cruise 

Bar Staff -   15-25% off bar tab (note: this is sometimes included in price with some cruise lines) 
Laundry  -   $1-$3 per bag of laundry 
Any Crew Member (Not Already Mentioned)  Who Provided You With Excellent Service   -  Your Choice ($ 2 - 10) 
SPA Treatment Crew Member - $4 - $7, depending on service and quality of treatment
Room Service -   $2-$8   depending on size of order. For small orders give less and for larger orders give more."
 

Edited September 23, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[kelleherdl]

1 hour ago, hamrag said:

Norms are:

Waiter $1000

Assistant Waiter $500

Hostess $250

Musician, excellent or otherwise $125

Butler $1000

Junior Butler $500

Maitre D £250

 

These are averages, but many give more than that! 😉

Don’t worry.  Hamrag is a generous Scot, but I imagine his impatience with these periodic posts on tipping got the best of him. 😀

Edited September 23, 2022 by kelleherdl

[morpheusofthesea]

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time."

[Seadweller001]

We have had a few YC Dir's that have gone way and beyond their duties in making our vacation over and above.  We have tipped them accordingly and they have never not said it is not recommended.

 

Everyone works on a ship for one reason.  No need to reiterate why.

[9876]

I really wish they had a tip box that they were able to split among the YC staff.   I would much rather tip extra to that and have it split among everyone so no one is missed.  There are many 'behind the scenes' and crew that contribute to the experience.

[kelleherdl]

33 minutes ago, 9876 said:

I really wish they had a tip box that they were able to split among the YC staff.   I would much rather tip extra to that and have it split among everyone so no one is missed.  There are many 'behind the scenes' and crew that contribute to the experience.

I do tip the normal close supporting YC staff with individual envelopes. But I also have a couple of ‘group’ envelopes. I will have one for the Topsail staff, one for the Pool One grill/bar staff, and one for the Concierge Desk. I ask them to add it to the tip pool for that area. I will give to the lead bartender at the pool and one of the Topsail servers. They understand I’m tipping the ‘group.’ 

[iwtobek]

5 hours ago, 9876 said:

 There are many 'behind the scenes' and crew that contribute to the experience.

That's theoretically how tipping is supposed to work when you let MSC handle it. You should be able to go to Concierge Area and ask them to raise the gratuities for you.

[hamrag]

10 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

Don’t worry.  Hamrag is a generous Scot, but I imagine his impatience with these periodic posts on tipping got the best of him. 😀

Dennis, you got it! Really couldn't resist. 😉

[hamrag]

6 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

I do tip the normal close supporting YC staff with individual envelopes. But I also have a couple of ‘group’ envelopes. I will have one for the Topsail staff, one for the Pool One grill/bar staff, and one for the Concierge Desk. I ask them to add it to the tip pool for that area. I will give to the lead bartender at the pool and one of the Topsail servers. They understand I’m tipping the ‘group.’ 

We are kindred 'spirits', essentially that is what we do and like you we consider it the fairest distribution of our additional gratuities.

 

Great to hear from you.