How much extra do you tip for good service

[weltek]

I just wanted to say I really appreciate threads like this.

 

When we took our first cruise in our early 20s, it was our honeymoon cruise and we were on a very tight budget.It was shortly after NCL went to auto-gratuities, and we assumed that well-covered our stewards, etc.

 

On our next cruise, I'd read Cruise Critic, and we had a slightly more generous budget. I realized how much they disperse the auto-gratuities, and now we tip as much as we can for good service to our cabin stewards. It's usually $20 for each at the end of the cruise. Not much, but if everyone leaves them a little something, it adds up. We also give additional tips to our best bar servers, as we spend a lot of time there.

 

I stink at adding a cash tip for dining room or specialty restaurant service. Partly because we've had some really mediocre dining room service, partly because I forget about it! Every speciality restaurant service experience has been very good and I should've cash tipped.

[newmexicoNita]

Just curious...Besides the service charge of $12 per day which is split amongst many. How much do you tip for those who give you good personal service, like your waiters and room attendant.

 

 

On my previous cruises we always had the same wait staff but I always tip the waiters who serve me breakfast and dinner in the dining room because they aren't my usual dinner servers. On this cruise no waiter will be our usual nightly waiters, but our room attendant should be the same. So I am curious to those who tip extra to those who personally give you good service what do you tip.

 

Thanks

 

We do tip extra but now with the $12 instead of $10 probably we will not tip as much. Usually we give our cabin steward $20 at the end and any other crew member, like a cocktail wait person we find very good about $10.00. When we eat in the specialty dining rooms we leave $5.00 to $10.00. Normally we do not tip the conciergn even though we have access to him or her. We rarely use them. If we do, it depends on what they do for us.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

OP we usually always tip a couple of dollars to the waiter at breakfast, lunch and dinner and I have to admit, even if service is just so-so. I can't help myself with that, because I always think to myself maybe he has had something bad happen to him that day or maybe she isn't feeling well, etc. I know we shouldn't tip for so-so service, but we will. Now if it is bad service, no way. 8-)

 

For our room stewards we always try to tip at least $20.00 for each of them per week of the cruise. For instance on the Dawn cruise we just got off of we tipped them $40.00 each because it was a two week cruise, and to me they earned every penny of it.

 

Butlers and Concierges we tip based on length of cruise, how much we used their services and how they treated us. Generally we start at $10.00 for each of them per day of the cruise and then adjust up or down from there.

 

I have always thought we were generous tippers, but I guess being from Texas maybe we aren't. Guess I should hang out with some of my NYC friends and watch what they do. :p

 

Terry, I think you are very generous. yes, people from NY and NE are going to be bigger tippers, but you sound like you are in the ballpark or a little above. I know what you mean about tipping even if service is just so/so..We didn't tip our cabin steward on the Spirit and I talked to the housekeeping or hotel manager about our service. I know they were over worked and had too many cabins, but our service was really below par...that was 14 months ago and I still think about it and feel really bad...

 

Nita

[boaterette]

Since good service is what the cruise line offers I don't tip anything above the recommended amount. If they go above what is called for than we willl tip an extra twenty or so. I have even reduced tips when our cabin stewart wouldn't bring us towels or washclothes or make up our room even after complaining to housekeeping.

[Sally Forth]

Boy..do I feel cheap now. But, for me, $1 per round to the waiter who brings each round of drinks to my wife and myself. $5 for an evening meal in the MDR, $2 or $3 for any sit down breakfast or lunch where ever. $20 for each of the room attendants on the last night of the cruise. I haven't ever used room service, but would tip $2 if I did.

 

Your tips are more of what my normal would be-- maybe even higher than I tip. The ones I quoted were the exception. The $100 was on my 50th birthday and we were pretty rowdy.

 

Viv

[newmexicoNita]

Your tips are more of what my normal would be-- maybe even higher than I tip. The ones I quoted were the exception. The $100 was on my 50th birthday and we were pretty rowdy.

 

Viv

 

Sally, I agree, this doesn't seem cheap at all. We usually tip $1.00 for room service if it is just morning coffee or juice, a little more if we order more, but we rarely use room service. I know many who do not tip extra at all!!!

 

Nita

[alwayssingin]

In the past we have tipped or room stewards $20 the first morning after they have met our two requests:

 

1. Empty out the mini fridge

2. Make our bed up so that we each have separate duvets

(just like home! ;))

 

At the end of the cruise we gave them each an additional large tip.

 

However, we did not do this on our Dawn cruise last month. Our main steward did not want to remove the items from the mini fridge out of the cabin, and stacked them on another shelf. After changing out our large duvet for two separate ones he left extra individual sheets thrown over our couch all week, even though we told him we did not need them. There were other minor things, and one of our stewards found it hard to mumble out a hello whenever we saw him.

 

Each cruise is different, so we always go prepared.

[leigh2205]

We usually tip our stewards an extra $20 sometimes more depending on our cabin and if our son is traveling with us. I do usually have a few small requests like emptying my fridge, ice bucket kept full and milk rather then creamers for my coffee. Never had any issues, well except on the Sky they just couldnt remember to put ice in the ice bucket.

 

Restaurants it depends we have had outstanding service that went above and beyond and my husband slipped the waiter $20. But I must say he was outstanding and went above and beyond the call of duty. My son was 7 and was having one of his moments at dinner and wasnt eating anything I dont know how or why but he went down to La Cucina and got him a pepperoni pizza with his name on it in pepperoni. Well thats his favorite and we didnt tell him either. Need less to say my son ate it all, and allowed us to enjoy our dinner

 

Just wondering which date you are going on the Dawn next year? We're going on Jan 18!

Penny

[Mjasp]

Tipping is really a personal thing, as far as I am concerned... and it also depends on how much a person can afford to tip...

Someone who makes big bucks from the northeast can afford to tip much more than a poor southern boy like me...

So with that in mind, I usually leave the room stewards at least $20 each because as in our case on our last cruise on the Dawn, we had some exceptional room stewards... I wish I could have left them much more but I did have a budget to live with...

I tipped the conceirge $25 for some things he did for us as well as $20 to a butler we had on a previous cruise... although we were not staying in a suite, our former butler did several things for us...

I also tipped each of the waiters in Cagney's (we ate there breakfast and lunch) twenty bucks each for their superb service.... and when I ate in a speciality restaurant I also left a tip for the servers... By the way, there were ten servers in Cagney's so that was an extra $200...

We only ate in the main dining rooms twice and I did leave a tip for those servers too....

although I can't remember how much....

We had excellent service everywhere we went....

 

You're not a poor southern boy, you vacation don't you? We make more but the cost of living is higher, it's all relative.

[mostro622]

I ‘m also part of the March NCL cruise.

So making a funny math for our cruise, it will be $12 x 12(days) x 2(person) = $288, plus what you quote in quote. Do you know if I can exclude myself from the service charge, meaning Tip on my own

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

I ‘m also part of the March NCL cruise.

So making a funny math for our cruise, it will be $12 x 12(days) x 2(person) = $288, plus what you quote in quote. Do you know if I can exclude myself from the service charge, meaning Tip on my own

 

NCL doesn't make it easy to exclude yourself and most of the responses you receive here are going to be DON'T DO IT. IMHO the DSC is very strongly supported by most cruisers on this board (there are tons of threads regarding this subject) because we have all experienced excellent service on our past cruises. Also, with Freestyle dining, transitioning to a DSC that is shared with all staff, makes it more equitable. It would be great if you could just consider it part of your cruise cost, budget for it and then put tipping out of your mind - unless, of course, you want to add an additional tip for outstanding service.

[MrLee]

Duplicate

[MrLee]

The Board has gone crazy

[MrLee]

I ‘m also part of the March NCL cruise.

So making a funny math for our cruise, it will be $12 x 12(days) x 2(person) = $288, plus what you quote in quote. Do you know if I can exclude myself from the service charge, meaning Tip on my own

 

You haven't even sailed yet and you want to take away money from the people who are going to be taking care of you???

 

WOW:eek::eek::eek::(

[Number34]

Coming from the UK I find the numerous discussions on tipping both informative and fascinating as the tipping culture here is very different, eg we don't generally tip in bars and tend to leave 10/15% in restaurants. (We probaly don't get that good service as a result!)

 

I am booked on a 12 day cruise later in the year and have already prepaid the $12 a day DSC, so that is $288. I have treated this as a part of the holiday expenses and have no intention of reducing this. As to the other tips I assumed that the 15% added to bar bills would be sufficient although I like the idea of tipping a particularly helpful member of staff extra at the end of the cruise. I had not thought of giving extra to the room stewards but again the idea of $20+ at the end of the cruise sounds reasonable if the service has been more personal. I also hadn't thought about tipping the waiters in the dining rooms but will keep this in mind although I had figured in tipping for room service, presumably $1 or $2 for a small order and more for larger ones. Looks like I will have to get a few hundred $ in small bills when I get my euros. krona and roubles!

 

I will just factor in these costs as part of the holiday, thanks to CC I won't be surprised and it will not spoil my enjoyment. (Now I have to try and work out what 'nickle & diming means!)

[roger001]

[quote name='Number34']Coming from the UK I find the numerous discussions on tipping both informative and fascinating as the tipping culture here is very different, eg we don't generally tip in bars and tend to leave 10/15% in restaurants. (We probaly don't get that good service as a result!)

I am booked on a 12 day cruise later in the year and have already prepaid the $12 a day DSC, so that is $288. I have treated this as a part of the holiday expenses and have no intention of reducing this. As to the other tips I assumed that the 15% added to bar bills would be sufficient although I like the idea of tipping a particularly helpful member of staff extra at the end of the cruise. I had not thought of giving extra to the room stewards but again the idea of $20+ at the end of the cruise sounds reasonable if the service has been more personal. I also hadn't thought about tipping the waiters in the dining rooms but will keep this in mind although I had figured in tipping for room service, presumably $1 or $2 for a small order and more for larger ones. Looks like I will have to get a few hundred $ in small bills when I get my euros. krona and roubles!

I will just factor in these costs as part of the holiday, thanks to CC I won't be surprised and it will not spoil my enjoyment. (Now I have to try and work out what 'nickle & diming means!)[/quote]

And I might add, although I have already expressed my thoughts on my tipping in one of the previous posts, I have never ever seen an NCL employee act at all like they were working for an extra tip or expecting one. So the extra tipping question is strictly a personal choice, no pressure to either do or don't. Whether you do or don't, I don't think you'll see any difference in the service, anymore than you do anyhow from employee to employee (I've never seen one less than good, but many very good or wonderful). I even had a server in the MDR for dinner, when I got up and put a $5 on the table (she had been a super sweet heart), she said "no, I can't take that". She felt that all of her genuine interaction with us, talking about her home life in the P.I., taking our picture, was now an assumption by us that we had to pay for it and not just genuine friendliness on her part. My wife hugged her and insisted she take the $5. Our 2 room stewards on the last morning, after we had left $20 each the night before, went out of their way to track us down before we left the ship to thank us. I will say, they were both great (Keith and Sharon, on the Star). Anyhow, just a little personal background on it.

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='Number34']Coming from the UK I find the numerous discussions on tipping both informative and fascinating as the tipping culture here is very different, eg we don't generally tip in bars and tend to leave 10/15% in restaurants. (We probaly don't get that good service as a result!)

I am booked on a 12 day cruise later in the year and have already prepaid the $12 a day DSC, so that is $288. I have treated this as a part of the holiday expenses and have no intention of reducing this. As to the other tips I assumed that the 15% added to bar bills would be sufficient although I like the idea of tipping a particularly helpful member of staff extra at the end of the cruise. I had not thought of giving extra to the room stewards but again the idea of $20+ at the end of the cruise sounds reasonable if the service has been more personal. I also hadn't thought about tipping the waiters in the dining rooms but will keep this in mind although I had figured in tipping for room service, presumably $1 or $2 for a small order and more for larger ones. Looks like I will have to get a few hundred $ in small bills when I get my euros. krona and roubles!

I will just factor in these costs as part of the holiday, thanks to CC I won't be surprised and it will not spoil my enjoyment. (Now I have to try and work out what 'nickle & diming means!)[/QUOTE]

you really won't need a lot of singles. Yes, you will want to tip for room service, but you may not use it much; at for the dining room, I think this may not have been made to clear, the extra tips some of us choose to give are for dining in the specialty dining rooms, not all dining rooms and all meals. That is what the $12 a day is supposed to cover.

Nickel and diming, that is the expression used to discribe all the little things with extra charges like, spa treatments, pictures, specialty drinks with sourvenir glasses, wine tasting and Martini tasting clinics, Bingo and casino games, etc. There is no reason for anyone to have to pay for anything he/she doesn't choose to other than the $12 a day tips which you way are pre-paid.. What we all spend is up to us..Example, I do love the slots so no matter how hard I try to stay away from them, I always spend some time in the casino. I allot for this in our budget, the same with specialty dining rooms. We do choose to break up the dining between main dining and a few specialy ones, but we never or rarely use the spa, we don't get pictures and we spend very little in the gift shops.

Hope this helps you some, enjoy your cruise...

Nita

[mostro622]

This is not taking myself out of tipping, in the past I also work for tips (so I know the feeling) is just the imposition!
Don't you think If could be more than the service charge...

[Mjasp]

[quote name='roger001']And I might add, although I have already expressed my thoughts on my tipping in one of the previous posts, I have never ever seen an NCL employee act at all like they were working for an extra tip or expecting one. So the extra tipping question is strictly a personal choice, no pressure to either do or don't. Whether you do or don't, I don't think you'll see any difference in the service, anymore than you do anyhow from employee to employee (I've never seen one less than good, but many very good or wonderful). I even had a server in the MDR for dinner, when I got up and put a $5 on the table (she had been a super sweet heart), she said "no, I can't take that". She felt that all of her genuine interaction with us, talking about her home life in the P.I., taking our picture, was now an assumption by us that we had to pay for it and not just genuine friendliness on her part. My wife hugged her and insisted she take the $5. Our 2 room stewards on the last morning, after we had left $20 each the night before, went out of their way to track us down before we left the ship to thank us. I will say, they were both great (Keith and Sharon, on the Star). Anyhow, just a little personal background on it.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I don't think they give good service to get an extra tip. I personally don't tip because I expect better service, because they don't know if you are going to tip or not, I tip because they work so hard for their money and if they give good service they deserve a little more IMO anyway, I feel I pay so much for a cruise that another $100 or two thrown into the mix, you won't even feel it, especially when you get that onboard bill YIKES LOL