Best tipping method?

[arkansasboy]

Since we are new to cruising I am wondering which is the best way to take of tips. I have thought about paying it up front so I dont have to worry about it later. Any ideas?

[T. Advisor King]

Your charge account will automatically be charged for the auto-tips. That's all you need to do. Nothing to pay in advance, nothing to pay in cash. Very simple.

[Rottweiler Puppy]

Your charge account will automatically be charged for the auto-tips. That's all you need to do. Nothing to pay in advance, nothing to pay in cash. Very simple.

 

Thats what I do but what if folks dont want to do that? MY ex and her family is going on my next crusie (was the only way to get my kids that week ugh) and they want to tip cash. They dont want to even put much on their account in the beginning. I told them of the recommended amounts but they figured those were recommended and not mandatoy amounts.

 

They had some good points about not tipping (wait staff amount) the times they are eating off the ships and such but I am too lazy and just do the autotip lol. They figure they can save 84 by doing that lol.

[Colorado Kat]

I leave the autotips in place. Your wait staff also work the Lido deck and lunch and breakfast duties. Autotips are divided, so most staff share in that.

 

If I've gotten good service from the same wait staff (assigned dining) I give extra to wait staff & cabin staff.

[arkansasboy]

Okay. Can someone explain to me how auto tipping works? Is it "money" I place on my sign and sail card that goes against my personal card? And, we dont use credit cards. We only use debit cards but I have read that those arent a good idea. Why is that?

[tgunn1978]

Okay. Can someone explain to me how auto tipping works? Is it "money" I place on my sign and sail card that goes against my personal card? And, we dont use credit cards. We only use debit cards but I have read that those arent a good idea. Why is that?

 

Auto tipping for our 7 day cruise is $80.50 per person. It is added to your sign and sail card as an amount owed. You can pre-pay this before you sail, or wait until the end of the cruise.

 

You can go to the purser's desk as soon as you board the ship and give them CASH to add to your Sign & Sail card to pay for tipping and/or onboard purchases, if you would rather not use credit or debit cards. That is what we do. You can add more cash during the week if you choose to. Then at the end of the cruise, you can either go to the pursers desk and get any money remaining that you didn't spend, or they will mail you a check for it later. My mom got her balance in a check a week later. We love the cash option. It helps us keep up with what we are spending. (I believe you can now look at your account on a TV channel in your cabin.) :)

[mikel24m]

Since we are new to cruising I am wondering which is the best way to take of tips. I have thought about paying it up front so I dont have to worry about it later. Any ideas?

 

Very easy to do BEFORE you even leave for your cruise

 

All you need to do is call the 800 number and have your booking number and pre pay with your debit card,One less thing to be concerned about before your cruise.

 

Since your new to cruising you may not understand how hard the staff works and the long hours as well. They will make your cruise great!! All the staff will appreciate the suggested tips,thats what they anticipate they will make for the week (just think if you go to work next week and your boss has a bad week and you make $300 less and worked just as hard as the week before)

 

Before the "they are not paying taxes" ,"they choose to work for the cruise lines","they would make $15 a month in their home country" ," the cruise lines should pay a fair wage" cheap people chime in its very easy to do and the staff appreciates the salary that they deserve.NOT what some people think they should be tipped for the week !!!

[golfadj]

We do the autotip and if necessary make adjustments at guest services.

[H82seaUgo]

Thats what I do but what if folks dont want to do that? MY ex and her family is going on my next crusie (was the only way to get my kids that week ugh) and they want to tip cash. They dont want to even put much on their account in the beginning. I told them of the recommended amounts but they figured those were recommended and not mandatoy amounts.

 

They had some good points about not tipping (wait staff amount) the times they are eating off the ships and such but I am too lazy and just do the autotip lol. They figure they can save 84 by doing that lol.

 

we figure $2 per person per day.

 

and most cruises we eat all our meals in the mdr, tthe only deduction we now make is on the meals that carnival has decided to close the service retaurant, so that amount is reduced. if we choose to eat in the bistro, we usually suck up the service tip evenn though we are serving ourselves. another exception is if we dine in the steakhouse, so our reductions are generally minimal, unless poor service comes into play, which luckily has only happened once.

 

and the opposite can happen as well, we we will go above the reccomendation for over the top service.

 

generally, we pay the suggested $3.70 per person per day to our room steward, unless we encounter one that goes so far above and beyond.

 

all our tips are now in cash, so that it all goes to the people we interact with, and that none goes to suppliment carnival to help pay those already on salary that do not receive tips.

[2013CruiseBride]

We pre-paid ours when we booked our cabin. I didn't want to have to worry about budgeting for the tips when we got on board, since we have to pay for our wedding pictures and of course drinks!

 

It is up to you and your preference.

[ItsFoxy]

I have a question. I've prepaid my tips, but let's say I want to tip extra for great waitstaff and my room steward, how much do you think is a good "extra" tip? And do you tip a little of it every day, such as at dinner? The last night at dinner or the end of the cruise?

 

Keep in mind I'm not made of money, but I do realize I'm luckier to have a job that pays decent and can afford a little extra tipping.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread!

[JP4GA]

The OP asked for the easiest way to handle tips. In my opinion the easiest way is to pre-pay them when you book the cruise. If there is an issue you can make adjustments at Guest Services. If you want to give more to an individual such as the room steward you can do so.

 

We always pre-pay then take a little cash to give out as we see fit. We have never adjusted our "prepaid" tip amount because we have always had excellent service.

[serene56]

Okay. Can someone explain to me how auto tipping works? Is it "money" I place on my sign and sail card that goes against my personal card? And, we dont use credit cards. We only use debit cards but I have read that those arent a good idea. Why is that?

 

Some debit cards have a daily spending limit. (Mine has a 200 limit)

cruise spending goes in on one day. If we did not prepay the tips the daily limit would almost be at capacity with just the tipping. Once I get to the daily limit the bank will put on a hold on the card- and it might take a few days to clear.

I would not be able to use that card until it clears.

 

But you can use your debit card-- you call the bank about 7 days before your vacation, lift any restrictions on your card, tell them you are out of the country and the dates. You should not have any problems using this method.

 

We prepay tips with final payment-- so its not on that card. We also place down cash.

[sparks1093]

I have a question. I've prepaid my tips, but let's say I want to tip extra for great waitstaff and my room steward, how much do you think is a good "extra" tip? And do you tip a little of it every day, such as at dinner? The last night at dinner or the end of the cruise?

 

Keep in mind I'm not made of money, but I do realize I'm luckier to have a job that pays decent and can afford a little extra tipping.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread!

 

Most people tip extra at the end of the cruise and I believe that you may obtain envelopes from the purser's desk for this purpose. How much extra to leave is entirely up to you, the staff will appreciate whatever amount it is.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

I have a question. I've prepaid my tips, but let's say I want to tip extra for great waitstaff and my room steward, how much do you think is a good "extra" tip? And do you tip a little of it every day, such as at dinner? The last night at dinner or the end of the cruise?

 

Keep in mind I'm not made of money, but I do realize I'm luckier to have a job that pays decent and can afford a little extra tipping.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread!

 

 

We pre-paid our grats but also bought a small pack of thank-you cards from the Dollar store and just wrote a generic, thank you for making our cruise memorable etc..... and slipped in extra $$. We gave this to our cabin steward and his assistant on the last evening and our waitstaff at our final dinner in the MDR. If you feel the service warrents a little extra, just put in whatever your budget may allow.

 

 

:)

 

 

 

.

[aggieastrosfan]

I have a question. I've prepaid my tips, but let's say I want to tip extra for great waitstaff and my room steward, how much do you think is a good "extra" tip? And do you tip a little of it every day, such as at dinner? The last night at dinner or the end of the cruise?

 

Keep in mind I'm not made of money, but I do realize I'm luckier to have a job that pays decent and can afford a little extra tipping.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread!

 

They are thankful to receive whatever you give them.

 

Last July we sat with the same wait team the entire week in My Time dining. We frequently saw a mother and daughter eating with this same team as well. On the last night, she saw what we were choosing to give as extra tip, and commented to me that she felt bad because she couldn't afford to leave that much. (We were a group of 7 also). I told her not to worry, that they would appreciate anything they were given. Sure enough, when she went to give them an extra tip they smiled and hugged her and said thank you in the same way they did to us.

 

Whatever you can afford and feel is appropriate is a good tip. It doesn't matter what everyone else leaves. :)

 

 

Meredith

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[ItsFoxy]

We pre-paid our grats but also bought a small pack of thank-you cards from the Dollar store and just wrote a generic, thank you for making our cruise memorable etc..... and slipped in extra $$. We gave this to our cabin steward and his assistant on the last evening and our waitstaff at our final dinner in the MDR. If you feel the service warrents a little extra, just put in whatever your budget may allow.

 

 

:)

 

 

 

.

 

 

The Thank You cards are a great idea! I will definitely grab some and include with my tips! Thanks!

[aggieastrosfan]

Okay. Can someone explain to me how auto tipping works? Is it "money" I place on my sign and sail card that goes against my personal card? And, we dont use credit cards. We only use debit cards but I have read that those arent a good idea. Why is that?

 

Carnival tends to place a hold to make sure the charges go through at the end of the cruise. On the last day, they'll run your card for the purchases, but the hold is still there. That money is not accessible to you until the hold clears. If you spend $500 on your debit card, make sure you have at least another $500 in the bank just to cover the hold, in addition to whatever money you'll need access to until the hold clears, which varies by bank.

 

I think cash would be a better option than the debit card. Just take the cash out of the bank and apply it to your onboard account to avoid the extra hold.

 

 

Meredith

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[fireofficer5]

Back in the day(70's-early 80's) there were three people to tip.Waiter,

bus boy and room attendant.

Now with all the dining options available, just auto tip.

[nitro2448]

I have a question. I've prepaid my tips, but let's say I want to tip extra for great waitstaff and my room steward, how much do you think is a good "extra" tip? And do you tip a little of it every day, such as at dinner? The last night at dinner or the end of the cruise?

 

Keep in mind I'm not made of money, but I do realize I'm luckier to have a job that pays decent and can afford a little extra tipping.

 

Sorry to hijack the thread!

 

We always tip an extra $20-$40 for our steward and waiter, always at the end. But we also tip a few dollars through out the cruise as well if we ask for something extra.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vabchtraveler]

The Thank You cards are a great idea! I will definitely grab some and include with my tips! Thanks!

 

I completely agree with this but I tip 1/2 the amount I'm alloting extra on the "front side". I want them to know how much their service is appreciated and that I'm willing to do a little extra for it. I'm not talking about a huge sum - maybe $25 on a 7-day - before and after plus the ship recommended amount. I think it guarantees special service - from my room steward (ice bucket always filled - fresh towels always available - both w/out prompting) and a favorite waiter or bartender -- if you have a special place to hang out that has the same staff all the time -- pool area, perhaps, with the same circulating waiters everyday. You'll always be asked before your glass is empty and they will know what you want and how quickly you want it after a day or so - and greet you VERY warmly when you arrive! It works like a charm for us. I never received bad service on any ship without doing this - but I do believe that it 'steps it up' just a bit when you do.:)

[vabchtraveler]

I told them of the recommended amounts but they figured those were recommended and not mandatoy amounts.

 

They had some good points about not tipping (wait staff amount) the times they are eating off the ships and such but I am too lazy and just do the autotip lol. They figure they can save 84 by doing that lol.

 

Good grief! If you only eat one $20+ meal (dinner on ship) a day that's a $4.00+ tip in a restaurant at home - unless you are cheap or have cruddy service! I'm going to guess that the only meal most people DO NOT eat aboard is lunch - maybe. So, if you eat breakfast in the MDR that's another $10.00+ meal and $2.00+ tip. If you choose the buffet, there are still folks waiting on you - bringing beverages and clearing tables, etc. I don't think you are lazy for tipping $5.50 per day for dining, I think you are correct to tip at least the 'recommended amount'! It looks like lunch is a 'free' meal, tip-wise, anyway. All the cruise ship staff work really hard for incredibly long hours every day and deserve our respect and gratitude. At least, that's one cruisers opinion.

[Bobblefrog]

I have a question. I've prepaid my tips, but let's say I want to tip extra for great waitstaff and my room steward, how much do you think is a good "extra" tip? And do you tip a little of it every day, such as at dinner? The last night at dinner or the end of the cruise?

 

Keep in mind I'm not made of money, but I do realize I'm luckier to have a job that pays decent and can afford a little extra tipping.

 

I wonder about the actual amount to tip over the auto-gratuities too, so I don't know if this will help, but I budget as follows, based on my research here, and think of this as above-and-beyond tipping:

 

(and please folks if you tip more, just say so - don't flame me!! I'm new at this and not made of money, but I want to show appreciation for those that made my trip special and thought this sounded fair because most people here just say they tip and not the amount and it's a valid question imho)

 

Room service folks $2 per trip - if I were having a lot of food/plates delivered, more, but we just had some glasses, and then some pre-dinner veggies delivered.

 

Porters $2.00 per bag (or $5 for two - just rounding it up). I actually missed the opportunity in Charleston - kind of confused who the porter was - as they took it from the car not at the ship when we parked (duh). I'll get it right this time.

 

Room Steward & Assistant $5/day at the end - I guess if I just got average to barely-there-service, I would leave the auto-tip but not tip extra. But on our cruise I felt they were extra nice and attentative. I sort of felt they were my go to people for information. Our lifeline.

 

Drink Waiters - I never tipped over, but then I knew gratuities were included, and we only had a one or two cocktails at various venues. Never had the same one. If we had a special waiter I would have tipped a $1 extra per drink.

 

Dining Room Waiters - we did ATD and never had the same group - while all the service was excellent, unfortunately no group stood out, and one was actually kind of snooty - so I didn't adjust. I also didn't consider the matitre'd because we never had any special requests. Again I am thinking 'over' tipping. IF we were to ask for the same waiter group or if I always requested a special table, we would tip at the end - probably same as steward, $5/day and the maitre-'d maybe $3-$5 per special request - especially if I didn't have to request after the first day! The thing is we kind of like just seeing what we get :-) Part of the adventure.

 

Chef's Table - I am planning on adding an additional 20%. Again I understand tips are actually built in, but there are a lot of people that apparently work to keep your experience really spectacular so thought it might make sense to raise the percentage here. Also, I don't eat red meat or poultry -so while I won't ask them to make me special items (they can double me up on the seafood dishes or soup for all I care) they will have to adjust and I want them to know I appreciate what they do that is out of the expected experience.

 

Drivers/Tour Guides - $2 per person or round up to $5 for a couple, for the drivers. I don't know though - do you tip taxi drivers? Tour guides - the only way I can figure is what seems reasonable based on the length of tour and the service experience. So a $100 tour for 2-2 1/2 hours I'll budget $25.

 

The only thing on the above is I'm wondering if I'm being too cheap for the cabin steward and his assistant. My goodness they worked hard for us and it seems they get a smaller proportion of the auto gratuities allocation. Or if I should tip at the end of ATD if the service is over and above - or we ask for doubles of everything - lol?

 

I also tip at the end. I've just never felt comfortable with tipping initially to curry favor - just me, I don't think anything is wrong with it! I just don't know how to do it graciously. Obviously daddy didn't teach me this trick growing up!

[funinthesun1964]

Since we are new to cruising I am wondering which is the best way to take of tips. I have thought about paying it up front so I dont have to worry about it later. Any ideas?

 

You can either pay up front, or if you don't pay up front, they will automatically go on your S&S card during the cruise (in my experience, the second day). I have at times paid up front, but lately my PVP has been setting it up for payment while cruising. Either way is fine, and if you find you would like to adjust while on the cruise, you may do so at Guest Services.

[Elaine5715]

we figure $2 per person per day.

 

and most cruises we eat all our meals in the mdr, tthe only deduction we now make is on the meals that carnival has decided to close the service retaurant, so that amount is reduced. if we choose to eat in the bistro, we usually suck up the service tip evenn though we are serving ourselves. another exception is if we dine in the steakhouse, so our reductions are generally minimal, unless poor service comes into play, which luckily has only happened once.

 

and the opposite can happen as well, we we will go above the reccomendation for over the top service.

 

generally, we pay the suggested $3.70 per person per day to our room steward, unless we encounter one that goes so far above and beyond.

 

all our tips are now in cash, so that it all goes to the people we interact with, and that none goes to suppliment carnival to help pay those already on salary that do not receive tips.

So you don't get drinks or ice cream from the self serve bars, you never eat at any of the Lid places, hit up the sushi bar or late night snacks? And you do tip out all breakfast and lunch wait staff, bus boys, water fillerups?