Room Steward Tip

[HoneymoonCruiser5]

What is the appropriate amount to tip our room steward in a full suite that has delivered excellent service? 

[fishywood]

Assuming you are asking about tipping in addition to the automatic daily service charge:

 

The answer is it is entirely up to you. And how you feel about extra requests that relate to your suite privileges.

(So if you believe that there are no such things as "extras" and you are entitled to anything and everything you think to ask, you can stop reading from here)

Princess does not have a designated pool of cabin stewards specifically for suites. They rotate among different decks somewhat regularly. And your steward will be responsible for a good number of standard cabins besides your suite. On Golden Princess last year I was in an inside cabin a few forward of the stern on Caribe deck. My steward was responsible for at least one of the aft suites. I was amazed he was able to complete all his other duties given how often I saw the occupants of that suite "chatting" with him in the corridor.

 

In my opinion charging the full suite passengers only $2/pp/pd higher auto grats than the general population is an absolute bargain. There are other lines that are over $5 more. If you care about tipping in proportion to his service to you then keep track of how often you page him, or leave notes, or track them down while they are (how dare they!) working in someone else's cabin. If it were me I would add somewhere between $5-10 per request into the envelope you give them the final evening, unless you prefer tipping with each request. (All of course as a supplement to the DSC).

Edited May 18, 2019 by fishywood

[suekel]

In addition to the normal gratuity, we tip $50 for a 10 day

 

[skynight]

1 hour ago, HoneymoonCruiser5 said:

What is the appropriate amount to tip our room steward in a full suite that has delivered excellent service? 

For long cruises with excellent room steward service we normally provide an extra cash tip of approximately $3 to $4/day. Hope this helps you decide.

[paul929207]

The autotip covers standard great service.  If you feel you received service beyond that, than any additional amount will be appreciated. 

[skynight]

10 minutes ago, MixerDave said:

This is the first time I heard the tips are shared across the entire fleet.

From the Princess FAQ's

To simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary gratuity of $16.50 per guest for suites, $15.50 per guest for mini-suites and club class, and $14.50 per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms. This gratuity will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including all waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, and housekeeping staff across the fleet.

[PandaBear62]

My question is....if I leave an extra gratify beyond the standard, is that put into a “pool”? Or is it kept by the individual? 

 

[suekel]

Just now, PandaBear62 said:

My question is....if I leave an extra gratify beyond the standard, is that put into a “pool”? Or is it kept by the individual? 

 

I've been told, not sure if it's true, that if you leave on the auto and then tip extra, the person you give it to gets to keep it.  If you take the auto off and give a direct tip, they have to give it to the pool.  

[Ferry_Watcher]

In addition to the normal gratuity, we leave our  cabin steward $40 for a 7 day cruise.

[ams1130]

On our only cruise to date (on Carnival) we tipped $20 for a six night cruise, on top of the auto gratuities. That was a number of years ago, and not in a suite. 

 

[LSGDRG]

Our last cruise was 19 days in a full suite.  We tipped our room steward an additional $100.00.  Every additional request we made to him had been handled immediately.  We also filled out a comment card, complimenting the room steward.

[cruzsnooze]

Here's a copy & paste from an online contract, make up your own mind. I see it as ALL tips go into the pool. 

http://crew-center.com/princess-cruises-crew-wages-details

 

It has been the Company’s experience that passengers often wish to recognize and

reward shipboard staff for working successfully and as a cohesive team to make the cruise

experience enjoyable. Accordingly, during each voyage of each vessel a voluntary

contribution by each passenger will be suggested for that purpose. Passengers are not

obligated to make a contribution or to adhere to the Company’s suggested guidelines for

such a contribution. Nonetheless, to the extent passengers follow the suggested

contribution guidelines in whole or in part, or deliver their contribution to the Company or

directly to any crew member(s), each and every crew member agrees that any such

contribution is not his personal wage, but rather a contribution to the Discretionary Hotel

and Dining Charge Pool (the “Pool”). Each and every crew member also agrees to deliver

any such voluntary passenger contribution he or she receives from any passenger under

any circumstances to the Pool immediately upon receipt of the contribution from the

passenger.

[bobstheboy]

If any additional tip goes into the pool, your steward, waiter, will be lucky to get 10 cents ! Is that really worth paying out another $20, $50 or even $100 if that individual gets such a miniscule amount ?

[Micahs Grandad]

7 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

If any additional tip goes into the pool, your steward, waiter, will be lucky to get 10 cents ! Is that really worth paying out another $20, $50 or even $100 if that individual gets such a miniscule amount ?

We typically add an additional cash tip to the wait staff the last night but if they do not keep all of it what is the point.

 

Sure wish Princess would do something to eliminate the uncertainty.

[c-boy]

57 minutes ago, LSGDRG said:

Our last cruise was 19 days in a full suite.  We tipped our room steward an additional $100.00.  Every additional request we made to him had been handled immediately.  We also filled out a comment card, complimenting the room steward.

Splendid, well done.

[OCruisers]

On 5/19/2019 at 8:38 PM, suekel said:

I've been told, not sure if it's true, that if you leave on the auto and then tip extra, the person you give it to gets to keep it.  If you take the auto off and give a direct tip, they have to give it to the pool.  

 

That's what we've been told several times by cabin stewards.  

[cruzsnooze]

35 minutes ago, Micah's Grandad said:

We typically add an additional cash tip to the wait staff the last night but if they do not keep all of it what is the point.

 

Sure wish Princess would do something to eliminate the uncertainty.

I agree. Other cruise lines let you know how your tips are distributed. If i give a cash tip I want to know it went into the pocket of the person I intended. I do not tip extra on my cruise. The auto gratuity takes care of it. 

[majortom10]

nothing you already pay extra in your daily charge for being in a suite why pay extra when he/she wont get it it will just go in Princess coffers to boost their already huge profits.

[1emerald1]

I recently got off the Royal and asked my waiter if she gets to keep a cash tip and she said as long as I left the auto gratuity on she gets to keep the cash.  That was two weeks ago, so fairly fresh.

[neverbeenhere]

57 minutes ago, 1emerald1 said:

I recently got off the Royal and asked my waiter if she gets to keep a cash tip and she said as long as I left the auto gratuity on she gets to keep the cash.  That was two weeks ago, so fairly fresh.

 

 

Nice that she was fairly fresh.

[Lindaru]

We were told also that as long as auto gratuities are on, the cash tips go to the intended attendant/wait staff.  That was last week on the Ruby inside passage Alaska.

 

[famski740]

Are you sure that this is just not what they were told to tell passengers so that the POOL will gt increased?

 

I've had waiters tell me they would rather we fill out a comment card and mention them in the post cruise survey.  They say this helps them in moving up the ranks.

[1emerald1]

2 minutes ago, famski740 said:

Are you sure that this is just not what they were told to tell passengers so that the POOL will gt increased?

 

I've had waiters tell me they would rather we fill out a comment card and mention them in the post cruise survey.  They say this helps them in moving up the ranks.

I am merely relaying what was said to me. I was also told the same on a cruise 3 years ago by my server. And I do fill out comment cards and commendations on the post cruise survey as well.

[cruzsnooze]

2 hours ago, famski740 said:

Are you sure that this is just not what they were told to tell passengers so that the POOL will gt increased?

 

I've had waiters tell me they would rather we fill out a comment card and mention them in the post cruise survey.  They say this helps them in moving up the ranks.

I've been told the same thing about they want to increase the tipping pool. .  

[Kate P.C]

With  Princess, if you tip the person cash directly, he/she gets to keep the tip, when you have the auto gratuity on.