Tipping for large groups & differing levels of service

[pwoodham]

I'm a little cautious these days about tipping recommendations, and I'm wondering how everyone else does this.
Researching for our last WDW trip, I came across the tipping recommendations on this site that suggested $3 per bag. We have a BUNCH of people with us every time we go somewhere, and our baggage tip alone would have been about $75. I asked for help on one of the forums here, and was repeatedly assured that $20-$25 was probably reasonable for a bunch of bags delivered to one room.
Now I have a similar concern about our cruise, and I'm wondering how to implement the per person tipping recommendations. We'll have 9 people to consider, and the tips at the end of our 7 night cruise will be close to $700. We'll have 4 adults and 5 kids. I know the recommendations say the tip is PER PERSON, regardless of age. If that's really the right thing to do, we'll do it, but wow, what a bite out of our travel budget!
Another consideration I know will be the level of service. According to my current research, the tipping guidelines are for "excellent" service (of course on Disney, a high level of service is expected).
We've only been on Disney once before, a 3 day cruise. We never saw our cabin steward. We had several kids with us, but never got a towel animal. Everything was fine, but nothing was exemplary. Is that still "excellent" service?
By contrast, our waitstaff went above and beyond - taking fabulous care of us, and being especially considerate of my lactose-intolerant ds. They knew we had called ahead for our lactose-free milk, and asked uf we wanted to take a 1/2 gallon back to the room - they were outstanding.
We went about 10% above the recommendation for them, and as I recall, about 10% below for the cabin steward. Was that reasonable, too much, too little??
Any help is appreciated.

 

[webray]

Towel animals are not a requirement....and tipping should not be based on them.

Tipping is per person...the recommended amount is for the standard service provided for you for the length of the cruise.
If you didn't see your room steward, then you must not have required anything extra. We saw ours quite often..in the hallway..and he was always polite and wonderful. He filled our cooler with ice all week..we only had to ask him the first day. He did leave me towel animals..lol, 3 or 4 of the days and we are two adults..I guess he heard me crack up at the first one..as I had completely forgot about this even being done.

If anyone goes above and beyond...hubby will add and extra 20 or more percent..depending on what it is. We like to encourage good service.

As far as the luggage tipping...the average is $1 to $2 per bag, UNLESS.....the bags are extra large and heavy...then $3 to $5 per bag depending on size and weight. On the cruise you are only allowed 2 bags per person....so you really can't over pack. 9 people equals 18 bags...equals $36...if you have large bags..or heavy bags I would round that up to $50 at a minimum..but, that is just me. I gave our guy $20 for 4 bags..but, they were all very heavy..lol. He was excellent...we had no luggage tags because it was a last minute cruise..I did know the cabin number..and our luggage was in the room when we got there..so he did a great job and earned every bit of that $20.

These kids work pretty much non-stop the whole cruise...they are supporting families and such back home, wives and children. Tip them well.

 

[clh2]

Not seeing your cabin steward is not a bad thing. The question is - is the job getting satisfactorily done. I think we only saw our room steward 2 times on the 4-nt wonder. There was no doubt he did a fabulous job!

 

[pwoodham]

I said everything was fine with our cabin and for the most part, that was true. I do recall needing some additional supplies, however, and having to get them from another cabin steward. We really never did see our steward, even when we would have liked to.

 

[ksjayhawks]

The tipping is per person and is pretty reasonable considering the length of time that you are on board and how the tips are spread out.

They all work very hard for their tips and count on them as part of their wages.

We usually tip $1-2 per bag.

 

[kcashner]

You don't necessarily have to see the room steward for him/her to get the job done....but let's think about the current cruise, not the past one.

The suggested or recommended tipping is just that. These people fall into 2 categories (according to my favorite server.) There are those who are supporting families at home and sleep or do personal laundry during their limited "off" time. And there are the "young ones" who party while in port and never have any money because they spend it all.

What I'm trying to say is that these people work hard for their tips. They get a very minimal salary. Most of their families live in a world where they could never even think about cruising. If you have 9 people on a 7 day cruise, you need to put the $700 for tips in your cruise budget. Save money somewhere else (cut out smoothies?, do excursions on your own?, use your own camera more and Shutters less?), but don't save money by stiffing the hard working crew.

I do hope that with 9 people, you are saving money by using private transportation, not DCL transfers. That, alone, can save you a bundle!

 

[Amberle3]

Keep in mind that while it's called a "tip", and on DCL it's still at your discretion, it really is their salary. These folks are paid next to nothing by the cruise line (as is industry standard).

I see that you're in the US, where I believe wait staff are legally allowed to be paid next to nothing on the assumption that their wages will be made up for by the tips. Would you go to dinner and then think hmm, gosh there are 9 of us, 5 of which are kids... yes the kids meals cost less than the adult meals but I think I'll tip a smaller percentage for the kids because there's so many of us, it would be too expensive otherwise... ?

By the way on some NCL ships, and soon to be standard on all NCL ships, the "tips" are now a "service fee" that are automatically added to your shipboard account and are not adjustable. You're free to add to them, but you can't take them off.

 

[chasbos]

This whole tipping thing is starting to worry me! I do not want to "rip" anyone off! So what are the standards for tipping? There will be 6 of us in 2 adjoining rooms (2 adults, 4 kids) what am I going to end up paying in tips at the end of the week? I am certain I want to pay a lump some at the end of the week but will there be times I have to tip during the cruise?

 

[4nana]

The tipping recommendation may be a sticker shock, but believe me, the CM's go 'above and beyond' the call of duty and usually deserve recommended amount and more+++!!

We took a family reunion (9 adults, 7 children incl 2 babies) 7 day cruise yr and half ago. Before cruising, we worked it in our budget as it was quite a lump sum....$75x16.....hello, at minimum, is $1200+. We arrived a day early and the 32 baggage tips really added up too. Home airport tip, MCO to Rad. tip, from Rad to port tip, then return....ching, ching...at $1 per bag was over $200! Then the transpo tip from air port to dock and return x 16 ....well, you get the picture! If you have a bar bill, I believe the tip is included in price of drink....but, you have that to consider also. LOL....it is definitley a wise choice to be prepared.

When we traveled with Carnival, tips were pre-paid and chg'd to our acct. We did not care for the idea, as at the end we felt we wanted to hand our great servers their tip...so, found ourselves tipping anyway last evening at dinner.

Happy Sailing
~ Sandie

 

[dletz]

I just look at it as part of the cost of the cruise. When I check the prices I add in the standard tip per person. Then when figuring out spending money for the cruise for excursions, drinks, pics, etc., I add in for extra tips.

 

[Muushka]

I have to say that if we did not see our cabin steward at all on the cruise, I would not call that excellent service. How would they know if you need anything? Yes, the job gets done, but I would not call that excellent. I don't consider us to be demanding people, but there were things that we needed while on our cruise and it was nice to see our steward in the hall to be able to ask him for whatever.

We did happily tip our room steward and waitstaff over and above the recommended tip suggestion, but if I had not felt that their service was excellent, I would have tipped them less than the suggested. Yes, they have families back home, but I don't believe in rewarding for service that is not excellent.

A disclaimer. If you are the type of cruiser that leaves the room at 8 AM and doesn't come back till 2 AM, well then I would not fault the steward.

 

[kpgclark]

Whether or not you have a big group you still need to tip what is recommended to the cruise staff. I mean they do tell you beforehand what tip is recommended so you know in advance. Now this is my opinion but I think if you can't afford the tip you shouldn't go on the trip because it is part of the price of the cruise. If you get average/normal/expected service you need to tip the recommended amount. I don't think it matters whether or not you see your steward as long as your room is clean and the beds are made and your room is stocked.

Bags are a different issue and according to your message your group has 25 bags. The tip would depend on how many rooms as well as the number of bags. If you have two rooms then I think $25 per room is about right for that number of bags. That would bring you to $50 in total or $2/bag. Maybe $20 per room might be OK too. Remember this is how these folks make a living and there is an expectancy on everyone's part as to what to tip.

 

[TheWog]

Originally posted by chasbos
This whole tipping thing is starting to worry me! I do not want to "rip" anyone off! So what are the standards for tipping? There will be 6 of us in 2 adjoining rooms (2 adults, 4 kids) what am I going to end up paying in tips at the end of the week? I am certain I want to pay a lump some at the end of the week but will there be times I have to tip during the cruise?

DCL's website explains the tipping recommendations. It is 25.75 per person for the week on a 7 day cruise for both the steward and Server. Asst. Server and Head Server are less and others are at your leisure (room service, etc. bartenders get an auto 15% with each order and you can give more if you like)

 

[mrsltg]

Why, oh why, is it that everytime someone asks a question about tipping, no matter what the question, others feel the need to jump to conclusions about the intentions of the person asking the question?????

If that's really the right thing to do, we'll do it, but wow, what a bite out of our travel budget!

This quote is taken from the OP. Where does it say that he plans on "stiffing" someone. Why is he told that if he can't afford it he should stay home? Why is this necessary????

Yes, the people who work on the cruise ships often come from the third world. There is a reason that they are working on a cruise ship.... there is huge potential for a lot of $$$ (not to mention the attractiveness of indoor plumbing). They may well be supporting a family back home on their tips. Of course, "back home" could be a country where the average income is $50/per month, thereby making $1k per week pretty attractive. There is a reason that these people are on the cruise ship and not walking behind an oxen-plough!!!! I don't feel too bad for them. And before I get flamed, I tip according to service with the recommended amount being the starting point.

Erin

 

[absame]

some are from developing countries. Alot of our waiters etc were from europe. Either way, their pay is based on very low salary + tips, just like a waiter in the US. By the way, ask them their hours -- the work for six months straight, 7 days a week, 75 hours a week, and then get two months off. I wouldn't want their job!

 

[4nana]

chasbra,

Your tip amount suggestion depends on 3, 4, 7 day cruise.
I hope you find this helpful, copied this from the Disney sight.

What about gratuities?
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.

 

[chasbos]

Thank you 4nana,

That is all I was looking for, something to have to know what to tip at the end of my 4 nights. Now are these figures per day or for the entire duration of the cruise? And I totally agree with mrsltg - people are just asking these questions to be informed not to complain about the cost. Is this not a Disney Cruise information board? That is what we are looking for information not someone jumping to conclusions about our question.

 

[gatour]

Someone mentioned above that there is 2 bag/person limit on DCL. Has this always been so? I don't recall that limit when I went on the Magic a couple years ago. And all of the other lines that I have been on don't have bag limits. I can see if you are having to fly to the cruise that there is a 2 bag limit because of airline rules (but you can always paya fee to take more on the airplane). So is this correct?

 

[jrabbit]

Someone mentioned above that there is 2 bag/person limit on DCL. Has this always been so?

The short answer is YES (and always has been so).

The longer answer is that it depends. In you DCL cruise documents they give you 2 luggage tags per person. I suppose that you could ask for additional tags - but I don't know for sure. These tags are for your checked luggage. You can carry on as many pieces as you can handle If you are flying to Florida the airlines impose limitations on the amount of luggage you can bring.

That is all I was looking for, something to have to know what to tip at the end of my 4 nights. Now are these figures per day or for the entire duration of the cruise?

The amounts listed are per person in your group for the ENTIRE trip. So if there are 3 of you in your party for a 4 night cruise - your "expected" tips will be:
Server: 14.75 * 3 = 44.25
Asst. Server: 10.75 * 3 = 32.25
Head Server: 3.75 * 3 = 11.25
Room Steward: 14.50 * 3 = 43.50
Grand Total: $131.25 for the 4 night cruise with 3 people

 

[drclaws]

Originally posted by chasbos
Now are these figures per day or for the entire duration of the cruise?

Per person for the entire duration of the cruise.