Extra tipping guideline?

[voljeep]

12 minutes ago, weedpindle said:

Several crew. more than a few  bar staff, 2 room stewards, and others. These people had no reason to tell anything but the truth. We have sailed with many of them more than once and still keep in contact with them. Believe it or don't, I don't care.

they tell you what they think you want to hear ... j/s

[weedpindle]

9 minutes ago, voljeep said:

they tell you what they think you want to hear ... j/s

Funny how people on different ships say the same thing. Conspiracy I guess.

[Colo Cruiser]

Just now, weedpindle said:

Funny how people on different ships say the same thing. Conspiracy I guess.

Good one.  😎

[billco]

I try to tip in the currency that the ship will be visiting ports the most following my cruise.

[RLK33853]

You should never be hesitant to ask a question.  That is what this site is supposed to be for.

 

Totally agree with the value of the comment cards.  These are the most important thing you can do for the staff.

 

Since we go on 3 or 4 cruises a year, and depending on the service, we do tip extra but only if we receive good service.  I think that a consideration is the length of the cruise.  Our typical cruise is 14 to 16 days, thus you have more time to interact and become familiar with the staff than on a 3 or 7 day cruise.  You would be surprised how many people we have tipped in the past, approach us on subsequent cruises and remember details such as favorite drinks, meals, etc.  This familiarity has been very beneficial to us in our travels.  We have relied on crew suggestions in many of our ports and had meals in restaurants we would have never found on our own.  One Head Waiter outlined an out of the way itinerary in an out of the way country for our son and his wife.  It was an excellent and safe suggestion that we all appreciated.  

 

So again, tipping extra works for us but it is a choice, not a requirement. 

 

Typically we tip the room steward $20 per week, sometimes more if they are over the top good, but we also have no problem tipping nothing extra if they are just barely doing their job.  If we have the same waiters every night, which we routinely end up with, we usually tip the waiter $20 to $40 per week and if we have much interaction with the assistant waiter, $20 - some of this is because we have some dietary requirements that cause waiters extra work.   If we have much to do with a Head Waiter, $20-$50 per week, but lately there has been less and less interaction with them and if this is the case we don't tip anything extra.  Room Service depends on what we have ordered - $1 for a bucket of ice, $2 to $5 for something extensive.  And while we hate the 18% automatically added to the bar bill (why are we tipping someone if they are rude/inattentive/lazy), we have no problem tipping a little extra - $1 to $5 per day if we have the same bartender or waiter everyday.  The best people to tip are those who never get one - my wife likes hot toast in the morning with specialty bread and doesn't mind waiting for it to be done fresh.  I like a hot fresh and crispy waffle and don't mind waiting.  Thus the person making toast and the one making waffles usually gets a $5 once a week, especially if when they see us coming they start making what we want without being asked.  It is a small amount for us but they REALLY appreciate even that.

 

Again, tipping extra is purely a personal decision and an extra hundred or two per cruise in additional tips isn't an issue for us.  Remember that you have already tipped via the auto gratuity and there is no requirement to provide extra.  A smile and thank you also goes a long way.

 

Friends that we cruise with take a large bag of individually wrapped specialty chocolates and give them to crew members they appreciate.  They are like the pied pipers of cruising - crew members look for reasons to interact and get a chocolate.  

 

Hope your cruise was fantastic - really that is all that matters.

 

[Tak8]

I usually tip room steward $40.  For the waiter and assistant waiter, I usually tip $20 each.  On my last cruise, I had CC dining and tipped the hostess.  She helped us with getting a table set up several times.  

[Thrak]

I've been told by numerous crew that they would rather receive a good comment card than get a tip. They say the comment cards directly affect their position and perks. I've gone so far as to put in the card, comment on the survey, and send a separate note to customer relations for a few who were really above and beyond the norm.

[Reader0108598]

18 hours ago, ams cruiser said:

My Caribbean Princess cruise ends on Monday, and I would like to give tips to our wonderful steward and waiters, in addition to the automatic gratuities already on our account.

 

i know tipping is a controversial subject and I was reluctant to bring it up, but I wasn’t able to find previous threads to read.  (It’s hard for me to navigate the Cruise Critic site on my iPhone, and my internet connection has been spotty at times.)

 

The last cruise we took was a couple of years ago, but I can’t remember how much extra we gave each person.

 

I know it’s a personal decision, and completely voluntary, but am hoping to get a ballpark idea of what to give our hardworking steward, waiter, and waiter’s assistant.  Also, for those people who choose to tip extra, do you tip the head waiter, if your only contact with him has been him greeting you as you walked into the dining room?

 

We are having the balcony breakfast, and am also wondering about tips for that service.

 

I’m  hoping to prepare envelopes during our at final sea day tomorrow. (I’m also hoping I can get an internet connection tomorrow.)

 

Thank you for any guidance! (If I don’t respond to replies, it will be because I can’t get online!)

 

 

 

I don't tip extra unless I ask for something extra. Example ask the room steward to fill a small cooler in the morning with ice if he or she does that  it is an extra tip! I don't do room service or the dinning room any more and I would never remove the gratuity.  We always keep our cabin clean and strive not to be a PITA!You do what you are comfortable with!

 

 

🙂

 

 

 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Reader0108598

[voljeep]

5 hours ago, weedpindle said:

Funny how people on different ships say the same thing. Conspiracy I guess.

correct - crew only meetings ... and then crew change ships ... fleetwide

[ams cruiser]

22 hours ago, piper28 said:

This is something that's just really all over the board.  Some people like to tip (or claim to) a lot extra, some people will tip some extra, and some will be content with just the auto gratuities.  (And then of course you get those that want those removed).

 

Personally, I think it's hard to guide anyone what they should tip.  If you leave the auto gratuities on, you've met any real obligation that you have to the crew.  Beyond that, it's an entirely personal decision.

 

Typically, on a 7 day cruise, *if* I tip extra, I tend to do about $20 for the steward, $20 for our main waiter, and $10 for the junior.  Lately we've tended to tip some to the head waiter too because my wife's had some food allergies and we've had a lot more interaction with them - I wouldn't ever consider tipping the head waiter if it wasn't for this.  I think I've once in 22 cruises or so tipped a bartender extra.  And to be honest, on a 14 day cruise, I don't necessarily double those amounts, although I probably should.  

 

And by all means, I don't always tip extra.  I'd say cabin steward is almost always an extra tip for me.  For all that I've seen people complain about having bad stewards, I honestly don't know that I've ever been dissatisfied with my steward.  (I'll probably regret saying that with my luck 🙂 ).  If I'm in anytime dining and jump around a lot to different waiters, I probably wouldn't tip extra there.  I think had one cruise with traditional dining where I didn't tip the wait staff extra.   That pair was never quite where it was worth asking to be moved, but also always just seemed to be a little off in their service.

 

But ultimately, it's your money, tip what you feel comfortable with.  You're not going to offend the crew because you only tipped a little extra, they're not going to complain with *anything* extra they get.

Thank you for your perspective, and sound advice! We had exceptional service from our steward, as well as excellent dining room service.  Although assigned dining isn’t always convenient, we enjoyed getting to know our waiters (and neighboring dining mates.)

[ams cruiser]

23 hours ago, Thrak said:

I always tip every crew member with whom I interact a minimum of $1,000 per day. Riiiiiiiiiight. You will receive all kinds of replies here. Don't believe them all. As long as you leave the auto gratuities in place the crew will be satisfied. Tip what you like or don't tip at all. The crew won't beat you up.

Good to know!

[ams cruiser]

6 hours ago, Reader0108598 said:

 

Thanks!

[ams cruiser]

13 hours ago, steelers36 said:

If we have exceptional Steward or Wait Team in the DR, I always make sure to fill out a comment card from Passenger Services and I also mention them in my cruise review that Princess sends out.  We don't hang out at the bars nor drink a lot - I think the 18% automatic add-on to every beverage purchase is enough.  For Steward and Waiter(s), I often tip some extra at end of trip.

 

Here is something to think about.  We book almost exclusively Inside cabins.  That means the percentages I will mention are much lower for the cost of Balconies and higher (even though the daily gratuity rate increases with the highest categories).  Typically, we are paying >$100 net-net (bottom line after our TA fare discount and OBC's factored in).  Our next cruise is under $100/day/pp (unusual good deal).  One we are looking at is ~$115.  I would say generally, we have been at or under $115 in recent times. 

 

Auto-Gratuities are $14.50/pp/day.  So that works out to 14.5% at $100 and just over 12.5% at $115.  The Gratuities cover mainly room steward and wait/dining staff.  If I was to consider the percentage based on Princess' published fare with no TA discount and no OBC for FCD's, promo's and CCL stock, then the rate could be under 10%.  I realize these are rough numbers, but it gives some perspective I think.

 

So, the stewards and wait staff work hard and I don't mind topping up the auto-gratuity with some extra when it is deserved.

 

 

Very thoughtful analysis.  Thanks for sharing this!

Edited October 14, 2019 by ams cruiser

[ams cruiser]

12 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

You should never be hesitant to ask a question.  That is what this site is supposed to be for.

 

Totally agree with the value of the comment cards.  These are the most important thing you can do for the staff.

 

Since we go on 3 or 4 cruises a year, and depending on the service, we do tip extra but only if we receive good service.  I think that a consideration is the length of the cruise.  Our typical cruise is 14 to 16 days, thus you have more time to interact and become familiar with the staff than on a 3 or 7 day cruise.  You would be surprised how many people we have tipped in the past, approach us on subsequent cruises and remember details such as favorite drinks, meals, etc.  This familiarity has been very beneficial to us in our travels.  We have relied on crew suggestions in many of our ports and had meals in restaurants we would have never found on our own.  One Head Waiter outlined an out of the way itinerary in an out of the way country for our son and his wife.  It was an excellent and safe suggestion that we all appreciated.  

 

So again, tipping extra works for us but it is a choice, not a requirement. 

 

Typically we tip the room steward $20 per week, sometimes more if they are over the top good, but we also have no problem tipping nothing extra if they are just barely doing their job.  If we have the same waiters every night, which we routinely end up with, we usually tip the waiter $20 to $40 per week and if we have much interaction with the assistant waiter, $20 - some of this is because we have some dietary requirements that cause waiters extra work.   If we have much to do with a Head Waiter, $20-$50 per week, but lately there has been less and less interaction with them and if this is the case we don't tip anything extra.  Room Service depends on what we have ordered - $1 for a bucket of ice, $2 to $5 for something extensive.  And while we hate the 18% automatically added to the bar bill (why are we tipping someone if they are rude/inattentive/lazy), we have no problem tipping a little extra - $1 to $5 per day if we have the same bartender or waiter everyday.  The best people to tip are those who never get one - my wife likes hot toast in the morning with specialty bread and doesn't mind waiting for it to be done fresh.  I like a hot fresh and crispy waffle and don't mind waiting.  Thus the person making toast and the one making waffles usually gets a $5 once a week, especially if when they see us coming they start making what we want without being asked.  It is a small amount for us but they REALLY appreciate even that.

 

Again, tipping extra is purely a personal decision and an extra hundred or two per cruise in additional tips isn't an issue for us.  Remember that you have already tipped via the auto gratuity and there is no requirement to provide extra.  A smile and thank you also goes a long way.

 

Friends that we cruise with take a large bag of individually wrapped specialty chocolates and give them to crew members they appreciate.  They are like the pied pipers of cruising - crew members look for reasons to interact and get a chocolate.  

 

Hope your cruise was fantastic - really that is all that matters.

 

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed reply!  I really appreciate your perspective, and it gave me a lot to think about.

 

I joined Cruise Critic long before I took my first cruise, and it took me even longer to work up the courage to start asking for advice.  But I have learned so much from reading these boards.  Thanks for your good wishes and encouragement.  We have had a fabulous  cruise!

[ams cruiser]

7 hours ago, Thrak said:

I've been told by numerous crew that they would rather receive a good comment card than get a tip. They say the comment cards directly affect their position and perks. I've gone so far as to put in the card, comment on the survey, and send a separate note to customer relations for a few who were really above and beyond the norm.

I planned to write comment cards for our stewards and wait staff. I had heard they can make a difference.  But all three of them told me separately that the evaluation that will be emailed to guests is what really makes the difference.  They said not to worry about the card, because the other evaluation is what counts.

I’m definitely going to do the online survey, but will probably do the comment cards as well, just to make sure!

[Thrak]

46 minutes ago, ams cruiser said:

I planned to write comment cards for our stewards and wait staff. I had heard they can make a difference.  But all three of them told me separately that the evaluation that will be emailed to guests is what really makes the difference.  They said not to worry about the card, because the other evaluation is what counts.

I’m definitely going to do the online survey, but will probably do the comment cards as well, just to make sure!

 

I think anything you can do - that is truly deserved - to let Princess know about special employees is great. I actually received a call back from customer relations ( customerrelations@princesscruises.com ) thanking me for my note and saying they were going to forward my comments to the crew in question and also to their supervisors onboard. By the way... The email address I listed is the proper one for sending comments to Princess regarding staff. They read all comments sent to that address. However, if there is a problem and one is rude and nasty, the response may be less than satisfactory or even non-existent. If you have a problem please report it but be polite and adult about it.

[ams cruiser]

There are a handful of employees for whom I will write specific and glowing reviews.  Overall, we had a fantastic experience.

 

That being said, I will also include a few observations for some things that could be improved, with a couple of questions/suggestions.  

 

”Rude and nasty” never accomplishes anything! 😊

 

[voljeep]

3 hours ago, ams cruiser said:

That being said, I will also include a few observations for some things that could be improved, with a couple of questions/suggestions.  

such as ?

[voljeep]

11 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

 

 

11 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

 

 

12 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

  2 hours ago, voljeep said:

We have had stewards who were a "PITA always in our way ! We are creatures of habit up and out early AM and in Early evenings  not hard to figure us out...lol  We have had stewards that we never see ...love those ones ! 🙂 If we need anything we leave a note! I also tip and leave a nice compliment for them!

I  do appreciate how hard they work! Would never give them a hard time! Our way of cruising is low key time togather!

I can assure you that is not my quote ... dunno how you did this ... and now here comes the reacted laughing emoji

[Reader0108598]

6 minutes ago, voljeep said:

 

 

I can assure you that is not my quote ... dunno how you did this ... and now here comes the reacted laughing emoji

I am so sorry!! I don't know how I did that either ...yikes!  What did I do ...lol Again sorry old lady typing! That is what I said not you! Tried to delete made a bigger mess will contact admins .. :0

 

 

Edited October 14, 2019 by Reader0108598