Tipping in cash…how much to bring..

[Kate-in-Canada]

Hi all.

canadian cruising Alaska in a few weeks.  I have to go get some American money from the bank so,e time this week and trying to decide how much.

 

I plan to few some for port snacks, though mostly I will use credit card.  Cash is a backup.

 

on board, how much actual cash tipping should I be prepared for? I plan the use MDR for dinners. I’ve looked at menu and seems great. Don’t plan on any specialty restaurants. do ppl leave an extra tip for dining room service? Per use or at end? I was thinking prob not, but then again, I’m celiac and if I don’t get any gluten attacks all week, I would be pretty grateful, so maybe?

I also don’t drink anything but water and one tea a day, so won’t need bartender tips.

 

I have one spa treatment pre booked and paid now at it seems like “gratuity”/fee is already included there.  The spa prices seem extreme, so I feel like I prob don’t need to leave an extra tip there since a huge one already included.

 

I’m think just room attendant… do you all suggest daily or at end? What range? One solar cruiser who is already clean, and rarely has extra requests. I was thinking maybe $40 for the week if everything is good?
 

do people also tip on prepaid excursions? 
 

Are there any other situations Im Not thinking of?

 

cheers!

[hrhdhd]

If your gratuities are included in your booking, you're set. If you want to tip more, do it at the end of the cruise.

[LMaxwell]

If you choose to get room service, a few dollars is customary at the time of delivery.  Cash is light and travels easy; the total amount spent is up to you. I'd carry a bit more than $40 and make sure you have it in small bills. You can always bring it back home. 

[zitsky]

16 minutes ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

Hi all.

canadian cruising Alaska in a few weeks.  I have to go get some American money from the bank so,e time this week and trying to decide how much.

 

I plan to few some for port snacks, though mostly I will use credit card.  Cash is a backup.

 

on board, how much actual cash tipping should I be prepared for? I plan the use MDR for dinners. I’ve looked at menu and seems great. Don’t plan on any specialty restaurants. do ppl leave an extra tip for dining room service? Per use or at end? I was thinking prob not, but then again, I’m celiac and if I don’t get any gluten attacks all week, I would be pretty grateful, so maybe?

I also don’t drink anything but water and one tea a day, so won’t need bartender tips.

 

I have one spa treatment pre booked and paid now at it seems like “gratuity”/fee is already included there.  The spa prices seem extreme, so I feel like I prob don’t need to leave an extra tip there since a huge one already included.

 

I’m think just room attendant… do you all suggest daily or at end? What range? One solar cruiser who is already clean, and rarely has extra requests. I was thinking maybe $40 for the week if everything is good?
 

do people also tip on prepaid excursions? 
 

Are there any other situations Im Not thinking of?

 

cheers!

About the spa, how do you know tips are included?  That is one of the places I normally tip.

[wrk2cruise]

I think your amount for the stateroom attendant is good if not a bit generous for a 7 night sailing.   As one who has dietary requirements which are really well handled by Celebrity I would suggest a similar amount if not more for the MDR team.

 

Have you contacted the special needs group to inform them?   Even if you have I would proceed the the dinning room as soon as you get on and discuss with the Matre'd on duty.   If you ever have a question on food stop and ask a assistant Matre'd to verify with the chef for you.  Especially in the buffet, don't depend on the person at the counter.  There are generally multiple Matre'd wandering the buffet, they are dressed with a shirt and tie.

[cruisestitch]

16 minutes ago, zitsky said:

About the spa, how do you know tips are included?  That is one of the places I normally tip.

The gratuity/service charge is definitely tacked on to the spa and salon charges

 

it is customary to tip tour guides and bus drivers

[Jeremiah On a Cruise]

Highly variable topic, and I encourage you to make your own choice.  But, here's my approach.

 

We bring about $100-$150 in cash for onboard tipping.  We typically tip $1-$2 for virtually any food or beverage service (fairly common), and ~$5 after each meal in the MDR (this one is not common) - maybe $10 for a specialty restaurant (fairly common).  We will tip our room steward $20 early in the cruise (not very common), and $0-$50 at the end (very common).  We tip our wait staff (2-3 people) $0 - $40 per person at the end (pretty common).

 

Some people don't tip anything above the standard gratuity, and I'd argue that's 100% fine.  Some people tip upwards of $400 on a 7 day cruise, and I'd argue that's awesome.

[Kate-in-Canada]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

About the spa, how do you know tips are included?  That is one of the places I normally tip.

It was on my order receipt.  $42 already added on for gratuity. So I feel like that enough there.  

[Kate-in-Canada]

1 hour ago, wrk2cruise said:

I think your amount for the stateroom attendant is good if not a bit generous for a 7 night sailing.   As one who has dietary requirements which are really well handled by Celebrity I would suggest a similar amount if not more for the MDR team.

 

Have you contacted the special needs group to inform them?   Even if you have I would proceed the the dinning room as soon as you get on and discuss with the Matre'd on duty.   If you ever have a question on food stop and ask a assistant Matre'd to verify with the chef for you.  Especially in the buffet, don't depend on the person at the counter.  There are generally multiple Matre'd wandering the buffet, they are dressed with a shirt and tie.

do you know how I contact them? I looked specifically for somewhere to do that at checkin last week and didn’t see anywhere.

is there a special email address or just general customer service?

[bnurick]

You can always get money in the casino.  Just give your Seapass card, tell them how much you want and they add it to your account.

[MarKay525]

 

22 minutes ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

do you know how I contact them? I looked specifically for somewhere to do that at checkin last week and didn’t see anywhere.

is there a special email address or just general customer service?

Source: Gluten Free Travel Blog

 

Celebrity Cruises makes a note of a guest's gluten-free needs at the time of booking and then has all gluten-free cruisers fill out a "special needs" form prior to the trip. A "special needs" representative will then contact you for more details if needed. You will meet with the dining staff on the first night of the cruise. For more information, call Celebrity's Special Needs department at 866-592-7225 or email them at special_needs@celebrity.com.

Edited July 9, 2022 by MarKay525

[Snit13]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

About the spa, how do you know tips are included?  That is one of the places I normally tip.

Tip has been included for years.  I didn't know they stopped including the tip.  I have been known to tip extra.

[MarKay525]

From the Celebrity website:

Celebrity FAQ - Gratuity Program

What is Celebrity’s automatic gratuity program?

An 18% gratuity will be added to all spa & salon purchases onboard.

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/faqs/gratuity-program

[Tyler414]

I typically take $75 in $5's and $25 in singles and distribute where I feel the need.  I usually tip the room steward $50-$100 and that comes from my casino winnings... 🙂

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

About the spa, how do you know tips are included?  That is one of the places I normally tip.

They automatically add 18% to your bill.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

Hi all.

canadian cruising Alaska in a few weeks.  I have to go get some American money from the bank so,e time this week and trying to decide how much.

 

I plan to few some for port snacks, though mostly I will use credit card.  Cash is a backup.

 

on board, how much actual cash tipping should I be prepared for? I plan the use MDR for dinners. I’ve looked at menu and seems great. Don’t plan on any specialty restaurants. do ppl leave an extra tip for dining room service? Per use or at end? I was thinking prob not, but then again, I’m celiac and if I don’t get any gluten attacks all week, I would be pretty grateful, so maybe?

I also don’t drink anything but water and one tea a day, so won’t need bartender tips.

 

I have one spa treatment pre booked and paid now at it seems like “gratuity”/fee is already included there.  The spa prices seem extreme, so I feel like I prob don’t need to leave an extra tip there since a huge one already included.

 

I’m think just room attendant… do you all suggest daily or at end? What range? One solar cruiser who is already clean, and rarely has extra requests. I was thinking maybe $40 for the week if everything is good?
 

do people also tip on prepaid excursions? 

$40 for a cabin steward is o.k. 

 

$5-$10 for a shore excursion (depending on length and engagement with the guide

 

Spa, your tip is already included, don't tip more. 

 

If you have the same waiter in the MDR nightly, then something for the waiter and assistant waiter would be appreciated. 

 

It is really up to you. Tip something. Tip nothing. 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Here's my take on extra tipping for whatever it's worth.  These people really work hard to make your cruise a wonderful experience.  They were out of work for a long time.  So if I can afford to cruise, I can afford to tip some extra money to them.  I think your plan of $40 to the cabin attendant and $40 to the waiter sounds reasonable and will surely be appreciated.

 

I don't know if you know this or not, but if you have OBC from Celebrity that you're not using for something else, it can be assigned to your cabin attendant.  I'm not sure about the waiter, that might go to the pool which you don't want to happen.  You can get the form for this from Guest Relations.

 

Have a great cruise!

Edited July 9, 2022 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[Kate-in-Canada]

36 minutes ago, MarKay525 said:

 

Source: Gluten Free Travel Blog

 

Celebrity Cruises makes a note of a guest's gluten-free needs at the time of booking and then has all gluten-free cruisers fill out a "special needs" form prior to the trip. A "special needs" representative will then contact you for more details if needed. You will meet with the dining staff on the first night of the cruise. For more information, call Celebrity's Special Needs department at 866-592-7225 or email them at special_needs@celebrity.com.

interesting. I don’t remember being able to make note of it anywhere during the booking process. I booked direct through celebrity website. Maybe I was in an over excited haze and missed it.

 

I will email that address though with my reservation and gluten free note. 
thank you.  

 

 

 

[lobsternight]

Just hit the bank yesterday and got 300 in small bills, will probably get another 100.  We are a family of 4.  Typically we tip 10 a day for the room attendant, never had an attendant that did not deserve it, usually give it on the last evening.  We usually only use the MDR, and if seated with the same staff each night, I will tip nightly, 10 to the waiter, 5 to the Jr waiter and wine Steward if I'm kept topped up.  May tip 1 or 2 to bartenders if I'm getting reasonable service.  Kids club is often overlooked, and ours have certainly used it, so if they are happy then 60 to 100 depending on time spent there  

 

It is optional, I tip extra because I appreciate the hard work the staff does to make my trip a wonderful experience.  I just posted my amounts as another example.  Its really up to you, no amount is right or wrong.

 

Have a happy Alaska, be there in 7 weeks too.

[Kate-in-Canada]

Thank you all.

 

it seems my 40 for room is reasonable.

I wasn’t sure if MDR tip was a thing, but I will bring 40 for them too.

 

and I wasn’t sure about excursions.  I will get some 5s for drivers and guides.

 

Also the casino tip was good.  Didn’t realize they’d do that. A good back up.

I know how much I’d tip in Canada, but woth exchange fluctuating, it’s good to confirm what’s reasonable in a currency that isn’t your own. I didn’t want to be short, but I also didn’t want to get extra as there is no point taking it back to northern Canada. No where to use it and after alaska, no plans to visit the us again any time soon.
 

Yes, staff work hard and deserve an actual tip, not just whatever they might get from the fee Celeb calls a gratuity.

cheers!

 

 

[markeb]

I'm going to be honest (and probably unpopular). If you want some small bills for room service and excursions, do that. You can get an additional gratuity form at guest services to designate an additional gratuity to your cabin attendant and waiter which will get paid out of OBC if you have any. That solves the excess cash question, and the conversion is on your credit card with your other on board charges. People still love to carry cash, but it's all but unnecessary, and if the USD isn't your home currency, it's just a sunk cost that you likely won't recover.

 

I think I still have SG$60 or more of the SG$100 I withdrew in Singapore two weeks ago. Didn't even drop any at duty free leaving the airport. In this day and age I certainly wouldn't pull more than that for any foreign travel...

[DCPIV]

Everything beyond the standard gratuities is very optional.  We typically do tip extra, but the amount varies greatly with the service we've received, required, or requested.  I believe you've gotten some good advice above, but never feel like it's required.

 

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

About the spa, how do you know tips are included?  That is one of the places I normally tip.

 

It's right on the ticket they present for you to sign at the end.  If you pay for the appointment before hand via the cruise planner, it's included when you check out.  You certainly are able to tip extra if you wish (also on the ticket), but I agree that the automatic gratuity typically is plenty due to the prices of the spa services.  If someone is REALLY good or I have a ton of OBC (like I did due to some price reductions after the restart), I may very well tip more.

[Ferry_Watcher]

2 hours ago, Jeremiah On a Cruise said:

Some people don't tip anything above the standard gratuity, and I'd argue that's 100% fine.  Some people tip upwards of $400 on a 7 day cruise, and I'd argue that's awesome.

[zitsky]

37 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

Everything beyond the standard gratuities is very optional.  We typically do tip extra, but the amount varies greatly with the service we've received, required, or requested.  I believe you've gotten some good advice above, but never feel like it's required.

 

 

It's right on the ticket they present for you to sign at the end.  If you pay for the appointment before hand via the cruise planner, it's included when you check out.  You certainly are able to tip extra if you wish (also on the ticket), but I agree that the automatic gratuity typically is plenty due to the prices of the spa services.  If someone is REALLY good or I have a ton of OBC (like I did due to some price reductions after the restart), I may very well tip more.

Is the ticket

 

Massage $100

18% gratuity $18

Extra gratuity (blank)

 

or some other variation?

[kearney]

We ususally tip shuttle drivers, porters, two people who wheel DH onto the ship and off, excursion guides and drivers, periodically bar servers and coffee servers, even though we prepay gratuities a bit for hostess, waiter and assistant waiter. How much depends upon what is done and how long the cruise is... we bring about $350 and then hit the ATM on the ship...near guest relations for additional. the charge at the ATM is $6..  I try to layout my estimated needs ahead of time so I have an idea on how much to tip. Last cruise I also tipped the Maitre 'd .. and at dinner he poured us what I believe was a premium red vs the classic. I didn't give him much...but he appreciated the recognition. some people have suggested the staff in the rest rooms.. so I may bring a bit more next trip. These people went without work for a long time and many are still trying to make up for past loses.