TIPS - Coins, bills, ????

[Loveysmommy]

Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to leave in TWO DAYS!! WHO HOO!!




I am going to the bank today to get my "carry" money, most of which will be for tips. What do you suggest I carry, mostly singles or something else? Someone mentioned $2.00 bills and Gold Coins - any comments on those? Can I get the coins at the bank??

Thanks!

 

[TeensMom]

You really don't need money for tips (on the ship at least). Have some cash to tip the guys helping you get your bags out of the car and checked. Once on the ship, don't tip for each service. Near the end of the cruise they provide you a "worksheet" to figure out your tips. You go to passenger services, charge it on your charge card, and they give you little "chits" to put in envelopes and give individually to your servers, leave in your room for the steward, etc. Plan on several hundred dollars (but then it's worth it, yes?)

 

[prymsu]

you would need some one dollar bills to tip room service...

 

[pmgreene]

We've taken about $20 in ones and left it in the safe until we ordered from room service. Ones seemed to work better for us than coins and I'm not sure where I would find several $2 bills anymore. Have a great trip!

 

[SC Minnie]

I believe we took about $50 in $1 bills on the 7 day and ended up with most of at the end of the cruise. On the ship all you really need to tip with cash is room service.

 

[wovenwonder]

If you are doing Palo's High Tea there is no charge therefore no slip to add a gratuity to. You may want to bring a couple dollars to tip your High Tea attendant at Palo.

 

[aprilgail2]

We took along 50 singles for tipping on the ship.

 

[Tooth Fairy]

Just curious whether people actully tip the amounts I've seen recommended. $25 per person(even kids) for the cabin steward - 7 nite . First Disney cruise for us! That's alot of extra money for tips! I'm sure the service is great but the budget is being stretched to the limit!

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

I read in a post, that not all of the room service CM's were familiar with the $1 coins. They looked at two in their hand like they'd just been tipped 50 cents.

 

[wovenwonder]

The suggested amount for gratuities may seem high now. But my first time on board made me really appreciate these workers and know that they earn every penny I gave them. We now tip above the recommended amount.

 

[aseafish]

Just curious whether people actully tip the amounts I've seen recommended.

As was just mentioned, people often tip MORE than the suggested amount. You may find that your cabin stewards do more to make your children's trip unforgetable than they do yours. Tips make up a significant portion of their income, and they work hard for them.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by Tooth Fairy
Just curious whether people actully tip the amounts I've seen recommended. $25 per person(even kids) for the cabin steward - 7 nite . First Disney cruise for us! That's alot of extra money for tips! I'm sure the service is great but the budget is being stretched to the limit!

We took the 4 day cruise and I tipped the recommended amount for everyone (even my 2 year old since she makes the most mess in the room and requires the most attention at dinner!) plus 20 extra each for the server and assistant and 10 extra for the head waitor who was great. The cabin steward was just ok so I gave him the recommened amount.

 

[alexandrew]

In addition to bringing cash set aside for server, asst server, head waiter, and cabin steward that i keep in separate envelopes, I bring $30 in singles for the room service waiters. We also reserve a few bucks for postcards and postage and Castaway Cay.

 

[prymsu]

I also remember a post about coins. I think that you are better off to give them bills, as foreign countries will not exchange coins, even if they add up to a dollar. It is the paper money that holds value...

 

[Kajunswty]

you need cash for postcards or just the stamps on CC? Also, is it necessary to fill out the form for tips or will they automatically charge it to my account?

 

[AnnMorin]

You need to fill out the forms for tips. We brought cash to put in the envelopes but you can do it via your ship board account. The tip amount is the "suggessted" but you can do what you please. Our room steward was GREAT and we tipped him quite a bit over the suggessted amount. Our assistant server was much more friendly than our server and we never saw our head server until the night before tip collections. As such my husband added an extra ten to the assistant sever's envelope, we tipped our server the recommended but docked the head server three dollars. It really is up to you. In Palo we had a GREAT server Elle, some people think the $10.00 per couple is a tip enough but she was wonderful so we added on $25.00 for her.

Room service one day, DH had the key card for the safe and he was in ESPN when the food came. I tipped the waiter with four quarters from the counter. Whatever works

 

[Kajunswty]

so everyone fills out a form and goes to guest services? oh, the line! it seems like there has got to be a better way. on CCL the recommended amount is automatically charged to you and you have the option of going to guest services to add to or decrease it. and still the lines on the last day or two are long! i think i am going to send dh for this one...ha ha

 

[AnnMorin]

No you don't HAVE to fill out a form, you can simply put cash in the envelope or you can do the form earlier in the week. It is no biggie trust me.

 

[my3kids]

I got the form on Thursday morning. I filled it out, walked downstairs and took care of it at guest services. Not another soul was there but me. Just don't wait until dinner time Friday night. Then it might be a long wait. I got the little tickets with the names and amounts and just held them until Friday morning for the room steward and Friday night for the servers.

 

[ennazus]

I'm not sure where I would find several $2 bills anymore

You can get them at your local bank. If they don't have them in stock, they could order them. The same goes for the coins, but I also don't reccommend them as they are heavy to carry around as well as the aforementioned reasons.