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assigned gratuity confusion


intamasea
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Our first cruise coming up in less than 65 days,  I am so confused about tipping, such as the assigned gratuity....

I DO understand, no need to tip with drink service since 15-18% is already added.  Can someone explain the meaning of opting out of tipping when

you first arrive on the ship... Another question about room service, that is free during certain hrs and of course what you select... Do I add a tip to that?

Do I sign for anything when they deliver?  Another question on your last day, is there the tips added to your bill that are for the daily services from cabin steward,

and etc.    

I dont wish to do the wrong tipping customs but also dont want to over tip.  Please help 

Peggy

 

 

 

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Gratuity can be prepaid or is added onto your on board account at end of cruise. We prepay ours. Just easier for us.

 

Yes drink tips are already added. If we find a good bartender we'll give a buck or so extra at times

 

Room service is a flat rate for most items at any time. Can't remember how much, something like 8 bucks per order, now matter how much you order. I've heard both ways that tips are added and are not. Haven't done it. Continental Breakfast items are still free. 

 

After having typed all of this I have no idea what cruise line you are going on. The info I gave is for Royal. Could be much different with other lines. 

 

Edited by dwayneb236
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7 minutes ago, intamasea said:

Our first cruise coming up in less than 65 days,  I am so confused about tipping, such as the assigned gratuity....

I DO understand, no need to tip with drink service since 15-18% is already added.  Can someone explain the meaning of opting out of tipping when

you first arrive on the ship... Another question about room service, that is free during certain hrs and of course what you select... Do I add a tip to that?

Do I sign for anything when they deliver?  Another question on your last day, is there the tips added to your bill that are for the daily services from cabin steward,

and etc.    

I dont wish to do the wrong tipping customs but also dont want to over tip.  Please help 

Peggy

 

 

 

What cruise line?

In general, gratuities (a.k.a. daily service charge) are added to your account and translate to pooled tips for service staff like cabin stewards, wait staff, et al.).  Some cruise lines/TAs/loyalty levels cover the cost. Some cruise lines permit your removing the charge (a truly low class move).

As you mentioned, bar bills get an auto tip added. Note that some booze package prices include the tip while others add it to the published package price.

if you feel you have received some truly exceptional service (e.g., cabin steward hunts down the last Pellegrino onboard and hoards it to restock your fridge or barman keeps a stash of fresh squeezed citrus just for your drinks), you can always give them added cash at the end of the trip.

BTW, another low class/naive move is to "pre-tip" servers/stewards/bartenders (I.e., "bribe") erroneously believing it will get you "better" service.

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Almost every cruise line now adds the proper gratuities to your bill daily.  It covers your cabin attendant, waiters, ass't waiters and head waiter.  Bar bills (or drink packages) have the tip added to the cost.  Nothing further is required by you.

 

Room service is NOT included in the tips, so if you use that, tip at time of delivery...$1-5, depending on how much you order!

 

It's much easier to leave the daily tips in place and not have to worry about it at all.  Everyone who is supposed to be tipped WILL be tipped.

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OP will be on the Carnival Miracle.

 

I don't know Carnival's rules for tipping.

 

But I do know that we always keep ours in place on HAL so that anything we give extra at the end of the cruise, we know that those people can keep the tips and they don't have to be placed in a pool and shared by anyone else.

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5 hours ago, intamasea said:

Our first cruise coming up in less than 65 days,  I am so confused about tipping, such as the assigned gratuity....

I DO understand, no need to tip with drink service since 15-18% is already added.  Can someone explain the meaning of opting out of tipping when

you first arrive on the ship... Another question about room service, that is free during certain hrs and of course what you select... Do I add a tip to that?

Do I sign for anything when they deliver?  Another question on your last day, is there the tips added to your bill that are for the daily services from cabin steward,

and etc.    

I dont wish to do the wrong tipping customs but also dont want to over tip.  Please help 

Peggy

 

 

 

As someone else mentioned you will be on Carnival, I can help.

 

You are correct, there is a gratuity added to each drink order.  Only tip extra if you feel you received an extra service.

 

With the auto-gratuity ... that covers all of the housekeeping (room stewards), wait staff, and a few others.  You can opt-out of this auto-gratuity and tip in cash, but I don't recommend it.  Who wants to spend their vacation chasing down everyone who does anything for you and doling out money.  Not this girl!  We do (at the end of the cruise) tip extra in cash if someone has really gone out of their way to make our vacation special.

 

Room service is free (except for a few paid items) from 6:00am until 10:00pm.  Between 10:00pm and 6:00am there is a charge for everything on the menu, but it is minimal.  Room service waiters are not included in the auto-gratuity pool, so please add a little for them (in cash or on the slip you sign).  We usually tip between $1 and $5, depending on how much we order.

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6 hours ago, intamasea said:

Our first cruise coming up in less than 65 days,  I am so confused about tipping, such as the assigned gratuity....

I DO understand, no need to tip with drink service since 15-18% is already added.  Can someone explain the meaning of opting out of tipping when

you first arrive on the ship... Another question about room service, that is free during certain hrs and of course what you select... Do I add a tip to that?

Do I sign for anything when they deliver?  Another question on your last day, is there the tips added to your bill that are for the daily services from cabin steward,

and etc.    

I dont wish to do the wrong tipping customs but also dont want to over tip.  Please help 

Peggy

 

 

 

I always prepay gratuities.  I take extra for porters, bartenders (I never get the drink packages, so there is that), dining crew and room steward.  I tip them extra if I have received great service.  

Edited by LuckyStar
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5 hours ago, Betty Gale said:

Hi all! I'm about to book my first cruise with NCL. Could you give me an idea of tipping on this cruise line. Thank you in advance.

 

Liz

 

Hi Liz,

On Norwegian you will have a Daily Service Charge added to your account.  You are able to pre-pay this before you sail or just leave it and it will be settled on the last day on the credit card you link to  your ship board account. 

Do you have the Beverage Package?  You will prepay the tips on that and it will be included in your cruise fare.  IF you don't have the package there is an auto-tip added to each drink and you will sign for the drink and again it will be on your final bill at the end of the cruise.  If you find a great bartender and they take care of you with good pours or knows what you're drinking before you even get up to the bar af dollar or two every now and then is suggested.

Room service (other than basic continental breakfast times) has a fee per item, you should leave a $1 or two to the delivery person per order. 

Are you in a suite?  The Butler and the Concierge are NOT part of the DSC and they should be tipped at the end of the cruise depending on how much you use them.  There is no rule of thumb on how much to tip these crew members.

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It is so much better when questions are asked and include the cruise line information.

 

Just leave tips in place regardless of them being added daily or at the end. These tips are divided up, and some goes to people who you will never see who helped make your cruise a good time.

 

We always give a good bartender a little extra on the first day, and then a little here and there and we have a good bartender for the remaining time on the ship.

 

If you feel your cabin attendant has gone above and beyond, it is nice to give them something extra towards the end of the cruise.

 

 

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43 minutes ago, Betty Gale said:

Thank you! One more question. How do you manage to find a good bartender on the very first day? ;))

 

Liz

 

35 minutes ago, SPacificbound said:

You will know a good bartender when you get there.

 

They are paying attention, happy to take your order, bring you back the right drink, Bingo.

 

 

One thing's for sure: you certainly don't need to bribe a good bartender. S/he will treat everyone equally. What you want from them is to know your drink (including any specific ingredients).

if you prefer premium spirits in your cocktails and fresh squeezed citrus (rather than some gross mixer), a good bartender will remember your specs on the next visit AND there is no need to bribe them to do so.

Of course, if your norm is smaller ships (e.g., <700 passengers) on a cruise line with no more than a half dozen ships AND you sail often, bartenders will remember those folks who remember them and their mutual interests.

For years, we have corresponded with a Balinese bartender on Oceania including always checking to see if we'll be on the same sailings. Whenever we introduce ourselves to a new (to us) Oceania bartender who Balinese, they often know who we are and have zero problem doing/remembering our spec'ed drinks. AND that doesn't require bribes upfront (which is so "bush league"). Rather, it just requires genuine interest in them and/or their culture and courtesy on your part (and an end-of-cruise extra tip never hurts their memory for the next cruise).

Edited by Flatbush Flyer
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On 11/14/2018 at 1:00 PM, Betty Gale said:

Hi all! I'm about to book my first cruise with NCL. Could you give me an idea of tipping on this cruise line. Thank you in advance.

 

Liz

What is your question?  It is much the same as most of the cruise lines.  There is an option to pay them before you cruise and get it out of the way.  IF you DO pay it first/prior to cruising ... you are DONE.  No more is expected or necessary from you once on board.  Bars will add tips to the receipt when you sign for a drink.  Drink packages also  have added tips at the time of purchasing the drink package.   Room service is NOT part of the tip/gratuity/daily service charge.  So if you do order room service, it would be nice to tip them ... like you would your pizza/chinese food delivery person.  Just as an example. 

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1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

If you give a bartender money before he even serves you the first time, how is that "appreciation?"

No need to answer. We all know that's called a bribe.

 

There is nothing in my post that says we give the gratuity before service. That would be ridiculous, and is not what I said. 

There is no reason for you to be insulting.

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Flatbush Flyer:  "For years, we have corresponded with a Balinese bartender on Oceania including always checking to see if we'll be on the same sailings. Whenever we introduce ourselves to a new (to us) Oceania bartender who Balinese, they often know who we are and have zero problem doing/remembering our spec'ed drinks. AND that doesn't require bribes upfront (which is so "bush league"). Rather, it just requires genuine interest in them and/or their culture and courtesy on your part (and an end-of-cruise extra tip never hurts their memory for the next cruise)."

 

SPacificBound:  It is not a bribe, it is appreciation.  

 

FlatbushFlyer:  If you give a bartender money before he even serves you the first time, how is that "appreciation?"

No need to answer. We all know that's called a bribe.

 

SPacificBound:  There is nothing in my post that says we give the gratuity before service. That would be ridiculous, and is not what I said. 

There is no reason for you to be insulting.

 

Here is the series of posts ... it is pretty clear you did mention tipping prior to service by condoning it as appreciation and not a bribe.    

 

 

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Generally ... tips are  NOT included for the driver or the guide (2 different people) on ship purchased excursions.  Me & my DH would give $20 if it was an all day tour to the guide and let her/him share with the driver.  But it's entirely up to you and what your comfort level is. 

Edited by CruiseGal999
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10 hours ago, Betty Gale said:

I'm  going to book several ship excursions. Please clarify if tips for guide are included or not.  If not what will be normal to tip. I'm going to Europe. As far as I know tips in Europe are not so common. I don't want to do wrong tipping.

 

Thank you!

 

Liz

 

While tipping like we do is particularly American (or more specifically, Usonian) -- tours and guides will set the price lower if they know the clientele is from the US. For an most-of-the-day tour dr'spin and I would probably tip US$20 to the guide and $10 to the driver. We would rather be thought foolish than hard-hearted! 

 

ETA: above assumes competent performance of their jobs. We once had a river-cruise day-trip guide that was truly awful. He walked well-ahead mumbling into the breeze! We still tipped half of above (adjusted for the half-day). Perhaps we ARE foolish!

Edited by crystalspin
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1 hour ago, crystalspin said:

While tipping like we do is particularly American (or more specifically, Usonian) -- tours and guides will set the price lower if they know the clientele is from the US. For an most-of-the-day tour dr'spin and I would probably tip US$20 to the guide and $10 to the driver. We would rather be thought foolish than hard-hearted! 

 

ETA: above assumes competent performance of their jobs. We once had a river-cruise day-trip guide that was truly awful. He walked well-ahead mumbling into the breeze! We still tipped half of above (adjusted for the half-day). Perhaps we ARE foolish!

At $30 USD total tips to driver and guide, I sure hope you're talking about a private full day tour for two or more folks in a developed country. Even then, to do so solely because you don't want to be thought of as "hard-hearted" in a business transaction?  .........

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46 minutes ago, SPacificbound said:

You missed the initial post. If you bothered to read it you would see there is nothing about "tipping prior to service".

I read your initial post.....

"We always give a good bartender a little extra on the first day, and then a little here and there and we have a good bartender for the remaining time on the ship."

The definition of a bribe is "anything given or serving to persuade or induce:" Your statement clearly indicates that you add money to the established autotip before any pattern of extraordinary service has been established and also implies that a good bartender will not remain so unless you use additional dollars as an inducement. Ergo: bribe.

Of course, if a bartender provides consistently responsive stellar service over the course of the cruise (without extra monetary inducements), your parting gift of additional dollars would be considered a gratuity demonstrating your "appreciation."

 

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17 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I read your initial post.....

"We always give a good bartender a little extra on the first day, and then a little here and there and we have a good bartender for the remaining time on the ship."

The definition of a bribe is "anything given or serving to persuade or induce:" Your statement clearly indicates that you add money to the established autotip before any pattern of extraordinary service has been established and also implies that a good bartender will not remain so unless you use additional dollars as an inducement. Ergo: bribe.

Of course, if a bartender provides consistently responsive stellar service over the course of the cruise (without extra monetary inducements), your parting gift of additional dollars would be considered a gratuity demonstrating your "appreciation."

 

 

Hey Flatbush, you seem to have a bug about folks slipping $$ up front.  Not everyone is going to adhere to your (or my) idea of what is proper.  Time to let it go.  Just sayin . . . 

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