Tipping - recommended amount, more or less?

[Grumpy's Mom]

This has had me wondering since we disembarked last Saturday. Do you tip more, or less or the recommended amount? What measure do you use to determine that? We tipped our stateroom server about 25% more than what the recommended amount was, even though there were some oversights the first day of our cruise, like an empty champagne bottle and glasses not removed, trash not emptied. (Although now that I think about it, would he have thought those were Room Service responsibilities? They were a gift from our TA.) I overheard one of our neighbors down the hall talking with another neighbor about the tips. The first neighbor was saying that he had only tipped our host the recommended amount, that he talked with the host about why, etc.

We always leave a tip when we stay at a hotel, no matter what level. When I thought about how much I usually leave there, I was kind of surprised, because the “recommended amount” is about 30% more than what I would have left daily, totaled at the end of a week.

The last night of our cruise, our dining server (who gave us the speech earlier in the week), commented that we had "so and so" as our stateroom host - apparently they had been talking. I didn’t know what to make of that comment - I am sure that a lot of the CM’s talk about the guests, but I wasn’t sure if I was being talked about as a good tipper or a bad tipper, or a so - so tipper, or something to the effect of “I know how much you gave him---”

Any thoughts on this?

What do you consider to be a good tip if you have received good service (not above and beyond, but just the expected service in a nice room?)

Curious about whether I did the right thing or not.

 

[KELLIE JONES]

i think i read somewhere that DCL adds all gratuities to you room account. ( remember reading somewhere that a few ppl. were not happy about this ) and if you feel that they deserve more, then just tip more

 

[jgalecpa]

Kellie,

DCL Does NOT add tips to your account. it is one of the options to have your tips added to your shipboard account, but it entirely at your discretion if and how much.

We opted to give our tips in cash.

Bonnie

We also added to each recommended amount, but we felt in all cases the service deserved it.

I calculated the extra this way:

If the recommended restaurant tip is 15% I usually leave 20% for "good" service. This works out to about 1/3 more than normal.

So I added about 1/3 to the DCL tips for "good service" where deserved. In my case it was to each tipped person.


Jim

 

[kcashner]

The only gratuities that DCL adds to your stateroom account are the 15% added to any bar drink (this includes smoothies and soda if you are not on the mug plan.) Note..soda in the dining room is free.

The tips to the server, asst. server, stateroom host, and head server are charged to your account only if you go to guest services and authorize this, and YOU are the one to specify the amount.

Obviously, the amount of a tip is personal. However, these individuals receive almost no salary. Their main source of compensation is from tips. My personal feeling is that the "recommended" amount is a starting point, rather like 15% at a restaurant. Unless the service was absolutely terrible, I wouldn't leave less than that. If you choose to leave more, that is your choice.

As has been pointed out, most CM consider it a privlege to work for DCL, and this is a plum position. There is no slave labor, etc. However, many of these people are supporting families in their home country, etc. They work long, hard hours, and deserve to be recognized for their service.

Tips, at the lowest cabin level, represent about 10% of your trip cost (cat. 11, 7 day starts at $799). Yes, I know there are FL res. discounts, travel industry discounts, etc. The recommended tip is $76 on the 7 day cruise. This certainly seems reasonable. I do realize that the calculation doesn't hold at the children's price level, but it is still a valid starting point.

We usually tip somewhat more than the recommended, because we generally receive superior service on DCL and really LIKE our servers! Again, personal choice rules here...but I feel strongly that the serving staff shouldn't be stiffed!

Don't know what your server was implying with the comment about your room steward. However, the crew lives together and obviously they talk to each other....
Kathryn

 

[AnnMorin]

If someone deserves it we tip extra, if they earn less we tip less. Pretty simple. We use the recommended amount as our guide. If someone just "does their job" they get the recommended. If they go above and beyond, they get more and if they don't toe the line they get less.

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

I think I left two things out -

1. We have a dd who has a hard time keeping her things put away -- those of you who were on our cruise with us can just guess which one. She brought a suitcase with about 25 outfits (she wasn't sure what she would feel like wearing), plus two carryons - one large tote bag and one large summer draw string back pack. Both of these were full of clothes. When we unpacked on Sunday, I put ALL of my clothes, except the hanging things, on ONE shelf in the standup trunk. My DD needed the other two shelves, and one side of the desk drawers to empty her suitcase. She still had the two carryons full, and nowhere to put anything. Those were constantly being gone through, piled up, gone through, piled up, etc. I had to have her "clean up" in the mornings and again in the afternoon before our host came in to either clean in the am or turn down in the afternoon. Although we felt our service from him was good/adequate, I did tip him the extra because our room was in such a constant state of disarray, and I am sure it made it all the more difficult for him to get in and out in an efficient way.

2. As those of you who were with us know, our dining servers were less than adequate. We complained, as did other guests who had the same servers both at our seating and at the other seating, and it did not improve. We left the recommended amount for both server and assistant server. I guess I was left wondering whether the dining server was expecting the same amount as our stateroom host ---


When we went to Palo, however, we received extraordinary service each time. We tipped at least a full 20% of what we felt that meal would have cost us in San Francisco as, unfortunately, we aren't able to get such wonderful food in the town we live in now.

Bonnie

 

[ivanova]

our servers went above & beyond the call of duty - every night - so we tipped well over the recommended amount. Our stateroom host on the other hand got about 2/3 of the recommended amount. We had several reasons why we were severely disappointed with him, which ultimately led to the lower tip.

 

[KELLIE JONES]

thank you so much, i would have felt awfull if my service crew didnt recieve a tip because i was missinformed!

 

[QueenTrident]

Quick questions - by tipping the recommended amount only, are you considered a cheapskate? Just curious what CMs think when they only get the recommended amount.

 

[Miss Eeyore]

Do you think we are considered "cheap" by CM's when we tip the suggested amount? We always leave extra at Palo, leave a good tip in the spa if they refrain, as requested by us, from the hard sell at the end of the treatment. Our wait staff has always been great, and we have included a bit extra for them. This "tip biz" is just so confusing. But then there is Princess which we discovered last spring automatically adds very substantial (more than the DCL suggested) tips onto the price of the cruise. I understand that it is technically POSSIBLE to have these amounts lowered for poor service, but that the guest services departmnet which handles these matters will give the passenger a very hard time and guilt trip if that request is made.....they argue the case of the worker very politely, but you still have to argue and resist the guilt trip.

So I think there is no "right" way to go about this.


Marilee.......still shivering, still snow slogging

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Originally posted by AnnMorin
If someone deserves it we tip extra, if they earn less we tip less. Pretty simple. We use the recommended amount as our guide. If someone just "does their job" they get the recommended. If they go above and beyond, they get more and if they don't toe the line they get less.

And this is exactly how I plan on using the recommended tip amount.

2. As those of you who were with us know, our dining servers were less than adequate. We complained, as did other guests who had the same servers both at our seating and at the other seating, and it did not improve. We left the recommended amount for both server and assistant server. I guess I was left wondering whether the dining server was expecting the same amount as our stateroom host ---

I don't agree with this personally. If the servers are so less than adequate that they even warrant complaining about them- then I don't think they deserve the recommended amount of tip. Someone mentioned it on another thread and I totally agree with their logic- if you have really bad servers and still tip the recommended amount... they'll keep on being bad servers on the DCL. If you don't- they have two choices... either start doing their job better to make better tips or quit- either way the guests of DCL end up with better service (ofcourse assuming their replacements weren't as bad as they were LOL)

If I have really bad service- I can't reward that with normal tip amount. If it's adequate- I'll give recommended amount. If it's better, as seems to be the norm for DCL according to most reports here on this board, I'll tip over the recommended amount.

 

[WDWLVR]

We've always budgeted more than the recommended amount.

On our first cruise our server was just ok. He did everything he was supposed to (take the orders, deliver meals in a timely manner, etc.) but just didn't have that special spark. He got the reocmmened amount. Our asst. server on that trip was a sweet girl who went out of her way to make up for his lack of personality. She go the extra we had budgeted for him and her!

By our 3rd cruise we had heard about the phone cards and used them as a extra bump for great service (we always tip at least the recommended in cash - these are extra). We have been blessed with really great servers and room stewards on each of our trips.

In my opinion our best server team was our last this past May. They were fantastic. They got much more than the recommended amount and the phone cards!

 

[Favorite Auntie]

I think the reason that the servers knew who your room host was is because you are arranged in the dining room by your room number, so they know your room number and who does that area of the ship. I wouldn't worry about they talking about you.

Our servers in Nov were just OK. They obviously didn't get along. The asst server hardly opened his mouth and the server was a bit arrogent for my taste. But they were adequate. My dessert was only forgotten one night.... We tipped the recommended and no more.

 

[LAMPSKIES]

On our first night of our 11/29/03 Eastern our servers "cut up" our youngest DD's (11) steak into small pieces, muck to her surprise and our asst. server gave towel animal lessons. I instantly tipped a quick 20.00 in cash to each with a handshake. I left an extra tip each night on our liquor tab them tipped them and extra 40.00 each at the end. Same with our room steward. Ya, it seems like a little much but, they did make DD's and DW feel like princesses every time we saw them!!! And can you put a price on that?

 

[Muushka]

Originally posted by BibbidyBobbidyBoo
If the servers are so less than adequate that they even warrant complaining about them- then I don't think they deserve the recommended amount of tip. Someone mentioned it on another thread and I totally agree with their logic- if you have really bad servers and still tip the recommended amount... they'll keep on being bad servers on the DCL. If you don't- they have two choices... either start doing their job better to make better tips or quit- either way the guests of DCL end up with better service (ofcourse assuming their replacements weren't as bad as they were LOL)

If I have really bad service- I can't reward that with normal tip amount. If it's adequate- I'll give recommended amount. If it's better, as seems to be the norm for DCL according to most reports here on this board, I'll tip over the recommended amount.

Ahhhh, the voice of reason. Thank you for these words!