Tips - Need advice

[CLEMM]

I have read that you can put gratuities on your shipboard account although some have suggested having envelopes with cash pre prepared. My question is what is the best way to ensure that each individual gets their tip. If I do the envelope thing I worry that I will not see the person, but if I do the shipboard account I worry that thee person won't know that I did that and/or won't get the tip. Help me decide what's best please!

[MEcruzr]

If you put tips on your onboard account they will get paid. I prefer to do this because it means I don't have to get cash, get the right bills, etc. I just pay it with my credit card with the rest of my cruise bill. I don't always eat dinner in the dining room on the last night of the cruise so I mention to my waiter and asst waiter that their tips were prepaid on the next to the last night. Their usual response is "Yes, Madame, I have been informed." If you want to leave extra in an envelope at the end of the cruise, you are certainly welcome to do so. You can also have extra added to your onboard account when you fill out the form. I find this method of paying tips very convenient for me.

[Pontius Navigator]

I worry that I will not see the person, but if I do the shipboard account I worry that thee person won't know that I did that and/or won't get the tip. Help me decide what's best please!

 

Don't worry about not seeing the person. They will make sure you see them.

 

We had a question about who the "Assistant Chief Housekeeper" was.

 

This sounded very much as someone who relied on tips unlike the "Chief Housekeeper" or "Maitre d'" who were fully remunerated. Wrong.

 

Although you do not tip the Maitre d' (you tip the assistant) it seems that your room steward is the Chief Housekeeper and the assistant is the bemaker and vaccuum pusher etc.

[Lsimon]

We've usually been paying by charge to our shipboard account. Each person tipped gets a list, a day or two before the end of the cruise, of who has charged tips otherwise due to them and the amount tipped.

 

However, on our recently completed cruise the Assistant Maitre D never introduced him/her self and only stopped by the table for a total of around 20 seconds during our cruise - this contrasts with past cruises where the Asst. Maitre D came by nightly and made at least some effort to offer extra service. We didn't do the charge tips as we didn't want to tip this person (on Celebrity you can only do the charge tips if you pay at least the recommended amounts for all recommended staff). We did prepare an envelope with a note explaining why and included a couple dollars, but we didn't see him to give him that envelope.

 

Don't worry about not seeing the person. They will make sure you see them.

 

We had a question about who the "Assistant Chief Housekeeper" was.

 

This sounded very much as someone who relied on tips unlike the "Chief Housekeeper" or "Maitre d'" who were fully remunerated. Wrong.

 

Although you do not tip the Maitre d' (you tip the assistant) it seems that your room steward is the Chief Housekeeper and the assistant is the bemaker and vaccuum pusher etc.

 

I believe the Assistant Chief Housekeeper is your Room Stewards boss, and not his/her assistant. I believe that is the assistant steward and that the room steward takes care of this person based on the tip you leave. The steward has always put his/her name AND the name of their assistant on one envelope marked :Cabin Steward" which was a different envelope than the one marked Assistant Chief Housekeeper.

[CLEMM]

I didn't realize you could only tip everyone on the shipboard account. I have no reason to beleive I wouldn't tip everyone,the recommended amount, but I'm not certain I want that option taken from me. Very interesting.

[TravelerThom]

We've usually been paying by charge to our shipboard account. Each person tipped gets a list, a day or two before the end of the cruise, of who has charged tips otherwise due to them and the amount tipped.

 

However, on our recently completed cruise the Assistant Maitre D never introduced him/her self and only stopped by the table for a total of around 20 seconds during our cruise - this contrasts with past cruises where the Asst. Maitre D came by nightly and made at least some effort to offer extra service. We didn't do the charge tips as we didn't want to tip this person (on Celebrity you can only do the charge tips if you pay at least the recommended amounts for all recommended staff). We did prepare an envelope with a note explaining why and included a couple dollars, but we didn't see him to give him that envelope.

 

 

 

I believe the Assistant Chief Housekeeper is your Room Stewards boss, and not his/her assistant. I believe that is the assistant steward and that the room steward takes care of this person based on the tip you leave. The steward has always put his/her name AND the name of their assistant on one envelope marked :Cabin Steward" which was a different envelope than the one marked Assistant Chief Housekeeper.

If you charge your tips, you will have cards delivered to your room which you may hand to the individuals concerned. Note that it is NOT necessary to deliver these cards, as they will get paid anyway, but it gives you something to hand them if you wish and confirms that you have taken care of them. We always charge our base tips, but generally give something extra to at least some of the personnel directly in cash [yes, we could do the extra directly as a charge, but this is the way we do it].

 

There was an interesting thread that suggested that you are much more likely to see your Asst. Maitre d' if he was NOT doing a good job in training and organizing his staff - this would mean that he had to always be there correcting things. I am surprised when the AMd' is rarely seen, though, as I'm sure this effects his tips.

 

I have never quite figured out who the Asst. Chief Housekeeper is, but I've always gotten good service, so I do follow the system and tip them.

 

I would prefer if adequate pay for the staff was an integral part of the cruise price, but that is not the way the system is set up [except for a few deluxe lines]. Therefore I figure base tips are a given, and service would have to be really bad not to tip to that level.