Tipping Butler

[NW Pacific]

Have read many reviews that people gave a generous tip or appropriate tip to their Butler. We are considering upgrading to an AE and would like to know what is appropriate for a 7 seven day cruise. would expect to use the Butler services for breakfasts and and maybe an occassional lunch and maybe one dinner. Just a "ballpark estimate" would be appreciated. If we do not use the concierge, I would assume no tip is necessary?? If you want to eat breakfast or lunch at Cagneys does the conciergne have to make the arrangements or can you just show up with your key card?

[terrymtex01]

Have read many reviews that people gave a generous tip or appropriate tip to their Butler. We are considering upgrading to an AE and would like to know what is appropriate for a 7 seven day cruise. would expect to use the Butler services for breakfasts and and maybe an occassional lunch and maybe one dinner. Just a "ballpark estimate" would be appreciated. If we do not use the concierge, I would assume no tip is necessary?? If you want to eat breakfast or lunch at Cagneys does the conciergne have to make the arrangements or can you just show up with your key card?

 

 

You just show up at Cagneys with your key card. They will already have your name and stateroom number on a list.

 

As far as tipping... I would try to include at least something for the Concierge if you never even used him/her. Like maybe a minimum of $20.00. After all, he/she is there for your use IF you were to need him/her. I have seen people post on here that they tip huge sums of money and most of those people are probably in Garden Villas. We are always in AE's. I would recommend $10.00 PP PD IF you use your butler as you have described. Maybe at a minimum $5.00 PP PD. I did see either on NCL's website or RCCI where the recommended ammount is $4.00 PP PD. I wish I had the link, but I don't at the moment.

 

We are pretty much on the other side of the spectrium where we use the Concierge much more than we do the butler. We try to at a minimum give the butler $10.00 PP PD and at least that much for the Concierge. We also tend to tip our room stewards an extra $40.00 for each of them because they usually do such a great job.

[smeyer418]

your room number and name are a list. just show up- if there is a letter in your room inviting you..and if its not show up anyway sometimes they forget the letters.

[raudacruise]

Our first cruise on NCL is going to be right after Thanksgiving on Spirit and we have an owner's suite. We've sailed 3 times on Celbrity in a Royal Suite and once in a Penthouse Suite.

 

The suggested tip for the butler from Celebrity is $3.50 pp/pd. Keep in mind that their butler also does some of the concerige duties that is separte on NCL (dinner reservations for example). I've seen postings here where on NCL they tip both the butler and concerige 10-20/pp/pd and have to ask - WHY?

 

We plan on using the butler mostly for breakfast (from Cagneys and sounds wonderful). Keep in mind the food is because we paid for the suite. Whether it was delivered by a butler or just normal room service delivery the tip really shouldn't be that much different (well the butler I assume does prep the table which you won't get from normal room service). In a normal stateroom, a $2-4 tip for breakfast for two should suffice. $7 (from above) should be enough for the butler.

 

But if you are going to be having dinner in the room, having a party or having guests over for breakfast you can probably extrapolate from the above. On Celebrity the $3.50 pp/pd was the base and we paid for additional services (beyond the call so to speak) from our butler as rendered instead at the end of the cruise (when he got the base).

 

I don't think any of our butler's felt they got stiffed but you really should only pay based on how much you use them. But even if you don't use them the $3.50 pp/pd I would think would be the lower limit as long as they smile every time they see you.

 

If the NCL butlers are as good as the ones on Celebrity you are going to be gladly opening up your wallet for the service they provide.

[sarahvch]

Our rule (and it is just ours!) is $50 pp/pd for butlers. We start at that amount. If the butlers don't come through for us or act on a request in a decent amount of time the tip goes down. I must say that the latter has never happened. We use our butler a lot and concierge hardly at all. Concierge, we give a min. of $50 total

To give you an idea here is our last cruise usage

Butler

to get on ship

for two meals a day

for 1 party

to run a couple of errands for us during the cruise

to fix anything in the room like coffee machines ect

Concierge (some of these things are items given to you when you book a suite)

to get off ship at ports and end of cruise

to view bridge

to arrange car at end of the cruise if included in the suite booked

 

We did ask the concierge to bring us gratuity slips and he did not our butler did.

 

Now when the butlers say anything you want on the ship I will get for you they really mean it! Our last butler went and got certain items for me when we were leaving a port from the gift shop that was not re-opening that night. She brought me Miso soup as it was my favorite everyday from a restaurant that you can not order room service from. She was worth every cent!

Again this is just what we tip. We budget these tips into our cruise fare. I have to say the butler can be a wonderful addition to your cruise. Use them and you will feel pampered like never before! We really would like to have a butler at home!

[VoyageVirgin]

Our rule (and it is just ours!) is $50 pp/pd for butlers. We start at that amount. If the butlers don't come through for us or act on a request in a decent amount of time the tip goes down. I must say that the latter has never happened. We use our butler a lot and concierge hardly at all. Concierge, we give a min. of $50 total

To give you an idea here is our last cruise usage

Butler

to get on ship

for two meals a day

for 1 party

to run a couple of errands for us during the cruise

to fix anything in the room like coffee machines ect

Concierge (some of these things are items given to you when you book a suite)

to get off ship at ports and end of cruise

to view bridge

to arrange car at end of the cruise if included in the suite booked

 

We did ask the concierge to bring us gratuity slips and he did not our butler did.

 

Now when the butlers say anything you want on the ship I will get for you they really mean it! Our last butler went and got certain items for me when we were leaving a port from the gift shop that was not re-opening that night. She brought me Miso soup as it was my favorite everyday from a restaurant that you can not order room service from. She was worth every cent!

Again this is just what we tip. We budget these tips into our cruise fare. I have to say the butler can be a wonderful addition to your cruise. Use them and you will feel pampered like never before! We really would like to have a butler at home!

 

REALLY??? You tip $50 pp/pd ? Assuming that you have two in the suite - that's $100. a day - I think you wouldn't have a problem finding a butler to service your home at that price.

 

We usually tip $10 pp/pd adjusted by the amount we utilize or monopolize their time - which we feel is more than adequate. Thing is, everyone has their own "idea" of what is acceptable. $3.50 a day is much too low IMO, but again to each his own.

[terrymtex01]

Our rule (and it is just ours!) is $50 pp/pd for butlers. We start at that amount. If the butlers don't come through for us or act on a request in a decent amount of time the tip goes down. I must say that the latter has never happened. We use our butler a lot and concierge hardly at all. Concierge, we give a min. of $50 total

To give you an idea here is our last cruise usage

Butler

to get on ship

for two meals a day

for 1 party

to run a couple of errands for us during the cruise

to fix anything in the room like coffee machines ect

Concierge (some of these things are items given to you when you book a suite)

to get off ship at ports and end of cruise

to view bridge

to arrange car at end of the cruise if included in the suite booked

 

We did ask the concierge to bring us gratuity slips and he did not our butler did.

 

Now when the butlers say anything you want on the ship I will get for you they really mean it! Our last butler went and got certain items for me when we were leaving a port from the gift shop that was not re-opening that night. She brought me Miso soup as it was my favorite everyday from a restaurant that you can not order room service from. She was worth every cent!

Again this is just what we tip. We budget these tips into our cruise fare. I have to say the butler can be a wonderful addition to your cruise. Use them and you will feel pampered like never before! We really would like to have a butler at home!

 

Ok.. trust me.. for $100.00 PD, you are on some special lists that when the butler walks in to escort you onto the ship that first day bells and whistles have gone off some where and he has just done a dance for 30 minutes.. he knows he has just won the grand prize.. WoW.. you have very lucky butlers.. They must hate us. LOL

[sarahvch]

LOL... Well problem is I can't afford to tip $50 pp/pd everyday so no butler at home! There are only two of us traveling and we budget $700 for a seven day cruise for our butler. I read a post here about tipping the butler before we left on the Pearl and spoke with my SO. I asked him if he thought we were over tipping and he said NO. They work for it. He thinks we use them more than other passengers and our NCL butlers have always gone above and beyond. We tip room stewards an extra $40-$50 each for the entire cruise. Once SO tipped the concierge an extra $50 after I had tipped $50 because he thought I was being too cheap. We did not even use her except to get on and off the ship at the start and end of the cruise (that was on the Sky). We now have a rule that I set all the tip prices.

When you think about two meals a day in your room and what 20% of that would be as well as all the errands they run it seems like that is fair.

[WinnieinWA]

Aside from his regular duties here is what our butler did for us:

 

1 day... full breakfast

6 days... coffee delivered in AM

1 day....3 sandwiches delivered to take on excursion

escorted us off the ship for an early excursion

 

tip = $210.00

 

We loved our butler Naveen on the Sun!:)

[DMH15]

Terry -

 

I have a question - I am going to be on the Sun in my AC PH aft - you know - I will be by myself. Should I tip more than $10 per day since it's just me? It's a 14 day-er... Help?

[raudacruise]

Aside from his regular duties here is what our butler did for us:

 

1 day... full breakfast

6 days... coffee delivered in AM

1 day....3 sandwiches delivered to take on excursion

escorted us off the ship for an early excursion

 

tip = $210.00

 

We loved our butler Naveen on the Sun!:)

 

I'm still trying to figure this out. I'll use an exaggerated cost and add a 50% tip.

 

1 day full breakfast - $50 ($25 tip)

6 days of coffee - $120 ($60 tip)

3 sandwitches - $80 ($40 tip)

 

All thats left is the escort off the ship - $95?

 

This thing is not making any sense to me. Are these really the expectations of NCL's butlers? Going on our first NCL cruise and I think someone is going to be very disappointed.

[silkhair1]

I hope I get to cruise one time with a butler!!!!! LOL

[NW Pacific]

Wow! I am the original poster, must say I was blown away at $50.00 pp/pd, I thought it was a typo. If we book an AE I guess our butler will be disappointed although I can't seem to figure out why 2 people would tip $100.00 per day but I guess if you have it why not, we don't. Thanks for all the input and now have a "ballpark" to work with!

[terrymtex01]

Terry -

 

I have a question - I am going to be on the Sun in my AC PH aft - you know - I will be by myself. Should I tip more than $10 per day since it's just me? It's a 14 day-er... Help?

 

Personally I would say no you shouldn't. First I believe every one should tip what is comfortable to them. I really do not believe that for one person you should tip more than that. If that is the stateroom I am thinking of.... YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT.

 

I told my DDP about the excursion you are going on and as tight as he is he said we would do that one in a heart beat. What a wonderful once in a lifetime experience that will be for you. Do you need someone to go with you to carry your luggage?? lol

[terrymtex01]

I'm still trying to figure this out. I'll use an exaggerated cost and add a 50% tip.

 

1 day full breakfast - $50 ($25 tip)

6 days of coffee - $120 ($60 tip)

3 sandwitches - $80 ($40 tip)

 

All thats left is the escort off the ship - $95?

 

This thing is not making any sense to me. Are these really the expectations of NCL's butlers? Going on our first NCL cruise and I think someone is going to be very disappointed.

 

Rudia.. I don't think you should worry about what you tip. They really are thankful for whatever they get. Believe it or not, I am sure there are some people who actually have tipped nothing. On our last cruise, if I had it to do over again I would honestly have not tipped our butler a thing but that was because of something he did the last day of the cruise. I won't go into it here, but its on my review of the NCL Star from this past May.

 

I am not 100% for sure and Winnie can clarify, but I believe she was with several people, not just one or two and that might explain why she was as generous as she was. Although, from her postings I think Winnie has always been very nice and generous to the crew when she travels.

[terrymtex01]

LOL... Well problem is I can't afford to tip $50 pp/pd everyday so no butler at home! There are only two of us traveling and we budget $700 for a seven day cruise for our butler. I read a post here about tipping the butler before we left on the Pearl and spoke with my SO. I asked him if he thought we were over tipping and he said NO. They work for it. He thinks we use them more than other passengers and our NCL butlers have always gone above and beyond. We tip room stewards an extra $40-$50 each for the entire cruise. Once SO tipped the concierge an extra $50 after I had tipped $50 because he thought I was being too cheap. We did not even use her except to get on and off the ship at the start and end of the cruise (that was on the Sky). We now have a rule that I set all the tip prices.

When you think about two meals a day in your room and what 20% of that would be as well as all the errands they run it seems like that is fair.

 

Honestly I think its great you guys can do that. We would tip more than we do to the butler if we used them more than we do. Our deal is we usually are only in the AE's and honestly there just isn't enough room (for me, at least) to have all of the meal set up on the little table we have in them and on the balcony, so we really don't ever eat in our cabin. We might order a snack from room service late at night or somthing.. I'm just weird about having room around my plate when I eat. Hey.. LOL..I never said I wasn't a strange bird. LOL

[beachchick]

I'm still trying to figure this out. I'll use an exaggerated cost and add a 50% tip.

 

1 day full breakfast - $50 ($25 tip)

6 days of coffee - $120 ($60 tip)

3 sandwitches - $80 ($40 tip)

 

All thats left is the escort off the ship - $95?

 

This thing is not making any sense to me. Are these really the expectations of NCL's butlers? Going on our first NCL cruise and I think someone is going to be very disappointed.

 

At first glance, this seems logical. However, you need to keep in mind that this is in addition to the butler's everyday duties. The butlers work long days servicing their assigned suites. The butlers and concierges are not included in the $10/person/day service fee, so the tips they get from suite pax constitute the entirety of their tips.

 

Now, there's no way we would tip $50/person/day unless we monopolized our butler's time throughout every day and evening.

 

beachchick

[Kathylovescruises]

Our last cruise in the CV on the Jewel we had a wonderful butler- he did everything the concierge should have done as well! ( Our concierge did not like us- I don't know why!- he got a minimal tip of 50 bucks as he didn't help us with anything- even when we asked! There was a big family from Australia in the GV's and they received his full attention. But I have been chastised on this board for criticizing this particular "stellar" concierge, so I won't go there now!)

Our butler even helped me repair some luggage that the porters had damaged ( broke the wheels off and left holes in 2 suitcases). He got us free sodas and bottled water, brought the kids cookies, brought us breakfast when we dined in, would hang up the crafts that the kiddies made at camp - we gave him 400 or so and a nice tip to the 2 room stewards as well. Our concierge never got us the envelopes, so I had to scramble for cash at the last minute, but the butler deserved even more. I just didn't have it handy!

 

 

Have fun!

[DMH15]

Terry, thanks for the reply. If I have my cousin and her friend up anytime and the butler helps ALL of us, I will adjust up accordingly. I will take some extra cash just in case (maybe I won't need it if I have good luck in the casino - on my first cruise in 1986 I won enough on slots to pay for my entire cruise :).

 

After my SA cruise, if the Antarctica excursion actually happens (weather) that will only leave me with Africa to have visited all of the continents. I am not a "safari girl" rather, I will incorporate a cruise into it, such as a cruise in Egypt, or ports of Tunisia or Morocco.

 

Thanks again.

[MrLee]

I am not 100% for sure and Winnie can clarify, but I believe she was with several people, not just one or two and that might explain why she was as generous as she was. Although, from her postings I think Winnie has always been very nice and generous to the crew when she travels.

 

 

She said pp/pd so if there were several of them that particular butler has probably retired and is cruising with his/her own butler! ;)

[VoyageVirgin]

Wow! I am the original poster, must say I was blown away at $50.00 pp/pd, I thought it was a typo. If we book an AE I guess our butler will be disappointed although I can't seem to figure out why 2 people would tip $100.00 per day but I guess if you have it why not, we don't. Thanks for all the input and now have a "ballpark" to work with!

 

Your butler will not be disappointed - he just may not be as happy as theirs was.

It really depends on how much you utilize their services and what you feel comfortable with giving. If we sailed with more than the two of us in one Suite I still don't think I would be tipping $50 pp/pd

 

With Cagneys open for breakfast and lunch most passengers will go there for those particular meals - we like the in room breakfast on early port days but always had a nice pot of coffee each morning.

We usually start out by tipping the butler $50 the first day and then put the rest of his tip in a thankyou card (brought from home) on the final evening. Room stewards we start with $30 and do the final amount on the final evening as well. But that's what works for us.