When and what do you tip the wait staff and concierge

[d9704011]

2 minutes ago, 20165 said:

So what do you tip those folks at the end of dinner since we will only be there once? 

Nothing.

 

As for concierge, I'd decide that near the end of the cruise depending on what has actually gone on.

[memoak]

Just now, 20165 said:

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

I would not tip extra for a restaurant you only use once or twice. Also see no need to tip the concierge if there is one. We only go to a specialty restaurant 2or3 times on a 16 day cruise so we tip out our wait staff, bartenders that we use daily and our steward

[partybarbie]

2 minutes ago, 20165 said:

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

If you are looking for an amount on the specialty dining, it’s already included. We leave an extra $10 for two people, but the amount is totally up to you. In the main dining room, for normal service at different tables, it’s not necessary and at your discretion. I believe only the suites have a concierge service and that is at your discretion.

[dmwnc1959]

7 minutes ago, 20165 said:

So what do you tip those folks at the end of dinner since we will only be there once?  

 

3 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Nothing.

 

Same for me. Nothing. 

[memoak]

4 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

If you are looking for an amount on the specialty dining, it’s already included. We leave an extra $10 for two people, but the amount is totally up to you. In the main dining room, for normal service at different tables, it’s not necessary and at your discretion. I believe only the suites have a concierge service and that is at your discretion.

And I have only seen a concierge on Royal class ship

[partybarbie]

18 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:
 

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. 
 

😎

So I shouldn’t tip extra because the crew will expect it from everyone? That’s a good one. 😂 

[partybarbie]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

And I have only seen a concierge on Royal class ship

We cruise a lot on the Royal so that is the ship I was thinking of.

[dmwnc1959]

7 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

So I shouldn’t tip extra because the crew will expect it from everyone? That’s a good one. 😂 

That’s not even close to what I said, maybe you should go back and read it.
 

I said that I shouldn’t be expected to tip extra just because you do. PartyBarbie.
 

😎

Edited March 5 by dmwnc1959

[memoak]

30 minutes ago, partybarbie said:

We cruise a lot on the Royal so that is the ship I was thinking of.

We only sail Royal class occasionally mostly we prefer the smaller ships. On Royal class we may use the lounge to grab an early coffee only really use the concierge to set up specialty dinners

[20165]

We are on Enchantment next month in a suite so we should have a concierge.  And we are going to lean on them heavily because we are having issues making all of the dinner reservations we want so we plan on using them pretty extensively.

thx

 

[partybarbie]

43 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

That’s not even close to what I said, maybe you should go back and read it.
 

I said that I shouldn’t be expected to tip extra just because you do. PartyBarbie.
 

😎

Well thank you so very much for the clarification. It’s insightful and helpful comments like yours that keep me coming back to this forum. 

[hamrag]

19 hours ago, memoak said:

....Hopefully this thread will not encourage all the “I refuse to follow US tipping policy” people

 

So, turning your comment on it's head, would you be kind enough to explain why you think everyone on this thread should follow US tipping policy.

[dmwnc1959]

Just now, partybarbie said:

Well thank you so very much for the clarification. It’s insightful and helpful comments like yours that keep me coming back to this forum. 

Someone has to. This forum is all they have.

 

😉

[partybarbie]

1 minute ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Someone has to. This forum is all they have.

 

😉

So very true. As you have almost 15,000 posts, you probably would know a lot about that.

[20165]

26 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

So, turning your comment on it's head, would you be kind enough to explain why you think everyone on this thread should follow US tipping policy.

I dont think anyone is saying you have to tip, but as a tipper, i can definitely see better service, especially in the bars.  I usually tip $5 when i order a drink for my wife and I and by about night 2 or 3, they usually have our drinks waiting for us before we even sit down or if the bar is crowded they bring them out to us. Ive definitely gotten some dirty looks from others, but i had my drink...

[arizonaperson]

@20165 On the Enchanted Princess the concierge lounge is located on Riviera deck near the wedding chapel. As far as how much you want to tip them will depend on obviously the service you receive. As far as tipping and specialty restaurants, it’s a tip ,you can do what you wish or nothing at all. The reason why Princess and many other lines have not had tipping at the end of the cruise is  because when there was no longer everyone in the traditional main dining room every night &  specialty dining opened that’s how the tipping process went. Everything is added to your daily/ nightly charges, as far as tipping, or if you have the packages as I’m sure you already know.

I think what you’re asking is primarily the suite concierge and the specialty dining. How much do people tip them.

 

As far as what other people do ,doesn’t really matter in my opinion. If you think you receive good service at the specialty dining, then tip extra ,otherwise it’s included basically . I believe because everything is “ under “your medallion/cruise card. There is no longer a bill at the specialty dining restaurant for you to sign an extra for a tip ,so your tip would probably have to be in cash.??

[hamrag]

10 minutes ago, 20165 said:

I dont think anyone is saying you have to tip, but as a tipper, i can definitely see better service, especially in the bars.  I usually tip $5 when i order a drink for my wife and I and by about night 2 or 3, they usually have our drinks waiting for us before we even sit down or if the bar is crowded they bring them out to us.

I didn't suggest anyone was saying that. My question was simply regarding, so called, US tipping policy! 😉

 

Across 50+ cruises, and at least 18 cruiselines we have always followed the cruiseline suggested tip/gratuity/service charge guidelines....each of these terms are interchangeable you know. And, to be abundantly clear, we have never at any time felt we received inferior service to that of the very public greenback wavers.

 

We have always found that treating all crew members with the greatest of respect is the key that opens all service doors.

Edited March 5 by hamrag

[billco]

I backed off on the extra tipping when I realized a lot of the wait staff were playing me.

[dmwnc1959]

1 minute ago, billco said:

I backed off on the extra tipping when I realized a lot of the wait staff were playing me.

🥰 🥰 🥰

 

You are a legend. 👍🏻

[dmwnc1959]

7 minutes ago, arizonaperson said:

As far as what other people do ,doesn’t really matter in my opinion. If you think you receive good service at the specialty dining, then tip extra ,otherwise it’s included basically.

I think this a point that I’ve been trying to make, where service should always be first-rate. Not just good, average, or median. Service should always be friendly, timely, accommodating, and dutiful. I shouldn’t have to, or be expected to tip for ‘good service’. As some have mentioned, if I had special needs or special requests that go outside of the norm, or expect expedited service, then sure bribe your server with a tip.

[JimmyVWine]

2 hours ago, 20165 said:

Any thoughts on this as to when and how much to tip?

There is no single answer.  As for timing, the recipient only cares that they were recognized. Not when they were recognized.  Don't stress over it.  As for amount, that is entirely up to you.

Edited March 5 by JimmyVWine

[dmwnc1959]

2 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

There is no single answer.  As for timing, the recipient only cares that they were recognized. Not when they were recognized.  Don't stress over it.  As for amount, that is entirely up to you.

Also, don’t forget to fill out one of the crew appreciation comment cards, specifically naming them individually. Include their full name if you can, and their duty station or service detail, and include glowing details of how wonderful they were. This will increase the chances that they’ll be included to a greater degree on those combined bonuses and Crew Appreciation tips.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I am absolutely gobsmacked at the amounts some people tip when on a cruise. Good on you if you can afford it but I for one just cannot afford to pay for the package and then also tip for every drink on top. I will tip at the end of the cruise for excellent service from bar staff but it is usually only $20, or even $10 on a short cruise.

 

To put it into context... if only 10% of people tipped a bar waiter $10 over the course of a week then on a ship carrying 3500 passengers that would be an extra $3500 on top of their wages. I don't think the bar staff are quite so poor as we like to make them out to be!

Edited March 5 by Snaxmuppet

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, Snaxmuppet said:

I am absolutely gobsmacked at the amounts some people tip when on a cruise.

Personally, I simply don't much believe what a lot of people post on here.

[20165]

1 hour ago, Snaxmuppet said:

I am absolutely gobsmacked at the amounts some people tip when on a cruise. Good on you if you can afford it but I for one just cannot afford to pay for the package and then also tip for every drink on top. I will tip at the end of the cruise for excellent service from bar staff but it is usually only $20, or even $10 on a short cruise.

 

To put it into context... if only 10% of people tipped a bar waiter $10 over the course of a week then on a ship carrying 3500 passengers that would be an extra $3500 on top of their wages. I don't think the bar staff are quite so poor as we like to make them out to be!

I dont think its that uncommon.  I get $250 in $5s before i leave and come back with very few left, but in the overall cost of the cruise, air etc its not a lot of money and greatly enhances my experience at the bars, around the pool, etc. Believe me, its a noticeable difference from when we didnt do this years ago to the point where my wife is telling me to start tipping day 1...