What do you tip your YC butler at the end?

[Brendaflamingo]

We had a great butler on our last cruise on MSC Yacht Club.  He really made a difference without asking for anything.

He tipped him $150.00 and what ever was put on automatically on our account..

What is a correct tip if you love your butler?

Thanks

 

[xcell]

May I ask what he did that was above and beyond?

 

 

[Cruisergal1208]

• Tipping is very personal. What you did is pretty much in line for one week, unless you made lots of requests that he/she wouldn’t normally do.  It’s really up to the individual cruiser  as to the amounts.  

[hamrag]

30 minutes ago, Brendaflamingo said:

We had a great butler on our last cruise on MSC Yacht Club.  He really made a difference without asking for anything.

He tipped him $150.00 and what ever was put on automatically on our account..

What is a correct tip if you love your butler?

Thanks

 

 

Assuming you pay the auto grats, there is no such thing as a further 'correct tip' if you love your butler....they are simply doing the job they are paid to do! What you gave him was generous.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Brendaflamingo said:

He tipped him $150.00

 

I will be a guest on MSC Meraviglia in Yacht Club for a 7 day Western Cruise during January.

 

Why, specifically, did you feel such an amount was earned?

 

 

[Brendaflamingo]

Our butler made sure where we were on the ship and try to bring us something to make it better. 

We were at the yacht club pool, he found out what all of us in our group were drinking

and brought us all extra.  We were at the grill having lunch he brought us all gelato.

He made sure we had our favorite wine in our cabin that he gave to us . Not a cheap bottle.  He found out we were at the slide and brought us towels. This is off the top of my head.

[Brendaflamingo]

So far I’m answering your questions but no one is answering my question.

[Nymich]

The answer is there is no correct tip.  Personal choice based on service you felt you received.

[psmarkle]

On our recent cruise, we tipped $125, in line with what you did.

[G.M.T.]

Do not forget that tipping culture is very different in various parts of the world.

 

In US when you ask for the bill. 18% service ha sbeen added and you are expexted to leave another 15% as a tip.

 

In Europe and Britain (I Know Britian is in Europe, but getting ready for Brexit), on a small bill we round up to the next pound / euro, for larger bill amounts.

 

So you see there are no right or wrong amounts to tip. It i swhat you are comfortable with.

[nikkiw60]

We had good service from all the Butlers we encountered. On the last day we gave our 2 room butlers €50 each and the ones in the top sail €20 each. Also in the restaurant €20 each at the end of the week as we were never on the same table.

This was in addition to the daily service charge.

[dexddd]

Having sailed NCL quite a bit before and booked Divinia back in 2016, I came here to get idea what were norms for MSC.

 

Very little info and since MSC was not established in US markets, most responses were nothing as tips included in fare.  Even MSC brochure had wording to effect the butlers were part of service charge and no additional tipping needed.

 

We did tip what I'd call small amounts on  Divinia.  As MSC ships continue out of US and based on some reports here, more people are tipping in the YC and staff may be getting used to it.

 

The NCL boards have constant tipping threads for butlers.  The responses are all over the place and some just aren't believable.  IMO do what you feel is right based on services given.

 

Some of services you got are nice and something we haven't seen on three YC other than sometimes escort back onto ship.  We have had great service nonetheless from many people.  I actually find it hard to really decide who to tip because you can deal with so many others than just your butler.  It also depends who is working where.  It seemed a couple like Alvin and Olena worked a lot in TSL so we interacted with them quite a bit.  Others might be helpful by the pool but you just see them one day.

 

 

[nikkiw60]

2 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

Do not forget that tipping culture is very different in various parts of the world.

 

In US when you ask for the bill. 18% service ha sbeen added and you are expexted to leave another 15% as a tip.

 

In Europe and Britain (I Know Britian is in Europe, but getting ready for Brexit), on a small bill we round up to the next pound / euro, for larger bill amounts.

 

So you see there are no right or wrong amounts to tip. It i swhat you are comfortable with.

Are you sure re the bill in USA? When we have been in restaurants  there is a charge for tax and then you add the service charge between 15 and 24%. In U.K. we usually add between 10 and 15%.

In France and Greece service charge is already included in the price so we just leave few euros on the table as we leave.

[capriccio]

4 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

In US when you ask for the bill. 18% service ha sbeen added and you are expexted to leave another 15% as a tip.

 

 

Where?

 

I'm in the US and have never had 18% added and then be expected to tip another 15% in any type of establishment.  There are circumstances - usually in tourist cities with lots of foreign visitors not accustomed to tipping - where restaurants add a tip for large (6+ people) groups but then no additional tip is expected.  We've also experienced that when traveling with parties of 6 or more in Canadian tourist areas.  Those restaurants note the mandatory tip on their menus.

[Haworth]

We would never consider giving some of the amounts proposed here.

 

We give the room butler and the assistant a small thank you and that is it, we don't have room service or place any demands on the staff that would warrant extra tipping, beyond the daily service charge we have paid already.

 

Everyone is different and the the tipping culture that some countries follow is not the norm for others.

[Nymich]

5 hours ago, G.M.T. said:

Do not forget that tipping culture is very different in various parts of the world.

 

In US when you ask for the bill. 18% service ha sbeen added and you are expexted to leave another 15% as a tip.

 

It is not always added to the bill and 15% is being replaced or has been already with 20%.   This comes from my daughter the ex waitress!

What one does on a cruise ship or in the YC is a TOTALLY different subject.   It is thought by people who work in the restaurants in the US if you can't afford to tip then you shouldn't be eating out.  Cruising as we all know is different because it does include a daily gratuity charge.  Tip (if you want)  what you think is appropriate for the service received.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Nymich

[seahags]

1 hour ago, capriccio said:

 

Where?

 

I'm in the US and have never had 18% added and then be expected to tip another 15% in any type of establishment.  There are circumstances - usually in tourist cities with lots of foreign visitors not accustomed to tipping - where restaurants add a tip for large (6+ people) groups but then no additional tip is expected.  We've also experienced that when traveling with parties of 6 or more in Canadian tourist areas.  Those restaurants note the mandatory tip on their menus.

Agree with this.  It is highly unusual for tips to be added in the US unless it is for a large group and then nothing additional is expected.  And, as stated, this is noted on the menus.  I just can't comprehend a 33% tip unless some uber-outstanding service has been rendered!

 

[Fogfog]

18 hours ago, Brendaflamingo said:

We had a great butler on our last cruise on MSC Yacht Club.  He really made a difference without asking for anything.

He tipped him $150.00 and what ever was put on automatically on our account..

What is a correct tip if you love your butler?

Thanks

 

This sounds like a nice tip IMHO

 

16 hours ago, Brendaflamingo said:

Our butler made sure where we were on the ship and try to bring us something to make it better. 

We were at the yacht club pool, he found out what all of us in our group were drinking

and brought us all extra.  We were at the grill having lunch he brought us all gelato.

He made sure we had our favorite wine in our cabin that he gave to us . Not a cheap bottle.  He found out we were at the slide and brought us towels. This is off the top of my head.

You butler did some lively things for you to make your cruise exceptional

We have B2B booked in early 2020. Hope we get as lucky

[Gordoncruickshank]

2 hours ago, seahags said:

Agree with this.  It is highly unusual for tips to be added in the US unless it is for a large group and then nothing additional is expected.  And, as stated, this is noted on the menus.  I just can't comprehend a 33% tip unless some uber-outstanding service has been rendered!

 

Perhaps the poster is getting confused with sales tax.

[seahags]

48 minutes ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

Perhaps the poster is getting confused with sales tax.

,..perhaps, but there wouldn't be sales tax on a cruise?

[Gordoncruickshank]

1 hour ago, seahags said:

,..perhaps, but there wouldn't be sales tax on a cruise?

I took his post to mean he was talking about the mainland US compared with the mainland in Europe.

 

To be honest over here and in Europe I always add around 10%. There is no need to do any more and it definitely not expected. In the UK we have minimum wages legislation which means that people working full time should ne able to manage with out tips.

[capriccio]

2 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

Perhaps the poster is getting confused with sales tax.

 

While the level of taxes vary by state and locality none of them come anywhere close to 15% much less 18% percent.

 

See https://taxfoundation.org/sales-tax-rates-2019/

[hamrag]

21 hours ago, Brendaflamingo said:

So far I’m answering your questions but no one is answering my question.

 

Not true!! Please refer to post #4

[GratefulRIC]

On 8/13/2019 at 5:15 PM, Brendaflamingo said:

We had a great butler on our last cruise on MSC Yacht Club.  He really made a difference without asking for anything.

He tipped him $150.00 and what ever was put on automatically on our account..

What is a correct tip if you love your butler?

Thanks

 

 

I tip per occurrence, not lump sum.  If the Butler makes something happen for us I give $10 or $20 on the spot. Might be 10 or 15 times during the week that opportunity arises, it might be 2 or 3 times.  Your examples of what he did for you would have gotten him/her $10 or $20 each time.  

 

I take care of those who take care of us during the week and don’t worry about a “correct” lump sum at the end of the trip.  Our last trip in the Haven on NCL the Butler was worthless and got nothing... the room steward got his dough every day. 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

On 8/13/2019 at 5:15 PM, Brendaflamingo said:

We had a great butler on our last cruise on MSC Yacht Club.  He really made a difference without asking for anything.

He tipped him $150.00 and what ever was put on automatically on our account..

What is a correct tip if you love your butler?

Thanks

 

 

Hi Brenda,

 

Your tip was very generous and totally appropriate.  Not because there are some invisible guidelines for tipping but because YOU felt it was the right thing to do and the amount was one that you could easily afford.  Tipping is a personal decision.  The butler you had was very much in tune with your level of partying.  A good butler, waiter, waitress, bar tender, steward, or stewardess appreciates any amount given to them as a tip wether it be a dollar bill in hand or $100 bills in an envelope.  The amount you gave was the right amount because you felt it was right.  I have seen people tip nothing more than the DSC and others I know have tipped their butler more than $200 for 1 week.  Again what they felt they could afford.

 

BTW...what was your butler’s name?