Suite Tipping and other Random Questions

[Jane2357]

First time in a suite since the Suite Perks and I have a couple of questions. In addition to the the Cabin Steward, Butler, Assist. Waiter, Waiter, Sommelier, Michael's Club Bar Staff - what is the consensus on tipping the Suite Concierge (Michael's Hostess) and the Maitre D in Luminae?

 

We have pretty much stopped additional tipping to the Maritre Ds as we have little contact and no special requests - but Luminae is a smaller venue so it it the norm/expected and what is appropriate for standard service? Also doubt that we will be high maintenance for the concierge, but will be asking her/him to deliver some invites to a cocktail party we are hosting so of course will plan to tip her - not sure what is considered appropriate for a 15 night cruise?

 

I've read that people sometimes tip the Captains Club Host - this is our first cruise as Elite and we do want to try to hit the evening cocktail party a few times - although will mostly use Michael's as they have things scheduled during that time. I would assume that if we have no special requests of the Host - that there is no need for tipping?

 

Lastly - I love DIET tonic water - does anyone know if this is generally available - last cruise it was not. Is this a request that I could make with the Shoreside Concierge prior to cruising or could I bring some on myself? :confused:

 

[CruisersTimesThree]

First time in a suite since the Suite Perks and I have a couple of questions. In addition to the the Cabin Steward, Butler, Assist. Waiter, Waiter, Sommelier, Michael's Club Bar Staff - what is the consensus on tipping the Suite Concierge (Michael's Hostess) and the Maitre D in Luminae?

 

We have pretty much stopped additional tipping to the Maritre Ds as we have little contact and no special requests - but Luminae is a smaller venue so it it the norm/expected and what is appropriate for standard service? Also doubt that we will be high maintenance for the concierge, but will be asking her/him to deliver some invites to a cocktail party we are hosting so of course will plan to tip her - not sure what is considered appropriate for a 15 night cruise?

 

I've read that people sometimes tip the Captains Club Host - this is our first cruise as Elite and we do want to try to hit the evening cocktail party a few times - although will mostly use Michael's as they have things scheduled during that time. I would assume that if we have no special requests of the Host - that there is no need for tipping?

 

Lastly - I love DIET tonic water - does anyone know if this is generally available - last cruise it was not. Is this a request that I could make with the Shoreside Concierge prior to cruising or could I bring some on myself? :confused:

 

 

Tipping is a personal matter and most people give extra gratuities if they feel someone went above and beyond. I haven't been on a Celebrity cruise yet that this has not been true of anyone we have come across.

We tipped all the people you mentioned and did include tips for the MCC and the Maitre'D in Luminae. The MCC made herself very available, took care of any problems we came across and visited the dining room almost every evening to see how everyone's day was. She did a great job.

We had a huge problem the day we disembarked. Another passenger took our luggage and left, refused to come back with it and the MCC was so distraught. She made phone call after phone call and was finally able to get them to bring back my luggage. She even called me later in the day to be sure the people showed up to give it back, so I was really glad we tipped her well the night before.

The Maitre'D, she was wonderful. Making sure we had everything we wanted in Luminae and stopping by our table every night to chat and also had a soft spot for our slightly handicapped adult son. She also arranged for my family to have something that wasn't on the menus when we inquired if it would show up at anytime during the week.

We never even met the Captains Club host/hostess, as we dealt with the MCC or our butler for most everything, so no tip was required for her/him.

Depending on your suite level, you may or may not be contacted by the shoreside concierge. I think you could call Celebrity and get the phone number of the person who is for your particular ship and speak to them about your soda choice. If its onboard, they will certainly make it available to you.

Yes, you can bring your own. If it comes in a case, you could just attach your room luggage tag to it and it will be delivered to along with your other checked bags.

Enjoy your 1st suite experience.....you'll never want to book anything else after this!

[MEcruzr]

If you want diet tonic water, bring it yourself!

[cruzzzinma]

There are many in Luminae who provide service. We gave an appropriate tip to the Maitre D' to be distributed among the staff. We also tipped our butler, the cabin attendant and his assistant, the sommelier, the Michael's Club Concierge, and the Michaels Club Bartender and our usual bar server in Michael's.

[Project_gal]

First time in a suite since the Suite Perks and I have a couple of questions. In addition to the the Cabin Steward, Butler, Assist. Waiter, Waiter, Sommelier, Michael's Club Bar Staff - what is the consensus on tipping the Suite Concierge (Michael's Hostess) and the Maitre D in Luminae?

 

 

You will find that all tips in Luminae are pooled. In view of this we just combine all the tips we would have given there and pass it to the Maitre D'. Although I understand that the Michael's Club Concierge is classified as an officer (not normally tipped), we do tip him/her and have not been refused.

[cruiseerf]

Just to Clarify. Luminae Tips are pooled YES, but this does not include the Sommelier who pools with other ones in other dining rooms etc.....So we tip the Sommelier separately. And We always tip the Michaels club host or hostess....Butler, room attendant and anyone who has been helpful. All good! Safe Sails to all!

[vtcruising]

Just got off from Eclipse and wrote a thank you note (I have some with a nautical theme) thanking each person for the special service they provided and included a gratuity. For the Luminae staff this time I wrote a thank you note to all the wait staff (and mentioned each name) since we enjoyed the service of several people (on the last cruise we had 2 particular waiters and an assistant waiter so gave an envelope to each one of those people).

 

 

We gave the thank you notes and extra gratuities to the MCC (she helped us in many ways), the MC bar tender (the best), Luminae maître d' (she was wonderful!), Luminae staff, the butler and suite attendant. We also wrote feedback cards throughout the cruise praising all of these people.

 

 

We went to the CC events occasionally, but as someone else said, the MCC was the go to person for us so had little contact with the CC hostess.

 

 

Enjoy, Jane!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The feedback cards are very important. That's how promotions, extra time off, etc. are determined.

[NCHPcruiser]

When I talked to the Shoreside Concierge yesterday regarding our cruise (Reflection) beginning next Saturday she indicated diet tonic would not be a problem at all. I had very few request and she kept making suggestions, some of which we took her up on. Now we will see what is actually in our suite when we arrive. If it everything is there, great but if not it's no big deal as I'm sure we can have our butler rectify the situation.

 

We tip most (if not all, depending on our experience during the cruise) of the people you mentioned. The Michaels Club concierge (Manuela on the Equinox 10/16) was wonderful. We didn't have any major problems really but whenever she heard us even mention something (last minute appt with future cruises, new room keys, smaller bills for tips, change in reservations, rectifying statement problems, etc.) she always insisted on doing this for us which made for a more relaxing cruise. We were in a Sky Suite on the Equinox and did not receive a call prior to embarkation (which we didn't expect).

[flyingv4me]

Hi. What were the shore side concierge's suggestions? I ask because we'll be in our first suite (Sky) and won't be receiving the call, but want to know what might be possible from our butler.

 

Thanks!

[NCHPcruiser]

While is a Sky Suite we really haven't had many request regarding our cabin other that some days we have asked for an afternoon snack since they have discontinued automatically bringing anything. They now prefer for suite guest to go to Michaels Club where they serve nibbles and such at 3:00 (I think). We have never wanted to interrupt our day (or get presentably dressed) to do this. On our last cruise we were with friends and alternated between cabins for sail-aways and had our respective butlers set something up for us. This was done with no problems and always looked nice. In general when we needed a reservation, etc. we had the concierge in Michaels take care of that. To be perfectly honest our last butler was not that personable but ok otherwise but our friends (also in a sky suite) had an awesome butler. I guess it's just the luck of the draw. We were always supplied large water bottles but when he discovered we preferred smaller bottles (because they fit better in the spin bike water holders) he kept us supplied the entire cruise. We have splurged this cruise (special occasion) on a Royal Suite. The shoreside concierge made a few suggestions such as whether we wanted sliced lemons/limes (which we did), special soda (didn't), what type of sparkling water, liquor preferences (two bottles are included in RS although we subbed a premium bottle of chardonnay for one bottle) and dining reservations. We made two but generally don't care about making those until we are onboard. In a SS you can ask for the sparkling wine left in your suite to be subbed for some other type of wine if you prefer. Not sure if any of this helps. We really made few request of our butler other than we did have breakfast each morning in our cabin.

[flyingv4me]

Thank you! Very helpful and I appreciate your quick response!

[jules815]

There are many in Luminae who provide service. We gave an appropriate tip to the Maitre D' to be distributed among the staff. We also tipped our butler, the cabin attendant and his assistant, the sommelier, the Michael's Club Concierge, and the Michaels Club Bartender and our usual bar server in Michael's.

 

I appreciate all this information, as I'll be sailing in a Sky Suite on Reflection in April with my adult daughter.

 

 

Did you tip the bar servers in MC at the end, or each day? On our last cruise, Harmony of the Seas, I believe my husband tipped our bar servers in the suite lounge every evening. $10 after a couple of rounds and extra at the end of the cruise. They provided excellent service.

[jelayne]

Currently in a Sky Suite and service has been hit & miss. Butler is excellent & we will tip him extra. Cabin attendant tries hard but just keeps making mistakes or forgetting things- no face cloths, brings body lotion in place of conditioner, 3 requests over 3 days to empty mini-bar, forgot to leave any towels one day.

 

 

Luminae sommelier & wait staff have been outstanding & we will tip them. The MaitreD has pretty much ignored us ( except night 12 when he stopped by to chat-tip trolling I think). He has left us standing (2 ladies) while he seats others who arrive later. The poorest MaitreD we have encountered on X. The chef has had more interaction with guest than the MaitreD.

 

 

MC has been empty and service slow. MCC seems to be busy on the computer all the time.

[jules815]

Currently in a Sky Suite and service has been hit & miss. Butler is excellent & we will tip him extra. Cabin attendant tries hard but just keeps making mistakes or forgetting things- no face cloths, brings body lotion in place of conditioner, 3 requests over 3 days to empty mini-bar, forgot to leave any towels one day.

 

 

Luminae sommelier & wait staff have been outstanding & we will tip them. The MaitreD has pretty much ignored us ( except night 12 when he stopped by to chat-tip trolling I think). He has left us standing (2 ladies) while he seats others who arrive later. The poorest MaitreD we have encountered on X. The chef has had more interaction with guest than the MaitreD.

 

 

MC has been empty and service slow. MCC seems to be busy on the computer all the time.

 

Which ship are you on?

[WonderMan3]

The feedback cards are very important. That's how promotions, extra time off, etc. are determined.

 

It is actually the MOST important thing according to staff members that I have talked to through the years, more impactful than tips.

 

It should also be noted as a reminder that you are already being charged for gratuities when you sail. Suite guests actually pay a higher gratuity amount than standard cabins as that accommodates the services of the butler. People should not feel pressured or obligated to tip anything beyond that unless they encountered staff members who went above and beyond. I've noticed a trend that pops up occasionally on this board of subtle tip shaming where people seem to look down on those who did not tip anything beyond the mandatory gratuity.

 

On our recent Eclipse cruise we tipped out to the butler and 3 of the Luminae staff because they all went the next step in their service. We did not tip the MC concierge despite her being extremely pleasant as we had maybe 3 interactions with her over a 14 day cruise and never spent anytime in Michael's Club save for about 45 minutes on boarding day and 5 minutes on disembarkation day. I did include her name on the post-cruise survey though along with the other staff members we tipped. In the end that actually was a better reward for her than a tip that she likely would've had to share with others. But on prior Celebrity cruises we did not tip any of the butlers we had as they were all average and 2 of them actually gave poor service (one of whom I gave negative feedback by name in the post-cruise survey) while there was maybe one MDR staff member who we felt rated an extra tip. We take the staff as they come and reward those who rightly deserve it.

[NCHPcruiser]

I appreciate all this information, as I'll be sailing in a Sky Suite on Reflection in April with my adult daughter.

 

 

Did you tip the bar servers in MC at the end, or each day? On our last cruise, Harmony of the Seas, I believe my husband tipped our bar servers in the suite lounge every evening. $10 after a couple of rounds and extra at the end of the cruise. They provided excellent service.

 

We tipped on the last night (MC concierge and three separate bartenders in Michaels, several people in Luminae including the sommelier but not the maitre d'). They all provided excellent service! It has been obvious on our last two cruises that the maitre d' has been more visible on the last one or two nights. I'm thinking he's hoping for tips but perhaps I'm jaded! We were aboard the Equinox in October. Manuela was the MC concierge and she was excellent. There were others around the ship we tipped (two very special bartenders in World Class Bar, two servers in the coffee shop, etc. as well. We are generally happy to tip (on a cruise ship) for service that is above what is expected.

[bertrande]

It's my last day on the cruise and we have had no feedback cards delivered. Do we go to guest relations (or the MCC) to ask for them?

 

 

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[vtcruising]

Yes we went to guest relations to get more when we ran out

[GarrenS]

 

Lastly - I love DIET tonic water - does anyone know if this is generally available - last cruise it was not. Is this a request that I could make with the Shoreside Concierge prior to cruising or could I bring some on myself? :confused:

 

 

 

I am a diet tonic water drinker as well - have had mixed results on if they had diet tonic onboard or not - we now always bring our own - I am picky and prefer Schweppes, so that's what we bring. When we've had it onboard, it's always been Canada Dry, which I think is too sweet.

We have had some success picking a bar (say, the Martini bar for instance) and making friends with a bartender, who would then store our open 1 liter bottle in the fridge (we kept the others in our room) He would usually put a note on it so no one else would use it. The last cruise, they didn't offer so we just showed up with it when we wanted a drink, and they'd pour us vodka and ice in a glass, and we'd add the tonic.

 

Happy Sailing!

Garren

[Straughn]

Yes, the prepaid gratuities cover the basic tips. I am not here to shame anyone as tipping is a very personal issue. On our last cruise, on Equinox, we tipped an additional amount to the butler, cabin steward, his assistant (no longer a position), the Michael's Club bartenders and server, the Luminae hostess, our preferred server and the wine steward/sommelier.

 

Here is why. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY, when we returned to our cabin after breakfast, it was made up- never had that happen before. Our butler quickly learned our preferences for tea (no longer served en suite) and there were chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies in our cabin every day, even if we were not there. In Michael's Club, my SO's preferred drink magically appeared with minutes of our arrival. I was a little harder as I changed my drink routinely.

 

In Luminae, we quickly found a server we loved. He found walnuts for our oatmeal, he quickly got our preferences for salads, always brought the SO a larger steak. Even when he was super busy, he acknowledged our arrival. The hostess was very personable and always seated us in our preferred server's station. On the nights we choose to dine in a specialty restaurant, she came by to check on us. The sommelier made sure, when we sat down, that my glass of white wine and the SO 's beverage of choice arrived very quickly. Yes, sommeliers do not serve alcohol, but if the cocktail server was busy, she (the sommelier) went and got it.

 

It is my understanding that the Michael's Club Concierge is considered an officer and, therefore, should not be tipped. He was wonderful.

 

Having said all this, my stepdaughter worked on RCCL for several years. She said that the singularly best tip you can offer a staff person is to praise them, by name, on the comment card/survey.

[bertrande]

I just came out of MC and speaking to the concierge, the important thing that affects promotions etc is the post-cruise feedback form that's sent by email. I asked for the feedback cards as they have not been seen in my room and was told those are primarily for feedback during the cruise itself (e.g. Things they may be able to fix etc) but that what the management really reads is the email form they send out.

 

I then went to GR and asked for the said feedback cards. They didn't have them! Passed me some paper instead. So we will save our praise for the crew for the electronic survey after we debark tomorrow.

 

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Edited February 18, 2017 by bertrande

[vtcruising]

I just came out of MC and speaking to the concierge, the important thing that affects promotions etc is the post-cruise feedback form that's sent by email. I asked for the feedback cards as they have not been seen in my room and was told those are primarily for feedback during the cruise itself (e.g. Things they may be able to fix etc) but that what the management really reads is the email form they send out.

 

I then went to GR and asked for the said feedback cards. They didn't have them! Passed me some paper instead. So we will save our praise for the crew for the electronic survey after we debark tomorrow.

 

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I think both types of feedback are likely important - we have filled out the feedback cards during the cruise many times when someone goes above and beyond and have been thanked profusely by the staff person the next day, saying they were recognized by their supervisors. Some of the cards were hung up on a bulletin board in the crew area when my husband did a tour a couple of years ago - the person leading the tour pointed them out and said they were important for promotions, etc.

 

The email survey seems a great way of recognizing people at a higher level - I imagine the feedback gets back to the staff as well.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Feedback during the cruise always gets noticed by the supervisors and they make a big deal of it. I've had the hotel director send me thank you letters while still on the cruise. We had the world's greatest maitre d' in Luminae last fall. She went out of her way several times to make my cruise special and I sent not one but two comment cards in about her, describing specifically what she had done. She was very grateful for the feedback. I also mentioned her by name in the post-cruise survey. If someone is going to go the extra mile to make sure I have a great cruise, the least I can do in return is to give them a favorable recommendation.

[bertrande]

Feedback during the cruise always gets noticed by the supervisors and they make a big deal of it. I've had the hotel director send me thank you letters while still on the cruise. We had the world's greatest maitre d' in Luminae last fall. She went out of her way several times to make my cruise special and I sent not one but two comment cards in about her, describing specifically what she had done. She was very grateful for the feedback. I also mentioned her by name in the post-cruise survey. If someone is going to go the extra mile to make sure I have a great cruise, the least I can do in return is to give them a favorable recommendation.

 

 

I guess the tip here would be not to wait for the comment cards to arrive in the stateroom (as we were told to by the crew onboard) and get them at the guest relations desk during the cruise (we are on the last day) before it is too late. If we had known they wouldn't be sent, we would certainly have been more proactive about it.

 

 

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