When and what do you tip the wait staff and concierge

[20165]

Yes, another tipping thread, but the one i was going to reply to was closed...  Since most of our dinners are going to be in a different venue every night, what do people tip the wait staff for that particular night they eat in that restaurant?  Also, do you tip the concierge daily or at the end of the cruise?  I usually do it at the end, but on on last NCL cruise the seemed to want it daily or at least we saw others doing it as they requested something.

Thanks and sorry, i know this is a touch subject but wanted to brush up on the norms...

 

[memoak]

If you eat in a different venue each night I would just leave the auto gratuities on and not tip extra. I see no need to tip a concierge (who  don’t exist on most ships). Since we eat most nights in reserve dining we do tip out the wait staff and the wait staff in Sabatini’s breakfast

[startedwithamouse]

Specialty we tip when we dine. 

Restaurant manager of the MDR we tip on the first night.

Room Steward if it's a long voyage, we'll leave some money and a card/sweets the day before they're allowed to go into port for supplies. Also for shoe shine, which the room steward does.

Waiters in MDR second to last night, since we're not fans of the baked Alaska parade, we skip the MDR on the last night.

We've done full suites twice and didn't tip the concierge.

[memoak]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Specialty we tip when we dine. 

Restaurant manager of the MDR we tip on the first night.

Room Steward if it's a long voyage, we'll leave some money and a card/sweets the day before they're allowed to go into port for supplies. Also for shoe shine, which the room steward does.

Waiters in MDR second to last night, since we're not fans of the baked Alaska parade, we skip the MDR on the last night.

We've done full suites twice and didn't tip the concierge.

Princess is now supposed to be adding 18% to specialty dining so that takes care of that. Have not seen a baked Alaska parade since the restart. And we have no shoes that can be shined. Always tip out steward the last night since we top based on service it might be a little or a lot

[riffatsea]

We never wait until the end of the cruise to to tip extra

We don't use our cc room steward much so we tip the first day c when we explore a in how we want things done

We tip the head waiter in club class and our servers some time during the cruise

We don't tip 1 and done specialty dining extra

[dmwnc1959]

I thought tips were included in the upgraded Princess packages? NCL has the Onboard Service Charge (which I need to buy extra) and it’s not included in the cruise fair. Why do I need to tip extra on Princess if the Crew Appreciation is included? 
 

 

Edited March 4 by dmwnc1959

[memoak]

It is included or if you sail standard you pay per day. However when employees go above and beyond we tip out extra. The amount of crew appreciation would not come close to what you would pay at land hotels and restaurants. Hopefully this thread will not encourage all the “I refuse to follow US tipping policy” people

[dmwnc1959]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

It is included or if you sail standard you pay per day. However when employees go above and beyond we tip out extra. The amount of crew appreciation would not come close to what you would pay at land hotels and restaurants. Hopefully this thread will not encourage all the “I refuse to follow US tipping policy” people

Not meaning to start a tipping debate, but I’m wondering what the standard of service is on Princess Cruises and at what point I’d notice if someone goes ‘above and beyond the call of duty’? Or am I just tipping everyone extra all the time just for the sake of not being considered ‘cheap’.

 

I don’t stay at land resorts and the hotels I stay at aren’t considered luxury brands (i.e. run of the mill Holiday Inn Express, etc.).
 

When comparing the two cruises that I’m currently booked on - Coral Princess and Norwegian Jade - the per diem costs come out to about the same. However one is 16-nights and the other is 25-nights. Princess Cruises includes the tips whereas the NCL daily OSC is purchased separate from the cruise fair. But the final costs all equal out. 

 

I’m guessing that if Princess Cruises tells me that the Crew Appreciation is included, I’ll take their word for that, and the crew won’t treat me any different than if I had tipped extra on top of that. 

[Torfamm]

4 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Not meaning to start a tipping debate, but I’m wondering what the standard of service is on Princess Cruises and at what point I’d notice if someone goes ‘above and beyond the call of duty’? Or am I just tipping everyone extra all the time just for the sake of not being considered ‘cheap’.

 

I think you’ll notice if someone does more than you’d expect or think is typical. It’s up to you to decide if you feel someone has made a special effort. A server going out of their way to provide something not on the menu, a hostess who remembers you from a past cruise and seats you at your favorite table every night etc.
 

An obvious example that I’ve experienced recently is a cabin steward having to clean up after a can of Diet Coke slipped out of my hand and exploded all over our cabin. We were very grateful that he cleaned it up so cheerfully including having to change the bed linens. IMO that deserved a tip. Lots of smaller things might too. 

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

8 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I think you’ll notice if someone does more than you’d expect or think is typical. It’s up to you to decide if you feel someone has made a special effort. A server going out of their way to provide something not on the menu, a hostess who remembers you from a past cruise and seats you at your favorite table every night etc.

Unfortunately, none of those few examples you’ve listed will apply to me. Being ‘new’ but returning to Princess Cruises in more than a decade no one will recognize me, and I eat only what’s listed on menus - I’m fine with the expansive variety - without putting the waitstaff through hoops. I am a very, very low-maintenance passenger (cabin stewards love this), don’t expect the crew to become life-long friends, don’t have butlers, there are no special dietary needs, and keep mostly to my introverted self.
 

What I do expect is that someone in a (not even trying to be rude or dismissive) service industry job (who is already getting crew appreciation from 2000-4000 passengers) will perform their duties without being bribed extra to do so. I’m not trying to be a hardliner, just wanting someone to fulfill their employment position or trade specialty duties without having to provide a bonus reward tip for the fundamentals afforded to every passenger. It shouldn’t be too much to ask. 
 

But, yeah, if I drop an exploding can of soda in my cabin they’ll get an extra tip.

[Torfamm]

26 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

What I do expect is that someone in a (not even trying to be rude or dismissive) service industry job (who is already getting crew appreciation from 2000-4000 passengers) will perform their duties without being bribed extra to do so. I’m not trying to be a hardliner, just wanting someone to fulfill their employment position or trade specialty duties without having to provide a bonus reward tip for the fundamentals afforded to every passenger. It shouldn’t be too much to ask. 

In my experience that is the norm. 

[57eric]

Which Princess ships have a concierge?  And what connection does the concierge have with the dining room? 

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

What ships have you sailed on?  We've seen several of the parades since the restart. 

 

I believe a service charge is different than a tip. At least on land it is. 

What are you saying above?  The 18% is a mandatory gratuity.  It used to be baked into the price.  Instead of just increasing the cost for SD meals, Princess changed the way they do things and are adding the gratuity on the former price which included it.  It is still a price increase and there is a gratuity.  The meal cost of $39 (for example) is the service charge or upcharge to dine in SD.  The 18% is the gratuity.

[Steelers36]

34 minutes ago, 57eric said:

Which Princess ships have a concierge?  And what connection does the concierge have with the dining room? 

They are for Suite guests and work in the Suites lounge on Royal Class and higher.  There was talk (rumor?) of Princess adding one to the other ships for the Suite guests even though there is no Suite lounge.  Nothing to do with the MDRs.

[startedwithamouse]

41 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

What are you saying above?  The 18% is a mandatory gratuity.  It used to be baked into the price.  Instead of just increasing the cost for SD meals, Princess changed the way they do things and are adding the gratuity on the former price which included it.  It is still a price increase and there is a gratuity.  The meal cost of $39 (for example) is the service charge or upcharge to dine in SD.  The 18% is the gratuity.

But gratuity isn't mandatory. A service charge is. Tips aren't mandatory, they can be taken off. A service charge can't. Is the server getting 18%? We don't know, and choose to tip them directly, as we always have done in the specialty dining. This is what we do, doesn't need to be what others do. On land, bills we get at the end of the meal clearly states the service charge is not a tip.

Edited March 5 by startedwithamouse

[dmwnc1959]

12 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

But gratuity isn't mandatory. A service charge is. Tips aren't mandatory, they can be taken off. A service charge can't. Is the server getting 18%? We don't know, and choose to tip them directly, as we always have done in the specialty dining. This is what we do, doesn't need to be what others do. On land, bills we get at the end of the meal clearly states the service charge is not a tip.

If an 18% service charge is added on top of the cost of the specialty dining, that is in my mind the TIP. I don’t care who’s getting it, I don’t care how it’s being distributed, I just know that it’s the TIP. If I’m wrong, so be it.
 

But I can guarantee you that I’m not tipping on top of being charged additional with an 18% service charge. If the crew appreciation is Princess Cruises way of me supplementing the entire crew’s income, then there is no reason for me to tip extra for them just doing their job. 
 

“All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees. The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crew members fleet-wide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.”

[Steelers36]

26 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

But gratuity isn't mandatory. A service charge is. Tips aren't mandatory, they can be taken off. A service charge can't. Is the server getting 18%? We don't know, and choose to tip them directly, as we always have done in the specialty dining. This is what we do, doesn't need to be what others do. On land, bills we get at the end of the meal clearly states the service charge is not a tip.

Well, try taking off the mandatory tip many restaurants add for a certain group size and higher.  I never have, but probably would not be well-received.  I guess we may need to wait and see if anyone posts on this forum that they stroked off the 18% charge on SD bill and were successful.  Every bar drink has 18% added on and I do not recall reading anyone removing that. 

 

You may be splitting hairs here over a term, but the 18% is treated as gratuity to the staff.  I have always been aware the team in SD was getting a gratuity amount baked into the price I paid.  I only tipped for special service and we were told more than once a tip was not expected.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

How can someone possibly tip for doing extra when they tip on the first day of the cruise? Ridiculous. In that case they are either tipping because they always do regardless of the standard of service or else they are tipping in advance in the hope that the crew  will give them preferences... i.e. a bribe.

[Steelers36]

10 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

fI an 18% service charge is added on top of the cost of the specialty dining, that is in my mind the TIP. I don’t care who’s getting it, I don’t care how it’s being distributed, I just know that it’s the TIP. If I’m wrong, so be it

I agree with you.  The 18% is a tip and no need to augment.  However, this is not really a change from before as the old price had the gratuity baked in and was invisible so to speak unless one was informed about the pricing.  I think some folks may get hung up on terminology, but it is a tip for the staff.  It isn't any different in my mind to the 18% added to every bar order.

 

Princess simply has increased the pricing for SD and decided to make the gratuity visible to all.  I just think of it a a CG meal now costs $46 instead of $39.

[57eric]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

They are for Suite guests and work in the Suites lounge on Royal Class and higher.  There was talk (rumor?) of Princess adding one to the other ships for the Suite guests even though there is no Suite lounge.  Nothing to do with the MDRs.

Thanks.

[startedwithamouse]

33 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Well, try taking off the mandatory tip many restaurants add for a certain group size and higher.  I never have, but probably would not be well-received.  I guess we may need to wait and see if anyone posts on this forum that they stroked off the 18% charge on SD bill and were successful.  Every bar drink has 18% added on and I do not recall reading anyone removing that. 

 

You may be splitting hairs here over a term, but the 18% is treated as gratuity to the staff.  I have always been aware the team in SD was getting a gratuity amount baked into the price I paid.  I only tipped for special service and we were told more than once a tip was not expected.

Used to be parties of 8 or more. 

 

Now it's parties of ANY size. 

 

This is our experience in a post 2020 restaurant scene.

Edited March 5 by startedwithamouse

[partybarbie]

We don’t cruise without Princess Plus, but even with the crew appreciation included, there are some things we still tip extra for.

 

Our SD was a gift from our TA, so we left a little extra. We spend a lot of time in Crooner’s, so if our drinks are are good and coming quickly, there’s extra tips. In Vines, we get double pours for dinner and get to leave with the nice glasses. They get extra tips. Our cabin steward changes out our minibar, takes care of the laundry, and we don’t think they get tipped enough anyway, so they get extra. Our waiter brought us a couple of off menu items for dinner, so he received an extra tip. When I receive complimentary suite breakfast, I haven’t paid any gratuities on it, so the wait staff receives extra.

 

It’s not a requirement to tip extra. You will know when someone has gone above and beyond for you. We normally wait until the end of the cruise to tip anything. Enjoy your cruise.

[memoak]

16 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

We don’t cruise without Princess Plus, but even with the crew appreciation included, there are some things we still tip extra for.

 

Our SD was a gift from our TA, so we left a little extra. We spend a lot of time in Crooner’s, so if our drinks are are good and coming quickly, there’s extra tips. In Vines, we get double pours for dinner and get to leave with the nice glasses. They get extra tips. Our cabin steward changes out our minibar, takes care of the laundry, and we don’t think they get tipped enough anyway, so they get extra. Our waiter brought us a couple of off menu items for dinner, so he received an extra tip. When I receive complimentary suite breakfast, I haven’t paid any gratuities on it, so the wait staff receives extra.

 

It’s not a requirement to tip extra. You will know when someone has gone above and beyond for you. We normally wait until the end of the cruise to tip anything. Enjoy your cruise.

Great minds think alike. Well stated

[dmwnc1959]

28 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

We don’t cruise without Princess Plus, but even with the crew appreciation included, there are some things we still tip extra for.

 

Our SD was a gift from our TA, so we left a little extra. We spend a lot of time in Crooner’s, so if our drinks are are good and coming quickly, there’s extra tips. In Vines, we get double pours for dinner and get to leave with the nice glasses. They get extra tips. Our cabin steward changes out our minibar, takes care of the laundry, and we don’t think they get tipped enough anyway, so they get extra. Our waiter brought us a couple of off menu items for dinner, so he received an extra tip. When I receive complimentary suite breakfast, I haven’t paid any gratuities on it, so the wait staff receives extra.

 

It’s not a requirement to tip extra. You will know when someone has gone above and beyond for you. We normally wait until the end of the cruise to tip anything. Enjoy your cruise.

I understand that each person cruises with different levels of expectations, different requirements to enjoy their vacation, and different styles in which they are accustomed to traveling. An affluent well-to-do husband and wife in luxurious accommodations, a family from a socio-economic middle-class on their first cruise, or a senior citizen traveling solo in an inside cabin all have different needs and demands on how they utilize the crew. 
 

Those incidences you’ve listed in which you may see fit to tip extra, none apply to me. And may not apply to a lot of people.
 

Well, except the ‘bag-of-laundry day’ on an extended cruise. If my room ‘Stewart’ can hook me up with something extra that’ll deserve a tip. But I don’t ask for extras at bars or dining venues, and my inside cabin doesn’t get complementary full breakfast service. 
 

Like you said: ‘It’s not a requirement to tip extra.’ I’ll go a step further and add that it shouldn’t be expected for the rest of us to do so because others are setting a standard of expectation by the crew for tips. 
 

😎

[20165]

I think i need to be a little more specific with my initial question.  We always tip the cabin steward and the MDR wait staff extra at the end of the cruise for excellent service which they always have provided for us.  My issue is this particular cruise, we will probably only eat in the MDR once or twice because we are going to try as many speciality restaurants as we can and are signed up for the 360 experience.  So what do you tip those folks at the end of dinner since we will only be there once?  Also, the concierge is always a mystery for me.  I have tipped by the request on some ships and it seemed was odd given no one else was, and ive tipped at the end of the cruise in one lump sum and that also didnt feel right.  Any thoughts on this as to when and how much to tip?

thanks