Tips

[gottagoacruzn]

Hi guys, when one travels solo, what are the tips regarding the three important people, w, bb, room stewart? Thanks.

[Another_Critic]

Same as when you travel double, triple, or quad.  Automatic gratuities are charged $16 pp/day or $18.50 pp/day if you are in a full suite.

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by Another_Critic

[dada2199cc]

I always tip extra when cruising solo.  Usually another $15 per day spread around to the folks taking care of me.  

[desibee]

1 hour ago, dada2199cc said:

I always tip extra when cruising solo.  Usually another $15 per day spread around to the folks taking care of me.  

Is there a reason you think the automatic gratuity is inadequate?

[RandomUser123]

My philosophy on tips is simple. Whatever the cruise line charges for tips is what I pay. I will of course not go to guest services and request less but I am not going to tip more as well. 

[gottagoacruzn]

1 hour ago, desibee said:

Is there a reason you think the automatic gratuity is inadequate?

No, jest askin!!

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, gottagoacruzn said:

Hi guys, when one travels solo, what are the tips regarding the three important people, w, bb, room stewart? Thanks.

Whatever you feel is appropriate. We normally tip our room steward $10-$20 per day. And something similar to our waiter and assistant waiter. 

 

Crew that receive tips get a bare minimum pay and the first portion of the tip is used to bring them up to their minimum contract value. This is similar to servers in our home town. Minimum wage is $15/hour around here. But if you are a employee that gets tips, employers can pay as little as $5/hour assuming that the first $10/hour of tips goes to getting you up to minimum wage. And making $80 in tips (8 hour shift) just to get to minimum wage when folks at our local diner leave a buck or less in tips. 

[joeyancho]

Beyond the daily gratuity,  do whatever you are moved to do.  Do not base your actions on the opinion of others.  It is your money. You earned it.  Do whatever you want with it.  

[mpdog42]

7 hours ago, joeyancho said:

Beyond the daily gratuity,  do whatever you are moved to do.  Do not base your actions on the opinion of others.  It is your money. You earned it.  Do whatever you want with it.  

"It's Jg Wentworth Call 877 Cash Now"

[dada2199cc]

9 hours ago, desibee said:

Is there a reason you think the automatic gratuity is inadequate?

Like many here, I cruise a lot.  I love the ship more than the destination.  The biggest part of being aboard is being taken care of by people working 7 days a week, away from family.

 

Over my decades of cruising I’ve formed friendships with folks who worked aboard and retired.  I visit them in their home countries (India, Russia, some Islanders, a few rare Africans) and get to see what they did with the tips they earned.

 

I am blessed to afford anything I want at any time and not need to worry about it.  When I cruise solo, the staff get half of what the room usually brings, sometimes a third or a quarter if I book a suite solo.  It makes a big difference in their send-home pay.

 

Also I find solo cruisers to be just as demanding as couples or families in some cases I’ve spent time with another solo cruiser.

 

I know tipping culture is a huge debate point.  I like seeing people working hard to better themselves, I like being taken care of, and I can’t imagine ever needing @ all of the money I have saved and invested, so I like spreading it around to service staff.

[Joseph2017China]

Tips are per person, and if you prepay, you don't need anything else.  I feel blessed I can afford the prepaid tips

[rudeney]

Every time I see a thread titles "Tips" I get my hopes up that it will tips about cruising and not just another thread about gratuities. 

[Ret MP]

1 hour ago, rudeney said:

Every time I see a thread titles "Tips" I get my hopes up that it will tips about cruising and not just another thread about gratuities. 

It's like the gift that keeps on giving but isn't, isn't it!  That's not to say I find fault with those that are asking the questions, I'm sure they are genuine.  In fact, I'm not sure where there is fault, if any.  

[desibee]

6 hours ago, dada2199cc said:

 When I cruise solo, the staff get half of what the room usually brings, sometimes a third or a quarter if I book a suite solo.  It makes a big difference in their send-home pay.

 

Wait, so they seriously pay staff less if the cabin they are looking after is only singularly occupied rather than a double occupancy?  I feel like that should be illegal!

[dada2199cc]

16 minutes ago, desibee said:

Wait, so they seriously pay staff less if the cabin they are looking after is only singularly occupied rather than a double occupancy?  I feel like that should be illegal!

Well they don’t pay them less — they get less tips.

 

A Jr suite with 1 guest paying $16.50 a night versus 4 guests each paying $16.50 x 4 is a massive difference when you’re limited to X staterooms no matter occupancy rate!

 

 

[rudeney]

17 minutes ago, dada2199cc said:

Well they don’t pay them less — they get less tips.

 

A Jr suite with 1 guest paying $16.50 a night versus 4 guests each paying $16.50 x 4 is a massive difference when you’re limited to X staterooms no matter occupancy rate!

 

 

 

The thing is, a cabin with one person in it is really no easier to maintain that with two people.   But adding a 3rd and 4th passenger, the attendant has to deal with the extra bedding.  If they really wanted to be fair to the crew, (at least the stateroom staff) there would be a flat gratuity per room based on double-occupancy, then add to that per additional occupant. 

[aubreyc1988]

5 hours ago, rudeney said:

Every time I see a thread titles "Tips" I get my hopes up that it will tips about cruising and not just another thread about gratuities. 

Honestly I get a little excited when these threads show up, perfect time to have my afternoon snack and a read. 

[neverbeenhere]

Look at it this way. There is a giant pool, many swimmers take a dip into that pool. Swimmers of like stature get to put their toes in the water, others get to jump in head first. the ones that get to jump in head first, likely have a separate bucket of water that they get to take to their cabins.

 

That's as clear as it gets.

 

🙂

 

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2022 by neverbeenhere
Please don't pee in the pool.

[aubreyc1988]

My personal opinion is this: you do not need to do anything above and beyond the automatic gratuity if you so wish. Try not to speculate on how much they make, etc...waste of time. They signed a contract, just like a lot of us did with our jobs. 

 

However

 

MOST of the time, in MY personal experience, the staff that personally serve me go above and beyond the minimum requirement. So I will tip extra at the end of the cruise. I get those little white envelopes and write names on them and do it for those I feel like went above and beyond for me on my cruise. T

 

The amount I tip extra does vary. For the room steward/MDR dining staff, I usually have a little envelope where I put my small casino tickets in every night. At the end of the cruise, I take those tickets to the casino and split it between them. Those tickets do add up, especially if you are gambler like me. 

 

I also usually tip an extra dollar per drink at the bars. I know some people say an additional 5 minimum (Which is great for them), but I'm already paying 18% gratuity, I just literally can't afford to do that. 

 

In the end, I keep my auto grats in place, and go with how I feel in the moment. Some cruises I win big in the casino and I can be  more generous than other cruises. Some cruises I have staff that are better than others...etc.

[dada2199cc]

57 minutes ago, rudeney said:

 

The thing is, a cabin with one person in it is really no easier to maintain that with two people.   But adding a 3rd and 4th passenger, the attendant has to deal with the extra bedding.  If they really wanted to be fair to the crew, (at least the stateroom staff) there would be a flat gratuity per room based on double-occupancy, then add to that per additional occupant. 

I think the system is fair.  I grew up poor so a higher tip would reduce the number of people cruising.

 

I can afford to tip, and the service has always been shockingly good and I want to reward not just their service today, but encourage them to return and tell their friends to sign up.

 

It is a tough job and it is not for everyone.  Folks who hate the life leave after one contract.  Folks who commit longer end up building homes for their families and sending their kids to private schools, etc.

 

I am low maintenance aboard but I still like being taken care of.  I don’t suggest my routine for anyone else — tip as you want to, or don’t!  I don’t shame anyone who doesn’t feel a tip is needed, or can’t afford it, or whatever.

[Ret MP]

.

[John Reid]

18 hours ago, desibee said:

Is there a reason you think the automatic gratuity is inadequate?

Well, I mostly cruise solo, and I think it is inadequate. The basic gratuity is 1/2 to 1/4  of what it would be with normal occupancy. I'm sure the stewards would rather have two or three in a room.

[Ret MP]

18 hours ago, desibee said:

Is there a reason you think the automatic gratuity is inadequate?

Are you assuming that the entire daily gratuity goes to any one individual.  

 

Well, in reality, the $16.50 a day gratuity is broke down to be shared with many crew members.  Some you interact with and some you don't.  If a steward, for only one example, goes above and beyond and really does a good job, NO the automatic gratuity isn't adequate.  Not in my book, anyway.  YMMV

[rudeney]

3 hours ago, dada2199cc said:

I think the system is fair.  I grew up poor so a higher tip would reduce the number of people cruising.

 

I can afford to tip, and the service has always been shockingly good and I want to reward not just their service today, but encourage them to return and tell their friends to sign up.

 

It is a tough job and it is not for everyone.  Folks who hate the life leave after one contract.  Folks who commit longer end up building homes for their families and sending their kids to private schools, etc.

 

I am low maintenance aboard but I still like being taken care of.  I don’t suggest my routine for anyone else — tip as you want to, or don’t!  I don’t shame anyone who doesn’t feel a tip is needed, or can’t afford it, or whatever.

 

I am with you on all that!  I was just pointing out my observation that the effort for a stateroom with 1 person vs. 2 is really no different, but it is when there are more than 2 in the room. 

[not-enough-cruising]

11 hours ago, rudeney said:

 

I am with you on all that!  I was just pointing out my observation that the effort for a stateroom with 1 person vs. 2 is really no different, but it is when there are more than 2 in the room. 

For all we know, the stateroom attendant does not even see a difference in his pay regardless of the number of occupants in their section.  This is the intentional vague nature of the automatic gratuity program that cause many of us to not participate.