Tipping in cash…how much to bring..

[the penguins]

2 hours 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.

Tips can be in any currency you like , no need to get US . The Matre De will happily show the next days MDR  menue during dinner so you can pre select. If there is nothing suitable that you like they will prepare a special dish. All part of the service not a problem provided they have the 24 hour notice.

[Laurab23]

I give the restroom attendant 1 or 2 dollars. One tried to give it back to me and I said no,you work hard and do a great job. It's yours. They obviously don't get tips very often because she was very surprised.

 

Laura

[buchhalm]

We booked an Australia - New Zealand cruise for January 2023. It is under this "always included " package, so tips (sorry, "gratuities") are covered.

HOWEVER,  if we want to slip certain people a bit extra here and there, what currency would you use?

We are Sydney based, so for us a stack of Australian $ is of course easiest. Or should we get USD from the bank? A hassle, but at least we could get a stack of $1 notes for small tips. Our smallest note here is a fiver....

[Saab4444]

2 hours ago, Kate-in-Canada said:

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!

 

 

But you understood that standard gratuities for cabin attendance and waiters are eather included in your rate (always included fare) or will be charged autonatically to your account on a daily basis? If you buy any kind of drink gratuities will also be added to your bill.

[lobsternight]

31 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

 

We are Sydney based, so for us a stack of Australian $ is of course easiest. Or should we get USD from the bank? A hassle, but at least we could get a stack of $1 notes for small tips. Our smallest note here is a fiver....

Same here in Canada and the $1 and $2 coins are too heavy. I would say the USD can be easily used by the crew on any Celebrity itinerary, whether they are using it for on board purchases or transferring money home.  For on shore excursions it is probably the same.  An old friend of mine drove tour coaches for a while and was tipped in all sorts or currencies, never an issue exchanging it.

[m8zenblue]

I have weighed in on this subject previously, as others.

It's all a personal decision.

I do tip even though I have prepaid gratuities, cabin attendant, waiter and assistant waiter as well as sommelier.

[Mark_T]

Totally optional, and just a suggestion, but it is one other small courtesy I do when tipping with USD, try to make sure the bills are clean, unmarked and undamaged.

 

When changing USD in some countries the exchange rate they get can be related to the quality and age of the bill.

 

The staff will happily take whatever you give them, but I always try to take the best bills I can get as it costs me nothing and it may help them.

[cruisingaussies]

44 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

We booked an Australia - New Zealand cruise for January 2023. It is under this "always included " package, so tips (sorry, "gratuities") are covered.

HOWEVER,  if we want to slip certain people a bit extra here and there, what currency would you use?

We are Sydney based, so for us a stack of Australian $ is of course easiest. Or should we get USD from the bank? A hassle, but at least we could get a stack of $1 notes for small tips. Our smallest note here is a fiver....

We often tip in AU$, always gratefully accepted. I’m sure the ship staff can get any currency changed into whatever suits them. But as you say, the smallest note is AU$5. We do usually carry some US 1 dollar bills as well. Our local CBA bank keeps foreign currency but I can’t remember if there’s a flat fee to change money. Australia Post also has currency easily available although you have to order and again, not sure if there’s a flat fee, in which case it may make changing a small amount a bit expensive. 

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

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!

I agree with all your points.  One comment, though.  My understanding (at least in Blu or Luminae) is that even if you tip your waiter in cash, they are supposed to hand it in to the general pool.  Same for the sommelier or wine steward or hostess.  The Maitre D' gets to keep his or hers.  Doesn't seem right, but that is what I've been told.  Now, I can't guarantee that they always do this if you get the $$ to them discretely, but that is my understanding.

[cruisingaussies]

14 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I agree with all your points.  One comment, though.  My understanding (at least in Blu or Luminae) is that even if you tip your waiter in cash, they are supposed to hand it in to the general pool.  Same for the sommelier or wine steward or hostess.  The Maitre D' gets to keep his or hers.  Doesn't seem right, but that is what I've been told.  Now, I can't guarantee that they always do this if you get the $$ to them discretely, but that is my understanding.

We were told the same thing on our recent Reflection cruise. Apparently, in Luminae, they even share with the two guys in the galley who work hard but are never seen by guests. That’s a great attitude. 

[Whinenowine]

8 minutes ago, cruisingaussies said:

We were told the same thing on our recent Reflection cruise. Apparently, in Luminae, they even share with the two guys in the galley who work hard but are never seen by guests. That’s a great attitude. 

  Very good to know, thanks!

[samplecd02]

Tipping the Butler for a Upper Suite
Thinking of doing $50 to start the week, and if he is awesome, then add as needed. Mostly just want to be sure I give it to him at the beginning of the week. It would be much easier for me to tip in my local currency (USD) but would that cause too much issue? Since it is a British Isles cruise, dont want him to have to go too many extra steps to send it or take it home.

[the penguins]

2 minutes ago, samplecd02 said:

Tipping the Butler for a Upper Suite
Thinking of doing $50 to start the week, and if he is awesome, then add as needed. Mostly just want to be sure I give it to him at the beginning of the week. It would be much easier for me to tip in my local currency (USD) but would that cause too much issue? Since it is a British Isles cruise, dont want him to have to go too many extra steps to send it or take it home.

Any currency.

[Mark_T]

32 minutes ago, samplecd02 said:

Since it is a British Isles cruise, dont want him to have to go too many extra steps to send it or take it home.

Any currency is very acceptable, and onboard the currency is always USD anyway, so stick with that.

[DCPIV]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

Is the ticket

 

Massage $100

18% gratuity $18

Extra gratuity (blank)

 

or some other variation?

 

It's just like that.

[Pinboy]

Suggestion :

We bring only $$US in small bills for tips--- tip whomever we know deserves it, and a few $$ extra to those Staff members who are part of a tip " pool " ( Stateroom Attendant -- Server -- Asst Server-- Maitre'd -- Specialty Restaurant Server -- Room Service delivery person-- as examples ).

If a Gratuity , and the amount is specifically noted on our bill-- then the tip is covered.

The Staff work extremely hard for us and they rely on an extra Thank You ( $$ ).

Then there are those ( wish I could mention names ) on Cruise Critics who say " Because I'm on the AI package I don't tip anyone extra " . 

The same people are seen in the " Remove Your Gratuities Here " line towards the end of the cruise.

 

 

 

 

[zitsky]

24 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Suggestion :

We bring only $$US in small bills for tips--- tip whomever we know deserves it, and a few $$ extra to those Staff members who are part of a tip " pool " ( Stateroom Attendant -- Server -- Asst Server-- Maitre'd -- Specialty Restaurant Server -- Room Service delivery person-- as examples ).

If a Gratuity , and the amount is specifically noted on our bill-- then the tip is covered.

The Staff work extremely hard for us and they rely on an extra Thank You ( $$ ).

Then there are those ( wish I could mention names ) on Cruise Critics who say " Because I'm on the AI package I don't tip anyone extra " . 

The same people are seen in the " Remove Your Gratuities Here " line towards the end of the cruise.

You and RichYak.

 

Some people get really bothered when you ask about ALL INCLUDED and gratuities.  
 

Asking about it is not the same as saying I never tip.  What I tip is my business.

 

 

[Pinboy]

4 minutes ago, zitsky said:

You and RichYak.

 

Some people get really bothered when you ask about ALL INCLUDED and gratuities.  
 

Asking about it is not the same as saying I never tip.  What I tip is my business.

 

 

Come on-- We , yea , you too , all know that the ALL INCLUDED doesn't " REALLY " mean All Included .

There are circumstances where an additional tip , or a tip to someone that is not in a " tip pool " is deserved . 

( FYI--- I never met Rich Yak -- perhaps one day we will meet--- and , you too )

LOL----- Can you at least give me that ?? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zitsky]

39 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Come on-- We , yea , you too , all know that the ALL INCLUDED doesn't " REALLY " mean All Included .

There are circumstances where an additional tip , or a tip to someone that is not in a " tip pool " is deserved . 

( FYI--- I never met Rich Yak -- perhaps one day we will meet--- and , you too )

LOL----- Can you at least give me that ?? 

 

I get the feeling that Rich would like to meet me……. In a dark alley.

 

This was never about who DESERVES a tip.  It was about the meaning of ALL INCLUDED.

 

I will buy a new dictionary because mine has the wrong definition for ALL and INCLUDED.

 

If I go to a restaurant that advertises TIPS INCLUDED then I probably won’t include an extra tip.  Unless Rich is there or the service is really good.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

Some people get really bothered when you ask about ALL INCLUDED and gratuities.

I don't think there's any difference vis a vis gratuities whether you book an AI rate, pre-pay the gratuities, or have them charged to your account daily. In other words, there isn't any gratuity that AI covers that daily gratuities don't. AI just includes your standard gratuities.

[RichYak]

48 minutes ago, zitsky said:

If I go to a restaurant that advertises TIPS INCLUDED then I probably won’t include an extra tip.  Unless Rich is there or the service is really good.

This is not where we disagree. Whether or not you include an extra tip in your example is a personal choice.

 

What you've been saying is that because the restaurant says TIPS INCLUDED, you don't need to tip the bathroom attendant or the valet parking guys. That's akin to not tipping the specialty restaurant server or room service delivery guy because you booked an AI package. I simply don't agree.

[zitsky]

7 minutes ago, RichYak said:

This is not where we disagree. Whether or not you include an extra tip in your example is a personal choice.

 

What you've been saying is that because the restaurant says TIPS INCLUDED, you don't need to tip the bathroom attendant or the valet parking guys. That's akin to not tipping the specialty restaurant server or room service delivery guy because you booked an AI package. I simply don't agree.

Let’s be specific if you’re going to criticize.

 

It’s Celebrity that says ALL INCLUDED including gratuities not the restaurant.  You need to complain to the Marketing department not me.

 

You are welcome to follow me around the ship, making sure that my tipping comes up to your standards.

[RichYak]

5 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Let’s be specific if you’re going to criticize.

By the way, if you ever run into me in a dark alley, I'm going to suggest we find a nearby bar to have a few drinks and talk about something more important, like how to make a proper Manhattan.

[LGW59]

8 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

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!

I always bring plenty of cash, usually more than I know I will need, but better to be prepared further if needed.  Also, I have seen quite a few here suggest that OBC can be assigned to the cabin attendant and/or butler, which I really think is a great thing.  Do you know for sure though that it does go directly to him or her?  Do you mention to them that you did this so they are aware that it will be in an upcoming paycheck (where I assume it will be reflected) or is a copy provided from GS that you can hand to him/her?  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

5 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I agree with all your points.  One comment, though.  My understanding (at least in Blu or Luminae) is that even if you tip your waiter in cash, they are supposed to hand it in to the general pool.  Same for the sommelier or wine steward or hostess.  The Maitre D' gets to keep his or hers.  Doesn't seem right, but that is what I've been told.  Now, I can't guarantee that they always do this if you get the $$ to them discretely, but that is my understanding.

 

The Maitre d' on Summit in the spring told me he was included in the Luminae tip pool.  The sommelier is not included in the tip pool, and should be tipped separately.