What have you used the concierge or butler service for?

[Love my butler]

NO!!!!! (Sorry, I didn't mean to yell:o). If they list a recommended amount we're all going to feel either 'superior' or 'inadequate' in our tipping. I prefer it just the way it is- no pressure. :cool:

 

Agreed! Just don't come on these boards and tell the truth, you will be crucified.

[dongordon]

Thank you....

 

I guess $10 / day for the Butler $5 for the concierge is a good place to start.

 

My DW will probably have breakfast each day in the suite, but I don't. I prefer the restaurants and being that we can have breakfast in Cagney's, that might change with her as well.

 

We will probably use the Concierge for reservations for specialty restaurants.

 

I agree, the cruiselines should provide some guidelines.

There used to be a suggested online gratuity chart for each cruise line that has that information.

Perhaps I saved it on my favorites. :)

 

Don

 

I could not find the suggested tip for the Butler on the "Tipping Calculator", but I did find this on Cruise Critic's "Insider on Tipping":

 

 

Butlers

For attentive service by butlers who have served as valets, brought trays of tea or hors d'oeuvres, and kept the liquor closet filled, I tip $5 a night at the end of the cruise.

 

I think I will use this as a start and go from there.

 

Don

[Fishbait17]

I could not find the suggested tip for the Butler on the "Tipping Calculator", but I did find this on Cruise Critic's "Insider on Tipping":

 

 

Butlers

For attentive service by butlers who have served as valets, brought trays of tea or hors d'oeuvres, and kept the liquor closet filled, I tip $5 a night at the end of the cruise.

 

I think I will use this as a start and go from there.

 

Don

 

The problems with this, or any other "general" tipping guideline are that: 1) Not all cruise lines offer the same butler services. I have been on Celebrity with butler service who did very little compared with NCL butlers. 2) Not all butlers are created equal. Almost all of my NCL butlers have been simply amazing, going far beyond the basics, with lots of little touches, nuances, and asking what more they can do for us. 3) Not all passengers are created alike. Maybe if I asked for nothing would this tip be appropriate (for me) for the very bare basics. Add in breakfast room service with tablecloth setup, etc (I value this at a $10-20 tip for two for each service), a bucket of beer delivered ($5), filling an extra ice bucket 3x daily ($5), contantly replacing the used (several times a day) bar glassware, etc, I find that it adds up.

 

My general rule of thumb is to start with $10 per person per day for the butler and $10 per cabin per day for the Concierge, subject to adjustment for added services. Of course, what is right for me has NOTHING to do with what is right for anyone else. Everyone needs to use their own judgement on this.. I only provide my numbers as someone who generally cruises only in suites when people ask.

 

Robin

Edited February 4, 2014 by Fishbait17

[RYMOMA]

7 am French press coffee

Way better than the machine!

[skyfire53]

On our 3rd cruise (we had only been in inside cabins) we booked a balcony for the first time....Just as we were leaving for the port, they called and asked us if we wanted to upsell to a suite...of course we said YES!! Well, that didn’t leave any time to research the tipping...We didn’t have a clue. We ended up giving each $100 and then the cabin steward $50...I think this time if the cabin steward is as good as the last one, he will get more than the concierge a little less....I didn’t even think of giving the hostess at Cagneys any, but thinking back we should have tipped her as well since she worked the MDR at night and all we had to do is tell during the day that we needed a table for 6 at whatever time and when we got there, she would take us to the front of the line and seat us right away....the main problem we had with the short notice we didn’t have as much cash as I would have liked, but we did give some. Our room steward found us sitting in one of the main public areas after we had given him his tip and he was all excited that he could buy one bottle of perfume for his wife and daughter to share for a Christmas gift...that broke my heart that he couldn’t get one for each. :(

[Grado]

We tipped the butler, steward and concierge at the end of the trip (NCL helpfully gives you envelopes on your second last day to facilitate this!).

 

We are both very independent and we didn't stick to any schedule or plan ahead during our cruise, so we found that we barely used the concierge at all - to the extent that he phoned us one day to ask if we were OK as he hadn't seen or heard from us! I asked him to make us a booking at Cagney's that night out of sympathy, but that was the only time we really interacted with him.

 

Our butler was great, and we were very happy with the service he provided, but again he felt the need to ask us after a few days if we were happy as we hadn't asked him for anything! We got room service breakfast one morning, and that was it.

 

Perhaps this is an underutilisation of their services, but that's our style of travel and, to be honest, we didn't feel we needed much additional to what was being provided automatically.

Since you didn't use them much but did tip them, what amount did you feel was fair? I can't imagine us needing either one if them at all. I never mind paying for services rendered but to tip someone for doing nothing is just being a bad steward of personal finances. How wrong am I in this thinking?

[rino002]

i have concierge service being a platinum member with ncl , im trying to figure out what I need him for... If im making a phone call to him for a dinner reservation, why dont i just call the restaurant myself and book it? Cut the middle man out lol Im still making a phone call? lol

[sjbdtz]

i have concierge service being a platinum member with ncl , im trying to figure out what I need him for... If im making a phone call to him for a dinner reservation, why dont i just call the restaurant myself and book it? Cut the middle man out lol Im still making a phone call? lol

 

That's easy. The restaurant tells YOU they're full.

 

They tell your concierge that they're full, but they'll figure something out.

 

 

Stephen

 

P.S. LOL though I'm not sure why.

 

.

[detroitlions]

The problems with this, or any other "general" tipping guideline are that: 1) Not all cruise lines offer the same butler services. I have been on Celebrity with butler service who did very little compared with NCL butlers. 2) Not all butlers are created equal. Almost all of my NCL butlers have been simply amazing, going far beyond the basics, with lots of little touches, nuances, and asking what more they can do for us. 3) Not all passengers are created alike. Maybe if I asked for nothing would this tip be appropriate (for me) for the very bare basics. Add in breakfast room service with tablecloth setup, etc (I value this at a $10-20 tip for two for each service), a bucket of beer delivered ($5), filling an extra ice bucket 3x daily ($5), contantly replacing the used (several times a day) bar glassware, etc, I find that it adds up.

 

My general rule of thumb is to start with $10 per person per day for the butler and $10 per cabin per day for the Concierge, subject to adjustment for added services. Of course, what is right for me has NOTHING to do with what is right for anyone else. Everyone needs to use their own judgement on this.. I only provide my numbers as someone who generally cruises only in suites when people ask.

 

Robin

Do you tip when they replace the toilet paper role. I guess this is the life style of the rich and famous or a bunch of Bull ****. I agree with tipping you make it like you tip 10 every time they do something. No wonder why every one wants to be the butler on the ship. AH ha ha

[detroitlions]

The problems with this, or any other "general" tipping guideline are that: 1) Not all cruise lines offer the same butler services. I have been on Celebrity with butler service who did very little compared with NCL butlers. 2) Not all butlers are created equal. Almost all of my NCL butlers have been simply amazing, going far beyond the basics, with lots of little touches, nuances, and asking what more they can do for us. 3) Not all passengers are created alike. Maybe if I asked for nothing would this tip be appropriate (for me) for the very bare basics. Add in breakfast room service with tablecloth setup, etc (I value this at a $10-20 tip for two for each service), a bucket of beer delivered ($5), filling an extra ice bucket 3x daily ($5), contantly replacing the used (several times a day) bar glassware, etc, I find that it adds up.

 

My general rule of thumb is to start with $10 per person per day for the butler and $10 per cabin per day for the Concierge, subject to adjustment for added services. Of course, what is right for me has NOTHING to do with what is right for anyone else. Everyone needs to use their own judgement on this.. I only provide my numbers as someone who generally cruises only in suites when people ask.

 

Robin

You should win a award with your signiture you wear it like a badge of honnor. Owners suit connected owner suite tooo much!

[DMH15]

You should win a award with your signiture you wear it like a badge of honnor. Owners suit connected owner suite tooo much!

Your last two posts were mean-spirited and sound like maybe you are a little envious. If you are not and you just don't care about these amenities why don't you just skip the thread or at least do not make snarky comments.

 

Those of us who travel in suites appreciate the tremendously kind and sharing information from Robin. Let's say we are going to be in one of those cabins on one of those ships we know by her signature that she has been in one and will give wonderful and accurate feedback.

 

BTW, not all people who cruise in suites are rich or snobs. I do and I am neither. We all have our own reasons. Likewise, not all people who cruise in insides are living paycheck to paycheck. Stereotyping is just not cool.

 

Happy cruising.

[ray8905]

I always tipped at the end of each meal

[detroitlions]

Your last two posts were mean-spirited and sound like maybe you are a little envious. If you are not and you just don't care about these amenities why don't you just skip the thread or at least do not make snarky comments.

 

Those of us who travel in suites appreciate the tremendously kind and sharing information from Robin. Let's say we are going to be in one of those cabins on one of those ships we know by her signature that she has been in one and will give wonderful and accurate feedback.

 

BTW, not all people who cruise in suites are rich or snobs. I do and I am neither. We all have our own reasons. Likewise, not all people who cruise in insides are living paycheck to paycheck. Stereotyping is just not cool.

 

Happy cruising.

Who ever that was? Was jumping all over the person who quoted tipping pricing with stage uping on the price what they spend so I think that is totaly lame and too a matter a fact for me as for you snarky that is uber lame for your etification.

[detroitlions]

Your last two posts were mean-spirited and sound like maybe you are a little envious. If you are not and you just don't care about these amenities why don't you just skip the thread or at least do not make snarky comments.

 

Those of us who travel in suites appreciate the tremendously kind and sharing information from Robin. Let's say we are going to be in one of those cabins on one of those ships we know by her signature that she has been in one and will give wonderful and accurate feedback.

 

BTW, not all people who cruise in suites are rich or snobs. I do and I am neither. We all have our own reasons. Likewise, not all people who cruise in insides are living paycheck to paycheck. Stereotyping is just not cool.

 

Happy cruising.

I am not stupid enuff to think that person is rich for your info. That is easy to figure out. With all your powers of deduction look at the cruise dates all off season but a couple in which those couple the stats were quite different. And why do you think I know this ????

[DMH15]

I do not understand what you are trying to say. Sorry.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rockdoctor]

That's what I thought before my first butler assisted cruise. They are wonderful. I laid the dirty clothes to be cleaned on a chair, went to breakfast. Next time I saw them they were laundered and sorted. The liquor bottles were switched out. He saw we were drinking a lot of water and we had a case in the refrigerator so we wouldn't run out. Wanted a tour of the kids areas for the grandchildren and it at was done deal. We had reservations for places on the ship that don't take reservations. The list goes on. I could get used to this.

[ray8905]

When your butler brings you dinner he usually gives the resteraunt staff a tip for quick good service, just like laundry he gives them a little something to get you your clothes quickly and done right and other people also. Thew concierge gives the maitre'd something to get you in and give you great service, same for the shows, so even though you think the butler and concierge are gettng alot from every suite they also give to various people to help get the job done. Concierge usually has an assistant who gets some of the tip. I feel people not familar with this info just thinks they are getting a done of money but my butler who became a friend(we email alot) explained this to me and it makes sense, every one has to give a little something to different people to get you the service you want. Enjoy your suite

Thanks for sharing. I didn't know they alo paid out but it does make sense. I love our butlers and they make our vacation great.

[ray8905]

No question too basic here...and you'll get a wide variety of answers on this one!

 

We do not generally tip in Cagney's, in any of the specialty restaurants, or in the regular restaurants and dining rooms. The staff in those areas are included in the daily tips pool, and since they rotate assignments all the time, it's difficult to get the kind of special relationship with one waiter or waitress that might cause us to want to tip extra.

 

That being said, if we did experience service above and beyond the norm in any of those places, we would tip for it.

 

The butler and concierge are a different story. We do leave a tip for each of those persons, at the end of the cruise on disembarkation. The amount depends on what service we've asked for and received, and the relationship we've developed with those people.

 

One of the most overlooked staff members, IMO, is your cabin steward. While they are included in the tips pool, they often do much more than either the butler or concierge to improve the quality of your experience on board. We will always tip our cabin steward at the end of the cruise, even if we're less impressed with the butler or concierge.

I agree about the cabin steward. Ours was great and developed a great relationship with our 3yr old twins. They absolutely loved him and for that i did give him an extra tip. He made thier vacation memorable and he deserved it

[Demonyte]

i have concierge service being a platinum member with ncl , im trying to figure out what I need him for...

 

 

Don't count on being able to use the concierge anyway, we've been Platinums since Feb 2013 and never have received concierge's contact info or even any mention about the perk in the Platinum envelope unless sailing in a suite.

[AlaskaAtLast]

Who ever that was? Was jumping all over the person who quoted tipping pricing with stage uping on the price what they spend so I think that is totaly lame and too a matter a fact for me as for you snarky that is uber lame for your etification.

 

I do not understand what you are trying to say. Sorry.

 

I thought it was just me. Was that even English?

 

detroitlions - if you're going to use big words to try to impress people, try to at least spell them correctly. The word you were trying for was edification.

[silverturtle]

Is this like someone going to a sit down restaurant with $20 and paying for a $20 meal and then saying they can't afford a tip when perhaps they should have gone to a restaurant with counter service?

 

A butler and concierge is part of the suite. I guess people stiff them... But to base tipping on what one can afford rather on services rendered makes me wonder if that person maybe can't afford a suite?

 

Sometimes people get upsells and don't even realize that the butler and concierge are not in the tip pools. Some of those folks learn of that fact here on CC, but I assume many who do not subscribe might not realize that, or might learn of that while on their cruise.

 

I wasn't aware of this either! We've only been on one cruise and it was a balcony, sure glad to know this though!!! I love all of the info on this board... for us newbie's this is great!!!!

[Jofishes]

not sure how my family would factor in all this and what we would ask of a butler either :confused:

 

we have cruised concierge in a suite with Disney Cruise Line (no butler) and that worked very well for us

 

on a bigger ship we would chose a suite for the additional room space, added privacy and access to a smaller more exclusive area and that quieter haven area for my older children who both have some additional needs

 

but personally for my liking with the exception of the stateroom host who is coming to clean the room and turn down at evening time i really would find it extremely intrusive if a crew member albeit my own named butler was popping into the room three or four times a day and i would most certainly not want that person sorting through my clothes, if i wanted them laundered i really would ask

 

yes i can understand that there would be coffee pods that needed to be replaced and barware cleaned but i would suspect that this is the role of the stateroom host and if it was not then i would ask for the butler to come just one time only each day, reading these posts it sounds like they just turn up when they please ! please tell me this is not so ?

 

for my family to have the most relaxed holiday the only time i would really expect to see a butler is if i asked for in suite dining or for him/ her to call anything else i would consider highly intrusive and i would not like that at all

Edited March 6, 2015 by Jofishes
spelling

[AEckhardt]

Jofishes,

 

Fear not! Lol! Your butler certainly won't be digging through your laundry, but if you ask him to take some things to be cleaned, he will do so. If you prefer they only come once a day to take deliver a snack, you can request that, as well. If you put up your Do Not Disturb sign, he will not bother you. They are happy to do as much or as little as you ask.

[detroitlions]

I do not understand what you are trying to say. Sorry.

 

I thought it was just me. Was that even English?

 

detroitlions - if you're going to use big words to try to impress people, try to at least spell them correctly. The word you were trying for was edification.

You as a English major need to be captian obvious and point out everyones spell errors. Sorry my spell check was not on my phone. Geeze. And by pointing that out I guess you are the one trying to impress? correct. Are you tipping an extra $500 a week like your buddy and bashing giving people a lesson on tipping. I am glad I am among experts in this matter what class did you go to I want to sign up. You cant use cyber metrics to figure out tipping and this whole if you dont tip like this you should not be in a suite thing is obsurd. 99% of cruiser are middle class dont kid your self in pretending your one of the 1%.

[graphicguy]

I think it depends on what they've done for you. For us, our concierge did more than our Butler. Our concierge went over and above getting us into restarants, shows, etc.

 

Our Butler did fine, but he "only" brought us snacks during the day. Aside from that, we didn't ask him for anything. We didn't eat in the room as we enjoyed eating in the Haven more.

 

So, I think I gave our Concierge $100 tip and our Butler $50. We tipped the bartender at the Haven bar for every drink, too.

Edited March 6, 2015 by graphicguy