Proper etiquette for tipping Butler

[Megamania]

Hello again.

I have the message loud and clear regarding " if you want good service" you tip for it.

Being as I have never cruised,,,have no idea how things actually come down,,,,here are my questions:

1. Do you tip your butler in a Sky Suite with U.S. Cash?

2. What is a reasonable amount for good service daily? i.e. getting us that bucket of ice cold beer, keeping ice in our room,,,getting us sodas, etc.etc.

3. Is tipping similar to tipping a good cleaning staff while staying at a nice resort/timeshare on an island...i.e. a one bedroom condo,,where they come in the condo every day to clean up after you

4. Do you tip daily,,,or leave the guy/girl a nice bonus at end of cruise,,,I personally would do it daily to keep it coming type of thing.

 

Please,,,,no rude comments,,,,I believe it is a totally different experience on a cruise ship vs. land vacation. Having not been on a cruise,,I want to do it right.

 

Again,,the info and feedback I get on this forum is so great. Looking forward to your comments.

 

Thanks

:)

[kitty9]

On Celebrity, you have a couple of choices for tipping. You can either put all your tips on your on board account or you tip in cash, on the last night of the cruise. You do not tip daily, but there's a suggested set amount you tip each day. They recommend your butler receives $3.50 per person per day, the waiter receives the same amount, the assistant waiter is $2 per person per day and your cabin steward is $3.50 per person per day. So, on a 7 day cruise, your butler/waiter/cabin steward would each receive a minimum of $24.50 per person, the assistant waiter receives a total of $14 per person, for the entire week. When you order anything from a waiter, such as a drink or a soft drink, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to every bill. If there is any other crew member that you feel deserves a tip, you can also tip that person, on the last night.

 

No one tips daily on a cruise---it's just not done that way. Some view tipping early as a bribe rather than a tip and in some cultures they can view early tipping as an insult. Remember, you probably won't see any Americans or Canadians as crew members. All tipping is done in US dollars. These hard workers know that they have to provide good service, so they don't expect pre-tipping. Think of it this way, when you're at an upscale restaurant on land, do you give the waiter a tip before he serves you?

[Lsimon]

I'll add a bit to the good comments above:

 

On one of our earlier cruises the first day we presented our room steward with a list of things we wanted done daily during the cruise. I offered a bit of an extra tip in cash along with the list. He refused that and told me we should see how his service is during the cruise and then take care of him at the end of the cruise. We've done just that ever since and never felt our service was any less as a result of not "advance" tipping.

 

We usually tip over and above the recommended amounts for those that offer good service, which is almost always provided by the direct staff. I realize this is a personal decision based on your own practices and finances.

 

The one time we had a butler we had a large party on our veranda (it was a SS room on Galaxy that had a larger than average veranda) one night and he went all out in getting items for us and setting up for the party, checking on us during the course of the evening and cleaning up a big mess afterwards. We added a fair amount to his tip for that event in addition to what we otherwise would have tipped - again paid at the end of the cruise.

[TRadle]

We always tip the recommended amount on our account. There will be envelopes provided in your cabin with a slip of paper that states this to your server/attendant/butler. We always add cash to those that provided excellent service in addition to the recommended amounts.

 

The reason we put the tips on the account is that we don't want to bring the extra cash.:)

[OVgirl]

Celebrity will add the "tip" daily to your account. We leave that tip in place and then give extra cash to the staff that have given us extra service. These are usually the ones that you interact with daily (room steward, waiters, bartenders). If you leave tip on your account X will give you envelopes to give to the appropriate staff, with a note of appreciation.

Enjoy your cruise.

[Conelectric]

Could someone comment on the extra amount suggested for a consiege class cabin. Why tip more than a butler in a suite?

[bubbie617]

Because the cabin steward in a CC cabin does his or her regular job (as you would expect in any cabin), but in addition, they bring hors d'oeuvres daily, make sure your flowers are in good shape, etc., etc. In a butler cabin, those responsibilties are shared between the steward and the butler.

[Conelectric]

Thanks for the explanation, bubbie...Does that mean ina suite your tipping the steward and the butler while in the the cc cabin its only 1 person?

[Xcruiser]

Place your butler at a 45 degree angle, that aught to do it. :D

[Sky Sweet]

This our our dilemma when it comes to deciding how much to tip a butler.

 

We book a suite for its extra space/larger balcony and don't utilize any of the services that a butler can provide, with the exception of afternoon hor d'oevre and mini dessert platters. In fact, there are times we don't eat that snack.

 

In my opinion, a butler that does everything that they are suppose to do deserves a tip that is significantly higher than the recommended amount but should our butlers be penalized because we don't want that extra service?

[BurgerBits]

Hello again.

I have the message loud and clear regarding " if you want good service" you tip for it.

Being as I have never cruised,,,have no idea how things actually come down,,,,here are my questions:

1. Do you tip your butler in a Sky Suite with U.S. Cash?

2. What is a reasonable amount for good service daily? i.e. getting us that bucket of ice cold beer, keeping ice in our room,,,getting us sodas, etc.etc.

3. Is tipping similar to tipping a good cleaning staff while staying at a nice resort/timeshare on an island...i.e. a one bedroom condo,,where they come in the condo every day to clean up after you

4. Do you tip daily,,,or leave the guy/girl a nice bonus at end of cruise,,,I personally would do it daily to keep it coming type of thing.

 

Please,,,,no rude comments,,,,I believe it is a totally different experience on a cruise ship vs. land vacation. Having not been on a cruise,,I want to do it right.

 

Again,,the info and feedback I get on this forum is so great. Looking forward to your comments.

 

Thanks

:)

 

You will LOVE this first cruise! The Sky Suites are very nice.

 

Excellent advice here already. I've only stayed in a Sky Suite once, on Century, for a 12-night trip. We tipped at the end of the cruise and DID give him more than the required amount, because he was outstanding.

 

You might want to hand him a $5 or $10 bill when you ask for the beer to be stocked right away, and then just tip as usual at the end.

 

I know you are anxious that everything be GREAT for your husband, but... you get to enjoy yourself, too! :D

[Mr Slick]

:) One thing we always do at the end of the cruise or if something happens well during it, is write a note to public relations naming the individual or individuals as to what they did for us. The employees get points for this and it leads to promotions and perks for them. Sometimes it is worth more to them than money. I love to pay them a compliment if thier boss is present and to let them know how I feel. Waiters get better areas like good tables and work at busier bars like martini etc. Stewards get better floors and become butlers and supervisors.

[HolstonRiverVOL]

What's wrong with giving Butler $20 on first day just to let him know you that you want to be well taken care of and that he will be duly compensated at end?

[Lsimon]

What's wrong with giving Butler $20 on first day just to let him know you that you want to be well taken care of and that he will be duly compensated at end?

 

Nothing is "wrong" with this but it just hasn't been necessary for us to get great service. But as I said before - I was once refused when offering a stateroom attendant an up front tip. Asking nicely and being thankful and friendly have gone a long ways for us. And I like to think we do make them smile a bit when they do get their tip from us at the end of the cruise.

[Jacqueline]

What's wrong with giving Butler $20 on first day just to let him know you that you want to be well taken care of and that he will be duly compensated at end?

 

Mostly it just stems from what is considered standard operating procedure on cruiseships. . Who knows- maybe they get stiffed by people that pre-tip....

[meow!]

You can tip the staff with $ or euro or GBP, any major currency and they will be more than happy to take it. Tip according to Celebrity's guideline (they will let you know) if the service is O.K., more if it is very good. We did it by putting our tips in the provided envelopes and gave them to the respective staff on the last day (instead of having tips just added to our statement). On our British Isles voyage aboard the Century last May, we tipped all staff the regular rate, and the butler double because of very good service (he was exceptional for a butler, most butlers don't do much!)

Edited December 8, 2008 by meow!

[Costest]

What's wrong with giving Butler $20 on first day just to let him know you that you want to be well taken care of and that he will be duly compensated at end?

 

 

Because it's his/her job. Don't get me wrong, asking for more and going above and beyond the call of duty/job description warrents additional tip but I think that recognition comes at the time of service and/or at the end of the cruise and not before hand.

[soxfan2013]

We're in a Royal Suite and our butler has been amazing. I tipped him $50 yesterday and he's always exceptionally polite, but didn't seem to react that this was an exceptional or commensurate tip? Any perspectives. We leave tomorrow and I can always tip more.

[dkjretired]

If anyone contributes to this thread be advised it is seven years old and the tipping procedures have changed completely.

[Wine-O]

We're in a Royal Suite and our butler has been amazing. I tipped him $50 yesterday and he's always exceptionally polite, but didn't seem to react that this was an exceptional or commensurate tip? Any perspectives. We leave tomorrow and I can always tip more.

 

You over tipped him, but it's your money. :rolleyes:

[Ma Bell]

You over tipped him, but it's your money. :rolleyes:

 

Tipping is a personal thing but I don't know how you could say $50 extra for a week of great service is over tipping. I would venture to say that's a pretty modest tip for a Royal Suite. Each person has to decide for himself what it's worth to him.

Edited February 14, 2015 by Ma Bell

[Wine-O]

Tipping is a personal thing but I don't know how you could say $50 extra for a week of great service is over tipping. I would venture to say that's a pretty modest tip for a Royal Suite. Each person has to decide for himself what it's worth to him.

 

The automatic tip is $49, so $50 on top of that is 200%. That's very generous, even for a RS.

[rhblake]

The automatic tip is $49, so $50 on top of that is 200%. That's very generous, even for a RS.

 

Unless I missed something Celebrity indicates that the tips do not include the butler as per FAQ:

 

"For your convenience, we automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

• $12 per person per day in staterooms

• $12.50 per person per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms

• $15.50 per person per day in suites

This gratuity is shared by your stateroom attendant, dining services staff, and housekeeping staff members who help enhance your vacation experience."

 

No mention of butler.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The automatic tip is $49, so $50 on top of that is 200%. That's very generous, even for a RS.

 

I don't think a $50 tip for a butler in a royal suite is generous. Adequate, maybe, but certainly not generous.

[MizDemeanor]

A Butler is already part of a Suite Gratuity arrangement based on Cabin Selection. If a Butler goes above and beyond and makes your experience super duper special then by all means tip extra if you are so inclined.

 

They are there for your food and beverage service.,