What to tip for Kids club

[JMAK's Mom]

Hi, we are going on the Norwegian Dawn in July to Bermuda. We have a 2 year old son that we think will want to participate a lot in the kids club. What is an appropriate tip per child per day used for the club? thanks:)

[SuperCoolOne]

for 3 kids on a 5 day cruise where we used the club quite a bit, we tipped 20 on the last evening in cash.

[jam82]

I usually tip them about $20-25 per day. My DS is 3. I think taking care of a 2-3 year old is harder than taking care of older kids so I might cut back on that amount as he gets older, but for now that's what we do. I figure it's in line with what I would tip an in home babysitter if we went out for the evening.

[RoadTripFanatic]

We have on child age 9. If DD uses the kids club we typically tip $40-$50 at the end of a 7 day cruise.

[tropiclvrs]

Is it "expected" by the caregivers to receive tips? We took our 2 kids for only a couple of hours 5 of the 7 days and didn't think it was necessary to tip.

[Tggrtoes]

DH and I actually argued about this on our recent cruise. We ended up compromising and gave our counselers $25 total to split at the end of our 5 day cruise. I think we should have given more; however, DS is really low maintenance in that kind of setting. we probably used them 4-5 hours a day, including paid babysitting time.

 

I didn't get the impression that any of the counselors expected anything though, although they didn't seem surprised when I gave them an envelope. My guess is that only 50% or so do the tipping (I asked about this at our dinner table and none of the other parents knew that you could/should tip separately.)

[Havingfun2010]

Hi' date=' we are going on the Norwegian Dawn in July to Bermuda. We have a 2 year old son that we think will want to participate a lot in the kids club. What is an appropriate tip per child per day used for the club? thanks:)[/quote']

 

There are many people on the ship, that work to serve you, that do not expect a tip, or receive tips, since they are not considered service personnel, such as the wait staff. They get paid, from your cruise fare. Each child, pays between $500 and $1000 to cruise. Adults have a staff dedicated to making them happy also.

 

I'm not against giving a tip, but you should consider it a gift, not a tip, in the same way, you give a school teacher a gift, or day care provider. Don't feel obligated to do it, just do it because you want to.

[schmeed]

There are many people on the ship, that work to serve you, that do not expect a tip, or receive tips, since they are not considered service personnel, such as the wait staff. They get paid, from your cruise fare. Each child, pays between $500 and $1000 to cruise. Adults have a staff dedicated to making them happy also.

 

I'm not against giving a tip, but you should consider it a gift, not a tip, in the same way, you give a school teacher a gift, or day care provider. Don't feel obligated to do it, just do it because you want to.

Agreed. Tip for exemplary service or if they go above and beyond the responsibilities they are given.

 

Only the wait staff and the room attendents expect tips. In fact, it's the biggest part of their salary.

 

Speaking of tipping, here is a cool website to calculate tips on your cruise (no, I am not affiliated): http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

[OnlyMe]

Probably a silly question BUT .... do you not have to pay for the kids club when your kids use it?

We will be sailing in August with our 2yo so he'll be using the kids club for the first time ... I just assumed it had to be paid for ... am I wrong?:o

Thanks

[jam82]

Probably a silly question BUT .... do you not have to pay for the kids club when your kids use it?

We will be sailing in August with our 2yo so he'll be using the kids club for the first time ... I just assumed it had to be paid for ... am I wrong?:o

Thanks

 

It depends on what line you are sailing. I assume if you are planning for your 2 year old to use the kids club that you must be sailing Carnival or NCL. In either of those cases, the kids club during the day (up to 10:00pm on Carnival) is included in your cruise fare. Carnival charges $6 per hour from 10pm-3am. I believe it is similar on NCL, however, NCL charges for port day babysitting and I believe they close at 1 or 2am.

[OnlyMe]

It depends on what line you are sailing. I assume if you are planning for your 2 year old to use the kids club that you must be sailing Carnival or NCL. In either of those cases, the kids club during the day (up to 10:00pm on Carnival) is included in your cruise fare. Carnival charges $6 per hour from 10pm-3am. I believe it is similar on NCL, however, NCL charges for port day babysitting and I believe they close at 1 or 2am.

 

oops, sorry - meant to say we're cruising NCL Gem:o

Do you have any idea on cost for the port day babysitting on NCL? .... Just curious

Thanks so much!

[Onessa]

I'm not against giving a tip, but you should consider it a gift, not a tip, in the same way, you give a school teacher a gift, or day care provider. Don't feel obligated to do it, just do it because you want to.

 

I Agree.

 

When DD was younger and used the kids club, most of the cruises we took were North American with a US or Canadian port. Rather than cash tips, we often gave gift cards to fast food places or super markets that had outlets close to the port, or at least had DD draw a thank you card to accompany the cash. The gift cards were appreciated because as one counselor said, the crew's food is good; but very predictable.

 

We'd do whatever we could do to make it "feel" less like a tip and more like a gift. Most of the counselors we dealt with really considered themselves more "child care professionals" than "babysitters" and seemed to appreciate the gesture.

[jam82]

oops, sorry - meant to say we're cruising NCL Gem:o

Do you have any idea on cost for the port day babysitting on NCL? .... Just curious

Thanks so much!

 

I believe late night (10:30pm-1:30am) and port day babysitting on NCL is $6 for the first child and $4 for additional children in the same family. If you are required to carry a beeper for your child, at least one parent must remain on board. If you child is not potty trained, you must carry a beeper. I don't know if they require all parents of two year olds to have a beeper. I've sailed NCL, but not with a 2 year old.

[OnlyMe]

I believe late night (10:30pm-1:30am) and port day babysitting on NCL is $6 for the first child and $4 for additional children in the same family. If you are required to carry a beeper for your child, at least one parent must remain on board. If you child is not potty trained, you must carry a beeper. I don't know if they require all parents of two year olds to have a beeper. I've sailed NCL, but not with a 2 year old.

 

Hi ya,

Thanks for that.

We wouldn't be planning on leaving him on the ship while we go into the ports or anything - we usually don't spend the entire port time in port and end up back on the ship long before sail away so am thinking of maybe using the kids club then:)

[Wilda]

Yes we do tip. $50 on the last night of an 8-night cruise. Our 9 year old GS was there whenever we were at sea and loved it. They took good care of him and the kids club allowed us to do many things with peace of mind. That alone, in my opinion, warrants a tip!

[JMAK's Mom]

Thanks all for the great information on tipping! Does anyone know if the kids are able to snooze in the evening at the kids club?

[SuperCoolOne]

Yes, they usually have an area set up with blankets and such for kids who want to sleep.

[JMAK's Mom]

Thank you so much for the info on the nap area, I had that question posted in a couple of forums but had not received a reply. Do you know if parents would drop the kids off in the evening already in their pajamas? I just think it would be easier to pick him up in his pj's and just carry him back downstairs and put him straight to sleep without waking him to change him.

[foxesden1]

I Agree.

 

When DD was younger and used the kids club, most of the cruises we took were North American with a US or Canadian port. Rather than cash tips, we often gave gift cards to fast food places or super markets that had outlets close to the port, or at least had DD draw a thank you card to accompany the cash. The gift cards were appreciated because as one counselor said, the crew's food is good; but very predictable.

 

We'd do whatever we could do to make it "feel" less like a tip and more like a gift. Most of the counselors we dealt with really considered themselves more "child care professionals" than "babysitters" and seemed to appreciate the gesture.

 

I was going to give phone cards.. so they could call home.. we are doing a repo cruise, and they will be in Europe for the season

[Tggrtoes]

Yes, I brought DS to Camp in his pjs. they let me come in and get him off the blanketed floor and we took him back to cabin. Easy.

[uncw89]

Wow! It never occurred to me tip the counselors in the kids club. This will be our 3rd cruise with DS (9). Of course, he didn't spend much time in the kids club.

[mary_228]

Rather than cash tips, we often gave gift cards to fast food places or super markets that had outlets close to the port, or at least had DD draw a thank you card to accompany the cash.

 

We'd do whatever we could do to make it "feel" less like a tip and more like a gift. Most of the counselors we dealt with really considered themselves more "child care professionals" than "babysitters" and seemed to appreciate the gesture.

My daughter has worked several sailings in the the youth program. FYI, the counselors pool the tips at the end of the week, so gift cards would make it very hard to "split". IMO, the last place she would want to eat on shore would be a fast food restaurant. The counselors are very poorly paid, making $385/week, which works out to about $5.50 per hour for ten hour days. So please don't delude yourself into thinking they are professionals who would be insulted to get a tip! Out of that, they pay transportation costs to the airport and checked luggage fees. Add to that $250 for a pre-employment physical every two years and you can see they make very little money.

[cb at sea]

If you're planning on giving phone cards, make sure you buy them in the country where they'll be used....buying an international phone card here at home, won't work for calling FROM a foreign country!

[mary_228]

I thought I would bump this thread for of all you lucky holiday cruisers!

[new2cruising72]

Why not just give cash? Everybody needs it,wants it, and likes to receive it. No need to be creative, just be thoughtful and tip them if they took good care of your child, that's my thoughts. I'm taking my 4 yr old next year and I intend to tip about $50 if I use the club and my daughter enjoys it.