Tell me, how much do you tip?

[Gonzo70]

IWhen those working guys negotiate a new contract Im sure the tips are mentioned and some how a tool for mngmnt.

 

Since they are making $40 to $90 an hour now (at Port of Miami) I'd hate to think what management might deem fair if they were not already factoring in tips! The longshoremen are fully salaried and not expected by their employer to have their salaries subsidized by tipping. if you want to tip them fine, but it is like tipping your dentist or the captain of the ship.

[Gonzo70]

I really enjoyed reading this thread, but I'm curious - I noticed a lot of folks seemed to indicate they would tip extra when they got "extraordinary" or "exemplary" service. (Waterbug123 gave a great example.) But for those in other roles or areas, what kinds of service or tasks would you consider "extraordinary?" What specifically moved you to tip additionally?

 

That's a good question. On my last cruise (it was on Celebrity) my room steward was the best I have had yet - and I gave her my largest tip yet as well as wrote very good comments about her on the comment card. Here are some of the things she did that I felt qualified as "exemplary":

 

*One perk for our stateroom category was a bottle of sparkling wine waiting in our room upon arriving. At sail-a-way my wife and I consumed about 2/3rds of the bottle and left it on the balcony when we went to dinner. When we returned from dinner, our steward had taken the 2/3 empty bottle and put a new unopened bottle on ice for us!

 

*Another perk was bottled water for our stateroom. Whenever she saw us in the hallway leaving the ship for port, she would run and grab us a couple of extra bottles to bring ashore with us as well as see if we needed extra beach towels.

 

*One evening we were having another couple to our room for wine before dinner. We were panning on having a bottle of red, but the wine turned out to be bad, and we only had a bottle of champagne (that we had not been chilling) as the only other option. We went to the hallway and foud our steward and asked if she would be able to quickly get us some ice to cool down the champagne. When she came in we thanked her and told her we had another couple coming and had planned on using the red wine, but it was bad. When we mentioned another couple coming, she autmoatically started tidying up our room for us such as taking out our trash.

 

*My wife brought some birthday decorations on board (my birthday was in the middle of the cruise) and asked the steward if she would hang them up for her (without telling me) while we were at dinner the night of my birthday and she came through with this.

 

While someone would not have to do all this to earn an extra tip from me, this steward truly stuck out as going way above and beyond and as such we happily tipped her more than any prior steward.

[LJLB6]

Gonzo70, on our very first cruise, we did not know that the porters at the terminal expect a tip for taking your luggage. When we arrived by taxi, the porter took our bags and the porter then actually held his hand out----you are not going to believe how stupid I was back then, but I thought he wanted to shake my hand to wish us a good cruise--so I shook his hand. And then my son, who was young at the time, extended his hand because he wanted a handshake too (we still laugh about it). The porter had absolutely no problem letting me know that he expected monetary compensation to ensure the safety of our luggage. That really worried me thinking that this big strapping guy had the potential to ruin our cruise vacation. So we tipped him . . . and have tipped ever since.

 

I would love to know if someone ever was in the position where they were asked to give a tip and refused---and something did actually happen to their luggage or the contents of their luggage. I have heard of luggage accidentally going overboard during the transfer process, but I assume that this was not an act of vengeance.

[lovemylab]

porters - $1 per bag

 

bar staff - usually the 15% that is included however we will give an extra $1 from time to time.

 

Chops/Portofino - an extra $5 each

 

Taxi drivers - usually an extra $1 or $2. However, in St. Thomas I didn't tip at all. We told the cab driver we wanted to catch the 9am ferry at Red Hook (and allowed plenty of time for this) however he felt it was more important to fill his taxi while assuring us we had "lots of time" - as a result we missed the ferry and had to wait an hour. So no tip for him.

 

Excursions - depends on the length,the guide and how much value we felt we got for our money. In Aruba we booked a 3.5 hour jeep tour - the tour ended up being close to 5 hours as our guide showed us a few extra places (he checked with everyone first before extending it) so we tipped extra. Generally we budget an extra $5 per person but it could be more or less.

 

Room service - an extra $1 or $2

 

We also prepay the onboard gratuities.

[Jolimont]

I really enjoyed reading this thread, but I'm curious - I noticed a lot of folks seemed to indicate they would tip extra when they got "extraordinary" or "exemplary" service. (Waterbug123 gave a great example.) But for those in other roles or areas, what kinds of service or tasks would you consider "extraordinary?" What specifically moved you to tip additionally? Was it just a friendly face? Or the fact that you became familiar with these folks over a few days? Or was there other, more significant, tasks they did for you?

Just curious where "groupthink" line is for "Extraordinary" :)

 

I remember tipping a guide really well once ($50 for 3 of us) because she was really good. She made us laugh, she made us think, she told us lots of interesting stories, she got to know the kids in the group and interacted with them particularly well, she really made me feel like I had gotten to know the place and would have liked to stay longer.

 

We've also had guides that talked to us in a monotone voice, made no attempt at dialog, just gave us the memorized speech, and didn't connect with anybody in the group. My husband will give them $5 no matter what cause he's a nice guy, but really those are the ones where I resent having paid for their services at all.

 

Generally on a ship I enjoy service where the staff smiles, talks to me, responds to my need fairly quickly, explains if something is impossible. We always pre-pay the tips because we think that's the minimum we should do.

 

I had a steward once who told me there were no more extra pillows to be had (this was on the 3rd day of a 12 day cruise) that I should have asked sooner. But he said he'd keep an eye out for me and he did come up with one small pillow on the 5th night. I wasn't impressed with the pillow per se, but I gave him $20 extra because he remembered my request. I like people who try. So I guess someone with the right attitude gets more from me, but they get the minimum even if I didn't like their attitude because most of those service jobs are just hard work.

[bluegirlum]

I think tipping is a really personal thing, and there's no right or wrong.

 

We usually tip extra on drinks and at Portofino. I've heard varying stories on the porters at the ports and how much they make; we always tip $5 per bag, which is what we used to do at the airport.

[Mark_K]

4. Wine service--this was a subject of debate. We bought the 5 bottle wine package which included a 15% gratuity--total for package was $155. When they bring you your wine bottle at dinner, you have to sign for it, and there is an extra line for an additional tip. I wanted to tip an additional $2 for the head waiter or waiter to open the bottle and pour the wine but husband thought this was excessive on top of the 15%--plus you tip these people at the end anyway (it would have been an additional $10 tip for 5 bottles of wine bringing the 5 bottle package to $170).

I've gotten the Wine & Dine several times and never had to sign anything at the table for each bottle.

[Paul65]

I think tipping is a really personal thing, and there's no right or wrong.

 

We usually tip extra on drinks and at Portofino. I've heard varying stories on the porters at the ports and how much they make; we always tip $5 per bag, which is what we used to do at the airport.

 

Cool! $5 per bag. I wish someone would pay me a good salary plus an extra $5 for each 30 seconds or so of actual work that I do.

[bluegirlum]

Cool! $5 per bag. I wish someone would pay me a good salary plus an extra $5 for each 30 seconds or so of actual work that I do.

 

Then maybe you should become a porter and spend less time on here! ;)

[Paul65]

Then maybe you should become a porter and spend less time on here! ;)

 

Maybe so. What's the nearest port to where you live, and are there a lot of other people there with more money than they know what to do with?

[Havingfun2010]

Most of the items you mentioned seemed way too much. For example, a bartender, doing 20 drinks an hour, which includes popping open a beer, will make over $20.00 an hour at the prices the cruise line charges. Mose excursions, if you want to give a few dollars, that would be fine, but most of them are not supposed to ask for tips, and they are not paid by tips. Taxis are already overpriced and most of them probably doubled or tripled the price for you already. Not say most are dishonest, but you have a huge price fluctuation in ports. Where does that extra money go? Porters shoud be $1.00 per bag, since all they do, is put it on a cart and most likely make more money than you before tips.

 

However, some people do deserve extra tips, such as your waiter. They really work hard. If your room steward takes care of the "extras" you ask for, than send some more their way. They are serving you daily, and are really the first line of making you happy.

 

If you tip you head waiter $3.50 per day, basically for 3 meals, than why would you tip room service $5.00?

[bluegirlum]

Maybe so. What's the nearest port to where you live, and are there a lot of other people there with more money than they know what to do with?

 

There is a lovely ferry that goes from Milwaukee to Michigan during the summer. That's the closest one that I know of.

 

I can't really speak for anyone else and their money. I just believe in karma.

[Sarae]

Since they are making $40 to $90 an hour now (at Port of Miami) I'd hate to think what management might deem fair if they were not already factoring in tips! The longshoremen are fully salaried and not expected by their employer to have their salaries subsidized by tipping. if you want to tip them fine, but it is like tipping your dentist or the captain of the ship.

 

 

I hate that the longshoremen want tips. I was ther with a friend, I took teh 4 bags and her scooter out of the back of the vehicle by myself, the longshoreman then stated I will put the bags on the cart - that will be $10 - or the bags will will lost:mad:. Needless to say - I walked all the bags on myself.

I know they get paid $$$ more an hour than I do.

[melbur]

Our tipping is pretty close to yours except that we don't tip on the wine package (but usually tip our waiter/assistant waiter and extra $10-$20 at the end of the cruise, depending on the service), bar drinks (unless we have a great waiter), or the specialty restaurants (so far we haven't had such exceptional service to warrant it). We do usually tip our room steward extra as well (we don't ask for much to be done, so again $10-$20).

 

Part of the reason, I think, is that we are Canadian and 15% is about a standard tip. I know Americans tip more (closer to 20%). Having lived in the States, I have become accustomed to tipping between 18-20% for everything.

 

Cheers,

 

Wouldn't agree with that, 17-20% is what I think is the norm, in North America. I've never seen any difference between US/Cda in our travels.

[steveru621]

Baggage handlers -- $1/bag

Head waiter -- Only minimum

Waiter -- minimum +$10-$20

Asst waiter -- minimum +1/2 of waiter

Cabin-- minimum +$10-$20

Bar Servers -- minimum, if you find a good one $1/drink

[sam71286]

I'm going on my first cruise in may and have signed up for the "my time dining" which makes you prepay your gratuities. What all does this include? Does that cover the "minimum" tips meaning I should only tip more than that if I find the service to be exceptional?

[LJLB6]

The prepaid gratuities are for the recommended minimum for your waiter, assistant waiter, cabin steward and head waiter. You will receive a voucher on the last night that you can put in your tip envelope and then give to the appropriate people. If you want to add extra money in the envelope, it is at your discretion.

[Paul65]

There is a lovely ferry that goes from Milwaukee to Michigan during the summer. That's the closest one that I know of.

 

I can't really speak for anyone else and their money. I just believe in karma.

 

Cool. How much karma do you get for giving away money to people who don't need it and don't do much to earn it (other than their jobs for which they're already well paid)?

[Jasperdo]

There has been some discussion about whether or not to tip the porters at the pier. I usually cruise out of San Pedro, and always tip $5.00 to handle my bags.

 

While I haven't found anything directly on the Royal Caribbean web site about this, I have found the following on both Princess and Carnival.

 

The Princess FAQ states:

"Curbside porters are available at the pier to take baggage to the vessel for delivery by shipboard personnel to your stateroom. It is customary to tip the porter for this service."

 

The Carnival FAQ states:

"The porters will ensure your luggage is taken on board so that shipboard staff may deliver it to your stateroom. The customary tip for porter service is $1.00 per bag."

 

So, according to most cruise ship guidelines, it is customary to tip the porters.

[Gonzo70]

The Princess FAQ states:

"Curbside porters are available at the pier to take baggage to the vessel for delivery by shipboard personnel to your stateroom. It is customary to tip the porter for this service."

 

The Carnival FAQ states:

"The porters will ensure your luggage is taken on board so that shipboard staff may deliver it to your stateroom. The customary tip for porter service is $1.00 per bag."

 

So, according to most cruise ship guidelines, it is customary to tip the porters.

 

These FAQ's are inaccurate. Many people (including the people who worte these FAQs) mistakenly view the "porters" at cruise terminals as being like skycaps at airports or bellhops at hotels (people who earn a small salary that is expected to be supplemented by tips). The "porters" at U.S. ports are unionized longshoremen earning very large salaries (often six figures). There are signs up at U.S. Ports advising that tipping is optional (in some ports) or that it is not permitted (in other ports). Holland America actully has it correct in their FAQ on this topic that they are salaried employees who do not need to be tipped. Also, anybody can verify that they are unionized lognshoremen by contacting the Port Authority. If anybody wants to tip them fine, but it is equivalent of tipping the Captain of the ship $2 per port.

[anastasia1]

I think tipping varies from country to country.

 

In the Uk it used to be 10% (sometimes 12.5 and the most ever added to a bill I have had was 15%)

 

But then we got the miniumim wage and also tips are taxed etc by some companies (legally required especially if paid by credit/debit card). Some places use the Tips to pay the wages I understand (legal caes about it all).

 

In Singapore no tips at all but hotels add 10% services to the bill overall.

 

 

A 'tip' is a payment that is freely given by the customer, normally in return for services. A compulsory service charge is not a tip because it is not freely given- Quote fron gvt website

 

A service charge is automatically added - it is non negotiable and does not need to go to the serving staff.

 

So do RC uses the word tip when they mean service charge????

[RetireeWannabee]

As far as I'm concerned, you are overtipping.

I think so, too.

[marci22]

There is definitely a sign in one Florida port stating that tipping is not permitted, but I can't remember which one. I noticed the sign after I had tipped the porter. btw I have always tipped the porters, regardless of salary, but I didn't like the times they put their hand out before service, and the times they told me to 'just leave the bags here' then walked away counting their money.

 

Seriously, there are multiple threads on whether or not the MDR waiter deserves his $3.50 a night but people are throwing $5/bag at porters who handle it for less than 1 minute. I don't get it.

[Paul65]

These FAQ's are inaccurate. ..... Holland America actully has it correct in their FAQ on this topic that they are salaried employees who do not need to be tipped.

 

That's interesting that HAL, Princess and Carnival (all part of Carnival Corp.) have different answers to the same question.

 

I think they may be all right, in a sense, though. It may be "customary" even though it is not necessary, and may even be prohibited at some ports.

[RetireeWannabee]

Maybe so. What's the nearest port to where you live, and are there a lot of other people there with more money than they know what to do with?

Paul, if you need an assistant, please let me know. You will certainly need periodic breaks to empty all that cash out of your pockets.