Tipping Cabin Stewards

[Colo Cruiser]

If the auto tips don't add up to a minimum wage on the ship,the company top it up.so why don't they just pay them all a decent wage in the first place?

 

Do you know what there wage is? What their benefits are?

As Caribill said by their countries standards they do quite well.

I would not pass judgement unless you know factual info about their salary. ;)

[caribill]

If the auto tips don't add up to a minimum wage on the ship,the company top it up.so why don't they just pay them all a decent wage in the first place?

 

The contracts the crew signs usually give a percentage of wages to the broker who hired them. With tips not included, less has to be given to the broker, more stays in the worker's wallet.

[janecambridge]

Do you know what there wage is? What their benefits are?

As Caribill said by their countries standards they do quite well.

I would not pass judgement unless you know factual info about their salary.

 

 

Charming.i was not passing judgement.if you look there is a question mark at the end of the QUESTION.

[Greyt Mom]

Does anyone tip them when you arrive onboard?

 

If so, can they keep those tips or do they have to turn them in?

Here's my 4 cents on this thread...

 

I think tipping is a very personal thing. There is no right or wrong answer.

 

I worked my way through high school and college as a waitress & bartender so I have a view & expectation of service that might differ from someone who hasn't worked in that industry.

 

I generally tip when a service is performed, not necessarily at the end of my vacation...examples from this thread: receive ice & champagne bucket; receive room service order; wave off the cabin steward from the grand kids' cabin...)

 

I'm never really sure when cash tips are pooled/have to be reported to mgmt.

 

I try to provide my tips in cash at hotels, spas, restaurants, etc. so the service provider can make the best decision about what amount to report to mgmt or IRS.

 

Oftentimes in the food & hospitality industry there is the official policy from mgmt on tips as well as the unofficial "understanding" on how tips will be handled.

[Greyt Mom]

I try to provide my tips in cash at hotels, spas, restaurants, etc. so the service provider can make the best decision about what amount to report to mgmt or IRS.

 

I also try to be discrete...if the room service attendant or cabin steward is in my cabin I try to provide the tip right there instead of out in the corridor or in the lobby.

 

The service personnel know what they are supposed to do with cash tips and should act accordingly.

 

But if the service personnel only have to claim or report a % to mgmt then let them decide how much that should be.

 

Let the FLAMES begin....

[Pam in CA]

Stewart has nothing to do with the mini bar. Thats room service.

Why not tip the actual guys thats do the laundry, they do all the work.

I agree. When you ask the steward to remove or change the mini-bar set-up, they just call room service. Much faster and easier (and more accurate) if you call the DINE line yourself. Edited August 4, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Colo Cruiser]

I also try to be discrete...if the room service attendant or cabin steward is in my cabin I try to provide the tip right there instead of out in the corridor or in the lobby.

 

The service personnel know what they are supposed to do with cash tips and should act accordingly.

 

But if the service personnel only have to claim or report a % to mgmt then let them decide how much that should be.

 

Let the FLAMES begin....

 

 

There is no percentage of declaration. Depending on what the passenger did with their auto tips the crew either have to turn it all in or none.

They can be fired if they don't follow the policy.

[Loonbeam]

There is no right or wrong answer to this particular question..

 

As a rule of thumb, if I ask the steward on embarkation day (their busiest day by far) for anything that takes them out of their routine for setting up, then I think a little extra is appropriate. If it's a request they can fulfill when time permits, not so much.

 

Example - can you please get us some wine glasses right now so we can have a drink (at boarding) versus could you please get us some wine glasses so we can enjoy a glass after sailaway several hours later...

[letsgo39]

Yes we tip the Steward extra. We have specific requests of wine glasses everyday and full ice bucket 2 times a day. We also ask that the fridge be cleaned out so we can put our wine,water and diet coke in there.We give him $10.00 at the start of the cruise and another $10 at the end.They do seem to appreciate it.I don't care what people want to call it.Bribe or whatever.:D That really is not all that much as we always cruise in Europe and do at least 12 day cruises.

Edited August 4, 2014 by letsgo39

[USN59-79]

Do you know what there wage is? What their benefits are?

As Caribill said by their countries standards they do quite well.

I would not pass judgement unless you know factual info about their salary.

 

 

Charming.i was not passing judgement.if you look there is a question mark at the end of the QUESTION.

 

Not a big deal, but you really are passing judgment. When you say "So why don't they all pay them a decent wage in the first place?" you are implying that the cruise lines do not pay them a decent wage.

[Cruisin' Chick]

When we first get to our cabin, we'll check the water faucet, toilet, drawers, to make sure things work. We'll also check to make sure we have the three life jackets in our closet. When our cabin steward stops by, we introduce ourselves. We don't start in with special requests as we understand he's busy trying to get all his rooms ready. Maybe if we didn't get robes and we want them, we might ask, but always add "when they're available, no hurry." If there's cans or bottles in the fridge, we just put them up by the TV. We're pretty easy to please, I guess. We know if we want the towels to be replaced, they go on the floor; else, we hang them back on the racks.

 

We keep the autotip on and will decide at the end of the cruise whether we want to tip extra. Also if we want to fill in "consummate host" cards.

 

But we don't give money at the start. To me, that screams "I expect you to treat us as your only passengers."

[janecambridge]

Not a big deal, but you really are passing judgment. When you say "So why don't they all pay them a decent wage in the first place?" you are implying that the cruise lines do not pay them a decent wage.

 

There is a minimum wage limit to each employee.The company pay less than that,knowing tips will top it up.

If the tips aren't sufficient to make the minimum wage limit,then the company fork out and pay.

Basically it looks like we top up wages to minimum wage.

I for one,would rather they get their wage correctly paid by Princess and our tips be what they are...tips...( not wages)

[pablo222]

Do you tip a cab driver before before you get to your destination?

 

I think offers like "An extra $20 if you can get me to the airport

in time for my flight" are fairly common.

[Grammyluvs]

We always tip at the time we make a special request. We also extra tip at the end to our room steward, DR waiter and his assistant IF they have done extra for us (and 100% of the time they have :))

[jamscckmc]

Depending on how good the service was we give an extra $20-$50 to the room steward, waiter and assistant waiter.

[cb at sea]

I can guarantee that if you hand someone CASH, it will NOT be pooled...it will go into their pocket..there is no way for anyone to know if they've gotten cash.

 

That said, tipping is traditionally done on the last evening of a cruise. Not upfront, not daily...but at the END of the cruise.

 

If you pay the suggested amount, you're good to go.

[Colo Cruiser]

I can guarantee that if you hand someone CASH, it will NOT be pooled...it will go into their pocket..there is no way for anyone to know if they've gotten cash.

 

Of course it does, as long as the passenger does not remove the auto tip.

[suzyed]

Of course it does, as long as the passenger does not remove the auto tip.

 

We would never remove the auto stip....as a matter of fact we pre-pay it if we can before cruising! We do, however, give a bit of a tip at the beginning and sometimes along the way!

[caribill]

I think offers like "An extra $20 if you can get me to the airport in time for my flight" are fairly common.

 

But that extra $20 is given at the end of the ride, not when you first step into the cab.

[Loonbeam]

Actually I HAVE done 'half up front, half when we get there alive' type cab tips. But they are rare.

 

But that extra $20 is given at the end of the ride, not when you first step into the cab.

[pablo222]

But that extra $20 is given at the end of the ride, not when you first step into the cab.

 

It is clearly a bribe, which is what I thought this conversation was about.

[suzyed]

We always tip the steward in cash the first day because we make requests right off the bat. We ask that the mini bar contents be changed out and ask that they make sure the ice bucket is filled twice daily. Also, we ask them to provide additional towel and washcloths. We tip again when we send laundry out and always top off the auto tip with extra cash at the end.

 

We, too, ask for stuff right off the bat and want to show our appreciation to our cabin steward. It's not a bribe, it's a tip for going above and beyond.

And since we usually try to add gratuity pre-cruise, we may give another tip at the end if the steward was really excellent!

[suzyed]

There is no right or wrong answer to this particular question..

 

As a rule of thumb, if I ask the steward on embarkation day (their busiest day by far) for anything that takes them out of their routine for setting up, then I think a little extra is appropriate. If it's a request they can fulfill when time permits, not so much.

 

Example - can you please get us some wine glasses right now so we can have a drink (at boarding) versus could you please get us some wine glasses so we can enjoy a glass after sailaway several hours later...

 

Exactly! That is how we do it too!

[suzyed]

When we first get to our cabin' date=' we'll check the water faucet, toilet, drawers, to make sure things work. We'll also check to make sure we have the three life jackets in our closet. When our cabin steward stops by, we introduce ourselves. We don't start in with special requests as we understand he's busy trying to get all his rooms ready. Maybe if we didn't get robes and we want them, we might ask, but always add "when they're available, no hurry." If there's cans or bottles in the fridge, we just put them up by the TV. We're pretty easy to please, I guess. We know if we want the towels to be replaced, they go on the floor; else, we hang them back on the racks.

 

We keep the autotip on and will decide at the end of the cruise whether we want to tip extra. Also if we want to fill in "consummate host" cards.

 

But we don't give money at the start. To me, that screams "I expect you to treat us as your only passengers."[/quote']

 

How is that?

Many people pre-pay their gratuities....essentially tipping before any services are provided....is that a bribe too? Is that screaming that we want special service?

I don't know. I think, if my steward does something nice or helpful, it is nice to give them a little something in return. It others don't do that, fine, but we shouldn't judge people who do.

[Loonbeam]

The staff has no idea you pre-paid. All you did was by OBC to offset the daily hotel charge once onboard.

 

How is that?

Many people pre-pay their gratuities....essentially tipping before any services are provided....is that a bribe too? Is that screaming that we want special service?

I don't know. I think, if my steward does something nice or helpful, it is nice to give them a little something in return. It others don't do that, fine, but we shouldn't judge people who do.