Just curious - would you pre-tip at start of cruise?

[rbrighin]

I've read posts that claim service above and beyond during a cruise - little extras, personal attention, etc., especially those in suites w/ butlers -- would it be presumptuous to offer a gratuity up-front, or not?

[Nitemare]

I've never done it and I've always had terrific service

[Nanatravel]

I too have never even considered pre-tipping. Do you tip when you walk into a great restaurant? Before you have your hair done? I believe in rewarding for a job well done.

 

Celebrity Millennium 2/22/04

Carnival Conquest 10/26/2003

Carnival Legend 4/11/2003

Carnival Pride 2/23/2002

Celebrity Galaxy 11/2001

Grand Princess 3/2001

Celebrity Millennium 9/9/2000

Sea Princess 2/22/1999

Vison of the Seas 10/28/1998

Rhapsody of the Seas 3/1998

Celebrity Century 3/1997

Celebrity Zenith 11/1996

Legend of the Seas 6/1995

Celebrity Horizon 4/1994

 

 

[mari 10]

I always start a cruise off with a welcome tip.

When I meet my stateroom attendant I introduce myself and give him something to set the tone for the cruise. Our service has always been top notch.

I do the same with our waiter, and again I think it starts the cruise off on a high note.

Just my opinion, and it works for me.

Mari

[raudacruise]

We "mid-tip". If we've been getting excellent service, we tip part way through the cruise (if 10 days or longer) the day before going into a large port. More than likely the staff members are going to get some port liberity so why not give it to them where they can spend it or send it home.

 

Generally, this is the bonus tip. We then give the standard tip at the end of the cruise.

 

George & MaryBeth

[excitedofharpenden]

rbrighin

 

Tipping is a personal matter. You will find many who pre-tip and many that don't. Both camps will extol its own virtues. We don't pre-tip and have always had wonderful service.

 

You should do what you feel most comfortable with.

 

Phil

 

Mercury Western Caribbean November 2002

Galaxy Eastern Caribbean November 2003

 

<BR

 

Until Galaxy Panama Canal Out Of Galveston

13th November 2004

 

 

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[Kathleen P.]

Just as long as you tip, we used the tipping guides and just added to it, as we personally felt they were on the low side. The suggested tip for waiters seems very little as well, considering you would tip a lot more for an equivelent meal in a restaurant for 1 dinner.

I have never met a never staff of people going out of their way to make you happy. They work so very hard and make so little money.

 

 

What REALLY bothered me is the amount of people who do NOT show up at "tip" night - the last night of the cruise. I noticed that at least 1/3 of the dining room was a no-show. That is shameful, considering the small amount requested for these hard working people who really make your cruise something special.

 

I overheard 2 different people in the casino saying "oh well I am gambling away their tip money". The finger of shame goes out to you..who ever you are.

[Marie & Ian]

We just got off the Summit yesterday. Although we've never done this before, when we got to our room, I wrote a little note on an envelope for the room attendant asking him to 1) always have 2 jugs of water and ice 2) to bring us 2 lounge chairs 3) to remove the items from the mini bar for us 4) to leave us some champagne and wine glasses. I also put a $20 bill in the envelope to thank him. He did everything promptly and were great the entire 10 days, which I'm sure they would have been regardless ... these people work SO HARD and our room was always kept lovely. But having these extras up front was sure worth it to us and by tipping him we didn't feel guilty asking.

 

Marie

 

Celebrity Summit 04/2004

Norweigan Dream 04/2000

Celebrity Mercury 04/1999

[teedee]

If I have an special/unusual request I usually tip right away for that. An example is on our last cruise we brought a soft sided cooler with us. We asked our stateroom attendent to keep it filled with ice and tipped him for doing so.

 

Terri

 

Skyward - 1989

Carnivale - 1991

Holiday - 1994

Fantasy - 1998

Century - 2002

Century - 2003

Jubilee - 7/04

Century - 9/04

Coral Princess 3/05

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

I like the soft-sided cooler idea..think I will do that too! Thanks!

 

Celebrity Century 5/8/04 -Western Caribbean

 

Carnival Ecstasy 2/04 - Baja

Tahitian Princess 2/03- French Polynesia

Sea Princess 7/02 - Alaska

Carnival Ecstasy 5/02 - Baja

Royal Caribbean Monarch 10/00 - Southern Caribbean

Carnival Elation 10/99 - Mexican Riviera

Royal Caribbean Monarch 1/97 - Southern Caribbean

[Shirley and Les]

For us, the rough part of the tip schedule is the amount for room attendants.

In the dining room, the suggested tips are below or at a par with what the tip rate would be at fairly good restaurants. Assistant maitre-de, waiter and assistant waiter for about $6.00 a day, quite a bargain compared to a fine restaurant.

Cabin attentand and head housekeeper for $4 or $5 a day, this might be $3 above a land package if compared to a hotel. However, on most land packages, you don't have the room cleaned up everytime you leave the room. This might wind up to be 4 or 5 times per day. In anything, I think the extra cabin service works out to a better tip.

In the past, we have always tipped at the end of the cruise. Room service, extra ice, or extra water delivered by a cabin attendant is always an "on the spot" tip of a $ or two.

I suspect we would get better service if we gave 1/2 the tip at the midpoint of the voyage. Particularly, for the cabin attendants.

Our big problem in mid-trip tipping is language barrier. At times, it is difficult to communicate that we are going to add a second tip at the end of the trip if service continues to be good. This kind of causes us to have a "let's just wait to the end of the cruise and tip.: attitude. However, we do know that our service would have been better if we had tipped in advance.

Les

[mrsfanci]

We always tip everyone generously at the beginning and again at the end. You always should tip the Maitre;'D in the beginning when you go to a fine restaurant, why not on a cruise ship. I have no way to know what our service would be like without doing so first as we have always done it this way.

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by mrsfanci:

You always should tip the Maitre;'D in the beginning when you go to a fine restaurant, why not on a cruise ship. I have no way to know what our service would be like without doing so first as we have always done it this way.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Why SHOULD anyone receive a tip prior to their service? To lead them on like Pavlov's dog?? Here buddy, there's more moolah like this if you kiss my A**! Perhaps you should try a trip where you do not tip up front and still remain friendly and polite to the help and see what kind of service you get then! I have never had bad service on a cruise and I have never tipped up front! AND...the Maitre 'D has never provided anything more to us than a hello at the END of our cruises!

 

Celebrity Century 5/8/04 -Western Caribbean

 

Carnival Ecstasy 2/04 - Baja

Tahitian Princess 2/03- French Polynesia

Sea Princess 7/02 - Alaska

Carnival Ecstasy 5/02 - Baja

Royal Caribbean Monarch 10/00 - Southern Caribbean

Carnival Elation 10/99 - Mexican Riviera

Royal Caribbean Monarch 1/97 - Southern Caribbean

[Andym]

Tipping always provokes varied resposes on the boards. We sometimes have found that the service has dropped on the final breakfast, once the tipping envelopes have been given out the previous nights. In the UK, we have a different tipping culture than in the US. I read the boards in respect to tipping and it seems to be a couple of $ here, there and everywhere. Not so in the UK. We do reward good service with a good tip AFTER we have had it, never before.

[brigittetom]

AndyM, On the cruiseships we really don't have much choice. The tip is expected on the final night of the cruise. On the last morning, breakfast is a free for all and no tip is being given so you are at their mercy. Some waitstaff are great, and some make you happy that you are on your way home. There is no changing this routine. I don't care how many people tell you that the service is always great, sorry, I can tell you that many times it's not.

 

Zenith from Jacksonville

Feb. 13 05

[TaznBugs]

We always give the cabin att. something up front and the wait staff as well this ls just the way we do things it is our way of letting them know you will be taken care of by us !! But then this is just our thing you do what ever makes you happy!!!

 

Jim

SEABREEZ 98

OCEANBREEZ 99

MAJESTY 2000

SENSATION 2001

CENTURY 2003

CENTURY JULY 10 2004

[brigittetom]

I'm sorry, I answered another question regarding tipping that actually wasn't really asked. I decided never to tip up front after seeing a roomate in a low cut nightie tip a cabin steward for upfront service. I had cruised that line on two previous cruises and received prefect service. Her up front tipping meant nothing. Tipping is a very personal thing.

 

You all have had the people that say they like to bring two dollar bills. Then you have others that say that two dollar bills are tacky. Then you've got others that God forbid want to hand out coins. Have a wonderful cruise and do what you want. Don't listen to the ones that say NO.

 

Zenith from Jacksonville

Feb. 13 05

[brigittetom]

Sorry, I just posted that people should gamble with thier feelings.

 

Just testing the website.

 

Zenith from Jacksonville

Feb. 13 05

[bunnybear]

My husband and I have made it a practice to present the cabin steward, our waiter and assistant waiter with a "phone card" with pre-paid long distance on the first day of our cruise. We bring thank you notes that we have written the message "Thank you in advance for making this a memorable cruise." We slip in the phone card and hand it to them on our initial meeting. They always seem to appreciate the gesture and we receive fabulous service the whole week.

 

Legend of the Seas - Alaska -Aug. 02

Rhapsody of the Seas - Western Caribbean - Jan. 03

Norweigian Sea - Texaribbean - Jan. 04

 

 

Celebrity Summit - Alaska Revisited

[Fang]

We always pretip when we get on the ship. We tip the cabin attendent, butler (if we have one), waiter and Head Waiter.

 

Our service has always been fantastic.

 

This is especially true if we have our two daughters with us. The waiter comes over and does tricks with napkins etc. The Head Waiter made sure that they had milk before they sat down if not very soon after.

 

These people work very hard for very little money and I have no problem tipping them very good for thier efforts.

[SassyGirl]

Why would you tip beforehand? Isn't a tip supposed to be a reward for good work?

 

I don't understand....

 

SassyGirl

[Lois R]

Hi Sassy everyone has their own opinions about tipping..as you can probably tell....

Maybe I am just different..but I never tip up front...and my service has always been outstanding.

-------------------------------------------

quote:

" You always should tip the Maitre;'D in the beginning when you go to a fine restaurant, why not on a cruise ship. I have no way to know what our service would be like without doing so first as we have always done it this way."

---------------------------------------------

I am going to respectfully disagree with above statement.

We all have our own ways of doing things in life. I was told as a child the word "Should" was another way of saying "must". Now, I would never think to tell someone what they "should do" in regards to tipping. Who made "the law" about "always tipping upfront in a fine restaurant"?

 

 

Sassy....I have never pre-tipped. Now, I do take care of my bartenders throughout the entire week but that is just me..a couple of bucks here and there as the week goes on...to show my appreciation..rather than for the reason of "better service". But the main folks..get a nice "Thank You Card" with their $$ enclosed on the last evening.

 

Next up...HORIZON Sept 18th to Bermuda!

 

See My Century and Mercury Pictures at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/lovescruising

[excitedofharpenden]

Lois

 

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>quote:

" You always should tip the Maitre;'D in the beginning when you go to a fine restaurant, why not on a cruise ship. I have no way to know what our service would be like without doing so first as we have always done it this way."

---------------------------------------------

I am going to respectfully disagree with above statement.

We all have our own ways of doing things in life. I was told as a child the word "Should" was another way of saying "must". Now, I would never think to tell someone what they "should do" in regards to tipping. Who made "the law" about "always tipping upfront in a fine restaurant"?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

Phil

 

Mercury Western Caribbean November 2002

Galaxy Eastern Caribbean November 2003

 

<BR

 

Until Galaxy Panama Canal Out Of Galveston

13th November 2004

 

 

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[JNLROSE]

Hi Phil, Hi Lois!

 

I am also going to agree with Lois. We have pondered & talked at length about tipping methods. (we being me & DH) We have come to the conclusion that we will tip for services rendered.

 

On our last cruise in Feb. We asked several "favors" immediately upon boarding from our cabin attends. They both delivered 200%!. They were both tipped accordingly at that time for out of the ordinary EXTRAS. We asked several more favors during the cruise & did it again!! We also tipped extra to each at the end of the cruise as we did the waiter & a**'t. waiter. We had excellent service by both waiters every night. I know there was not an envelope for the a**'t. cabin steward, but we gave him one with extra money also!

 

NOW, we did tip the 2 head guys--chief houskeeper & M-d, the suggested am't. Really didn't see either one at all!

 

I always take nice thank you cards & write a personal note to each person I tip instead of using the generic ships envelopes OR putting the suggested tips on our card. We like to hand them the cards in person & verbally thank them again for their service!

 

Just our personal pref.

 

Rosie

 

E-mail me <a href="mailto:JNLROSE@AOL.COM">here</a href>

 

CELEBRITY MERCURY HERE I COME!!!

 

[Lois R]

Hi RosieHi Phil

Rosie..those Thank You cards are a wonderful touch!

I read about doing that from people on here! Can't remember who first mentioned it..but it is much nicer than that little envelope

 

Next up...HORIZON Sept 18th to Bermuda!

 

See My Century and Mercury Pictures at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/lovescruising