New Member Yacht Club Questions

[Viceroy of Clinton]

Hello!

 

New member, but a long-time lurker.

Questions about the Yacht Club on the MSC Meraviglia from the USA.

 

1. Are the gratuities for the butler and concierge included in the service charges? 
2. Does anyone tip them extra, and if so, how much is customary?
3. My wife is not much of a fancy eater, and in reviewing the menus posted here, there doesn't seem to be much she would eat. Can we order off the menu?
4. Would drinks be included everywhere on the ship?

 

We are set to leave in February, just hoping all this Omicron nonsense is calmed down by then.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

[dexddd]

11 minutes ago, Viceroy of Clinton said:

Hello!

 

New member, but a long-time lurker.

Questions about the Yacht Club on the MSC Meraviglia from the USA.

 

1. Are the gratuities for the butler and concierge included in the service charges? 
2. Does anyone tip them extra, and if so, how much is customary?
3. My wife is not much of a fancy eater, and in reviewing the menus posted here, there doesn't seem to be much she would eat. Can we order off the menu?
4. Would drinks be included everywhere on the ship?

 

We are set to leave in February, just hoping all this Omicron nonsense is calmed down by then.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to CC.

 

Not sure what a viceroy of Clinton is, but if you are rich, please sponsor our future cruises.

 

We've done several YC including two recent on Mera and Divinia.

 

1.  Hot topic.  Site used to say yes, no additional tips needed.  US folks generally tip extra based on reports here.  Europeans, not so much.  At the end of the day, you interact with so many staff in YC and around the ship, tip as you feel. 

 

2.  As you feel.

 

3.  Menu changes daily, smaller than it used to be, but always available section with basics like salad, chicken and steak.  Yes, you can order off menu but maybe do a day ahead.  Sir Wolf posted recent menus, although kind of blurry, on a recent thread.  Also older sticky tabs for menus.

 

4.  Supposedly a price limit with recent change.  Top end, no, but never had a problem with mid tier brands.

[Fogfog]

Hey there

 

1. Are the gratuities for the butler and concierge included in the service charges?   The grats discussion depends on if you bought your ticket in EU vs US etc. As US pax our grats  are charged to the account at the end of the sailing.
2. Does anyone tip them extra, and if so, how much is customary?       We do.. We give cash tips in addition to the grats charged to the account. On the last several sailings we heavily tip Butler, and Asst Butler,  our Waiters, Bar Tenders, Sommelier etc...anyone who served us. Smallest might be $20 US to $150. Depends on who it was a how often they directly served us/what job they did (butler daily vs once or twice as a pool steward)
3. My wife is not much of a fancy eater, and in reviewing the menus posted here, there doesn't seem to be much she would eat. Can we order off the menu?      The available every day easily handles that-- asking for plain roasted chicken, plain pan finished salmon , or a plain ny strip is easily handled. Same for simple pasta w a simple sauce.  If she has dietary restrictions it is best to address this upon boarding and choose entrees for the following evening all week.
4. Would drinks be included everywhere on the ship?       Yes--the YC bev package is good throughout the ship. It will be based on whats at that bar.. not all bars carry the same liquors/wines etc

 

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, Viceroy of Clinton said:

Are the gratuities for the butler and concierge included in the service charges? 

 

Yes

 

6 hours ago, Viceroy of Clinton said:

Does anyone tip them extra, and if so, how much is customary?

 

Both the Butler and the Suite Stewardess were tipped.  I also gave a gratuity to both of the YC Maitre'd's because of the very good service that I received from them.  I did not tip any of the YC Dining Room Stewards or or the Top Lounge Stewards/bartender.  There were too many different ones.  I use the standard 
$3.50/per person/per day standard as a guide for extra gratuities.  I do adjust this upwards for really exceptional service from whomever.  I did not find the need to do this on my cruise.  

 

6 hours ago, Viceroy of Clinton said:

Can we order off the menu?

 

Yes.  One evening, none of the Starters appealed and I requested a Shrimp Cocktail.  No problem, it was promptly served. 

 

6 hours ago, Viceroy of Clinton said:

Would drinks be included everywhere on the ship

 

Yes, unless it is an extraordinarily premium beverage.  My experience in ordering drinks outside the YC was interesting.  When the bartender recognized that I was a YC guest, the pours were very generous.  I ordered a Bloody Mary at the Meraviglia's mid-ship's pool bar with the intention of having another one before I had lunch.  My goodness!  I watched the bartender make the drink.  His pour of Vodka was very generous!  Bloody Mary #2 was not desired!  

[Viceroy of Clinton]

Thanks for all your responses.

Getting excited for sure

[perakcruiser]

6 hours ago, Fogfog said:

Are the gratuities for the butler and concierge included in the service charges?   The grats discussion depends on if you bought your ticket in EU vs US etc. As US pax our grats  are charged to the account at the end of the sailing.

After recent policy changes I am not sure if there are any markets besides the US left where one can cancel the gratuities. In EU markets like France, Germany or Spain even if you choose not to pay together with the cruise price but at the end of the sailing they are now stated already in the final cruise price on the website. 

 

For some months the Europeans got a discount on the grats (€49 instead of €70 per pax for one week) to get used to it, but thats now also gone.

 

On MSC US website the word "mandatory" is still missing, I guess the only reason is that US pax usually are not removing the grats 😄

 

US:
The Hotel Service charge serves to ensure we maintain the highest quality standards of service to our guests. The daily amounts below have been calculated with this in mind and cannot be modified. However, should you wish to remove any of the daily Hotel Service Charge in the unlikely event that you do not receive satisfactory service, you may do so by contacting the Guest Relations Manager onboard. If you wish, the daily Service Charge for your cruise can be added to the price of your cruise at the time of booking, rather than added to your onboard account during the cruise. Please let your booking agent know if you would like to add the Service Charge to your cruise price. TIPS: MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff.

 

UK: 

Service Charge / Gratuities are included in the cruise fare. MSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individual members of staff.

[Fogfog]

@perakcruiser

Interesting

We always leave the gratuities and also give in cash to the staff. 

We feel that since we are blessed to be able to afford to cruise, we can be generous to those who are working so hard to make our vacation wonderful.

(We lived in Europe for a while and understand the "inclusive" for cover at restaurants there vs tips in US.)

If there is a problem--we take it to mgt. We don't penalize a crew member by removing tips for things they cannot control.  We had an issue once with a wine steward on a TA and took the issue to the dining room mgr--who called the head Sommelier on board. We got immediate relief from the awful situation. 

It makes me sad that people remove tips with all kinds of "reasons"...many beyond the control of the pax facing front line staff. 

[perakcruiser]

3 hours ago, Fogfog said:

It makes me sad that people remove tips with all kinds of "reasons"...many beyond the control of the pax facing front line staff. 

Well, the people removed it mainly for one reason, they felt cheated. MSC lost all their legal battles in Europe on the grats until they finally changed their practice.

 

Malaysian system is quite similar to US (except that we don´t tip, but that changes now a little bit with the all ride hailing and food delivery), there are mysterious "Gov. fees, taxes & port charges" and mandatory tips added to the price of a local cruise like MSC is doing in the US. But in most European countries this is all illegal, the price advertised must be final. So no need to think bad of somebody who said at the reception "Nice try, MSC, now give me my money back, we both know your "Hotel Service Charge" is illegal". By the way in the end MSC was not even allowed to ask the guest why he is removing. 

 

On one hand I am happy that it is now mandatory and included (we book in Europe) and all this discussions have come to an end. On the other hand now it is not possible anymore to punish MSC for bad things. And we all know bad things will happen 😄 

 

About the real tipping, if we have a friendly Pinoy or Indo as room steward or MDR waiter, I am always happy to give a small tip. But as a Malaysian I cannot tip that guys directly, because I cannot put myself above them. But we usually talk about our family at home and I give some Singdollar or Euros for him buying a gift from us for his kids when he goes home again. In all cultures gifts for kids are OK, no matter if tipping is considered friendly or inappropriate 🙂 

[Viceroy of Clinton]

As we Americans are so used to tipping, do you all feel if any cruise line, not just MSC were to add the gratuities into the base price, we (Americans) would tip anyway?

 

Do you think management would then figure that out and try to screw the workers out of their share?

 

I remember back in the day Holland America had a "No tipping  allowed" policy, then moved a to "Tipping not required" policy, to where we are today. I doubt HAL lowered their prices after they started to add the daily charge.

 

We personally always tip generously, in addition to included charges, as these folks but their butts for us.

[Fogfog]

@perakcruiser 

Re MSC, like other lines-- we do look at what it will cost all in before we book, so we are not surprised and never is a reason to be at the desk removing the grats.

As I said-- if something goes wrong, we take it to Hotel Director, Head Somm etc and its been dealt with. Only once have we ever had a significant problem -- which I described above...and was handled by the Head Somm.  And when we tipped out cash to the staff the night before leaving, the problem wine steward was not included.

 

We got to know the Hotel Dir on one sailing and were telling him how seamlessly something had been done--just amazing and how much we appreciated the service. He appreciated hearing about it. So often the staff only gets complaints-- and I think folks forget to recognize all that goes so well. 

Same for two long back to backs and we had a Maitre D handle all of our private dining reservations prior to the second sailing. He was wonderful.  

 

@perakcruiser Do you remove tips on all cruise lines?

When traveling in the US, do you tip/not tip in US restaurants/cabs/bellman etc? 

 

I have heard some things about how different cultures feel about gratuities. 

 

For us, its a matter of appreciating their efforts and when we travel, we realize we are so blessed--that for a family in their home country, what we spend in a day to stay in YC etc is an obscene amount of money. For us its not about race or country of origin as much as it is about our faith and being generous with the blessings we have been given.

 

@Viceroy of Clinton  We consider the grats added in at the end of the cruise as part of the fare...and tip out in cash all of the staff that made our sailing great...So if the cruise lines added it to the fare it wouldn't impact us. I think it would stop the stingy from lining up though. 

From the man who brings bread/keeps the pelligrino full, to the bar staff in  various lounges, our wait staff, cabin staff etc. We plan ahead and go to the bank for cash. Each gets a personal note with the cash. By the time we disembark we usually have gotten to know them, where they are from, family, children, parents etc. Sometimes they live in a nation where we have traveled and we have had nice conversations about their nation, food etc. 

 

Our view is the staff and crew are people who serve us, they are not our servants. I've said it before on threads where folks post asking about what can they ask for/do with a butler etc.. 

 

Our Butler on Merv told us how poorly he has been treated by those who look at the butlers as "their servants" for the sailing as opposed to people who serve as their job. I won't belabor the pt here..yet will say - I cried. 

[JAGR]

13 hours ago, Viceroy of Clinton said:

Thanks for all your responses.

Getting excited for sure

Just a gentle clarification.  A poster mentioned the "suite stewardess."  In YC, there are no room stewards (or stewardesses).   The person who assists the butler and does the vast majority of cleaning and servicing your room is the junior butler.  They are proud of their title, earned because of their demonstrated hard work.  Calling them junior butler will please them to no end.  

[perakcruiser]

1 hour ago, Fogfog said:

@perakcruiser Do you remove tips on all cruise lines?

When traveling in the US, do you tip/not tip in US restaurants/cabs/bellman etc? 

As I said before, I think there are no cruise lines left that have not included the tips in the cruise price. So no European or Asian can remove the tips anymore.  Also the US lines do so when they sell in Europe wherever you sail with them. Personal experience I only have with Celebrity Cruises where they anyway have no tips, gratuities or hotel service charge whatever. 

 

I only travelled one time in the US, that is long time ago, I was still a university student and did not tip. I would not tip a taxi company, but I do tip here at home the Grab rider (electronically, not with cash) and guess I would do also when I am in the US. Depending on the fare, I have no idea about the fares in your home country 🙂

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, JAGR said:

Just a gentle clarification.  A poster mentioned the "suite stewardess."  In YC, there are no room stewards (or stewardesses).   The person who assists the butler and does the vast majority of cleaning and servicing your room is the junior butler.  They are proud of their title, earned because of their demonstrated hard work.  Calling them junior butler will please them to no end.  

That's interesting, as I am almost certain our Butler referred to hers as  Assistant Butler. Not a big deal, but we also are aware they shouldn't be referred to as room stewards.

 

As you allude, it is not about status or snobbery, rather respecting these crew members by using their proper title. 

 

Thanks.

[JAGR]

29 minutes ago, hamrag said:

That's interesting, as I am almost certain our Butler referred to hers as  Assistant Butler. Not a big deal, but we also are aware they shouldn't be referred to as room stewards.

 

As you allude, it is not about status or snobbery, rather respecting these crew members by using their proper title. 

 

Thanks.

You may very well be right.  At least the word butler should be in there.  I recall once the head butler using the term "junior butler," but I now recall on one of our cruises that our butler (the great Pradeep!), using the phrase, "My assistant butler will see that your minibar is serviced."

 

I think the term junior may be more prevalent on US-based cruises.

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, JAGR said:

A poster mentioned the "suite stewardess."  In YC, there are no room stewards (or stewardesses).   The person who assists the butler and does the vast majority of cleaning and servicing your room is the junior butler

 

I think I may be the guilty poster whom you mention.  From what I saw the woman do, it was what a Cabin Steward would do on other cruise lines.  It was not something that I would consider someone with part of their title being "butler" would do.  If her official title was "Junior Butler", she served me better than my "Butler".  And, she deserved the additional gratuity that I gave her.  

 

 

[tweakes]

You can easily do a Google search to see what these people make. Tip the staff, no matter what any European traveler might tell you. They are refusing to adapt to the culture of the type of vacation they are taking and try to make themselves feel better by justifying it based on something the company's web site says. It is so selfish, and it's disgusting. 

 

These people work their butts off and make very little compared to what you do. They spend months away from their families in an attempt to make more money than they can make in their home countries where they often have to take care of their parents and other family members. 

 

Tip those who provide you good or personalized service, whether in the bars or in the restaurants or even those cleaning (a particularly important job right now). A simple $5 bill here and there goes a long way and doesn't make a big dent in your pocket (and of course more for those who help you throughout your trip). 

 

Anyway, this was mostly a rant because it upsets me the way some travelers refuse to adapt to the type of travel they are experiencing. The tipping culture is unique to only certain areas so I understand that some folks don't completely understand it. But I don't understand flat out refusing to try. Some people are so selfish. 

[rkacruiser]

On 1/10/2022 at 1:34 AM, tweakes said:

Tip those who provide you good or personalized service, whether in the bars or in the restaurants or even those cleaning (a particularly important job right now

 

The best example that I can recall of a crew member who rarely received a tip, if ever, was a long cruise deck steward whose job was to put cushions on the deck chairs and then retrieve them at the end of the day.  He was unfailingly pleasant and would take a few seconds to briefly converse with me while I was the sole guest sitting in my chair while he collected the cushions from the chairs around me.  He never indicated that he wanted me to get my butt off that cushion so he could finish his job.  (I was a late sitting diner and enjoyed the solitude on the deck in very late afternoon.)  On the last night of the cruise, when he was collecting the cushions, I left my chair and gave him an envelope with a generous gratuity and words of appreciation for his kind service.  His gratefulness for what I had done far exceeded the worth of whatever money I gave him.  

Edited January 11, 2022 by rkacruiser