Tipping help please???

[ozcaz]

Can anyone give me guidance on this subject.

 

We have prepaid our gratuities, but I read on the boards that is only for some staff?

What is the done thing for example if you have coffee in your room in the morning. Do I then tip this person? Do I give it to then or at the end of the cruise? How much do you tip for this assistance?

 

We have been to America before and found the tipping scenerio very confusing. Understand wait staff wages are really low and this is how they earn their money which is fine. But we did day tours which we paid for and then had drivers hounding tourists for tips. We met an American couple who said you dont tip for this!!!! So we had no idea.

 

In vegas we tipped the shuttle driver from the airport $5.00 for our suitcases. Then the guy who took them into the hotel had his hand out.

Another $5.00 Then the guy who brought them from reception again another $5.00. I have to say $15.00 to get your luggage to your room is just over the top! Were we being had?? Just curious as we are going through the whole thing all over again. We were paying $1.00 per bag x 5

 

Please dont think I am a scrooge. I dont mind paying for service. But its all so confusing and I am sure we got done.

 

One other question on this. I know this doesnt regard to the cruise but as mostly on here are Americans I gather you may be able to help.

When you eat in a restaurant do you put the money in the folder for the bill and tip, or just the bill and leave tip on table.

 

As I said god its confusing.

 

Thanks

 

Caz

[Beffy1167]

First let me say that tipping is a very personal decision but maybe I can help with some of your questions: Yes, when you get coffee in your room in the mornings, it's "Room Service" and you ought to tip them. For just coffee, I usually tip $1; if I've also ordered breakfast, I give them $2. You can tip more, but I'd recommend not tipping less.

 

I usually tip the shuttle drivers $1 a bag, also. I do the same for the porters at the pier. But at the hotel, where neither service person actually carried the bags the whole way to your room, I probably would have tipped half as much.

 

I usually carry a lot of $1 bills on a cruise so that all those people who do have their hands out can be tipped. In a lot of the countries we visit, the service people are paid WAY less even than in the US and I figure that every little bit helps them support their families. For tour guides, I usually tip $1-2 per person--depending on how well the guide did. Sometimes it is suggested that we tip the driver, too. When I do so, I stick with the $1-2 per person rule. Of course, you can tip more if you feel the individual has earned it.

 

In restaurants that provide a folder for payment, I usually do include the tip with the payment. But when my husband pays, he prefers to leave the tip on the table. Either way is appropriate. Both of us (although now ordained ministers) have been in service professions in the past and, because of our experience, tip 20% or more. If the service has been REALLY poor, we will reduce it, but it takes a HUGE lack before we'll do that.

 

Hope this helps! Happy cruising!

[DreadPirateRobert]

I can't speak to tipping in Vegas but have to agree $15.00 sounds expensive. On the ship I would definitely tip room service. We ususally give our room steward something at the start of the week as well if he/she goes out of the way to greet us when we first come on board. We also give extra to cocktail servers who do a really good job or go out of their way to be nice.

We appreciate good service and don't mind paying extra for it.

[hstrybuf]

Beffy1167 pretty well covered it. I understand that the tipping policy can be confusing to those from other countries. Typically, in our area, we leave 15-20% of the bill as a tip in restaurants. If paying by credit card, we add it onto the slip provided. If paying by cash, we leave the appropriate percentage, depending on service.

 

Getting to the ship, it seems like it is as you described. Everyone expects a tip. We take a lot of small bills, $1's and $5's, specifically for this. Taxi drivers, shuttle drivers, baggage handlers at hotels, porters at the ship will all be looking for something for providing you a service, no matter how small.

 

Aboard ship, it's really up to you as to who, when, where and how much to tip. There are, of course, the recommended tips for waitstaff and room stewards. We follow that and add extra for special requests and great service. (We aren't hard to please so most everything is great!) :D

 

If you feel anyone has done you a service that deserves a reward, by all means tip. :)

[masq]

The tips you have prepaid are most likely for your room steward, and wait staff at the main dining room.

Room service tip is extra. If you buy drinks from the wait staff walking around the deck chairs or in the lounge where the shows are, they include the 15% tip on the bill, so you won't have to take your $1 bills to the lido deck when you're tanning. :D

 

You can also tip the Matre D' from the dining room. We have only tipped the Matre D' one time on the 4 cruises we've been on. It was because he made a special request happen for us.

[NinaCO]

Seems like the U.S. has gone tipping crazy. There's even a basket for tips at some fast food style restaurants! IMHO it's absurd.

 

I pretty much agree with Beffy. But, I usually tip 15% rather than 20%. I only tip 20% for excellent service.

 

Room service -- I'm with everyone else. $1 for tea or coffee. $2 for breakfast. I'd tip $1 or $2 for a snack.

 

I know I've never paid $15 to get the bags to the room. I usually tip the shuttle driver $1 per bag too. Seems like I've always had to manage getting my bags to the desk at the hotel all by myself. So, haven't tipped for that. But, I would think $2 total would be the right amount for taking 5 bags that distance.

 

I tip for day tours. How much I tip depends on the tour. If it was poorly done, I might not tip at all. That's only happened once or twice. On most of the tours I've been on, one person takes the tips & they're shared with the driver & any others. In this case, I usually tip $3 - $5. If it was an all day tour, I'd tip more. I'm going on a 2 hour walking tour in New Orleans this fall. The tour price is $15. I'll probably tip $2.

 

When there's a folder on the table, I leave the tip in the folder.

[ozcaz]

Thanks everyone for the info much appreciated.

 

I suppose when your not used to tipping it becomes a real bug bear. But when in another country you do as they do. But we did learn if asked not to allow anyone to take our luggage to our room. The tips were killing our budget. At the time our Aus $ was half of US $

 

Thanks heaps

 

Caz

[cruisinqt]

We have a friend who was a shuttle driver at the airport and he got paid very well. That's why we put our own bags into the shuttle and don't usually tip. We don't feel bad because we know a lot of people who work in the airport area and know they all get paid well. Airport shuttle drivers don't rely on tips for their salary. They are paid well. So if you carry the bags onto the shuttle yourself you can save $5 bucks or so.