Additional tips?

[sun&sea]

It has been a while since we have cruised, and obviously things have changed. With the gratuities included, are people tipping the waitstaff that bring drinks, etc? I have been visiting some all-inclusive resorts, and we usually tip a dollar here and there for bringing us drinks. I just wonder if this takes place on the cruises now?? Like when ordering from the app while sitting at the pool, etc?

Please don't turn this into a battle about tipping! 

 

Janet

 

[franktown]

I almost always tip extra.  Not necessary put always appreciated.

[Steelers36]

I was thinking "touchy subject", but then I saw your last sentence, so you realize it.

[CineGraphic]

9 minutes ago, sun&sea said:

It has been a while since we have cruised, and obviously things have changed. With the gratuities included, are people tipping the waitstaff that bring drinks, etc? I have been visiting some all-inclusive resorts, and we usually tip a dollar here and there for bringing us drinks. I just wonder if this takes place on the cruises now?? Like when ordering from the app while sitting at the pool, etc?

Please don't turn this into a battle about tipping! 

 

Janet

 

 

18% is already tacked onto your bill, if you feel they deserve more, have at it.

[Guardsy]

I do take a stack of $2 bills to tip for room service coffee in the morning and other small things.

 

I do also tip our room steward, waiter, bus boy and the bartender at what becomes my fav bar at the start of the voyage.  $50 for room stew, $20 for bartender and $20 each for the waiter and busboy (or more since they are the one who will be lugging all of my orders!).

 

Some call it a bribe, I just call it money well-spent to enjoy a great cruise!

[Thrak]

58 minutes ago, Guardsy said:

I do take a stack of $2 bills to tip for room service coffee in the morning and other small things.

 

Not really a good idea. Crew may well have difficulty using the $2 bills as they aren't a common item and may well be rejected in other countries.

[Alaskanb]

Never. Staff have asked us to mention them specifically in the post cruise evaluation. It helps them to get promoted. 

[deliver42]

I usually tip $1.00 per drink order, be it at the bar or by a server. 2 drinks, $2.00.  At the end of the cruise, I give the cabin steward, waiter, and assistant. If I eat at a specialty restaurant, I tip the waiter. This is not required, as you already pre paid with the perks, so it's really up to you what you feel comfortable with.

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

Different strokes.  I tend to have some singles on me in the casino & tip servers in there.

 

In the cabin however,  the staff tends to come Very fast, or much slower.

You're surprised by a knock on the door.... so I hurry to put my mask on to answer the door.

(we got some magnetic hooks for the cabin door so easy grab of our masks)

If I was more organized I guess I could put some tip $ there too.... but I tend to do it, just in casino.

 

[eagletwo]

5 hours ago, Guardsy said:

I do take a stack of $2 bills to tip for room service coffee in the morning and other small things.

 

I do also tip our room steward, waiter, bus boy and the bartender at what becomes my fav bar at the start of the voyage.  $50 for room stew, $20 for bartender and $20 each for the waiter and busboy (or more since they are the one who will be lugging all of my orders!).

 

Some call it a bribe, I just call it money well-spent to enjoy a great cruise!

This is definitely a touchy subject. We do the same type of extra tipping. Our room steward, Rusty, was just great this week on the Regal. The dining staff in Concerto made up for some not so great meals. Its personal, so don’t tip extra if you are ok with the standard gratuity we all pay. We are just blessed to be able to cruise and don’t mind giving a little extra. 

[Thrak]

2 hours ago, Alaskanb said:

Never. Staff have asked us to mention them specifically in the post cruise evaluation. It helps them to get promoted. 

 

I have had a number of staff tell me that, if I was happy with their service, the very best thing I could do to show my appreciation was to mention them by name and state why I was so pleased with their service.

[cr8tiv1]

19 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I have had a number of staff tell me that, if I was happy with their service, the very best thing I could do to show my appreciation was to mention them by name and state why I was so pleased with their service.

 

I asked the Customer Service Desk on my recent cruise...why did they do away with the comment cards.  He told me it was to save the environment.  To which I replied, yes, I fill out the survey but the crew won't ever see my kind remarks.  I have to take down names throughout the cruise otherwise I will forget these crew members who offer great services.  

 

I don't understand why Princess removes certain things (loyalty credits/internet/comment cards/etc).  But am thankful that the patter is smaller and those pesky ads are not left in my room (except for the first day of paper work).

 

As for additional tipping, yes 

Edited November 30, 2021 by cr8tiv1

[disneyochem]

I bring about $50 in $1 bills on a cruise.  I always give a couple of dollars for room service—it’s nice getting my double shot cappuccino delivered directly to my room—especially since I like coffee at 4 am!  I give tips to wait persons who seem to go a little extra for me.  For example, on my cruise last week on the Ruby, I spent time in Skywalkers Lounge reading a book.  The closest bar was a few decks below.  The waiter brought a chilled glass, my drink in a shaker, shook my drink and poured it and added a lemon twist.  That was nice.  I gave her an extra $2.

 

I have to eat gluten-free and there are a couple of folks who work with me throughout the entire cruise to ensue that I don’t get sick.  It is very nice to have a food guide!  I give them an extra tip every cruise because I do appreciate their efforts.

 

Also, I write down names and titles and make a point to mention folks by name in my end of cruise survey.

[coopco]

We give $1 per drink because it keeps the waiters/bartender paying attention to us, which we like. We also give extra to our cabin steward, waiter, assistant waiter, and waiter at a specialty restaurant although we haven't increased the amount in years so I'm thinking we should. We normally do short cruises (3-5 days) because we are trying to make Elite and need to rack up the cruises. Based on what I read years ago, we do $20 to the cabin steward, $20 to our waiter, $10 for our assistant waiter (traditional dining that doesn't exist anymore), and $10 for the two of us for specialty dining. We will be a group of six at the Crown Grill on our upcoming cruise and I was planning on $30 assuming the service is great. 

 

I'd love to hear what others are doing because, as I mentioned, we haven't adjusted our amounts in years and I'm sure with inflation, we should re-evaluate. These tips are on top of normal pre-paid gratuities. We always bring cash because otherwise, it goes into the pool and the individual you are trying to reward never sees it. We also write glowing reviews assuming the service is great, which it always has been.

 

I'd also be particularly interested to hear how others have adjusted tips given traditional dining doesn't exist anymore. Also how common is it to leave a couple bucks for the buffet wait staff? We have never done that but I always wonder if we should.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, coopco said:

traditional dining doesn't exist anymore.

This is not really true, although the guest may have to exert some extra effort to achieve it.

 

Anyone who wants TD to stay ought to be letting Princess mgmt know at every opportunity that DMW has struck a dagger into it and they need to get it fixed.

[trbarton]

2 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I asked the Customer Service Desk on my recent cruise...why did they do away with the comment cards.  He told me it was to save the environment.  To which I replied, yes, I fill out the survey but the crew won't ever see my kind remarks.  I have to take down names throughout the cruise otherwise I will forget these crew members who offer great services.  

 

I don't understand why Princess removes certain things (loyalty credits/internet/comment cards/etc).  But am thankful that the patter is smaller and those pesky ads are not left in my room (except for the first day of paper work).

 

As for additional tipping, yes 

Here’s my suggestion that I did on my last cruise…I took photos of there name tag. Easy to remember. 
 

Tom😀
 

 

[cruzsnooze]

You should tip $10 per drink $25 extra daily to stewart $10 to any crew member who says good morning $20 to the pool towel attendant  $100 to the captain and anyone else who you meet on the cruise. OH WAIT they simplified this guessing game of tipping  with a daily gratuity added to your account so you don't have to carry any cash around with you.

Edited November 30, 2021 by cruzsnooze

[cr8tiv1]

@trbartongood idea about the photos, but that would mean carrying my phone everywhere.  I just have them write their first and last name on a napkin or paper. Old age and no memory of what I just ate is the pits. Thanks. 

[coopco]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

This is not really true, although the guest may have to exert some extra effort to achieve it.

 

Anyone who wants TD to stay ought to be letting Princess mgmt know at every opportunity that DMW has struck a dagger into it and they need to get it fixed.

Point noted. We love traditional dining because of the wonderful tablemates we've met through the years. We are cruising in a couple weeks and will be sure to mention in our after cruise survey how we want traditional dining to return. Thanks for mentioning this and I hope others will comment as well on the online surveys and as you say, at every opportunity.

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, coopco said:

Point noted. We love traditional dining because of the wonderful tablemates we've met through the years. We are cruising in a couple weeks and will be sure to mention in our after cruise survey how we want traditional dining to return. Thanks for mentioning this and I hope others will comment as well on the online surveys and as you say, at every opportunity.

Don't wait until after the voyage.  Check in with the DORO or a HW on Day 1 and ask for what you want.  Hope it works out.

[coopco]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

Don't wait until after the voyage.  Check in with the DORO or a HW on Day 1 and ask for what you want.  Hope it works out.

Thanks for the suggestion. We actually will be a group of six on this cruise at our own table, which is unusual because normally it's only the two of us. I figured the online survey is the best way to get it back to HQ but we'll be sure to mention it onboard as well.

[Steelers36]

4 minutes ago, coopco said:

Thanks for the suggestion. We actually will be a group of six on this cruise at our own table, which is unusual because normally it's only the two of us. I figured the online survey is the best way to get it back to HQ but we'll be sure to mention it onboard as well.

If you made that res in DMW (I expect), make sure you are getting same table and wait staff each night if that is what you want.  You may need to speak to the bosses about that as well.

[trbarton]

53 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

@trbartongood idea about the photos, but that would mean carrying my phone everywhere.  I just have them write their first and last name on a napkin or paper. Old age and no memory of what I just ate is the pits. Thanks. 

Guess you don’t use the Medallion App to order drinks anywhere but that’s one reason I have my phone plus I’m always taking photos around the ship to post. Using a paper napkin is another way. 
 

Tom😀

[trbarton]

41 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Don't wait until after the voyage.  Check in with the DORO or a HW on Day 1 and ask for what you want.  Hope it works out.

How to you find the DORO once on the ship?  I was on the 1st cruise on the Ruby, October 31 & didn’t see anything listed with a place & time. 
 

I never sat at the same table each night so I want to resolve this on my December 17th cruise. 
 

Tom😀

[caribill]

1 hour ago, coopco said:

Point noted. We love traditional dining because of the wonderful tablemates we've met through the years. We are cruising in a couple weeks and will be sure to mention in our after cruise survey how we want traditional dining to return.

 

Please also post on Cruise Critic how close to Traditional Dining you were able to have and what effort it took to get it.

 

To me traditional dining means:

a) Same table with same waitstaff at same time in the same dining room each evening

b) If at a table with others not in your traveling group, you have the same other passengers assigned to your table each evening.