Tipping question

[charlie52]

Forgive me for asking a question that I am sure has been asked before but searching here and on Celebrity has not given me my answer. I know that gratuities are $12.50 pp on CC but can someone tell me how that is divided up among stewards and wait staff. We would like to add something extra for good service but we don't know what to base this on.

[We're The Groupnors]

The Celebrity website used to show the breakdown between the gratuity recipients, but it no longer does. It is apparently split between the waiter, assistant waiter, and section maitre d' in the restaurant, and your cabin attendant and assistant attendant for your stateroom service. If memory serves the highest amount per day went to each the waiter and cabin attendant, the second highest to their assistants, and the smallest amount to the restaurant section maitre d'. Your bar servers and sommelier get tips based on 15% of what they sell to you.

 

Hope this helps.

[wolfpackmom]

I think will answer your questions: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=132

[charlie52]

Thank you! This is exactly what I needed and could not find on my own!!

[Beanb41]

I think will answer your questions: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=132

 

Coming from a country where tipping is not the norm I found the article very interesting and note that if followed through as indicated it would add around $US30 or $NZ35 a day on top of the $NZ15 already charged.

For our forthcoming 35 day cruise that would equate to an additional $NZ1000 for the trip or for a ship the size of the Celebrity Solstice $3 million dollars in additional gratuities over and above the compulsory pre paid ones.

One can see from these figures why the cruise lines can give away pre paid gratuities as an enticement to cruise with them.

 

The question then is Does the cruise line make up the gratuities that they have given away as an enticement or does the crew just have to wear it.

[ECCruise]

Coming from a country where tipping is not the norm I found the article very interesting and note that if followed through as indicated it would add around $US30 or $NZ35 a day on top of the $NZ15 already charged.

For our forthcoming 35 day cruise that would equate to an additional $NZ1000 for the trip or for a ship the size of the Celebrity Solstice $3 million dollars in additional gratuities over and above the compulsory pre paid ones.

One can see from these figures why the cruise lines can give away pre paid gratuities as an enticement to cruise with them.

 

The question then is Does the cruise line make up the gratuities that they have given away as an enticement or does the crew just have to wear it.

 

That article is so out of whack to be almost laughable. After 50+ cruises, and tipping above and beyond the "standards" on every one, I do not know anyone who is adding those kinds of tips to the price of their cruise. $15 per day, per child, to the child counselors? Absurd. $5 per person, per day to the dining server in addition to the standard gratuity? Silly. Yet, this guy is a real mooch when it comes to tour guides. $2 to $4 (for a full day tour) to the tour guide. Unbelievably cheap.

 

That "article" is a waste of server space on Cruise Critic.

Edited March 5, 2014 by ECCruise

[Daudee]

Hi! That being said... I paid the recommanded, or should I say mandatory, gratuities but my cruise come with free beuvrages, should I had tips on to what has been charged?

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPad à l'aide de Tapatalk

[hamrag]

Forgive me for asking a question that I am sure has been asked before but searching here and on Celebrity has not given me my answer. I know that gratuities are $12.50 pp on CC but can someone tell me how that is divided up among stewards and wait staff. We would like to add something extra for good service but we don't know what to base this on.

 

According to the 2014/15 UK Celebrity Brochure:

 

Waiter 3.72

Assistant waiter 2.16

Dining room management 1.16

Stateroom service 3.58 (4.08 for Concierge & Aqua class)

Other service personnel 1.38

____ ____

Total 12.00 12.50

Butler (suites only) 3.50

 

 

With regard to the article posted about all the additional tips. None of that is required, apart from room service and other "additional" servicing. For those who do prefer to add more, the amounts suggested are way, way OTT and I have never encountered that level of tipping anywhere on 31 cruises. Must have been posted by a crew member!!

Edited March 6, 2014 by hamrag
layout of charges detail, but could not alter it!!

[jhans24]

Hi! That being said... I paid the recommanded, or should I say mandatory, gratuities but my cruise come with free beuvrages, should I had tips on to what has been charged?

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPad à l'aide de Tapatalk

 

If you have one of the beverage packages, you have already paid for the tip for each drink. When given the cost of the drink package they add 15% on to the price to cover gratuities. So if the package costs $40 per day, you will pay $46 per day when gratuities are added.

 

If you want to tip above that it's at your discretion. We will be traveling with the beverage package in a few weeks. We will probably do exactly what we have done in the past. When service was decent or below we didn't tip above the 15% automatically added. For good to great service we would add a dollar to our tab. This just means we will have to bring a stack of ones for the trip.

[Beanb41]

According to the 2014/15 UK Celebrity Brochure:

 

Waiter 3.72

Assistant waiter 2.16

Dining room management 1.16

Stateroom service 3.58 (4.08 for Concierge & Aqua class)

Other service personnel 1.38

____ ____

Total 12.00 12.50

Butler (suites only) 3.50

 

 

With regard to the article posted about all the additional tips. None of that is required, apart from room service and other "additional" servicing. For those who do prefer to add more, the amounts suggested are way, way OTT and I have never encountered that level of tipping anywhere on 31 cruises. Must have been posted by a crew member!!

 

I would assume that the $7 allocated to waiting/dining staff would be spread across all restaurants. Pleased to see that stateroom staff get a decent chunk of it as they probably have more to do with individual passengers on a regular basis.

[jackdiamond]

We take a very simplistic view of the tips. We believe that Celebrity has figured out the proper distribution thereof; hence, we leave on the auto tip and tip extra for service above and beyond. Quite frankly, we do not feel that the mandated tips are sufficient; hence, we are somewhat more generous in the distribution of our extra tips.

[The_Big_M]

That article is so out of whack to be almost laughable. After 50+ cruises, and tipping above and beyond the "standards" on every one, I do not know anyone who is adding those kinds of tips to the price of their cruise. $15 per day, per child, to the child counselors? Absurd. $5 per person, per day to the dining server in addition to the standard gratuity? Silly. Yet, this guy is a real mooch when it comes to tour guides. $2 to $4 (for a full day tour) to the tour guide. Unbelievably cheap.

 

That "article" is a waste of server space on Cruise Critic.

 

I can only concur. But tips are a personal thing so he is entitled to do as he wishes. The opener is certainly reasonable. But the shares given reflects the inconsistencies that commonplace tipping causes.

[Lsimon]

Tipping has always been a hot topic on these boards and this is especially true because of the broad range of tipping and compensation practices of passengers coming together on a ship from all over the world.

 

The only people I have a problem with are those that remove the basic automatic tips and begrudge this to the staff.

 

These days one can rest assured that if they leave the automatic tips in place that between that and the service charge added to beverages they've taken care of their basic obligation and have not stiffed anyone.

 

Tipping anything over and beyond that is a personal decision and should be based on ones personal beliefs, customs and financial position together with the level of service provided by the staff.

 

We do tip extra for good service but that is our own preference.

[jaybee1965]

Definitely a minefield for first time cruisers like me who naively assumed "gratuities included" meant just that. Do passengers from Australia use AU$ cash for tipping? Some sites suggest gifts even candy??? Others suggest all cash tips are pooled and distributed as per company policy, so are employees allowed to accept any offerings? Does small Aussie dollars mean $1/$2 coins or $5 notes - I'm wondering about Noumea/Lifou/Isle of Pines mainly in this instance or is it best to get some XPF?

[melsuli]

Being a well traveled 'Limey' I fully appreciate both mindsets of diverse cultures when it comes to the topic of tipping.

 

I've found the best way to deal with it is to apply the consideration you would normally give regardless of the gratuities included in the price.

 

For example, I always give what I think is appropriate if I receive exceptional service even though I pay my gratuities up front.

 

Ten dollars or so, to the sommelier;) at the beginning of week (even if you have a drinks package) is worth its weight in gold.

 

Similar consideration to your room stewards provides a reciprocated personal touch that ensures 'your' appreciation is actually reaching its intended target?

[Cruise a holic]

Hi! That being said... I paid the recommanded, or should I say mandatory, gratuities but my cruise come with free beuvrages, should I had tips on to what has been charged?

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPad à l'aide de Tapatalk

 

We take the "free" beverage package, and upgrade and give the Martini bartenders an additional tip . Since we drink at the Martini bar every evening- and the Molecular bar, we give the bartenders who typical serve us a tip in the middle of the cruise. They do work hard and if the service is exceptional, which it always is, give each an extra tip.

[bar_20]

That article is so out of whack to be almost laughable. After 50+ cruises, and tipping above and beyond the "standards" on every one, I do not know anyone who is adding those kinds of tips to the price of their cruise. $15 per day, per child, to the child counselors? Absurd. $5 per person, per day to the dining server in addition to the standard gratuity? Silly. Yet, this guy is a real mooch when it comes to tour guides. $2 to $4 (for a full day tour) to the tour guide. Unbelievably cheap.

 

That "article" is a waste of server space on Cruise Critic.

 

We all know the cruise staff - waiters, room attendants etc don't make squat on the ship and depend on the tips to exist. However tour guides are paid by the tour company and not the cruise line. In AU the minimum wage I have been told for full time service workers is $16.37 per hour and $20.30 for part time work. Where as a tour guide in Jamaica might make $5.00 per hour. I don't tip baggage handlers at US ports as most if not all belong to the Longshoremen's union and make $30-40 per hour. They are well paid for doing their job. A lot of first world countries pay their service workers much better than service workers n the USA. So the amount of my tip if any to a tour guide is based not only on the job they did but on the country where done and if tipping is the norm or not.

[jimmybean]

Like Jackdiamond, we trust cruise lines' distribution system when it comes to the daily tipping charges for which we are billed.

 

We accept that this daily charge is a "hidden cost" that the cruise industry should have just included in the fare, but they didn't.

 

Like Melsuli, we understand the culture difference when it comes to "extra" tipping. Since "tips" are charged to our account, there is no need, obligation, reason etc etc to tip "more" in addition.

 

But, we do….

 

Why?

 

The pleasure of placing an envelop with money into the hand of someone who worked so strenuously and continuously to provide comfort and care for us during a voyage. ...Because service personnel on a cruise ship come from economic disadvantage and make huge sacrifices, leaving their families for long periods of time. ...Because their burdens of work are so great they would never conform to work-laws or wage-requirements in the USA.

 

I don't think of it as charity, but it is an opportunity to help someone and their family whose circumstances are less fortunate.

 

On our second cruise, I decided I didn't need to buy silly souvenirs. We don't have desire to buy drink packages, special coffee, or travel in "more expensive" cabins. We are happy traveling as we travel. Part of that is enjoying the pleasure of funneling some money we "didn't spend" on giving extra tipping.

 

I doubt our busy stewards and waiters remember who gave which envelop or any envelop. That isn't important to us.

 

We just get personal pleasure out of tipping.

 

We are not judgmental of others, who feel (for good reasons) differently.

[jaybee1965]

In AU the minimum wage I have been told for full time service workers is $16.37 per hour

This is true for all permanent full time (38 hours per week) employees http://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/national-minimum-wage/pages/default.aspx and may explain why some people assume cruise ship staff would be well paid.

I guess they can get around it with short term contracts.

[jkgourmet]

 

The pleasure of placing an envelop with money into the hand of someone who worked so strenuously and continuously to provide comfort and care for us during a voyage. ...Because service personnel on a cruise ship come from economic disadvantage and make huge sacrifices, leaving their families for long periods of time. ...Because their burdens of work are so great they would never conform to work-laws or wage-requirements in the USA.

 

I don't think of it as charity, but it is an opportunity to help someone and their family whose circumstances are less fortunate.

 

I sincerely hope that you occasionally apply the same logic to the soldiers of your respective military when you see them in airports, restaurants, etc.

 

 

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

[lovesublime]

Like Jackdiamond, we trust cruise lines' distribution system when it comes to the daily tipping charges for which we are billed.

 

We accept that this daily charge is a "hidden cost" that the cruise industry should have just included in the fare, but they didn't.

 

Like Melsuli, we understand the culture difference when it comes to "extra" tipping. Since "tips" are charged to our account, there is no need, obligation, reason etc etc to tip "more" in addition.

 

But, we do….

 

Why?

 

The pleasure of placing an envelop with money into the hand of someone who worked so strenuously and continuously to provide comfort and care for us during a voyage. ...Because service personnel on a cruise ship come from economic disadvantage and make huge sacrifices, leaving their families for long periods of time. ...Because their burdens of work are so great they would never conform to work-laws or wage-requirements in the USA.

 

I don't think of it as charity, but it is an opportunity to help someone and their family whose circumstances are less fortunate.

 

On our second cruise, I decided I didn't need to buy silly souvenirs. We don't have desire to buy drink packages, special coffee, or travel in "more expensive" cabins. We are happy traveling as we travel. Part of that is enjoying the pleasure of funneling some money we "didn't spend" on giving extra tipping.

 

I doubt our busy stewards and waiters remember who gave which envelop or any envelop. That isn't important to us.

 

We just get personal pleasure out of tipping.

 

We are not judgmental of others, who feel (for good reasons) differently.

 

 

 

 

It's your business what you do, but I'm hearing violin music now.

[Algebralovr]

If you leave the auto-gratuities in place or pre-pay them, you are fine.

 

I ask a server that we spent quite a bit of time talking to about the drink package and if it messed up their earnings. She said the company was taking good care of them.

 

I have also been told by more than one waiter and above that they liked the auto-gratuities. One of the head-waiters commented about the difference between select dining and traditional dining, that yes, the server in traditional might receive an extra in a handshake at the end of a cruise, but many of them liked the security in select dining.

 

Basically, if you prepay or pay the auto amounts, any you add is completely up to you.

 

I have to admit, I'm tired of being asked for tips on excursions. When I pay $70, $80 or more than $100 per person for a few hours of explanation or fun in the sun, and there are 30, 40, or even 120 people on the boat with me, I do not feel obligated to pay more. I took one last month that was $79.99 for a 3 hour tour. Then they come on the intercom to ask for more. There were 50 people on the boat. It wasn't that awesome.

[chisoxfan]

We all know the cruise staff - waiters, room attendants etc don't make squat on the ship and depend on the tips to exist. However tour guides are paid by the tour company and not the cruise line. In AU the minimum wage I have been told for full time service workers is $16.37 per hour and $20.30 for part time work. Where as a tour guide in Jamaica might make $5.00 per hour. I don't tip baggage handlers at US ports as most if not all belong to the Longshoremen's union and make $30-40 per hour. They are well paid for doing their job. A lot of first world countries pay their service workers much better than service workers n the USA. So the amount of my tip if any to a tour guide is based not only on the job they did but on the country where done and if tipping is the norm or not.

 

30-40 bucks an hour for baggage handlers? While I know many are in the Longshoremen union I understood this was a side job for some. I can't see the logic in not tipping 5-10 bucks to someone doing this job regardless of how they are paid. Like it or not it is just one of the jobs that traditionally are tipped. Additionally, I would think each port has significant differences in pay for this job.

I am sure some maitre d's /waitstaff had high end restaurants make more money than one could imagine but I would not hesitate to tip them well for a good job. Besides, let's face it, tipping a baggage handler well is 'cheap'

insurance.

[Wine-O]

30-40 bucks an hour for baggage handlers? While I know many are in the Longshoremen union I understood this was a side job for some. I can't see the logic in not tipping 5-10 bucks to someone doing this job regardless of how they are paid. Like it or not it is just one of the jobs that traditionally are tipped. Additionally, I would think each port has significant differences in pay for this job.

I am sure some maitre d's /waitstaff had high end restaurants make more money than one could imagine but I would not hesitate to tip them well for a good job. Besides, let's face it, tipping a baggage handler well is 'cheap'

insurance.

 

You are insinuating that if you don't tip the baggage handlers when you arrive at the port to put your luggage in one of those luggage trollies that are forklifted onto the ship, your luggage might be put into the "drink"?

 

That's a bunch of crap. They are paid well for what they do. If you feel you need to tip for the safety of your luggage, knock yourself out. :rolleyes:

[keithm]

Forgive me for asking a question that I am sure has been asked before but searching here and on Celebrity has not given me my answer. I know that gratuities are $12.50 pp on CC but can someone tell me how that is divided up among stewards and wait staff. We would like to add something extra for good service but we don't know what to base this on.

About $3 each to your attendant/waiter. About $2 each to the asst.attendant/waiter. The rest is divided up among those you don't see, such as the folks who prepare your food,etc. We tip about $75-100 additional to our waiter/attendant & about $50-75 to the asst.waiter/asst attendant. Being in the service industry, we like to take care of those who take care of us.