Concierge Tipping

[calker]

Guest services suggested $50.00 per day per person in the suite.

SHOULD READ:
Guest services suggested $50.00 per 7 day cruise per person in the suite.

Does this sound appropriate? It seems a little low to us.

Please see post 34 for clarification and apology.

 

[WinstonC]

Do you mean tipping of the Concierge staff? If so, there was a poll on here not too long ago that asked about the same topic. If I remember correctly, no single option dominated, i.e. lots of diverse opinions.

I'd look at it the same way that I look at staying on a concierge or club level at a hotel or resort. If any one member of the staff (or the staff as a whole) were to go above and beyond to fulfill a request, make my stay extra special, or deal with a problem or situation, I'd definitely tip them accordingly. Otherwise, I consider their basic services to be included with my fare or room rate.

I will say that (assuming good service) I plan to tip our room steward at least twice the normal amount. I definitely don't feel like he/she should receive the same amount for taking care of a cat R as someone who services a cat 11.

 

[luv2sleep]

Guest services suggested $50.00 per day per person in the suite.

Does this sound appropriate? It seems a little low to us.

So that would be $62/person/day for just tips (if you include the MDR and stateroom host tips). That would be $868 in just tips for a 7 day cruise for 2 and $1736 for 4 on a 7 day cruise. It's definitely something to consider and take into account (budget wise) when considering booking concierge or an upgrade at port to concierge. Good to know.

 

[Kimmiebr80]

Guest services suggested $50.00 per day per person in the suite.

Does this sound appropriate? It seems a little low to us.

$50 per person, per day? So if I have 4 people in a room, it's $200 a day? FWIW, my TA suggested 20pp total!

 

[bmer1rick]

$50 per person, per day? So if I have 4 people in a room, it's $200 a day? FWIW, my TA suggested 20pp total!

Agree, that seems really high unless you get absolutely amazing service. As PP said on a 7 day cruise with 4 passengers that would be $1400. I think GS might have this wrong, IMHO.

 

[cypressmom]

That would be a $1400 tip for a family of four on a seven night cruise. I don't see that happening.

 

[dylan'smom]

That would be a $1400 tip for a family of four on a seven night cruise. I don't see that happening.

Nope, definitely not happening with me!!

.

 

[jennandcompany]

Ok. Interesting conversation. Who ever was quoted $50.00 per day/per guest must have been misquoted. We are traveling Fantasy in 6 days in a cat T. I plan to tip $20-$50 per person/per cruise to the concierge depending on their service. I will however go above and beyond to take care of our room steward, as they will have a job keeping up with my three kids. We have travelled in suites before with a dedicated butler (ncl) and never tipped to the level suggested by the poster. You have to remember, you are paying 4x normal cruise fare in a suite, the extra attention is part of that fare.

 

[pdwimmer]

I do think it's a matter of opinion. There were 4 main concierge hosts that took care of us. We tipped each of them $100 for a 4 night cruise. We also tipped double for the room stewards. They had a whole team that came in to clean and did their best to do it while were away from the room.

We had a small reception in our room the first day. There were two servers (that we honestly didn't expect, it was very nice) The tip was included. But we tipped each server an additional $40 in cash before they left. I hope the tip that was included went to those that prepared the food and ensured the room was set up

 

[karamart39]

I'm confused. I thought that, if you wanted, tip amounts were automatically charged to your account - eliminating the stress over how much to tip everybody. And then, if you wanted, you could tip CMs extra money if you chose to. Is the process different in concierge?

 

[luv2sleep]

I'm confused. I thought that, if you wanted, tip amounts were automatically charged to your account - eliminating the stress over how much to tip everybody. And then, if you wanted, you could tip CMs extra money if you chose to. Is the process different in concierge?

Good question! Are concierge staff tips auto charged too?

 

[Bonniec]

That would be $1250 for the 5 of us on a 5 night just for the concierge. I'm thinking that $50 per person per day is a typo

 

[bmer1rick]

Good question! Are concierge staff tips auto charged too?

No they are not.

 

[kcashner]

The "standard" tips are charged in concierge the same as in any other cabin. The issue is that the concierge is not a standard position and does not have a "suggested" amount. It is left to the guest's choice.

$50 per guest per night--that's crazy. $50 per guest per cruise--more like it depending on length of cruise. Frankly, I'd base the concierge tip on what they did for me and my family.

And...since no one asked...my pet peeve. I think that stateroom host tips should be higher in concierge suites. They are cleaning a lot more space including kitchen and bathroom space, and every mother knows that's where the bulk of the work is. The host spends approximately twice as much time in a suite as in a normal cabin; this should be reflected in his/her tip.

 

[ThePhantomsGirl]

Wow, $50 a DAY? I've done concierge several times and I have not done that! I feel I tipped well (at a range of $50 to $75 for the cruise per person).

I also up the room host's tip in a suite as I do feel they more work than in a regular cabin.

However, I also feel that no one should feel shamed into high tips even in concierge. Especially in concierge the fare is quite steep to begin with. I tip because I want to and feel the service (for me) warranted it.

 

[bmer1rick]

And...since no one asked...my pet peeve. I think that stateroom host tips should be higher in concierge suites. They are cleaning a lot more space including kitchen and bathroom space, and every mother knows that's where the bulk of the work is. The host spends approximately twice as much time in a suite as in a normal cabin; this should be reflected in his/her tip.

Absolutely. We have always had great service from our concierge host... And tip has always reflected the additional workload and level of service.

 

[luv2sleep]

Phew! Glad the consensus is that it's not that high.

From what you all say (I've never seen the inside of a concierge room in person), it sounds like the stateroom host deserves a great tip for cleaning the larger rooms for sure.

 

[FJS961]

$50 pp per day?!? That has to be a typo. Lets do the math: On the new ships there are 44 concierge cabins, if full and average 3 guests per room (more likely closer to 4) it would be ... 50x3x7x44= 46,200 then divided 3 ways is $15,400 per WEEK per concierge host with no room and board costs ... not to mention they are salaried as well, not completely dependent on tips! SIGN ME UP!


I dropped $500 for our 7 night because I thought the service was extra special and I had a repeat host. I thought that was very generous. Other cruises we left 50-100 per concierge host depending how helpful or not they were.

I agree about the stateroom host tip in concierge, it needs to be adjusted for suites. We have doubled or tripled based on which room we were in.

 

[mouseears1]

The "standard" tips are charged in concierge the same as in any other cabin. The issue is that the concierge is not a standard position and does not have a "suggested" amount. It is left to the guest's choice.

$50 per guest per night--that's crazy. $50 per guest per cruise--more like it depending on length of cruise. Frankly, I'd base the concierge tip on what they did for me and my family.

And...since no one asked...my pet peeve. I think that stateroom host tips should be higher in concierge suites. They are cleaning a lot more space including kitchen and bathroom space, and every mother knows that's where the bulk of the work is. The host spends approximately twice as much time in a suite as in a normal cabin; this should be reflected in his/her tip.

I agree with you in regards to our stateroom host. The suggested tip is to low especially if you are in the Royals or really any of the suites. The base tip for us is to double the suggested tip and then add more for it is a lot more work. My son was in our suite one trip completing homework and when we got back to the room he told me Suda (our stateroom hostess) was under our tables cleaning the undersides of them.

My family is extremely neat, ok , mom is anyways. We gather all our glasses and put them on one table, gather all garbage and put it in one can, put all plates stacked right next to the glasses, straightened the magazines, the beds etc.We try to be respectful as my parents taught me, and they spent over an hour cleaning still. My hats off to them, they do an amazing job with a smile on their face and always asking is there anything they can do for us. My son, who was a teenager at the time, about 17 years old I believe, even started helping Suda when he was in the room. Suda told him that he didn't have to but my son told her that he wanted to. He told me she works so hard to make our trip enjoyable that he felt it was the right thing to do. My parents, if they were still alive, would be so proud of him.

 

[FJS961]

I have another tip about concierge tipping on Dream / Fantasy. The 3 concierge hosts have to split the tip equally three ways unless you give cash individually.

We had 2 of the 3 particularly helpful and engaging while the other was not. It really bothered me to have to divide the tip equally, not fair. I asked if it could be split but it could not.

Next time, I would bring some cash so I can individually tip them or supplement a 'base tip' I might put on my ship account.