Yacht Club Butler

[mandrews2u]

What is the going rate for you to tip this person for a 7 day cruise? How many other people are their to tip? We try to bring cash however we haven’t  cruised in 7 yrs, no idea what the going tip is anymore, just an estimate at-least anyone?

[Two Wheels Only]

There is no set amount. Everyone is different. Everyone has different experiences. 

 

Tip however much or little that you feel is appropriate. The only person on the forum that can answer your question is you. 

[Hlitner]

While I agree with much of what Two Wheels posted I also think you should give consideration to the amount of services and attention you demand.  There are some folks that are quite demanding of the Butlers, and it might be nice if they show their appreciation.  And then there are others (such as us) that are not "demanding" and seldom ask their Butlers for anything.    I guess some of us just do not need hand holding,  We are capable of unpacking our own suitcases, finding our way to the restaurant, and choosing our own seats at the shows.  

 

As very frequent cruisers (on many different lines) we think the entire tipping thing has gotten out of control.  On MSC we have auto-tips so everyone is already paying a daily fee which in the Caribbean is $14 per person/day.  So couples are already tipping $28 a day!  I would also remind folks of what MSC has posted on their own web site:

 

"TIPS: MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff."

 

We do understand that some folks (especially Americans) come from a tipping culture while others (such as Aussies and many Europeans) do not come from such a culture.  

 

So what do we do on cruise lines that have auto-tips?  We will slip some extra cash to only those that give us extraordinary personal service.  Otherwise, we do not see the need to go crazy with tips.  I should add that we also cruise on some lines that have a "no tipping" policy and no auto-tips.  This is often found on the true luxury cruise lines.   We once tried to tip a favorite bar tender on Seabourn and she actually refused the tip!  

 

Hank

 

 

[Nunagoras]

37 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

While I agree with much of what Two Wheels posted I also think you should give consideration to the amount of services and attention you demand.  There are some folks that are quite demanding of the Butlers, and it might be nice if they show their appreciation.  And then there are others (such as us) that are not "demanding" and seldom ask their Butlers for anything.    I guess some of us just do not need hand holding,  We are capable of unpacking our own suitcases, finding our way to the restaurant, and choosing our own seats at the shows.  

 

As very frequent cruisers (on many different lines) we think the entire tipping thing has gotten out of control.  On MSC we have auto-tips so everyone is already paying a daily fee which in the Caribbean is $14 per person/day.  So couples are already tipping $28 a day!  I would also remind folks of what MSC has posted on their own web site:

 

"TIPS: MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff."

 

We do understand that some folks (especially Americans) come from a tipping culture while others (such as Aussies and many Europeans) do not come from such a culture.  

 

So what do we do on cruise lines that have auto-tips?  We will slip some extra cash to only those that give us extraordinary personal service.  Otherwise, we do not see the need to go crazy with tips.  I should add that we also cruise on some lines that have a "no tipping" policy and no auto-tips.  This is often found on the true luxury cruise lines.   We once tried to tip a favorite bar tender on Seabourn and she actually refused the tip!  

 

Hank

 

 

This, exactly! Permit me just to add for the OP: If you want effectively to tip extra on MSC, please do it in a very discreet way so that their supervisors don't notice it...

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

There are some folks that are quite demanding of the Butlers, and it might be nice if they show their appreciation.  And then there are others (such as us) that are not "demanding" and seldom ask their Butlers for anything.

 

That's what I meant by "Everyone is different". Some ask for a lot. Some ask for little or nothing. 

 

By "...different experiences...", I meant that some have a great butler and some have a not-so-great butler. The same goes for room steward, restaurant staff, bartenders, etc. 

 

It's impossible for us on the forum to know what the OP will experience and what the OP will request from their butler. It's impossible for us to know how the butler will perform. The OP should do what is best for the OP and what feels right for the OP. 

[hamrag]

3 hours ago, Hlitner said:

....We are capable of unpacking our own suitcases, finding our way to the restaurant, and choosing our own seats at the shows.  

 

.....We will slip some extra cash to only those that give us extraordinary personal service. 

On a recent cruise our cabin butler insisted it was her duty to escort us to the shows seating. Upon her refusal, after two nights, to leave us to ourselves I told her we'd decided to always go to the Atrium and listen to music for an hour or so over a pre-dinner drink. She wanted to walk us there, and it was at that point I did the somewhat robust 'no way'!

 

In every other way she was excellent, and seemed to know what our limited preferences were, so I tipped her generously at cruise end. As Brits, albeit Scottish, from a so called non or light tipping culture we always show appreciation for excellent service in the way that Hiltner outlines above.

Edited August 5, 2022 by hamrag

[rkacruiser]

Hlitner's thoughts on this subject mirror mine.  One person on the YC team who may be overlooked is the Assistant Butler.  Mine was a 'she" and she acted more as a Stateroom Stewardess who actually took care of my suite.  The Butler seemed to be more in charge of whatever "extras" that a Cabin Steward/Stewardess would not be expected to do.

 

I did not offer any additional gratuities to the YC Restaurant's Stewards.  I had too many varied ones and the quality of their service did differ (which, I think, was due to their experience).  The Maitre d's, however, did receive an additional gratuity which was well deserved.  

[hamrag]

8 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

.....One person on the YC team who may be overlooked is the Assistant Butler.  Mine was a 'she" and she acted more as a Stateroom Stewardess who actually took care of my suite.  The Butler seemed to be more in charge of whatever "extras" that a Cabin Steward/Stewardess would not be expected to do....

 

Yes, they work as a team and we always give the assistant half of what we give the butler. That's generally 100 butler and 50 assistant on a 7 night cruise. As many point out, standard gratuities are also paid,

[rkacruiser]

15 hours ago, hamrag said:

Yes, they work as a team and we always give the assistant half of what we give the butler. That's generally 100 butler and 50 assistant on a 7 night cruise. As many point out, standard gratuities are also paid,

 

That is exactly the division of my gratuity to both as well.  

[morpheusofthesea]

On 8/4/2022 at 10:59 PM, mandrews2u said:

What is the going rate for you to tip this person for a 7 day cruise? How many other people are their to tip? We try to bring cash however we haven’t  cruised in 7 yrs, no idea what the going tip is anymore, just an estimate at-least anyone?

"And now the rest of the story" .

Gratuities charged to ones account ($98 pp for the week) go to paying the staff's wages. Those that remove the gratuity, for whatever lame reason, then the cruise line has to make up the difference. OBC used to tip a particular staff member may not go 100% to the designated person, and may be shared. Tip in cash directly to service provider.

I got permission from a FB poster to repost this: "Recently I saw a Tik Tok by Captain Kate. She was giving out envelopes to her staff that a passenger asked her to do for them. One staff member opened the envelope to find $5. He went crazy with joy, you would have thought it was a $100. She received so many comments on why the young man was overly excited and happy for such a small amount. A few days later she did another Tik Tok with him asking him why his reaction was so grand. He said that he would have reacted the same way if it was only $1 dollar. He said with those $5 dollars he can buy rice, bread and a lot more stuff for his family back home. That video opened my eyes on tipping anyone who serves me and our family. Please tip extra by cash. The included tips are the bare minimum that are divided between many.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 8/4/2022 at 10:59 PM, mandrews2u said:

What is the going rate for you to tip this person for a 7 day cruise?

Since we travel in the Yacht Club we see no reason to dine anywhere else. We request the same waiter/ assistant for the entire week. We tip in the restaurant as if it were any fine restaurant on land. If we were to go to the "Pancake House" for breakfast we would tip $5 for a breakfast for two. Lunch at "Gianni's Italian Restaurant", $10 for two. Dinner at the "New York Prime", $20 for two. (Just as a rule of thumb). Since sometimes our waiters are delegated to other duties on port days we tip the relief waiter these amounts after the meal. So it rounds out to $200 for each waiter/assistant for the 7 day cruise. The sommelier, in our case, should not 'suffer' because DW and I drink only bottled water so we tip them $20 for their effort. On the pool deck your personal butler can be elusive (attending to the other 12 cabin prima donnas, like ourselves) so the pool attendants are instrumental to ones enjoyment on the  pool deck, (a pocket of $5's is advised and does 'miracles'). 

  Sometimes one just has to 'prime the pump' in order to get the water to start flowing in the right direction, in the beginning of a cruise as well.

[morpheusofthesea]

https://cruiseradio.net/7-people-tip-cruise/

[morpheusofthesea]

It is startling the contrast between posters. Perhaps first timers in the YC are struck by the attention. Then we and our service providers become complacent (?) on subsequent sailings. They and we become 'known' quantities ? Sure many of our favorites have not come back and the newbies do not know the extent of their services. But we had a seasoned butler on the first leg of our cruise in June and he was abruptly replaced by another butler who excelled even he. She was not quite sure the extent of her powers as a butler, so we did not expect instant gratification (a yes answer), but she came back with even more 'flourish'. How these butlers manage having 12/13 cabins to attend  and give such great service the entire cruise, begs the question.

[morpheusofthesea]

The problem with tipping in advance is basing your tip on the assumption that the service provider will be your service provider for the entire trip. Did not know our maitre d' was a 'temp' or waiter is repositioned to another venue, or steward is quarantined. Find tipping invaluable in the beginning for tour guides and bus drivers. I tip the same whether the gratuities are included or not included. The gratuities, DSC (discretionary service charges) are the $$ going to all those 'behind the scenes' like chefs and those cleaning the railings, etc that one would not tip or come 'in contact with'. I find tipping those I come in contact with very easy. I just put myself in the role of the service provider providing me the service and the amount I think I am worth for the service I provided. I generally tip myself $100-$200, one time I was only worth $20 for the weeks cruise.

[JAGR]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

"And now the rest of the story" .

Gratuities charged to ones account ($98 pp for the week) go to paying the staff's wages. Those that remove the gratuity, for whatever lame reason, then the cruise line has to make up the difference. OBC used to tip a particular staff member may not go 100% to the designated person, and may be shared. Tip in cash directly to service provider.

I got permission from a FB poster to repost this: "Recently I saw a Tik Tok by Captain Kate. She was giving out envelopes to her staff that a passenger asked her to do for them. One staff member opened the envelope to find $5. He went crazy with joy, you would have thought it was a $100. She received so many comments on why the young man was overly excited and happy for such a small amount. A few days later she did another Tik Tok with him asking him why his reaction was so grand. He said that he would have reacted the same way if it was only $1 dollar. He said with those $5 dollars he can buy rice, bread and a lot more stuff for his family back home. That video opened my eyes on tipping anyone who serves me and our family. Please tip extra by cash. The included tips are the bare minimum that are divided between many.

Well said, again!  Running out of new material? 😐 You don't have to repeat yourself to the people who get it.  They take notes.

 

This topic has no easy one size fits all answer, yet the question on tipping rears it head on an almost weekly basis.  Repeating bon mots doesn't add much value.  JMO

[no1talks]

49 minutes ago, JAGR said:

"...the question on tipping rears it head on an almost weekly basis."

True enough.

 

It is quite contentious on the luxury cruise message boards. They can get especially snippy, when tipping early in a cruise is mentioned.

 

And what, pray tell, do you have against bon mots??

 

I love bon mots! I've been known to eat a whole box while I'm watching my soaps.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, JAGR said:

Well said, again!  Running out of new material? 😐 You don't have to repeat yourself to the people who get it.  They take notes.

 

This topic has no easy one size fits all answer, yet the question on tipping rears it head on an almost weekly basis.  Repeating bon mots doesn't add much value.  JMO

Yes, you are correct (as usual). However the SAME questions keep coming up so I just copy and paste my SAME answers.

[morpheusofthesea]

On 8/4/2022 at 10:59 PM, mandrews2u said:

no idea what the going tip is anymore, just an estimate at-least anyone?

Okay. Here is our list of what we tip since the restart of cruising for a week of service.

Waiter (gold tie).........$200 

Assistant (black tie)...$100 -$200

Maitre d'...... $50/$50 (after lesson learned in post #14)

Hostess.......$50

Sommelier ..$20-$50 ( sometimes they take on different roles in the YC restaurant, seating us, topping off our water glass, daily greeting and banter)

Pool Attendant....$20 to towel roof our pergola at the beginning of the cruise $5 for any reroofing that is blown away and fresh towels on our lounges.

TSL and One Pool deck butlers... $3 for every bottle of water/drink served

Concierges....$20 each

Future Cruise Consultant... $10 for every future cruise booked on board

Steward.......$200

Butler............$200-$400

Head Butler..$100-$200

Porters....... $50/$50 (DW has 12 suitcases)

If I forgot anyone I revisit this post at the risk of being redundant.

 

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Okay. Here is our list of what we tip since the restart of cruising for a week of service.

Waiter (gold tie).........$200 

Assistant (black tie)...$100 -$200

Maitre d'...... $50/$50 (after lesson learned in post #14)

Hostess.......$50

Sommelier ..$20-$50 ( sometimes they take on different roles in the YC restaurant, seating us, topping off our water glass, daily greeting and banter)

Pool Attendant....$20 to towel roof our pergola at the beginning of the cruise $5 for any reroofing that is blown away and fresh towels on our lounges.

TSL and One Pool deck butlers... $3 for every bottle of water/drink served

Concierges....$20 each

Future Cruise Consultant... $10 for every future cruise booked on board

Steward.......$200

Butler............$200-$400

Head Butler..$100-$200

Porters....... $50/$50 (DW has 12 suitcases)

If I forgot anyone I revisit this post at the risk of being redundant.

 

I guess we could have a posting contest to see who can post "I tip more than you" etc. etc.  Some would say that you are just a very generous person, but others would say you are simply a fool spreading out lots of money.    But I will be so bold as to suggest that we have received amazing service in the YC without spreading out $1000+ in tips!   But if we are ever sitting next to you on the pool deck I would hope you tip me a few hundred dollars for just being quiet :).

 

Hank

P.S.  It suddenly occurred to me that you are fulfilling the "shill" role.

[publicpersona]

Oh good. An excellent informative thread descending into a tipping rathole. I'll see if I can help ...

 

MSC does not recommend tipping individual members of staff.

 

(But if you want to, I say go ahead and do what pleases you. But maybe keep that to yourself as a very personal decision.)

Edited August 7, 2022 by publicpersona

[morpheusofthesea]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I guess we could have a posting contest to see who can post "I tip more than you" etc. etc.  Some would say that you are just a very generous person, but others would say you are simply a fool spreading out lots of money.    But I will be so bold as to suggest that we have received amazing service in the YC without spreading out $1000+ in tips!   But if we are ever sitting next to you on the pool deck I would hope you tip me a few hundred dollars for just being quiet :).

 

Hank

P.S.  It suddenly occurred to me that you are fulfilling the "shill" role.

There are givers and there are takers. And yes , we are "shills" for every great cruise ship we have had a good time aboard.

[joelsmith101]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I guess we could have a posting contest to see who can post "I tip more than you" etc. etc.  Some would say that you are just a very generous person, but others would say you are simply a fool spreading out lots of money.    But I will be so bold as to suggest that we have received amazing service in the YC without spreading out $1000+ in tips!   But if we are ever sitting next to you on the pool deck I would hope you tip me a few hundred dollars for just being quiet :).

 

Hank

P.S.  It suddenly occurred to me that you are fulfilling the "shill" role.

Well said. Nothing like letting everyone know you have money. The staff must be disappointed with those like me who tip a quarter of that amount despite MSC suggesting not to tip individual staff members.

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, joelsmith101 said:

Well said. Nothing like letting everyone know you have money. The staff must be disappointed with those like me who tip a quarter of that amount despite MSC suggesting not to tip individual staff members.

Morpheus makes me smile.  We take some long cruises, and I was thinking that on some of our longer voyages, tipping at his rate would mean giving out over $10,000 in tips :).   

 

Hank

[Seadweller001]

Got to love the internet.  Believe 1% of what you read here.  If you have to flaunt it, you know the rest of the saying.

 

Why would anyone go into specifics on here?  I take tipping threads with a huge grain of salt.

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Morpheus makes me smile.  We take some long cruises, and I was thinking that on some of our longer voyages, tipping at his rate would mean giving out over $10,000 in tips :).   

 

Hank

That is one reason we do not take long cruises.

P.S. I forgot one very important staff member that we also tip  $100 for the week. Our chef in the YC restaurant. I have seen this done once by a couple on the Allure some years ago and wondered why ? Now I know having such extraordinary meals personally prepared.

P.S.S. You do not know the joy I get from making you smile (and not having to pay for the privilege).