How much to leave as extra gratuities?

[FelexRabbit]

Hi, I have a question regarding how much is considered 'usual' to leave as extra tips to reward good service?

 

Husband and I are going on a Celebrity cruise in December and, being from the UK, want to make sure that we take enough cash to cover any extra tips that will be necessary. It may sound like a silly question but we don't tip in quite the same way in the UK and so would like to know what people think are decent tips to leave for any crew who we think have provided great service?

 

Thanks!

[cb at sea]

First, make sure you get extra good service...then tip what you feel that's worth to you. Typically, the standard included tips are sufficient. If you feel the need to do more, $10-20 is fine.

[Orator]

Hi, I have a question regarding how much is considered 'usual' to leave as extra tips to reward good service?

 

Husband and I are going on a Celebrity cruise in December and, being from the UK, want to make sure that we take enough cash to cover any extra tips that will be necessary. It may sound like a silly question but we don't tip in quite the same way in the UK and so would like to know what people think are decent tips to leave for any crew who we think have provided great service?

 

Thanks!

 

Your question is really impossible to answer. Many people will argue that the "suggested" gratuity is sufficient. Some will tell you that they always give an extra amount for excellent service. The bottom line is that it's really up to you. "Extra" is extra and I'm sure it will be appreciated. The staff appreciate a positive comment on an "Attention to Detail" card even more than cash. It might help them to gain some extra benefits and/or promotion. You can ask for the cards at Guest Relations or get them from your cabin steward.

[lucinjo]

Some people never leave extra, others always do. We fall into the middle. We tip extra based on "special" service. The guy in the Cova Cafe who by the second day knew how we like our latte and would often save lemon tarts for us in the afternoon! Our sommelier who found us fabulous bottles of wines not on the regular list. The assistant Maitre'D who upon my bemoaning the lack of shellfish on the menu one night, thereafter provided our table with a special dish of shellfish every night at dinner in the MDR. The cabin steward who replenished my ice not twice but three times a day. These are the people I give extra tips to.

[FLACRUISER99]

I would say that you will want to leave that extra tip when the time comes.

[KeywestK]

I can't remember ever not having excellent service on any of the RCI cruises we've taken, and we always give an additional $20 cash tip to our waiter and cabin steward, and an additional $10 to the assistant waiter. On our upcoming 2 cruises, we will also be enjoying complimentary beverages at the nightly Diamond/Elite event. If there is a particular server there who takes care of us during the course of the cruise, that person will get a tip at the end of the cruise too.

 

On the one Carnival cruise we took, I did give the cabin steward an additional tip, but not the dining room staff. I would have preferred to cancel the pre-paid tips I already committed to!

[Phxazzcruisers]

That is a great questions, especially as tipping is not the same in all parts of the world. All answers above are excellent. You are charged a daily rate for a tip that is given to the various people who serve you on board. If you order drinks or a bottle of wine, an additiona 15% tip is autpmatically added to the bill. That being said, we have always recieved exceptional service on our cruises. We always take a few 'thank you' notes and if the crew goes above and beyond, depending on the length of the cruise, we usually give them something extra. It usually falls in the range of $10- $20. As one poster aboe said, we also mention them explicitly by name on our comment card. Thay goes a long way for them in gaining promotions and raises.

Enjoy your cruise

[jacketwatch]

I usually leave extra money as well being sure to mention that we have auto tipped but would like to give something extra for good service which we usually receive. I don't remember the exact amt. but in was in the neighborhood of $30.00 to each of the cabin stewards and the head waiter, around the same to the maitre'd, and around $20.00 to the asst. waiter. One yr. the maitre'd was actually pretty lazy lets put it that way and we had an issue which he said could not be solved so we spoke to the restaurant manager who solved it in a jiffy. He got the maitre'd's tip. ;)

[cruzsnooze]

Hi, I have a question regarding how much is considered 'usual' to leave as extra tips to reward good service?

 

Husband and I are going on a Celebrity cruise in December and, being from the UK, want to make sure that we take enough cash to cover any extra tips that will be necessary. It may sound like a silly question but we don't tip in quite the same way in the UK and so would like to know what people think are decent tips to leave for any crew who we think have provided great service?

 

Thanks!

Celebrity has already figured that all out for you so just leave the suggested amount and everyone gets paid. Great service is the norm not the exception.

[Orator]

I usually leave extra money as well being sure to mention that we have auto tipped but would like to give something extra for good service which we usually receive.

 

You need not mention that you "auto tip". They already know it.

[kyriecat]

Normally I'll give an extra $10-$20, depending on whether I've asked for anything special. I've given more than that for particularly stellar service. By stellar service, I mean a steward who takes the initiative to make sure you have a wonderful cruise. In December, our cabin steward, Sonia, on Liberty of the Seas was fabulous!

 

Examples of Sonia's stellar service:

 

On the first day Sonia introduced herself (I've had some stewards who never did) and asked if there was anything special that we needed. The only thing at that time was extra towels since I like one for head and one for body. No problem! We got plenty of towels!

 

Also on the first day our bags had not arrived when we left for dinner. Sonia saw us in the hall and inquired about our day so far. I mentioned that luggage delivery was running very slow. Sonia offered to check on our bags and when we returned from dinner, they were waiting in our cabin.

 

On the second day, we again saw Sonia in the hall. She asked whether we slept well. I indicated that the bed was a little harder than I like (I'm used to a pillow top mattress). She asked if we wanted her to bring an egg-crate topper for the bed. That helped.

 

Sonia noticed on the second day that our ice bucket was emptied each time. I love ice in my drinks and will use all of it. She started leaving two ice buckets for me without being asked.

 

On the last full day of the cruise, we got our disembarkation tags. Sonia asked if we had noticed that we were in the last group to get off the ship. I hadn't paid attention to our group and hadn't realized we were last. We had an 11 AM flight to catch so that didn't work for us. Sonia said she would take care of it and got us switched to an earlier group.

[cruisestitch]

ALMOST as important as extra cash are compliments which get to the ear of their supervisor. There are several ways to accomplish this --

 

1. as you leave the dining room, stop at the Maitre'D desk and give a word of praise when your waiter or assistant waiter have gone above and beyond

 

2. fill out an "Attention to Detail" card -- these are available at the Guest Relations Desk. Give the employee's name and what they have done to make your trip special

 

3. name them on the End of the Cruise Comment Card

 

 

These kinds of things go toward getting that person extra time off, or other job perks. If tipping in cash is something that you are not comfortable with, there are other ways to give big "THANK YOU's" to those on board.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We normally don't tip the dining staff any extra, just what's included in the daily service charge. (We normally do Select dining) We did tip each of our waiters and head waiter $10 extra each when we took 7 grandkids on a cruise because they were all so amazing with the kids.

 

I usually, unless service was really bad, and it never has been, leave from $20-40 extra for our room steward, depending on level of service and length of cruise.

 

I always recognize those who were great with the feedback cards at the end of the cruise.

[jacketwatch]

I usually leave extra money as well being sure to mention that we have auto tipped but would like to give something extra for good service which we usually receive.

 

You need not mention that you "auto tip". They already know it.

How do they know?

[cruisestitch]

Your room stewards and your table servers (traditional dining) receive a list of those who have kept the auto-tips in place, or who pre-paid their gratuities with their cruise fare.

[jacketwatch]

Your room stewards and your table servers (traditional dining) receive a list of those who have kept the auto-tips in place, or who pre-paid their gratuities with their cruise fare.

Thank you.

[FelexRabbit]

Thanks everyone! We will take a bit of extra cash in case of any crew who go above and beyond and I'll stop worrying about it! Had seen articles where it was suggested that you take cash out with you and tip the staff who serve you (bar and restaurant) every evening, which seemed to go against the point of having an onboard account and being cashless!

 

Thanks again.

[Tucker in Texas]

Every day I will leave a dollar or two for my room steward along with a piece of snack candy and a note thanking him/her for something--anything. It could be something as simple as keeping the cabin neat and clean or the cute towel animal to acknowledgment of a special request like keeping my canvas six-pack tote full of ice every day or getting me an egg crate mattress cover.

 

I always get thanked graciously for the chocolate, only once was the extra money acknowledged (lol). A couple of times the steward(ess) has written a thank you note.

 

I have found that amenities reserved for suites have made their way into the cabin. I would thank them in the note the next day and put them away in case the head housekeeper wandered in for inspection and saw these things I wasn't suppose to have. Often the next night, there would be more of them! The local battered women's shelter loves me.

 

Another "bonus" I have gotten is mentioning in one of the first notes how I appreciate my cabin being made up in the morning while at breakfast and in the evening during my dinner time if it has been. If not, I suggest that I will be gone between the hours of 8-10 a.m. and 7-9 p.m. and would really appreciate the cabin be serviced during that time. I always put out the "make room up" thingee in addition.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Orator]

How do they know?

 

They receive a list.

[dzcruisers]

We usually tip a dollar or two or three for room service. I think most do.

[miched]

I usually don't have a "set" amount. When the time comes you just tip what makes you feel good, and can afford. There is no reason to try to keep up with or do what you think others do. Base it on what it is worth to you.

 

It is hard to explain but I think you will understand during the cruise what I am trying to tell you.

 

 

.

[odisalbert]

Should the butler be tipped each time he brings specialty coffee or just addional at the end of the cruise?

[Tucker in Texas]

Should the butler be tipped each time he brings specialty coffee or just addional at the end of the cruise?

 

Additional at the end of the cruise. I can't remember but I think you can go down to the front desk and have a tip added for him if you want to put it on your S&S card rather than have it in cash. We've always done it in cash; the amount determined by how much he/she has done for us.

 

Tucker in Texas

[eandj]

We always make a point to tell the maitr d or head supervisory waiter in our area how pleased we our with our table service. (only once were we not thrilled) Our waiter and his/her ass't have come by to thank us for the rec to their boss. They are as happy for that as they are for any tip, as promotions and the offer for a new contract are based on their success.

[Shining Clem]

Based upon some suggestions on the Oceania Bd we took some $2. bills with us - yes they are still out there, and were available from our local credit union - on our latest cruise with them. We wanted to order room service several mornings ASAP due to early excursion departures. The waiter who delivered things on time was most pleased to get one. The next morning, breakfast not only came in extra quick fashion, but was accompanied by extra cloth napkins. The next time we ordered an early breakfast, he was so eager to deliver it, he forgot the coffee pot wasn't filled! LOL! He was so flustered and apologetic when he brought the coffee upon request.

 

So that little extra incentive in the AM really had some motivated! We have always given extra to the room steward. And on our first Celebrity cruise the maitre'd took seriously a concern about a disagreeable incident we had witnessed between 2 waiters (which barely avoided passengers being showered with shattered wine glasses) the first night and for the rest of the voyage she took good care of us, so we gave her an extra tip.

 

We really like the pre-paid tips, because there are undoubtedly people behind the scenes which are responsible for our safety and well being, and there is no way we could know who all these people are. Plus, how do you tip the multitudes serving you in the buffets, grills?

 

We have been careful to mention people specifically in evaluations, from the Capt who gave an unscheduled bonus trip to a fjord, to the nice pressing job on a blazer to the Eggs Benedict maker in the cafe.

 

We have also mentioned dissatisfaction with one service on a ship that was the policy of the line, not blaming the person who was left on the front lines to deal with many people's unhappiness.