Tipping with infant in room

[CruiserRev]

Just curious.....taking our baby girl on a cruise with us next month. Paying as much for her as we would a 3rd grown-up or older child who would enjoy the ship's amenities......and she can't benefit from any of the food yet. I generally lean heavily to the generous side in tipping, but is there any etiquettal exception in this situation? The room steward certainly will earn his/her fair share, given the dirty diapers, but the maitre'd? Thoughts?

[dakrewser]

Just curious.....taking our baby girl on a cruise with us next month. Paying as much for her as we would a 3rd grown-up or older child who would enjoy the ship's amenities......and she can't benefit from any of the food yet. I generally lean heavily to the generous side in tipping, but is there any etiquettal exception in this situation? The room steward certainly will earn his/her fair share, given the dirty diapers, but the maitre'd? Thoughts?

 

She won't be coming to the dining room with you?

[Sprocket]

I would suggest you follow your conscience on this one. I have been on 4 cruises and have had little or no interaction with the maitre'd on any of them but always left the tips in place.

 

I know this same topic has been discussed before,(whether or not it is necessary to tip for infants) so perhaps you might try doing a search and see what the general consensus was. Tipping threads of any sort can be a very contentious issue on these boards.

 

Enjoy your cruise whatever you decide.

 

Bev

[CruiserRev]

We do plan on taking her to the dining room....but found out this week that HAL doesn't provide any food for her. We were excited about the possibility of pureed fruits and veggies, but it looks like we're bringing all of her food in tow. I imagine we'll end up tipping the whole amount--it just stings a bit!

[ore-ee-gun]

Think of it in terms of what it would cost to leave her at home with a babysitter for the entire week. The cruise fare for your daughter, plus the autotip, is still probably less..... Have a great cruise!

[newmexicoNita]

Usually under 3 tips are not automatic, but I certainly would give the steward and the waiter staff something at the end. Mayber she won't be eating, but she still will require some clean up. NMnita

[Old As Dirt Mom]

We do plan on taking her to the dining room....but found out this week that HAL doesn't provide any food for her. We were excited about the possibility of pureed fruits and veggies, but it looks like we're bringing all of her food in tow. I imagine we'll end up tipping the whole amount--it just stings a bit!

 

CruiserRev:

 

According to HAL's own website, they do provide baby food. Here is the link which mentions that. Scroll down and look under the subheading, "Additional Family Services". It says that "baby food, high chairs, and booster seats may be requested in advance of boarding." Good luck:)

 

Karin

[hammybee]

CruiserRev:

 

According to HAL's own website, they do provide baby food. Here is the link which mentions that. Scroll down and look under the subheading, "Additional Family Services". It says that "baby food, high chairs, and booster seats may be requested in advance of boarding." Good luck:)

 

Karin

 

Welcome home again, MaM. Your attention to factual detail adds credibility to your posts.

[AAAAmerican]

Middle-aged mom,

 

Sometimes ..well a lot of the time.. do not believe all what you see in print and/or on the boob tube.. or is it called the boob LCD, PLASMA and LED screens now.. ..?:eek:

 

I saw lemonade printed in a few HAL pamphlets sent by the USPS mail... and showed my FIL that is what he had asked once and even onboard I showed the staff and they said it must be a misprint...:mad:

 

Oh well as the Boy Scouts MOTTO is (Be Prepared)..... ... is such a truism in most things.

 

With infant children never take a chance or you may not be happy with the circumstance..

 

 

CruiserRev:

 

According to HAL's own website, they do provide baby food. Here is the link which mentions that. Scroll down and look under the subheading, "Additional Family Services". It says that "baby food, high chairs, and booster seats may be requested in advance of boarding." Good luck:)

 

Karin

[kryos]

We do plan on taking her to the dining room....but found out this week that HAL doesn't provide any food for her. We were excited about the possibility of pureed fruits and veggies, but it looks like we're bringing all of her food in tow. I imagine we'll end up tipping the whole amount--it just stings a bit!

She will also not be able to use the pool, nor the kid's club, nor the shows, etc., etc.

 

I know people will call me cheap here, but frankly, unless the cabin and wait service in the dining room was out of this world ... I would not tip for the baby ... especially after HAL told me that her food would not be provided. Of course, that assumes you are planning to pick up after her and not leave a particularly nasty mess for the cabin steward to deal with every day.

 

I went back and forth on just this issue with a friend of mine. She cruises occasionally (mainly RCCL) and has three children. It's a family affair, so the kids are divied between cabins so that each cabin has a total of four people. She routinely dumps the autotip for at least one child in the four-person cabin because, quite frankly, she feels that $40 a day in tips is a bit "over the top." I gave her the same advice as others on this board are giving ... follow your conscious. But frankly, I agree with her ... $40 per day is quite a lot of tip ... and I'd have to be getting some awesome service to justify that. Now, of course, this is not HAL ... and she claims half the time she never even knew who her cabin steward was. Her waiters, she claims, were no better than those she encounters when she takes the kids to the local Denny's for lunch. So, perhaps the level of service she's experienced has not warranted ... at least in her mind ... a $40 per day tip. So, of course, I told her that she should do exactly what her heart tells her to do ... and if that's removing some of the auto-tip, so be it.

 

I've said this before ... but I really think the whole tipping thing needs to be rethought at the corporate level. Perhaps a set auto-tip per cabin ... regardless of the number of people in it ... would be a bit more fair. Also, shouldn't the tip be more for people in suites? Suites are larger and the level of service provided in them is far greater. Would seem the auto-tip should reflect that. And, then ... what about singles in a cabin. The cabin steward is gonna spend just as much time cleaning that cabin as he would if there were two people staying in it. Why does the single only get charged an auto-tip of $10 per day, while the couple in the same cabin nextdoor is paying $20?

 

Personally, I think the auto-tip should be $20 per cabin, regardless of number of occupants, and then slightly higher for suites.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hammybee]

Also, shouldn't the tip be more for people in suites? Suites are larger and the level of service provided in them is far greater. Would seem the auto-tip should reflect that.

Blue skies ...--rita Blue skies ...--rita

 

Rita,

 

You know me, "Bottom of the Ship Hammybee". The people in suites pay more and get more for their fare, than I do. I assumed that included more and better service, some of which is built into the base fare. And I swear I am not picking at the festering tipping wound. No,no, not I.

[missygirl]

A few years ago I traveled with a nine month old. I took along all of his food because I was afraid of salt and other spices used that would upset his tummy. I did give him oatmeal and fruit from the Lido. Also I brought all of his other needs, diapers, wipes, box of bags for the dirty diapers. I pre-ordered a crib that was waiting inside the cabin when we arrived. Make sure you bring a stroller, it was a lifesaver.

 

Downside was he didn't allow us to enjoy the dining room or any shows because he could crawl and would not sit through anything over a few minutes time. We just changed the way we usually cruised and we did a kid cruise. We would not have left him at home but in hindsight after coming home I would not go again with a 9-month old.

 

Missygirl

[zaandam_2]

if you can't afford to tip for your 'little darlings' you should stay home. it should just be considered part of the fare. the staff works very hard and should be paid accordingly.

[CruiserRev]

Thanks for all the input, folks!

 

I had read HAL's website previously, and was excited that they would provide extra service to an infant who wouldn't be benefitting from their normal dining service. They are happy to accommodate us, at $1 per baby food bottle, and $15 for a 12 oz. can of formula. Oh yeah--they'll even hook us up with diapers for $1 a piece! Thus the chasm between providing a service and it being gratis became apparent. As I mentioned in the first post, I intend to take good (and extra) care of the room steward, as we will add a bit to his job. If the waiter and assistant waiter dote on our daughter as I've heard frequently happens, with them so often being separated from their own family, I'll be happy to kick in some more. As far as extra work we'll create for them, it'll mainly be the wipedown of a high chair and perhaps an empty bottle of baby food to toss out. The dirty bib will be ours, the bottle in need of washing will be ours, and none of the food consumed will be from HAL.

 

Regarding the post that compared it to the cost of babysitting--we can use the online babysitting for $8 an hour, and plan to for a show or two. In April we're going on a cruise where we'll have late sitting and use babysitting every night. I certainly don't plan on tipping the waiter for my daughter if she stays in the room.

 

I hope none of this sounds negative--we're very excited to be going on HAL for the first time (after 3 with Celebrity), and that parenthood didn't mean the end of us cruising (we're of very modest income). My intent is not to breach ettiquette while still using good common sense. We plan on being as generous as we can, and having a great time!

[CruiserRev]

Politely let me say, Zaandam, that we'd be thrilled to consider the tip as part of the fare for our "little darling", but that I expected food to be part of the full 3rd person fare for her! For basic (actually quite above basic) dining needs, the cost is built in for adults, but for our daughter we're paying the price for the cruise without the full compliment of benefits that would (and should) typically include.

[zaandam_2]

Politely let me say, Zaandam, that we'd be thrilled to consider the tip as part of the fare for our "little darling", but that I expected food to be part of the full 3rd person fare for her! For basic (actually quite above basic) dining needs, the cost is built in for adults, but for our daughter we're paying the price for the cruise without the full compliment of benefits that would (and should) typically include.

 

there was a link above to HAL's website saying that babyfood is available, but must be requested in advance. there's extra towles, bed to be made, high chairs and cleaning up in the dining room.

 

as for the 3rd person charge, well, its another person. if you think that's bad, try paying the single supplement.

[hammybee]

Thanks cruiser Rev for coming back and telling us of the mark-up on infant necessities. Enjoy your cruise and come back and tell us about it.

[SDHALFAN]

She will also not be able to use the pool, nor the kid's club, nor the shows, etc., etc.

 

And, then ... what about singles in a cabin. The cabin steward is gonna spend just as much time cleaning that cabin as he would if there were two people staying in it. Why does the single only get charged an auto-tip of $10 per day, while the couple in the same cabin nextdoor is paying $20?

 

 

Personally, I think the auto-tip should be $20 per cabin, regardless of number of occupants?

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

Sorry Rita, but I have to disagree with you here. I always opt for the two single beds configuration in my cabin (it is so much easier to be able to look out of the window if you have the single beds instead of the queen-sized bed), so my cabin steward only has one bed to take care of every morning. Also, I happen to be a neat freak, okay anal-retentive as my daughter loves to remind me (I can live with that, believe me), so I leave my cabin and bathroom immaculate (I wouldn't want him to think that I am a slob would I?). Also, my dining room steward brings me only one dinner and those poor souls who have to wash the dishes only have to wash one set for me, so why should I be paying for two people? One bed, one set of dishes - do the math.If I had to pay $20.00 a day autotip then I would be looking for somewhere else to spend my money.Valerie

[SDHALFAN]

I have to apologise for the lack of punctuation (paragraphs) in my last post but, honestly, it is not my fault. The HAL board seems to be really messed up right now and refuses to acknowledge either punctuation or emoticons.As Rita says: Blue skies.Valerie

[zaandam_2]

krynos - i neglected to mention earlier, i do tip my cabin steward extra when i'm solo.

[iceman93]

The HAL charges for diapers and baby food are quite reasonable when you consider they need to secure these items at whatever ports they can. When we boarded in Dover last year, they had forgotten (!) to get the diapers we ordered (thank goodness we had some extras from our pre-cruise days in London). At the next port stop, the HM himself went ashore and found a convenience store to buy diapers from. You can lug an extra suitcase full of diapers and baby food if you want; we felt the HAL charge well worth it for the convenience.

 

The auto-tip will indeed kick in no matter the age of the additional occupant. $10 a day for all the love and pampering my daughter received from the staff and crew was a real bargain.

[CruiserRev]

It does say on the HAL site that baby food must be requested in advance, but not that it is provided without cost. I would not have mentioned the price of the items if I had not had the order sheet emailed to me from HAL. All orders need to be turned in 30 days in advance of sailing, at their appropriate costs.

 

If my daughter is truly loved and pampered by the staff, they'll be justly compensated. I didn't appreciate the "cheap" comment....I went a long way to establish that frugality is not the issue, and despite my truthful allusion to our modest means, never is. I don't mind (obviously) splurging on something like this for my family, and I'm a 20-25% + tipper when we dine out. I enjoy being generous, and would not withhold justly earned gratuities just to have a few bucks left in my pocket--nobody who knows me would accuse me of that, and the accusation from a stranger was not welcomed. The "they work hard" comment is certainly dead on--the wonderful employees on the cruises I've been on work much harder for far less than 99.9 % of cruise passengers would ever agree to work for, including myself. If tipping them were really about paying them what they're worth, I certainly wouldn't be able to afford to cruise--they deserve so much more than the basic tip.

 

I merely posted my questions on here to help get a feel for what is the right thing to do in this situation. Thanks to all those who have responded with constructive thoughts and suggestions.

[dakrewser]

quote=kryos]I went back and forth on just this issue with a friend of mine. She cruises occasionally (mainly RCCL) and has three children. It's a family affair, so the kids are divied between cabins so that each cabin has a total of four people. She routinely dumps the autotip for at least one child in the four-person cabin because, quite frankly, she feels that $40 a day in tips is a bit "over the top." I gave her the same advice as others on this board are giving ... follow your conscious. But frankly, I agree with her ... $40 per day is quite a lot of tip

I've really got to disagree, Rita.

 

It isn't "$40/day" - it's $10/day per person, same as everyone else. And I'll bet that 4 i a cabin is actually more than twice as much trouble for the steward as 2.

 

As to the food for the baby - I don't know of anyone who tips the wait staff based on the food their eating...it's because of the service they receive. And a baby in the DR needs a lot of service.

[CruiserRev]

If she really does require that much service, then tip generously we certainly will.

[hammybee]

The HAL charges for diapers and baby food are quite reasonable when you consider they need to secure these items at whatever ports they can. When we boarded in Dover last year, they had forgotten (!) to get the diapers we ordered (thank goodness we had some extras from our pre-cruise days in London). At the next port stop, the HM himself went ashore and found a convenience store to buy diapers from. You can lug an extra suitcase full of diapers and baby food if you want; we felt the HAL charge well worth it for the convenience.

 

The auto-tip will indeed kick in no matter the age of the additional occupant. $10 a day for all the love and pampering my daughter received from the staff and crew was a real bargain.

 

Funny that you mention this. I was thinking about this thread and the cost of HAL diapers. ( I need a life and a cruise, badly) I came to the conclusion that someone, somewhere, was going to have to leave the ship and shop for baby stuff, given it is unlikely that any cruise line stocks the desired brand and size.

 

I do not know of many ports that have a Target or Walmart near by, so it's probably necessary to taxi and maybe even have the taxi wait, while the designated shopper figures out where the products are, loads a cart, waits in line, pays top dollar because cruise lines probably are not clipping the diaper coupons, and then returns and puts them in a place that is accessible to the baby's cabin.

 

It seems similar to numerous higher end beach condo resorts that will, for a fee or mark-up, stock the fridge and pantry for your arrival, so that you do not have to waste your vacation time shopping for Canadian bacon and fresh squeezed OJ, for breakfast. When you break it down, the mark-up seems almost reasonable, does it not?