Haven Tipping! Yes! A tipping thread! We’re back!

[Greenpea2]

3 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

It's so weird to tip the concierge. They are supposedly the supervisor of the butlers. They are who you go to if you don't get your daily canapes on time, right? Why the heck are we tipping a manager? It makes no sense whatsoever. And, like you, we tip them because we're told by NCL we should.

Some people use the Concierge a lot for things they either don't want to do, or can't (like get a specific dinner reservation). I can understand tipping them then. But we just don't use their services much, if at all. But yeah, it's partly because we feel we are "supposed to"! 🙂

[CILCIANRQTS]

Why is it that, after telling us that tipping is a personal thing, many insist on bragging about how much they tip by giving us exact amounts??
Tipping threads are nothing but vanity threads. 🙄

[cruiseny4life]

9 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Why is it that, after telling us that tipping is a personal thing, many insist on bragging about how much they tip by giving us exact amounts??
Tipping threads are nothing but vanity threads. 🙄

Because, as I've said many times, it's helpful for others to have an inkling of what others tip. Tipping threads that discussed exact tips allowed me to have a barometer of what to tip. That's why. Based on this, I've shared the amount I have tipped.

Trust me, it's not vanity. I don't tip ginormous amounts!

[Two Wheels Only]

42 minutes ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Why is it that, after telling us that tipping is a personal thing, many insist on bragging about how much they tip by giving us exact amounts??
Tipping threads are nothing but vanity threads. 🙄

 

In my opinion, some people are looking for affirmation that their amount aligns with the amount of others.

[cruiseinfoseeker]

2 hours ago, Greenpea2 said:

.. Concierge? ...none have even been particularly friendly. ..

 

The concierge on the sailing I just disembarked from was nice enough, but (in my opinion) the asst. concierge was far from it and in fact I'll go as far as saying flat out rude and unprofessional. He was condescending when addressing my concerns and flippant in his responses to my questions.

Further, he gave me wrong information then to back peddle rather than just own up it and correct the problem (which from a customer service view point was a super easy fix).

 

 

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

It's so weird to tip the concierge. They are supposedly the supervisor of the butlers. They are who you go to if you don't get your daily canapes on time, right? Why the heck are we tipping a manager? It makes no sense whatsoever. And, like you, we tip them because we're told by NCL we should.

Right.

Quick question @cruiseny4life about the floral arrangement in your cabin on getaway that I saw in your photo.

That was just the standard thing and not purchased beforehand; right?

(I ask because I had said to the asst. concierge that I would much prefer real flowers to the succulents (that quite frankly look sad) that were going to be put in my cabin and he said that your flowers would have been prepurchased. I couldn't argue the point because I didnt know and really that was just the first day and the start of his attitude problem with me. I kept trying to be kind, but then the last day he really ticked me off and I wasnt so nice anymore (his error and he was trying to turn it around with the head concierge there)

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by cruiseinfoseeker

[complawyer]

you tip the concierge because he's the go to guy if there's a problem, or you want some thing special done.

 

his ability to get us off the ship with a minimal muss fuss or bother is in itself worth it (imho).

 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, cruiseinfoseeker said:

Quick question @cruiseny4life about the floral arrangement in your cabin on getaway that I saw in your photo.

That was just the standard thing and not purchased beforehand; right?

Nothing special. Just the standard arrangement. Sorry you didn't get what you were supposed to!

 

Depending on the arrangement, I do appreciate succulents though.

[cruiseny4life]

13 hours ago, complawyer said:

you tip the concierge because he's the go to guy if there's a problem, or you want some thing special done.

 

his ability to get us off the ship with a minimal muss fuss or bother is in itself worth it (imho).

 

 

 

I was probably a little bit too flip about the concierge earlier. We do appreciate what they do, but the tipping a supervisor thing is weird.

 

We've used them to get off the ship, especially tender ports, to figure out odd transactions on our account, taking us to shows, upgrading our internet, and just generally answering any other question my husband has...notice, not me. Haha

[sailorusvi]

5 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I was probably a little bit too flip about the concierge earlier. We do appreciate what they do, but the tipping a supervisor thing is weird.

 

 

 

Really? I work in the hospitality industry.  Concierges, Maitre D's and restaurant managers, all what you would consider supervisory positions,  all get tipped all the time. 

 

[cruiseny4life]

22 minutes ago, sailorusvi said:

 

 

Really? I work in the hospitality industry.  Concierges, Maitre D's and restaurant managers, all what you would consider supervisory positions,  all get tipped all the time. 

 

I don't do fancy except for Haven, if that's considered fancy.

 

I figured concierges are just the human form of the internet on land...didn't know they actually supervise folks. I'd tip them on land if they provided me help. I don't think I've ever used one, except in the Haven.

 

Maitre d's and restaurant managers? I would never ever consider it. If I stay at the Four Seasons, would I?

[sailorusvi]

28 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

I don't do fancy except for Haven, if that's considered fancy.

 

I figured concierges are just the human form of the internet on land...didn't know they actually supervise folks. I'd tip them on land if they provided me help. I don't think I've ever used one, except in the Haven.

 

Maitre d's and restaurant managers? I would never ever consider it. If I stay at the Four Seasons, would I?

 

Yeah, I've worked at high end places. Lots of hand shakes going on.   I doubt the manager of Chili's does though.

 

Concierges in big hotels get a lot of tips. I did when I briefly worked as one in the islands.

 

We typically don't utilize concierge like that, so no tip. We do when warrented. 

 

Due to connections at some high end restaurants  we do not need a matrie d/manager to get us a "good" table or reservation. So we typically do not tip them either. But would again, if warrented. 

[complawyer]

if you havent already done so, youd be surprised what a handshake to the maitre'd will accomplish. 

[CruzinMel]

DH worked in the service industry for a couple of decades, and gets tip happy: being budget-mindful, I have to pull him back sometimes.  My general rule is that I tip for service. 

 

On some cruises, I never spoke to the concierge except a greeting as I passed the desk - so I didn't tip them at all. On my last cruise, our concierge helped me get spa passes when they were sold out, and the assistant concierge helped me with a ton of things, so we tipped them each $100.  I didn't make any special requests of our butler beyond gluten free snacks, but he went out of his way to make sure they were labeled and plentiful, and DH got happy, so we tipped him another hundred.  (He might have been surprised at this, because he insisted on personally taking my luggage down when we disembarked.  But he was always lovely.) We tipped our steward another hundred because he kept us tidy and there were 2 extra beds to set up each night. My son tipped the bartenders and some other folks that he encountered inside and outside the Haven - I don't know how much went to whom, but he had 300 bucks to do it with.  I saved my largest tip for the maitre d in the restaurant because he went above and beyond for me - I felt awkward about it, but I hoped he would have a chance to get himself a lovely meal on me. 

 

I tell myself that I planned for the expense and I did; when we added everything up and realized we handed out that much money in tips, I admit I got a little queasy and DH got bummed for a second because that was what he won in the casino.  But then...these folks work HARD to make sure that we had time to relax and feel pampered.  Sure, they get paid, but when someone goes the extra mile to care for you, the tip is how you say thanks.  I may never see any of them again, but I feel better knowing they feel my appreciation.

 

And if I hadn't been able to afford it, I think they'd understand because we are all just folks.  You do what you can, when you can, as much as you can.  I went on one cruise holding my breath that my credit card wouldn't ping when they ran it, and those tips weren't very big - everything comes around in the end.

 

(Plus, I ran around like a wild woman taking pics of name badges so I'd get my Hero cards spelled right - you need first and last names.)

[complawyer]

one of the best and most comprehensive comments on tipping ive read on this sight so far (including my own)

 

well said cruisinzmel

[scooter6139]

I was prepared to tip more than we actually did on our 5 day.  We did tip our Butler ($80) and our room steward ($60, he was actually more helpful than the butler).  Nothing for either Concierge, as we never used their services for anything.  We never sat in the bar so nothing for them, but most of the waiters we would give $5 to after filling multiple drink orders or making a restaurant meal special.

 

Now my wife is a Haven girl, so next time we are lucky enough to get into the Haven again, I'll hopefully have a better idea of what to expect. 

 

PS - Sorry, still not bringing any $2 bills, but my wife might.  She's got a couple she wants to get rid of.  😏

Edited January 22, 2023 by scooter6139

[sherylc]

I am new to NCL and a bit confused. For our sailing there is a $5 per person/per day difference in the "Service Charge" for Haven vs non-Haven guests. Everyone keeps saying that the Butlers are not included in the service charge distribution (used to be called gratuities or tips), but if not, where does that extra $5 pp/day go compared to a non-Haven's guest. Some might say to the other behind the scenes Haven staff -- but we are sailing on an older ship that doesn't have an actual Haven or Haven restaurant. 

 

I am happy to tip additionally for exceptional service, but just trying to get a baseline for where to start (who I have already given as part of the Service Charge and who might have been left out). 

[complawyer]

it's just the hierarchy of the cabins. haven guests are charged $25 per person per day balcony cabins are $20 pp per day, and i believe inside and oceanviews are even less. the extra $5.00 goes where all the money goes.  it's just because youre  in the haven. doesnt matter if there is no designated haven bar or restaurant. if youre in a cabin designated as haven you get charged the difference. 

 

as you claim youre new to  ncl/  haven, be advised of the following. the butler "DOES NOT! participate the the daily service charge money, so it's customary (imho) to tip him separately, especially if you see he is going the extra mile for you. we usually give me $100 + at the end of the cruise.

 

depending on if, when and how often you utilize the services of the concierge, a tip at the of the cruise, is again customary ,

 

even  though they share in the DSC money, we tip the cabin steward $20 at the beginning, $20 in the middle and $20+ at the end.

 

while older ships dont have a "designated haven" you are eating at moderno for breakfast and cagney's for lunch, so on the 1st day of the cruise i usually trip the maitre"d a $20 or so. during the cruise, he becomes very solicitous of our needs.

 

we also tip whichever waiter/waitress is serving us, regardless of the meal, or venue.

 

in the end, your $25 daily goes into a giant pool to be distributed among the crew. any other decision 

as to additional tips to other personnel, is totally at your discretion

[MoCruiseFan]

On 5/1/2023 at 8:22 PM, complawyer said:

it's just the hierarchy of the cabins. haven guests are charged $25 per person per day balcony cabins are $20 pp per day, and i believe inside and oceanviews are even less. the extra $5.00 goes where all the money goes.  it's just because youre  in the haven. doesnt matter if there is no designated haven bar or restaurant. if youre in a cabin designated as haven you get charged the difference. 

 

as you claim youre new to  ncl/  haven, be advised of the following. the butler "DOES NOT! participate the the daily service charge money, so it's customary (imho) to tip him separately, especially if you see he is going the extra mile for you. we usually give me $100 + at the end of the cruise.

 

depending on if, when and how often you utilize the services of the concierge, a tip at the of the cruise, is again customary ,

 

even  though they share in the DSC money, we tip the cabin steward $20 at the beginning, $20 in the middle and $20+ at the end.

 

while older ships dont have a "designated haven" you are eating at moderno for breakfast and cagney's for lunch, so on the 1st day of the cruise i usually trip the maitre"d a $20 or so. during the cruise, he becomes very solicitous of our needs.

 

we also tip whichever waiter/waitress is serving us, regardless of the meal, or venue.

 

in the end, your $25 daily goes into a giant pool to be distributed among the crew. any other decision 

as to additional tips to other personnel, is totally at your discretion

Giving someone cash BEFORE the service is performed is not a tip, it is a bribe... 🙂

If we never use the butler or concierge we do not tip.  They should not expect a tip from someone who does not use them,  Normally, we do use the concierge maybe once during the cruise.  We tip him at that time for what he did for us.  To each hsi own, but there is no customary, normal, or suggested amount to tip.

[RocketMan275]

On 5/3/2023 at 3:31 PM, MoCruiseFan said:

Giving someone cash BEFORE the service is performed is not a tip, it is a bribe... 🙂

Not a bribe, it's a prepaid gratuity.

[Molokai_Traveler]

On 10/1/2021 at 7:33 PM, SpainAlien said:

So, in excess of $400 per week plus DSC.  Bloody hell, some weeks I don't earn that in a week myself

 

Time for a new job 😁