Tipping at the end of the cruise

[YellowTJ]

Ok ok I'm still a little confused on one part of the tipping. I know the standard for how much and all that jazz, but can someone tell me at the end how it's done. Do they pre-charge my account anything? If I don't make changes do they go with their suggested amount. Or do they not charge anything at all ?

 

I ask mostly because I highly doubt I'll use the dinning area much. I don't want to tip for nights I'm not eating there.

 

Also I would like to tip more or less based on service not RCI's predeturmined amount. I don't expect to have to "lower" anyone's tip but I like the option, I'd also like to know when other's give better tips for rooms for instance what do they give on top of the normal on a say $400 pp room?

[jlperry]

You have the option of pre-paying your tips by filling out a form left in your cabin, which will automatically add the recommended amounts to your SeaPass card. They will then give you vouchers to put in the envelopes and give to the staff on the last day, so they know that you tipped them.

 

Or, you can just put cash in the envelopes as you see fit. If I'm satisfied with the service (which I always am), I'll pre-pay and get the vouchers, then add in some cash as I see fit.

 

The recommended amount only changes for your steward if you are in a suite, which presumably is more difficult to clean. Otherwise it doesn't matter what you paid for the room in relation to tipping.

 

Even if you don't eat in the dining room, you should tip your waiter/waitress. They work in the other food service facilities during the breakfast and lunch hours (12 hour days, 7 days a week) and only get paid from tips. If you're eating in the Windjammer, you're still using their services.

[TEXASMUNK]

Even if you NEVER step into the Dining Room and eat only room service or in the Windjammer....the wait staff need to be tipped.

The same folks that work in the Dining Room also work every else on the ship.

 

By not eating in the Dining Room DOES NOT reduce the obligation to tip. Tips are pooled and shared.

Unless you go the whole cruise without eating.

[Sue L]

There has been a lot of discussion about tipping on these boards you might want to do a search for "tipping"

 

 

But to answer your questions, on the last night before embarkation you get envelopes in your cabin where you can put the tips for each person, being your room steward, dining staff etc. The tips can be made in cash or during the beginning of the cruise you can have the tips added to your seapass account.

 

Since this is your first cruise why do you think that you won't go to the dining room? You really should to get the "whole" experience IMO. In any case even though we don't eat in the dining room every night we do tip for the whole cruise because the staff that takes care of you at dinner is also on duty at breakfast and lunch in both the dining room and the buffet.

 

The amount you tip has nothing to do with the type of cabin unless you are in a suite. We always give the reccommend and usually add extra to that .

[cruisePRN]

Tips are not pooled. When you get room service you tip the person who brought your try. If you used room service the entire cruise you would have tipped the food servers and met your obligation. That said..........it's highly unlikely you'd use room service exclusively. Also if you dine in a specialty restaurant the tip is included in the price.

I think when you see how much your wait staff in the dining room try to please you it would be unconscienable not to tip the recommeded amount.

[cb at sea]

By not using the dining room, you'll be missing out on a whole part of cruising! It's not just the trip--it's the experience! And the dining room staff really goes out of their way to give you a good experience! Plus, I love getting together at the end of the day with our new tablemate friends! It's fun! It's social!! And it's goooood eats!!!!

[amapola]

I have a related question, so I thought I'd pop it in here instead of starting yet another thread on this :) .

 

You have the option of pre-paying your tips by filling out a form left in your cabin, which will automatically add the recommended amounts to your SeaPass card. They will then give you vouchers to put in the envelopes and give to the staff on the last day, so they know that you tipped them.

 

I don't plan to use the DR, instead we'll go to the WJ most nights and Portofino on formal nights. In this case, the pre-paid tips will work out better, since I won't be seeing the wait staff in the DR. Here's the question: I don't actually need to give them the vouchers, do I? I mean, the amount of the tip will be credited to them directly, is that right?

 

BTW, the reason we're skipping the DR is that main seating is too early, late is too late (do we sound like Goldilocks? :D ), and we don't want to be tied to a schedule.

 

Thanks for reading!

[YellowTJ]

Thanks for all those concerned about me not eating in the dinning area :), I know I won't eat there 2 of the 5 nights as one is a formal night and I just don't do formal wear and the other I'll be in port past our dinning time. Sad but true. I am going to try and get my pals to change our dinning time to later but they booked us on the early for what reason ... I just don't know.

 

Ok so if I get this right you can just charge the straight up amount to your sea pass, or you can get enveloples to put it in yourself where you make the call on the who and what right?

[katiel53]

Yes you are correct. You have two choices. Either pay the total amount on the SeaPass--no changes. Or, pay your own tips in envelopes. In either case you can add more. We don't eat in the dining room at least 2 nights, but we still tip as though we did.

 

The servers in the buffet or in the dining room for breakfast or lunch, are the same as the ones for dinner. It's not the waiter's fault you went to the specialty restaurant or decided to dine in port. The table and service were there for you either way.

 

I do hope you don't decide to not tip the nights you aren't in the dining room, but that of course is up to you.

[critterchick]

I don't plan to use the DR, instead we'll go to the WJ most nights and Portofino on formal nights. In this case, the pre-paid tips will work out better, since I won't be seeing the wait staff in the DR. Here's the question: I don't actually need to give them the vouchers, do I? I mean, the amount of the tip will be credited to them directly, is that right?

 

BTW, the reason we're skipping the DR is that main seating is too early, late is too late (do we sound like Goldilocks? :D ), and we don't want to be tied to a schedule.

 

Goldilocks, (:) ), the vouchers are something for the waitstaff to check against their pay, but I think they get the money whether you give them the slip of paper or not. It's just helpful for their personal book-keeping.

 

YellowTJ, if you're going to put the tips on your Seapass, you will need to fill out a form a day or two in advance of the last night. If you prefer to give cash you can always withdraw the money from the casino (charged to your Seapass), which is what we usually do. RCI does not charge a fee for doing so, and I've heard from several crew members that they prefer cash to vouchers in any event - they get the money right away and don't have to do the book-keeping mentioned above.

[critterchick]

argh. the dreaded double post!

[sea-cruise]

Ok ok I'm still a little confused on one part of the tipping. I know the standard for how much and all that jazz, but can someone tell..

 

I haven't read everyone's reply, but I'm sure they have explained why you should tip the wait staff. They work so very hard for so little money...They are working in the Windjammer as well as the dining room. Please don't let them down. :o Have a wonderful cruise.

[YellowTJ]

I didn't know all that aobut the staff working at the windjammer and all that in the am. Thats really good to know.

 

I added it up an it looks like for a 5 day trip the total trip for 2 people is just less than $100 dose that seem right to you guys? Not enough to worry about and then I can give out extra as needed.

 

I'll just have it all billed to my account thanks guys your all so great.

[sea-cruise]

Hi Again, Yes, you're right..It comes out to about $97.00 HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!!

Oh yes....and Happy New Year!

[amapola]

Goldilocks, (:) ), the vouchers are something for the waitstaff to check against their pay, but I think they get the money whether you give them the slip of paper or not. It's just helpful for their personal book-keeping.

 

:) Thanks for the info, Jean.

 

Our last cruise was on Princess, and since they have the Anytime Dining option, the tips (or service charge, as they call it :rolleyes: ) are added automatically. We did tip the room steward extra at the end, but we never had the same waitstaff twice, so we just left the standard amount.

[Coralc]

TP Keller's Tip calculator is here:

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/ :)

 

It's a very handy website!

[ddsdoc]

if you're going to put the tips on your Seapass, you will need to fill out a form a day or two in advance of the last night

 

where do you get the form to fill out??? in your room or do you have to go to the desk??? thanks

[moosetracks17]

Having worked in the service industry for years I too agree that you should tip all staff (even the waitstaff) as they have some sort of "Behind the scenes" part in getting your food to you.

 

HOWEVER

 

I also agree that if I did not receive the service I requested, or received poor service.... I believe that tips should reflect the performance of the staff. Of course I plan on tipping everyone in cash in the envelopes on the last day so I can add my little trinkets and extra cash as I see fit.... however if my room attendant did not pay attention to our towels with a post it that says "dirty.... please get new ones"... I dont feel he has done his job and therefore, does not deserve to be paid for a job he hasnt done.

 

Sorry to be such a scruge here but I agree... I want the choice in how much I tip out and I hope the envelopes on the last day allow us to do that... tip more or less depending on our experience.

 

Agree or disagree? Id like to hear all ideas.

[moosetracks17]

Having worked in the service industry for years I too agree that you should tip all staff (even the waitstaff) as they have some sort of "Behind the scenes" part in getting your food to you.

 

HOWEVER

 

I also agree that if I did not receive the service I requested, or received poor service.... I believe that tips should reflect the performance of the staff. Of course I plan on tipping everyone in cash in the envelopes on the last day so I can add my little trinkets and extra cash as I see fit.... however if my room attendant did not pay attention to our towels with a post it that says "dirty.... please get new ones"... I dont feel he has done his job and therefore, does not deserve to be paid for a job he hasnt done.

 

Sorry to be such a scruge here but I agree... I want the choice in how much I tip out and I hope the envelopes on the last day allow us to do that... tip more or less depending on our experience.

 

Agree or disagree? Id like to hear all ideas.

[critterchick]

where do you get the form to fill out??? in your room or do you have to go to the desk??? thanks

 

They should leave a form in your cabin, and tell you about it in the daily Compass. If you don't get the form, go down to Guest Relations and they will have a stand with the forms on them - you shouldn't even have to stand in line.

 

Stacy, I agree that good service should be rewarded and lousy service shouldn't. Having said that, however, I use RCI's recommendations as a minimum amount, particularly for the waitstaff. Even if my assistant waiter didn't remember from one night to the next that I don't like white bread and continued to plop it onto my bread plate without allowing me to select what I want, hey, she brought me my tea, poured some wine and did other things pretty well, so she deserves something. I figure that, if we had comparable dinners on land, we would pay about $75-100 for each meal onboard, and would therefore tip $15 or more, and that's not including breakfast or lunch. For RCI suggests $7 for the waiter and $4 for the AW, so that's undertipping, in my book. Now, your numbers may vary, depending on where you live, and I haven't a clue how RCI arrives at those numbers, but I think they're low for what we get.

 

So if the service meets my minimum standards, I would tip more than the recommended amount. If it's just ok, I would tip the recommended. If it really sucked I would tip less. That hasn't happened yet, I'm happy to say.

 

Oh, and you're supposed to throw your towels on the floor if you want them swapped out (part of the Save the Waves program). If they're hanging up, the cabin steward won't even look to see if there's a note. On the other hand, if he picked them up and put them back on the rack or ignored them on the floor, you should call housekeeping. I would have put them out in the main part of the cabin where he'd be sure to step on them, which one would HOPE would result in fresh towels.:eek:

[shaffer4]

I hate this debate over tipping.

 

On our last cruise we ate in the dining room 2 nights and we DIDN"T tip the waiters.

The waiters were there to wait on us, it's not like they were doing something else, but were nice enough to stop and bring us meals so we rewarded them for going beyond their normal function, they're waiters they wait on people, and it's not my fault they agreed to do it for tips.

 

Automatic tipping has gotten so out of hand in the US and contributes to mediocre service. Tipping should be an individual decision on a by case basis and not considered a cost of dining out.

 

 

I realize this is not a popular point of view on this board, but it's mine to have and I'd appreciate not being flamed for expressing it.

 

 

Scott

[Lightsluvr]

I hate this debate over tipping.

 

On our last cruise we ate in the dining room 2 nights and we DIDN"T tip the waiters.

The waiters were there to wait on us, it's not like they were doing something else, but were nice enough to stop and bring us meals so we rewarded them for going beyond their normal function, they're waiters they wait on people, and it's not my fault they agreed to do it for tips.

 

Automatic tipping has gotten so out of hand in the US and contributes to mediocre service. Tipping should be an individual decision on a by case basis and not considered a cost of dining out.

 

 

I realize this is not a popular point of view on this board, but it's mine to have and I'd appreciate not being flamed for expressing it.

 

 

Scott

 

Sorry, but this attitude paints you as a cheap, self-centered person. It is common knowledge that the service workers onboard ships work for tips (just like almost all wait-staff in U.S. restaurants.)

 

If I don't give a gratuity in return for good service, in my opinion it is just like stealing... but that's just me.

 

If you refuse to tip, why don't you just stay home...:cool:

 

LL

[cruise182]

I hate this debate over tipping.

 

On our last cruise we ate in the dining room 2 nights and we DIDN"T tip the waiters.

The waiters were there to wait on us, it's not like they were doing something else, but were nice enough to stop and bring us meals so we rewarded them for going beyond their normal function, they're waiters they wait on people, and it's not my fault they agreed to do it for tips.

 

Automatic tipping has gotten so out of hand in the US and contributes to mediocre service. Tipping should be an individual decision on a by case basis and not considered a cost of dining out.

 

 

I realize this is not a popular point of view on this board, but it's mine to have and I'd appreciate not being flamed for expressing it.

 

 

Scott

:( WOW:(

[Gonzo70]

On our last cruise we ate in the dining room 2 nights and we DIDN"T tip the waiters.

The waiters were there to wait on us, it's not like they were doing something else, but were nice enough to stop and bring us meals so we rewarded them for going beyond their normal function, they're waiters they wait on people, and it's not my fault they agreed to do it for tips.

 

 

You need to watch Resevoir Dogs.

[daisysheridan]

Having been on a couple of cruises, DH and I have made the decision not to eat at the main dining room for a cruise or two. We DID indeed tip but we gave it to the head guy at the Windjammer instead. I needed them to know how much we appreciated their service!