Do you tip extra?

[cransplash]

We did My Time Dining, so all of our gratuities were already paid out.

 

a) If you did pay extra, how much do you normally tip?

1. Stateroom attendant?

2. Head waiter?

3. Main waiter?

4. Assistant waiter?

 

b) Do you pay nightly or at the very end in the provided envelope? (I'm assuming you hand the wait staff the envelope personally after the meal?)

 

c) Do you tip when you're at (let's say...) Park Cafe or Windjammer, and a wait staff asks and then brings you coffee/tea?

 

A newbie Cruiser here...

[smugdaisy]

Also a newbie cruiser. I had to do the prepaid tips so I called to ask who that included. I was told it included wait staff and stateroom attendant. So I'm not planning on tipping again. I don't see why I should tip twice:confused:

[KirkNC]

We do if we feel the service deserves it.

[bmac1]

Just did a 7 night Bahamas cruise on Enchantment and did the pre paid tips but since the service was excellent I gave the room steward an extra $20 the waiter an extra $20 and the assistant waiter an extra $10. I thought that was fair.

[UandMe4Ever]

We do if we feel the service deserves it.

 

 

Hi, We also enjoy MTD and tip extra if service warrants it. Most time it does! We find we get very good service w/ MTD as they use the most experienced wait staff due to the different serving times. They have to be able to move quickly and adjust. JMHO

 

Great sails always!:)

[leaveitallbehind]

We always tip the recommended amount and add more to our discretion based on service and idivnidual. This includes bar tips above the included 15%. No set guidelines for the additional amounts. We also make sure to tip the concierge in the DL and CL (if accessed) as they are not included in the base protocol.

[gerif]

Also a newbie cruiser. I had to do the prepaid tips so I called to ask who that included. I was told it included wait staff and stateroom attendant. So I'm not planning on tipping again. I don't see why I should tip twice:confused:

 

You would not be tipping twice. Think of the recommended amount as the bare minimum. If you feel you got service above the minimum (and there are times we don't), then that amount is sufficient. If you get what you feel is exceptional service, then you may wish to tip more. Like in a restaurant where if service is good instead of the minimal 15 percent, we will more often leave 20.

 

Don't forget that room service is not included in your prepaid tips.

[DonnaK]

Tipping extra is not expected nor is it necessary. There are very generous people on CC who like to give extra, and that's fine, but you shouldn't feel pressured to also tip extra unless you really want to.

 

We rarely tip the room attendant extra because we keep our room tidy and do not require service that's above and beyond their job. Once, on Allure, we had major issues with the air conditioning not working properly, and the attendant was on top of the situation and arranged for maintainence to tend to the issue multiple times during the cruise, so in that instance, we did give her an extra $20 at the end of the cruise. And once on Explorer, I had an issue with the bed being too hard, even with the egg crate, and the attendent changed the padding multiple times until it was comfortable...in that case, I gave him an additional $20.

 

We generally always tip the waiter and asst waiter extra (usually $25 each). We eat in the MDR (traditional) every night, and we generally have special requests, like a cheese platter on the table waiting for us when we arrive, and olive tapenade served with the rolls, and our water/beverage glasses refilled quickly without having to ask for it, etc. We've never tipped the head waiter extra.

 

I don't view the recommended tips as the bare minimum. They are a reward for a job well done. Unless someone totally goes outside the normal realm of their duties for me, I will not tip extra. The recommended tips are more than sufficient.

[Boiled Dove]

We generally do the pre paid and then give a bit more to our waiters and room attendant as we have gotten exceptional service. I will also carry around several fives to recognize those crew members who go out of their way to provide great service.

 

I've also tipped a woman who was just being torn apart by an exceptionally rude east coast person over something I really doubt was a part of their responsibility. She remained calm and defused the situation even though the passenger was yelling, cussing and making some very disparaging remarks. No one should have to put up with that.

[spookwife]

if you choose to tip extra( and by and large we do NOT unless the service is especially personalized such as the waiters remember that DH likes Decaf after dinner without being prompted after the first night) you do so on the last night.

 

it is NOT necessary to tip every time somebody brings you a drink at the WJ..the prep paid grats cover that.

 

nor is it necessary to tip over and above the 15% bar tabs come with unless you get to know your server well.

[Aquahound]

You can tip how much you want to whoever you want whenever you want. Listen to what folks say is customary, but ignore the inevitable overstated opinions that occur in tipping threads.

 

To answer your question, the first 4 people you mentioned are covered by your pre-paid tips. Any extra you give them is totally up to you.

 

Envelopes wil be provided in your stateroom on the last day, but you are not required to use them. Throw in some extra cash, or not, your call. If not, just throw them away.

 

Park Cafe, WJ, etc, are not places where tips are customary, nor expected. Again, your call. If you want to, go ahead. But in these places, you do not need to.

[Happy ks]

Also a newbie cruiser. I had to do the prepaid tips so I called to ask who that included. I was told it included wait staff and stateroom attendant. So I'm not planning on tipping again. I don't see why I should tip twice:confused:

 

You definitely don't have to tip again if you don't want to. We've given extra to our cabin steward many times, but we feel they earned it. Not every single cruise, though, I don't feel obligated.

 

The one thing I think newbies need to be aware of is that there is an 15% gratuity automatically added to bar tabs. There is a line printed on the receipt where you can add additional if you desire, but I think many times people don't notice the tip is already there. Just cross that line out and write in the total if you don't want to add more. Pay attention to every receipt you are given to sign.

 

The same goes for specialty restaurants. The added charge includes gratuity but many people feel obligated to add more. Again it's not necessary unless you want to. I don't think people would be that generous in a land restaurant, tipping out 30-40%, but for some reason on a cruise ship they feel that need.

[smugdaisy]

You would not be tipping twice. Think of the recommended amount as the bare minimum.

 

If I've already automatically tipped 15% and then leave another 15%, I consider it tipping twice, not going above the minimum. My personal opinion. I'm all for tipping, but I personally find a 30-40% tip excessive. Again, just my opinion. ;)

 

 

The one thing I think newbies need to be aware of is that there is an 15% gratuity automatically added to bar tabs. There is a line printed on the receipt where you can add additional if you desire, but I think many times people don't notice the tip is already there. Just cross that line out and write in the total if you don't want to add more. Pay attention to every receipt you are given to sign.

 

 

Good advice. Thanks, I didn't realize they added tips to bar tabs. I thought I had to tip them since they weren't included in the prepaid tips. I give 15% to bartenders on land, so I'll stick with that when I'm at sea.

[papaflamingo]

We always tip extra, especially for good service. If the Head Waiter is always around and actually helps out (opens wine, de-shells shrimp or lobster, etc) then we'll up his tip. This was the case on our last cruise. The Head Waiter helped expedite service and was always around to insure great service.

We "pre-tip" our Cabin Steward. I give him a $20 on the first meeting. You won't believe how much greater service, always with a smile, that will bring. Then we give him extra at the end. It has always ensured ice in the room, and immediate response whenever we need anything. These guys work very hard for very little. If you were to tip per meal you would be tipping a whole lot more. Consider you are only tipping a waiter $3.75 for 3 meals. Dinner alone at a restaurant would run $35-$50 or more per person if you had appetizer, entree, and desert. The tip for that meal alone would be $10 or more per person.

If you like to drink, and you tip a bar tender well at the beginning, he'll always ensure that he finds you and treats you well. Tipping early garnishes great loyalty and exceptional service.

[kymbakitty]

We do MTD specifically because of the prepay tips.

 

When we get on the ship, all we have to think about is the room service, some extra cash for specialty restaurants--not much....$10-20....depends.

 

In 14 days, we never once ate in the MDR for breakfast or dinner, and twice for lunch because we wanted the great salad bar in the MDR . So, what we pretipped for those folks was fine.

 

We did tip our room steward an extra $70 (14 night cruise, and we were in a suite....she was awesome); concierge we gave $30 (designated Concierge in the CL lounge), and room service

 

That's it.

 

You'll know what to do. You prepaid your tips, the rest is above and beyond (except room service....their tips are NOT covered in prepaid/recommended tips, which makes sense because you wouldn't pay for this service if you didn't use it as it is an option available to you).

 

Enjoy!

[gerif]

If I've already automatically tipped 15% and then leave another 15%, I consider it tipping twice, not going above the minimum. My personal opinion. I'm all for tipping, but I personally find a 30-40% tip excessive. Again, just my opinion. ;)

 

I don't know where you got that from - what I said was the prepaid gratuity amount (given to room stewards and waitstaff) charged was considered the minumum. I never said anything about the 15% added for drinks. If you like a particular bartender, however, and plan to spend time at that bar, a little extra doesn't hurt.

[MreenD]

We do pre-paid tips, but tip extra at the end of the cruise if we've received exceptional service, which is usually the case. With a teenaged son with severe autism we've been very fortunate as to the accomodations and going-out-of-their-way the wait staff and other staff have been for us on all three of our Royal Caribbean cruises. :)

[sleepless]

We usually tip extra, and we have always been pleased with the service. We plan for it before we leave on our cruise, and always tuck away the extra cash. How much can vary from cruise to cruise. We are simple folk, and don't have many extra needs; we do appreciate the care we receive from all of the staff - stateroom attendant, dining room staff, bar staff.

 

We don't usually tip the Head Waiter extra, as we usually have very little contact with him, other then the nightly greeting. However, on our cruise on the Explorer several years ago, we did have more contact with the Head Waiter. I was not happy with our table assignment. A member of the dining room staff found an open table, and asked if that was ok. It was a great location in the middle of the dining room. That night at dinner, he stopped by our table, asked me if I was still happy with the new table assignment. He turned out to be the Head Waiter at our new location. He was very personable, and stopped to chat with DH and me every evening during the dinner hour (sometimes before, sometimes after). We saw him on CocoCay, he stopped his work to chat, making sure we were happy with our lunch, asked about our day, and if we needed any info on the island . If we saw him around the ship during the day, he always stopped by to chat.

[smugdaisy]

I never said anything about the 15% added for drinks. If you like a particular bartender, however, and plan to spend time at that bar, a little extra doesn't hurt.

 

I was quoting someone else about the drinks, not you.:)

[cb at sea]

Totally depends on the service received! Actually, I feel the suggested amounts are adequate, but we did have an EXCELLENT ass't. waiter that covered for a terrible waiter, so we gave him about $25 more. I've seldom had anyone else do what I'd consider "above and beyond".

[BekkaW]

Just did a 7 night Bahamas cruise on Enchantment and did the pre paid tips but since the service was excellent I gave the room steward an extra $20 the waiter an extra $20 and the assistant waiter an extra $10. I thought that was fair.

 

We did exactly this also, for our 7 night on Oasis. Our waitstaff and cabin attendant were excellent and we were comfortable with these amounts extra to our pre-paid gratuities.

[MS52]

Do we tip extra?

 

Sometimes. We have always prepaid tips so the basics are taken care of. They work very hard so they deserve the recommended amount IMHO.

 

If someone - cabin steward, waiter, etc - does something to make my vacation better, we do give extra. If they do just do their job, they have already been tipped, nothing extra.

 

I have to say, usually the service is better than average.

[GuelphGal]

We took a look at how the gratuities were distributed by RC and decided where we wanted to add extra. We noticed that the assistant waiter got a smaller percentage of tips than the waiter, so we gave him the largest tip at the end, and the waiter half of that amount. With the pre-paid gratuities and our extra tips, the waiter still ended up getting more tips from us overall. We absolutely loved our waiter and assistant waiter, as they made the trip most memorable for us and we wanted to give them something extra. We didn't add any extra for the head waiter, as she just went around talking to people, and although it was wonderfully friendly and all, she didn't work her butt off like the serving waiters.

[printingchick]

I do MyTime dining as well. Even when I didn't, I always paid my gratuities in advance. One less thing to worry about!

 

We typically have requested a standing reservation in MTD and have asked to be assigned to a specific staff for the entire cruise. It make the experience more like traditional dining (waitstaff gets to know our preferences and we form a friendly relationship with them), so we usually tip extra at the END of the cruise. If you have a different server every night, then NIGHTLY tips for any exceptional service would be warranted. Yes, we give the tip directly to the staff member.

 

I have rarely tipped the head waiter extra, but have tipped my room steward.

 

I've been lucky to see examples of truly exceptional service on MOST (if not ALL) my cruises, so there is always SOMEONE I feel deserving of an extra tip!

[Sigtau21]

In previous years, I cancelled the prepay and paid suggested amount plus extra at the end. This year, I may just include it and then tip extra at the end so i do not need as much cash. Will they give me a slip at the end showing what I have prepaid to give to the server? With pretip though, does someone else get a %?