Do you have to pay tips at Guest Services?

[Amymomof3]

This is our first cruise (in case you haven't noticed )and I was wondering if you had to pay tips at Guest Services. I was planning on giving the crew members tips our ourselves at the time of service.
How do you all handle tipping?
Thanks!

 

[mmouse37]

When people refer to going to guest service to pay their tips they mean they are CHARGING the tips to a credit card. Guest Service will then give you vouchers to put in individual envelops that you hand directly to your servers....the other option is to put cash in the envelopes instead of the vouchers.

DCL was trying to make it easier for people if they wanted to just put the tips on their onboard account. Alot of people do not like bringing alot of cash with them when they travel. You will still have that personal interacation with your servers when you hand them the envelopes no matter what is in them...cash or vouchers!!!

Traditionally tips are given out to the servers on the last night at dinner. If for some reason you are not at dinner, say at Palo instead....you could give them their tips at the breakfast on day of debarkation.

Hope this helps clears things up.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

If DCL uses a voucher system, can I use it to tip the kids counselors?

 

[westjones]

Someone on this board mentioned that they prepared envelopes with their tips before the cruise and then locked them in the room safe during the cruise and took them out at the end and put them in the 'tip envelopes'. I think we will do that next time. It will save time (not going to guest services to charge them), and I won't have as large of a charge on my credit card at the end. Before we have always charged our tips. But this way sounded good to me (we will see in September).
DJ

 

[DVC4US]

MaryKatesMom,

The kid"s counselors can not accept cash tips, so you can not do this through the voucher system. After reading other threads I decided to purchase Wal-Mart gift cards to hand out to the counselors and any other crew that can not accept cash. Some people also give phone cards. I decided to do Wal-mart because someone said that while in port many of the crew go there to purchase items they need, and if I do not hand all of them out I can just use them here at home. Leaving today for the World an on to the Magic on Saturday.


LeiLani

 

[westjones]

Great idea about Walmart cards! Is there a Walmart in the area there where the ship docks?
DJ

 

[DVC4US]

That's what I read somewhere on these boards. I don't know where exactly but someone posted that they had seen a DCL van with crew members at the local Wal-mart. What am I doing here? I should be taking care of last minute items because we are leaving in an hour and here I am trying to see the lastest threads on the boards.

LeiLani

 

[mmouse37]

Hey guys...that was me that posted about the crew of the Magic/Wonder shopping at Wal-Mart. There is a Wal-Mart on Merritt Island a few miles from the ship. A crew "fun bus" as it is called (written on the side of the bus) makes a trip to Wal-Mart. I have seen it in the parking lot there and have also heard from the cashiers at that Wal-mart that DCL crew as well other cruise lines crew do alot of shopping there for things they need.

Hope this help. I believe Dave has directions to the Wal-Mart on his site. It was very easy to get to. www.dcltribute.com

MJ