Additional Tipping for stateroom attendant and Dining room staff

[Dave G]

I would like to get a general idea on what the average is from everyone on additional tips if any for the stateroom attendant, Head  waiter,  waiter, and assistant waiter respectively.  I know it's a personal decision to tip extra but I'm just trying to get an average concensus.  

[CrimsonCruiser]

Usually we budget a max of $20 - $30 each. Not a lot but we're not the wealthiest cruisers and give what we can.

 

please don't drag me....

[Ampurp85]

I stand by the assessment that it is a personal thing, there is not right or wrong answer to the average amount. I am sure if all you gave was an extra $1-2 the crew would appreciate it. Just do what you feel comfortable with, that said.....

It will really depend on a myriad of things in my opinion. I have a base that I start with and then if service goes beyond that I tip more. I also am very low-maintenance.  It doesn't matter if I am staying in a suite or an interior. I don't feel obligated to tip more just because I paid more, I tip those who provided me with service. When I budget for my cruise I usually estimate a certain amount to cover any tips.

This is my base-line: I personally will leave $8-12 each night I dine somewhere when I am travelling solo. When travelling with others, I feel like it should be at least $5pp each night from us. I know some people like to wait until the end of the cruise, whatever floats your boat. I tip $1-2 on drinks and I normally give my room attendant between $35-50 depending on length of cruise. I like to give them $10-15 halfway through and the rest at the end. I will tip the crew who do the excursions and tours based on how much I enjoyed myself.. When I eat in the Windjammer, I will hand out a few bucks to those who clear the table. I hate to do it, carrying cash is annoying, but I usually bring my tipping amount in $1s and $5s so it is easy to disperse.

[Dave G]

I appreciate everyone's input. I am right in line then. I Gave my stateroom attendant 35, waiter 40, assistant waiter 30 and we too give others on the ship 10 each when we see them go above and beyond all throughout the cruise. I welcome everyone else to respond. It's nice to hear others perspectives.  Thank u!

[KristiZ]

We often just roll with the regular gratuities for dining and stateroom attendant. We will, however, look for exceptional service in some other areas and tip those folks. For example, we’re giving the lady who nearly always took our room service order this cruise $20 because she was always so personable. Plus in the GS the room service fee is waived so they don’t make money on us unless we tip.  We also tip on the free Diamond drinks, since they still have to do the work. It is always appreciated!

But whatever you’re feeling in the moment!

[GKMCruising]

22 minutes ago, KristiZ said:

We often just roll with the regular gratuities for dining and stateroom attendant. We will, however, look for exceptional service in some other areas and tip those folks. For example, we’re giving the lady who nearly always took our room service order this cruise $20 because she was always so personable. Plus in the GS the room service fee is waived so they don’t make money on us unless we tip.  We also tip on the free Diamond drinks, since they still have to do the work. It is always appreciated!

But whatever you’re feeling in the moment!

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who tends to just stay with the standard tip unless there's something exceptional to recognize. 

For instance, we gave an extra tip to James in Sorrento's on Ovation last month because he went above and beyond in his interactions with us. When my wife and I were on our honeymoon, we gave $40 to one of the photogs who knew our names and that we were on our honeymoon, so she'd make sure to do tons of different poses and backgrounds throughout the week with us so we had a *ton* of good options to choose from with photos afterwards.

[twangster]

Depends on cruise length.  Pre-pandemic I didn't always tip beyond the included automatic.

Since the restart I am being more generous.  They've been out of work.  I did the same when I first going out to bars and restaurants at home.  

[Dave G]

34 minutes ago, twangster said:

Depends on cruise length.  Pre-pandemic I didn't always tip beyond the included automatic.

Since the restart I am being more generous.  They've been out of work.  I did the same when I first going out to bars and restaurants at home.  

 

[Dave G]

All great information and it's good to hear everyone's perspective.  

[KJones]

For a typical 7-night, we did an additional $20/p for head waiter, $15/p for asst waiter, $20/p for stateroom attendant, $1/drink for bar staff. For an upcoming 10-night, I'm budgeting to double waitstaff & stateroom.

[Chuck586]

I have seen probably 15 posts in the last year about tipping onboard.  I think the way that Royal (and most cruise lines for that matter) structures the tipping system so it is intentionally foggy.  

I just looked up the current Q&A regarding tipping and it seems to say two different things.  It says that you will be charged a $14.50 per person per day pre-paid gratuity which will be applied to your account.  That gratuity is then "shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience."   A few paragraphs below it says that "A 18% gratuity is automatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases."  So if you read both of those statements it sounds like the bar staff, for example, will receive a share of the $14.50 gratuity, but you will also be charged 18% against any beverages.

It is never clear if the 18% goes into the tip jar for everyone or if it goes to the individual that brought the drink.  It is also unclear if the gratuity fund into which one is contributing on a daily per person basis will go to those who serve that person or are just divided equally among the hotel crew.

It just seems to me that these policies are intended to keep everyone confused.  I think most people will tip at the time of service as they are receiving their drinks or food as that is what we are all trained to do.  

[D Alt]

if you wait until the end, do you get envelopes to hand out or leave in the room or are you running around trying to find people? 

[KristiZ]

5 minutes ago, D Alt said:

if you wait until the end, do you get envelopes to hand out or leave in the room or are you running around trying to find people? 

There are envelopes, and you can drop them off in the dropbox at Guest Services any time. 

[Dave G]

Guest services will give you as many envelopes as you wish. We hand them directly to the intended person so that we insure they receive it. Another option is if you have on board credit there is a form guest services can provide to you so you can dedicate specifically who and what amount you wish to tip someone.  I just found out about this form last week on the oasis. It's great if you have extra OBC. Hope this helps someone. 

[FionaMG]

We don't have the same tipping culture here that exists in the US, so the idea even of the "standard" gratuities is a bit alien to us. That said, since DH and BIL both worked on cruise ships in their younger days and consequently know how important tips are to the crew, we will normally give our cabin steward and wait staff a small additional amount (usually  $10-15 each) as long as the service is up to scratch. Of course, this works both ways and while we would never remove the automatic tips we also will absolutely not give extra for lukewarm or subpar service (which is luckily extremely rare).

[wozswoman]

I gave our stateroom attendant $50 on our first full day.  She brought us ice twice a day and saw too it that a pool lounger was brought to our balcony for my mother and I to use.  I tipped the head waiter $40 midway through because for three nights he had the chefs make different types of Indian food for us to try, one night was a full meal.  The two servers each received about $20 each when it was divided out.  Maybe it was too much but we had a ball.

[Hagar]

I was SO glad to be back onboard (just shy of 2 full years without a cruise fix) that I was more generous on this run than on any previous cruises.

 

 

 

[teddy]

On 10/22/2021 at 5:28 PM, Hagar said:

I was SO glad to be back onboard (just shy of 2 full years without a cruise fix) that I was more generous on this run than on any previous cruises.

 

 

 

We were too. 

[JimnKathy]

Here's my tipping strategy:

I tip my stateroom attendant $20 on day 1 and let him know any specific requests we have (fresh ice, soap, etc.) and tell him I'll give him an extra $20 on the last night of the sailing.

For specialty dining, I'll tip the server $20 at dinner and $10 at lunch per meal. The amazing the level of service and extras we enjoy because of this are amazing...let's just say your wine glass will be magically refreshed for the remainder of each meal AND it's not unusual for the managers to comp wine bottles when they learn you take care of their servers.

For Main Dining, I'll tip $10 to $20 depending on the level of service.

For wine bottles we bring on board, I hand $10 to the server while he opens the wine...no corkage fees for us AND see my comments above about wine comps as well.

While we are light drinkers during the day (we usually hang around the Solarium on sea days and after port visits), I'll tip the bartender $5 for each pair of cocktails we order. Striking up friendly conversations with a good bartender will pay dividends when they know you appreciate them for a job well done.  

While this tipping strategy isn't for everyone, I will add that getting bottles of water for free isn't an issue even though we don't buy the Deluxe Beverage Package.

Happy Sailing!  

[wordell1]

52 minutes ago, JimnKathy said:

Here's my tipping strategy:

I tip my stateroom attendant $20 on day 1 and let him know any specific requests we have (fresh ice, soap, etc.) and tell him I'll give him an extra $20 on the last night of the sailing.

For specialty dining, I'll tip the server $20 at dinner and $10 at lunch per meal. The amazing the level of service and extras we enjoy because of this are amazing...let's just say your wine glass will be magically refreshed for the remainder of each meal AND it's not unusual for the managers to comp wine bottles when they learn you take care of their servers.

For Main Dining, I'll tip $10 to $20 depending on the level of service.

For wine bottles we bring on board, I hand $10 to the server while he opens the wine...no corkage fees for us AND see my comments above about wine comps as well.

While we are light drinkers during the day (we usually hang around the Solarium on sea days and after port visits), I'll tip the bartender $5 for each pair of cocktails we order. Striking up friendly conversations with a good bartender will pay dividends when they know you appreciate them for a job well done.  

While this tipping strategy isn't for everyone, I will add that getting bottles of water for free isn't an issue even though we don't buy the Deluxe Beverage Package.

Happy Sailing!  

Great ideas! (I actually type out "great tips" before I realized the double meaning)

What gets lost in the tipping threads is using tips as a strategy to get better service!

[BeachGal]

Having worked my way through college in jobs that depended on tips, I always make sure I give extra.  My room attendant always gets at least $50 (and usually a sweet treat on day 1).  I tip for drinks as I go, and my dining attendants/assistants are given an envelope on the last night ($20/$10 per person in our party).  Anyone else who takes care of me I also tip.  i had a bartender on Oasis that we hung out with quite a bit because he made amazing martinis.  Those martinis were definitely worth the extra $$. I love handing out the envelopes on the last night and giving a personal thank you to each person.

[Dicey]

Additional tips range from 0 to ????? so it's impossible to get an average.  You might be able to get an average out of a small population but I assure you it does not represent what the average cruiser, among ALL cruisers, is doing.  They have ships operating in different markets with different customs, some where tipping doesn't exist, and the crew is aware and are used to this.  Just give what you think is right and what you're comfortable with.  Any additional tip, large or small, will be appreciated.  

[AHollyS]

Does anyone "tip" with snacks/gift items for there room steward? What types of dailies would you leave? Anyone gift to other staff?

[AshleyDillo]

1 hour ago, AHollyS said:

Does anyone "tip" with snacks/gift items for there room steward? What types of dailies would you leave? Anyone gift to other staff?

We always bring candy and snacks to gift extra on top of cash. It really depends on what service we get and from whom that determines who we end up giving extra stuff to. Our last cruise we gave some to the Starbucks crew since they were surprise MVPs for us over the week. 

[fox2]

I am wondering about, I have read about tipping my room steward and my head waiter,I have seen 35 to 40 for the steward and 20 to 30 for head waiter. Is this per day or the length of the cruise?

[Dave G]

Definitely not everyday Fox2. That would be most generous for a 7 day sailing. Hope that helps. Dave