Tipping: What is considered "generous"?

[keithm]

Sorry for starting yet another TippingThread but inspite of all the information on these boards, I still don't know

if I am tipping enough.

 

I often read "I tipped them generously" but may I ask:

what exactly is considered "generous"?

 

Say I am in a regular / aq stateroom and

* do not have any special requests for the attendants,

* do not leave a mess for them to clean up,

* leave on the auto tips - what do I give the 1. and the 2nd attendant at the end, so that they would consider the tip to be more or less "generous"?

 

(let's say they do their job without further ado, if they are especially friendly or helpful, I would add a little more.

Just looking for the kind of minimum extra that would already be considered as generous).

 

Is it possible to give me a number to go with?

TIA

"Generous", I guess, is left to each person. I use the 'Berlitz Guide to cruising & cruise ships" as my guide. Pretty much it states $6/pp per day for steward/butler/head waiter. $3/pp per day for their assistants. I've seen those who stiff the staff & remove (and put back in their pocket) the auto gratuity, all the way up to $500 or more per staff member. Being in the food industry(catering) we've had tips all the way from 0$$ up to $200 for each member of our staff(we really love those types!!) So it's all up to each individual. I just ask those who cruise, to put themselves in the shoes of those who serve you! Remember, they are taking care of multitudes of pax & trying to do their best.

[keithm]

We do the tipping a little different than most people, we have the auto gratuities on our account but we also give extra at the beginning of the cruise.

 

We find the bar we want to visit regularly and get to know the bar tender on the first day, we tip them $50 during our first visit. We also give frequent additional tips of $5 or $10 through out the cruise. This will get you 'premium' service on any cruise line. I have been ten people deep in line, the bar tender notices me, I give a 'nod' of my head and suddenly our drinks of choice are at the side of the bar ready for pick-up. I place my room card on the bar take our drinks and go back and get my room card when it is not so busy. All done in a subtle manner that no one in the line even notices I jumped the line.

 

We use this same tipping method with our room steward $50 the first day and we never run out of ice for our in room bar set-up. It is nice to mix a drink and sit on the balcony while my wife is getting ready for dinner.

 

We also receive free internet minutes with our cruise line status. We do not use the internet on the ships ( tooooo Slooooow ) so I offer the minutes to our state room attendant so they can contact their family. This works on some ships but not all ships ( some connections are device specific ).

 

We bring our own envelopes for end of cruise tipping, some cruise lines still provide them while others do not. These are for the people who went above and beyond during our cruise. The amounts vary from person to person.

 

Lastly, but perhaps this should have been 'firstly', when we introduce our selves we use our first names and let them know that we don't have to be addressed by Mr. or Mrs. It is often we will get a response of "OK...Mr. Steve":)

Yes, We've been called Mr.Keith & Mr. Richard more times than I can mention. That is an unusual way of tipping. I've heard about it on other sites as well. Usually we just get a bartender we like & always request him. We add some extra to the bill & he'll always take good care of us. That's really thoughtful of you to offer up your internet time.

[Loujul]

Considering we're paying $24.00 in gratuities a day (DH & me), I think any amount over that is generous, not to mention the additional 18% on drinks. :rolleyes:

[davekathy]

Considering we're paying $24.00 in gratuities a day (DH & me), I think any amount over that is generous, not to mention the additional 18% on drinks. :rolleyes:

 

Agree.

[Honeybearhollow]

We do the tipping a little different than most people, we have the auto gratuities on our account but we also give extra at the beginning of the cruise.

 

We find the bar we want to visit regularly and get to know the bar tender on the first day, we tip them $50 during our first visit. We also give frequent additional tips of $5 or $10 through out the cruise. This will get you 'premium' service on any cruise line. I have been ten people deep in line, the bar tender notices me, I give a 'nod' of my head and suddenly our drinks of choice are at the side of the bar ready for pick-up. I place my room card on the bar take our drinks and go back and get my room card when it is not so busy. All done in a subtle manner that no one in the line even notices I jumped the line.

 

We use this same tipping method with our room steward $50 the first day and we never run out of ice for our in room bar set-up. It is nice to mix a drink and sit on the balcony while my wife is getting ready for dinner.

 

We also receive free internet minutes with our cruise line status. We do not use the internet on the ships ( tooooo Slooooow ) so I offer the minutes to our state room attendant so they can contact their family. This works on some ships but not all ships ( some connections are device specific ).

 

We bring our own envelopes for end of cruise tipping, some cruise lines still provide them while others do not. These are for the people who went above and beyond during our cruise. The amounts vary from person to person.

 

Lastly, but perhaps this should have been 'firstly', when we introduce our selves we use our first names and let them know that we don't have to be addressed by Mr. or Mrs. It is often we will get a response of "OK...Mr. Steve":)

 

 

 

Please understand, I'm not being critical here, but this sounds more like bribery than tipping. Whatever works. I believe the gratuities we pre-pay are adequate. We also tip extra for extra services and services above and beyond. We always tip for room service and always for the servers at the Elite Happy Hour, because those drinks are free. I believe excessive tipping is un-necessary, unless you are, in fact, bribing, in which case, it is not tipping.

[photomikey]

The auto-gratuity is a baseline. Anything over that is "generous". (Frankly, if the auto-gratuity is voluntary, that is generous in itself.)

 

I leave the auto-gratuity in place and if I get over-the-top service I punctuate it with a $20 here and there. If I come in at the end of the day and my sheets are made and my towels are fresh, that's the baseline. I have had the room steward line my shoes up in a row and straighten my closet. That's unexpected, that'll earn ya a $20 at the end of the week.

[yorkyred]

We do the tipping a little different than most people, we have the auto gratuities on our account but we also give extra at the beginning of the cruise.

 

We find the bar we want to visit regularly and get to know the bar tender on the first day, we tip them $50 during our first visit. We also give frequent additional tips of $5 or $10 through out the cruise. This will get you 'premium' service on any cruise line. I have been ten people deep in line, the bar tender notices me, I give a 'nod' of my head and suddenly our drinks of choice are at the side of the bar ready for pick-up. I place my room card on the bar take our drinks and go back and get my room card when it is not so busy. All done in a subtle manner that no one in the line even notices I jumped the line.

 

We use this same tipping method with our room steward $50 the first day and we never run out of ice for our in room bar set-up. It is nice to mix a drink and sit on the balcony while my wife is getting ready for dinner.

 

We also receive free internet minutes with our cruise line status. We do not use the internet on the ships ( tooooo Slooooow ) so I offer the minutes to our state room attendant so they can contact their family. This works on some ships but not all ships ( some connections are device specific ).

 

We bring our own envelopes for end of cruise tipping, some cruise lines still provide them while others do not. These are for the people who went above and beyond during our cruise. The amounts vary from person to person.

 

Lastly, but perhaps this should have been 'firstly', when we introduce our selves we use our first names and let them know that we don't have to be addressed by Mr. or Mrs. It is often we will get a response of "OK...Mr. Steve":)

 

Part of that post is almost guaranteed to illicit a negative response, based on past experiences on this board, there really are times some things should not be written. You surely realise " jumped the line" would have been better kept to yourself.

[Riocca]

Being in the UK these tipping threads are always an interesting read, yes the average Brit does tip but it is viewed as a thank you for providing good service and in a restaurant situation is normally in the region of 10% of the bill, in a bar less usual to tip but if you do it might be a "drink"or keep the change, I stress this is "the norm" some will be more generous and many not tip at all.

 

On a ship the cruise lines suggest and impose a level of tipping, 18% gratuities on drinks is mandatory, pre paid gratuities, or gratuities added to your onboard account to cover restaurant and cabin staff. The cruise line have therefore already worked out and imposed what they consider a fair level of gratuities that the passenger should pay. We often choose to reward staff who have provided that little extra service with a bit extra as a thank you but always at the end of the cruise.

 

It seems from our viewpoint that the culture of up front tipping is not about rewarding good service, but bribing staff to look after you better than the next person, of course it no doubt works but to many in the UK not ethical. We do have a phrase for this in our part of the country however I would probably be banned from CC for using it.

[CroisiereDeReve]

Thank you everybody for your input.

This is what I gathered in numbers:

• 50$ / 7N (25$ for 2nd attendant)

• after 2 days $20, 2 x $50 = $120 / 14N

• $20-30 /7N but only for the 2nd attendant

• $12/N fort he steward 3 for the attendant (which I suppose is meant instead of the autotips, or else it seems rather much?)

• $20/7N

 

I have only cruised a couple of times, so I am not an experienced cruiser indeed.

But no where near staff-member as someone assumed.

 

I think I will continue to hand out my little envelopes of 40/20 at the end of 7 N, which seems to be OK from what I read on this thread.

 

Thanks again!

[GLYNAGP]

The problem with this whole tipping issue is that the culture is so varied as to which part of the world you come from.

We were on an excursion in Australia last year and when asked about a tip the driver replied "heck no we don't expect a tip, we get paid a proper wage here " . In Fort Lauderdale a few years ago we had a meal in a restaurant and the bill was $89 I left $100 thinking 10/11% tip was reasonable and when we left the restaurant the waiter shouted abuse at us up the street because it wasn't enough. I once read a post from a person in Finland who commented that if you left a 10% tip there they would probably assume you had forgotten to pick up your change and try and catch up with you to return it.

I don't mean to cause offence with any of those examples but just to demonstrate the there is such varied attitudes towards tipping depending and on you location.

However if you are going to Cruise, especially on an American Line tipping is part of the culture. When we first started cruising I used to be all British and always pay the suggested amounts in cash at the end of the Cruise with the attitude "you can't reward service until you have had it" . It soon became apparent that I was just letting my principles get in the way of common sense and now we just prepay and forget about it . As regards to giving extra ,when I paid cash I gave the suggested amounts so why would I give extra when I have already prepaid the suggested amounts and then they are adding 15/17% tip automatically your bar bill as well. The only exception is, normally we give the waiters in the Diamond/Elite Lounge a tip at the end of the cruise, basically because the drinks are free in there anyway so there's no auto tip on a free drink.

[Adidas4fun]

The problem with this whole tipping issue is that the culture is so varied as to which part of the world you come from.

We were on an excursion in Australia last year and when asked about a tip the driver replied "heck no we don't expect a tip, we get paid a proper wage here " . In Fort Lauderdale a few years ago we had a meal in a restaurant and the bill was $89 I left $100 thinking 10/11% tip was reasonable and when we left the restaurant the waiter shouted abuse at us up the street because it wasn't enough. I once read a post from a person in Finland who commented that if you left a 10% tip there they would probably assume you had forgotten to pick up your change and try and catch up with you to return it.

I don't mean to cause offence with any of those examples but just to demonstrate the there is such varied attitudes towards tipping depending and on you location.

However if you are going to Cruise, especially on an American Line tipping is part of the culture. When we first started cruising I used to be all British and always pay the suggested amounts in cash at the end of the Cruise with the attitude "you can't reward service until you have had it" . It soon became apparent that I was just letting my principles get in the way of common sense and now we just prepay and forget about it . As regards to giving extra ,when I paid cash I gave the suggested amounts so why would I give extra when I have already prepaid the suggested amounts and then they are adding 15/17% tip automatically your bar bill as well. The only exception is, normally we give the waiters in the Diamond/Elite Lounge a tip at the end of the cruise, basically because the drinks are free in there anyway so there's no auto tip on a free drink.

And then there is all the research that shows that levels of tip is not influenced by quality of service but by many other factors

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/let-their-words-do-the-talking/201207/six-tips-get-higher-tips

[Gordoncruickshank]

The only exception is, normally we give the waiters in the Diamond/Elite Lounge a tip at the end of the cruise, basically because the drinks are free in there anyway so there's no auto tip on a free drink.

They do get tips based on the number of drinks served, in the same way as the beverage packages work.

[Iamcruzin]

And then there is all the research that shows that levels of tip is not influenced by quality of service but by many other factors

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/let-their-words-do-the-talking/201207/six-tips-get-higher-tips

 

I read the article and agree 100%. The reason my room steward will always get an extra tip as long as he provides basic service is because I have built up a rapport with him/her during the week. Now if I never see the steward....Well out of sight out of mind.

[dwhe]

..... we tip them $50 during our first visit. We also give frequent additional tips of $5 or $10 through out the cruise........

 

This kind of post disturbs me if true and I would say something if people were getting served before me, which I can't ever recall happening.

 

I've never seen people with bills at a bar ( I know you can put it on a slip but people say they give loads of cash) and I always get good service without bunging them a few bob extra.

[Ma Bell]

This kind of post disturbs me if true and I would say something if people were getting served before me, which I can't ever recall happening.

 

I've never seen people with bills at a bar ( I know you can put it on a slip but people say they give loads of cash) and I always get good service without bunging them a few bob extra.

 

Then I guess there's no reason to be concerned about what anyone else is doing.

 

My philosophy is there is no reason to ever remove the automatic gratuities and extra tipping is a personal decision. From reading this thread, I guess I'm a very generous tipper, but to each his own.

[K.T.B.]

I read the article and agree 100%. The reason my room steward will always get an extra tip as long as he provides basic service is because I have built up a rapport with him/her during the week. Now if I never see the steward....Well out of sight out of mind.

 

That's only happened to me once when I never saw my room steward. He (or she) did a great job, but they were like ninjas. :D But since I didn't see them, I was not able to give them an additional tip and thank them for their efforts.

[srlafleur]

We pay the auto-gratuities, whatever's added to the cost of drinks, and a buck or 2 for room service deliveries (rare and small orders).

That's it. I would consider anything above that generous. (The autograts are the amount they are for a reason)

Now, understand, we are extremely agreeable and low maintenance. We rarely, if ever, ask for anything from our steward - not even ice. We try to keep our stateroom pretty neat, so it's easy to clean. We don't have servers scurrying around looking for special items for us, and we don't frequent the same bars day in and day out.

So, I think the standard gratuity is just fine. If we made more demands, or felt that someone bent over backwards to accommodate a request, then, yes, added gratuity is warranted and would be given at the time such service was rendered.

[gcgold]

Part of that post is almost guaranteed to illicit a negative response, based on past experiences on this board, there really are times some things should not be written. You surely realise " jumped the line" would have been better kept to yourself.

 

 

I an not sure that the tip was the reason for the queue jumping. 2 cruises ago i met a guy who quite openly said he never tipped ( caused a bit if a stir last week on another thread i noticed !) He was very popular with the bar staff and I noticed one night when bar was busy the barman saw him and straight away put his drink down ( ie queue jumped).

 

I was very amused a few nights later to overhear a guy moaning to his wife that he had handed over a large tip and still had to wait his turn. He wasnt very polite pr friendly to staff and I think that has more to do with it than the tip .

 

On our last cruise a barman was telling me that they are supposed to serve customers in order and could be in trouble if they ate deemed to be favouring particular customers.

[yorkyred]

I an not sure that the tip was the reason for the queue jumping. 2 cruises ago i met a guy who quite openly said he never tipped ( caused a bit if a stir last week on another thread i noticed !) He was very popular with the bar staff and I noticed one night when bar was busy the barman saw him and straight away put his drink down ( ie queue jumped).

 

I was very amused a few nights later to overhear a guy moaning to his wife that he had handed over a large tip and still had to wait his turn. He wasnt very polite pr friendly to staff and I think that has more to do with it than the tip .

 

On our last cruise a barman was telling me that they are supposed to serve customers in order and could be in trouble if they ate deemed to be favouring particular customers.

 

I'm still of the opinion that if you are actually respectful of the staff you will get good service. I've seen big tippers throwing money around in the past while showing a total lack of class and I can tell you from speaking to one or two staff they are often far from though of in a good light although they can't of course show it when working.

[ORV]

Thank you everybody for your input.

This is what I gathered in numbers:

• 50$ / 7N (25$ for 2nd attendant)

• after 2 days $20, 2 x $50 = $120 / 14N

• $20-30 /7N but only for the 2nd attendant

• $12/N fort he steward 3 for the attendant (which I suppose is meant instead of the autotips, or else it seems rather much?)

• $20/7N

 

I have only cruised a couple of times, so I am not an experienced cruiser indeed.

But no where near staff-member as someone assumed.

 

I think I will continue to hand out my little envelopes of 40/20 at the end of 7 N, which seems to be OK from what I read on this thread.

 

Thanks again!

 

I think you might have missed the point. The true answers here are the ones that say anything above the auto grats is generous.

[Ma Bell]

I'm still of the opinion that if you are actually respectful of the staff you will get good service. I've seen big tippers throwing money around in the past while showing a total lack of class and I can tell you from speaking to one or two staff they are often far from though of in a good light although they can't of course show it when working.

 

Personally, I haven't seen people throwing money around because most people tip discretely. Of course there are some of us who are kind, polite, very seldom request anything special and still tip generously just because we appreciate the service and think it's worth more than the minimum. I agree that you will get good service regardless of whether you tip more, but that really isn't the point.

 

That's why it's a personal decision.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Ma Bell

[yorkyred]

Personally, I haven't seen people throwing money around because most people tip discretely. Of course there are some of us who are kind, polite, very seldom request anything special and still tip generously just because we appreciate the service and think it's worth more than the minimum. I agree that you will get good service regardless of whether you tip more, but that really isn't the point.

 

That's why it's a personal decision.

 

I agree, " most " do.

[wwcruisers]

As someone who has always tipped extra at the bars, I can tell you that we don't do it, in order to get served ahead of others. In fact, I would be embarrassed if we did. The reason we like to establish a good rapport with the servers at our favorite bar is for the 'little things':

 

-- to have our favorite bar servers remember us;

-- to have them smile and ask how our day was;

-- to have them remember our preferences (and hopefully have them stocked).

 

And, I totally agree with Ma Bell -- it is a personal decision. :cool:

[Champagne Cruiser]

If you put "Gratuity" in the search box on the Cruise Critic main page you will see an article titled Op Ed: A Cruise Insiders Guide to Tipping. The person states dollar amounts and reasons behind the amounts. Although it's one person's thoughts, it is a good article to use as a guide.

[gormless]

I'll agree that your attitude toward the staff that are there to help you is the best way to reward them. Be considerate, ask politely when you want something, and understand what the staff can and can't do. Recognize that most of these people are stuck away from their families for months at a time.

 

The automatic gratuities handle the baseline. If someone goes above and aboard, recognize that and reward them. Basic respect for another person goes a long way.