Tipping.....? And Go!

[JLMDisneyCruise]

So, I just got this email.....again, my first cruise, seems like SO many people to tip! Can you please all give your
.2 cents breakdown? Any suggestions, recommendations? And wor what you all do?
Oh, I'm a 7- day cruise...
Thanks!



Dining Room Server $12.00 $16.00 $28.00
Dining Room Asst. Server $9.00 $12.00 $21.00
Dining Room Head Server $3.00 $4.00 $7.00
Stateroom Host/
Hostess $12.00 $16.00 $28.00
Dining Manager Your Discretion
Room Service Your Discretion
Palo Your Discretion
Remy Your Discretion
Senses Spa & Salon An 18% gratuity will automatically be applied to all spa services.
Vista Spa & Salon An 18% gratuity will automatically be applied to all spa services.
Babysitting Gratuity not expected

 

[artnerds]

You should tip the dining room staff and your stateroom host the recommended amounts. I guarantee you will find that they work hard to earn it. If they aren't doing things to your satisfaction, let them know so they can adjust and improve their service. If any of them really do an outstanding job and make your cruise extra special, you always have the ability to tip them more.

 

[dcassetta]

The ones with listed amount will be added to your shipboard account, and I often tip more

I have not tipped the Dining Manager, but I have also never add any special requests.

Room service - based on size of order essentially $1 per person ordering

Palo and Remy dinner and Remy brunch $20 - $40 person depending on service

Palo brunch - $20 - $40 person depending on service and how much is order off menu rather than what I served myself

Do not use the spa or nursery

 

[Dug720]

And just as a note, the head servers, servers, and assistant servers will be working breakfasts and lunches in Cabanas or the dining rooms open for such as well as the lunch places on Castaway. So even if you're not in the MDR for a dinner (or more than one), they are still working and still deserve the prescribed tips at the minimum.

I will point out that though I didn't have to worry about it when I was in 6th grade (my parents did it), I well remember the envelopes my parents made up for our servers and cabin stewards and such on the Emerald Seas, and it made the amounts on Disney look like pocket change.

 

[JLMDisneyCruise]

Ok, so the stateroom one, is that just one? Or isn't it more for concierge?
I plan on making up envelopes ahead, but if added to account, I guess those are not needed?
Ugh, the confusion!

 

[Four Swampers]

We are quite happy to tip the suggested amounts for stateroom host/ess, server, asst. server, and head server.

For room service, we will tip $1 to $2 in cash with each delivery. Of note, we usually order a cheese tray or some Mickey Bars, not a full meal.

For Palo, we tip $10 per person. We have only dined in Remy once; I can't remember what I tipped.

There have been conflicting reports on the disboards as to whether the Palo and Remy upcharges include a gratuity for the server. Does anyone know? Whether it does or not, I suspect I will stick with my current tip.

 

[Four Swampers]

Ok, so the stateroom one, is that just one? Or isn't it more for concierge?
I plan on making up envelopes ahead, but if added to account, I guess those are not needed?
Ugh, the confusion!

No need to make envelopes: DCL will provide envelopes. They will also charge your account and give you a slip to put in the envelope to let the people know what they got. So you will get 4 envelopes, 4 slips: host/ess, server, asst server, head server.

Of note, you can go to Guest Services and adjust tip up or down.

Of note, you do not need to actually hand the envelopes/slips to the individuals. They get the tip whether you do that or not. The slip/envelope is, I think, primarily intended to allow that personal interaction of handing someone a tip.

Of note, it does seem the castmembers prefer the slip to cash. It helps them keep track of the money, they don't have to stuff a wad of cash in their pocket, and they can easily get cash from their shipboard account.

 

[JLMDisneyCruise]

Ok, I now get it....so I will just plan....xx amount of dollars for tipping, I always tip more ..(ex hairdresser) so I get it! Lol...so a couple hundred bucks should be kool...thanks everyone!! Keep adding thro, like reading everyone's input!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Tipping to me is based on the service, and what I choose to tip. It should not be laid out for you because then it becomes almost a service charge. Only you know how you want to tip. Some people on this board tip people for smiling at you...

 

[undertheradar]

For concierge, we tip based upon the number of room occupants and the size of the room. We stay in a cat T, so we tip according to room size. In concierge you will have the 3 concierges in the lounge, a bartender, food attendant, room steward and assistant room steward, along with the server, asst server and head waiter. DCL suggests basic tips, you then decide if you want to add to those basic suggested tips. You are on your own for figuring tips for all of those involved in concierge. When we had MDR meals in our stateroom, we handed our server $20 per meal. It is up to you how much and who you tip.

 

[jrabbit]

when you first see the recommended tipping guidelines - it seems like a lot because it is PER GUEST.

And my first impression - That's a LOT of money for us to tip as a family of four for dinner. But it is for ALL of your meals and snacks. You will find your Head Server, Server and Assistant server at various locations around the ship every day. So if everyone tips the minimum amount they all get "reasonable" tips for all of the meals that they have worked. We usually tip more for for our Assistant Server and Server. Rarely have tipped more for the Head Servers (he/she looks like the dining room manager (well there are 2 of them) - but they are not). Never tipped the dinning room manager - don't worry about that position.

Stateroom Host - We see ours multiple times per day - and have tried to bring them home with us. We always tip them more than recommended.

If you go to Palo for dinner or brunch you should leave an additional tip. We usually tip between $5-$15 per guest. Never been to Remy's but I assume that you would tip even more there.

Shore Excursions - we usually leave $1-2 per guest for bus drivers. Will leave anywhere between $5 and $75 depending upon the guide. If snorkeling or diving we leave the upper end because there are usually 4+ people working the boat. Comes down to how good they were.

 

[kiford]

If you have a good experience in the dining room, part of it is down to your Head Server, even if you don't interact with them much so the $1/day/person is actually worth it. If you have a complaint, they will take it and help to resolve your issue. We've been in the MDRs for breakfast or lunch and sometimes the server might be a bit slow with getting drinks or getting you a menu and we've seen the Head Server getting onto them to move more quickly. We've had a Head Server who rearranged our table assignment when we were on the second leg of our B2B and seated us with a couple we'd shared a table with the year before. Can't believe that was a coincidence. He told us that we had originally been assigned to a table on our own and we prefer to meet other people during dinner; we also wanted the same servers on our second leg so he made that happen. We had a Head Server on our last Med cruise who made a point to come to the table every night and chat - she had a great sense of humour and would get us up dancing or doing something and even took pictures with our cameras.

If you order bar service, there is an automatic 15% gratuity added which is pooled by all bar staff. If you add an additional tip, it goes to the server directly. I always add an additional tip of $0.50-$1.00. Always helps them to remember me and how I like my drinks and to be extra attentive. Very small amount of money that goes a long way. We've even had bar staff remember us from one cruise to the next even when on different ships. Gotta believe the extra tipping has something to do with that. I believe that the same is true of your Assistant Server. If you add an additional tip when they bring your chit at the end of the night, I think that the written in tip goes to them directly. So you can either increase their tip at the end or add every night (or both). One year at Castaway Cay, it was deadly hot and the server would literally run down the beach if you so much as raised your glass. We tipped very well that day. He would even go into the water to take drink orders.

 

[bumbershoot]

Ok, so the stateroom one, is that just one? Or isn't it more for concierge?
I plan on making up envelopes ahead, but if added to account, I guess those are not needed?
Ugh, the confusion!

You really don't have to use envelopes.

The ones that will be charged automatically, just make the total available and don't worry any more about it. If they stand out in service and you want to give them more, add more to your account in their name at Guest Services (or with the concierges as it seems that's thelevel you're staying) or put some cash in their envelopes that you will receive.

With the others, add it to your account or leave cash. It's at your discretion, so it's between you and how you felt about their service and how you feel about money, really. What's a lot for one family is nothing for another. Doesn't matter.

Do bring smaller bills for tips, though.

In concierge you will have the 3 concierges in the lounge, a bartender, food attendant, room steward and assistant room steward

Have I never met an assistant steward because we've never stayed in a T? Either non-concierge or category V is where we've stayed, and I've never met an assistant room steward (nor have I been asked to tip one).

 

[Dug720]

When we stayed in a V there was a second stateroom host with ours, but on observation and conversation we realized that he was in fact the stateroom host for the starboard side and they worked together in the cabins.

 

[undertheradar]

Last September our steward had a dedicated assistant, others on here have posted the same and stated that they handed the assistant a cash tip. When I asked the concierge staff in the lounge if the room steward shared tips with her assistant, I was told that they did not know the answer and that was a subject that was off-limits to the concierge staff.

 

[ptcbass]

I wish they would put Cabanas dinner on that list and at least say no tipping needed or Your Discretion. I think there are a lot of people that are really unsure what to do if they eat dinner there.

 

[com_op_2000]

OP, I do not see the 15% added to drinks bills that is normal, from your list.
If you or a child with charging ability orders a drink alcoholic or non-alcoholic an automatic 15% will be added as tip, you can adjust that upward if you so choose.

 

[mhconley]

I'm not going to comment on tipping, just the thread title. Kind of like throwing a big hunk of meat into a group of hungry hyenas - don't you think?

Martin

 

[turtle27]

Here's is what we did the last sailing we went on. We went ahead and prepaid the standard gratuities (why not add that to your account anyhow) and once the envelopes plus the tear offs were delivered to the room, we added more where we felt it was deserved in cash, which was everyone on this cruise. I know there is a whole debate about cash or cc, so I am not going there, we do some of both.

We were on Wonder concierge, so really only had Rodrigo to tip, we left him cash in what we felt was a nice amount for 4 of us for a 5 day cruise. He really was magical, and super helpful. This will differ on the new ships, as concierge seems to have more staff. I say tip on how much you use them/ feel that they added to your cruise experience. If you never use the lounge, I would not feel bad about not tipping the lounge server who serves drinks. Caveat, I have not sailed concierge on the new ships, so if the lounge servers do more for concierge guests, then they would deserve to be tipped irregardless of if you utilized them in the lounge.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Here's is what we did the last sailing we went on. We went ahead and prepaid the standard gratuities (why not add that to your account anyhow) and once the envelopes plus the tear offs were delivered to the room, we added more where we felt it was deserved in cash, which was everyone on this cruise. I know there is a whole debate about cash or cc, so I am not going there, we do some of both.

We were on Wonder concierge, so really only had Rodrigo to tip, we left him cash in what we felt was a nice amount for 4 of us for a 5 day cruise. He really was magical, and super helpful. This will differ on the new ships, as concierge seems to have more staff. I say tip on how much you use them/ feel that they added to your cruise experience. If you never use the lounge, I would not feel bad about not tipping the lounge server who serves drinks. Caveat, I have not sailed concierge on the new ships, so if the lounge servers do more for concierge guests, then they would deserve to be tipped irregardless of if you utilized them in the lounge.

Rodrigo is a very good concierge host.