Solo tipping

[Jennafoo]

I will be taking my first Disney cruise in October, sailing the Wonder out of San Diego for 7 days. I'll be on my own (my favorite way to travel).

Here's my question about tipping as a solo: Do I tip for just myself or for what they would get if I were traveling with others?

For instance, there are usually 2 people minimum at the table (and usually more), but since I'm by myself they'll only be tipped for one. Same with the suite: Usually 4 or more people are in it, so their tip would be a lot higher.

Should I multiply my base tip to equal what they'd get if I were the typical traveler? Tip a lot extra? Don't worry about it?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

You will get tip envelopes suggesting a tip amount for the number of people in your stateroom. So you will only tip for yourself.

 

[Geomom]

Don't worry about it. You only tip for the number of people in the room. The servers are only serving 1 person and the stateroom host won't need to do the extra jobs of setting up the bunk bed/sofa bed daily--so less work than a family of 3/4 people. The servers will have a set number of people they're serving, so they will still have around that number of people/same tip amount.

The tips will automatically be put on your account and you'll get the tip slips towards the end of your cruise. It's $13.50/day. You can adjust it up/down as needed at guest services or add extra cash to the envelopes if you wish. The tips cover the stateroom host, server, assistant server, and head server.

 

[Dug720]

The standard gratuities will be for one person. You are welcome to add more if you desire. But they are not going to automatically charge you double gratuities just because you are solo.

 

[SamFaniam]

I took a solo cruise on another cruise line. I did not add extra tips for the restaurant servers, but I did double the tip for my room steward. Although he did not have any extra duties in my room because I didn’t have children with me, he still had to clean it, make and turn down the bed every day, so I can’t imagine my room took much less time than someone who was traveling With another adult.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Should I multiply my base tip to equal what they'd get if I were the typical traveler? Tip a lot extra? Don't worry about it?

Don't need to worry about it. I always tip a little extra and I imagine I'd do the same if I was solo, but you'll get tip envelopes telling you how much to tip. It's not required that you tip above that.

 

[Jennafoo]

You will get tip envelopes suggesting a tip amount for the number of people in your stateroom. So you will only tip for yourself.

The standard gratuities will be for one person. You are welcome to add more if you desire. But they are not going to automatically charge you double gratuities just because you are solo.

I actually understand how the tips work. I never even considered that they would charge me double gratuities. LOL!

I was asking what I SHOULD do in regards to tipping above my base gratuities, not what Disney does with the tip envelopes. Those aren't always the same thing.

I took a solo cruise on another cruise line. I did not add extra tips for the restaurant servers, but I did double the tip for my room steward. Although he did not have any extra duties in my room because I didn’t have children with me, he still had to clean it, make and turn down the bed every day, so I can’t imagine my room took much less time than someone who was traveling With another adult.

Thanks, this was super helpful. I feel better about not doubling the tip for the MDR servers, but I do think I will double the room steward tip, as you did. It's a big room, and as you say, has to be cleaned even if it's just me. I just feel a little bad because those suites would normally contain a family of 4-5, and it's just myself, meaning they get a much smaller tip for cleaning the same space. But the PP was right that one person also makes less mess, so this seems like a nice compromise.

 

[Karin1984]

Whatever you do, you will always have that the tips are not equally divided across the ship. As a server/host you can get either lucky or unlucky with who you have to look after. It's possible that your servers get lucky and have people who tip extremely well, or those who only go with the standard. Even when you are one who tips well, while the rest of the people who share your server don't, he/she will still make less money than if he/she had been lucky with the other guests. It's something you cannot make up for. And in my opinion, therefore shouldn't worry about it.

I would suggest to do what you do when you are back home. What do you do when you go out for dinner on your own?

I'm European so not used to tipping anyway, and also not used to feeling guilty about not tipping or not tipping enough. When I cruised solo earlier this year, I only added to the tip of my stateroom host, because she was doing a good job. I was not too impressed with my servers, so I stuck to the standard.

 

[SamFaniam]

I only added to the tip of my stateroom host, because she was doing a good job. I was not too impressed with my servers, so I stuck to the standard

This. There are people on our cruises that we have tipped much above the standard, and then others that get only the recommended amount.

 

[Jennafoo]

Whatever you do, you will always have that the tips are not equally divided across the ship. As a server/host you can get either lucky or unlucky with who you have to look after. It's possible that your servers get lucky and have people who tip extremely well, or those who only go with the standard. Even when you are one who tips well, while the rest of the people who share your server don't, he/she will still make less money than if he/she had been lucky with the other guests. It's something you cannot make up for. And in my opinion, therefore shouldn't worry about it.

I would suggest to do what you do when you are back home. What do you do when you go out for dinner on your own?

I'm European so not used to tipping anyway, and also not used to feeling guilty about not tipping or not tipping enough. When I cruised solo earlier this year, I only added to the tip of my stateroom host, because she was doing a good job. I was not too impressed with my servers, so I stuck to the standard.

This. There are people on our cruises that we have tipped much above the standard, and then others that get only the recommended amount.

You're both so right. This makes me feel a lot better! I want to do right by people, of course, so focusing on tipping extra for good service and a bit more for the stateroom host sounds like it will be fine. I will also have concierge to tip, so I don't want to go overboard, but I do want to be fair.

Thanks so much for the advice!