Tipping and specialty restaurants/room service

[BiancaV]

Ok guys I have a few questions. I'm staying in a suite and I have been searching for a thread for tipping but can't find one that answers this. Who do I tip and how much for a 7 day cruise. Also with a suite is there a charge for room service or the specialty restaurants?

 

Thanks!

[funpig]

You have to pay a mandatory Daily Service Charge for your room and there is a mandatory 18% gratuity on drinks and special meals. So further tipping is not necessary, but up to you.

 

I believe room service is $7.95.

[2red4u]

Did you get the UBP or UDP? If so then the mandatory 18 % has been included. We had some great servers In a couple restaurants so left an 10$ cash for them. Some bartenders were much better than others so we give them a couple bucks the yucky ones got zip extra

[SuiteTraveler]

If you are in a suite (penthouse and above) then you will have a butler and concierge.

 

The butler does the following:

can bring you special pillows such as contour foam pillows for your bed

all room service

can run a specialty bath for you if you are in a spa suite

can setup for a party in your suite

 

The concierge does the following:

arranges show reservations

arranges dining reservations

arranges excursions

escorts you off the ship at the end of the cruise if you do early self-debarkation

answers any questions you may have about the ship/cruise

 

You tip both the butler and concierge. Typically I give the concierge $50 for a 1 week cruise. I tip the butler $20 per day ($10 per person) and sometimes add extra money if the butler does something special such as sets up a party in our suite. I usually place a standing order for afternoon snacks - cheese plate, turkey sandwich, bottle of wine in addition to the regular afternoon snacks the butler brings. If we have a very early excursion (leaving the ship so early we can't have breakfast in the suite guest dining room) then we order room service breakfast from the butler the afternoon before. You can order anything you want from your butler. If it comes from a specialty restaurant, you pay the restaurant's cover charge. There is NO fee for room service since you will be tipping your butler at the end of the cruise.

 

As to the rest of the tips, it is a good idea to pre-pay your tips so you don't have to think about it on the ship. The other thing to know is that you may want to add to your cabin steward's tip as these are typically the BEST of the BEST employees and they will go above and beyond for you. I typically give $30 to $50 extra depending on what the cabin steward did.

 

Many people bring a stack of $1's and tip the bartenders or they will simply write an extra tip. It is up to you if you wish to tip in cash. There is already an 18% service charge included for everything you pay for.

 

For specialty dining the tip is also already on the charge slip but you may wish to add to it if you experience better service.

 

Beyond that, typically the only other people you might tip would be taxi drivers, luggage handlers at the pier, tour guides and bus drivers, or restaurant/bar personnel if you should go to a restaurant of bar on land. When we are arriving for a cruise, we typically hand the luggage person $5 for 2 suitcases and our bags always arrive onboard, so this must be thought to be a sufficient tip.

 

Hope that helps.

[SuiteTraveler]

You have to pay a mandatory Daily Service Charge for your room and there is a mandatory 18% gratuity on drinks and special meals. So further tipping is not necessary, but up to you.

 

I believe room service is $7.95.

 

For a suite guest, this is incorrect. The butler and concierge are tipped outside of the Daily Service Charge. That only covers the dining personnel and room steward.

[jackson bernard]

You have to pay a mandatory Daily Service Charge for your room and there is a mandatory 18% gratuity on drinks and special meals. So further tipping is not necessary, but up to you.

 

 

 

I believe room service is $7.95.

 

 

Not true. The discretionary service charge can be adjusted or removed by a short visit to the guest services desk. No explanation necessary. It is not mandatory at all.

 

And if the butler and concierge don't do anything for you, why tip them at all? I don't get it.

[rvsullivan]

Not true. The discretionary service charge can be adjusted or removed by a short visit to the guest services desk. No explanation necessary. It is not mandatory at all.

 

And if the butler and concierge don't do anything for you, why tip them at all? I don't get it.

 

For the OP, this post is from a tip hater who posts on all of these questions.You have been given some good information above about tipping the butler and concierge. Specialty restaurants are not included in a suite and have the same charge as for everyone. Room service will be provided by your butler from any dining venue on the ship. Cruising in a suite on NCL is a great experience, please reward those that make it so.

[LMaxwell]

For the OP, this post is from a tip hater who posts on all of these questions.You have been given some good information above about tipping the butler and concierge. Specialty restaurants are not included in a suite and have the same charge as for everyone. Room service will be provided by your butler from any dining venue on the ship. Cruising in a suite on NCL is a great experience, please reward those that make it so.

 

You may not care for the message, but the accuracy was spot on and in giving someone information that is what really matters. To call something mandatory, that is not mandatory, is not completely accurate and misleading.