Royal Genie Tipping?

[DisneyMatt10]

Hey all! Quick question! We just booked the Royal Loft Suite on Allure of the Seas, and I was curious about the Royal Genie, and tipping. I know it varies by country, and I know that typically tipping means "To Insure Proper Service." - So, that being said... How would you go about tipping your Royal Genie, and how much is appropriate? 

 

There are 4 of us sailing, and we were thinking $100 per couple per day. Does that seem about right? To high? To low? This Royal Genie thing is new to us... And I want to make sure we do it right! 

 

Thank you! 🙂

[Clarea]

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2593055-tipping-the-genie/?do=findComment&comment=55928856

 

[DisneyMatt10]

^ Thanks! I'll check out that thread! 🙂

[ryanbarckley]

@DisneyMatt10 We had 6 people for a 7 day cruise and did $100/person. He did include my grandparents in show seatings a couple of times so they also gave him an extra $50 themselves. 
 

Room steward is included in the standard tips BUT we tipped ours $200, since he was one of the most friendly room stewards we had ever had and we gave him so many clothes to press/clean and he always handled them very quickly (I literally watched him run several times, not because I ever asked), so we felt he deserved some extra compensation, which he made very clear he really appreciated. 
 

We have another star class room booked next year and I anticipate doing similar numbers as long as we enjoy things as much as we did the first time! 
 

Everyone handles tipping differently though and I know you’ll find some differing answers on the linked threads as well. 

[DisneyMatt10]

@ryanbarckley Thanks for that information! It helps getting to see how others break it down. I'll keep the room steward in mind when we are looking at cash to bring for tipping. Thanks again! 🙂

[ATG]

We had 4 adults in an Aqua Theatre suite a couple of years ago.  We tipped $400 for the week.  Our genie was good, but not great.  I also added some to the room steward, he was the best we have ever had.  Enjoy the experience!

[TexasTrini]

On 1/15/2020 at 4:36 PM, ATG said:

Our genie was good, but not great. 

We're traveling Star Class for the first time, later this year on Symphony, so I'm curious about your comment. What ship were you on? Who was your genie? What did he/she do or not do? 

[lovescats5]

Finally, a thread I know something about.  Our first genie on Oasis we paid $400 for 4 for the 7 nights.  Our second genie, on Oasis again but different genie, we gave $600 because it was 5 of us in an A1 and he did more for us.  Then we went to Anthem and this is where it got a little expensive.  We paid $600 for 4 because the genie had us do all the things we could possible do and then more.  He made sure we were in the North Star at every stop, and once the husband and son learned about iFly he reserved extra time for them to fly.  We have been on Anthem 3 times with the same genie and now he seems like family and we paid him well.  He was always there getting reservations for iFly, always getting my granddaughter involved in all the activities we wanted to do as a family, making sure we got everything we wanted, and even getting us off and back on the ship when we had to get a cell phone that was left in the private transportation we used to get to the pier.  So, for a starting place I would say $400 for 4 people.  If he/she goes above what you ask for then add a little more.  You will be spoiled and enjoy all the benefits you will receive.  One piece of advice is do not let other people on the ship spoil your fun.  Some can get pretty upset as you go to the front of the line.  We have always told my granddaughter that it is fine to be first in line once but after that she needs to let other people go who have stood in line (especially bumper cars on Anthem).

[ATG]

It has been 2 years so I don’t remember her name.  We were on Oasis.

 

The one thing I remember is that we had dinner planned on the balcony to watch the aqua show.  It poured down rain and the show was cancelled.  We called her to see what options we had for dinner.  Immediately she said everything was completely booked.  We ended up walking in to the solarium bistro hoping they could fit us in.  They weren’t busy at all.  I felt like she really didn’t care about us or was too busy with the more demanding people.  There were a couple of minor miscommunication issues, but nothing major.

 

We were pretty low maintenance, didn’t ask for shows or anything special.  Once a year we cruise with our 2 adult sons.  The purpose is seeing each other since we don’t live close.
 

[TexasTrini]

13 minutes ago, ATG said:

The one thing I remember is that we had dinner planned on the balcony to watch the aqua show.  It poured down rain and the show was cancelled.  We called her to see what options we had for dinner.  Immediately she said everything was completely booked.  We ended up walking in to the solarium bistro hoping they could fit us in.  They weren’t busy at all.  I felt like she really didn’t care about us or was too busy with the more demanding people. 
 

 

I'm sorry that happened to you. Thanks for the reply.

[lovescats5]

It is interesting to hear about the experiences people have with the genies.  It seems every ship with genies does things a little differently.  On Oasis it was way different than our experiences on Anthem.  Part of that might be the time frame.  We were on Oasis about 2 months after the start of Star Class and as we sail we have different things that we might want or do.  We are looking forward to Ovation, Odyssey, and Allure to see how the Star Class experience compares to Oasis and Anthem.  We have always made time to meet and talk to the other genies on board and see how they react to the people they are taking care of.  We have seen some good genies and then some we probably would not tip as much.  We only tip at the end of the cruise because the genie might be good to start but get a little lax towards the end and that affects what we would give them.

[ATG]

It certainly didn’t ruin our cruise.  I got to see my sons, eat lots of good food I didn’t have to cook, enjoyed the sun, all good.  It made us realize that star class isn’t worth it to us.  We none of us drink much so the drink package was a waste for us (or a great profit for RC).  We’ll stick to other suites.

[lovescats5]

We love Star Class.  Part of the pull for me is I do not have to take the time to research everything and decide what extra packages we might want.  We are on Liberty March 1 in their 4 bedroom suite and after we figured the cost of just some of the extra things we wanted (beverage package, not the alcohol, dining, mystery dinner) we will have paid the same amount as we do for a Star Class suite.  We did have a different experience on Oasis than ATG had.  We decided at the last minute to go to Chops instead of dinner on the balcony and our genie never missed a beat.  He had us a table, outside on their patio, so we could listen to the music and watch the people.  It was one of the best dinners we had.

[AFCruizer]

47 minutes ago, lovescats5 said:

Finally, a thread I know something about.  Our first genie on Oasis we paid $400 for 4 for the 7 nights.  Our second genie, on Oasis again but different genie, we gave $600 because it was 5 of us in an A1 and he did more for us.  Then we went to Anthem and this is where it got a little expensive.  We paid $600 for 4 because the genie had us do all the things we could possible do and then more.  He made sure we were in the North Star at every stop, and once the husband and son learned about iFly he reserved extra time for them to fly.  We have been on Anthem 3 times with the same genie and now he seems like family and we paid him well.  He was always there getting reservations for iFly, always getting my granddaughter involved in all the activities we wanted to do as a family, making sure we got everything we wanted, and even getting us off and back on the ship when we had to get a cell phone that was left in the private transportation we used to get to the pier.  So, for a starting place I would say $400 for 4 people.  If he/she goes above what you ask for then add a little more.  You will be spoiled and enjoy all the benefits you will receive.  One piece of advice is do not let other people on the ship spoil your fun.  Some can get pretty upset as you go to the front of the line.  We have always told my granddaughter that it is fine to be first in line once but after that she needs to let other people go who have stood in line (especially bumper cars on Anthem).

Do you remember your genie's name on the Anthem, and how long ago was that cruise?  We're on the Anthem in April for its transatlantic repositioning, but the genie we had the last two cruises on Anthem (Jay, who was *awesome*!!) is no longer on Anthem, and so we're wondering who our new genie will be. The one you had sounds like a good one.

[cb at sea]

Tipping is traditionally done on the last evening....tip according to what their service is worth to you.  If you use them frequently, then tip accordingly and generously.  If you barely make their acquaintance, a tip isn't needed.  Really, it's what the value of their service is to YOU!

 

[lovescats5]

We had Derick Martis all 3 times.  Also Shane was there but I think he planned to go to an Oasis class, not sure when.  Shane is high energy, Derick is more reserved but we liked him enough to ask for him for the last 2 cruises.  We will also see if he will be on Odyssey and then we are back on Anthem for Thanksgiving next year and plan on seeing if he will be on Anthem.  I know genies are like anything else, sometimes they are great for one family and then they might not mesh so well with another.  But I would recommend him to anyone sailing on Anthem.

[AFCruizer]

8 hours ago, lovescats5 said:

We had Derick Martis all 3 times.  Also Shane was there but I think he planned to go to an Oasis class, not sure when.  Shane is high energy, Derick is more reserved but we liked him enough to ask for him for the last 2 cruises.  We will also see if he will be on Odyssey and then we are back on Anthem for Thanksgiving next year and plan on seeing if he will be on Anthem.  I know genies are like anything else, sometimes they are great for one family and then they might not mesh so well with another.  But I would recommend him to anyone sailing on Anthem.

Thanks!  We’ve heard good things about Derick before from several people. We’ll request him and see what happens. Hopefully he’s still on Anthem, and, if so, isn’t between contracts for the cruise we’re on. 

[Blondiemomm]

On 1/17/2020 at 5:58 PM, lovescats5 said:

  One piece of advice is do not let other people on the ship spoil your fun.  Some can get pretty upset as you go to the front of the line.  We have always told my granddaughter that it is fine to be first in line once but after that she needs to let other people go who have stood in line (especially bumper cars on Anthem).

Seriously? Ppl get upset because you're SC and paid a HUGE premium? No way..

[later]

22 hours ago, Blondiemomm said:

Seriously? Ppl get upset because you're SC and paid a HUGE premium? No way..

Those that are in SC and are experienced board riders know flow rider etiquette and do not go to the front of the line.
 

or if they do they only do it once.

 

unsure of other activities but what you pay should not have anything to do with it.

 

 

[SRF]

On 1/15/2020 at 4:49 PM, DisneyMatt10 said:

I know that typically tipping means "To Insure Proper Service." -

 

If that was the case, you would tip BEFORE the service.

 

It really means to REWARD good service.  But I know that doesn't work as an acronym. 😄