Tipping

[daisyx3]

I usually leave $1 dollar, I don't know why, I feel weird leaving it blank. I heard they auto add because it's not as common for folks from countries outside of the USA to tip on everything.

That is true. Two of my kids took field trips to Spain, and their teacher told them it is insulting to tip over there.

 

[Hundredacre]

That is true. Two of my kids took field trips to Spain, and their teacher told them it is insulting to tip over there.

It is absolutely not insulting to Europeans that americans tip "extra". They love americans because of it. Strange teacher. But it is not required.

 

[Tinked]

I have always taken large Hersey chocolate bars aboard with me and hand them out with the envelopes and the extra tips on the last night. I've also taken bags of snack size candy and give them to CMs who I got to know or who have helped me, including those at guest services. Am I the only one to do this? Maybe that's why everybody always seemed happy.

 

[rkwier]

I have always taken large Hersey chocolate bars aboard with me and hand them out with the envelopes and the extra tips on the last night. I've also taken bags of snack size candy and give them to CMs who I got to know or who have helped me, including those at guest services. Am I the only one to do this? Maybe that's why everybody always seemed happy.

I have never done the chocolate bars, but have read posts from others who have. They made their own wrappers to put on them. Cute idea! We do print off our own envelopes with "Thank you for a Wonderful Cruise!" (or Magical, Dreamy, Fantastic depending on the ship), and put the tips in there. The cast members seem to like them.

 

[dclpluto]

That is true. Two of my kids took field trips to Spain, and their teacher told them it is insulting to tip over there.

It's not insulting. You think they get mad when Americans tip them. I would think they will love it.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

When I went to England, it was my first trip to another country aside from Aruba and Canada. And I left my change on the bar - it was a bit over a pound, I think. I just didn't know. We were in a small town so not a place where tourists often go and the bartender just gave me an odd look. I wouldn't say he was offended but he was definitely confused and did not take it.

 

[kiford]

About to go on my first cruise and wondering...I will of course tip more than recommended amounts however, I feel uncomfortable handing someone an envelope personally and expecting a reaction out them for it or would feel terrible if they got it and were expecting more and thought I was cheap.. I don't know what it is but, couldn't I just add extra tip without having to hand deliver it and avoid the awkwardness? Is this possible to do?

You don't need to hand deliver the envelope - they will get the tip anyway. But they are all very professional and don't open it until after the guests leave. You also shouldn't feel that you have to tip over the recommended amount unless you feel that it's warranted. They've come up with that amount as a level that is reasonable on the assumption that every guest will pay that amount. I've always said that I wouldn't reduce the amount, although I would have been tempted to with the assistant server on our last cruise had we not been able to have him replaced. I probably wouldn't have - he worked hard, it's just that he wasn't very competent.

The other "tip" that you can give them if you think that they were better than average is to mention them in the survey at the end of the cruise. DCL does actually read that and CMs can get bonuses and promotions based on what guests say about them. Be specific if you can about how they made your cruise special.

What does the head server do? The last cruise he said Hi once and on the last day it was "hope everything was excellent" survey speech

I don't tip a head server at a restaurant on land, so why on a cruise ship?

The head server is there to make sure that you don't have issues or that issues are fixed. We've had cruises where we got to know the head server very well. On one Med cruise, she came over every night and chatted for a while - she was very funny and lively.

We had a terrible assistant server on our last Northern European cruise so we complained the first night to the head server - he arranged for some help for him for the second night. Second night went better, third night was worse. Complained again. Fourth night and onwards we had a different assistant server who was great. Head server then brought us over plates of fried shrimp and scallops two nights running and big bowls of fruit one night to thank us for our patience in fixing the problem.

I have food allergies and the head server will usually pop by to check on things. On one cruise, I had ordered a caeser salad that had anchovies in the dressing (I'm allergic to seafood). He came over to warn me about it even though I'd told my server that I was aware of it and that I was OK with that small of an amount. He came over just to ensure that I had been properly informed of it.

The head server also is there during breakfast and lunch. We've been in the MDRs for breakfast and had some servers who were a little slow in refilling coffee or removing plates and we've heard the head server chasing them around to get them moving.

On our B2B cruise, we talked to the head server about staying with the same servers for our second leg. We were originally scheduled to sit on our own for the second leg (which we didn't want) so he moved us and ended up placing us at a table with a couple we'd sat with on our previous cruise which was really nice. I can't believe that was coincidence - they must have past records.

I was originally with the PP - why do I need to give them a tip for doing nothing (although we did). But I've since realized that while they are basically in the background and you may not necessarily see them, they are what makes things go smoothly and, as such, are an important position. Having seen what they do when you need them, I no longer have an issue tipping them. While you may not tip such a person on land, a cruise is a different world.

 

[Drusilla99]

How do you go about prepaying the tip before the cruise?
Can you do this at the beginning of the cruise week on board?

You just call dcl before your cruise and let them know you'd like to pre pay your gratuities and they'll charge you then and apply them to your account. You'll get an email receipt and then it's all taken care of.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I was just sitting here staring at these tipping envelopes and slips of paper, and honestly, thinking that these amounts seem LOW for everything that these exceptional people did to make our first cruise a wonderful and memorable one! The only one I don't have a ton to say about was the "head server". He came by each night to say hi and ask if all was good -- and it was. I certainly wouldn't tip less than the suggested amount, though. But for the other staff members, I just have to add more. I guess there is no "right" answer, but to be honest, I could easily see doubling these amounts and thinking it was fair. Is that crazy?!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I was just sitting here staring at these tipping envelopes and slips of paper, and honestly, thinking that these amounts seem LOW for everything that these exceptional people did to make our first cruise a wonderful and memorable one! The only one I don't have a ton to say about was the "head server". He came by each night to say hi and ask if all was good -- and it was. I certainly wouldn't tip less than the suggested amount, though. But for the other staff members, I just have to add more. I guess there is no "right" answer, but to be honest, I could easily see doubling these amounts and thinking it was fair. Is that crazy?!

Not at all.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Not at all.

Oh, good!!! I appreciate your guidance as a resident pro, @PrincessShmoo!!!

 

[tvguy]

Have never done a Disney Cruise but on another cruise line, I tipped at the beginning of the cruise in the hopes of securing good service for the week. This was advice I got from others who went on cruise lines who assigned you one specific room steward and if you had one specific dinner waiter/waitress. But in that instance (Norwegian), the staff varied from day-to-day and it had the flexible dining options so you never knew who you were going to get. A bartender would likely remember you going forward, but your room steward may not since they seemed to rotate around. And your dinner waiter/waitress may not be the same person since you could dine where ever you wanted. So check that out - if you have a specific group or assigned person(s), tip at the beginning and they will probably remember you and take good care of you. But I wouldn't rely on the fact that the auto-tip collected by the cruise line actually goes to the staff. I hope it does - but I doubt it.

On our NCL cruise, with that AWFUL Freestyle dining, we discovered the second day that we could make a reservation for the next night in the free dining room, and request a specific server team. So we did that, so 6 of 7 nights we had the same server team. We tipped nightly, and apparently they get bonuses when guests give positive comments, or request specific servers.
Funny, you could make reservations in the extra cost dining rooms for the whole week on the first day of the cruise, but only 24 hours in advance in the free dining rooms. Other funny thing, the normal wait for the free dining room without a reservation was 90 minutes. The wait for the extra cost restaurants without a reservation, none. They could seat you immediately.

 

[HollyMD]

This is what I'm seeing on the DCL website:
Q.
Is there an expected amount for gratuities, and how should I pay them?

A.
It is customary to give gratuities in recognition of exceptional service, which you’ll receive in abundance aboard the ship. The following amounts are provided as a suggestion, but the gratuity you pay is always at your discretion:


Per Guest per cruise 3-Night 4-Night 7-Night
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
Which comes up to #36 per person per night?

 

[HollyMD]

Sorry, it did not copy and post well- basically says for 3 night: Main server $12/pp/pn, Dining room head server $3/pp/pn, ASst server $9/pp/pn, and Stateroom host $12/pp/pn.
Am I reading it wrong?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sorry, it did not copy and post well- basically says for 3 night: Main server $12/pp/pn, Dining room head server $3/pp/pn, ASst server $9/pp/pn, and Stateroom host $12/pp/pn.
Am I reading it wrong?

The gratuities charged to your onboard account are $12.00 per night per guest (each person in your room). That $12.00 breaks out to:

$4.00 per guest per night to your room host; $4.00 per guest per night to your dining room server; $3.00 per guest per night to your assistant server; and $1.00 per guest per night to your head server.

So, for a 3 night cruise the suggested gratuity per guest is $36.00.

 

[scgustafson]

Sorry, it did not copy and post well- basically says for 3 night: Main server $12/pp/pn, Dining room head server $3/pp/pn, ASst server $9/pp/pn, and Stateroom host $12/pp/pn.
Am I reading it wrong?

Yes, you are reading it wrong, those are the total tips per guest per cruise. To make it easier, the recommended per night per guest is:
Server - $4
Asst Server - $3
Head Server - $1
Stateroom Host(ess) - $4
-----------------------------
Total - $12

So, for 3-night - $36/guest, 4-night - $48/guest, 5-night - $60/guest, 6-night -$72/guest, 7-night - $84/guest, 12-night - $144/guest, and 14-night - $168/guest.

Of course, you are allowed to add or subtract from these amounts based on the service of each.

 

[hnthomps]

At $1 per person per day, probably not much that we actually see. My understanding is that the head server is an extra set of hands in case the teams need help and can act as a maitre d if you need additional help. I don't know that DCL would really expect cruisers to have lots of regular contact with their head server.

On our cruise last week the head server came by once each night to make sure everything was going well. We often saw him busily staring at computers and pieces of paper -- we asked our server if the head server was around on the last night (to give him his tip envelope) and she explained that there was a table in his section with complicated allergies, so he had spent most of the week making sure that was all kept straight and safe for everyone. That seemed reasonable to me!

The only other time we saw him for more than a pleasant hello was the night our toddler was having a total meltdown. He was one of the MANY amazing people who helped us through that particularly unpleasant (for EVERYONE) incident. Needless to say, we tipped well and apologized profusely...

 

[HollyMD]

Thank you!

 

[Stacy's a freak]

On our NCL cruise, with that AWFUL Freestyle dining, we discovered the second day that we could make a reservation for the next night in the free dining room, and request a specific server team. So we did that, so 6 of 7 nights we had the same server team. We tipped nightly, and apparently they get bonuses when guests give positive comments, or request specific servers.
Funny, you could make reservations in the extra cost dining rooms for the whole week on the first day of the cruise, but only 24 hours in advance in the free dining rooms. Other funny thing, the normal wait for the free dining room without a reservation was 90 minutes. The wait for the extra cost restaurants without a reservation, none. They could seat you immediately.

I also didn't like the freestyle dining. The concept was somewhat new when we went almost 10 years ago. I have no comparison as this is the one and only cruise I have taken, but I liked the mental image I had of dining each night with the same strangers, etc. We also found the food to be just so-so and the specialty restaurants weren't that much better AND you had to pay extra for them. I hope that Norwegian has improved since then.

 

[Crispen]

How much should you tip the concierge staff?