Tips for Butler/Cabin Steward

[danoshea]

Can anybody help me here this is my first time in a suite I have pre paid my Gratuity and am wondering do I still have to tip the Butler and tip the Cabin Steward or is this included in my Gratuity Paymet. Going on Century in October next and really looking foward to it.Would appreciate a reply.

 

God Bless;)

[CaliforniaDreamin]

If you wish to add some amount to that in cash to certain people at the end of your cruise, that's up to you. You probably will receive envelopes marked with people to tip toward the end of your cruise. Use these for additional tips.

[claud925]

How do you prepay gratuities for a cruise you haven't even taken yet??

 

You may choose the option of automatic tipping, where the amounts for all concerned staff (including your butler and cabin steward) are deducted from your onboard account while you're on your cruise .... but to pay up front?:confused:

 

The auto tipping option deducts only the minimum amounts suggested daily per person; however, you can certainly have these amounts altered (either up or down) depending on the service rendered.

[Lobbylin]

Can anybody help me here this is my first time in a suite I have pre paid my Gratuity and am wondering do I still have to tip the Butler and tip the Cabin Steward or is this included in my Gratuity Paymet. Going on Century in October next and really looking foward to it.Would appreciate a reply.

 

God Bless;)

 

You are under no obligation to pay any more, so if you chose not to there is no issue or pressure as you have simply paid up front what most people pay on the last day.

 

Having said that, if you feel the service you receive is exceptional and the butler or steward went beyond what was required of them to make your stay excellent... then maybe you'll want to tip them a little extra at the end.

It's entirely up to you!

 

I have stayed in a Sky Suite twice, and the first butler was excellent, so we gave him more.

On the second occasion, the butler was lazy and unhelpful, so we gave him the recomended amount and nothing more, however the cabin steward was excellent on the second occasion, so we gave him more. The cabin steward was so pleased he came back to the cabin to thank us and shake our hands when we left.

 

There's a thread somewhere on "being butled", which should give you an idea of what to expect and what is considered outstanding service. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=398694&highlight=butled

[judyfssw]

The only time that we stayed in a suite, we had an excellent butler, an average room steward and an awesome asst. room steward. Needless to say, we gave our asst. steward a separate envelope. We also gave our butler more than the average tip and our room steward received the minimum as we rarely saw her.

[TPKeller]

How do you prepay gratuities for a cruise you haven't even taken yet??

 

You may choose the option of automatic tipping, where the amounts for all concerned staff (including your butler and cabin steward) are deducted from your onboard account while you're on your cruise .... but to pay up front?:confused:

 

The auto tipping option deducts only the minimum amounts suggested daily per person; however, you can certainly have these amounts altered (either up or down) depending on the service rendered.

The OP doesn't say where they are from, but it is fairly common for TAs in Europe to add the recommended gratuity amounts directly to the fare. I think it has to do with the fact that tipping is not so prevalent in Europe, so it works better for them to view it as just part of the ticket price. And of course, despite the name "gratuity", that is functionally what it really is.

 

Theron