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Another Genie Gratuity Question…..


tonyfsu21

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Out of curiosity, what do you tip a genie for 7 nights of star class service these days? I am thinking the following:

Average experience: $500

Above average experience: $700

Obviously everyone has a different definition regarding level of genie experience and I would like to get a range of opinions so I don’t under or over shoot the norm. 
 

On another note, if you book a suite during the double point promotion do you get double/double? 
 

Thanks in advance. 

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12 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Yes to double points on top of the suite double points. 
 

As far as tipping goes, totally at your discretion. The floating rule of thumb/consensus is generally $100pp for the cruise and it can go up from there depending on level of service. 

Excellent information. Thank you! 

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2 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

My kids will turn the aqua theatre suite upside down so I’m kind of thinking the same dollar figure. 

In that case, don't forget some extra for the room attendant! They are the real superstars here in keeping the room clean and removing the constant flow of empty dishes from all the food and snacks that get delivered.

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12 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

What does a genie do for you to be worth that much?

Genies are excluded from the regular gratuities so it is customary to tip them.  Again, it's totally at your discretion. 

As far as what they do for you?  As @WAAAYTOOOalways puts it, the value of a Genie is very hard to quantify.  Think of the Genie as your very own, personal concierge.  They do everything, literally.  You never have to visit guest services, you never have to visit the suite concierge.  You want something?  Ask for it, and it happens (well, not rule breaking or anything) but the Genie literally will go out of his/way to make things happen for you.  You are spoiled beyond what you can imagine.

Off the top of my head, the specific extras a Genie has been known to do are beyond what I can list here. All I know is that when the opportunity is there, I will always pay the extra and choose Star.  

If you are truly interested, take some time and read the Star Class live blogs here in the message boards.  It was by doing that (mainly the early ones by @WAAAYTOOO and @CGTLH) that got me interested in the Star Class program in the first place.  I think if you go through a few live blogs, you will see what I mean.  It is really hard to come up with a comprehensive list of all the extras.

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11 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I mean I know what a genie can do. But what actually has the genie done to be worth so much.

That's what I am trying to tell you, too many examples to list here.  Read the live blogs.  Those are first hand accounts and you will get a feel for what they can do to make it worthwhile.

But then again, some don't need all the extras, so in that case, there would not be much value in the program at all for those cruisers.  It all depends on the person.  But my best advice is read the first hand accounts, and then you can decide if it is worth it to you and your family.

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I have always had a problem about tipping. In Singapore your are fined for tipping, particularly for taxis, whereas in New Zealand they are insulted being offered a tip. That was the case a few years back. Where I currently live small change is left in restaurants but in the States 20% is normal. With cruising I have been on all inclusive fares, (food, drinks, service), tipping not required unless someone goes well out of their way. Royal has tipping which I always pay in advance but the envelopes left at the end makes me feel uncomfortable. In GS $17.50 pp daily has been applied already. For normal service do you guys still put something in the envelope ? I have only been on one Royal cruise (envelope empty) the second will be in October. I don’t want to be mean.

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Sorry, my intention was not for this to morph into a “what have you done to deserve a tip thread”. I really just wanted to get a base line for the Genie knowing they are not part of the tip pool on the ship and their income directly correlates to their ability to provide a level of service that is rewarded by a tip. I think I now have a pretty good idea. Thank you. 

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16 minutes ago, Allancy said:

I have always had a problem about tipping. In Singapore your are fined for tipping, particularly for taxis, whereas in New Zealand they are insulted being offered a tip. That was the case a few years back. Where I currently live small change is left in restaurants but in the States 20% is normal. With cruising I have been on all inclusive fares, (food, drinks, service), tipping not required unless someone goes well out of their way. Royal has tipping which I always pay in advance but the envelopes left at the end makes me feel uncomfortable. In GS $17.50 pp daily has been applied already. For normal service do you guys still put something in the envelope ? I have only been on one Royal cruise (envelope empty) the second will be in October. I don’t want to be mean.

My family of 4 always adds money to the envelope even after paying the standard gratuities. My kids make a mess though. I think from what I understand, RC uses the gratuity charge to essentially pay the staff a guarantee tip wage per voyage and anything placed in an envelope should technically go directly to that individual (I hope). I only tip extra via envelope to stateroom attendant and suite concierge (and Genie). Speciality dining I always tip around 25.00-$50 per meal depending on service. I also feel really bad for these crew members being away from their families and I get joy out of compensating them. 

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40 minutes ago, RCLRING said:

The website says $17.5 per night automatic tipping for grand suite and above, do the genies not get the tipping from this ?

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

No, Genies are not part of the auto gratuities ($17.50pp).  That is why most people choose to tip their Genies on top of that.

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I never put cash in the envelope - I prefer to hand it directly to the room attendant and express my thanks face to face. We usually do half on the first day, half on the last day. I don't read anything into the envelope being left in my room as anything other than a checklist item for the attendant. 

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I dream of a Star suite, one day in my future but may I ask please, would the Genie be insulted if you advised them you are super low key and didn't really avail yourself to their services as much? It's not about the gratuity it is we are really kind of reserved and minimalist. I mean besides asking  them for peanut butter cups daily and possibly dinner reservations we pretty much run on auto pilot. I just love those suites.  @Lovetocruise2002 can you advise? I mean with you and @WAAAYTOOO advice I'm not really thinking I would have need to Genie services. I like quiet and no fuss, I even keep the cabin very neat and orderly because I can't function in a mess. We all cruise differently, so what say you ? Thanks a bunch!

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42 minutes ago, Momof4crazytocruise said:

I never put cash in the envelope - I prefer to hand it directly to the room attendant and express my thanks face to face. We usually do half on the first day, half on the last day. I don't read anything into the envelope being left in my room as anything other than a checklist item for the attendant. 

I forgot that there was the mystery tip box located somewhere in guest services where some people put the envelopes. To be clear, we put cash in the envelope and personally hand it to the recipient. 

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1 hour ago, RCLRING said:

The website says $17.5 per night automatic tipping for grand suite and above, do the genies not get the tipping from this ?

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

Gratuities are actually included at the Star Class level. Whether they segment out that $17.50 and allocate like they do for the other rooms, I wouldn't know. The Genies are not tipped from that pool of money.

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I’m with you Neesa, I can’t stand leaving a mess for the cabin steward or any housekeeping attendant.  I make sure our clothes are put away or in the laundry hamper, shoes are in the closet, used towels in a pile in a corner of the bathroom and our toiletries do not interfere with them cleaning the bathroom.  I feel their job is to clean the room not our personal messes.

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14 minutes ago, Pooch said:

I’m with you Neesa, I can’t stand leaving a mess for the cabin steward or any housekeeping attendant.  I make sure our clothes are put away or in the laundry hamper, shoes are in the closet, used towels in a pile in a corner of the bathroom and our toiletries do not interfere with them cleaning the bathroom.  I feel their job is to clean the room not our personal messes.

Wow, that is me! Sometimes I even empty the garbage into one and leave it out by the inside door. It's crazy I know, but I just think how would I appreciate the cabin if I was servicing it. It takes little to no effort and I feel good about it. We always take care to learn names and it really seems to always make our experience that much more enjoyable. 

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1 hour ago, Pooch said:

I’m with you Neesa, I can’t stand leaving a mess for the cabin steward or any housekeeping attendant.  I make sure our clothes are put away or in the laundry hamper, shoes are in the closet, used towels in a pile in a corner of the bathroom and our toiletries do not interfere with them cleaning the bathroom.  I feel their job is to clean the room not our personal messes.

Same here. 

My wife gets a kick out of how I'll tidy up a hotel room/ship cabin before we leave for the day.....not that she's messy...she's very clean and organized....she just thinks it's funny how I don't do the same at home.   Decades of working retail have made me want to make workers days easier when I'm a customer.

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Neesa said:

would the Genie be insulted if you advised them you are super low key and didn't really avail yourself to their services as much? 

No, not at all.  I'm sure you've read some of my SC blogs where I discuss that Dan really doesn't care much for the Genie service.  In fact, if it were strictly up to him, would cruise in a balcony cabin with none of the "extras".  He doesn't really care for the fuss.  One of the things that he really dislikes about SC is all of the activity that it generates.  Someone is constantly calling or knocking at the door or coming or going (now, this may change with COVID restrictions and protocols but that's the way it was BC).

What the Genie wants more than anything else is for you to enjoy your cruise and it that means that you didn't need him/her much, all the better, I'm sure !  But I'm willing to bet that at LEAST for the first time, you will enjoy the attention and help.  It is so nice not to have to worry about ANYthing.  All of your reservations, your seats (it's so nice to know that your seats are reserved and that you can wait until just minutes before the show to arrive), your trips off and onto the ship, room service, extra attention for your daughter, arrangements for special tours (may be a thing of the past....) like the personal tour we got of the Central Park gardens with Laszlo Turos (senior horticulturist for Royal who created all of the Central Park gardens).  But you can get as much or as little attention from the Genie as you like.  On our one of our last SC cruise we asked that the Genie make a special effort to minimize the interruptions and she did ! ...and there's just nothing like having your Genie arrange a party in your suite !!  Some Genies will even create and send out invitations but we never wanted anything quite THAT formal.

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1 hour ago, sammy79 said:

Can you request for the delivery of mixed drinks to your suite?

We stayed in a 2BR Aquatheater a couple of years ago, before Covid, of course. They came around with a drink cart in the afternoons and made specialty drinks not found elsewhere on the ship. Often we would come back to the room at random times and find mixed drinks (Genie figured out our favorites), milkshakes for the kids, chocolate covered strawberries....  Honestly by the end of the cruise, I was starting to agree with @WAAAYTOOO's husband - it was a bit much.

Would I do it again? I've got a bid in on a Star Class loft for our October cruise, so yeah, but I would ask them for a bit less pampering.

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Cruising is different but Star Class is a whole different beast imho. I don't think a genie really would work for me and I like luxury travel. I think $100pp is an adequate tip, but.....that is a personal preference because $100 has different value to everyone.  I am tidy at home and on vacation but I always tip the housekeeper, no matter how long I stay. Even though I am an accountant by career, I have worked in the restaurant industry since I was 15. Anything in regards to customer service is brutal. In most cases service is all about convenience as you can do all the things they do for you...therefore you are paying for the privilege of their expertise. Tipping is a very personal thing and my advice is the threshold depends on the circumstances. In the US if you eat out at a restaurant I do think if everything is satisfactory you should tip at least 20% My standard rate for adequate service is 25% because I have been a server before. I know the server has to tip out hosts, bartenders and buss people. When I travel elsewhere I try to stick to their customs. I have been told I am on over tipper by lots of coworkers and friends but it's always about how I felt when I received the service.

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