Tipping wait staff extra - how much?

[Saab4444]

10 hours ago, RazorbackIslandGirl said:

I believe in tipping what someone is worth, not what is customary in their country. They travel away from their families for prolonged periods of time to earn more money than they are able to in their own countries. To tip less because of the economic status of their own country seems to be unfair. IMHO But to each their own.

There are many people in the world who work away from their families and/or for low salaries. With the auto tips they become already rich people in their home countries like the Philipines, with all these unreasonable extra tips they become richy rich. Seamen go home with about ten times the money compared to local workers in e.g. the Philipines, India or Indonesia. Of course the local costs of living are the biggest factor to judge what is a fair salary amount.

[GUT2407]

6 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

 

Probably because they have access to toothbrushes and the toilet

Ahhh so not tips but extortion got it.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

2 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

So you tip extra because you are afraid of the staff?

Yep some are.... that is where this tipping thing has brought us! 🙄

[Thorben-Hendrik]

2 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

With the auto tips they become already rich people in their home countries like the Philipines, with all these unreasonable extra tips they become richy rich. Seamen go home with about ten times the money compared to local workers in e.g. the Philipines, India or Indonesia.

Absolutely! 👍

[mayleeman]

5 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

So you tip extra because you are afraid of the staff?

Absolutely!  Don't want to be "Bruced" by the dining room staff, either!

 

In a more serious vein, I tend to find that making service people happy influences them to try to return the favor. YMMV

[bostonfred]

16 hours ago, DfDinLA said:

I think about the following things in regard to tipping on a cruise ship:

 

1. Tipping is an American custom and is not common in much of the world.

2. The cruise ship business is an international business with an international work force.

3. Americans tip in dollars and those dollars are converted by the recipients into their home country currencies worth fractions (sometimes small fractions) of a dollar.

4. Per 2017 data, a nurse in a Manilla hospital earns an average of 19,000 Philippines Pesos per month.  That converts to US $363 per month.

5. Cruise ship workers work hard.  So do nurses.

 

These are things I think about when tipping outside the USA.  

Sounds like a rationalization.....don’t know why I read these posts

 

 

[Pratique]

One of our cabin attendants told us that she earns far more "cleaning toilets" on a cruise ship than working as a trained scientist in Trinidad and Tobago. Her husband cannot work because of a disability and she sends her kids to private school for a better education. She is the breadwinner but away from her family for seven months at a time. Maybe she was fishing for tips by telling us this (I did not get that impression) but in any event the pay on the ship is at an entirely different level for many of these folks than what they can earn at home. Everyone working on the ship has a story like that - better pay and higher living standards than at home. For better or for worse. Tip (or not) as you see fit.

[voyager70]

7 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

So you tip extra because you are afraid of the staff?

 

Lighten up, it was a JOKE

 

[carmenOH]

By the time we hand over our luggage to the time we walk off the ship we have probably dished out $200 in tips besides the daily gratuities and I think that would be about average for those that tip extra but I did read on this forum that the individual getting the tip can not keep it. It goes into a kitty to be divided up. Is this true? 

[Tree_skier]

18 hours ago, DfDinLA said:

I think about the following things in regard to tipping on a cruise ship:

 

1. Tipping is an American custom and is not common in much of the world.

2. The cruise ship business is an international business with an international work force.

3. Americans tip in dollars and those dollars are converted by the recipients into their home country currencies worth fractions (sometimes small fractions) of a dollar.

4. Per 2017 data, a nurse in a Manilla hospital earns an average of 19,000 Philippines Pesos per month.  That converts to US $363 per month.

5. Cruise ship workers work hard.  So do nurses.

 

These are things I think about when tipping outside the USA.  

 

 

If I'm in a hospital in Manila I'll make sure that I tip extremely well.

[Tree_skier]

20 hours ago, Amberle3 said:

I'm sure this has been asked before, and a search revealed all kinds of debate on the merits of tipping etc, but I'm needing opinions on how much extra to tip.

 

I'm on Oasis right now with my BF - it's his first cruise.  He's fallen in love with cruising and is having a great time.  He's SUPER impressed with our wait staff, who have been giving the standard great service I've always experienced from wait staff in the MDR. 

 

BF really wants to tip the wait staff extra, which I agree with.  We're having a disagreement about how much.  He's going about it by trying to figure out the value of the meals (if they were at a land-based restaurant) and how much we'd be tipping for each meal, adding that up, then subtracting the $3ish per person they get from the auto gratuity. 

 

So he's figuring about $50 per person extra tip, which is considerably more than I was thinking. We're looking to see what the "standard" additional tip is.  Opinions?

We tipped $40 to our waiter and $30 to our assistant waiter.

[MandyMooToo]

5 minutes ago, carmenOH said:

By the time we hand over our luggage to the time we walk off the ship we have probably dished out $200 in tips besides the daily gratuities and I think that would be about average for those that tip extra but I did read on this forum that the individual getting the tip can not keep it. It goes into a kitty to be divided up. Is this true? 

I wonder about this myself.  I have heard many different things (if you leave on auto grats then they can keep the extra, if not then it goes in the group pile to be shared, etc.) but I notice when I give out extra they are usually very careful to slip it in their pockets and not very open about it so I think most just keep it.  Which is fine with me as I intended extra the tip for the person I gave it to.

[dreadpirate3]

18 hours ago, voyager70 said:

On top of the auto grats we generally tip each of our waiters an extra $20-30 on a 7 nighter.  Same for cabin attendant.  Glad your BF is loving his first cruise!

 

That's what we usually do, tipped a bit more because our waiter treated us so well at dinners and other times when he saw us. Also, because he was flying home to Bali when we disembarked. We average $30-50 for great service. We include the room steward in that as well.

[Tree_skier]

12 minutes ago, carmenOH said:

By the time we hand over our luggage to the time we walk off the ship we have probably dished out $200 in tips besides the daily gratuities and I think that would be about average for those that tip extra but I did read on this forum that the individual getting the tip can not keep it. It goes into a kitty to be divided up. Is this true? 

No it's not.  It is simply CC legend.  Staff tell you, if you ask, that they get to keep all cash tips.  Now some here on CC will tell you that there is a nefarious plot by Rci to deceive you and take more of your hard earned money to supplement staff wages by making them turn in all cash tips into the pool but there has never been any evidence to support this idea.

 

I'm an overtipper, I know that.  However, I enjoy being able to tip and do so willingly.  We have tipped our waitstaff, the spa staff  (10% of treatment cost), the bar staff ($1 a drink) and the staff in Cafe Promenade who made my morning latte(usually a dollar or two depending on if I'm getting a drink for my wife also).  I usually slip my cabin steward $20 when he introduces himself and another $20 the night before debarkation.  I'll probably up that amount on my December Adventure OS cruise since we have our grand daughter with us and I'm sure our room is going to need more help than usual.

 

I have absolutely no idea how much that comes to over the course of the cruise but I'm sure that it will not break me.

[Joseph2017China]

The daily tip post....  Tips are based on customs.  The ship, is not land based, or Europe based or USA.  It is the international cruising industry to give a certain tip.  Like going to Europe, you tip different than in Asia.  So on any of these tipping topics, people forget, that this is not home, but on a ship, and the custom is different.  With that being said, when I'm in Asia, I tip one way, and when I'm in Europe another way, and at home, another way, and on the ship, the ship's way.   If you want to tip more than what is customary, than do so, but honestly, it's none of anyone's business how much money you want to give and I never disclose how little I give. 

[clean1owner]

I always cancel auto-grats and then give everyone $10 at the end of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just as believable as anyone else posting how generous they are.

[LeeW]

Agree with your BF - the crew that we interact with on the ship really make the cruise.  We also got hooked on the first cruise, mainly by our treatment by the staff.  You don't have to give them any extra, but you can if you want to.  They appreciate anything.  They send almost all their tips home to their families. 

 

If you have the same waiters every night make sure you get their full names and your steward's full name and mention them on the last page of the electronic comment card you will get by email.  And it expires a week from end of sailing, so do it as soon as you can when you get home.  Their promotions, time off, future contracts, and work assignments are dependent on what their customers say about  them.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 hour ago, Pratique said:

but in any event the pay on the ship is at an entirely different level for many of these folks than what they can earn at home. Everyone working on the ship has a story like that - better pay and higher living standards than at home

👍

[HBE4]

12 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

 

Probably because they have access to toothbrushes and the toilet

 

 

I feel sorry for the people that wait until the end of the cruise to tip the room steward. By then, there toothbrushes have already been messed with and they are paying for it. 😉

 

Rule of the day: Tip up front!

[HBE4]

22 hours ago, Amberle3 said:

So he's figuring about $50 per person extra tip, which is considerably more than I was thinking. We're looking to see what the "standard" additional tip is.  Opinions?

 

I usually give $100 pp/pd but that just me. I love to spread the wealth.

 

Just kidding....a little humor to brighten the thread.

 

I'd think anything in the $20-$50 range would be appropriate. Or figure $10 extra a day but that  could turn into significant coin if you are on a long cruise. It depends on your budget and comfort level.

 

I know you said you'd try to figure out how much the meal could cost at home but since the MDR has been compared to a 5-star restaurant to a glorified dining hall, that can be hard to figure out to.

[scootersdad]

6 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Yep some are.... that is where this tipping thing has brought us! 🙄

When the US ever starts imposing the "living wage " on us and meal prices go up by several dollars; I will tip like they do in the EU and Australia. 

Round up to the next euro etc..   that $15.50 check become 16 period ( unless the service was so wonderful)

 

Can't have it both ways.

[scootersdad]

43 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

👍

Agree

I had a waiter from India who was ending his third  and Final contract; he said he'll be a rich man when he goes home.

He will buy 2 houses. 

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

It totally cracks me up that people are offended by someone expressing their generosity when the OP was asking people what they tip! I personally begrudge no one for becoming "rich" when they work hard! 

[Joseph2017China]

1 hour ago, RazorbackIslandGirl said:

It totally cracks me up that people are offended by someone expressing their generosity when the OP was asking people what they tip! I personally begrudge no one for becoming "rich" when they work hard! 

Generally speaking, no one ever posts that they "just give" the recommended amount.  Almost everyone "brags" how much they give.  So the stateroom gets $8.00 a day for 2 people times 7 days, times 20 rooms.  It's a nice amount and depending on country they are from, it's either a huge amount, or a small amount.  I was just rounding, but you get the picture.  But none of that is my business.  I brag that I prepay and leave it alone.  Before the internet, people gave in private sealed in an envelope without brag sessions. 

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

On 2/21/2019 at 12:56 PM, Amberle3 said:

We're looking to see what the "standard" additional tip is.  Opinions?

Clearly OP is wanting to know what others tip. If it is higher than your "standard" don't take offense. Everyone is entitled to tip as they see fit. But, to accuse someone of "bragging" when merely answering the question, seems awfully judgmental! IMHO I certainly don't accuse you of being cheep if you tip less. Again... to each their own!