Tipping staff at kids club (spcifically RCL adventure ocean)

[Already In Love]

I'm looking to get ideas about how much is reasonable to tip at adventure ocean. I've done quite a few searches and have posted under RCL's specific thread, but the answers are totally mixed. Since you all have kids, maybe you can provide the best insight.

 

Someone told me that I don't have to tip because the AO employees have a very good salary and don't "work for tips" like the waiters and room stewards do. They said that RCL provides the service to attract customers, and they pay their specialized staff well (RCL states that every member of our Adventure Ocean® staff holds a college degree in education, recreation, or other related field, or has qualified experience in working with children ages 3-17.).

 

I read (during a search) someone else say that they tip $80-160 per child (I'm assuming this is on a week cruise?) To me this seems completely outrageous. but that's just me. I know that in some areas of the country, daycare is a lot more expensive than it is here, but around here I could get over 30 hours of daycare for that amount.

 

I see that adventure ocean is open a total of 9 hrs per day, so sure, if my kid was there every day all day then $100+ would be reasonable, but I guess I'm looking more for a perhour amout to tip (although I'd tip all at once). I was thinking $1-2/hr and thinking I was being generous for this supposedly "Free" kids club, but now I'm not so sure. I know that prices vary drastically across the country, but for a "free" service, I'd feel a bit dissapointed about paying the same amount as I would if I were at home.

 

Any suggestions on what you tip? Can you break it down to an approx per/hour

[oceanal]

Hi,

I basically have tipped $10 a day. I have one child, the staff has been amazing on all of our RCCL cruises and that is what I feel comfortable with. I think it is a personal decision but I definitely feel my tips have always been greatly appreciated.

Have fun!!

A:D

[lumpkin]

Wow, I really made a faux pas on the Mercury this summer.....I also assumed the cruise staff was paid comparitavely well, given their degrees, so I only tipped $5 to 2 of the staff members that my 9 yr old said were most visible. I just assumed it was a small token of thanks...We did not plan on tips for these counselors in our budget so we were unprepared.

[crusinmama06]

I usually tip in the range of $20-$30 per child. :)

 

But it is totally up to you.

[cs1]

We tip 5 to 10 dollars per day depending on how good they are. One time they tippedc 0 when they lost my child.

CS

[Already In Love]

We tip 5 to 10 dollars per day depending on how good they are. One time they tippedc 0 when they lost my child.

CS

 

yikes! more info please! what ship? how did this happen. Not something I want to hear.

[crusinmama06]

We tip 5 to 10 dollars per day depending on how good they are. One time they tippedc 0 when they lost my child.

CS

 

Oh yeah we definatly need to hear more details about this one? Which cruise line, ship, etc? :eek:

[kckick]

we have only cruises disney with our children. They do not allow(encourage) tiipping of one particular counsler. The director takes any tips and divides among group or takes them to dinner when in port. Last time we bought wal-mart and target gift cards. I can't remember what amounts, probably around $30 dollars. We had two children, each was in a different age group so we gave each age group their own card. I here that phone cards are appreciated also. We will be leaving in 2 weeks for an rccl cruise with the kids again so I would also appreciate information on tipping the ocean adventures staff.:)

[jamandamn14]

This issue has been discussed to death on this board, personnally I believe that you should tip the staff if they have gone above and beyond the call of duty

[Arubalisa]

This issue has been discussed to death on this board, personnally I believe that you should tip the staff if they have gone above and beyond the call of duty

Yes the topic does come up frequently, however there has no been any consensus in this forum or guildeline for amounts.

 

As far as should you tip? A tip for kids club staff is not mandatory from what I understand on any cruise line, so to do so would be due to good care of your child. This is a matter of your personal choice.

 

I am sure there some people who have had excellent care for their children from a kids club staff who bent over backwards to entertain their child and are of the attitude, "well I will never see these people again so don't need to tip". Let's face it, we know it happens with the service staff aboard ship.

 

Some other threads for perusing:

 

Tipping rates for children

Tipping counselors in kids program

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=3861082

[lumpkin]

When I was reading the posts in the 2004 thread, Tipping counselors in cruise programs, I realized that the reason I tipped at all on my cruise last month (did not tip on 2 prior cruises), was because the cruise director hinted at it at the final disembarkation talk. I never would have thought about doing it, since they are not included in the tipping guidelines that the cruiseship provides, and I think of them as professionals. When we have gone to all-incllusive land resorts, I remember a disgruntled kids program counselor talking many years ago about how the dining staff got tips, and they did not, and it just wasn't fair. I think this has been a confusing issue for a long time for parents. There is probably no right answer.

[Terpnut]

Last November, we tipped for Camp Carnival on Liberty. They did a great job and made it very easy on the last day with a big jar they setup in the pickup area.

 

However, on RCI Radiance in August, the AO counselors didn't put out a jar. When we inquired specifically about tips, they said outright that tipping wasn't expected but if we thought a particular counselor did a great job, we should feel free to give something to that individual. The for us however was that our kids never admit to liking anything (it's their nature) and wouldn't/couldn't name a particular counselor they liked! And since we couldn't identify a person or persons to tip, we ended up doing nothing at all. It sure would've been been better for the AO staff to just put out a jar... :rolleyes:

[cs1]

My son, at 5 apparently left the kids club and was found by a fellow passenger by the elevators. He brought my son back into the club and then told the councelors (who shrugged it off) and then us when we picked him up. We very nicely told the manager of the club and she had an attitude. He did not return. This was RCI and the kids club was overall terrible with disinterested councelors. We have cruised and vacationed with the kids a lot so we know that this was not typical of kids clubs. I think it was just bad staffing on that particular cruise.

[Terpnut]

My son, at 5 apparently left the kids club and was found by a fellow passenger by the elevators. He brought my son back into the club and then told the councelors (who shrugged it off) and then us when we picked him up. We very nicely told the manager of the club and she had an attitude. He did not return. This was RCI and the kids club was overall terrible with disinterested councelors. We have cruised and vacationed with the kids a lot so we know that this was not typical of kids clubs. I think it was just bad staffing on that particular cruise.

What was the specific ship and sailing? More details please... :confused:

[Leigh-Anne V]

of tipping the staff .... our daughter (6) will be on her first cruise at the end of December and I honestly never would have thought of tipping the staff at the centre. Of course, it's not something people usually think of doing at their regular daycare centre either I suppose whereas restaurants etc. it is .... thanks for the post!

 

Leigh-Anne

[soccermomsrule]

We have taken our son on 2 RCCL cruises and the first time -- I was tipping the counselors daily - then I stopped I was upset with them on the one day - I walked in and found my 4 year old son sobbing on the floor -- and the counselors just clumped together standing there chatting. So I said "What happened? NOBODY PAGED ME???" So they said he was crying and they couldn't understand him because he was crying so hard. Oh ok how about you walk up and ask him to take a deep breath and then when he calms down then try to help him??? Or Page me, they give you a pager for this reason right?? and I would have returned in a heart beat - this was his vacation too !!! and I made sure I told them that.

 

So I use my disgression on tipping the counselors -- I figure if my son is happy which by the way the second cruise the staff was so much more "into" the kids and I found myself tipping them everyday - and I could tell my son really was having a great time - so if he was having a good time then I could relax then that meant they deserved a tip. I would tip about $20 a day depending how long he was really in the club - some days he was only in there for the after hours group babysitting which you pay hourly for then I would tip that person directly $10.00.

Remember all the counselors are getting paid to be there- and they chose to have this particular job with the pay that it commands. So good luck and do what feels right for you!

[eyegel]

My wife and I have taken our young children (6, 5, and 4) on cruises for the last five years. They all love "preschool on the ship." Our oldest has been on NCL and Celebrity once and on RCCL twice. She is about to experience HAL in December. We expect the service to be included, but we believe that they deserve the same kind of compensation as other service staff. For me, it is merely a token of appreciation. After all a waiter would need to work just two tables would get more than a counselor who has been riding herd on fifteen little ones.

 

Assuming their service has been acceptable, I give the counselors the same tip as I give our room steward or waiter, $3.50 per day per child. I have never had occasion to give less. Only a couple of times have I given more. I gave all of those tips at the end of the voyage.

 

I tip 15% separately if our children are part of the group babysitting at night for which there is a separate charge. I have been especially generous in those instances where one counselor has had to stay up with just our children alone. Those tips were given when I picked the child(ren) up.