Cash Tipping

[BeeeJay]

Obviously a highly personal choice and will vary a lot person to person and that is fine.  Just looking to get a general consensus on how much and whom to tip and when.

 

On past NCL and RCL cruises have tipped the cabin attendant at the end in addition to whatever included daily gratuity is required.

 

Realizing MSC is a more European crowd with different norms i though I had better check to see what people do.

Specifically thinking about Yacht Club butler, regular cabin attendants, and possible others like bartenders, wait staff etc.  Will be on multiple back-to-backs.  Won upgrade bid on first two weeks but TBD on others hence asking about both.  Thinking I will tip at end of each week as that is a standard cutoff for a lot of cruisers/staff.  
 

I tried to search but wasn’t having any luck—any advice is greatly appreciated—thanks in advance!  

[DaKahuna]

Depending on the level/quality of the service we receive we normally tip our Butler, cabin attendant, restaurant wait staff, and sommelier at the end of each cruise, or each segment in the case of a B2B. 

Bar staff we generally tip when served. 

[dmccadden]

We like to split our tips. We tip on the first day and once or twice during the rest of the trip. The thought being it may bring the best service possible from the beginning. We tip butler, cabin steward, waiter. We have tipped bartenders and pool staff. 

[JAGR]

49 minutes ago, dmccadden said:

We like to split our tips. We tip on the first day and once or twice during the rest of the trip. The thought being it may bring the best service possible from the beginning. We tip butler, cabin steward, waiter. We have tipped bartenders and pool staff. 

One minor factor. You mention butler and cabin steward.  Keep in mind that the YC rooms are served by Butler and Junior Butler.  The junior butler distinction is a source of pride to those individuals, as they represent an elite level for the steward position.

[BeeeJay]

Just now, JAGR said:

One minor factor. You mention butler and cabin steward.  Keep in mind that the YC rooms are served by Butler and Junior Butler.  The junior butler distinction is a source of pride to those individuals, as they represent an elite level for the steward position.

understood and thank you for that knowledge, I had no idea!  you may notice in my post I’m doing multiple back-to-backs and expecting at least some leg may not be upgraded to YC.

 

I’ll tip at the end of each of my 6 consecutive weeks aboard.

 

what I really need is a ballpark dollar amount for each week for each position:

Butler

Junior Butler

cabin attendant (if not YC)

restaurant wait staff

Sommelier

Bartender

pool staff

 

Thanks so much for the quick responses!!! 

 

[Mark_T]

1 minute ago, BeeeJay said:

what I really need is a ballpark dollar amount for each week for each position:

Butler

Junior Butler

cabin attendant (if not YC)

restaurant wait staff

Sommelier

Bartender

pool staff

 

Thanks so much for the quick responses!!! 

 

Keep in mind that MSC set the expectation at $0, they do not officially recommend additional tipping...

 

That said, of course many people do tip anyway, so do as you see fit according to the service you have received...

[JAGR]

14 minutes ago, BeeeJay said:

understood and thank you for that knowledge, I had no idea!  you may notice in my post I’m doing multiple back-to-backs and expecting at least some leg may not be upgraded to YC.

 

I’ll tip at the end of each of my 6 consecutive weeks aboard.

 

what I really need is a ballpark dollar amount for each week for each position:

Butler:   $75 to $125 The range would cover probably 60% of the tipping

Junior Butler: $40 to $60

cabin attendant (if not YC): $40 to 80, depending on service level

restaurant wait staff: $70 to 100 for the crew, especially if you have the same set all that week.

Sommelier: $20 to 60

Bartender:  $1 or 2 per drink, especially outside of the YC,and $20 or so to any "favorite" or "regular bartender

pool staff:  Varies.  If you ask the attendant to set up towels daily in your desired location, maybe $20-40.  Pool waiter, $1 or 2 per round

 

Thanks so much for the quick responses!!! 

 

If you read the threads, the amounts vary tremendously from guest report to guest report. Above, I just put in what appears to be the "average" amount.  Keep in mind the level of service you receive may vary from week to week.  Also, keep in mind how much service you require.  Daily consults with the sommelier versus only occasional contact would impact the tip amount.  Also, for dining, you will usually have a team with one lead waiter and two or three assistants. The lead waiter will have a gold tie.  I am assuming this would be US-based cruises.  Tipping is less expected overseas.  The offical MSC line is that tipping is not expected.  In reality, the top servers bid for US-based cruises because of the likelihood of tips.

Edited September 24, 2023 by JAGR

[Best Cat Mom]

In YC, you can get envelopes from the Concierge desk. The concierges are also great help when you want to know how to spell names to write on the envelopes. 😉

 

Other people to consider tipping in YC are the concierges, the restaurant manager and host(s), the head butler, and the more attentive Top Sail Lounge butlers.

Edited September 24, 2023 by Best Cat Mom

[DaKahuna]

12 minutes ago, BeeeJay said:

understood and thank you for that knowledge, I had no idea!  you may notice in my post I’m doing multiple back-to-backs and expecting at least some leg may not be upgraded to YC.

 

I’ll tip at the end of each of my 6 consecutive weeks aboard.

 

what I really need is a ballpark dollar amount for each week for each position:

Butler

Junior Butler

cabin attendant (if not YC)

restaurant wait staff

Sommelier

Bartender

pool staff

 

Thanks so much for the quick responses!!! 

 

 

 For us it depends on the level and quality of service.  We do not go with a planned specific amount but rather let the service we receive determine what we tip.

 

[Essiesmom]

13 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Keep in mind that MSC set the expectation at $0, they do not officially recommend additional tipping...

 

That said, of course many people do tip anyway, so do as you see fit according to the service you have received...

From the MSC website, right above Important note

[Ottawa_Cruiser]

We don’t sail YC, so this is what we’d generally tip:

 

Cabin steward: $60, if good service. $20 at the start. 
 

Bartenders: $1-2 per drink. If they are taking care of me by the pool for several hours, $10. 
 

Waitstaff: $5-10 at dinner each night. 
 

We also leave the daily service fee on. 

[BeeeJay]

7 hours ago, JAGR said:

If you read the threads, the amounts vary tremendously from guest report to guest report. Above, I just put in what appears to be the "average" amount.  Keep in mind the level of service you receive may vary from week to week.  Also, keep in mind how much service you require.  Daily consults with the sommelier versus only occasional contact would impact the tip amount.  Also, for dining, you will usually have a team with one lead waiter and two or three assistants. The lead waiter will have a gold tie.  I am assuming this would be US-based cruises.  Tipping is less expected overseas.  The offical MSC line is that tipping is not expected.  In reality, the top servers bid for US-based cruises because of the likelihood of tips.

This is incredibly helpful and right in the range I was thinking was reasonable, thank you so much!!!

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I had the drink package on my most recent MSC cruise but I kept a stash of $5 bills in my pocket. I'd watch how a bartender mixed my drinks and if they poured an amount that was equal to a "double", I'd hand him a $5 bill. Poured me a regular drink, nothing extra.

 

I always tip extra for my (non-yacht club) room steward. For a 7-nt cruise, likely $50-$60. For the recent 3-nt cruise, just an extra $20 since I was only 1X per day servicing of the cabin.

[perakcruiser]

12 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

From the MSC website, right above Important note

Important addition: Only US pax can remove the service charge. For others it is mandatory and mostly needs to be paid in advance before the cruise starts. Otherwise boarding denied 😄

 

[morpheusofthesea]

Gratuities charged to ones account ($98 pp for the week) go to paying the staff's wages. Those that remove the gratuity, for whatever lame reason, then the cruise line has to make up the difference. OBC used to tip a particular staff member may not go 100% to the designated person, and may be shared. Tip in cash directly to service provider.

I got permission from a FB poster to repost this: "Recently I saw a Tik Tok by Captain Kate. She was giving out envelopes to her staff that a passenger asked her to do for them. One staff member opened the envelope to find $5. He went crazy with joy, you would have thought it was a $100. She received so many comments on why the young man was overly excited and happy for such a small amount. A few days later she did another Tik Tok with him asking him why his reaction was so grand. He said that he would have reacted the same way if it was only $1 dollar. He said with those $5 dollars he can buy rice, bread and a lot more stuff for his family back home. That video opened my eyes on tipping anyone who serves me and our family. Please tip extra by cash. The included tips are the bare minimum that are divided between many.

[RandomUser123]

My policy is whatever the cruiseline charges for tips is what i pay. I do not pay more and i of course will not go to guest services and demand it be less. 

[DaKahuna]

 We have, over many cruises, have set a certain level of expected service.  If we find someone going over and above that on our behalf, then we respond with additional gratuities/tips.  We have never requested that the basic gratuities / service charge be removed. That being said, we realize that everyone is different and that tipping is a personal preference so we do our thing and expect others to do theirs. 

 

 

[Nclcruise1415]

We, too, will gladly pay our expected tips. Additionally, we will tip extra to those who go above and beyond or are extra pleasant to deal with. 

[RD64]

Why does every cruise line have at least one thread per week for people that do not want to pay the gratuities?

[Best Cat Mom]

16 minutes ago, RD64 said:

Why does every cruise line have at least one thread per week for people that do not want to pay the gratuities?

The OP (Original Poster) who began this thread wants to tip, just wanted advice about it from others.

[Mark_T]

3 hours ago, KennyFla said:

There are several reports on this board that the daily service charge does not go to the crew.  It goes to MSC to “pay their wages”.  

I believe that may be a misrepresentation of the facts.

 

The staff contracts are reported to list both their agreed wages, and an estimated share of the tip pool. Both are guaranteed by MSC.

 

This lets the staff know in advance what they are likely to be able to send home, rather than being dependent on the random generosity of the guests each week...

 

If the tip pool is higher than the estimate they get more, if it is less then MSC covers the difference.

[KennyFla]

15 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

I believe that may be a misrepresentation of the facts.

 

The staff contracts are reported to list both their agreed wages, and an estimated share of the tip pool. Both are guaranteed by MSC.

 

This lets the staff know in advance what they are likely to be able to send home, rather than being dependent on the random generosity of the guests each week...

 

If the tip pool is higher than the estimate they get more, if it is less then MSC covers the difference.

I guess it all depends on the total compensation package they get from MSC vs other lines. 
 

Not going to nitpick between what is a tip and what is wage.  Sort of MSCs version of the VAT.  Maybe because they have so many non American passengers. 
 

in the end it goes back to if you want to tip extra do it. If not, don’t.  Don’t let people make you feel bad either way. 

[ReneeFLL]

On 9/24/2023 at 3:16 PM, Best Cat Mom said:

In YC, you can get envelopes from the Concierge desk. The concierges are also great help when you want to know how to spell names to write on the envelopes. 😉

 

Other people to consider tipping in YC are the concierges, the restaurant manager and host(s), the head butler, and the more attentive Top Sail Lounge butlers.

Is there anyone you’re leaving out? That sounds a bit much to me, but I know everyone is different. And all this when they say extra tipping isn’t necessary. American tipping culture is going bonkers.

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by ReneeFLL

[Best Cat Mom]

3 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

Is there anyone you’re leaving out? That sounds a bit much to me, but I know everyone is different.

I think that was all -- we handed out 22 envelopes on our last cruise according to our notes.

[DaKahuna]

1 minute ago, Best Cat Mom said:

I think that was all -- we handed out 22 envelopes on our last cruise according to our notes.

 

 WoW !! I have never done half that.  Then again bartenders and waiters in bars/lounges we usually tip per service (e.g. each drink, or when ordering our last drink in that venue).