Retreat Tipping question

[SusieAV8R]

On 9/15/2022 at 4:26 PM, DCPIV said:

 

I assume that part of the increased gratuities you pay when staying in a suite takes care of those staffing the Retreat Lounge/Michael's and the Retreat Sundeck (if there is one).  That said, we typically kick something their way if we're in there enough.

 

We take $2 bills for tips for drinks.  

[Dolebludger]

When we cruised in the Retreat just a few years ago, documents said tip were included in the fare. Has there been a change?

[LGW59]

41 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

When we cruised in the Retreat just a few years ago, documents said tip were included in the fare. Has there been a change?

They are generally included but many of us like to tip extra for good service, at each crew role.

[hrhdhd]

56 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

When we cruised in the Retreat just a few years ago, documents said tip were included in the fare. Has there been a change?

No.

[HMR74]

We are doing a b3b in the spring. First b2b , or b3b.

We have the same cabin for all three, and will be in Luminae about 75% of the time.

 

I am assuming we will pay extra grats after each segment.  Our servers and stewards will be aware , is this the best way???
 

thankkh

[hrhdhd]

3 hours ago, HMR74 said:

We are doing a b3b in the spring. First b2b , or b3b.

We have the same cabin for all three, and will be in Luminae about 75% of the time.

 

I am assuming we will pay extra grats after each segment.  Our servers and stewards will be aware , is this the best way???

I wouldn't assume I would be paying more than Celebrity's required gratuity, but if you receive exceptional service, yes, tip at the end of each leg.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

7 hours ago, HMR74 said:

We are doing a b3b in the spring. First b2b , or b3b.

We have the same cabin for all three, and will be in Luminae about 75% of the time.

 

I am assuming we will pay extra grats after each segment.  Our servers and stewards will be aware , is this the best way???
 

thankkh

 

Yes, your cabin staff or servers may change over the B2B.

[HMR74]

59 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

Yes, your cabin staff or servers may change over the B2B.

Thanks on the back 2 back questions. It makes sense even with a sample size of 2 respondents.

Pay as we go, essentially.

 

Obviously if we like the crew taking care of us-the  room steward, the Butler, the servers, the  Sommerliers  we want to keep them . The Maitre'd and Asst in the past quickly sense what we like for seating.

If we are happy campers,  we want more of the same for segments 2 and 3.

 

hrhdhd: my rules  of thumb is that the crew we know that directly serve us over the course of a cruise start with in my mind a decent  extra gratuity, and they can work their way up or down from there. Kind of the happy wife happy life theory.

 

Then if I hang out at say the retreat bar or Sunset bar and get to know the bartenders and servers and we have a rapport, they too are deserving of extra grat.

 

Otherwise, I always  disliked on part of land trips-the cab drivers tip, the  bellman and porters -the nice thing about cruises is its limited albeit with cash filled envelopes at the  end. Learned in a hurry about the envelopes.

[SusieAV8R]

18 hours ago, HMR74 said:

We are doing a b3b in the spring. First b2b , or b3b.

We have the same cabin for all three, and will be in Luminae about 75% of the time.

 

I am assuming we will pay extra grats after each segment.  Our servers and stewards will be aware , is this the best way???
 

thankkh

We have B3B, same suite over Christmas/NYE and that's we are planning to do. Tips after each cruise/segment. In that way, we don't miss providing an additional tips to an outstanding crew member whose contract ends before we finish our last cruise.

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, HMR74 said:

We are doing a b3b in the spring. First b2b , or b3b.

We have the same cabin for all three, and will be in Luminae about 75% of the time.

 

I am assuming we will pay extra grats after each segment.  Our servers and stewards will be aware , is this the best way???
 

thankkh

 

When we choose to tip we tip at the end of each cruise.  The choice to tip is a personal decision and we base our decision on whether a crew member is just doing their job as oppose to doing something extra to make our vacation comfortable and memorable.  

 

We recently had a Sommelier in Luminae  that I would describe as just doing his job.  He would have our drinks ready each evening but checking if we needed refills was consistently missing.   It wasn't a point of being over busy as we dine late and usually only 2-3 other tables.    Usually the waiter would keep an eye on our glasses and offer to top them up.   We chose to tip the Waiter more and the Sommelier substantially lower than we would normally tip. 

[Jim_Iain]

11 hours ago, HMR74 said:

Thanks on the back 2 back questions. It makes sense even with a sample size of 2 respondents.

Pay as we go, essentially.

 

Obviously if we like the crew taking care of us-the  room steward, the Butler, the servers, the  Sommerliers  we want to keep them . The Maitre'd and Asst in the past quickly sense what we like for seating.

If we are happy campers,  we want more of the same for segments 2 and 3.

 

hrhdhd: my rules  of thumb is that the crew we know that directly serve us over the course of a cruise start with in my mind a decent  extra gratuity, and they can work their way up or down from there. Kind of the happy wife happy life theory.

 

Then if I hang out at say the retreat bar or Sunset bar and get to know the bartenders and servers and we have a rapport, they too are deserving of extra grat.

 

Otherwise, I always  disliked on part of land trips-the cab drivers tip, the  bellman and porters -the nice thing about cruises is its limited albeit with cash filled envelopes at the  end. Learned in a hurry about the envelopes.

We are similar on b2b and B3B's    It can also often be important to remember that sometimes crew members go home at the end of one of the segments and if we hold off to the end they may not get their well owned tip.

 

One thing that bothers me is that usually when you tip your favorite waiter or bar tender they don't get to keep it and have to pool it with all the other servers.   I understand the concept but when someone has gone out of their way to do something special I would like it to go to them   I'm told and have done it before that you can use an Extra Tip Form and specify a specific person and it goes to them.   This was confirmed to me by the HR Manager who actually applied it to their pay checks. 

 

Sometimes we have bought a nice little gift for the Retreat Hosts e.g. a necklace pendant or knowing some that collect those little charms for a bracelet buy one for them.   The beauty of a B3B is you can give them a little gift on one and money on others.

[HMR74]

2 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We are similar on b2b and B3B's    It can also often be important to remember that sometimes crew members go home at the end of one of the segments and if we hold off to the end they may not get their well owned tip.

 

One thing that bothers me is that usually when you tip your favorite waiter or bar tender they don't get to keep it and have to pool it with all the other servers.   I understand the concept but when someone has gone out of their way to do something special I would like it to go to them   I'm told and have done it before that you can use an Extra Tip Form and specify a specific person and it goes to them.   This was confirmed to me by the HR Manager who actually applied it to their pay checks. 

 

Sometimes we have bought a nice little gift for the Retreat Hosts e.g. a necklace pendant or knowing some that collect those little charms for a bracelet buy one for them.   The beauty of a B3B is you can give them a little gift on one and money on others.

Thanks all, I believe we are on the same page.

There is a bit of "pay it forward" in this where you increase hte gratuity for a performer, just like it should be  except there is a good chance you will not meet them again.

 

However if exceptional and better than expectations performanc eis occuring If I properly increase the grat, then the crew member is motivated to do the same caring for others. And if someone before me on the cruise properly took care of the crew about to take care of me, it all works out.

If I described that properly.

 

I just never thought about it  til now. on whats the best way and ther is no reason to reinvent the wheel.

 

I like the idea of charging to cabin and  having the specific amount going to the crew. Anybody know if that process is true for Royal (family trip coming up -4 cabins-yada yada) since systems are similar yet policies may differ.

 

In that instance, my adult daughters will be all over me if I do not properly take care of all the individuals that make our cruise special.

 

 

[HMR74]

21 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We are similar on b2b and B3B's    It can also often be important to remember that sometimes crew members go home at the end of one of the segments and if we hold off to the end they may not get their well owned tip.

 

One thing that bothers me is that usually when you tip your favorite waiter or bar tender they don't get to keep it and have to pool it with all the other servers.   I understand the concept but when someone has gone out of their way to do something special I would like it to go to them   I'm told and have done it before that you can use an Extra Tip Form and specify a specific person and it goes to them.   This was confirmed to me by the HR Manager who actually applied it to their pay checks. 

 

Sometimes we have bought a nice little gift for the Retreat Hosts e.g. a necklace pendant or knowing some that collect those little charms for a bracelet buy one for them.   The beauty of a B3B is you can give them a little gift on one and money on others.

just a note on crew members leaving the ship.

On a 16 day cruise in 2019, the Maiter 'd came up to me 3 days before the  end to say that our server, whom  I really liked, was leaving at the port before the end of the cruise-a subtle but professional way to send a message.

 

But as said, I really like the Extra Tip form idea.

 

 

[laslomas]

7 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

When we choose to tip we tip at the end of each cruise.  The choice to tip is a personal decision and we base our decision on whether a crew member is just doing their job as oppose to doing something extra to make our vacation comfortable and memorable.  

 

We recently had a Sommelier in Luminae  that I would describe as just doing his job.  He would have our drinks ready each evening but checking if we needed refills was consistently missing.   It wasn't a point of being over busy as we dine late and usually only 2-3 other tables.    Usually the waiter would keep an eye on our glasses and offer to top them up.   We chose to tip the Waiter more and the Sommelier substantially lower than we would normally tip. 

 

I am confused by your post. It seems the Sommelier was just doing his job, but not very well, and you still tipped him extra! I assume this was over and above the regular included gratuities? 

 

I am an easily confused Brit trying to understand the extra tipping subject.

Edited September 20, 2022 by laslomas

[wineoclock]

3 hours ago, laslomas said:

 

I am confused by your post. It seems the Sommelier was just doing his job, but not very well, and you still tipped him extra! I assume this was over and above the regular included gratuities? 

 

I am an easily confused Brit trying to understand the extra tipping subject.

Extra tipping when already tips are included… 

 

I actually don’t think it’s something I’ll ever understand even if I practice it, I’ll never understand why. 

[mfs2k]

3 hours ago, laslomas said:

you still tipped him extra! I assume this was over and above the regular included gratuities? 

 

I am an easily confused Brit trying to understand the extra tipping subject.

 

It's really an easy concept.  Just bring lots of money and hand it out to anyone who doesn't annoy you. . 

[HMR74]

36 minutes ago, wineoclock said:

Extra tipping when already tips are included… 

 

I actually don’t think it’s something I’ll ever understand even if I practice it, I’ll never understand why. 

There is a standard old rule of thumb rule for tipping which was 15% in the US and somehow that grew to 20%. Part of that is due to , in general, minimum wages being paid in the US for servers. For very upscale restaurants the  best servers , are paid more than the hash house servers, and I mean no disrespect because I worked my way thru college working in a restaurant/delicatessen. Learned a lot.

 

you pay more for exceptional service, especially if you are a regular and if you have some level of respect and concern for people serving you.

 

My question was just on timing of the gratuity. If people are enjoying the retreat its usually because they can afford a bit more. The better crew staff the Retreat (and blu and specialty). Not that much OJT there.

 

As I see it, If they take a bigger cut of our 18 a day gratuity (or what ever it is) smaller "cuts" are taken elsewhere. Just in Luminae we get 3 very nice meals a day. If we were paying 20% tip I am guessing at least 150 a day for food probably more at restaurants (and I am just roughly cost justifying extra tips here) thats 30 a day PP. But they do get their base pay however small it may be, and same for thestewards, but people fprget ther are a lot of people in the background like maintenace people, the workers at Bacino and Oceanview et al who all get a cut of thqt 18 a day PP.  To me it seems like a small pie to cut up 1200 ways and I understand ther are 3000 people paying an average of perhaps 16 a day or 48k a day-but thats 40 a day PP.

 

Thats a show stopper for me--40 a day PP  base gratuity. On average. 12 hour shift 6-7 days a week.

 

Sure as heck makes me feel guilty. But extra tipping is still optional. 🙂

 

 

Edited September 20, 2022 by HMR74

[wineoclock]

So are auto tips 15%? To me 15% is enough for tips. 
 

If I pay tips in the U.K. it wouldn’t occur to me to tip more than 10% unless the bill stated I needed to.

 

I can’t imagine what exceptional service merits people getting more.

 

Surely they are just doing their job? A good butler/waiter should anticipate the needs of their guest. That is doing their job & is not exceptional imo. 

 

It’s an interesting discussion & highlights differences.

 

However Gary does tip more & im not sure I agree with the concept of Doing so.

 

I’d rather my cruise fare was more & the staff have a decent wage than me subsidising the cruise line. I’d know then what I’d spent without having hidden extras. 

 

 

 

[HMR74]

BTW--if we think RCL is raking in profits left and right, on the surface it does. When I last looked RCL pre pandemic (probably when I looked, it  was the head of the class for large cruise companies) had a proft margin of 20% (on sales). However the Return on investment was about 10% based on stock prices, which was not great considering at the time you could buy "safe" US Treasuries and get 5%.

I was thinking of buying the stock to get the  100 credit. Back then you could do a 14 day TA in Aqua with drinks tips internet some OBC from cruise company for about 3500. So it was a 3% discount. Now Aqua is 4,000 AI-- PP. 

 

But the cost of cruising has gone up -food energy the cost of building a ship putting aside the amenities there are now.

 

[Maggie North]

To add my two cents: we tip extra but not a huge amount, mostly what we are comfortable with adding. We have never had any server or attendant ignore us if they thought it wasn't what the next guy was tipping. We have actually had servers and attendants from previous cruises stop by to greet us even when they weren't part of our current team!  It is important to be kind and appreciative also.

I do keep a list of names of crew/staff we come in contact with on the Notes app,  if only to mention favorably on the post-cruise survey or mention to an officer at Captain's Club events (great idea to utilize the "Attention to Detail" comment card during the cruise as well). We then use that list to formulate our tipping strategy. Since we are from the US, where tipping is part of our culture, we don't mind tipping on a cruise ship where service is always more exceptional than even the finer restaurants on land (IMO).

[HMR74]

1 minute ago, wineoclock said:

So are auto tips 15%? To me 15% is enough for tips. 
 

If I pay tips in the U.K. it wouldn’t occur to me to tip more than 10% unless the bill stated I needed to.

 

I can’t imagine what exceptional service merits people getting more.

 

Surely they are just doing their job? A good butler/waiter should anticipate the needs of their guest. That is doing their job & is not exceptional imo. 

 

It’s an interesting discussion & highlights differences.

 

However Gary does tip more & im not sure I agree with the concept of Doing so.

 

I’d rather my cruise fare was more & the staff have a decent wage than me subsidising the cruise line. I’d know then what I’d spent without having hidden extras. 

 

 

 

UK and US---different cultures. See my comment on ROI for the cruise companies and think Crystal. It appears all businesses are overleveraged. Utilities in Germany are now being subsidized by the Govt, kind of like banks were subsidized  since 2008. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

 

I would not have liked being CEO or CFO for most companies  during the pandemic. The stress tends to shorten lives.

 

And MDRs are not complementary-they are included in price.

[DCPIV]

4 minutes ago, wineoclock said:

So are auto tips 15%? To me 15% is enough for tips. 

 

It varies a bit.  Room attendants, MDR wait service, your Butler (if you have one), and Retreat Lounge service (if you have it) are a set, combined amount per day, the set amount depending on your room class.  Bartenders/bar service, spa service, and specialty dining are a set percentage of the price (18-20%).

 

 

[HMR74]

1 minute ago, DCPIV said:

 

It varies a bit.  Room attendants, MDR wait service, your Butler (if you have one), and Retreat Lounge service (if you have it) are a set, combined amount per day, the set amount depending on your room class.  Bartenders/bar service, spa service, and specialty dining are a set percentage of the price (18-20%).

 

 

thats true-however, for a while everybody on X was getting AI  so no 18% per drink and I think specialty dining had the tip included in the base price till recently. A slight of hand increase. There is still more AI now than pre pandemic. Its  become a bit like Costco samples and waiting in line to get a free bite.-:)  

 

Part of the slow service problem has been AI where people just order a drink and do drink more  (to get their moneys worth) but also takes up more time of the staff which was not increased to handle the"extra business". Someone at X did not think out the cause and effect of AI  completely

 

Still that does not appreciably increase the gratuity "Pool" all that much.

[DCPIV]

1 minute ago, HMR74 said:

for a while everybody on X was getting AI  so no 18% per drink

 

The 18% gratuity on the price of the beverage package was and is part of AI.  

 

Yes, the gratuity for specialty was hidden in the price, but it is not hidden any longer.

[HMR74]

8 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

The 18% gratuity on the price of the beverage package was and is part of AI.  

 

Yes, the gratuity for specialty was hidden in the price, but it is not hidden any longer.

just to clarify, I just bought drink packages on RCL platform  and the grats were added to the  price shown on website. And yes, the AI  includes the grats as they charge a round number for what was called the upgrade to elevate and indulge packages.