Tip Question - Cruising May 26, 2005

[HIHO...HIHO]

HI I have heard people say that they prepare tips and tip envelopes prior to the cruise...that way they are ready to go ahead of time and you don't have to mess around with it while cruising. Sounds like a great idea to me, we are on the 3 day cruise...can anyone tell me how much and how many envelops I would need? Also, who to tip?

Thanks

 

[Typhoon Guy]

Per Guest per cruise 3-Night 4-Night 7-Night
Dining Room Server 11.00 14.75 25.75
Dining Room Asst. Server 8.00 10.75 18.75
Dining Room Head Server 2.75 3.75 6.50
Stateroom Host/Hostess 10.75 14.50 25.25
Dining Manager Your Discretion
Room Service Your Discretion

The envelopes are delivered to your state room on the second day/night. When I have always booked my cruise I have asked to pre-pay my gratuties, meaning they add it to my account, it's paid before I sail. When they deliver the envelopes (with each person you are to tip) there is a voucher thathas been filled out with the crew's name and amount. You put it in the corresponding envelope and add extra cash if you desire or add more to your ship board account. At the end of dinner or if you attend breakfasts on the last moring you give it to your service staff.

Also keep in mind the porters at Port Canaveral are not Disney staff rather Port Authority staff. It is not required but sometimes expected to tip $1.00 for each piece of baggage they handle. I have always driven myself to the Port so if you are taking a ****tle I don'tknow what that aspect looks like for baggage handling.

Also note if you are parking at the port it cost $10.00 a day you need to pay this when you enter the parking lot NOT when you leave and they do not accept checks, just creditr and cash.

Hope this helps

 

[jrabbit]

Here's a thread on tipping. See my post near the end for the "everything you want to know about tipping.

Here's an excerpt that answers your specific question.

Who do you tip, how much?

Your Server (takes your food order and brings you your food), Assistant Server (takes your beverage order, brings the bread to the table and assists the server in delivering your food, head server (the person that makes sure that your server and assistant servers are doing their jobs. Also comes around on the last night and introduces them self and says "remember to tip me please” ) and Room Steward (Cleans up your room several times per day, brings you ice for your cooler, usually makes towel animals, turns down your bed and makes up the couch into a bed and sets up the pull down bed every evening. We've found these folks to be some of the nicest/friendliest people working for you.

Now for the how much (the following amounts are PER GUEST (including children) for THE ENTIRE cruise). This is from DCL's web site.
What about gratuities? (September 2004)
We'll make it easy. It is customary to give gratuities in recognition of service, which you will most likely be treated to in abundance aboard the ship. As a guideline, may we suggest the following:


Per Guest per cruise______3-Night____4-Night____7-Night
......Dining Room Server___11.00______14.75______25.75
Dining Room Asst. Server____8.00______10.75______18.75
.Dining Room Head Server____2.75_______3.75_______6.50
..Stateroom Host/Hostess___10.75______14.50______25.25
Dining Manager Your Discretion
Room Service Your Discretion

For your convenience, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs. All gratuities can be charged to your room charge.
At the Walt Disney World® Resort, 15% is the customary gratuity at restaurants and bars.

------------
This is me again to give a real world example

So if there are 3 of you on a four night cruise your tips would be:

Server________3*14.75 = 44.25
Asst. Server__3*10.75 = 32.25
Head Server___3* 3.75 = 11.25
Stateroom_____3*14.50 = 43.50
________________Total: 131.25

So here is how the tips break down PER GUEST
3 Night Cruise - $10.83 per day or $32.50 for the cruise
4 Night Cruise - $10.94 per day or $43.75 for the cruise
7 Night Cruise - $10.89 per day or $76.25 for the cruise

----------------------------------------
For your specific situation - you're on a three night cruise, but I don't know how many people are in your party --- so I'll do this for 3 people for 3 nights.

So if there are 3 of you on a THREE night cruise your tips would be:

Server________3*11.0 = 33.00
Asst. Server__3*8.00 = 24.00
Head Server___3* 2.75 = 8.25
Stateroom_____3*10.75 =32.25
________________Total: 97.50

 

[LeslieG]

Would small children count the same for tipping when you're figuring per person?

 

[jrabbit]

Would small children count the same for tipping when you're figuring per person?

YyyyyyyyEeeeeePpppppp! Or YEP!!

 

[HIHO...HIHO]

Per Guest per cruise 3-Night 4-Night 7-Night
Dining Room Server 11.00 14.75 25.75
Dining Room Asst. Server 8.00 10.75 18.75
Dining Room Head Server 2.75 3.75 6.50
Stateroom Host/Hostess 10.75 14.50 25.25
Dining Manager Your Discretion
Room Service Your Discretion

The envelopes are delivered to your state room on the second day/night. When I have always booked my cruise I have asked to pre-pay my gratuties, meaning they add it to my account, it's paid before I sail. When they deliver the envelopes (with each person you are to tip) there is a voucher thathas been filled out with the crew's name and amount. You put it in the corresponding envelope and add extra cash if you desire or add more to your ship board account. At the end of dinner or if you attend breakfasts on the last moring you give it to your service staff.

Also keep in mind the porters at Port Canaveral are not Disney staff rather Port Authority staff. It is not required but sometimes expected to tip $1.00 for each piece of baggage they handle. I have always driven myself to the Port so if you are taking a ****tle I don'tknow what that aspect looks like for baggage handling.

Also note if you are parking at the port it cost $10.00 a day you need to pay this when you enter the parking lot NOT when you leave and they do not accept checks, just creditr and cash.

Hope this helps

Thanks for all of the valuable info. I figured that I would forget to ask my TA some of these things!

 

[HIHO...HIHO]

Here's a thread on tipping. See my post near the end for the "everything you want to know about tipping.

Here's an excerpt that answers your specific question.

Your Server (takes your food order and brings you your food), Assistant Server (takes your beverage order, brings the bread to the table and assists the server in delivering your food, head server (the person that makes sure that your server and assistant servers are doing their jobs. Also comes around on the last night and introduces them self and says "remember to tip me please” ) and Room Steward (Cleans up your room several times per day, brings you ice for your cooler, usually makes towel animals, turns down your bed and makes up the couch into a bed and sets up the pull down bed every evening. We've found these folks to be some of the nicest/friendliest people working for you.

Now for the how much (the following amounts are PER GUEST (including children) for THE ENTIRE cruise). This is from DCL's web site.
What about gratuities? (September 2004)
We'll make it easy. It is customary to give gratuities in recognition of service, which you will most likely be treated to in abundance aboard the ship. As a guideline, may we suggest the following:


Per Guest per cruise______3-Night____4-Night____7-Night
......Dining Room Server___11.00______14.75______25.75
Dining Room Asst. Server____8.00______10.75______18.75
.Dining Room Head Server____2.75_______3.75_______6.50
..Stateroom Host/Hostess___10.75______14.50______25.25
Dining Manager Your Discretion
Room Service Your Discretion

For your convenience, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs. All gratuities can be charged to your room charge.
At the Walt Disney World® Resort, 15% is the customary gratuity at restaurants and bars.

------------
This is me again to give a real world example

So if there are 3 of you on a four night cruise your tips would be:

Server________3*14.75 = 44.25
Asst. Server__3*10.75 = 32.25
Head Server___3* 3.75 = 11.25
Stateroom_____3*14.50 = 43.50
________________Total: 131.25

So here is how the tips break down PER GUEST
3 Night Cruise - $10.83 per day or $32.50 for the cruise
4 Night Cruise - $10.94 per day or $43.75 for the cruise
7 Night Cruise - $10.89 per day or $76.25 for the cruise

----------------------------------------
For your specific situation - you're on a three night cruise, but I don't know how many people are in your party --- so I'll do this for 3 people for 3 nights.

So if there are 3 of you on a THREE night cruise your tips would be:

Server________3*11.0 = 33.00
Asst. Server__3*8.00 = 24.00
Head Server___3* 2.75 = 8.25
Stateroom_____3*10.75 =32.25
________________Total: 97.50

I knew I had seen a thread somewhere about this...too much in a hurry I guess! Sorry! Thanks for all of the info...we'll be staying at WDW also prior to the cruise, so that info. is great too!

 

[mom_rules]

What would you do if you only dined in your rotation twice on a cruise (ie. spent one night at Palo - separate tip there and another at Beach Blanket)?

 

[jrabbit]

For your convenience, a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine, and deck service tabs. All gratuities can be charged to your room charge.
At the Walt Disney World® Resort, 15% is the customary gratuity at restaurants and bars.

This part is right off of the DCL web site. I didn't add it and it does sound kinda funny - because we're talking about DCL right But remember, DCL is part of the WDW resort.

 

[CM_Mom]

Even if you miss your dining rotation completely, I think you should STILL tip your servers. They also work breakfast and lunch somewhere on the ship so you're really tipping for the entire trip.

Also about tipping for kids, we didn't go on a cruise until ours were grown but the smaller they were, the bigger mess they made so every server we ever had in a restaurant when the kids were small really EARNED their tip.