Gratuities question

[Aileen65]

We will be travelling on the Equinox for 7 day western Caribbean cruise June 4-11. We will be in a concierge class cabin. What are the appropriate amounts to tip and to whom? Do we leave cash in cabin when cruise has ended for housekeeping. Do we tip wait staff at each meal? How much?

 

I assume if we order room service we tip as we go?

 

Thanks

 

Aileen

[ECCruise]

Your tips will automatically be added to your onboard account on a daily basis. Concierge Class is $14 per person per day. These gratuities cover your stateroom staff and all dining staff.

 

And yes, if we order room service and it is NOT brought by our stateroom attendant, we tip on the spot.

[oneputt18]

You are always free to tip additional if you feel the service is beyond what is normally expected. This can be done with cash.

[Wine-O]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Guest Services will automatically deduct your daily gratuities from your onboard account. If you have onboard credit, this can be used to pay for the gratuities. Other than that, there is no need to tip any further during your cruise.

 

If at the end of the cruise, you feel you received exceptional service from your stateroom attendant and/or wait staff, you can give them additional if you so desire.

 

With regard to room service, there is no need to tip, but most folks give a couple of dollars for example coffee and continental breakfast in the morning, and maybe $5 for two full course breakfasts.

[cruzzzinma]

Give the tip to your attendant. Don't just leave it in the cabin.

[jelayne]

Give the tip to your attendant. Don't just leave it in the cabin.

 

Why? We have always left an envelope with a Thank You note & cash in the cabin before we leave for dinner on the last night. We normally see the attendant the next morning and they always acknowledge the envelop.

[ECCruise]

Why? We have always left an envelope with a Thank You note & cash in the cabin before we leave for dinner on the last night. We normally see the attendant the next morning and they always acknowledge the envelop.

Same thing here. Otherwise you need to try to track down her/him when they are trying to get rooms cleaned the night before turnover day. Can't imagine why you wouldn't leave it in the room.

[cb at sea]

The tips they charge to your account cover all who are supposed to be tipped..no additional is needed. Room service is NOT covered by the included tips, so tip at time of delivery, if you use room service. $2-5 is ample for anything except a full dinner for 2!

[thebutlerdidit]

The tips they charge to your account cover all who are supposed to be tipped..no additional is needed. Room service is NOT covered by the included tips, so tip at time of delivery, if you use room service. $2-5 is ample for anything except a full dinner for 2!

Room service IS covered by the included tips. Feel free to tip on top of that if you want to, but you'll have to be quick. I've never experienced the awkward lingering that comes when a room service attendant is waiting for a tip.

[PoppyandNana]

Room service IS covered by the included tips. Feel free to tip on top of that if you want to, but you'll have to be quick. I've never experienced the awkward lingering that comes when a room service attendant is waiting for a tip.

 

Don't think so. Room service is not covered by the automtips.

[easyboy]

With regard to room service, there is no need to tip, but most folks give a couple of dollars for example coffee and continental breakfast in the morning, and maybe $5 for two full course breakfasts.

That's what we also give, and they seem glad about it.

[thebutlerdidit]

Room service IS covered by the included tips. Feel free to tip on top of that if you want to, but you'll have to be quick. I've never experienced the awkward lingering that comes when a room service attendant is waiting for a tip.

 

Don't think so. Room service is not covered by the automtips.

I interpret Celebrity's website FAQ as having room service included in the autotips program. Again, feel free to offer tips as often as you like, but don't feel like you have to.

 

Q.What is Celebrity’s automatic gratuity program?

 

 

A.For your convenience, we automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

• $13.50 per person, per day in standard accommodations
  
• $14.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms
  
• $17.00 per person, per day in suites
  

This gratuity is shared by your stateroom attendant, dining services staff, and housekeeping staff members who help enhance your vacation experience. At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations, in which case they will not automatically be added to your onboard SeaPass® account. An 18% gratuity will be automatically added to all beverages, mini bar purchases, spa and salon services. Additional gratuities may be added at your discretion.

[lazygal]

We were told by our waitstaff that the tips we pay (those automatically charged) are pooled and only given to staff members who get perfect tens on the surveys. Therefore, we got the hard sell every night to make sure and give them a TEN on the survey. Many things are wrong with this. Some people never complete the survey, plus you only have ten days after sailing to do this. I preferred the old cash system. I understand why they went to automatic charging, but it is not a fair system.

[NLH Arizona]

We were told by our waitstaff that the tips we pay (those automatically charged) are pooled and only given to staff members who get perfect tens on the surveys. Therefore, we got the hard sell every night to make sure and give them a TEN on the survey. Many things are wrong with this. Some people never complete the survey, plus you only have ten days after sailing to do this. I preferred the old cash system. I understand why they went to automatic charging, but it is not a fair system.

In all my cruises, I've never heard this.

[champagne123]

We were told by our waitstaff that the tips we pay (those automatically charged) are pooled and only given to staff members who get perfect tens on the surveys. Therefore, we got the hard sell every night to make sure and give them a TEN on the survey. Many things are wrong with this. Some people never complete the survey, plus you only have ten days after sailing to do this. I preferred the old cash system. I understand why they went to automatic charging, but it is not a fair system.

This is not correct at all.

[lostchild]

In all my cruises, I've never heard this.

 

I have not heard this either. But I did fill out the survey.. after 10 days though. We were still on vacation for a week after the cruise, so really don't feel like doing a survey.

 

But we were told that the staff can only get 1 complaint. On the 2nd one, they will be gone.... mid way thru our cruise, our waiter was replaced. They said he had been reassigned to another ship, but we were not sure if he really did it on his own.. or forced off the ship.

[cruisestitch]

Can't imagine that only those with 10 ratings get tipped. It would be pretty hard to keep staff if that were true. I think that perhaps a waiter said that in order to guilt the passenger into giving a high rating, which is reprehensible if so.

[Wine-O]

On our TA last month (RCCL), the last 2-3 nights the waiter stressed upon us how important it was for us to highly rate them. It got to the point where it was nauseating. On the post-cruise questionnaire, there was a question asked if anybody had told us to rate them high, who was it -- the waiter, stateroom attend, or anyone else. Of course my wife said no as she didn't want to get anybody in trouble or to lose their job.

 

The cruise lines must really be hard on them with regard to service, i.e., take cabins away from them or dining room tables for them to service which will affect their pay.

[eandj]

Can't imagine that only those with 10 ratings get tipped. It would be pretty hard to keep staff if that were true. I think that perhaps a waiter said that in order to guilt the passenger into giving a high rating, which is reprehensible if so.

 

AGREE! This is so wrong that I would have followed up with a complaint about this server's sales pitch.:o

[dodger1964]

Why? We have always left an envelope with a Thank You note & cash in the cabin before we leave for dinner on the last night. We normally see the attendant the next morning and they always acknowledge the envelop.

 

I took the comment as don't just leave it in the cabin when you disembark the ship.

[donaldsc]

On our TA last month (RCCL), the last 2-3 nights the waiter stressed upon us how important it was for us to highly rate them. It got to the point where it was nauseating. On the post-cruise questionnaire, there was a question asked if anybody had told us to rate them high, who was it -- the waiter, stateroom attend, or anyone else. Of course my wife said no as she didn't want to get anybody in trouble or to lose their job.

 

The cruise lines must really be hard on them with regard to service, i.e., take cabins away from them or dining room tables for them to service which will affect their pay.

 

It is more likely that the crew members w better ratings get the better positions on the ship or the positions where they might get higher add-on tips. I really doubt )although I do not know it) that they get fired if they have 1 bad rating as there are some people who give bad ratings for a minor issue as well as others who feel positive about everything.

 

Now if a crew member gets consistently bad ratings, that might be a different issue.

 

DON

[Cruise Raider]

In the days past, the staff has oftentimes been known to guilt passengers into giving them more money by the end of the cruise. I have even seen some so blatant as to state they don't get any of the tips via the autotips and always the more subtle tactics of all their children that are starving at home, having to pay for their own flights back home, stating this is their last cruise of the contract and they don't know how they will survive for the few months without a job. On Princess, quite some time ago we would hear the cruise director begging for tips above and beyond the standard auto tips for the crew if you liked your cruise. Gone are those days ... I never see that anymore but I suspect that is exactly what just happened if one of the wait staff stated they received no tips unless they got scores of 10 on the post cruise survey.

 

Long ago ... maybe 20 years back, we were on a B2B cruise, but our waiter didn't know it. He stated he had small children and his wife was pregnant again and he was going home right after the first leg of our B2B. Not suspecting he was fibbing to us, I asked his children's names ... I don't think he expected that question and he struggled with the answer. Finding that odd but still didn't really think he was lying to us, I asked if he had any pictures of his children. He said he would bring them the next night. Well, he did so and they were pictures from a magazine and their names mysteriously changed from the previous night. OMG ... what a little con artist but we didn't let him know we were on to him. He kept on about how he still needed to raise money for his flight home in a few days ... just out and out begging for extra tips. Well, you should have seen the look on his face when he saw us show up for dinner on the second sailing of our B2B. And yes, we overheard him trying to scam the next set of passengers, too. Him and his coworkers just sat back and laughed about it. As mentioned, I never ever see that kind of behavior anymore....and certainly not on Celebrity! They do however, seem very concerned about getting that perfect score, which I honestly gave for my most recent sailing on Celebrity! My goodness, there is nothing more I could have asked for ... it was a well deserved 10!!

[hvbaskey]

We had a waiter who said to us, that a good score on the survey was worth much more than extra tips in an envelope. It could equate to a contract renewal, a promotion, an extra shift off.

 

Whether that was true or not, we always fill out our surveys “honestly” and do not hold back if something went wrong that was avoidable (e.g., having a waiter trying to push a steak on you, after telling him you were vegetarian) OR we don’t hold back with perfect 10s - if the service was excellent.

[dkjretired]

Room service used to be delivered by either your steward or people in the area where it is made. They now only have room service people do it and they are definitely not in the tipping structure.

[dodger1964]

Room service used to be delivered by either your steward or people in the area where it is made. They now only have room service people do it and they are definitely not in the tipping structure.

 

Is there a list of exactly who isn't in the "tipping structure" someplace?

 

I thought the pooled tips were for those type people...like the laundry staff for example.