Extra Tips for Dining Staff

[kmezz]

We are going on a cruise in August and the tips are included.  We want to give more.  Wanted to get advice for tips for a 12-day cruise for the following:

Waiter

Busboy

Wine Server

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

[davekathy]

If you feel the need to give extra gratuities (waiter, assistant waiter and sommelier or anyone providing you excellent service), base that amount only on the service you have received and not what others do.

Edited April 23, 2022 by davekathy

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Just be as generous as you can afford to be.  Since the great shutdown when many hard-working people were forced out of work, I have tried to overtip all service people.  They work a lot harder than I ever did.

[lobsternight]

In the past, as we always had stellar service, I go 10, 5, and 5.  But totally a personal choice. 

[Wineaux007]

33 minutes ago, lobsternight said:

In the past, as we always had stellar service, I go 10, 5, and 5.  But totally a personal choice. 

For a 12 day cruise?

[keesar]

3 hours ago, kmezz said:

We are going on a cruise in August and the tips are included.  We want to give more.  Wanted to get advice for tips for a 12-day cruise for the following:

Waiter

Busboy

Wine Server

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

We have used our OBC to pay for additional gratuities.  Only give what you are comfortable with.

 

[wrk2cruise]

I try to base on what used to be advertised as their portion of the daily gratuity amount.   $3.50 pp/pd for waiter $2.00 pp/pd for assistant.

Then I figure some additional multiple (or fractional multiple) based on my experience with them.

[the penguins]

20 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

I try to base on what used to be advertised as their portion of the daily gratuity amount.   $3.50 pp/pd for waiter $2.00 pp/pd for assistant.

Then I figure some additional multiple (or fractional multiple) based on my experience with them.

You can still get a sheet at Guest Relations showing how the daily tips are split.

[lobsternight]

1 hour ago, Wineaux007 said:

For a 12 day cruise?

Daily 

[m8zenblue]

I am speaking for just myself.

We usually give additional gratuities to our MDR staff, waiter, assistant waiter, and sommelier.

We have done 7 days, 10, days and 12 day cruises.

No matter the number of days, we tip a genearous cash amount to each, I will not say the amount.

We have had very excellent service with every X cruise.

On the last night of cruise we have thank you cards with cash that we present to the MDR staff.

Oh, don't forget your cabin attendant ! 

[jelayne]

14 minutes ago, m8zenblue said:

I am speaking for just myself.

We usually give additional gratuities to our MDR staff, waiter, assistant waiter, and sommelier.

We have done 7 days, 10, days and 12 day cruises.

No matter the number of days, we tip a genearous cash amount to each, I will not say the amount.

We have had very excellent service with every X cruise.

On the last night of cruise we have thank you cards with cash that we present to the MDR staff.

Oh, don't forget your cabin attendant ! 

We make a point of tipping the restroom attendants at the restroom we visit frequently, usually one on the way to or from dinner.   It irks me to see them treated like they are invisible by so many passengers.

[lobsternight]

Don't forget the Kids Club if you are using it.  I know my boys have to be dragged out of there every night.  

[DirtyDawg]

Asking people on a cruise discussion board what they tip extra is like asking what a potential date looks like on one of those internet dating sites. Everybody on those sites look like Brad Pitt or Sofia Vergara!

 

But if you must know, I tip extra to all the hard working staff and then I tip extra on my extra tips!

All my best.

Brad 😍

[mfs2k]

Give them each $40 at the end of the cruise and they’ll be appreciative 

[chemmo]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

We make a point of tipping the restroom attendants at the restroom we visit frequently, usually one on the way to or from dinner.   It irks me to see them treated like they are invisible by so many passengers.

Same!

 

 

[OT-Miami]

13 hours ago, keesar said:

We have used our OBC to pay for additional gratuities.  Only give what you are comfortable with.

 

Can you explain the process to use OBC for extra gratuities?  I imagine they would prefer cash, but I rather use extra OBC for grats than to buy something I don’t really need. TIA

[Jordanyaya1]

In the past we would always tip the last night of the cruise; the cabin steward, the waiter, sommelier, and bus boy. We are sailing on the Apex which makes it a little more complicated since we will be rotating through 4 “main” dining rooms. How are other passengers handling that other than giving each group a tip each night which now requires carry cash.  

[miched]

On 4/23/2022 at 8:12 PM, jelayne said:

We make a point of tipping the restroom attendants at the restroom we visit frequently, usually one on the way to or from dinner.   It irks me to see them treated like they are invisible by so many passengers.

Recently I gave a gratuity to the restroom attendant.   He asked me my name on the first night and every evening after addressed me.   He would always say welcome to my office Mr Ed.  When I gave him the gratuity in a envelop as I do with everyone.   He was very thankful.  I also told him that I am going to make a comment that he should be a waiter.   He said don’t  do that as I want to be a room attendant.    Done. 
 

We always give extra to everyone.   We do it as an appreciation for their service and also as a charity .  We feel that we are fortunate enough to be able to cruise and can afford it.  The extra dolllars that we give them won’t break us and hopefully will help them and their families enjoy the great life that I am blessed with.    
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

I tip as we go.

I usually leave $10 on the table.

Might not be the greatest gratuity, but we are very easy to serve.

We don't drink and we keep the meal simple.

It must be okay because we got great service every night.

[Jim_Iain]

Tipping is such a personal decision.   If  a  staff member just does his job and nothing more I don't feel compelled to give additional tips.   If the person provides friendly attentive service we can be very generous.   Doesn't matter whether it is the Barista, a Photographer or a Waiter. 

 

One thing to remember is that if you use the extra tipping form and don't direct to a person it goes to the general pool.    Also if you leave a tip on a Specialty dining bill it goes to the pool for all waiters on the ship but if you leave cash it goes to the specialty dining pool  not the individual who may have served you.     I must say I do have a problem with this concept.  

[Pinboy]

38 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

1----Also if you leave a tip on a Specialty dining bill it goes to the pool for all waiters on the ship but

2----- if you leave cash it goes to the specialty dining pool  not the individual who may have served you.   

Perhaps I am wrong  ? 

I understood, from a Maitre'd and a few Servers :

Re #1--- a tip left on the bill in a Specialty restaurant goes into the pool of that restaurant.

Re #2----cash handed directly to your Server is for him/her to keep for themselves.

We have always opted for #2 because of the " personal " attention and exceptional service.

[morpheusofthesea]

  

Since we travel in the Retreat we see no reason to dine anywhere else. We request the same waiter/ assistant for the entire week. We tip in the restaurant as if it were any fine restaurant on land. If we were to go to the "Pancake House" for breakfast we would tip $5 for a breakfast for two. Lunch at "Gianni's Italian Restaurant", $10 for two. Dinner at the "New York Prime", $20 for two. (Just as a rule of thumb). Since sometimes our waiters are delegated to other duties on port days we tip the relief waiter these amounts after the meal. So it rounds out to $200 for each waiter/assistant for the 7 day cruise. The sommelier, in our case, should not 'suffer' because DW and I drink only bottled water so we tip them $20 for their effort. On the pool deck your personal butler can be elusive (attending to the other 12 cabin prima donnas, like ourselves) so the pool attendants are instrumental to ones enjoyment on the  pool deck, (a pocket of $5's is advised and does 'miracles'). 

  Sometimes one just has to 'prime the pump' in order to get the water to start flowing in the right direction, in the beginning of a cruise as well.

  

Edited April 29, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[Pinboy]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Sometimes one just has to 'prime the pump' in order to get the water to start flowing in the right direction, in the beginning of a cruise as well.

 

LOL--- Something similar regarding reservations in Specialty restaurants was posted a few months ago and didn't go over very well with some fellow CCers. Some even called it a bribe.

But, that's how the " system " ( $$ ) works .

 

 

 

 

[floralscent]

On 4/24/2022 at 4:26 AM, OT-Miami said:

Can you explain the process to use OBC for extra gratuities?  I imagine they would prefer cash, but I rather use extra OBC for grats than to buy something I don’t really need. TIA

We buy the specialty dining pkg and when at Murano they gave us the little binder with our paid receipt in it. We could add grays to that using OBC. Also don’t forget that some of your OBC can be refundable. OBR is refundable OBC (typically TA assigned) and OBN is non-refundable (unusually Celebrity given). Dbl check your OBC on deck 3. 
 

I’m telling you this in case you want to give cash and get ‘refunded’ later if OBC is refundable. 

[CalTexCruiser]

And don't forget the flight attendant on the flight back home.