Tipping???

[Desperate housewife]

Hello,

 

We are going on our first ever cruise on the mariner in Aug.

 

Can anyone help me to budget what my tip bill should come to.

 

Cabin 1 = 2 adults and 2 children aged 5 & 6

cabin 2 = 2 teenagers 15 & 16

 

Just a bit confused with it all.

 

And I have read on some posts this is automatically added to your room and on other posts it's not. Which is right?

 

Many thanks

 

Nikki

[DonnaK]

Hello,

 

We are going on our first ever cruise on the mariner in Aug.

 

Can anyone help me to budget what my tip bill should come to.

 

Cabin 1 = 2 adults and 2 children aged 5 & 6

cabin 2 = 2 teenagers 15 & 16

 

Just a bit confused with it all.

 

And I have read on some posts this is automatically added to your room and on other posts it's not. Which is right?

 

Many thanks

 

Nikki

 

 

The confusion might be because you are from the UK. From the way it sounds on these boards, TA's in the UK include prepayment of the tips as part of your cruise fare. So, for you, it might be have been added from the outset. You'll need to verify this with your TA.

 

In general, RCI does not automatically charge tips to your room. You have to make the arrangement if you wish to do it this way instead of cash. But again, it seems like those from the UK already have had this arrangement made in advance. Otherwise the rate is roughly $10 per person per day (or $70 per person for the 7 day cruise) regardless of their ages.

[mediator]

This will be our first cruise, I am going with my wife and 2 kids in 2 Pr cabins.......Cruise critic says :Many lines recommend about $10 per person per day to be given to the dining room waiter ($4.00 per person, per day), assistant waiter ($2 per person, per day) and cabin steward ($4.00 per person, per day)...If I understand correctly I have to give $10.00 X 4 people X 7 days = $280.00......are these price the right amount ?:confused:

 

The amounts will be detailed for you on the website, your documents. You are very close with the amounts... I think the waiter and steward are $3.50 per day x's the numberof days per person. However we usually go up to the next round number if it comes out in cents.

If you have never cruised before you will see that the tips you give out, do not come close to the service you get. Where do you get your room cleaned twice a day? Kids make messes and do not pay less than adults. So, just add it as a cost of your vaction.

[mediator]

It is a fixed amount, and you have to make the request a few days before your cruise ends. You can always get cash from the customer service desk and casino.

 

###

It is a fixed amount if put on the sea pass. Having been on many cruises and all lines, the service has not been equal each time. With that said, never have we ever tipped LESS than the recommend amount. In my opinion they work very hard for the money. Many times when I have received service that seemed off, I figured perhaps it was a failure just to communicate and expectations. They work hard.

[nrh322]

Can someone please clarify something for me... What happens if they automagically add the tips to our seapass card and we can't track someone down to give them the envelope with the voucher? Can we leave the envelope(s) somewhere to be distributed for us?

[nrh322]

sorry double post

[mediator]

Can someone please clarify something for me... What happens if they automagically add the tips to our seapass card and we can't track someone down to give them the envelope with the voucher? Can we leave the envelope(s) somewhere to be distributed for us?

 

When we left for dinner, if the steward wasn't outside on the last night, we left it in our room... he was waiting when we returned to say thanks.

 

On the last night we did not go to the dining room, however before the second seating started, we went to the dining room and tipped the waiter and busboy (full amounts) regardless of where we are. We feel they were there to serve us regardless of where we chose to eat.

[Merion_Mom]

Can someone please clarify something for me... What happens if they automagically add the tips to our seapass card and we can't track someone down to give them the envelope with the voucher? Can we leave the envelope(s) somewhere to be distributed for us?

 

I think that the vouchers are there to make *us* feel better. They will get your gratuities whether you give them the vouchers or not. RC has the list.

 

:)

[PhoenixCruiser]

I think that the vouchers are there to make *us* feel better. They will get your gratuities whether you give them the vouchers or not. RC has the list.

 

:)

 

Agreed! We usually pay in cash, however my three sisters and my parents put their tips on their sea pass and added extra cash. When I took our tips and their vouchers to our servers during the early seating (we had late), they let me know that they would still receive the tips put on the sea pass even if they didn't have the vouchers. :)

 

###

[cruznagn]

We prefer to tip in cash. It seems we always tip over the recommended amount due to excellent service. For some crazy reason, I prefer handing over the evelope containing cash than one with just a voucher.

[Desperate housewife]

The confusion might be because you are from the UK. From the way it sounds on these boards, TA's in the UK include prepayment of the tips as part of your cruise fare. So, for you, it might be have been added from the outset. You'll need to verify this with your TA.

 

In general, RCI does not automatically charge tips to your room. You have to make the arrangement if you wish to do it this way instead of cash. But again, it seems like those from the UK already have had this arrangement made in advance. Otherwise the rate is roughly $10 per person per day (or $70 per person for the 7 day cruise) regardless of their ages.

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

I have checked and they are not included.

 

I have a bit of a problem with this. Why would they recommend the same for young children?

 

The airline company, Disney, Universal, Florida hotels and even RCCL themselves charge less for children as part of the cost of a holiday.

 

If I went to a restaurant The childrens meals would cost a lot less than ours so the % of tip from what the children eat/drink would be less than the adults %

 

I think $420.00 for 6 of us in 2 rooms when only 2 are adults sounds a lot of tips for 1 week.

 

This would be on top of porters, room service, Bar bill 15% etc.

 

Saying that when I get there and see how hard they work I will want to give them my house!

[negc]

Part of the reasoning goes that children require just as much, if not more, attention and work as adults and therefore there should not be any adjustment of the tip amounts. Still another reason is that, in the dining room, they occupy space that would otherwise be filled by adults who would be expected to pay the full amount. A lower rate for the kids would reduce the amounts that the service staff receives. Some lines suggest a lesser amount of tip for children below a certain age, but RCI is not one of them. In the final analysis, I think the answer to your question is "that's the way it is" and you can choose to like it or not, follow it or not. Unless you have the line put the tips on your onboard account, of course, you are ultimately the one to decide just how much to tip. If you sincerely feel that the service that is extended to your children (or you for that matter) is not worthy of the suggested tip amount, you have the power to reduce the amount to whatever level you deem appropriate. At the end of your cruise, most of us believe that you will feel that the staff has more than earned the tips you are asked to provide.:)

[Desperate housewife]

Thank you for your reply... I'm sure I will feel they deserve every penny.

 

Can you tell me if any of that $10 pp goes to the kids club staff? If not is it the done thing to tip them?

[DonnaK]

Thanks for the advice.

 

I have checked and they are not included.

 

I have a bit of a problem with this. Why would they recommend the same for young children?

 

The airline company, Disney, Universal, Florida hotels and even RCCL themselves charge less for children as part of the cost of a holiday.

 

If I went to a restaurant The childrens meals would cost a lot less than ours so the % of tip from what the children eat/drink would be less than the adults %

 

I think $420.00 for 6 of us in 2 rooms when only 2 are adults sounds a lot of tips for 1 week.

 

This would be on top of porters, room service, Bar bill 15% etc.

 

Saying that when I get there and see how hard they work I will want to give them my house!

 

negc gave an excellent reply.

 

Just for the record: RCI is not charging less for children. The first two people in the cabin pay one rate, and the 3rd and 4th person have a discounted rate, regardless of age. So four adults in one cabin pay the same as one adult and three children.

 

When we traveled with my 9 month old niece, she was charged the full 3rd person fare even though she couldn't use the pool or any other service, and didn't eat/drink b/c the cruiseline does not provide baby food/formula, and we still paid the full recommended tip.

 

I never tipped the Kids Club staff - not sure if it just didn't occur to me because it wasn't on the list of recommended tips, or because me kids really don't utilize the club all that much. They are very close in age, and just preferred to hang out with each other and a few CC friends they met along the way.

[DonnaK]

Thanks for the advice.

 

I have checked and they are not included.

 

I have a bit of a problem with this. Why would they recommend the same for young children?

 

The airline company, Disney, Universal, Florida hotels and even RCCL themselves charge less for children as part of the cost of a holiday.

 

If I went to a restaurant The childrens meals would cost a lot less than ours so the % of tip from what the children eat/drink would be less than the adults %

 

I think $420.00 for 6 of us in 2 rooms when only 2 are adults sounds a lot of tips for 1 week.

 

This would be on top of porters, room service, Bar bill 15% etc.

 

Saying that when I get there and see how hard they work I will want to give them my house!

 

negc gave an excellent reply.

 

Just for the record: RCI is not charging less for children. The first two people in the cabin pay one rate, and the 3rd and 4th person have a discounted rate. So four adults in one cabin pay the came as one adult and three children.

 

When we traveled with my 9 month old niece, she was charged the full 3rd person fare even though she couldn't use the pool or any other service, and didn't eat/drink b/c the cruiseline does not provide baby food/formula, and we still paid the full recommended tip.