Tipping

Sailing in the YC on Seaside in a few months. This is our second cruise so we don’t have a ton of experience. First was Haven in NCL. Before leaving for our NCL we read if you tip your room steward and bar tender (in the Haven) they remember you and take extra care of you. I don’t know the service others received from their room steward but ours was amazing! In the bar we def saw a difference on how the bar tender treated us. We sat there one night and people watched and we def had above and beyond compared to many others. (Not the purpose of our people watching just an observation...we love to people watch )

I don’t mind to tip extra for extra service. But I thought I read somewhere they can’t accept extra tips. Anyone have any experience with any of this?

I don’t mind to tip extra for extra service. But I thought I read somewhere they can’t accept extra tips. Anyone have any experience with any of this?

They certainly can - and do - accept extra tips, most graciously! :D

Crew members probably love US Americans because of their extra tipping ( among others). However not bad feelings for the rest of the world, who are not used to that practice.

Ivi

Although it is not required , we have found that a tip early on in the cruise definitely is appreciated and an incentive to provide better service . We give those "early tips " to our room steward , our MDR waiters and a favorite bar tender in a specific bar or lounge we enjoy visiting. That little bit of gratitude goes a long way !

We did not pretip in the YC where the service in our opinion is much, much better than Haven. We did tip those who were superior on last day. Also, in Haven the Concierge and the Butlers are not in the tip pool and do need to be tipped. That is not the case in the YC.

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Although it is not required , we have found that a tip early on in the cruise definitely is appreciated and an incentive to provide better service . We give those "early tips " to our room steward , our MDR waiters and a favorite bar tender in a specific bar or lounge we enjoy visiting. That little bit of gratitude goes a long way !

Newbie, here. In what way do the stewards, etc, go “above and beyond” for early tips, or in general? Having never been on a cruise (until next Friday!), I don’t know what the difference between standard and “outstanding” service would be. Just wondering. It would be nice to know the difference so that I could tip appropriately.

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Just an example, n/a to MSC, though.

One steward greeted us with the (included) glass of champagne. As he was leaving he asked if there was anything else he could do. Could you leave the bottle? Done!

For this and many other small but wonderful and exceptional services, he received a nice tip at the end of the cruise.

Just for Clarification, The Butlers are NOT included in the tip pool in the Yacht Club. We always tip a minimum regardless of whether we use his services or not. We generally do not ask him to do a thing. We also find that there are one or two other butlers that end up giving you excellent personalized service both at the Top Sail One and The One Deck. We also tip them at the end of our cruise. We also tip the Dining Room server extra just because they offer incredible service.

Also, we have done the Haven several times and while we love it the service doesnt even begin to compare to what you will experience in the YC. Bon Voyage!

Just for Clarification, The Butlers are NOT included in the tip pool in the Yacht Club. We always tip a minimum regardless of whether we use his services or not. We generally do not ask him to do a thing. We also find that there are one or two other butlers that end up giving you excellent personalized service both at the Top Sail One and The One Deck. We also tip them at the end of our cruise. We also tip the Dining Room server extra just because they offer incredible service.

Also, we have done the Haven several times and while we love it the service doesnt even begin to compare to what you will experience in the YC. Bon Voyage!

Is this so? The butler is not included in the gratuities per day? How are the gratuities distributed among the crew for Yact Club passengers?

Ivi

Is this so? The butler is not included in the gratuities per day? How are the gratuities distributed among the crew for Yact Club passengers?

Ivi

The distribution is the same as for any MSC just a bit higher per day. So it does include something for your steward, your waiter and bar staff. But nothing for concierge or butler. I dont tip the concierge because I have never stopped by and even asked a question. The butler even if you dont ask for things will be doing things behind the scenes for you. He delivers you daily paper and brings your treats like the champagne and strawberries. He will also personally escort you off the ship on disembarkation day. That is why I always give a tip to the butler regardless of whether I ask for additional service or not.

As for the tips that are included it just seems to me that they are extremely low for the service provided and that is why we are happy to give more as deserved each sailing.

Just for Clarification, The Butlers are NOT included in the tip pool in the Yacht Club.

Wherever did you get that notion from?

Because I always do my homework before I cruise especially when it is a new line and level of service. I value Cruise Critic so much because I feel confident that I have my facts before I cruise. There are a few threads on the subject if you do a search. Maybe some others will chime in but based on my research the butlers are not included.

So, you're saying you read it here on Cruise Critic? I'm fully aware of the threads on tipping - I've contributed to quite a few them over the years.

So, you're saying you read it here on Cruise Critic? I'm fully aware of the threads on tipping - I've contributed to quite a few them over the years.

Yes, previous to doing our first YC sailing on the Divina in 2016 I read every thread i could find :-)

As you've stated that YC butlers are "NOT" included, perhaps you could provide the relevant evidence - just for "clarification"? Because this is news to me; so you really need to back this claim up and not just say that there are a number of threads "if you do a search".

As you've stated that YC butlers are "NOT" included, perhaps you could provide the relevant evidence - just for "clarification"? Because this is news to me; so you really need to back this claim up and not just say that there are a number of threads "if you do a search".

I will be happy to re research it for everyone but am unable to do so today. Its my grandsons Birthday so we are cooking and driving to S Florida for his Party

I will be happy to re research it for everyone but am unable to do so today. Its my grandsons Birthday so we are cooking and driving to S Florida for his Party

Enjoy the day!

I also do my research and this is the first time I've read that the butlers are not included.

We did tip our butler extra, but not as much as we would have had we thought he wasn't included.

I really would like to see some proof.:rolleyes:

‘During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. They are supported by just as many staff and crew who work hard behind the scenes to ensure you enjoy every moment onboard. For your convenience MSC Cruises will automatically add a daily Hotel Service Charge to your shipboard account, based on your chosen itinerary and the number of days for which the services are actually provided.

The Hotel Service charge serves to ensure we maintain the highest quality standards of service to our guests. The daily amounts below have been calculated with this in mind and cannot be modified. However, should you wish to remove any of the daily Hotel Service Charge in the unlikely event that you do not receive satisfactory service, you may do so by contacting the Guest Relations Manager on board. If you wish, the daily Service Charge for your cruise can be added to the price of your cruise at the time of booking, rather than added to your onboard account during the cruise. Please let your booking agent know if you would like to add the Service Charge to your cruise price.

Tips

MSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individual members of staff. ‘

I know I’m going to regret this........but threads like this drive me crazy :rolleyes:

The above is copied directly from the MSC website....and that’s good enough for me :)

I believe we are speaking of the Butlers in the Yacht Club, not tipping in general.

My understanding is that they are included .... not like Norwegian where they are not.

This isn't one of those general tipping threads.

I have never heard before that MSC butlers weren't included in the tipping pool. I reckon they wouldn't be slow to let you know if they didn't get a share. I've done 4 YC cruises and never heard this, nor is it stated in the info that Darcy has just posted. This has been discussed many times on the forum and, if memory serves me, it's always been stated that, unlike NCL, the MSC butlers and concierge staff are included.

It's my personal belief that they are, indeed, included.

I believe we are speaking of the Butlers in the Yacht Club, not tipping in general.

 

My understanding is that they are included .... not like Norwegian where they are not.

 

This isn't one of those general tipping threads.

I know :)

I have done three YC cruises....with another 2 booked :D

I was simply trying to provide accurate information direct from MSC :)

I have never heard before that MSC butlers weren't included in the tipping pool. I reckon they wouldn't be slow to let you know if they didn't get a share. I've done 4 YC cruises and never heard this, nor is it stated in the info that Darcy has just posted. This has been discussed many times on the forum and, if memory serves me, it's always been stated that, unlike NCL, the MSC butlers and concierge staff are included.

 

It's my personal belief that they are, indeed, included.

Like you Bea I've done 4 YC trips with my 5th on the Divina next month. And unless conciege are telling me fibs. The butlers are most definitely included in the daily service charge. I always add an extra tip to our butler as they can't do enough foe you. But we never Pre tip.

Like you Bea I've done 4 YC trips with my 5th on the Divina next month. And unless conciege are telling me fibs. The butlers are most definitely included in the daily service charge. I always add an extra tip to our butler as they can't do enough foe you. But we never Pre tip.

Pre-tipping disgusts me as it's an absolute bribe, in an effort to receive more and better attention IMO.

We nearly always tip extra, but now only to those who go over and above the basic service that one should get, anyway. Over time, I've become very judicious in who I tip. On our Meraviglia cruise last June, we never really saw our butler for the duration of the cruise, but he was very visible on our last day! (we stayed onboard into the afternoon); we didn't give him a tip, but we gave our stewardess one as she was terrific. I'd never had such personal attention (and interaction) with a YC steward before. We also tipped the m'D and sommelier (which we don't normally do) and a server in the Meraviglia lounge who we knew from a lengthy cruise before. We couldn't tip the waiters in the YC restaurant as there were so many who took care of us throughout the week. Despite this, every one of them made a point of coming over to us to have some last words and say goodbye to us when we were leaving the restaurant after our last lunch onboard - something I'd never experienced before.

Hi all, I am back from the big birthday party and in reading the responses here and going back searching the most current threads I would stand corrected and am very sorry. Maybe my research was more The Haven doesnt but we always tip the butler extra and that stuck in my mind. I really am sorry because I know people count on getting the correct answers here.