Tips

[amm]

I would like to tip in cash and will take envolpes for staff, but what currency should it be in? US dollars or ???

[Dave]

The ship will provide envelopes. These will be placed in your cabin on the last day of the cruise along with a note listing suggested amounts. Dollars are what the crew is used to although they'll be able to exchange pounds or euros if that is what you give them.

[peterh]

We tend to use the buffet style restaurants a lot (Windjammer) rather than the main restuarant but there does not appear to be any facility for tipping those waiters who work very hard - we asked guest relations this question but they just said there was no facility for tipping them. Seems a shame but what can you do?

[penny3333]

You can do the auto-tips which includes those behind the scenes. Usually, the ones in the buffet area are also doubling from other areas.

[wooddon]

We give cash in Canadian money and they do not mind. They just love getting the money.

[Dave]

If you look closely you might see many people from the main dining room working the Windjammer - especially for breakfast and lunch. The typical set up is the assistant waiters and headwaiters do shifts in the Windjammer. While that is going on, waiters will pull shifts working as assistant waiters in the dining room for those meals. For example, I've seen our assistant waiter and our headwaiter in the Windjammer at lunch. I've had our assigned waiter serve us as an assistant waiter at the open seating breakfast. He told me they rotate through it.

So - when you tip the dining room staff you are tipping many who work in the Windjammer. Obviously for the evening casual dinner you will see only those who are dedicated to the Windjammer staff. In those cases, I suggest you simply put cash in an envelope and hand it off to those who were serving you. I believe they pool those tips and share them.

[peterh]

Ok thanks for that - I'll get more envelopes next time!!

[Spiritfilled]

On my last two cruises I had a wonderful staff, so you will want to tip those that treat you well.

[Casey & Kathy]

Waiters are also rotated every couple of weeks. I really noticed it doing B2B sailings. We were doing the MTD and had great service the first week and week 2 he was rotated to the WJ. The same for the bartenders. My favorite watering hole is the Sky Bar and the first week I was able to get an excellant Long Island,But the second week I had to go to the casino to find my favorite bartender. They feel by the end of their contract it all evens out.

[MCPayne]

This is actually my first time that I'm prepaying gratuities, but as stated, many staff members of the cruise line have more than one job. An example, on my very first cruise on the Majesty, my dining room waiter one night after dinner was up on the pool deck after dinner for the midnight buffet and party as we were leaving Nassau. My tablemates stated that they thought that if the a member isn't senior staff, they have more than one job.

I figure on my cruise coming up, if I feel one of my staff that I tip has done something to earn extra, I can throw a few extra dollars in the envelope in addition to the prepaid vouchers I'll get.