confused on tipping

[bc_chik]

This is my first cruise and I am a little confused on the tipping situation. I know that you are charged a percentage for tips on drinks, I have also read you are charge a dollar amount per day per person, is this on top of the per drink tips?

Does that charge get passed on to the waiters etc? Do I need to worry about tipping or is it all covered by the fees we are charged? I don't want to offend anyone but I also don't want to spend a fortune on tips if I am being charged already.

 

Advice please!

Starting to get very excited but the more I read these posts the more I see that I don't know!

[boulders]

For drinks, you are charged 15% at time of purchase. You can give the bartender additional at that time if you wish.

 

The other, daily, per person charges are for your stateroom attendant, waiter and assistant waiter and through them, essentially any other wait staff on the ship. These people are paid pennies a day. The tips or gratuities are the lion's share of their income. The tradition is to hand out envelopes to these people on the last night of the cruise. You can prepay the gratuities on your seapass card, in which case you get vouchers to put in the envelopes or you can pay in cash. Additional tips are appreciated by these members of the staff as well.

[gerif]

Whether you are on a cruiseline where tips are automatically added to your account or one where you have the option of tipping in cash, the amount will be about $10 per person per day (children included). This covers your room steward, your waiter, assistant waiter and headwaiter. Other tips you would be expected to pay would be the 15% automatically added to drink purchases and tips for room service if ordered ($1-5 depending upon how much is ordered). Of course, you are free to add additional amounts if you feel the level of service warrants such.

[uppitycats]

This is my first cruise and I am a little confused on the tipping situation. I know that you are charged a percentage for tips on drinks, I have also read you are charge a dollar amount per day per person, is this on top of the per drink tips?

Does that charge get passed on to the waiters etc? Do I need to worry about tipping or is it all covered by the fees we are charged? I don't want to offend anyone but I also don't want to spend a fortune on tips if I am being charged already.

 

Advice please!

Starting to get very excited but the more I read these posts the more I see that I don't know!

 

You might get a clearer answer if you tell us which cruise line you're on.

 

Most of them these days have several options: pre-pay the tips (sometimes called a service charge) before you cruise; pay the tips on the last day when you settle up your on-board account; or actually pay as you go (the least desireable, in my opinion, and hardest to budget for!)

 

If you leave that system in place -- pay all the tips either in advance or on the last day, by paying with your credit card -- then you don't need to tip your room stewards or the waiters that serve (or help set up and clean up) all that food, for all 3 meals, and whatever other snacks and late-night muchies you get.

 

The bar staff is different: If you order bar drinks (liquor, beer, soft drinks on most lines), you'll be asked for your on-board account card (like a credit card that you'll be issued when you board). When you're handed your drink, you'll get a slip with the drink amount, and a 15% gratuity. You sign that, and it will be added to your on-board account.

 

Other tips you might encounter are tipping for spa services (if you use them), and on some lines, tipping the staff that do child care. Since you're here on the family board, perhaps this one will apply to you.

 

Sometimes folks will tip extra, especially to the room steward. That's usually done in cash, at the end of the cruise. Or if you get exceptional service at dinner (perhaps in one of the specialty restaurants), then you might want to tip extra..usually $5 or so. But that's entirely voluntary.

[AddictedtoFL]

Prepaid Tips should be the Minimiun, at the end of my cruise i hand out extra 12 envelopes to some of the staffs that make our trip more enjoyable.

[Cruisin' Chick]

It really depends on the cruiseline you're going on as some do tipping differently than others. You'll get a little booklet before your cruise with things you should know...very informative. You can also go on the website for your cruiseline and there's often a FAQ. Tipping should be explain in both.

 

I've had autotipping for my last two cruises and I find we like it better than having to stuff envelopes with cash on that last day. With A-T, we just concern ourselves with crew members we want to reward above that. Plus, the kids' program counselors...they're not included in A-T on Princess, obviously because not everyone brings kids. That's why you're tipped for beverages as you buy them. Not everyone buys drinks.

 

When there's A-T, your tip will be put into a pool that will be shared by all those serving you in the dining room (waiters, bus boys, dish washers) and those who help with your cabin (cabin stewards and those who help behind the scenes). Since you may not be taking all your meals in the main dining room, some tip money gets pooled among buffet workers too. This system was started on Princess in part because of anytime dining. It's impossible to make sure individuals in anytime dining get properly tipped unless passengers intend to take cash to meals each time. So it does make things much easily for everyone.

 

Some people will try to remove A-T or reduce them, either to avoid paying them or to give tips directly to whomever they want to. But that actually will reduce the money you're giving to that cabin steward or waiter as they will have to turn in that money to their supervisor for the pool (if they don't, they risk getting fired).

 

Some cruiselines will just have advance payment on tips if you're doing flexible dining.

[bc_chik]

We will be on the Carnival Splendor. I believe I have read they do have the option to pre-pay tips, so this means that it covers our servers (bars excluded) and our room service? We do plan on using Camp Carniaval IF my 2yo son is ok with it :) So do you just tip the counsellors that you feel were helpful or do they pool those tips amonst themselves???

 

I just don't want to miss anyone because I also work in a job where tips are a major part of my income so I like to be on top of these things.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice, this board has been so great so far!

[notentirelynormal]

The children's counselors are not included in the general tipping pool. You would tip them independently.

[cb at sea]

As long as you pay the "recommended" tip amounts, whether you do it in cash at the end of the cruise, or have it put on your account, you're good to go. No additional amounts are needed or expected.

 

Bar staff adds 15% to each drink purchase....no additional tips needed.

 

The "daily" tips will cover your room attendant, waiter, ass't. waiter and head waiter.

 

The counselors are highly paid employees.....tips are not suggested for them, however that is at your discretion.

[pmang]

As long as you pay the "recommended" tip amounts, whether you do it in cash at the end of the cruise, or have it put on your account, you're good to go. No additional amounts are needed or expected.

 

Bar staff adds 15% to each drink purchase....no additional tips needed.

 

The "daily" tips will cover your room attendant, waiter, ass't. waiter and head waiter.

 

The counselors are highly paid employees.....tips are not suggested for them, however that is at your discretion.

 

Ummmm..... not to burst your bubble, but "highly paid employees" is not an accurate statement. Unless you consider somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 a week for 50+ hours being highly paid..... Tips for them are at your discretion but there is a misconception that they make a lot from the line.

[jam82]

Here is what we tip:

 

$10 person per day that goes to the room steward and waiters. We leave that alone.

 

I give my head waiter and my room steward more if they do an excellent job. I also will tip the maitre'd and any bartenders that we happen to get extra good service from.

 

Room service - Usually $5 per meal order. If we order more than one meal per person then we tip more. (We have a two year old, so we sometimes order extra items, like milk, apple juice, pb&j, cheese sandwich and save it for later. I tend to tip extra for the apple juice because it is hard to carry on the tray and it is hard to get elsewhere on the ship.)

 

Camp Carnival - I tip them $20 per day. Sometimes I give it to them each night and sometimes I give them the whole amount at the end. Each time we go I ask them how they split the tips. Everytime, the answer is the same: "We all split them." Regardless of when I tip, I do try to make sure that there are at least two of them around so that there is a good chance of them sharing it. I think the advantage of tipping each day is that there is a good chance that I'm not always giving it to the same person. I would prefer the money to go to whoever took care of my child the most, but there is no way to really tell that.

 

Also, don't forget to budget tips for porters at the airport/pier and your excursion guides.