Question on tipping. (not the end of cruise tipping)

[Konger3]

I have read plenty of posts on the policy for the per person per day tips but was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for amounts or what is expected for the day to day ones. Here are some of the ones im curiouse about.

 

What is an expected tip for room service? Are we talking $2-3 or more?

 

How much should be tipped at the beaches such as labadee for someone who sets up a chair for you, etc.

 

On bar drinks such as the drink of the day i know they charge a 15% tip automatically but is it the usuall think to leave a little on top of that or not?

 

I am a college student so not in a position to go crazy with exorbinent tipping but i dont like cheating anyone or giving less then the norm. If its any indication of what i mean if at a restaurant i usually give about 20% after tax.

[megr1125]

Depending on what you order, 2-3 dollars for room service is fine.....

 

As for Labadee and chairs....a couple dollars as well.

 

Sometimes I tip a little more on bar tabs....if I have a dollar, I will use it, sometimes I will add a little to the 15% (sometimes the 15% is less than I would actually tip in a bar, I will add some, but we don't drink much. For instance, I usually tip 2 bucks for 2 drinks the 1st round....so if the 15% is less, I add a little).

 

If you drink a lot, then you may want to add several extra dollars....

 

Sounds like you are a pretty good tipper anyway.....

 

hth...have a great cruise....

[Jungle Jane]

I have read plenty of posts on the policy for the per person per day tips but was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for amounts or what is expected for the day to day ones. Here are some of the ones im curiouse about.

 

What is an expected tip for room service? Are we talking $2-3 or more? to me that depends on how much they're bringing and what meal it is. we only ever ordered breakfast room service: danishes, juices, milk, dry cereal. I gave $3 each time. I'd think a full meal say lunch or dinner or a bigger breakfast would warrant at least $5 or more.

 

How much should be tipped at the beaches such as labadee for someone who sets up a chair for you, etc. I gave the chair guy $3 for setting up 2 chairs where "I" wanted them, plus another buck for taking our picture with my camera. Did give the Labadoozie guy $3 cash extra for bringing me that delicious frosty concoction!

 

On bar drinks such as the drink of the day i know they charge a 15% tip automatically but is it the usuall think to leave a little on top of that or not? I didn't drink much but I left an extra $1 each time. Some folks seem to get a rapport going with a certain bartender and will take care of that one bartender pretty well.

 

I am a college student so not in a position to go crazy with exorbinent tipping but i dont like cheating anyone or giving less then the norm. If its any indication of what i mean if at a restaurant i usually give about 20% after tax. Just figure a lot of singles into your budget and have them ready...when in Rome....

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[DrivesLikeMario]

It does depend on what you order from room service. If it's just coffee and toast for one, then $1 should be good. If you've ordered a meal for two people, I'd say more like $3-$5 depending on your situation.

 

The chair men (chair helpers? Beach Attendants? - What do you call them?) at Labadee, $1 per chaise is what I'd give.

[Konger3]

Thanks for the advice. I will be sure to bring along plenty of the smaller bills. As for the drinks i dont drink much so ill probably go with the advice of the extra buck each time instead of trying to build a rapport with one of the bars.

[readytolose]

Do you have to pay to rent the chairs at Labadee?

 

On our first cruise the beaches we went to we paid about $10 a chair and I didn't tip any over that amount. Should I have?

 

 

As far as the other tips we usually left a dollar per drink over the 15% that was already added. For room service we just ordered a couple things and we gave $2 per person. (so $4) If we had orderd more items we would have tipped more.

[Gonzo70]

Most people do not tip extra for alcoholic beverages; although you can if you want, it is certainly not expected.

 

I agree that for room service most people do $1 to $2 for something small and $3 to $5 for full meals.

[Crosboro]

 

 

If you drink a lot, then you may want to add several extra dollars....

 

 

 

May I ask why you would add extra dollars if someone drinks a lot? Is that an apology to the bartender for having to make more drinks?

 

BTW, I just go with the 15%. That's a decent tip for opening a bottle of beer, pouring a glass of wine, or making a drink that might take 30 seconds.

[Jungle Jane]

Do you have to pay to rent the chairs at Labadee?

 

On our first cruise the beaches we went to we paid about $10 a chair and I didn't tip any over that amount. Should I have?

 

 

As far as the other tips we usually left a dollar per drink over the 15% that was already added. For room service we just ordered a couple things and we gave $2 per person. (so $4) If we had orderd more items we would have tipped more.

 

The use of the chairs at Labadee are free, I even remember reading somewhere on board (Compass maybe?) that tipping for chairs is discouraged, but I did it anyway. My chair guy was too cute and funny, and I even remember his name-Prophete Benjamin. Super sweet guy, NOT at all what I expected when I read about the "chair hounds!"

[crazy 4 cruising]

Thanks for the advice. I will be sure to bring along plenty of the smaller bills. As for the drinks i dont drink much so ill probably go with the advice of the extra buck each time instead of trying to build a rapport with one of the bars.

 

we usually always tip an extra $1 a drink AND we establish rapport with usually 1 bar waiter and bartender and keep going back there--they take VERY good care of you that way. It is great to go on a ship--like the Vision last week- and see a bartender that we had on the Rhapsody--we recognized each other at the same time. Why do we tip the extra $1? We learned that the 15% automatic and any you write in on the ticket go into the bar pool. Do they expect it, I don't know. I did notice more and more folks slipping the $1 at the bars. Once I gave the $1 as I ordered to a new bar waiter at the pool & it paid off--my drink was certainly a "healthy" one.

 

Can't help you on room service as we have never done that.

 

I'm curious--does anyone tip their waiters in the Windjammer? We usually get to know a few and I always wonder if I should tip them. We do write their names down on the survey.

[Konger3]

I'm curious--does anyone tip their waiters in the Windjammer? We usually get to know a few and I always wonder if I should tip them. We do write their names down on the survey.

 

Good question! Now im wondering as well.

[katiel53]

 

I'm curious--does anyone tip their waiters in the Windjammer? We usually get to know a few and I always wonder if I should tip them. We do write their names down on the survey.

 

 

On Radiance in January, my husband was sitting at our table while I went to get something. An employee came up to him to ask him what he wanted to drink. When I returned my drink was also waiting for me. This was at breakfast and the thing I went to look for was cranberry juice but there wasn't any out in the WJ.

 

She came back a few times to see if we wanted anyting else to drink and we tipped her $2. We saw her again at lunch and did the same.

 

Every time we went in there for breakfast, we seemed to sit in her area and she brought us our drinks every time. We tipped her every day because we felt she deserved it.

 

It's worth it to me to not have to either have cold food or not have a drink to tip someone for getting me juice or coffee.

[clearwaters]

The use of the chairs at Labadee are free, I even remember reading somewhere on board (Compass maybe?) that tipping for chairs is discouraged, but I did it anyway. My chair guy was too cute and funny, and I even remember his name-Prophete Benjamin. Super sweet guy, NOT at all what I expected when I read about the "chair hounds!"

 

B.S. on the part of whomever is in charge in port.

 

If that were really the case, employees of RCL would hand out the chairs themselves and the "chair guys" would not even be there in the first place. :eek:

[Jungle Jane]

B.S. on the part of whomever is in charge in port.

 

If that were really the case, employees of RCL would hand out the chairs themselves and the "chair guys" would not even be there in the first place. :eek:

 

Not sure if I catch the drift of your post, but I was under the assumption that the "chair guys" ARE employees of RCL. They wear RCL shirts and name tags, that is how I knew our guy's name.

 

Can someone clarify this?

 

Thanks

[Happy ks]

I have read plenty of posts on the policy for the per person per day tips but was wondering if anyone had some suggestions for amounts or what is expected for the day to day ones. Here are some of the ones im curiouse about.

 

What is an expected tip for room service? Are we talking $2-3 or more?

 

How much should be tipped at the beaches such as labadee for someone who sets up a chair for you, etc.

 

On bar drinks such as the drink of the day i know they charge a 15% tip automatically but is it the usuall think to leave a little on top of that or not?

 

I am a college student so not in a position to go crazy with exorbinent tipping but i dont like cheating anyone or giving less then the norm. If its any indication of what i mean if at a restaurant i usually give about 20% after tax.

 

 

Just a note, the 15% auto gratuity is plenty, you don't need to give more. Many do and I'm sure the staff loves it, heck I'd like it too if people wanted to give me their excess money :)

 

You never need to tip on the tax and you should not tip on the tax. Again, the majority of servers are willing to take your excess cash, but it is not expected. Figure your tips from the amount of food/beverage when in a restaurant. In CA, in the county we live in the tax is 7.75%, we generally just double the tax and it comes close enough.

 

I worked in a hotel catering dept years ago and would figure the total charge for banquets. We never figured gratuity on tax nor on room charges (rental), only on food and beverage items.

[longwood]

Prior to my last cruise on the Navigator, I never added a tip to a bar bill as I feel a mandated tip is not really a tip, but a surcharge for service. In my opinion, the purpose of tipping is an incentive for good service. A mandated tip takes away my ability to show my disatification. I normally tip greater than 15% on the total, but will tip less when service is bad.

 

 

With that said, on the Navigator, I got to know a few of the bar staff and did add a buck or two to the bill. As the week progressed, they would top off (more like refill), my beer glass on occasion, or be extra generous with the Bacardi 8 pour. I would like to think it was my glowing personality that got me the extra drinks, but I'm sure the added tips didn't hurt. :D

 

In Labadee, I forgot to bring cash so I snuck around a grabbed a couple of chairs myself. I would have normally tipped $2/chair.

[crazy 4 cruising]

On Radiance in January, my husband was sitting at our table while I went to get something. An employee came up to him to ask him what he wanted to drink. When I returned my drink was also waiting for me. This was at breakfast and the thing I went to look for was cranberry juice but there wasn't any out in the WJ.

 

She came back a few times to see if we wanted anyting else to drink and we tipped her $2. We saw her again at lunch and did the same.

 

Every time we went in there for breakfast, we seemed to sit in her area and she brought us our drinks every time. We tipped her every day because we felt she deserved it.

 

It's worth it to me to not have to either have cold food or not have a drink to tip someone for getting me juice or coffee.

 

YEP, great answer. Actually we sat all over the place in WJ & there was 1 guy who always happened to come by to see if we needed anything--guess I didn't realize they had an area. anyway, I thought too late that I should ahve tipped him, but we did put his name on the survey & I told him when I saw him at breakfast on Sunday--he glowed. But I'm sure the $ would also have been a great thing for him to have as well.

[WendyVF]

We like to find a bar that we like and get to know who will be working there during our cruise. We usually run a tab and add an extra 5 or 10 on at the end of the evening. On our last trip, we loved the Casino bar and it was a conveneint place to meet up. The bartenders managed to help DH and I keep up with each other and friends as well as tell our kids where we had gone if we left the area. If I had any wine left after dinner, they would even put it in the refrigerator for me to keep it cold and refill my glass as I wanted it. Definitely services above and beyond.

 

On the last day DH and friends spent most of the afternoon and evening there and I came by a couple of times for a drink. At the end of the day our tab was less than $40!