Tipping Cabin Stewards

[hmurra75]

Geez I just looked and for two people on a 7 day cruise it says the recommended tip for the entire time is only $161.00.. That seems awfully small the spread between waiters and room steward or am I just missing something?

[Colo Cruiser]

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.

 

 

Don't be silly. Thats not an example! Its OBC.

[suzyed]

Don't be silly. Thats not an example! Its OBC.

 

What do you mean it's not an example? It is a charge to my credit card specifically for gratuities. Why is that silly?

[Cruisin' Chick]

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.

 

I think there's a major difference between keeping on your auto-gratuities -- whether you pay it down with the passenger services desk or just have it applied each night on your folio --and slipping them some cash on the first day of the cruise while handing over your list of wants.

 

Most of us (I hope) fully intend to keep on our auto-grats with the thought that the cabin steward will keep our cabin clean, replace towels as needed, etc. That we wouldn't be ignored because the cabin next to us is making extra demands right and left, simply because they gave a major tip upfront and hinted there's more to come. To me, it'll be like the couple who gave a green-fisted salute to a maitre'd in a restaurant, requesting the best table in the place and a waiter to be at their beck and call. Because you didn't do the same, you'll place at that table near the kitchen and have to practically trip your waiter to get his attention.

[cruzsnooze]

Does anyone tip them when you arrive onboard?

 

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

I never bribe anyone, it's insulting and says "take care of me first". The daily auto tips were implemented for a reason and I leave them intact without worrying about any more tipping.

[JimmyVWine]

I think there's a major difference between keeping on your auto-gratuities -- whether you pay it down with the passenger services desk or just have it applied each night on your folio --and slipping them some cash on the first day of the cruise while handing over your list of wants.

 

We only like to think that the difference is "major". It is not, unless the fact of auto tipping is "blind" to the crew. Is it? Passenger "A" walks around on embarkation day of a 10 day cruise dispensing 23 $10 bills to the crew members he thinks will be attending to him. Passenger "B" engages the auto tip function making it clear to the crew members that his cabin will be leaving no less than $230 for services that have yet to be rendered. The difference is not "major". Passenger A is being inefficient because he can never know beforehand who exactly will be attending to him, and Passenger B has the option of disengaging the auto tip function. But beyond these two points, the two situations are far more similar than different.

[NauticalMiss]

The four golden rules for managing people: some you ask; some you tell; some you beg; some you bribe. If you get them right, you have a first class experience; if you get them wrong, you've completely screwed up.

 

I have no problem with introducing a little incentive into the relationship between guest and steward. I do not trash my room and we show our appreciation when a steward has taken great care of us during our cruise.

 

Interestingly, many posters say they will never pre-tip as it is deemed a bribe. But they will tip for room service delivery which is a guy simply doing what is expected, i.e. bringing a tray of stuff to your room. Nothing extra there, but some people feel compelled to tip. Don't misread me, I am very much in favour of tipping; but do not judge others harshly because they do it differently to you.

[suzyed]

The four golden rules for managing people: some you ask; some you tell; some you beg; some you bribe. If you get them right, you have a first class experience; if you get them wrong, you've completely screwed up.

 

I have no problem with introducing a little incentive into the relationship between guest and steward. I do not trash my room and we show our appreciation when a steward has taken great care of us during our cruise.

 

Interestingly, many posters say they will never pre-tip as it is deemed a bribe. But they will tip for room service delivery which is a guy simply doing what is expected, i.e. bringing a tray of stuff to your room. Nothing extra there, but some people feel compelled to tip. Don't misread me, I am very much in favour of tipping; but do not judge others harshly because they do it differently to you.

 

Well said! I agree!

[Coram]

We just went on our first cruise. Our steward was GREAT! We tipped him at the end in cash because we wanted to make sure he got the full amount.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We just went on our first cruise. Our steward was GREAT! We tipped him at the end in cash because we wanted to make sure he got the full amount.

 

So does that mean you removed the autotips? If so, the steward does have to turn in the money to his supervisor and then get his share of the tipping pool. If so, your cabin steward actually gets less than you intended.

 

And despite what one person posted above, if the cabin steward pockets the cash, he will be asked why this cabin removed his tips (basically, he gets a ding). If another crew member rats on him, the cabin steward's contract gets terminated and he has to make his way home on his own dime

[Coram]

No, we did not remove the auto tipping.

[Tom Baker]

So does that mean you removed the autotips? If so' date=' the steward does have to turn in the money to his supervisor and then get his share of the tipping pool. If so, your cabin steward actually gets less than you intended.

 

And despite what one person posted above, if the cabin steward pockets the cash, he will be asked why this cabin removed his tips (basically, he gets a ding). If another crew member rats on him, the cabin steward's contract gets terminated and he has to make his way home on his own dime[/quote']

 

All seems very unfair on the poor steward, why doesn't the company just pay him (and all the other staff) a fair living wage so he doesn't have to rely on tips?

[Loonbeam]

Sigh.

 

From my FAQ:

 

Why are tips not included in the cruise fare (Non-Australia)

 

Why are tips not included in the fare?

 

There are advantages to line, crew and passengers by doing it this way. For the crew, many of them pay a fee to their agency based on their contracted pay rate. Tips are not included in that rate, any guaranteed income (which is what it would be if included in fare) would be. Thus, the staff keeps a higher percentage of tips.

 

For the line, they pay less on contract, which helps them keep fares appearing lower, plus there are tax advantages. The downside is the effort involved in administering the system.

 

For passengers, the hotel charge is not charged until on board. This means it does not have to appear on a credit card charge 75 days out and does not have to be counted for taxes and trip insurance costs as it would if included in the fare.

 

 

 

All seems very unfair on the poor steward, why doesn't the company just pay him (and all the other staff) a fair living wage so he doesn't have to rely on tips?

[Colo Cruiser]

What do you mean it's not an example? It is a charge to my credit card specifically for gratuities. Why is that silly?

 

Because a stated its OBC! Its a credit on your account.

Not a gratuity until the cruise is over.

[Tom Baker]

Sigh.

 

From my FAQ:

 

Why are tips not included in the cruise fare (Non-Australia)

 

Why are tips not included in the fare?

 

There are advantages to line, crew and passengers by doing it this way. For the crew, many of them pay a fee to their agency based on their contracted pay rate. Tips are not included in that rate, any guaranteed income (which is what it would be if included in fare) would be. Thus, the staff keeps a higher percentage of tips.

 

For the line, they pay less on contract, which helps them keep fares appearing lower, plus there are tax advantages. The downside is the effort involved in administering the system.

 

For passengers, the hotel charge is not charged until on board. This means it does not have to appear on a credit card charge 75 days out and does not have to be counted for taxes and trip insurance costs as it would if included in the fare.

 

Even bigger SIGH,

 

So why don't Princess directly recruit staff, cut out the middle man, avoid paying any percentage to any agent and thus giving the opportunity to stewards to keep everything they earn?

 

For passengers, tipping is a way around paying for a service before they receive it, and avoiding paying taxes which pay for services provided by government.

 

I UNDERSTAND now!

 

So in conclusion, it's a way to save the company and the customer money while avoiding paying those poor stewards who have to rely on the kindness of strangers "tipping" rather than paying a living wage AND at the same time keeps money out of the hands of government to provide a better class of public services to it's citizens :rolleyes:

[suzyed]

Because a stated its OBC! Its a credit on your account.

Not a gratuity until the cruise is over.

 

Nope. It specifically states "gratuity" not OBC.

[Happy2cruise]

Our steward was GREAT! We tipped him at the end in cash because we wanted to make sure he got the full amount.

 

No, we did not remove the auto tipping.

And that's how we do it too:D:D

[golfb4cruzing]

We used to hire through an agency as well. They got paid less, we didn't worry about benefits or unemployment and if we didn't want them back it was a simple call. No benefit to the employee. Honest is honest, pay them a decent wage, roll everything into the cruise price and be done with it. If they get tips, good for them. They earn it.

[Loonbeam]

Agencies gain an efficiency of scale that the lines can't match (CCL probably could do it as a group).

 

At no point did I say this was done for the crew's benefit. The crew happens to benefit from it in some ways, but that's not the line's intention. The passengers get some benefits too, but again, not the primary goal. The primary goal as with everything else is to make the cruise line as much profit as possible.

 

Anyone who doesn't think cruise lines exploit a 3rd world economy is in denial (which I am sure also guilts me in to cash tipping more than I probably would in the US)

 

Even bigger SIGH,

 

So why don't Princess directly recruit staff, cut out the middle man, avoid paying any percentage to any agent and thus giving the opportunity to stewards to keep everything they earn?

 

For passengers, tipping is a way around paying for a service before they receive it, and avoiding paying taxes which pay for services provided by government.

 

I UNDERSTAND now!

 

So in conclusion, it's a way to save the company and the customer money while avoiding paying those poor stewards who have to rely on the kindness of strangers "tipping" rather than paying a living wage AND at the same time keeps money out of the hands of government to provide a better class of public services to it's citizens :rolleyes:

[MauiLvrs]

And that's how we do it too:D:D

Us also :D

 

Nope. It specifically states "gratuity" not OBC.

What ever one calls it ... the hotel charges can't actually be paid in advance because they are charged to the portfolio each night.

[suzyed]

Us also :D

 

 

What ever one calls it ... the hotel charges can't actually be paid in advance because they are charged to the portfolio each night.

 

Yes, whatever. My point was that we already paid for the gratuity (however it's charged), but like to give our cabin steward additional tips along the way if he is going above and beyond. It's not a bribe. ;)

[rdsqrl]

Yes, whatever. My point was that we already paid for the gratuity (however it's charged), but like to give our cabin steward additional tips along the way if he is going above and beyond. It's not a bribe. ;)

I would agree with you that that is not a bribe. However, what I think I and the others throwing around the term "bribe" find problematic is the passenger who barely has dropped his carry-on onto the bed before he's stuffing bills in Stewart's hand. That kind of blatant up-front palm-greasing is distasteful: Stewart hasn't done anything yet to earn it and the implication is that Stewart should, henceforth, cater to all Mr. Bill-Stuffer's needs tout de suite. And the devil take the hindmost: i.e., any of Stewart's other cabins on his hall.

 

While I'm a very generous tipper ordinarily, my standards for extra tipping are pretty high. I do not consider refilling ice buckets, finding me extra hangars, or bringing me extra soap to be discrete events that are extra-tip-worthy (hyphens, however, I'll bestow liberally on all and sundry). Those are normal parts of the job. But, if those things are done without fail and done well, on the last day, Stewart can expect a generous envelope from me as thanks for an overall pleasant experience, as well as written recognition of his efficient performance.

[caribill]

Nope. It specifically states "gratuity" not OBC.

 

The effect is the same, but it shows up as OBC on your on board account.

 

Anything charged to the account is subtracted from the OBC until it is all used and you start owing Princess $$$.

 

If you have pre-ordered some Princess shore excursions, they will be charged to your onboard account the first day and could use up all that OBC before the first daily gratuity is added to your account.

 

The only way this OBC is truly the gratuity is if you charge nothing else to your account and the OBC is used gradually each day as the daily gratuity is charged to your account nightly.

[pablo222]

So in conclusion, it's a way to save the company and the customer money while avoiding paying those poor stewards who have to rely on the kindness of strangers "tipping" rather than paying a living wage AND at the same time keeps money out of the hands of government to provide a better class of public services to it's citizens :rolleyes:

 

It certainly sound like something that does not appeal to you.

You can avoid contributing to the situation by simply not

purchasing a cruise. Seems pretty easy...

 

Or perhaps you're just posting this here to wind people up?

[golfb4cruzing]

Agencies gain an efficiency of scale that the lines can't match (CCL probably could do it as a group).

 

At no point did I say this was done for the crew's benefit. The crew happens to benefit from it in some ways, but that's not the line's intention. The passengers get some benefits too, but again, not the primary goal. The primary goal as with everything else is to make the cruise line as much profit as possible.

 

Anyone who doesn't think cruise lines exploit a 3rd world economy is in denial (which I am sure also guilts me in to cash tipping more than I probably would in the US)

 

I think the last sentence really sums it up. We don't want to believe it but we know it happens. So in turn we try and compensate. Something the cruiselines are well aware of and probably expect.