Tipping: What is considered "generous"?

Sorry for starting yet another TippingThread but inspite of all the information on these boards, I still don't know

if I am tipping enough.

I often read "I tipped them generously" but may I ask:

what exactly is considered "generous"?

Say I am in a regular / aq stateroom and

* do not have any special requests for the attendants,

* do not leave a mess for them to clean up,

* leave on the auto tips - what do I give the 1. and the 2nd attendant at the end, so that they would consider the tip to be more or less "generous"?

(let's say they do their job without further ado, if they are especially friendly or helpful, I would add a little more.

Just looking for the kind of minimum extra that would already be considered as generous).

Is it possible to give me a number to go with?

TIA

Sorry for starting yet another TippingThread but inspite of all the information on these boards, I still don't know

if I am tipping enough.

 

I often read "I tipped them generously" but may I ask:

what exactly is considered "generous"?

 

Say I am in a regular / aq stateroom and

* do not have any special requests for the attendants,

* do not leave a mess for them to clean up,

* leave on the auto tips - what do I give the 1. and the 2nd attendant at the end, so that they would consider the tip to be more or less "generous"?

 

(let's say they do their job without further ado, if they are especially friendly or helpful, I would add a little more.

Just looking for the kind of minimum extra that would already be considered as generous).

 

Is it possible to give me a number to go with?

TIA

This could be a can of worms - lets hope my golfing friend doesnt see this thread[emoji41]

What is considered generous is very subjective. Someone tipping $x may feel that is generous but the person receiving this may feel it the opposite given the demands the 'tipper' made during the cruise.

A Bars Manager on a previous cruise told me that staff appreciate friendly respectful and appreciative customers just as much if not more than 'big tippers'

So my guess is that the staff view the customer as a complete thing. Did they like person A who never complained always said please and thank you and was a joy to serve who tipped $x or Person B who was demanding and treated the staff like servants but then gave 5 x $x ??

And my next guess would be some staff would prefer person A, others person B.

i have sympathy with the question as tipping is not really in our culture and frankly baffles me. Equally I wouldnt wish to cause offence to the staff who have looked after me so do tip over and above the recommended rates or autotips.

Long way of saying - I have no idea really and not sure anyone else does [emoji32]

[emoji636][emoji574]️[emoji634][emoji482][emoji568][emoji482][emoji485][emoji484]

Sorry for starting yet another TippingThread but inspite of all the information on these boards, I still don't know

if I am tipping enough.

 

I often read "I tipped them generously" but may I ask:

what exactly is considered "generous"?

 

Say I am in a regular / aq stateroom and

* do not have any special requests for the attendants,

* do not leave a mess for them to clean up,

* leave on the auto tips - what do I give the 1. and the 2nd attendant at the end, so that they would consider the tip to be more or less "generous"?

 

(let's say they do their job without further ado, if they are especially friendly or helpful, I would add a little more.

Just looking for the kind of minimum extra that would already be considered as generous).

 

Is it possible to give me a number to go with?

TIA

We always get an envelope from Guest Relations and put any tip we want give inside the envelope and seal it. We then give the envelope to the recipient as late as possible in the cruise sometimes early in the morning of departure. I have never had anyone look inside during my presence and have always received grateful thanks. With paid upfront gratuities I think there is less expectation of additional tips especially on ships cruising downunder in Australia and New Zealand where tipping is not the norm.

If my tip is not considered enough too bad because I have gone. If I ever got a hint that my tip was insufficient I would stop any additional as a matter of course. I consider the "pre paid gratuities" as part of the cruise costs and wouldn't consider not paying them

Sorry for starting yet another TippingThread but inspite of all the information on these boards, I still don't know

if I am tipping enough.

..............

What ever you give, or not, as long as auto grats are left on (in my opinion) is enough. What ever you feel comfortable with, don't worry about anyone else does.

I don't know why people can't give $$'s.

I think $50 and $25 would be generous for 7 nights.

Impossible to quote an amount that wouldn't ruffle feathers due to the subjectivity of the matter.

I do agree 'generous' as a rule of thumb might be universally depicted as being an amount 'over and above' the standard gratuities depending on the individuals ability to pay.

Impossible to quote an amount that wouldn't ruffle feathers due to the subjectivity of the matter.

 

I do agree 'generous' as a rule of thumb might be universally depicted as being an amount 'over and above' the standard gratuities depending on the individuals ability to pay.

I like that answer - a good way of looking at it. :)

Here are my thoughts...

The cruise lines have set up a very simple system to compensate the staff. The staff has agreed to the terms when they sign the contract. If you read some of these threads CC members will have you believe that the staff are treated like slaves over worked and under paid. Welcome to my world. What they don't take into consideration is that the staff also receive food, clothing shelter medical attention and they get to see the world for free. I'm working a six day week this week and I can tell you that on my day off I won't be touring Barcelona or Venice. If I make it to Home Depot or the supermarket I will consider it a day out. The rest of the world has to pay for these things with what's left of their salary after taxes. So, while they may not get paid minimum wage they also don't have the same expenses as the majority.

I used to be very generous until I started reading these boards. I would keep on the auto tip and tip the wait staff every night in select dining or in a specialty restaurant, Tip my room steward if he brought us ice or extra shampoo plus I would tip at the end. Now I just pay the auto tip and tip $20 or $30 at the end to the room steward and don't tip in select dining.

Now my philosophy is if the staff and the cruise line both agree on the terms of the auto tip then why shouldn't I? Now this isn't to say that I would never tip extra but if I'm paying $50pp above what I have already paid in the cruise fare to eat in a specialty restaurant, then I expect extra special service and food quality. That's what I'm paying for so I stopped tipping extra there. Now that I'm booked with a drink package, paid gratuities and $300 OBC I will probably be more generous on my next trip.

We get over the "end of cruise" tipping extra by tipping as we go along. Yes of course we leave in the pre paid required gratuities. This is about our "extra" giving.

After about 2 days we usually give a $20 bill to our steward and maybe a bit more to our butler if we have one. For some people they might give $50 a couple times. It's all what you are comfortable with giving. A $5 bill is also good. Again, whatever you're comfortable with. We have in our head what the total cruise is going to be and we figure in a number we want for extra gratuities.

We might do that again a couple more times on a 10 day to 2 week cruise. We generally don't anything on that last busy morning as they're all very busy anyway. The latest we'd tip anyone is the last evening or the last afternoon.

We leave tips at all the specialty restaurants and to the general "pool" in Blu as we seldom have the same team the entire time. We get room service breakfast on every port day on every cruise, and we give a couple dollars to whomever delivers it.

At the Elite cocktail hour we often give a dollar for every drink. At other bars during the cruise we do the same. Not always, but many times. We do keep dollar bills, and when we run out we then get $20 worth at Guest Relations a couple times if needed.

I don't know why people can't give $$'s.

 

I think $50 and $25 would be generous for 7 nights.

Agreed.

I generally tip along those lines for the room steward and the wait staff, on top of the pre-paid gratuities. Only a few times have i not given additional tips. Most of the time, I feel they deserve it.

After about 2 days we usually give a $20 bill to our steward and maybe a bit more to our butler if we have one. For some people they might give $50 a couple times. It's all what you are comfortable with giving. A $5 bill is also good. Again, whatever you're comfortable with.

This is a very good point. You really can't put a price on generosity. A $5 bill from someone on a fixed income can be more generous than $50 from Donald Trump or Richard Branson. I all depends on what you can afford.

At the end of a 7-night cruise, I leave on the automatic tips but seek out the Asst Stateroom Attendant and give him extra ($20-30). He's the one who got the short straw and scrubs out the bathroom floor, toilet, and shower twice a day, and keeps fresh towels in the bathroom.

Sorry for starting yet another TippingThread but inspite of all the information on these boards, I still don't know if I am tipping enough.

 

I often read "I tipped them generously" but may I ask:

what exactly is considered "generous"?

If you are leaving the auto grats on, then IMO you are tipping "enough". The auto grats are the amount agreed between the cruise line and the staff as being a reasonable amount to top up their very small wage. Anything you choose to give above that could be seen as "generous" but the actual amount is entirely up to you, and what others give (or claim to give) doesn't really matter - after all, it is not a competition!:D ..........................Or is it?;):)

With all these tipping questions I want to add that something that might be even more important to the crew is those response cards filled out at the end of your cruise. I'm not saying that you shouldn't tip extra ... or that you should tip extra. Do whatever feels right (& don't feel guilt about your choice). What causes the most stress for my friend working for X is waiting to get feedback regarding response cards. Unless they get all top scores they often get a talking-to from their supervisor. So checking everything as "satisfactory" means they'll quite possibly be called in to speak w their supervisor ... & it won't be to tell them they did a good job!!!

When he worked on a chartered cruise he received the standard gratuities & knew he wouldn't be getting many extra tips due to the nature of & guests on that charter. But he was the most relaxed I've ever seen him during a contract (& I've known him for years) because for some reason they weren't handing out response cards at the end of the charter. There was so much less anxiety.

Now I'm not telling you to not tip extra! They DO work VERY hard, 7 days a week for at least 6 months straight. And their "salary" is extremely insulting. Many ARE paying for housing back home & are sending money to their families. I'm not saying anything everyone doesn't already know. I just want to remind everyone how important those cards are to the crew, besides gratuities.

With all these tipping questions I want to add that something that might be even more important to the crew is those response cards filled out at the end of your cruise.

We started cruising many years ago, before the auto grats were brought in, and none of the staff on our first cruise seemed to be fishing for tips (we did tip them, of course) but they were keen to let us know that mentioning them by name on the cruise questionnaire would be very helpful to them. We have always done this and also use "attention to detail" cards during the cruise if anyone has really gone above and beyond for us. We also give everyone an "excellent" score on the questionnaire (we might downgrade it if we ever have truly terrible service, but that has not happened). The way we look at it, we have had a wonderful cruise and all the staff have contributed towards that experience and, although our tips are obviously appreciated, helping them to advance in their career is the best way for us to repay them for their hard work and kindness. As BonnieVA has pointed out, it isn't always about the money.;):)

Here are my thoughts...

 

The cruise lines have set up a very simple system to compensate the staff. The staff has agreed to the terms when they sign the contract. If you read some of these threads CC members will have you believe that the staff are treated like slaves over worked and under paid. Welcome to my world. What they don't take into consideration is that the staff also receive food, clothing shelter medical attention and they get to see the world for free. I'm working a six day week this week and I can tell you that on my day off I won't be touring Barcelona or Venice. If I make it to Home Depot or the supermarket I will consider it a day out. The rest of the world has to pay for these things with what's left of their salary after taxes. So, while they may not get paid minimum wage they also don't have the same expenses as the majority.

 

I used to be very generous until I started reading these boards. I would keep on the auto tip and tip the wait staff every night in select dining or in a specialty restaurant, Tip my room steward if he brought us ice or extra shampoo plus I would tip at the end. Now I just pay the auto tip and tip $20 or $30 at the end to the room steward and don't tip in select dining.

 

Now my philosophy is if the staff and the cruise line both agree on the terms of the auto tip then why shouldn't I? Now this isn't to say that I would never tip extra but if I'm paying $50pp above what I have already paid in the cruise fare to eat in a specialty restaurant, then I expect extra special service and food quality. That's what I'm paying for so I stopped tipping extra there. Now that I'm booked with a drink package, paid gratuities and $300 OBC I will probably be more generous on my next trip.

I agree with this. I wonder do the crew always expect to get tips over and above the auto gratuities? I would never remove them from my account but also I do not want to feel bad by not tipping extra and be remembered as the passenger that did not tip. I would tip extra if someone had gone out of their way to assist in some way or had done more than simply doing the job they are being paid to do ( and already being tipped for). I worry that if more and more passengers feel they want to keep tipping for every drink, speciality restaurant or room service etc. that it will become the norm and expected. It can be very difficult to know what to do. So as for the original question of what is considered generous, anything given as an extra tip should be considered as generous, but also to remember that it is not necessary to tip at all if auto gratuities are already paid.

What ever you give, or not, as long as auto grats are left on (in my opinion) is enough. What ever you feel comfortable with, don't worry about anyone else does.

I agree with this. Unless they've done something really outside of their job description for you, I don't believe any extra tip is in order.

I generally sail in suites, and leave the auto gratuity in place, and tip extra based only on how many gatherings I host in the cabin, because in those instances I know the staff is doing extra work for me.

We also pre-pay our tips, but we like to reward service that goes "above & beyond". How much has always been the question. On our first experience in the Concierge Lounge on RC, my DH was quietly asked by a fellow passenger how much to tip the Concierge, at the end of the cruise. My DH thought about it for a while, and replied: "Well, what did he do for you?" For some passengers, the Concierge was simply a smiling, polite host -- but for others, he did much more. So, when in doubt about what to tip (beyond the published guides), that still the rule of thumb that we use -- works for us. :cool:

We generally ask our room steward on a port day if they are going ashore and if so we give our cash to them then so they have a little extra to spend.

We only go to the MDR about half the nights so don't give extra there as they get the our grats for every night anyway

We often give cash to our server at the Elite cocktail our.. every couple of nights

Our "favourite" server in the concierge lounge on our TA cruise on the Eclipse by the name of Kendrick advised us that he received an hour of free internet for mentioning his name on the mid cruise survey. We also gave him about $80 during the cruise for looking after the four of us. I don't really care what others' define as generous. He appeared to appreciate it.

If just half of the passengers tipped "generously" then that amount would no longer be viewed by the staff as generous - just simply the norm.

I've already pre paid our gratuities through booking select dining and on our purchase of the premium alcohol package and at 18% I feel that's enough and it's obviously seen as such by the cruise line. If people want to tip on top of that its their right of course but I'm comfortable that's enough for us.

This is the poster second post on CC.

I wonder he or she a cruiser or just a crew member from the ship?

Seem the person very familiar on Celebrity cruise ships.:confused::confused::confused:

This is the poster second post on CC.

I wonder he or she a cruiser or just a crew member from the ship?

Seem the person very familiar on Celebrity cruise ships.:confused::confused::confused:

I'm afraid that I'm missing your point. A person can be an experienced cruiser, and still have a fundamental question, about tipping -- or anything else. And, as to post count -- we ALL had a first (and second) post, on these boards.

We do the tipping a little different than most people, we have the auto gratuities on our account but we also give extra at the beginning of the cruise.

We find the bar we want to visit regularly and get to know the bar tender on the first day, we tip them $50 during our first visit. We also give frequent additional tips of $5 or $10 through out the cruise. This will get you 'premium' service on any cruise line. I have been ten people deep in line, the bar tender notices me, I give a 'nod' of my head and suddenly our drinks of choice are at the side of the bar ready for pick-up. I place my room card on the bar take our drinks and go back and get my room card when it is not so busy. All done in a subtle manner that no one in the line even notices I jumped the line.

We use this same tipping method with our room steward $50 the first day and we never run out of ice for our in room bar set-up. It is nice to mix a drink and sit on the balcony while my wife is getting ready for dinner.

We also receive free internet minutes with our cruise line status. We do not use the internet on the ships ( tooooo Slooooow ) so I offer the minutes to our state room attendant so they can contact their family. This works on some ships but not all ships ( some connections are device specific ).

We bring our own envelopes for end of cruise tipping, some cruise lines still provide them while others do not. These are for the people who went above and beyond during our cruise. The amounts vary from person to person.

Lastly, but perhaps this should have been 'firstly', when we introduce our selves we use our first names and let them know that we don't have to be addressed by Mr. or Mrs. It is often we will get a response of "OK...Mr. Steve":)