Tipping the Cabin Steward

[Stakeout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lottie Linda View Post

Tipping is a form of control. HSC allows for some control, but basically it's set and it takes extraordinary circumstances to change it. I don't want to think about controlling people on my vacation. I hope the crew takes pride in their work, and I hope they get paid enough. If not, there are other things to do next time.

 

 

wow.. you sound bitter.. sounds like you don't have too much fun on a cruise with that attitude.. we AMERICANS care to take care of people who showed us great service.. the tip is voluntary and personal .. if that is not the case where you come from so be it.. if you don't like the way we do it so be it again.. no one will shake you down for an extra tip.. at least not on the 59 cruises we've done on HAL so far..

Edited May 11, 2015 by Stakeout

[CowPrincess]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lottie Linda View Post

Tipping is a form of control. HSC allows for some control, but basically it's set and it takes extraordinary circumstances to change it. I don't want to think about controlling people on my vacation. I hope the crew takes pride in their work, and I hope they get paid enough. If not, there are other things to do next time.

 

 

wow.. you sound bitter.. sounds like you don't have too much fun on a cruise with that attitude.. we AMERICANS care to take care of people who showed us great service.. the tip is voluntary and personal .. if that is not the case where you come from so be it.. if you don't like the way we do it so be it again.. no one will shake you down for an extra tip.. at least not on the 59 cruises we've done on HAL so far..

 

The poster you are quoting has worked in a job where tips made up a significant portion of her income and I think that is what has shaped her opinion of tipping. Of course, I could easily be wrong on that.

 

I've had employees who came from jobs where they made minimum wage and tips. Some of them loved getting the salary I provided, others hated it and went back to tipped jobs.

 

It takes a special kind of person to work in a job where income is not guaranteed, e.g. counting on tips or commission to pay the rent and buy the groceries.

[CowPrincess]

Amazing that you would say that.

 

I have to guess that you missed the smilies and the "kidding" comment.

[Lauranne]

We have sailed Princess, HAL, as well as Silversea. I loved not tipping on our Silversea cruise. Certainly I payed a premium but how refreshing not to feel the pressure (real or imaginary :)) to tip.

We will be sailing HAL again in July in a suite. Yes I will tip extra and thank you for the suggestions to tip a few days prior to the end of the cruise. I like this idea.

I have read on other tipping threads to tip on day one to insure good service. This goes against what I believe in as I prefer to reward but if it works for you...

 

Laurie

[rkorchid]

I know we are all charged a standard tipping charge unless we choose to modify it.

 

According to this post http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=132 there are guidelines for additional cash tipping.

 

Is this a general practice?

 

According to the post we would expect to tip the room steward $5 per day.

 

And the dinning room wait staff $5 per day, which I assume would be $10 per couple.

 

And the tips for drinks and other services (i.e. luggage, room service).

 

As a first time cruiser I am just curious as to what folks do.

 

We are on a 35-day cruise.

[AncientWanderer]

Doesn't just about everybody like to receive extra money? I really love it when I get a little bit of unlooked for OBC.

 

With that in mind, if a cabin steward or other crew member is really great, I do like to give a little extra at the end of the cruise. I do it the old way: Cash in an envelope with best wishes from us, and I hand it over personally with a verbal "thank you." It's a feel-good thing all around. Great way to end a cruise.

[Moriah]

You do not have to tip anyone. However, through all of our cruises we have never seen anyone standing around with his hand out waiting for a tip. On the contrary, they have been too busy working to make me happy to have time to stand around with a hand out, waiting for a tip. Therefore, we enjoy tipping them a little extra. Twenty dollars here and there is not going to make a big difference to me but it might to someone who is working hard to make my vacation great. We budget for tips when we plan the cruise.

 

Very well said and I echo these sentiments!

[Moriah]

With all respect, I have been on over 80+ HAL cruises and never, not once, not one time, did I ever see or sense any HAL crew person "standing around with their hand out looking for a tip."

 

Exactly! Not only are they not "standing around with their hand out", but they are not "standing around" AT ALL! They are hard at work, with smiles on their faces, energetically doing their utmost to make my cruise great. Every tip I've ever given on a HAL ship has been received with sincere gratitude and I never had the slightest hint of "expectation" from any crew member.

[vino100]

That's right, you don't see people standing around with their hand out, because the tip is already included. But, if it becomes customary to tip everyone even more, and the workers depend on the extra tipping, then you'll see plenty of it.

 

In Vegas, one must tip the check-in clerk if one is to get a good room. Carry your own bags or be ready to tip more. The maître de expects his and so does the waiter and the wine person. The usher will be needing a tip if you don't want to watch the show from behind a column. All the dealers need their tip if you win a hand, even if you are thousands behind. Taking a cab requires two tips, one for the driver and one for the guy who called for him. How much do I tip this one, is it more for that one? Do I tip all those people or just one? I HATE TIPPING!!!

 

If the 12 bucks a day isn't enough, then tell me. Charge me for it. But don't burden me with having to decide how much this guy makes and that guy gets.

 

Americans seem to ruin a lot of good people and good service with this tipping (charity) custom.

Wow, how does one respond to such mean spiritedness. I have not read all the later posts on this thread,but I just couldn't help respond to your post.

 

Tipping is not charity in my opionion. Most service folks work so hard to make my vacation a pleasurable experience. I enjoy tipping as it shows my appreciation to a job well done.

 

However I am not surprised you feel the way you do , as earlier today you found it humourous to joke about a person jumping from a ship.

[cb at sea]

I think an additional $20 is more than ample..considering how much you've already paid to them...folks seem to forget how much they've already tipped, with this pre-paid thing!

[Lizzie68]

We always tip extra to everyone who serves.us in any way during the cruise and because I come from a culture that does.not necessarily tip over and above the service charge I get anxious about tipping enough. Through this site I have discovered I probably tip way above the norm. But I am happy to do.so where it is deserved. And just.about everyone deserves it.

[Slievedonard]

Just one thing before I put in my "two cents". Tipping is not charity.

When someone goes over and above to make our holiday a pleasurable one we will tip at the end of the cruise. From the pleasant waiter at the bar, to the person who delivers our breakfast in our room and to the cabin steward. The tips that are charged in the invoice for the cruise includes ALL the employees, some that we never see.

Sometimes I will leave a personal note and mention how much we appreciate extra services that we don't even have to ask for.

We have stayed in many ranges of cabins from "down below" to the Neptune suites and will tip the same amount if it is deserved.

 

We do NOT always automatically do this and in some cultures it is true that the tip is included in the check. But you can give a simple thank you.

But on the ship you may be dealing with the same person for several days and you can TELL when they are enjoying their job.

 

Blame me, I can be a generous American.:) No shame in that.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Slievedonard

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I think of it like this.....head steward makes $42 -50 per week off my cabin. So If you tip an extra $25 a week, that is a 50 pct bonus......pretty sweet. $10 a week is still a 20 pct bonus on top of their normal pay. Nice!

 

So if they blew away my expectations.....provided services above and beyond......I figure a bonus is merited. Anywhere from 20 to 100 pct above baseline.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Pete and Judy

[The-Inside-Cabin]

How many cabins does the typical steward maintain?

Edited July 15, 2015 by Pete and Judy

[serendipity1499]

How many cabins does the typical steward maintain?

 

I believe that we were told that two Stewards now maintain about 32 cabins together..:)

[The-Inside-Cabin]

32 rooms means the head steward is grossing $1500 a week....plus room and board....not bad....they could go home with 50 grand in the bank after a eight month contract ....don't know about taxes and other deductions. .....as a point of reference, a U.S. Navy sailor, at the mid level supervisor level (E-5) makes 60k per year and puts in 84 hour weeks at sea...

 

So if everyone tipped an extra 20'per cabin per week...that's an extra 600 per week....but I wonder how many people remove the charge and stiff them.....??

Edited July 15, 2015 by Pete and Judy

[POA1]

32 rooms means the head steward is grossing $1500 a week....plus room and board....not bad....they could go home with 50 grand in the bank after a eight month contract ....don't know about taxes and other deductions. .....as a point of reference, a U.S. Navy sailor, at the mid level supervisor level (E-5) makes 60k per year and puts in 84 hour weeks at sea...

 

So if everyone tipped an extra 20'per cabin per week...that's an extra 600 per week....but I wonder how many people remove the charge and stiff them.....??

How did you come up with that figure?

[Jazmyn49]

When boarding we often have a few first day requests for our room steward. Knowing that this is their most difficult and busy day, we always give a tip the first time we see him. Afterwards we have over the top service, not that the service on HAL isn't always excellent. We also take between $50-100 in $2 bills, something they don't always see. It's just a small but fun thank you to the yum yum man, the hand sanitizer man, the ice cream person, room service and anyone else who pleases us.....and it's usually most everyone! We do need to order the bills from our bank a week or so in advance and request bills in very good condition.

[LMaxwell]

When boarding we often have a few first day requests for our room steward. Knowing that this is their most difficult and busy day, we always give a tip the first time we see him. Afterwards we have over the top service, not that the service on HAL isn't always excellent. We also take between $50-100 in $2 bills, something they don't always see. It's just a small but fun thank you to the yum yum man, the hand sanitizer man, the ice cream person, room service and anyone else who pleases us.....and it's usually most everyone! We do need to order the bills from our bank a week or so in advance and request bills in very good condition.

 

 

Here's free advice: Stop with the $2 bills. They are troublesome to spend. Why give a gift that is difficult for the recipient to use? Give the same amount in easy to spend denominations.

 

How do I tip? Cash in envelope and handed directly to the person. I never leave envelopes laying around on the bed or dining table. If I am giving someone cash it is meant expressly for them and their services.

[clarkie02360]

For me it has to be a case by case situation depending on the level of service. On a recent HAL cruise Veendam to Bermuda our cabin stewards went over and above what I consider good service. It was so good I gave them an additional $100 to split and told them to put it in their pocket. They were brought to tears, which totally broke me up.

[Fouremco]

Here's free advice: Stop with the $2 bills. They are troublesome to spend. Why give a gift that is difficult for the recipient to use? Give the same amount in easy to spend denominations.

We no longer have $1 or $2 bills here in Canada, but never had any difficulty spending them while they existed, so I'm curious about your comment regarding US $2 bills.

[POA1]

We no longer have $1 or $2 bills here in Canada, but never had any difficulty spending them while they existed, so I'm curious about your comment regarding US $2 bills.

Other than the fact that there's not a slot for them in most cash drawers, they spend pretty much like any other currency. We know someone who takes $2s. They're a conversation piece more than anything. I've never seen a bar server say anything other than thank you for the tip. My guess is that the ship winds up with them and they get sent back to the bank - to start the cycle all over again.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We no longer have $1 or $2 bills here in Canada, but never had any difficulty spending them while they existed, so I'm curious about your comment regarding US $2 bills.

 

 

I had a hard time spending $2 bills in Papeete.....one store never saw them and thought they were a novelty bill. Finally convinced them.

 

I quit bringing them and also quit bringing dollar coins. I now stick with paper dollar bills.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

How did you come up with that figure?

 

 

Not sure which figure you are curious about so here is the derivation for all of them.

 

Old school tipping guidelines was $3-$3:50 per person per day (double that per cabin or $6-$7 per day per cabin) for the steward or $42-$49 per cabin per week . An earlier poster told me a steward has 32 cabins. 32 cabins times $49 per cabin times 32 weeks is a little over $50'K. Tipping $20 extra: $20 times 32 cabins is over $600.

 

U.S. Military pay is public knowledge and can be found here. http://militarypay.defense.gov/pay/calc/index.html. I forget to add in sea pay for the sailor...that would be another $400 a month. There are a few other nuances with military pay, but the calculator linked is pretty close.

 

I was in the navy so I know how long we worked .....that part is from personal knowledge.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Pete and Judy

[cruz chic]

Not sure which figure you are curious about so here is the derivation for all of them.

 

Old school tipping guidelines was $3-$3:50 per person per day (double that per cabin or $6-$7 per day per cabin) for the steward or $42-$49 per cabin per week . An earlier poster told me a steward has 32 cabins. 32 cabins times $49 per cabin times 32 weeks is a little over $50'K. Tipping $20 extra: $20 times 32 cabins is over $600.

 

U.S. Military pay is public knowledge and can be found here. http://militarypay.defense.gov/pay/calc/index.html. I forget to add in sea pay for the sailor...that would be another $400 a month. There are a few other nuances with military pay, but the calculator linked is pretty close.

 

I was in the navy so I know how long we worked .....that part is from personal knowledge.

 

The cabin stewards have 30 cabins but there are two of them that do the 30 cabins.