Tip "extra" question

[ksumom]

I have read how people give phone cards & Wal-mart gift cards as additional tips. What amounts on the Wal-mart cards? Also are there any other ideas for "extra" tips? I ready somewhere about $2 bills, $1 coins - are there any other "cute" ideas?

Let's see how many cute ideas we can come up with....

 

[Mr. Bill]

I will be using $2.00 bills for room service tips. I think they will remember me and give good service!

Bill

 

[ohiominnie]

Originally posted by ksumom
What amounts on the Wal-mart cards? Also are there any other ideas for "extra" tips?

We get our phone cards at Sam's. It's about $25 for 7 cards. Each card has 120 minutes on it. I'm sure for overseas calls that goes way down.

We give them to the 4 ppl you tip, but in addition my kids pick a couple of counsellors who they really connected with. They will go up to them and say "You really made my cruise special and I want to thank you!" Then they give them the card. We have had NOTHING but overwhelming responses to phone cards.

A kids club counsellor was telling us they have a bank of phones (about 20) set up near the luggage cargo area and when the ship docks crew rushes off the ship for those phones. She said it's a bit crazy b/c the phones are so close together she'll have to turn away from the person next to her to hear. She actually said "hang on mom, someone is speaking indian next to me" so she turns and then says "hold on mom, the guy on the other side of me is speaking french"

 

[fireguy5620]

I bought 10 $10.00 gift cards from Wal-Mart to hand out to special people during the cruise.......Didn't work out too well, since I went off and forgot them at Home......came in handy for buying groceries when we got back home!!!

 

[Princess49]

I've read that this is something people do for their kids counselors, but you do it for the people you normally tip too? Do you give that on top of the cash tip? What is the difference really? If they keep the cash themselves? Just wondering, I guess I understand for the counselors because they don't normally get tips but for your stateroom host? DO they pool their cash tips or something? Ok thanks!!!

 

[ohiominnie]

Originally posted by Princess49
I've read that this is something people do for their kids counselors, but you do it for the people you normally tip too? Do you give that on top of the cash tip? What is the difference really?

My view is that the phone cards are a little extra. We typically tip (cash) more than the requested amount anyway because, typically, the service is so good. But the phone cards seem to be SO appreciated. Last year on the Wonder we handed our server his tip envelope and he shook our hands, then my dh said "we also wanted you to have this" and handed him the phone card. The server motioned us to get up and he hugged us and thanked us profusely.

I figure that 7 phone cards cost me about $25. That comes to about $3.50 each. In the scheme of what I spend on vacation (geez, on Jackpot Bingo alone) $3.50 seems like chump change and the response we have had from everyone is so positive. They all seem ecstatic to receive them.

 

[ivanova]

Besides the cash tips (more than recommended amounts) we included a phone card for each of the four people in the envelope with the tip receipt from guest services ... then our DD (teen) took six phone cards with her to the last night in the Teen Club and gave two to each teen counselor (apparently I was dubbed the "cool mom" at that point ). We still have cards left over, so they'll go on our next cruise with us.

My goal this time is to notice other (non-tipped) CMs onboard that are giving spectacular Disney service ... and hand out phone cards more spontaneously (and on the spot).

 

[Greysword]

Several weeks ago, there was a thread on here about people who reserve chairs and kids being in the adult pool area. One post mentioned that a CM was shreaded by a jackelope cruiser that could not get his kid into the adult pool (or something like that).

This is why I will probably get a couple $5 or $10 Wal*Mart cards in addition to phone cards, so I can reward CMs that take a beating on my behalf. That poor CM deserved the extra boost, IMHO, just from what I heard! If a CM "unsaves" a chair for me, helps some lost child find their way home, gets screamed at by a passenger for enforcing the rules, then I think they deserve the little extra.

Any suggestions/thoughts along these lines?

 

[ksumom]

Question??


Do they have to pay taxes on tips? Would this make the gift cards & phone cards a plus because they are tax free?

 

[Princess49]

Do you think that any CMs would take insult to any of us throwing tips their way out of the blue? I don't know- I might feel wierd going up to someone & randomly handing them a gift card. Though I wish I had done this for our stateroom host-- he was AMAZING, next time I'll have to remember!

 

[Tandyc]

We had the recommended tip amounts set aside at home before we left. I also had purchased phone cards for anyone was felt needed this type of tip. I assumed it would be counselors in the kids clubs. My children enjoyed the clubs ok, but didn't connect to any one counselor in particular so when it was time to hand out tips to the 4 recommended people I added phone cards along with a little extra cash.

I had also made thank you cards from some Disney software I have that said thank you for making our cruise Magical, The Smith family from Kalamazoo. Holy Cow! They all made a point to personally thank us. Each one of them. Simon our head server, who was wonderful, came over and asked how I came about the cards and said that he had worked on several other cruise lines and had never gotten phone cards before. He told us that they are a particularly nice gift and that he gets them "now and again" on the Disney ships. He really made it seem like he was touched by the personal thank you card. Make the extra effort at home feel very worth while. These people made our vacation so special it made me feel great to add a little magic back to them!

Tandyc

 

[Princess49]

I was SO upset that I forgot our thank you notes at home!! I asked for stationary from Guest Services & was going to write a thank you note to each, instead I wrote a thank you on the envelope & said that there was a note given to their manager. I sent notes to the Deck manager about the services of our stateroom host, the restaurant manager about our servers & to the manager of Palo about our server there. We also mentioned each one personally in our survey so they would get recognized. I hope that the managers let them know & aknowledge them! If I had to say the ONE thing about our cruise that was the best, it would be the service. It was unparalleled. You really do get your moneys worth. Ever see titanic... where the people down on the bottom of the ship aren't treated the same? Well EVERYONE was treated like Kate Winslet!!The stateroom host wasn't any nicer to us because we were in an outsude room than the people across from us that were inside! I wish I could tip SOOOO much more- but the darn cruise is so expensive to begin with!!

 

[paulcrsb]

I gave my stateroom person a 2 dollar bill every morning when I saw him. I also gave him a bag of M&M's one evening which he really liked!

Paul