Celebrity Prepaid Tipping Policy

[boogs]

Given excellent service we usually tip the stateroom attendants and MDR servers DOUBLE the suggested amount. The " head housekeeper", dining room management ,gets the minimum.

I also tip individual venues we frequent: Café B., Elite event servers ( daily), certain bars, usually at the end of the cruise or just leave $5 on occasion.

 

While I know they need to do these automatically to insure staff gets paid

I plan to have the auto tips removed next month when I sail. Because I often tip extra I think some of the staff was confused that the cash was their complete tip. When there was a language barrier ( assistants) some

looked understandably disappointed.

BTW, the tips are in closed envelopes so I am not seeking public gratitude,

I just want staff to know they were appreciated.

 

I hope you realize that if you remove your auto tips your name will be posted for all staff to see. Everyone you give cash tips to will then be required to turn them in to the tip pool. They risk loosing their jobs if they do not. That means that all the trouble you went to to hand out cash tips to only those you deem worthy is a wasted effort. It will be pooled anyway. It is better to leave the tips in place and give extra to those you want to. Only then will they be able to keep the extra cash.

Edited November 18, 2013 by boogs

[IJustWantToGo36]

I hope you realize that if you remove your auto tips your name will be posted for all staff to see. Everyone you give cash tips to will then be required to turn them in to the tip pool. They risk loosing their jobs if they do not. That means that all the trouble you went to to hand out cash tips to only those you deem worthy is a wasted effort. It will be pooled anyway. It is better to leave the tips in place and give extra to those you want to. Only then will they be able to keep the extra cash.

 

i have always wondered about this.

 

So extra tips above what is added to your bill the individual keeps and removed tips they have to prove how much they received?

 

May i ask how you know this? Most posts re: tip pool are speculation.

[boogs]

i have always wondered about this.

 

So extra tips above what is added to your bill the individual keeps and removed tips they have to prove how much they received?

 

May i ask how you know this? Most posts re: tip pool are speculation.

 

There have been many, many threads on this topic over the last several years. There has been much data in those threads to support my description of the process. If you feel you need to question my accuracy, I suggest you do as I have done and read the many threads that describe how this works. I am not going to do the research for you. :D

Edited November 18, 2013 by boogs

[dkjretired]

i have always wondered about this.

 

So extra tips above what is added to your bill the individual keeps and removed tips they have to prove how much they received?

 

May i ask how you know this? Most posts re: tip pool are speculation.

 

I disagree, last I heard in many areas Celebrity does not pool tips....It would be nice to know for sure but my understanding is the stateroom personnel don't pool and they don't pool in the MDR traditional area.

[miched]

I hope you realize that if you remove your auto tips your name will be posted for all staff to see. Everyone you give cash tips to will then be required to turn them in to the tip pool. They risk loosing their jobs if they do not. That means that all the trouble you went to to hand out cash tips to only those you deem worthy is a wasted effort. It will be pooled anyway. It is better to leave the tips in place and give extra to those you want to. Only then will they be able to keep the extra cash.

 

My best friend and their in laws went on a cruise. When the cruise ended my friend said that his cheap a$$ BIL removed all of the tips saying it doesn't matter as we will never see them again. They went to the baggage claim and they couldn't find their luggage. My friend told them that they can't wait any longer as there was a flight to catch and left with his wife and their luggage. His BIL missed the flight and never did find their luggage. My friend laughs and says justice was served and swears that the crew dumped the luggage overboard.

 

.🎅🎄

[gimletgal]

I hope you realize that if you remove your auto tips your name will be posted for all staff to see. Everyone you give cash tips to will then be required to turn them in to the tip pool. They risk loosing their jobs if they do not. That means that all the trouble you went to to hand out cash tips to only those you deem worthy is a wasted effort. It will be pooled anyway. It is better to leave the tips in place and give extra to those you want to. Only then will they be able to keep the extra cash.

 

Excellent explanation, Boogs! And.........absolutely correct.

[ghstudio]

I dine in blu...I don't charge anything and my waiter doesn't see my room card. Are you trying to tell us that if I give them $20, they somehow know who I am and then check a list to see if they can keep it? Ditto in main dining room....how do they know who is who at the table for 8...how do they know which tips they can keep and which they have to pool?

 

I am open to other hypothesis....but the one put forward in this thread is not, and can not be the system on celebrity ships. I believe all tips are pooled for cabin attendants and waiters.

Edited November 19, 2013 by ghstudio

[travelingmom37]

I honestly never considered that the staff would in any way be "charged" if I removed the automatic tipping. I will stick with adding some cash to the auto tips as in the past.

I only come on these boards when I have a cruise planned ( Dec. 21 Reflection) so I was unaware of this on-going dialogue.

 

I do agree that the word gratuity should be replaced with "service fee" or whatever as people of differently nationalities have very different customs when it comes to "tipping". Some simply do not understand that beyond room and board these tips are the primary income for the staff .

[rubydoobydoo]

We prepaid our tips before the cruise, we gave cash tips to staff who had absolutely no idea who I was or what cabin I was in, how did they know if they could keep the money or pool it ?

[dkjretired]

We prepaid our tips before the cruise, we gave cash tips to staff who had absolutely no idea who I was or what cabin I was in, how did they know if they could keep the money or pool it ?

 

I'm sure it went to the right place, everything on this board is conjecture, no one really knows if they keep the money or if there is a pool. Its not the kind of thing they release.

[cruzsnooze]

I am select dining, so tips are already paid. This sounds like not enough. What extra would you suggest: excellent waiter? Excellent cabin attendant? Just ok waiter/attendant? Who is often ignored? Suggestions, particularly for a holiday cruise?

The cruise line thinks it's just right so why second guess them?

[Cruising89143]

I can't imagine anyone reducing the suggested amount. In almost thirty years of cruising I have never had service that would require a reduction in gratuities. We actually choose to give more. Those folks work hard to insure that we have an enjoyable experience.

[Cruising89143]

I am select dining, so tips are already paid. This sounds like not enough. What extra would you suggest: excellent waiter? Excellent cabin attendant? Just ok waiter/attendant? Who is often ignored? Suggestions, particularly for a holiday cruise?

 

Hard to give a suggested amount. We all think different. If you would like to give an additional amount over the already suggested gratuity feel free to do so. The crew will graciously accept any amount. :)