Tipping when staying in Haven suite

[BirdTravels]

On 1/31/2023 at 4:12 PM, Lick What said:

There is no such ting as a normal, suggest, common, expected, or usual amount to tip.. There will be many OPINIONS on how much people tip and thinking that because they choose to tip that amount, others should as well.  The -->ONLY<-- right answer to any question about tipping is to tip anyone you want, any time you want, and amount you want and be done with it.  What others tip is irrelevant.

But the OP asked. And you flame them for asking??? That's pretty uncool. 

Edited February 1, 2023 by BirdTravels

[ExArkie]

On 1/30/2023 at 1:34 PM, palpieha said:

The larger DSC in the Haven is for the additional restaurant staff (i.e. there are more waiters/diner in the Haven than MDR) and the larger rooms that stewards service.

Not that I don't believe this is the official explanation, but something seems off. If this is true, why do non-Haven suites (our upcoming one is an aft penthouse on Jade) and those ships without a Haven restaurant still pay the higher amount?

 

[palpieha]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

Not that I don't believe this is the official explanation, but something seems off. If this is true, why do non-Haven suites (our upcoming one is an aft penthouse on Jade) and those ships without a Haven restaurant still pay the higher amount?

 

You still have a larger stateroom, which means the steward has less staterooms to service. Could NCL get more granular on the DSC? Sure. Maybe a Haven courtyard would pay less than a 2-bedroom. Or an itinerary with a lot of sea days where the restaurant is used more pays more than a port intensive one.

 

They've decided not to create a big formula. I don't know why, I don't work for NCL. 

 

As for this thread, it's about tipping in the Haven. The DSC covers everybody in the Haven (steward, restaurant staff, deck attendant), while the butler and concierge rely on individual tips.

[gmbhardy]

I really wish gratuities were included in the cruise fare. I would gladly pay extra to avoid running around on the last day with envelopes, deciding who to tip, how much to tip where to tip, etc. To me it puts an added level of stress, at the end of what should be a very positive experience.

[GeezerCouple]

20 minutes ago, gmbhardy said:

I really wish gratuities were included in the cruise fare. I would gladly pay extra to avoid running around on the last day with envelopes, deciding who to tip, how much to tip where to tip, etc. To me it puts an added level of stress, at the end of what should be a very positive experience.

 

I don't mind paying extra for extra special service, no matter where.

 

But it makes no sense (except for the cruise lines' ability to advertise cheaper prices) not to include the general gratuities in the fare.  After all, some/much of that go to the hard-working folks behind the scenes, laundry, food prep, and so many more to keep a huge ship functioning.  Since there is NO way we can "tip" those people, this "overall gratuity" is not really something given for *extra* service.

 

Same thing for the mandatory "resort fee" at hotels.  It's not "$10 for use of the pool"; it's "$10 above the room rate... extra to stay in that room..."  😡

 

GC

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, gmbhardy said:

I really wish gratuities were included in the cruise fare. I would gladly pay extra to avoid running around on the last day with envelopes, deciding who to tip, how much to tip where to tip, etc. To me it puts an added level of stress, at the end of what should be a very positive experience.

The only people you must tip, per NCL, in the Haven are the butler and concierge as they're not included in the daily service charge. Then again, I am sure some don't feel tipping the butler and concierge are mandatory. And that's ok! All other Haven employees are included in the daily service charge. Do we tip above? Yes, but we don't feel it's mandatory. All that running around with envelopes is purely your decision. 

[MoCruiseFan]

6 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

I really wish gratuities were included in the cruise fare. I would gladly pay extra to avoid running around on the last day with envelopes, deciding who to tip, how much to tip where to tip, etc. To me it puts an added level of stress, at the end of what should be a very positive experience.

  Then simply go to guest services at whatever point during the cruise that you decide how much you want to to and pay it in one lump sum.  You do not have to run around anywhere.  When you see who you want to yip, tip them.

[MoCruiseFan]

5 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

The only people you must tip, per NCL, in the Haven are the butler and concierge as they're not included in the daily service charge. Then again, I am sure some don't feel tipping the butler and concierge are mandatory. And that's ok! All other Haven employees are included in the daily service charge. Do we tip above? Yes, but we don't feel it's mandatory. All that running around with envelopes is purely your decision. 

There s NO ONE that you MUST tip.  Further NCL NEVER states that you MUST tip anyone.  If I utilize a given crew member's services and they do a good job, I tip.

Edited February 2, 2023 by MoCruiseFan

[gmbhardy]

8 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

  Then simply go to guest services at whatever point during the cruise that you decide how much you want to to and pay it in one lump sum.  You do not have to run around anywhere.  When you see who you want to yip, tip them.

That makes absolutely no sense.

[don't-use-real-name]

Instead of fretting about running around trying to find $2 dollar bills to put in an envelope -

you could go to Guest Services and get a Credit Voucher (charge against your on board account)

for each crew member you wish to tip additionally and the non DSC Butler and Concierge.

You receive a receipt that can be given to the crew member - and while not quite as classy

as legal green tender in a pretty Thank You note card it suffices and the crew member gets

the entire tip and not shared or pooled with others.

 

Tipping is a personal matter - you can discuss it here or NOT keep it low key please.

Not everyone has the same expectations of service and appreciates the service in the same way. 

[gmbhardy]

1 hour ago, don&#x27;t-use-real-name said:

Instead of fretting about running around trying to find $2 dollar bills to put in an envelope -

you could go to Guest Services and get a Credit Voucher (charge against your on board account)

for each crew member you wish to tip additionally and the non DSC Butler and Concierge.

You receive a receipt that can be given to the crew member - and while not quite as classy

as legal green tender in a pretty Thank You note card it suffices and the crew member gets

the entire tip and not shared or pooled with others.

 

Tipping is a personal matter - you can discuss it here or NOT keep it low key please.

Not everyone has the same expectations of service and appreciates the service in the same way. 

I don’t use $2 bills, I use twoonies in tiny envelopes and then attach them to small bottles of maple syrup. 

[BirdTravels]

We use standard bulk thank you note cards/envelopes on all cruises, regardless of cabin class. Short and sweet note and cash. 

[MoCruiseFan]

9 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

That makes absolutely no sense.

 

You obviously do not have very good comprehension.  You want the tips added to the cost of the cruise so you do not have to "run around" finding everyone.  No need to run around at all, just take you little stack of envelopes to guest services with each person's name on them, one stop - DONE.  Makes NO sense at all to have tips included in the cruise fare.  1) If an employee knows he will get fully tipped no matter how he does his job... and 2) Why would I want someone else deciding for me how much to tip, especially before I have received any service that might normally garner a tip?  Adding tips into the coat of the cruise is the silliest idea I have ever heard.

 

[cruiseny4life]

15 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

There s NO ONE that you MUST tip.  Further NCL NEVER states that you MUST tip anyone.  If I utilize a given crew member's services and they do a good job, I tip.

Blah, blah, blah. You realize you're unhelpful right? Why must pedantic(s) argue semantics online? It's so tiring. But, let's have it your way. NCL "encourages" guests that utilize the services of a butler and concierge to tip them as they're not part of the daily service charge. And I will be that person. If you use the services of your butler and/or the concierge, then you damn well ought to tip them. Unless you're cheap in which case you need to not cruise the Haven. 

 

 

12 hours ago, don&#x27;t-use-real-name said:

Tipping is a personal matter - you can discuss it here or NOT keep it low key please.

Not everyone has the same expectations of service and appreciates the service in the same way. 

Yea, I'm not going to keep it low key. Give people information. They can use it as they would like. There's about as much reason to keep tips hush hush as there is to keeping salary hush hush. 

 

Cruise one - April, Getaway, Haven Penthouse Suite

 

Butler - $100

Concierge - $100

Server staff - $20 for three or four that we had a great relationship with

One bartender - $20, because he made my day down at the Sugarcane bar on Waterfront

 

Cruise two - September, Getaway, Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse

 

Butler - $50

Concierge - $50

Server staff - $20 for three or four

One bartender - $20, same one as above

 

Cruise three - January, Getaway, Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse

 

Butler - $50

Concierge - $50

Server staff - $20 for three or four

Two bartenders - $20 for the two Haven bartenders

 

So sorry, did I spoil your need for discretion? Ooopsie patootie! 

 

People can use the information above as they like. They can do what I did since it's a guide. They can call me cheap and tip more. Or they can tip less and wonder why I'm crazy for tipping more.

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

You obviously do not have very good comprehension.  You want the tips added to the cost of the cruise so you do not have to "run around" finding everyone.  No need to run around at all, just take you little stack of envelopes to guest services with each person's name on them, one stop - DONE.  

First this is kinda of nasty. 

 

Second, If I am going to tip someone, I am not going to go to Guest Services and ask them to distribute it. I am going to do it in person, because I want to express my thanks to a well deserving crew member. I think most people would agree. 

[CWMixer]

General question for clarification if anyone knows:

 

Is a tip given to the (lead) concierge then disbursed among the total concierge staff, or would it be kept entirely by the lead?

 

Most comments here only indicate a tip to 'the concierge' and don't differentiate between other members of the concierge staff, as they do with giving tips to individual bartenders, servers, etc.

 

[sailorusvi]

 I like to see guides on tipping, especially in areas where we have not frequented before. We already paid the DSC and package service charge and didn't have a point of reference. We generally tip generously, as most hospitality workers do, it's a curse working in the industry. 🤪    But you do you.

 

When I worked for tips, some people over tipped, some people under tipped (not even necessarily because of service, they just were low tippers - looking at guy who came in every Sunday and only tipped $1, regardless of the table size), most were in the middle.  It all average out in the end.  No need to stress over the practice.

[nmuller328]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Blah, blah, blah. You realize you're unhelpful right? Why must pedantic(s) argue semantics online? It's so tiring. But, let's have it your way. NCL "encourages" guests that utilize the services of a butler and concierge to tip them as they're not part of the daily service charge. And I will be that person. If you use the services of your butler and/or the concierge, then you damn well ought to tip them. Unless you're cheap in which case you need to not cruise the Haven. 

 

 

Yea, I'm not going to keep it low key. Give people information. They can use it as they would like. There's about as much reason to keep tips hush hush as there is to keeping salary hush hush. 

 

Cruise one - April, Getaway, Haven Penthouse Suite

 

Butler - $100

Concierge - $100

Server staff - $20 for three or four that we had a great relationship with

One bartender - $20, because he made my day down at the Sugarcane bar on Waterfront

 

Cruise two - September, Getaway, Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse

 

Butler - $50

Concierge - $50

Server staff - $20 for three or four

One bartender - $20, same one as above

 

Cruise three - January, Getaway, Haven Aft-Facing Penthouse

 

Butler - $50

Concierge - $50

Server staff - $20 for three or four

Two bartenders - $20 for the two Haven bartenders

 

So sorry, did I spoil your need for discretion? Ooopsie patootie! 

 

People can use the information above as they like. They can do what I did since it's a guide. They can call me cheap and tip more. Or they can tip less and wonder why I'm crazy for tipping more.

 Thanks- this really helps- as a first timer- it's nice to see some definite amounts- we've tipped our room steward before - what we feel was fair for the service we received - though after our second cruise we wished we had tipped our 1st steward more- the second wasn't half as good as the 1st - though not sure if the 1st was that good or was the 2nd that mediocre- now this time we're going Haven so we don't know, plus they are changing the work load for the room stewards so who knows.  Did notice that you didn't tip the room steward in the Haven- is there a reason ?  Also your 1st cruise you tipped both Butler & Concierge twice as more then the next 2 cruises- is there reason (longer cruise, 1st time Haven, did you have them do more for you) Totally understand that $ is at our discretion but it's nice to have a guideline- (also one that seems a little more reasonable- I've heard of some who give those amounts daily- that is a little out of our wheelhouse but I could see more like your 1st cruise) We do tip during the week when we feel someone has gone the extra step & even tipped musicians when we have had a great evening.    Thanks again for your insight. 

[gmbhardy]

7 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

You obviously do not have very good comprehension.  You want the tips added to the cost of the cruise so you do not have to "run around" finding everyone.  No need to run around at all, just take you little stack of envelopes to guest services with each person's name on them, one stop - DONE.  Makes NO sense at all to have tips included in the cruise fare.  1) If an employee knows he will get fully tipped no matter how he does his job... and 2) Why would I want someone else deciding for me how much to tip, especially before I have received any service that might normally garner a tip?  Adding tips into the coat of the cruise is the silliest idea I have ever heard.

 

Your comments are quite valid. Please remember that I am Canadian and a Buffalo Sabres fan so I am not very bright. After more than 30 cruises averaging close to 16 drinks a day my brain is a bit foggy at times. 😉

[cruiseny4life]

27 minutes ago, nmuller328 said:

 Thanks- this really helps- as a first timer- it's nice to see some definite amounts- we've tipped our room steward before - what we feel was fair for the service we received - though after our second cruise we wished we had tipped our 1st steward more- the second wasn't half as good as the 1st - though not sure if the 1st was that good or was the 2nd that mediocre- now this time we're going Haven so we don't know, plus they are changing the work load for the room stewards so who knows.  Did notice that you didn't tip the room steward in the Haven- is there a reason ?  Also your 1st cruise you tipped both Butler & Concierge twice as more then the next 2 cruises- is there reason (longer cruise, 1st time Haven, did you have them do more for you) Totally understand that $ is at our discretion but it's nice to have a guideline- (also one that seems a little more reasonable- I've heard of some who give those amounts daily- that is a little out of our wheelhouse but I could see more like your 1st cruise) We do tip during the week when we feel someone has gone the extra step & even tipped musicians when we have had a great evening.    Thanks again for your insight. 

Thanks! I totally overlooked the room steward. We did tip them on top of the daily service charge, except on our last cruise where we felt the steward did her job, but just the minimum.

 

April cruise

Room steward - $40

September cruise

Room steward - $50 (larger room, longer cruise, but several days we only asked him to service our room one time a day)

 

January cruise

Room steward - $0

 

As for the butler/concierge - we just didn't feel it was necessary to tip as much on our first cruise. On our first cruise, we used the concierge more than we used the concierge on the second and third cruise. That's why the decrease. We felt we tipped the butler too much on our first cruise, so decreased the tip. Each time the butler only delivered one meal to our room (as room service), plus a night time butler once in September. Otherwise, they just did their job. We felt we needed to tip, but certainly didn't need to tip a lot more. 

 

Thanks - appreciate the questions and reminder of the room steward tips! I hope this is helpful! Please ask if you have more questions. 

[MoCruiseFan]

2 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Your comments are quite valid. Please remember that I am Canadian and a Buffalo Sabres fan so I am not very bright. After more than 30 cruises averaging close to 16 drinks a day my brain is a bit foggy at times. 😉

 

 

Any puck fan is OK by me especially one who sticks by his chosen team thick and thin. I am a Flyers fan and love watching an all original 6 finals if my boys are not skating!.

[gmbhardy]

1 hour ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

 

Any puck fan is OK by me especially one who sticks by his chosen team thick and thin. I am a Flyers fan and love watching an all original 6 finals if my boys are not skating!.

My son is a big Flyers fan also. Neither one of us has had much to cheer about over the last few (many) years. That’s why we go on cruises, lol.

[zgscl]

I definitely find it helpful to see what others tip - especially when trying a new line or type of service like the Haven. In particular it is helpful to know that the butlers & concierge are not included in the DSC as this will definitely make a difference to whatever formula I come up with on day 5 or 6 of the cruise based on the services used and quality of service received. Unless there is a major service problem I will almost certainly tip more than I did in a HAL Neptune or Celebrity Retreat as those folks were all compensated by the DSC and a gratuity is truly an extra. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by zgscl

[Wedgie Wedgie]

The room steward works much harder than the butler or the concierge and I understand they are already in the pool. I tip them the most.

[rattla]

On 2/2/2023 at 4:21 PM, gmbhardy said:

I really wish gratuities were included in the cruise fare. I would gladly pay extra to avoid running around on the last day with envelopes, deciding who to tip, how much to tip where to tip, etc. To me it puts an added level of stress, at the end of what should be a very positive experience.

This mostly happens with U.K. cruises (and similarly none of the “resort fee” ridiculousness”) in hotels.  No extra to pay added to the bill, no expectation, no gratuities added to drinks or speciality dining…. So much better!  The price is the price., no having to investigate the rates or pay a variable amount that is stress inducing etc.

I went on a short 4 day cruise last year and paid less than the pre paid gratuities on my next NCL cruise. (And that had gratuities included! 😊)