Butler tipping?!?!?

[lisap71]

Hello! Taking our first cruise in 28 days!!!! We have a suite with a butler and yes I intend on using our butler for room service on a few occasions. Just unsure of how much to tip him. Every thing I have read is U tip depending on how much you use him but I don't want to under tip nor over tip. Any suggestions or guidelines??? Thanks!

Lisa

 

 

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[jackson bernard]

Hello! Taking our first cruise in 28 days!!!! We have a suite with a butler and yes I intend on using our butler for room service on a few occasions. Just unsure of how much to tip him. Every thing I have read is U tip depending on how much you use him but I don't want to under tip nor over tip. Any suggestions or guidelines??? Thanks!

Lisa

 

 

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If you use him twice for room service, maybe 10 dollars? Unless you have him running all over the ship, why would you tip him anything more than the regular room service?

 

 

 

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[Samstress]

We are four girls going on the NCL Sky 4 day cruise. This is what we have

decided for 'tipping'. These are our 'max' amounts & we might decrease them

dependent on how the service is & how much we use them.

 

Tipping: Butler $120

Concierge $80

Room Steward $60

 

Total: $260 = $65 each

 

I know tipping is a personal choice, but because two of us have worked in

the 'service industry' at some point in our lives we recognize the importance of

those tips & what it means to the person receiving them. Compared to the cost of the cruise...$65 seems like a meagre amount.

 

Cheers,

Sandra

[Rileyz]

We usually tip the butler $100 and concierge $75.

[lisap71]

If you use him twice for room service, maybe 10 dollars? Unless you have him running all over the ship, why would you tip him anything more than the regular room service?

 

 

 

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From what I'm told he also brings stuff to the room daily, part of the perks I guess. I meant over all for the trip. How much is the "standard"

 

 

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[lisap71]

Ok I think I waaaaay over thought this. I have $300 put aside for the week for the butler, but wasnt sure if it was cheap considering the $$ this cruise cost. Lol

 

 

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[camasidaho]

I have used the butler twice. He polished 2 pair of shoes and also served us 1 meal in Suite. Ooops. He also brought us 1 dvd we requested. Then he brought the daily plate of snacks. Other than that we haven't used or seen him.

So for 2 adults and 2 teenagers what would you tip?

We used the conseiger once. We called her and asked her to get us a window table day 2 on the grand pacific main dinning room so we could watch the ocean off the back. That is our only request.

Last our room steward. He hasn't done anything special and gets the automatic tips. But we have a larger room. How much extra would you tip him?

[Cruisin&Relaxin]

Hello! Taking our first cruise in 28 days!!!! We have a suite with a butler and yes I intend on using our butler for room service on a few occasions. Just unsure of how much to tip him. Every thing I have read is U tip depending on how much you use him but I don't want to under tip nor over tip. Any suggestions or guidelines??? Thanks!

Lisa

 

 

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I am a moderate to heavy user of the butler and concierge.

 

I tip the butler $15 per person per day.

 

I tip the concierge $10 per person per day.

[Rileyz]

In contrast we don't use them a lot. We tend to use the courtyard butler more and also tip him $100. I really think it an be different for everyone depending on service provided or requested.

[cruzsnooze]

I would tip the same as I would room service, if they brought me coffee in the morning $2 and I do not want a butler even though I'll have one on my next cruise. I do not want snacks delivered to the cabin and do not need his services so don't plan to tip for services not used.

Oh in keeping with the imagine that people try to portray on this blog.. I'll tip $100 per person for a short cruise and more for a longer cruise!

Edited October 3, 2014 by cruzsnooze

[medicalma'am]

I am pretty much in line with Samstress for a starting point. I go up or down from there, depending on how much I use their services throughout the week. That is with Me and DH in the cabin. More people, such as our upcoming cruise on the Sun, it will probably be added to by the other Ma'ams.

[WolfRiver]

Last 7 day cruise in Haven on the Breakaway, we tipped butler 100$, concierge 40$ and steward 40$. We used the butler for two in room dinners and concierge for dinner reservations.

[jmele999]

We typically allocated $300 for a 7 day cruise for tipping the butler, the concierge and the room attendant.

 

Butler - $10 per day per person. We adjust accordingly. If we only use the butler for afternoon snacks then we lower the tip to $5 per day. If we use him for in suite dinning, then we increase the tip.

 

Concierge - $5 per day per person. On days we we don't use the concierge, we generally don't tip anything. We increase the tip when we use the concierge for multiple things.

 

Room attendant - $25 - $50 for the week.

 

We always tip at the end of the cruise and give them a thank you card

 

Hope this helps.

[rjm11]

Last 7 day cruise in Haven on the Breakaway, we tipped butler 100$, concierge 40$ and steward 40$. We used the butler for two in room dinners and concierge for dinner reservations.

 

This is about average for us too.... though we have adjusted up or down with use, or with how good/not good they were. For example, we had one concierge (who others rave about) who was not very friendly or useful to us, she got less. And we had one butler, who was extraordinary- bringing extra stuff for the kids, noticing what we liked/didn't like etc and making changes accordingly, and he got more. That was also an Alaskan cruise, and we had probably 3 or more meals in the room or haven area since the times for the ports were unusual.

 

I know people tire of this conversation... and some insist that you shouldn't be tipping that much (while some probably think I'm not tipping enough) but I find it helpful to know what others are doing to be able to budget accordingly.

[cherry30]

This issue always facinates me. On my last cruise on the Getaway I had $250.00 in on board credtit and I knew it was all going towards tips - as I had pre-paid for everything else. In the end I think I had $307.00 in tips including if I recall correctly $50.00 for butler, $50.00 for conceirge and $35.00 for room stewart. I used the conceirge twice to add people to reservations I had already made and the butler only brought the daily snacks, as I never used the coffee etc... On the last day when I went to allocate for the B,C &RS I reviewed what I had already tipped in specialy restaurants and bartenders who I used on a daily basis and in my head I was like why would I tip the B and C more than I tipped the people who helped me every day. Those are my thought for what they are worth.

[Hikini]

On our 7 day cruises we have tipped the butler between $100 and $150, depending on how much we asked for. (Meals en suite, DVD's, etc.)

[rjm11]

This issue always facinates me. On my last cruise on the Getaway I had $250.00 in on board credtit and I knew it was all going towards tips - as I had pre-paid for everything else. In the end I think I had $307.00 in tips including if I recall correctly $50.00 for butler, $50.00 for conceirge and $35.00 for room stewart. I used the conceirge twice to add people to reservations I had already made and the butler only brought the daily snacks, as I never used the coffee etc... On the last day when I went to allocate for the B,C &RS I reviewed what I had already tipped in specialy restaurants and bartenders who I used on a daily basis and in my head I was like why would I tip the B and C more than I tipped the people who helped me every day. Those are my thought for what they are worth.

 

I thought you couldn't use OBC for tips? Or is it just that it can't be used for daily service charge? If you can use it to tip the butler than all the better! I didn't know that!!

[CasinoCruzGirl]

I was in a spa balcony cabin with 3 of us tipped the room steward $60 for the week. Will be in a suite next May (2 of us) plan on doing $10 pp per day $140 for the butler regardless of how little we use him. They do things behind the scene. Consigneor $50 room steward $50 and always leave a tip wherever we eat or drink. But that's just us. People do what they want with their own money.

[CPT Trips]

I'm so disappointed! I hoped to learn how to sneak up on a snoozing butler, push him to the ground and watch him struggle to get up. :p

[mjkacmom]

This issue always facinates me. On my last cruise on the Getaway I had $250.00 in on board credtit and I knew it was all going towards tips - as I had pre-paid for everything else. In the end I think I had $307.00 in tips including if I recall correctly $50.00 for butler, $50.00 for conceirge and $35.00 for room stewart. I used the conceirge twice to add people to reservations I had already made and the butler only brought the daily snacks, as I never used the coffee etc... On the last day when I went to allocate for the B,C &RS I reviewed what I had already tipped in specialy restaurants and bartenders who I used on a daily basis and in my head I was like why would I tip the B and C more than I tipped the people who helped me every day. Those are my thought for what they are worth.

 

Because they don't receive anything from the DSC, unlike the others.

[garycarla]

Amounts will be all over the place.

 

If the answers so far are not confusing enough, do a search on BUTLER and you will find it very interesting. (do not search on TIPPING)

[lisap71]

Thanks for all the input. I plan on using him/her with the exception of unpacking our bags. We have the unlimited drink package as well and I believe a few bottles coming to the room so he/she will be replenishing our mixer stock often and we are both coffee drinkers so they will need to replenish that too. Also planning on spending some serious time in the room as our lives are so busy with work/kids and we are finally getting a week with just the two of us to party, enjoy, & be pampered for 7 nights. I think I'll stick to my original plan, unless, of course, the svc is terrible (which I doubt). Thanks again!!!

 

 

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[rocky55]

I think a good guideline that I read on here is $10 per day per room for conceirge, and $10 per day per person for the butler. I thought my butler was amazing, and gave him a little more than the $140 for the 2 of us.

 

 

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[rvsullivan]

Despite what some on here might say, we always plan a minimum of $10 per person per day for the Butler and $5 per person per day for the Concierge. We have adjusted those numbers a time or two for some issues. We once gave the Butler the extra that we reduced from the Concierge because we felt the Butler picked up the slack for a weak Concierge. For the quality product they provide, we feel it is a minimal amount to spend for folks that make our week as special as it is. Should the service be less than it should be, contacting the Concierge for a Butler issue or the Hotel Director for a Concierge issue should fix everything. There normally is only one reason for anyone to tip significantly less than this and I think most of us know what that reason is! These folks work very hard to make the suite experience what it is and is the reason NCL suites are generally head and shoulders above suites on other lines.

Most people spend between $3000 and $12,000 for two people on a cruise. If you don't think the level of personal service these folks provide is not worth at least 10% of your fare, I just don't understand. And no, I'm not suggesting anyone tip $1,200 for a 7 day cruise, but you get the point?

[NLH Arizona]

Despite what some on here might say, we always plan a minimum of $10 per person per day for the Butler and $5 per person per day for the Concierge. We have adjusted those numbers a time or two for some issues. We once gave the Butler the extra that we reduced from the Concierge because we felt the Butler picked up the slack for a weak Concierge. For the quality product they provide, we feel it is a minimal amount to spend for folks that make our week as special as it is. Should the service be less than it should be, contacting the Concierge for a Butler issue or the Hotel Director for a Concierge issue should fix everything. There normally is only one reason for anyone to tip significantly less than this and I think most of us know what that reason is! These folks work very hard to make the suite experience what it is and is the reason NCL suites are generally head and shoulders above suites on other lines.

Most people spend between $3000 and $12,000 for two people on a cruise. If you don't think the level of personal service these folks provide is not worth at least 10% of your fare, I just don't understand. And no, I'm not suggesting anyone tip $1,200 for a 7 day cruise, but you get the point?

I do the same and budget $10 per day per person for the Butler and $5 per day per person for the Concierge and will add if one or the other goes above and beyond; have always added more for my Butler. I don't use either much, but learned on my last cruise not to put the tip prior to the last day on my onboard account. I was practically invisible to the Concierge the whole cruise and even on disembarkation she never acknowledged that I was alive (she talked with the two gentlemen I was sitting with, but didn't even look my way)....thinking maybe she would have at least came over to me if she hadn't already received notice of the tip. Oh well, I'm on the same ship in November and if I'm invisible again, the tip will be as well. Edited October 3, 2014 by NLH Arizona