Butler/Concierge tipping advice

[shaun07]

I have been surprised by the amounts of the tips that people have been suggesting for the butler and the concierge. I think an appropriate comparison is your cabin attendant. These hardworking teams spend about 20 minutes a day scrubbing your toilets, cleaning your mess and dealing with your general grossness. Approximately $50 is split between 2 people for the week.

 

Your butler does indeed help define the experience but is he or she working harder than the steward?

 

I agree - you must tip your butler but why are some people tipping him or her about 10 times what the attendant gets? I really think there is a bit of snobbery going on between the different positions as well as the need by some people to "impress" the staff. It really comes down to like pay for like work and time spent.

 

Its just how the chain of seniority works. Its like that at every type of business . The people towards the bottom usually work harder then the people towards the top for less compensation.

[david_sobe]

Yes the concierge does pool their tips with his/her concierge assistants. I was unsure about this too if I had to tip all the assistants. But I was told the concierge does share the tips with the assistants.

[NLH Arizona]

I have been surprised by the amounts of the tips that people have been suggesting for the butler and the concierge. I think an appropriate comparison is your cabin attendant. These hardworking teams spend about 20 minutes a day scrubbing your toilets, cleaning your mess and dealing with your general grossness. Approximately $50 is split between 2 people for the week.

 

Your butler does indeed help define the experience but is he or she working harder than the steward?

 

I agree - you must tip your butler but why are some people tipping him or her about 10 times what the attendant gets? I really think there is a bit of snobbery going on between the different positions as well as the need by some people to "impress" the staff. It really comes down to like pay for like work and time spent.

I think if you look back over the posts, some say that they give their room steward an additional tip over and above the DSC. For those that didn't mention that they give the room steward an additional tip, they probably didn't mention this, because the topic was about tipping the butler and concierge.

[Dr. Cocktail]

I think if you look back over the posts, some say that they give their room steward an additional tip over and above the DSC. For those that didn't mention that they give the room steward an additional tip, they probably didn't mention this, because the topic was about tipping the butler and concierge.

 

 

I have indeed tipped extra when warranted but again, even if you give an extra $40, that is nowhere near what people are giving.

 

As a concrete example, Celebrity has had butlers in their suites since inception. The butlers provide the EXACT SAME services as on NCL and are included in the DSC which is a different amount for suites than in regular cabins. The butler's daily gratuity - $3.50 per person per day, marginally less than your waiter gets.

[SissasMomE]

I have been surprised by the amounts of the tips that people have been suggesting for the butler and the concierge. I think an appropriate comparison is your cabin attendant. These hardworking teams spend about 20 minutes a day scrubbing your toilets, cleaning your mess and dealing with your general grossness. Approximately $50 is split between 2 people for the week.

 

Your butler does indeed help define the experience but is he or she working harder than the steward?

 

I agree - you must tip your butler but why are some people tipping him or her about 10 times what the attendant gets? I really think there is a bit of snobbery going on between the different positions as well as the need by some people to "impress" the staff. It really comes down to like pay for like work and time spent.

 

Excellent post, and I agree with you completely. Also, some here are suggesting you tip solely because you rec'd amenities that you paid for in the price of your suite (i.e. reserved seating at shows, etc.). Like the OP said, I would never not tip, but tipping someone for doing what you paid for is akin to tipping the dunkin donuts counter clerk for making your coffee. Yes, people do it, but it's not necessary. In all of my cruises, I only had one where I only gave the cabin steward $20 extra - and he didn't even deserve that. He was flat out awful. That is FAR from the norm though. The stewards work their tushies off!

[NLH Arizona]

Excellent post, and I agree with you completely. Also, some here are suggesting you tip solely because you rec'd amenities that you paid for in the price of your suite (i.e. reserved seating at shows, etc.). Like the OP said, I would never not tip, but tipping someone for doing what you paid for is akin to tipping the dunkin donuts counter clerk for making your coffee. Yes, people do it, but it's not necessary. In all of my cruises, I only had one where I only gave the cabin steward $20 extra - and he didn't even deserve that. He was flat out awful. That is FAR from the norm though. The stewards work their tushies off!

Then you are advocating that no one tip the Room Steward extra for doing their job. Because I would guess that everything a Room Steward does is part of their job description (cleaning the room, getting ice/water, room service, etc.).

 

You do say that you tip your Room Steward extra, why is that any difference than a Butler or Concierge? And are you saying that the Butler's and Concierges don't work their tushies off?

[NLH Arizona]

I have indeed tipped extra when warranted but again, even if you give an extra $40, that is nowhere near what people are giving.

Could you supply documentation as to the fact that $40 is nowhere near what people are giving, because I know I give more and based on many posts on here over the years, many give substantially more than an extra $40.

 

I would love to see how you came up with the fact that $40 is nowhere near what people are giving.

[1witchydiva]

I am going to play it by ear,so to speak. :)

 

This is my first suite and I have an issue asking for things. lol I usually just do things myself. I also learned from my mother that you clean up before the cleaning people come. You cant let the poor cleaning people thing we are pigs....:D

 

I am going with the notion, that all will be tipped something, as they do work behind the scenes, so to speak, but how much will depend on the service that I am provided with. I am usually a "high" tipper according to my friends and co-workers. I am also very appreciative of any service that I am provided with.

 

I will never forget tipping the food delivery guy 5 dollars at Christmas time. He actually threw his arms around me.:eek: I took it as a normal jesture and he was so appreciative. It actually made me feel good. :)

[SissasMomE]

Then you are advocating that no one tip the Room Steward extra for doing their job. Because I would guess that everything a Room Steward does is part of their job description (cleaning the room, getting ice/water, room service, etc.).

 

 

Not true at all. They work for tips - same as restaurant staff do.

[NLH Arizona]

Not true at all. They work for tips - same as restaurant staff do.

Yes and you are paying those with your DSC, which would be their tips. I'm talking about extra tips. You said: but tipping someone for doing what you paid for is akin to tipping the dunkin donuts counter clerk for making your coffee. Yes, people do it, but it's not necessary.

 

I was talking about extra tips. So you are saying that Room Steward, Waiter, etc., in that they get their share of the DSC, should not be tipped anything in addition to that? Because if you think about it, just like a Butler, just about everything they do for a passenger is in their job description. Why is the Butler and Concierge any different than the Room Steward, except for the fact that they are not included in the DSC?

 

I'm just trying to figure out why some people seem to think that the Butler and Concierge should not get the tips (or amount) that they get; other than the fact that one poster said people are snobby or trying to impress the staff. Both the Room Steward and Butler work hard, so why should one get extra tips and the other not get any tips for doing their job?

[travelerpair]

do a search on this topic-there are many, many threads on this topic--

 

when you book a suite your are paying for the use of a concierge and a butler--

 

I have been on some long NCL cruises where $20 a day for the butler would in my mind have been excessive==

especially since we seldom use room service.

 

We do use the concierge for making reservations and that is a service which is included in the cost of a suite--using

the concierge for arranging disembarkation and for tenders is part of the service all ready included in your suite

perks--this is not extra service.

 

Heavy tipping of the concierge and butler on a 7 day cruise has a lot less impact than heavy tipping on a 16 day cruise.

 

Tipping amounts are exaggerated on this board because very seldom does one mention the length of the cruise----

 

Resupplying the suite coffee maker with coffee is part of the initial charge for the suite---this alone does not constitute

extra service in my opinion.

 

BG

 

Common sense for service rendered.

[DMLyons]

The butler is a different story but again there are some services that are included in the cost of the suite.On the other hand we don't paricularly want snacks delivered every afternoon/evening,we don't have meals delivered to the stateroom with the exception of an occasional room service breakfast for an early shore excursion and we don't anticipate holding any parties that require catering.We are not coffee drinkers so no maintenance of the coffee maker is reqeuired.See my point of view?

 

Then you won't be asking the butler for much extra and shouldn't be concerned with tipping anywhere NEAR what I will be tipping. To put this in perspective, it's our anniversary, so we'll be asking for more from the butler than you will...and my husband is a coffee/tea drinker. Additionally, we're in a DOS, so we have the alcohol perk, and he'll/she'll be stocking mixers for that and ice.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

Guess I am not normal. Kinda guessed it but thanks for the confirmation.

 

Ps: Maybe my screen name should be "mybutlerlovesme" and concierge , and Cagney's staff, and steward, etc.

 

Add me as another ditto here. I fully admit I tip heavy, but that's because I've worked for tips before...and because I know how much I'll ask from the butler during the week.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

There is only one concierge on the ship.

 

That's true on the small ships. On the big ones, I've been told it's a concierge and 2-3 assistant concierges.

 

DML

[DMLyons]

I only had one where I only gave the cabin steward $20 extra - and he didn't even deserve that. He was flat out awful. That is FAR from the norm though. The stewards work their tushies off!

 

Then you shouldn't have tipped him. Period. If someone gave you poor service, why should you? In fact, you should have mentioned the lack of quality to someone early on, because the head of the dept could have said something and/or had someone double checking after that person for a few days. And trust me, they aren't going to say who said it. They'll just say there have been complaints. Never LET yourself have a bad experience, IMO.

 

But my tipping has NOTHING to do with impressing the staff, and I really feel that is an unfair and really crass thing for anyone to suggest. I honestly believe that the people most directly responsible for making my anniversary preps shine deserve to be tipped well for doing so. I don't have the luxury of going all out on a trip often. When I do, I ask for pampering, and I pay well for it. If I'm paying $7000+ for the room/fees/etc. alone...and then all the money for the amenities, excursions, dining, etc., the amount I'm tipping the butler, concierge, and steward is a drop in the bucket to what I'm spending otherwise.

 

DML

[NLH Arizona]

Then you shouldn't have tipped him. Period. If someone gave you poor service, why should you? In fact, you should have mentioned the lack of quality to someone early on, because the head of the dept could have said something and/or had someone double checking after that person for a few days. And trust me, they aren't going to say who said it. They'll just say there have been complaints. Never LET yourself have a bad experience, IMO.

 

But my tipping has NOTHING to do with impressing the staff, and I really feel that is an unfair and really crass thing for anyone to suggest. I honestly believe that the people most directly responsible for making my anniversary preps shine deserve to be tipped well for doing so. I don't have the luxury of going all out on a trip often. When I do, I ask for pampering, and I pay well for it. If I'm paying $7000+ for the room/fees/etc. alone...and then all the money for the amenities, excursions, dining, etc., the amount I'm tipping the butler, concierge, and steward is a drop in the bucket to what I'm spending otherwise.

 

DML

Just so you know, it was not SissasMomE that made the comment about impressing the staff, it was another poster.

[Dr. Cocktail]

Could you supply documentation as to the fact that $40 is nowhere near what people are giving, because I know I give more and based on many posts on here over the years, many give substantially more than an extra $40.

 

I would love to see how you came up with the fact that $40 is nowhere near what people are giving.

 

I think you completely read my post opposite to what I intended.

 

I was totally agreeing with you that people give substantially more as evidenced by the first posters in the thread who were talking about the hundreds extra that they give.

[DMLyons]

Just so you know, it was not SissasMomE that made the comment about impressing the staff, it was another poster.

 

I KNOW it wasn't, but since we were on the subject of tipping, let's go for broke.

 

To be honest, the comment that we were just trying to impress someone irked me, and I couldn't ditch the feeling of offense, but I didn't want to go searching for the original post again while I was buried in real work this morning, so I tacked it onto another reply. SissaMomE, no offense to you was meant, and I apologize to you if any was taken.

 

DML

[NLH Arizona]

I think you completely read my post opposite to what I intended.

 

I was totally agreeing with you that people give substantially more as evidenced by the first posters in the thread who were talking about the hundreds extra that they give.

You are so correct. Sorry.

[Dr. Cocktail]

You are so correct. Sorry.

 

Wow - two posters who dealt with a misunderstanding in a civil manner.

 

Is that allowed on the boards? ;)

[SissasMomE]

Then you shouldn't have tipped him. Period. If someone gave you poor service, why should you? In fact, you should have mentioned the lack of quality to someone early on, because the head of the dept could have said something and/or had someone double checking after that person for a few days. And trust me, they aren't going to say who said it. They'll just say there have been complaints. Never LET yourself have a bad experience, IMO.

 

But my tipping has NOTHING to do with impressing the staff, and I really feel that is an unfair and really crass thing for anyone to suggest. I honestly believe that the people most directly responsible for making my anniversary preps shine deserve to be tipped well for doing so. I don't have the luxury of going all out on a trip often. When I do, I ask for pampering, and I pay well for it. If I'm paying $7000+ for the room/fees/etc. alone...and then all the money for the amenities, excursions, dining, etc., the amount I'm tipping the butler, concierge, and steward is a drop in the bucket to what I'm spending otherwise.

 

DML

 

I never said tipping had to do with impressing the staff.

 

I used to tip $20 on the first day to the room steward (since that horrible service, I do not do that any longer), and I rarely complain. I wouldn't jeopardize someone's job like that. I am not that type of person.

[SissasMomE]

I KNOW it wasn't, but since we were on the subject of tipping, let's go for broke.

 

To be honest, the comment that we were just trying to impress someone irked me, and I couldn't ditch the feeling of offense, but I didn't want to go searching for the original post again while I was buried in real work this morning, so I tacked it onto another reply. SissaMomE, no offense to you was meant, and I apologize to you if any was taken.

 

DML

 

No problem, thank you.

[njitalian76]

Lets just keep it basic! If you want your butt kissed then tip generously.... If you want to be left alone then the DSC is enough.

 

 

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[DMH15]

Lets just keep it basic! If you want your butt kissed then tip generously.... If you want to be left alone then the DSC is enough.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic App!

 

This thread is about the tips of the butler and concierge, and they are not part of the DSC, so your comment does not apply.

 

If you are talking about the steward, well... Since I tip at the end like most do, I gess he/she would have to follow me home to Dallas for any butt kissing, since it would be after the fact.

 

But thanks for your input which I did find a little offensive.

[njitalian76]

Well that's your mistake. I tip when I get on, mid week and when I leave. So my experiences have been great.

 

As for being offended sorry you feel that way .... But that was the cleaned up version.

 

 

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