At the extreme risk of turning this into an unwinnable series of posts about the pros and cons of tipping on the
DCL concierge level, I would like to simply offer the following: most of us know what fair value is for a service. Simply tip accordingly.
Now for the portion of this post that usually causes a firestorm. We have been in the concierge area multiple times with varying levels of service and help offered by the concierge staff. Our first cruise in a Royal was met with mostly no help. Without an original concierge lounge, an assigned concierge would periodically check on us, perhaps once a day. Nothing was really provided. Nothing was really requested. For that experience, I concluded I would treat the position like a concierge at a fine hotel. No services provided, no tip needed. On a subsequent trip, we were helped extensively by a concierge (Julia for those who might remember her). She went out of her way to make so many things very special for our young children. The other two concierge members on that sailing were mostly nonexistent, so we directly gave a "nice" tip directly to Julia. Whether she split the tips or pocketed it is of no concern to me as the tip was provided directly to her. On another cruise, the three concierge staff members were personable and nice. Again, we had very few requests, however, we might have had a few and decided to do the community tip for them. So, my opinion remains, if you want to tip $500 or $5000 or $50, it is up to you. You will know better than anyone if you use their services or if they provide a special memory to your family. However, never feel guilty if you do not feel compelled to toss in at a level stated by some of the people on this board. I still remember basic math. There are 76 concierge cabins/suites on the Wish. If everybody tips $500 per cabin per week for a 35 week concierge contract, that would generate $1,330,000 split three ways ($443,000 per concierge for a 35 week contract). I might be wrong, but I do not think anybody honestly believes that the concierge job is that valuable. If I reverse calculate and say that each concierge, in a best case scenario, should bring home around $80K for a 35 week contract, that person would need to make around $2300 in tips each week. Three concierge staff would need to pool around $7K per week to make that happen. 76 cabins means $100 a week tip for each cabin/suite would make that $80K level happen for each concierge. Someone on a 4 night cruise would need to tip around $60. 3 night cruise is around $40. Yup, if those base tip levels are used, you are doing your fair share to have each of the concierge staff make $80K for a 35 week contract. Not too shabby in my opinion. But that is my opinion. Again, if you want to tip $500, feel free!
DWF
P.S. Something else I remembered. We have had several interesting discussions onboard in the concierge lounge about this subject with other DCL families. Invariably, it is the lack of guidance provided by DCL that causes the most frustration. Perhaps, just perhaps, the concierge staff has argued against guidance as they might look at a set amount being lower than they actually collect currently. Again, knowing families who have tipped several hundred dollars or even a thousand dollars, the concierge staff might have a point in not wanting guidance by DCL!
P.P.S. Invariably, the staff that serves drinks during happy hour and restocks the food provides much more to my wife and I (and our kids) than the concierge team (usually). So, I am usually surprised when someone tips the concierge staff many multiples (i.e. 10X) more than the waitstaff in the lounge. I know it is just me, but when I see a concierge just hanging out at a desk while the waitstaff is working super hard, I tend to reward that more. Again, I am sure it is just me, but I do know that on at least one cruise, we purposefully tipped the waitstaff substantially more than the concierge staff. Based on their surprised look upon opening the envelope we gave them, I am sure we were in the minority.
