Tipping

[Ozziemum]

We have cruised before but first time on a Disney Cruise. Previous cruises we have been on tips were added as a daily rate on our account and added at the end.

Being from Australia where tipping is not the norm I was wondering who do we tip on the cruise and how much???

Thanks

 

[owensamo]

Standard tips (stateroom host, server, assistant server, head server) are charged to your onboard account at the beginning of the cruise at the recommended rate of $12/person/day (for all 4). You can a visit guest services at any time to adjust it up and down. The only additional tips would be Palo/Remy (which you can charge to your onboard account), room service (cash or account), and porters at the port (luggage drop off before the cruise -$1/bag, and then at debarkation and through customs- about the same, though we usually tip more because they do more then).

 

[Mariellen102]

They do not leave an envelope in your room anymore? I do not like this added to my bill at the beginning. Last time we went on one there was an envelope to give them cash?

 

[cruisecrasher]

They do not leave an envelope in your room anymore? I do not like this added to my bill at the beginning. Last time we went on one there was an envelope to give them cash?

There is still an envelope left at turndown, however your receipts for the auto gratuities will show up in your room with these envelopes unless you go to guest services to adjust them.
For what it's worth, I've added cash on top of the recommended by putting cash in with certain envelopes receipt.

 

[kcashner]

To OP--the standard tips are added to your account and you will get the coupons in your room. You place the coupon in the envelope and give it to the appropriate person on the last night of the cruise. You can alter the amount of the tip at Guest Services if you wish. Also, if you wish to increase a tip, you can put cash in the envelope. But if you give the CM the envelope with the coupon in it, you have tipped as expected.

In addition, any time you purchase a bar item, there is an automatic tip added--again, there is a line on the charge form where you can tip more, but it is not necessary.

Additional tips--IF you use the porters at the terminal, a tip of $1-2 per bag is standard. If you are using DCL transportation, you will not use the porters on arrival. It is your choice whether or not you use them on disembarkation.

Room service--a tip of $1-5 is common depending on the size of the order. If you have 2 full dinners delivered, a tip of $5 may be reasonable. For a smaller delivery, $1-2.

Spa services--a tip is standard and not automatic.

Adult dining--most people add a tip on top of the surcharge. A portion of the surcharge does go to the server. You will read many opinions here about how much tip is appropriate; we usually tip $10 per person on top of the surcharge.

While this may sound like a lot, DCL is not a place where everyone has a hand out for a tip. I like the process of doing the coupons for the main positions as I don't have to think about it. This system was specifically instituted to aid people who didn't understand what is expected in the US/on DCL.

 

[woody73]

. . . This system was specifically instituted to aid people who didn't understand what is expected in the US/on DCL.

Just to add: The auto tips (tips automatically added to to one's stateroom account) is commonplace among U.S.-based mass market cruise lines. I've had auto tips on Celebrity, Holland America, and Norwegian.

Woody

 

[lanejudy]

They do not leave an envelope in your room anymore? I do not like this added to my bill at the beginning. Last time we went on one there was an envelope to give them cash?

You have the option to go to Guest Services and have the tips removed if you prefer cash, or you can pay the cash at Guest Services towards the tips on your onboard account. You will still get the envelopes on the last afternoon, with coupons if you allowed Guest Services to charge your onboard account or without. Tips can be adjusted up or down at Guest Services, or you may add extra cash to the coupon at the end.

 

[Fabooliss]

Standard tips (stateroom host, server, assistant server, head server) are charged to your onboard account at the beginning of the cruise at the recommended rate of $12/person/day (for all 4). You can a visit guest services at any time to adjust it up and down. The only additional tips would be Palo/Remy (which you can charge to your onboard account), room service (cash or account), and porters at the port (luggage drop off before the cruise -$1/bag, and then at debarkation and through customs- about the same, though we usually tip more because they do more then).

I'm trying to get my head around this... do you mean for my family of 4 on a 5 night cruise it would be $12*4*6 = $288
or ?????

 

[Rambler5678]

$12/pp * 4/people =$48/day

$48 * 5/days= $240

This is for your dining staff and room steward. Palo/Remy, luggage porters, room service etc are extra.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm trying to get my head around this... do you mean for my family of 4 on a 5 night cruise it would be $12*4*6 = $288
or ?????

No, it's $12 X 4(people) X 5(nights) = $240.

Remember that's for your room host, and 3 meals a day.

Frankly, I think it's more than worth it. We generally add additional cash to the suggested tips.

 

[kcashner]

We find that tips on the ship are generally lower than what we would end up tipping at WDW for 3 meals per day, equal number of days. Your dining team gets $8 per guest per night ($1 head server, $3 assistant server, $4 server). We do a sit down meal at WDW for dinner, and the tip for that alone is more like $20 for the two of us.

 

[Bear3412]

Also as customary as it is to hand tip envelopes over to said CM's, it is not absolutely necessary if you have coupons to give them(charged to onboard account).
They will still receive the tip $ with cabin # and lead ressie name, so they will know who it's from.
I forgot to bring our envelopes to last supper, and the servers said no biggie and confirmed the above. However, I suppose if you don't say anything or show up, they could assume you tipped zero or don't "do" envelopes.

It must be tense for them to check the tip list/totals after each cruise.

 

[kcashner]

From what we've heard, it is less of an issue for them now than before the standard tips were charged. Now the guest has to DO something in order to decrease or remove the tips. While it does happen, it isn't often.

Even those who are grumpy about the tip amounts are less likely to go to GS than they were to just not stuff that little envelope.

 

[Ljbadfan]

We tipped the recommended amount before we left. We when got good service we gave more money. Our waiter we had was so awesome he got alone a nice big tip. So did our room person. On the last day of the cruise wwhen left the ship, I gave him a fifty dollar bill, plus what else he got already. He kept the room clean, very polite and wonderful. I have a sleeping condition which I have to sleep on 4 pillows and he found 2 more pillows for me, I had them the shoe time I was there. He was awesome. Our waiter was awesome, and he got a bignt from our family as well

 

[Fabooliss]

No, it's $12 X 4(people) X 5(nights) = $240.

Remember that's for your room host, and 3 meals a day.

Frankly, I think it's more than worth it. We generally add additional cash to the suggested tips.

Thanks! That makes sense... wanted to make sure there wasn't another x4 on top of that!

 

[ssnow32539]

There is still an envelope left at turndown, however your receipts for the auto gratuities will show up in your room with these envelopes unless you go to guest services to adjust them.
For what it's worth, I've added cash on top of the recommended by putting cash in with certain envelopes receipt.

I kind of like the idea of having an automatic gratuity. On our last cruise, we never saw our head server at the last dinner and so we couldn't give him our little envelope. Our server said he would give it to him for us, but we like handing it over personally so that we can show them our appreciation for all their hard work.

 

[sskem96]

Just wondering, if someone in the party doesn't attend dinner in the MDRs, is it appropriate to decrease the tip amount to adjust for that? I expect my Dad to use room service, and it seems silly that he would have to tip for room service and tip the servers in the MDR if he isn't being served there. He may not even know since my mom will probably be taking care of their account, but I just wondered what to tell him if he brings it up.

 

[reimero]

Just wondering, if someone in the party doesn't attend dinner in the MDRs, is it appropriate to decrease the tip amount to adjust for that? I expect my Dad to use room service, and it seems silly that he would have to tip for room service and tip the servers in the MDR if he isn't being served there. He may not even know since my mom will probably be taking care of their account, but I just wondered what to tell him if he brings it up.

That's a much stickier wicket than you may realize, and people are divided on the subject. Some feel that you shouldn't have to tip for a service you choose not to use. Others recognize that tips are the primary income for servers, and by not tipping, servers are being deprived of expected income through no fault of their own. This is why many cruise lines have gratuities automatically built-in.

At the end of the day, you have to do what you think is right, but I will suggest that your dad may be missing out if he chooses to skip the MDRs. The room service menu is decent, but not as good as the MDRs.

 

[Tara619]

Just wondering, if someone in the party doesn't attend dinner in the MDRs, is it appropriate to decrease the tip amount to adjust for that? I expect my Dad to use room service, and it seems silly that he would have to tip for room service and tip the servers in the MDR if he isn't being served there. He may not even know since my mom will probably be taking care of their account, but I just wondered what to tell him if he brings it up.

I would still tip the servers, as they are working elsewhere for breakfast/lunch/ snacks, and your dad presumably will be dining at those times, right?

 

[sskem96]

Thanks, I'll encourage them to tip the full amount then.

My dad goes to bed really early, but he has always liked live stage shows, so we booked late dining thinking he'll probably head back to the room after the show and order room service, then go to bed. I was afraid if we tried to do early dining he wouldn't be able to stay up for the show. He also might be having to do dialysis in the room depending on how his kidneys are doing at the time. We're still a year out from the cruise, so no way to predict that right now, but he's getting a portable unit that he can take with us just in case.