Tipping the Concierge?

[PSU]

If you prepaid your tips for your cabin steward, waiter, etc., you don't have to tip extra unless you want to.

This thread is talking about a tip for the concierge and the wait staff in the concierge lounge (which is not taken care of by the prepayment of tips.

I personably tip the wait staff $1 for each drink each night. They are so hard working and deserve to be compensated.

We always tip the concierge at least $50 for the two of us.

 

I am confused. We have never been on a cruise before and we are English so are coming from a different culture with regards to tipping.

 

We are pre paying our tips so we don't have the stress of worrying about when to tip, how much to tip, are we tipping enough? We generally only tip in a restaurant (about 10%) and tipping bar staff is something that people don't overly do here.

 

So when you guys are talking about tipping sometimes up to $50, are you not pre paying your tips? I am wondering if you mean you are tipping in cash as well as paying the pre paid rate set by Royal Caribbean?

 

My husband disagrees with the whole principle of tipping and believes that staff should be paid better. So I know he will refuse to tip anyone in cash on board if we have already paid the mandatory tip rate.

 

The whole idea of upsetting the staff and wondering what to do is stressing me out. I don't want to be stressed, I want to relax and not think I'm offending the staff.

 

Any opinions would be welcome. Remember, I said my husband disagrees with tipping, not me.

[nolesrule]

If you prepaid your tips for your cabin steward, waiter, etc., you don't have to tip extra unless you want to.

This thread is talking about a tip for the concierge and the wait staff in the concierge lounge (which is not taken care of by the prepayment of tips.

I personably tip the wait staff $1 for each drink each night. They are so hard working and deserve to be compensated.

We always tip the concierge at least $50 for the two of us.

 

And to clarify further, there's an automatic 15% gratuity added to all beverage purchases, but because the drinks in the concierge lounge are free, there's no automatic gratuity for the CL bar staff.

 

As for tipping above what is covered beyond the automatic gratuities, we only do that if we feel that a particular person has gone "above and beyond" for us, but that's just us.

Edited April 8, 2014 by nolesrule

[LoveyHowell]

Won a GS upgrade in bingo once which gave us access to the CL. Rudest, most unhelpful "concierge" ever. Would not give us the time of day. They got $0 and I assure you they were worth every cent. Maybe a few too many people rewarding this type of behavior lead to complacency, maybe just a bad week for that person.

 

Another time we had CL access and the concierge was very engaging and handled some issues for us that were not even requested, just had come up in conversation. The concierge seemed to float around taking care of guests and had a positive attitude. Although my concern was minor enough that I would not have spent time at guest services I was impressed by the concierges level of service afforded to all and it was just nice treatment to be handled how we were. On that trip we tipped the concierge $100 and we wrote a letter to the company about this person and what they did that set our trip apart.

 

So it depends on how the concierge treats you, if you have any needs for them to handle, etc. $0 is warranted in some cases, a nice cash tip is warranted in others.

[Life is Good Cruising]

I'm sorry to hear your husband disagrees with additional tipping. Even though you are pre paying your tips, the Concierge and the CL bar servers do not get any part of those pre pay tips.

 

Here in the US, the standard guideline for tipping is between 15% to 18% and 18% is now standard in restaurants and 20% for really good service. Some of these servers in the US make way below the minimum wages, in the $2-$3 range per hour and depend on tips.

 

I agree that the crew should be paid a lot more $ by the cruise line, but they are not, which keeps the cost of cruising down for all of us. Why should we penalize them for low wages they receive by the cruise lines?

 

The Concierge can also be used for many other things, reissue a sea pass if it gets demagnetize, they'll assist with any incorrect charges on your sea pass, they can add internet minutes if you have the C&A benefit, besides other benefits others have indicated in this thread.

 

I guess we've been very lucky each cruise and have had excellent Concierges. We very rarely require any assistance from them but still give anywhere from $40-$50 and give much more to the CL bar servers for all the free drinks given to us during the course of our cruise.

 

Even though we have always pre pay tipping, we keep an extra $200 in small bills that are given out at the end of our cruise to those crew members who have made our cruise memorable.

 

To those who go to guest service and remove their tips saying they prefer to tip the individuals themselves, I don't buy it. Unless someone is not doing their job, examples should be given, tips should not be removed IMO.

[LoveyHowell]

I'm sorry to hear your husband disagrees with additional tipping. Even though you are pre paying your tips, the Concierge and the CL bar servers do not get any part of those pre pay tips.

 

Here in the US, the standard guideline for tipping is between 15% to 18% and 18% is now standard in restaurants and 20% for really good service. Some of these servers in the US make way below the minimum wages, in the $2-$3 range per hour and depend on tips.

 

I agree that the crew should be paid a lot more $ by the cruise line, but they are not, which keeps the cost of cruising down for all of us. Why should we penalize them for low wages they receive by the cruise lines?

 

The Concierge can also be used for many other things, reissue a sea pass if it gets demagnetize, they'll assist with any incorrect charges on your sea pass, they can add internet minutes if you have the C&A benefit, besides other benefits others have indicated in this thread.

 

I guess we've been very lucky each cruise and have had excellent Concierges. We very rarely require any assistance from them but still give anywhere from $40-$50 and give much more to the CL bar servers for all the free drinks given to us during the course of our cruise.

 

Even though we have always pre pay tipping, we keep an extra $200 in small bills that are given out at the end of our cruise to those crew members who have made our cruise memorable.

 

To those who go to guest service and remove their tips saying they prefer to tip the individuals themselves, I don't buy it. Unless someone is not doing their job, examples should be given, tips should not be removed IMO.

 

18% new standard, $50 tips for no services provided, not tipping is penalizing...are you posting from Deck 0 right now out of curiosity?

[Sam.Seattle]

18% new standard, $50 tips for no services provided, not tipping is penalizing...are you posting from Deck 0 right now out of curiosity?

What is "Deck 0" ?

[Clarea]

What is "Deck 0" ?

Crew deck.

[theotherchad]

Yeah, tipping is so personal and when you factor in the various tipping levels that are customary in different countries, it becomes even more so.

 

That said, I think people should take into account the pool they're swimming in, so to speak. If it is generally expected to tip and the wages are low to take this into account, it's not fair to penalize the worker. This is the system they work under and they didn't create it.

 

That having been said, people here on this thread mostly seem quite generous and that is a good thing.

[johnstoc13]

DH and I cruised in a Crown Loft Suite on the Oasis - the only time (so far) that we cruised in a full suite where we had access to the CL, and we are lowly Platinum Level, so no DL for us. We were really at a loss when it came to tipping the concierge and the suite attendants. We prepaid our gratuities and when you stay in a suite, you do pay more for your gratuities than in a interior, oceanview or balcony cabin, so some extra is definitely 'built in'. However, we did feel it was necessary to give more to the people who went out of their way to ensure that we had a wonderful cruise experience.

 

Thanks for the post! We too have never stayed in a suite, and this is only our 3rd RCCL cruise. Staying in an OS in just a few weeks. So nice to hear about everyone else's experience and guidelines. Thanks!

[Life is Good Cruising]

18% new standard, $50 tips for no services provided, not tipping is penalizing...are you posting from Deck 0 right now out of curiosity?

 

 

So sad that you and other cultures don't understand that people working in the service industry in the US count on tips to supplement their very low pay scale. Yes this is the job they choose, but where they come from, there are NO jobs and they are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. As they say, different strokes for different folks.

[Missus Makkem]

So sad that you and other cultures don't understand that people working in the service industry in the US count on tips to supplement their very low pay scale. Yes this is the job they choose, but where they come from, there are NO jobs and they are trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. As they say, different strokes for different folks.

 

And I am sorry that coming from a culture where tipping is not the same as in the USA because we have a legal minimum wage that people on the board cannot understand our delema.

For many years the only time we tipped was at Christmas time and the day after Christmas day is still known as Boxing day, when people were given money as gifts for services rendered through out the year and this were known as Christmas boxes.

We oldies still do this and we always tip the garbage men postmen, paperboys etc.Also shops have boxes on there counters during December and people pop money in for the staff.

So there you go different cultures have different ways of doing things.

[marci22]

And I am sorry that coming from a culture where tipping is not the same as in the USA because we have a legal minimum wage that people on the board cannot understand our delema.

For many years the only time we tipped was at Christmas time and the day after Christmas day is still known as Boxing day, when people were given money as gifts for services rendered through out the year and this were known as Christmas boxes.

We oldies still do this and we always tip the garbage men postmen, paperboys etc.Also shops have boxes on there counters during December and people pop money in for the staff.

So there you go different cultures have different ways of doing things.

 

But when you are in a tipping culture you should tip.

 

I promise not to tip when I eat or drink out in UK.

[Life is Good Cruising]

But when you are in a tipping culture you should tip.

 

I promise not to tip when I eat or drink out in UK.

 

 

Touche!

[iheartcruzin2]

no worries.....they add on your gratutities now to your cruise account

[iheartcruzin2]

reply to Dick and Jane.....I so agree about tipping the concierge goes .....0......I give his tip to the wait staff who cut up my grandchildrens meat, and catered to their every whim, which they do not over do, refills, ect, they are really ready to get back to their "clubs" leaving the adults a rather nice dinner. I have yet to have the concierge even come to our table, let alone worry about what our names are. The waitstaff is outstanding, however, I have been reading on these posts that since the cruiseship started adding the gratuities in....service has gone down abit. Oh well, I am still going b2b 4/20/14 and 4/26/14

Edited April 8, 2014 by iheartcruzin2

[Sam.Seattle]

reply to Dick and Jane.....I so agree about tipping the concierge goes .....0......I give his tip to the wait staff who cut up my grandchildrens meat, and catered to their every whim, which they do not over do, refills, ect, they are really ready to get back to their "clubs" leaving the adults a rather nice dinner. I have yet to have the concierge even come to our table, let alone worry about what our names are. The waitstaff is outstanding, however, I have been reading on these posts that since the cruiseship started adding the gratuities in....service has gone down abit. Oh well, I am still going b2b 4/20/14 and 4/26/14

The concierge has nothing to do with the dinning room. Perhaps you are thinking about the Maitre`d?

[Sam.Seattle]

Crew deck.

Thanks Bob.

[Merion_Mom]

reply to Dick and Jane.....I so agree about tipping the concierge goes .....0......I give his tip to the wait staff who cut up my grandchildrens meat, and catered to their every whim, which they do not over do, refills, ect, they are really ready to get back to their "clubs" leaving the adults a rather nice dinner. I have yet to have the concierge even come to our table, let alone worry about what our names are. The waitstaff is outstanding, however, I have been reading on these posts that since the cruiseship started adding the gratuities in....service has gone down abit. Oh well, I am still going b2b 4/20/14 and 4/26/14

 

The concierge has nothing to do with the dinning room. Perhaps you are thinking about the Maitre`d?

 

Head waiter

[iheartcruzin2]

Maybe both.......

[yolanda1]

It's the Concierge's job to mingle with guests in the CL, and to try to assist with requests where possible. If they engage well with us and enhance our cruise experience, we generally tip handsomely. Some Concierges are definitely better than others, and our tip would reflect that.

 

We would always tip the waiter in the CL, as others have said, because they aren't included in the gratuity pool. We wait until the end of each week to tip.

[iheartcruzin2]

well as I said, we have never seen the concierge so his tip goes to our waiter and his assistant. They do an outstanding job for us and deserve more and they get more (from us at least) The second group that I am generous with is my housekeeper. I love having my room clean and ready everytime I walk in. I have yet to be disappointed. JMHO

[iheartcruzin2]

Oh yes, the Maitre''d gets nothing as well. Never see him. The wait staff is who I focus on....they go out of their way for us and it relects in their gratuity. But it is not just RCCL, it's all the cruise lines. When they take the time to help cut up my grandchildrens meals and they go out of their way talking to them, not down to them, that is worth a lot to me. One waiter had a name the same as my granddaughter only spelled differently and they really enjoyed that....her name is popular in the UK and I don't remember his country, but the whole.....they paid a lot of attention to them. IN fact I remember one time the assistant was working in the Windjammer and he came over to the kiddie pool to say hi. They are awesome. The other two I spoke of I never see and therefore........

[island lady]

Gil and Gail (Beach native) gave us an excellent suggestion on tipping the

servers in the CL and DL. We hand the first one that comes to us a 5.00 bill

each night. Since we seemed to rarely have the same server, it ended up

working very well that way. They will tend to look for you after that. ;)

 

Thanks Gil and Gail! :)