How much is too much?

[kruisey]

I have written this for those of us like myself are on limited budgets.

Worked it out that on my last 17 day cruise adding the $11.50 per day plus additional tipping I spent $400 just on tips.

I do not think most of us really know what salary the employees get paid .Always feel very much obligated to giving them extra they work so hard .

Three folks at my dinner table told me they never give above the $11.50 taken from their on board accounts.Told me I was very stupid to do so.

Yes I do realize this subject has come up many times. I have sometimes done without paying for extras for myself because I will not break into my cash put aside for tipping.

This is a serious question so please give me good input.....Thanks Kruisey.

[JimmyVWine]

Everyone is right. And where you come out is personal. The cruise line charges you $11.50 per day. You absolutely are not "required" to give more in gratuities. And frankly, given that you can remove the "auto-tip" function, you aren't even required to give that. But that is a topic for a different (sure-to-be-locked) thread. Would I say that someone is "stupid" for giving more? Of course not. If so, then call me stupid. But neither is one stupid for leaving it at $11.50 per day. It is no different than land-based restaurant dining in the United States. Tipping is traditionally 15%-18% depending on where you are. You are not "required" or "expected" to leave more. But many people do. Hopefully they do so because they valued the service that they received higher than the traditional amount. No one is "stupid" for leaving a 30% tip if they feel that the service warranted it. And no cruise passenger is "stupid" for exceeding the auto-tip amount if they feel that the service warranted it. Don't lose sleep over this.

[dickinson]

We have sometimes tipped extra because we felt we got great service (even though we really didn't ask for anything above and beyond). From reading these forums you read about people tipping lots of $$ extra to many people routinely. Great if they can afford it however don't feel obligated. Only a small percentage of cruisers read these forums. I know two couples who have cruised various cruise lines many times and have never heard of CC. Have not discussed tipping but I wouldn't be surprised if most people felt that the standard amount the cruise takes out of onboard account is what most people tip.

 

It comes down to this: tip what you can as they work hard. If you are only able to tip what is the auto tip then that is fine. Extra is just that… extra (and only if you can afford it and feel you want to do it)

[paul929207]

We have always left on the autotip as the service is always excellent.

 

We usually give the Cabin steward extra the last day.

 

If we have TD, we often give the waiter and/or assistant extra the last night.

When we have had AD, we have not seen a wait team enough to feel the need to give extra.

 

Bottom line is it is up to you. You should not feel an obligation to tip extra.

[kruisey]

Have always had traditional dining so feel very obligated and always give waiter and co waiter the extra cash on the last night.

I do wonder what their salary would be like if we did not give them the extra above the $11.50 percentage ?

[geoherb]

If we have exceptionally good waiters and cabin stewards, we will tip them extra. The definition of "exceptional" varies between DH and me. He tends to want to reward them for just doing their jobs. I try to remind him how much they're getting already from the automatic service charge.

 

Under the old system--before the automatic gratuity--we would round up the amount for some at the end of the cruise. For instance, if the suggested gratuity were $3 a day, that would make it $42 for the two of us for a 7-day cruise. We'd round it up to $50 for someone who went a little bit above and beyond and to $60 for someone who went way above and beyond what we expected. Otherwise they'd just get the suggested amount in their envelope.

[Hobbsey]

Everyone is right. And where you come out is personal. The cruise line charges you $11.50 per day. You absolutely are not "required" to give more in gratuities. And frankly, given that you can remove the "auto-tip" function, you aren't even required to give that. But that is a topic for a different (sure-to-be-locked) thread. Would I say that someone is "stupid" for giving more? Of course not. If so, then call me stupid. But neither is one stupid for leaving it at $11.50 per day. It is no different than land-based restaurant dining in the United States. Tipping is traditionally 15%-18% depending on where you are. You are not "required" or "expected" to leave more. But many people do. Hopefully they do so because they valued the service that they received higher than the traditional amount. No one is "stupid" for leaving a 30% tip if they feel that the service warranted it. And no cruise passenger is "stupid" for exceeding the auto-tip amount if they feel that the service warranted it. Don't lose sleep over this.

 

What he said!!

[Iamcruzin]

To be quite honest I have been doing away with tipping extra little by little.If the cruise line is setting the standard for gratuity and the crew except these terms then who am I to argue. I will tip extra for room service but I have stopped tipping in the specialty restaurants and I don't tip the staff in Anytime dining. I may leave the room steward a few dollars if he or she is exceptional.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited December 1, 2014 by Iamcruzin

[dplusd]

I'm very comfortable with the auto-tip amount and would never consider removing or reducing the amount. Being an American and understanding the pay structure for service employees, I fully understand that my cruise fare is low because some of the ship's wages are supplemented by the gratuity. That is no different than eating in a restaurant or getting a haircut, etc.

 

We also budget a modest amount to tip above the recommended amount. Almost without exception I find the service of our stateroom attendant and wait staff to be excellent and will give them an additional $20 on a 7-day cruise. On occasion we will also tip and thank others such as a special bartender or IC staff we enjoyed on our cruise.

 

The money spent on auto-gratuity and additional tips is just part of the cost of cruising, which is still a great value in my opinion. We feel fortunate to be able to take vacations and cruise. And we're very happy to thank those few employees that helped to make my vacation so special.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

To be quite honest I have been doing away with tipping extra little by little.If the cruise line is setting the standard for gratuity and the crew except these terms then who am I to argue. I will tip extra for room service but I have stopped tipping in the specialty restaurants and I don't tip the staff in Anytime dining. I may leave the room steward a few dollars if he or she is exceptional.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I agree 100%

[Whimsy]

I worked in the service industry for years. I know how hard the work is and I know when someone is doing their job and someone is going the extra mile for you. I have never removed the auto tips as I wouldn't want someone, like a buffet server, not to get their share. I have always given extra to cabin stewards with the amount depending on how much they have gone the extra mile as well as the dining room staff. On our last cruise on the Coral there was a young man who was a bar server that always joked with us ladies around the pool and in the platinum lounger every afternoon. We all tipped her on the last day as he made us smile.

 

I have come a long way from my service industry days but I have not forgotten them. I am not wealthy but I want to pay it forward. Good karma I guess.

[cb at sea]

It's no one's business how the staff is paid....it's traditional to tip service workers...so we do as suggested...just like we do in restaurants, or bars! As long as you tip the suggested amount, you've done your duty and no more is required.

 

At times, we've had personnel that have done little extra things for us, so we reward that....it doesn't have to be a lot....just a token of your appreciation. We've also had waiters that were awful, so they get the bare minimum....once, the assistant waiter made up for the waiter, so the "extra" went to the assistant!

Edited December 1, 2014 by cb at sea

[sunsetbeachgal]

Our norm is to tip the auto gratuity plus extra only if we do traditional dining (which is infrequent) or if the cabin steward is really great. I go to the coffee bar (international cafe) pretty often so sometimes give extra if someone regularly takes good care of me.

Edited December 1, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[BridgeMates]

The longest cruise we've done was 35 days. We left the $11.50 auto tip on, which amounted to $805 for the two of us. That is a hefty amount in tips; however, to give less wouldn't have been fair. I do know some people on that cruise removed their auto tips and gave less to their steward and waiters. You have to plan for the tips with all the other costs when you book a long cruise. The crew are the last people I'd get cheap on. Then again the system allows it so it will continue to happen.

[cruzsnooze]

I have written this for those of us like myself are on limited budgets.

Worked it out that on my last 17 day cruise adding the $11.50 per day plus additional tipping I spent $400 just on tips.

I do not think most of us really know what salary the employees get paid .Always feel very much obligated to giving them extra they work so hard .

Three folks at my dinner table told me they never give above the $11.50 taken from their on board accounts.Told me I was very stupid to do so.

Yes I do realize this subject has come up many times. I have sometimes done without paying for extras for myself because I will not break into my cash put aside for tipping.

This is a serious question so please give me good input.....Thanks Kruisey.

The cruise already gave you the input, $11.50 pp /PD is the right amount. Why second guess them?

[kruisey]

The cruise already gave you the input, $11.50 pp /PD is the right amount. Why second guess them?

 

I truly still wonder what kind of salary a cabin steward and dining waiter would get if we did not give them extra above the $11.50 percentage?

[kruisey]

The longest cruise we've done was 35 days. We left the $11.50 auto tip on, which amounted to $805 for the two of us. That is a hefty amount in tips; however, to give less wouldn't have been fair. I do know some people on that cruise removed their auto tips and gave less to their steward and waiters. You have to plan for the tips with all the other costs when you book a long cruise. The crew are the last people I'd get cheap on. Then again the system allows it so it will continue to happen.

 

As a solo I paid my $11.50 per day and then the rest which was $800.Have to always consider this when thinking of booking my next cruise.

Its not the actual price of the cruise it is all the extras that mount up.

[2wheelin]

Another curiosity. Does anyone know how wait staff are assigned? That is MDR vs ATD. When people say they tip extra to a good MDR waiter (because they see the same one every night) but not the ATD waiter (because they only serve them once) is that really fair? Do they not work every night and the job may be harder because they have to please different people every night. Are those with less time in assigned where the tips will be lower and they expect it?

I'm not being critical of the line of thought, just wondering if people have thought of it this way.

[Pam in CA]

Many are rotated between Anytime and Traditional dining. This is why when people ask for a recommended team in a dining room, chances are they may be in a different one a few months later.

 

Many also forget about the waitstaff in the buffet. Many don't also work in the dining rooms.

Edited December 1, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Colo Cruiser]

Another curiosity. Does anyone know how wait staff are assigned? That is MDR vs ATD.

 

As Pam stated they rotate between venues every few cruises.

[WisCruiser2]

I've liked to have a few dollars along to give to the Anytime waitstaff at each meal if they have gone "above & beyond", but think I read somewhere on the boards that they have to turn that in to the tip pool? Anyone know for sure? We NEVER remove our auto-tip, but I suppose there's no way for them to know that (as opposed to Traditional dining where they'd know your cabin number...)

[kruisey]

I've liked to have a few dollars along to give to the Anytime waitstaff at each meal if they have gone "above & beyond", but think I read somewhere on the boards that they have to turn that in to the tip pool? Anyone know for sure? We NEVER remove our auto-tip, but I suppose there's no way for them to know that (as opposed to Traditional dining where they'd know your cabin number...)

 

Your waiter in the traditional dining Room does not know your cabin number.:)

[donaldsc]

You can feel very comfortable giving only the suggested tip. The wait staff and cabin staff will be happy if that is all you give as many people don't even give that much. If you do want to give more, we usually give the cabin staff $20 if they are good and the wait staff $20 and $10 respectively for the waiter and assistant waiter.

 

Since we do not drink much, we do not give the bar staff a tip as 15% (which I think is excessive) is added to the bill.

 

Some people tip the matre d'. I do not as first of all he does nothing for me and second of all he is management and you do not trip management.

 

Hope this helps.

 

DON

[Iamcruzin]

I truly still wonder what kind of salary a cabin steward and dining waiter would get if we did not give them extra above the $11.50 percentage?

Everybody is hell bent on how much the staff makes. If they weren't happy and were being abused they wouldn't renew the contract. We all work hard and make sacrifices so we can afford to cruise. These people get room, board and medical attention. The conditions on the ship are probably far better than at home. If you can afford to tip extra and still cruise then by all means do so. But if tipping extra means you have to cruise less then you are hurting the staff in the long run because that one less cruise you take is less auto gratuity that they receive from you. Since you take long cruises that's a big chunk of money. I also want to point out that you pay the single supplement and I don't see Princess throwing any deals to the single cruisers. I think as long as you pay the auto tip you have nothing to be ashamed of.

[Coral]

Your waiter in the traditional dining Room does not know your cabin number.:)

 

Our waitstaff in Traditional Dining has asked for our room number. They had a clipboard and was asking people. I think it was to see who was showing up and who wasn't but most cruises, we have been asked our cabin number.

 

----

 

For me, $11.50/day is minimal tip for the services they provide (clean bathrooms and cabins 2x a day plus restaurant service). If I can't afford what Princess recommends, then I can't afford to cruise. If you can afford to take the long cruises, then you need to budget for tips IMO. Or, take shorter cruises.

 

If someone takes a 17 day land vacation in most places with hotels and restaurants, they are going to pay far more in tips than $11.50 per day.

 

If you think Princess's tips are too much, find another way to vacation such as camping where tipping isn't necessary.

Edited December 2, 2014 by Coral