Concierge Tipping

[AlexandNessa]

I feel soo cheap I did 20 per person for the 3 of us! Eeek!

Why would you feel cheap?! Tipping the concierge is at your discretion, and you used your discretion.

 

[disneywonderfun]

Why would you feel cheap?! Tipping the concierge is at your discretion, and you used your discretion.

I agree with AlexandNessa. Do not worry at all about what you considered reasonable. I presume you should not need to tip for the fact that there simply is a lounge with food and a coffee maker. The concierge tip should be, I presume, for services by the concierge staff that are above and beyond what would usually be expected. Disney simply needs to get a handle on this situation as soon as possible. I talked with the concierge staff on my last cruise a couple weeks ago and told them I am going to do what I have done every cruise on the survey provided. I am going to say the concierge staff is GREAT (which they are!!!) but the tipping process in unacceptable and makes me less interested in sailing DCL in the future. Until DCL provides guidance on the tip or returns the concierge staff to salary, they are simply putting their customers in an awful position. My preference is that DCL just return them to salary, let them accept tips with the understanding that any collected tips go to a charity decided by the concierge staff. Why is that a bad idea? DCL should pay them a nice salary and be done with this situation. I would much rather have my cruise fare up a couple more hundred dollars for their salary than have to go through this process over and over again.

DWF

 

[FJS961]

We recently sailed in a suite on NCL (POA) and the gratuities / service charges were automatic. They were higher for suite guests to include the concierge / butler services. There was one concierge for all the suites and a few butlers divided amongst the suites. There were no envelopes, no issues. They got it right.

As suite guests we had breakfast in Cagney's every morning and a couple of dinners as well. There was one waitress who served us often and was fantastic. We had a party of 8 (4 kids) and she was wonderful with them. We gave her a generous cash tip on debarkation morning. Other than that, the staff did nothing extraordinary for us to warrant any additional tipping.

 

[hmangus]

I agree with AlexandNessa. Do not worry at all about what you considered reasonable. I presume you should not need to tip for the fact that there simply is a lounge with food and a coffee maker. The concierge tip should be, I presume, for services by the concierge staff that are above and beyond what would usually be expected. Disney simply needs to get a handle on this situation as soon as possible. I talked with the concierge staff on my last cruise a couple weeks ago and told them I am going to do what I have done every cruise on the survey provided. I am going to say the concierge staff is GREAT (which they are!!!) but the tipping process in unacceptable and makes me less interested in sailing DCL in the future. Until DCL provides guidance on the tip or returns the concierge staff to salary, they are simply putting their customers in an awful position. My preference is that DCL just return them to salary, let them accept tips with the understanding that any collected tips go to a charity decided by the concierge staff. Why is that a bad idea? DCL should pay them a nice salary and be done with this situation. I would much rather have my cruise fare up a couple more hundred dollars for their salary than have to go through this process over and over again.

DWF

Why would you feel cheap?! Tipping the concierge is at your discretion, and you used your discretion.

I like others just didn't know what to tip and to hear that others tip in the 100s!! I agree with you disneywonderfun getting them back to salary and donating the tips would be awesome!

 

[AlexandNessa]

I like others just didn't know what to tip and to hear that others tip in the 100s!! I agree with you disneywonderfun getting them back to salary and donating the tips would be awesome!

People who tip a lot or who think they tip a lot are more likely to report it on a public message board. I'm sure there are tons of people who don't tip at all or only tip more along the lines of what they give cabin stewards or waiters, but don't report as much because they are afraid of being shamed publicly. I can't remember a time that the concierge did more for me than my dining room waiter or cabin steward. We've never stiffed the concierge, ever. But would I ever feel guilty about not tipping in the hundreds for changing a dinner reservation and getting me tickets to a tasting? Never. If we would ever use the concierge extensively, we'd tip accordingly. But we never have. I have more the perspective that the cabin steward and waiter do more for me, so I tip them more than the concierge. But I've never felt bad about it.

Like the others, I would rather tips be included, and then if you are high maintenance, tip extra. But then, you will have folks who feel guilty for not tipping extra when they didn't ask for anything extra. Or you'll have high maintenance folks who don't tip extra for the extra attention the concierge staff provides them because they feel tips are already included. Not sure what the answer really is.

 

[hmangus]

People who tip a lot or who think they tip a lot are more likely to report it on a public message board. I'm sure there are tons of people who don't tip at all or only tip more along the lines of what they give cabin stewards or waiters, but don't report as much because they are afraid of being shamed publicly. I can't remember a time that the concierge did more for me than my dining room waiter or cabin steward. We've never stiffed the concierge, ever. But would I ever feel guilty about not tipping in the hundreds for changing a dinner reservation and getting me tickets to a tasting? Never. If we would ever use the concierge extensively, we'd tip accordingly. But we never have. I have more the perspective that the cabin steward and waiter do more for me, so I tip them more than the concierge. But I've never felt bad about it.

Like the others, I would rather tips be included, and then if you are high maintenance, tip extra. But then, you will have folks who feel guilty for not tipping extra when they didn't ask for anything extra. Or you'll have high maintenance folks who don't tip extra for the extra attention the concierge staff provides them because they feel tips are already included. Not sure what the answer really is.

The funny thing is that the family in the Royal suite ask me what I was tipping! Lol I was like I'm in the cat v and paid 1/3 that you did! I should have been asking him and definitely went down from there! However I think they ended up tipping like us!

 

[AlexandNessa]

The funny thing is that the family in the Royal suite ask me what I was tipping! Lol I was like I'm in the cat v and paid 1/3 that you did! I should have been asking him and definitely went down from there! However I think they ended up tipping like us!

LOL, just goes to show that tipping at your discretion truly means at your discretion!

 

[LynseyK]

I agree with AlexandNessa. Do not worry at all about what you considered reasonable. I presume you should not need to tip for the fact that there simply is a lounge with food and a coffee maker. The concierge tip should be, I presume, for services by the concierge staff that are above and beyond what would usually be expected. Disney simply needs to get a handle on this situation as soon as possible. I talked with the concierge staff on my last cruise a couple weeks ago and told them I am going to do what I have done every cruise on the survey provided. I am going to say the concierge staff is GREAT (which they are!!!) but the tipping process in unacceptable and makes me less interested in sailing DCL in the future. Until DCL provides guidance on the tip or returns the concierge staff to salary, they are simply putting their customers in an awful position. My preference is that DCL just return them to salary, let them accept tips with the understanding that any collected tips go to a charity decided by the concierge staff. Why is that a bad idea? DCL should pay them a nice salary and be done with this situation. I would much rather have my cruise fare up a couple more hundred dollars for their salary than have to go through this process over and over again.

DWF

I completely agree with you. I did not start this thread to make anyone feel bad or to brag about the tip I left. I actually feel kinda embarrassed now for the tip we left. The concierge staff was amazing and with two lil boys I do have to say we were kind of high maintenance and the staff never seemed bothered by us and was always happy to help. But I almost felt like you were made to feel bad bc they let you know they solely work on tips and then you start worrying what everyone else is leaving and if your leaving too little. I also agree with the fact that if we are paying all this extra money for concierge shouldn't all these services be included? Shouldn't that be their job? I think Disney made a big mistake making that job a optional gratuity. Either make it a set amount or pay them a salary. People shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable about tipping and what the concierge staff might think of them. I just had to get that out there.

 

[all5ofus]

I completely agree with you. I did not start this thread to make anyone feel bad or to brag about the tip I left. I actually feel kinda embarrassed now for the tip we left. The concierge staff was amazing and with two lil boys I do have to say we were kind of high maintenance and the staff never seemed bothered by us and was always happy to help. But I almost felt like you were made to feel bad bc they let you know they solely work on tips and then you start worrying what everyone else is leaving and if your leaving too little. I also agree with the fact that if we are paying all this extra money for concierge shouldn't all these services be included? Shouldn't that be their job? I think Disney made a big mistake making that job a optional gratuity. Either make it a set amount or pay them a salary. People shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable about tipping and what the concierge staff might think of them. I just had to get that out there.

I don't think you should be at all embarrassed for what you left if you felt they earned it. I have ten cruises in concierge and have tipped zero a couple times $600 a couple times and several points in between and feel each was appropriate for the situation.

Every concierge host has been nice enough and done what was expected but some go above and beyond and that is where additional tip is warranted. Being polite and giving out the standard gifts of arcade cards, and lithos at the end of the cruise are part of what is expected and I wouldn't tip extra if that is all I received. It is the ones go that extra mile that warrant the tip.

 

[klass3]

Bump