Ncl Butler Tipping

[NLH Arizona]

Right???? I wonder if poster actually tips that or just puffing their chest out.

We are 3 in a 2 bedroom Haven on a very port intensive cruise, I doubt we will use the butler much, all ready booked my shows, so may just use concierge to get off the ship. Is that worth $30 a day??/ Not in my book.

There is no way I'm tipping a butler we will hardly, if at all, use $45 a day

What you feel is worth $X, could be worth a lot more or a lot less to someone else, not to mention someone could have a lot more money than you or a lot less to budget for tipping. By you saying that you don't know if someone tips what they say are puffing their chest out, does that mean, that someone who says they will tip less or not at all is just making a figure up thier figure to make themselves look better. Edited August 10, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[njkate]

What you feel is worth $X, could be worth a lot more or a lot less to someone else, not to mention someone could have a lot more money than you or a lot less to budget for tipping. By you saying that you don't know if someone tips what they say are puffing their chest out, does that mean, that someone who says they will tip less or not at all is just making a figure up thier figure to make themselves look better.

Who knows in "real life" versus posts on a public forum. For me, who will not utilize a butler $45 a day is excessive, I'll tip by how much I use them.

I just get a laugh out of $10-$15 pp a day as the guide line someone used, unless of course if they ran their butler ragged.

Other posts were realistic, stating the service and how much you use it should govern the amount of your tip.

 

Trust me I've disembarked cruises where cabin door was open and steward was starting to clean and cabin looked like a tornado had been through it, if my family were slovenly slobs like that then hell yes they deserve a substantial tip.

[NLH Arizona]

Who knows in "real life" versus posts on a public forum. For me, who will not utilize a butler $45 a day is excessive, I'll tip by how much I use them.

I just get a laugh out of $10-$15 pp a day as the guide line someone used, unless of course if they ran their butler ragged.

Other posts were realistic, stating the service and how much you use it should govern the amount of your tip.

 

Trust me I've disembarked cruises where cabin door was open and steward was starting to clean and cabin looked like a tornado had been through it, if my family were slovenly slobs like that then hell yes they deserve a substantial tip.

But that is their guideline, should people laugh at your guideline, because they disagree with it. As I said, some folks have a lot more money than others have, so if they want to spend it on a higher tip for their Butler, why would you find that funny or accuse them of making up a figure to puff up their chest, since it has no bearing on you and why would they have to justify what they tip to anyone by telling folks everything the Butler does for them.

 

After saying the above, I have said on here before that there is no guideline for tipping the Butler or Concierge, even though a couple of posters say there is, and folks are free to tip what they feel is deserved based off the services they received, how those services were given and, of course, their budget. One thing I don't do is laugh, accuse someone of lying or judge what others might feel is the correct amount for them to tip, because I don't know their finances, what they used the Butler for, etc. We need to concentrate on what we do, other than what other folks are doing.

Edited August 10, 2018 by NLH Arizona

[njkate]

But that is their guideline, should people laugh at your guideline, because they disagree with it. As I said, some folks have a lot more money than others have, so if they want to spend it on a higher tip for their Butler, why would you find that funny or accuse them of making up a figure to puff up their chest, since it has no bearing on you and why would they have to justify what they tip to anyone by telling folks everything the Butler does for them.

 

After saying the above, I have said on here before that there is no guideline for tipping the Butler or Concierge, even though a couple of posters say there is, and folks are free to tip what they feel is deserved based off the services they received, how those services were given and, of course, their budget. One thing I don't do is laugh, accuse someone of lying or judge what others might feel is the correct amount for them to tip, because I don't know their finances, what they used the Butler for, etc. We need to concentrate on what we do, other than what other folks are doing.

Perhaps if stated This is our guideline you may be different depending on many things I would have digested it better.

Exactly how you have worded it. I would hate to think someone new to the game would take some of the answers as gospel because IMO there are many pompous azzes on these threads.

[Trimone]

At the end of the day you have paid an expensive fee to be in the Haven, and all the services it offers, there is not expectation to tip, you do with your money what you please.

[don't-use-real-name]

We are from the US but traveling out of Barcelona. Is USD appropriate or should we tip using local currency?

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Tip in whatever currency is convenient to your budget.

 

Tips in foreign denominations can be converted by the ships purser (cashier) to a more common mode be it

US dollars or EU Euros.

 

But in reality the US dollar is the universal- standard of tips while in Europe the Euro is best as local.

[NLH Arizona]

Perhaps if stated This is our guideline you may be different depending on many things I would have digested it better.

Exactly how you have worded it. I would hate to think someone new to the game would take some of the answers as gospel because IMO there are many pompous azzes on these threads.

Well, unfortunately like everything else on here, some folks think that their way is the only way. I try to give a little "this is how you should attain the figure to tip" and then say "this is what I do" when someone asks about what they should tip, but I don't go into detail on every little thing I have the Butler do. I've also in the past, said loud and clear that there are no set guidelines.

 

You are totally correct, a lot depends on how someone words their answers. I remember when I first asked the question on how much to tip the Butler and Concierge, I got everything from $500 a week for two to $35 for two. After my head stopped spinning, I just figured what was good for me and what I felt comfortable with as starting figures (adding or deleting based on service) and that is what should be conveyed to every one is someone's answer, because we are all not the same.

 

BTW, thanks for the nice conversation.

[GriffinAlexander]

Obviously a well-debated topic, but every time I see the $10-15/pp per day, etc. it really irks me. This "guideline" that is repeated over and over whenever this question is asked is absolutely NOT a guideline that NCL has established, or that working butlers, concierges & stewards have suggested is what THEY think is a "good tip", etc. Someone, somewhere, sometime long ago posted that either on CC or another forum and it has now somehow become adopted as the "accepted" guidelines.

 

First, I have posted in the past that I usually travel solo and I usually tip my butler say $150 for a week and $200 for a longer cruise. I use my butler ALOT, but if I didn't I would probably tip $100. That said, (and I don't think this is an "act") EVERY butler I have tipped on my many cruises has accepted my tip with WIDE eyes and profuse thanks. As if it was a GREAT tip. So, I don't think everyone is giving them $10-15 per person per day. Which is FINE.

 

I know why people ask - it's because they want to make sure they are doing the "right thing." But people, TRUST YOUR GUT. You know, based on your lifestyle and finances, what YOU think is a appropriate tip for good service. Some people tip their mailman at Christmas with home-baked cookies, some give a coffee gift card and some give $100 bill. It is ALL good and I am sure ALL appreciated.

 

During your cruise you will develop a relationship with your butler, steward and concierge. Based on that, at the end of the week, you will KNOW what "feels right" to express your appreciation. And it WILL be just right!

 

Please, can we stop with counting heads and doing math to calculate "proper" tips based on some long-ago post?

 

And if YOU tip $500, that doesn't mean EVERYONE has to - or otherwise they are "cheap" and don't appreciate hard work and good service.

 

I know this rant won't change anything, but I just had to vent!

 

We usually stay in a balcony or inside room, and for 2 people what I like to do is find the steward, who is not as dedicated as the butler will be, let that person know our needs, and introduce ourselves and start the week off with a $20. Let the steward know we appreciate them and would like to be able to get the things we ask for when we ask for them. While we don't expect the service of a butler, we do expect the service we have come to expect from decent stewards, and we have in the past had mixed reviews and tipped between 40 bucks and over 100 for a week for a steward who gets paid for a lot of rooms. the bad steward got the lowest amount and that really only happened once. Usually we get decent ones. Occasionally exemplary.

[Smong]

I'm of the opinion that you should tip the Butler/Concierge based on how much service they give you. Tip based on your budget and what you feel they went over and above to do. Remember you are already paying for Butler services with your higher fare.

 

I agree 100%. On our last cruise i barley even saw our butler but spoke to our concierge all the time! He did everything for us. The butler left snacks that was about it i left more for my concierge than for our butler. I would say just go by the service you get and what you can afford and don’t feel you have to abide by the $ per person per room deal that a lot talk about on here

[BirdTravels]

At the end of the day you have paid an expensive fee to be in the Haven, and all the services it offers, there is not expectation to tip, you do with your money what you please.

Incorrect. There is a clear expectation from the cruise line that you tip.

 

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/tipping

NCL: Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities.

[Jana60]

We are going on the NCL Dawn in 2019, a seven day cruise, and are staying in the 3 bedroom garden villa. We will have a butler and I was wonder how much to tip the butler? If anyone has stayed in the room and has an idea that would be great, or if you know how much to tip that would help too.

 

 

When my sister and I stayed in the Haven we also were not sure how much to tip the Butler. So I asked the hotel manager, “what is the usual tip” and she said “people usually tip a total of $50 to $75 per person.” Certainly more would be appropriate if you worked your butler really hard.

 

 

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[Trimone]

Incorrect. There is a clear expectation from the cruise line that you tip.

 

https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/tipping

NCL: Also, certain staff positions (e.g., concierge, butler, youth program staff and beverage service) provide service on an individual basis to only some guests and do not benefit from the overall service charge. We encourage those Guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities.

Absolute rubbish, on our last cruise we didn’t tip a $, reason being the Butler, concierge and cabin boy all left the ship at Copenhagen to travel home, we were still onboard until Warnemunde, it sent the whole dynamic of the Haven into meltdown, staff were completely unaware that we excised, no room cleaned or serviced.Tip no way.

[Hotspring]

Tip this if you think the concierge deserves a million dollars a year.

 

Taken from pcakes post on another thread, so credit to them for the math:

 

As someone recently posted on another thread, butlers usually service between 12-14 cabins (my recent Jade butler told me he & my room steward were covering 14 cabins.) So, if people are tipping what is suggested as "normal" above, then let's do the math for a 7-day cruise:

 

Butler = $140/cruise per person ($20/pp) x double occupancy = $280 per cabin x 14 cabins = $3,920 in CASH tips per week in ADDITION to salary.

 

Concierge = $70/cruise per person x double occupancy x ALL SUITES & HAVEN (let's say average 100 suites) = $14,000 CASH tips per week in ADDITION to salary.

 

Room steward = $70/cruise per person = $140 per cabin x 14 cabins = $1,960 in CASH tips per week in ADDITION to salary.

 

That is NOT happening. These are NOT the "normal" tip amounts. Please just use your own good judgement and don't pay attention to made-up guidelines.

 

PS Let me also add that the butler and concierge are NOT included in the DSC because they don't service all guests - but their SALARY is HIGHER to compensate for that. NCL is not leaving it up to the suite guests to compensate for the lack of DSC. A tip is just that. An acknowledgement of excellent service. NOT a salary.

 

 

Excellent analysis. It only fails to consider that frequently there are 3 or 4 or more people in a cabin.

 

On our last cruise the butler only provided afternoon snacks, one breakfast delivery, and maybe maintained the coffee supply. Probably taking no more than of 2 hours of labor specific to our cabin for the week. I felt bad tipping him only $150 for the three of us versus the recommended guidelines until I realized how little effort he put in. Was he worth $75/hour? Measure that against the cabin steward and assistant that we know provided at least 8 hours of labor to clean and maintain the cabin for the week, a much harder job. They are only sharing a portion of the DSC with the rest of the eligible ship staff. (Of course, we tipped them more).

 

If Glassdoor suggests a butler makes 57K/annually that is about $27/hour. Maybe multiply that rate times the amount of time the butler does things for you to arrive at a tip---excluding the base salary he already receives and the higher fare you paid to cover that base salary.

The $10-$15 pp per day probably should be just $10-$15 per day.

[Trimone]

Excellent analysis. It only fails to consider that frequently there are 3 or 4 or more people in a cabin.

 

On our last cruise the butler only provided afternoon snacks, one breakfast delivery, and maybe maintained the coffee supply. Probably taking no more than of 2 hours of labor specific to our cabin for the week. I felt bad tipping him only $150 for the three of us versus the recommended guidelines until I realized how little effort he put in. Was he worth $75/hour? Measure that against the cabin steward and assistant that we know provided at least 8 hours of labor to clean and maintain the cabin for the week, a much harder job. They are only sharing a portion of the DSC with the rest of the eligible ship staff. (Of course, we tipped them more).

 

If Glassdoor suggests a butler makes 57K/annually that is about $27/hour. Maybe multiply that rate times the amount of time the butler does things for you to arrive at a tip---excluding the base salary he already receives and the higher fare you paid to cover that base salary.

The $10-$15 pp per day probably should be just $10-$15 per day.

Remember the Butler and pals are not exclusive to you.

It’s a farce, NCL charges you to be exclusive in the Haven, then attempts to rob your pockets for tips, remember you pay more DSC in Haven, and apparently no one in the Haven gets it?

[ray98]

$10-$15 pp per day? That is crazy talk. They don't even work as hard as the cabin stewards who get a few dollars a day from the DSC.

 

Tip what is appropriate based on services rendered.

[BirdTravels]

Absolute rubbish, on our last cruise we didn’t tip a $, reason being the Butler, concierge and cabin boy all left the ship at Copenhagen to travel home, we were still onboard until Warnemunde, it sent the whole dynamic of the Haven into meltdown, staff were completely unaware that we excised, no room cleaned or serviced.Tip no way.

And there was something that prevented you from showing your gratitude a day early before they disembarked???? Is this just an excuse to cheat the hard working crew of a few dollars in tip!

[BirdTravels]

$10-$15 pp per day? That is crazy talk. They don't even work as hard as the cabin stewards who get a few dollars a day from the DSC.

 

Tip what is appropriate based on services rendered.

This is not Carnival. Have you ever been in a NCL Haven room?

[ray98]

This is not Carnival. Have you ever been in a NCL Haven room?

 

 

Yes. Daily snacks, coffee supplies and a couple of room service breakfasts were not worth $40-$60 per day for my family.

[Trimone]

And there was something that prevented you from showing your gratitude a day early before they disembarked???? Is this just an excuse to cheat the hard working crew of a few dollars in tip!

How offensive! If they had come to my room and said goodbye I would have happily tipped them, instead they scampered leaving us with No Butler, cabin staff etc.

I speak as a find, and you’re definition of tips isn’t reality, it’s just a figure dreamt up.

No one has to tip anyone if they don’t wish too.

[NLH Arizona]

Yes. Daily snacks, coffee supplies and a couple of room service breakfasts were not worth $40-$60 per day for my family.

Then tip them what you feel is appropriate, as I'm sure they will be appreciative no matter what you tip.

 

If someone wants to tip $100 a day, it should have no bearing on what you tip. What you call crazy talk, could just be spare change to someone else and they could think that what you give is crazy in the opposite direction. Folks shouldn't be concerned what others tip, they should only be concerned with what they do themselves.

[ray98]

Then tip them what you feel is appropriate, as I'm sure they will be appreciative no matter what you tip.

 

If someone wants to tip $100 a day, it should have no bearing on what you tip. What you call crazy talk, could just be spare change to someone else and they could think that what you give is crazy in the opposite direction. Folks shouldn't be concerned what others tip, they should only be concerned with what they do themselves.

 

 

Which is what I said, I tip based on services rendered. The $15pp/per day appears to be offended by that. My family of 4 will never tip a butler $420 for the week, that is so high it is insane.

[Trimone]

Which is what I said, I tip based on services rendered. The $15pp/per day appears to be offended by that. My family of 4 will never tip a butler $420 for the week, that is so high it is insane.

My view on this matter : If someone goes the extra mile, I will tip them, if they are doing their normal job, that I have already paid NCL considrible money for, I will leave a token at the end of my cruise.

But nobody going to tell me the amount I tip.

I’ve paid more DSC in the Haven, if the people in the Haven are not getting the extra...Who is ?

[Sam Ting]

My view on this matter : If someone goes the extra mile, I will tip them, if they are doing their normal job, that I have already paid NCL considrible money for, I will leave a token at the end of my cruise.

But nobody going to tell me the amount I tip.

I’ve paid more DSC in the Haven, if the people in the Haven are not getting the extra...Who is ?

 

The only thing the butler did for us was drop off a plate of crappy snacks from a cart she pushed down the hallway everyday. We gave her zero, that’s right the big old goose egg! Same for the concierge. The old lady made all the reservations, so no need to give her anything.

[NLH Arizona]

Which is what I said, I tip based on services rendered. The $15pp/per day appears to be offended by that. My family of 4 will never tip a butler $420 for the week, that is so high it is insane.

Who cares if someone is offended by what you tip? Tip what you feel is the correct figure and, if it bothers you that someone is offended by your figure and you have to clap back at them, then don't post what you tip.

[ray98]

Who cares if someone is offended by what you tip? Tip what you feel is the correct figure and, if it bothers you that someone is offended by your figure and you have to clap back at them, then don't post what you tip.

 

 

This is a discussion board. They want to discuss it with their air of superiority thrown in then I will oblige.