Room Steward Tipping Currency

[hernando52]

I just discovered some leftover Euros from a previous trip and was wondering if I can use Euros to tip my room steward on an NCL Caribbean cruise.  We prepay tips, but always add some for our steward....if I shouldn't I'll take a trip to the bank and have it exchanged to USD.  Thank you!

[LHT28]

sure  why  not

There are some Islands in the Caribbean that take Euro as their currency  if not maybe the Steward will be on a ship that goes to Europe in the summer

[WisconsinFan]

Here are the islands that do take Euros:

Euro: Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts, St. Martin

 

This website lets you know what to expect. The US Dollar is widely accepted https://www.tripsavvy.com/money-currency-used-caribbean-1487933

 

Personally, if they aren't going to be anywhere they can use the currency then they will have to exchange it as well and I wouldn't find that much of an extra "tip" if it were me. Relying on the "maybe they will be on a ship in Europe" is too big of a maybe for me.

[navybankerteacher]

6 minutes ago, WisconsinFan said:

Here are the islands that do take Euros:

Euro: Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barts, St. Martin

 

This website lets you know what to expect. The US Dollar is widely accepted https://www.tripsavvy.com/money-currency-used-caribbean-1487933

 

Personally, if they aren't going to be anywhere they can use the currency then they will have to exchange it as well and I wouldn't find that much of an extra "tip" if it were me. Relying on the "maybe they will be on a ship in Europe" is too big of a maybe for me.

The “on board currency” is the US $.   No NCL ship stops at St. Bart’s, or the French (euro using) side of St. Martin, and even if the ship did stop somewhere where euros were accepted, the odds are against a particular steward being able to go ashore are kind of slim.

 

An extra tip is meant to be a gift, not a hassle — swap the euros yourself, or give them to a friend planning a trip to Europe.

 

Use US $ for the extra tip.

 

p.s. I really hope you are not talking about a few euro coins.

[hernando52]

28 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

The “on board currency” is the US $.   No NCL ship stops at St. Bart’s, or the French (euro using) side of St. Martin, and even if the ship did stop somewhere where euros were accepted, the odds are against a particular steward being able to go ashore are kind of slim.

 

An extra tip is meant to be a gift, not a hassle — swap the euros yourself, or give them to a friend planning a trip to Europe.

 

Use US $ for the extra tip.

 

p.s. I really hope you are not talking about a few euro coins.

I give all of my change to my grandson after my travels....the amount I have is what I would normally add for a 10 day cruise.  Most of our stewards somehow send the money back to their families at "home" so I wasn't sure if currency type would make a difference if the amount is done electronically......

[clo]

We keep Euros.  I can't imagine not planning on ever returning to a EU nation.

[navybankerteacher]

26 minutes ago, hernando52 said:

I give all of my change to my grandson after my travels....the amount I have is what I would normally add for a 10 day cruise.  Most of our stewards somehow send the money back to their families at "home" so I wasn't sure if currency type would make a difference if the amount is done electronically......

If you are really talking about “change”, you would not be doing any favors — it is next to impossible to dispose of change in any country which does not use that currency.  Banks will not accept coins, and for small amounts even in bills the exchange rate is  punitive - and the idea of mailing coins home - or even carrying them at end of contract - is beyond ludicrous.

 

If you want to give an extra tip on the ship, do it in US paper money.

 

 

If you are stuck with foreign coins and haven’t grandchildren to unload them on,  give them to the flight attendant on your flight home - most take up that sort of charitable collection, and then claim it on your tax return.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

The “on board currency” is the US $.   No NCL ship stops at St. Bart’s, or the French (euro using) side of St. Martin, and even if the ship did stop somewhere where euros were accepted, the odds are against a particular steward being able to go ashore are kind of slim.

 

An extra tip is meant to be a gift, not a hassle — swap the euros yourself, or give them to a friend planning a trip to Europe.

 

Use US $ for the extra tip.

 

p.s. I really hope you are not talking about a few euro coins.

 

Guy behind the front desk at a hotel in Vienna asked if we would trade Euros for USD (bills & coins).  I can't remember the exact amount but it would be well under 50 Euro worth.   Apparently he had USDs left as tips and it was a hassle to convert them.  We helped him out.  

[rkacruiser]

Your crew on your ship ought to be tipped in the currency that is used on the ship, in my opinion.  If you have some "left over currency" because of your ports visited and don't want to keep it:  offer that as well to your Stewards if the ship will continue to visit such ports where the currency could be easily used without conversion.

[clo]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

If you are stuck with foreign coins and haven’t grandchildren to unload them on,  give them to the flight attendant on your flight home - most take up that sort of charitable collection, and then claim it on your tax return.

Seems like  see a lot of foreign airport that have 'receptacles' for paper and coin money for charity.

[clo]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

The “on board currency” is the US $.

We've sailed twice now on Hurtigruten and their "on board currency" is Norwegian krone.  I wonder if there are others like that.  Probably?

[geoherb]

I'm saving our leftover euros and pounds for another trip. We missed our last port in England and our last port in Europe, so I have more leftover than I planned to.

[Jana60]

9 hours ago, clo said:

We keep Euros.  I can't imagine not planning on ever returning to a EU nation.

I’m like you.  I have a pretty large amount of Euros from my past trip to Rome.  I view keeping it as motivation to visit Europe again some day.

[clo]

7 hours ago, Jana60 said:

I’m like you.  I have a pretty large amount of Euros from my past trip to Rome.  I view keeping it as motivation to visit Europe again some day.

Not all our European trips are EU-nations destinations but plenty are.

[SRF]

I hold on to:

 

UK Pounds

Euro

Hong Kong Dollars

Thai Baht

Japanese Yen

Chinese RMB

South African Rand

 

I am likely to be back to those places.  Some because I enjoy them. Some because they are hubs to other locations.  So I am fine with having some currency.  But not too much, as I could take a hit in exchange rates.  

 

I have found that for tipping, any hard currency is accepted.  It not a huge hassle for them to change to another currency.  And even if that crew member is not going to Europe for the summer, someone on the ship will be.  Or will be from a Euro country.

[XBGuy]

I think the room steward would take various currencies.  However, I doubt if the "exchange rate" on the crew deck is very good.  So, I would think that it is best to tip in USD or whatever the shipboard currency is for that particular cruise.  If I just wanted to "get rid" of the foreign currency, I would have no problem just adding it to the already appropriate tip in the ship's currency.

 

This may be off-track, I hope the moderators are liberal with me.

 

On Princess cruises there is. usually, a fairly large transparent globe at the end of the Passenger Services Desk.  People can make donations to a Princess charity at this globe.  Not surprisingly, a lot of people drop their excess foreign currency--both coin and paper--there.

[LHT28]

34 minutes ago, XBGuy said:

On Princess cruises there is. usually, a fairly large transparent globe at the end of the Passenger Services Desk.  People can make donations to a Princess charity at this globe.  Not surprisingly, a lot of people drop their excess foreign currency--both coin and paper--there.

I wish more cruise lines had the  globe or donation box 

We have a couple at the airport  so I usually  drop off my left over coins there

 

I have left foreign coins on the desk for the stewards  in addition to an envelope with an additional cash tip & thank you note

 

[ed01106]

As long as it is not coins and is a trade-able and currency (not North Korean Won or Venezuela Bolivar) it really doesn't matter if you give dollars, euros, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Israeli Shekles your steward is going to wind up converting it to his/her home countries currency.  

 

Coins are worthless unless the steward is going to actually be in country that uses the currency.   Which with the euro on a med cruise is very likely.  

[ldubs]

17 hours ago, geoherb said:

I'm saving our leftover euros and pounds for another trip. We missed our last port in England and our last port in Europe, so I have more leftover than I planned to.

 

12 hours ago, Jana60 said:

I’m like you.  I have a pretty large amount of Euros from my past trip to Rome.  I view keeping it as motivation to visit Europe again some day.

 

X3.  Mrs Ldubs has a supply of leftover Euros.  Nice to have enough for immediate taxi or whatever needs.  

 

BTW, a few years back we tried to use a leftover $2 Canadian bill at a gift shop.  We didn't know that denomination had been discontinued.  We still have it.  Lol

Edited October 31, 2019 by ldubs

[ducklite]

Like others, I save currencies like Euros, Pounds, and Canadian dollars.  

 

I've tipped in Euros when I was on a cruise in the Med that was staying in the Med for the rest of the summer.  We had auto tips on, but gave additional to people who did extra things for us.  

[LHT28]

30 minutes ago, ldubs said:

BTW, a few years back we tried to use a leftover $2 Canadian bill at a gift shop.  We didn't know that denomination had been discontinued.  We still have it.  Lol

They should have accepted it ..it is legal tender  (at least for another yr)

https://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/upcoming-changes-to-legal-tender-status-for-older-bank-notes/

[ldubs]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

They should have accepted it ..it is legal tender  (at least for another yr)

https://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/upcoming-changes-to-legal-tender-status-for-older-bank-notes/

 

Sure, but they didn't want it and we didn't push it.   Funny thing is they were happy to take a couple US dollars instead.  

[Carole2313]

So I think I have it straight now.  Even though we will be in New Zealand and Australian waters, the ship is on USD so the tips should be in USD, right?  We also pay the auto grats, this is in addition for great service.  Please post if I’m wrong.  I don’t want to offend anyone.  Down Under they don’t like tipping, but the ship’s employees aren’t Aussie or Kiwi.

 

 

[ed01106]

15 minutes ago, Carole2313 said:

So I think I have it straight now.  Even though we will be in New Zealand and Australian waters, the ship is on USD so the tips should be in USD, right?  We also pay the auto grats, this is in addition for great service.  Please post if I’m wrong.  I don’t want to offend anyone.  Down Under they don’t like tipping, but the ship’s employees aren’t Aussie or Kiwi.

 

 

Doesn’t really matter if your room steward is from Indonesia he is going to convert what ever you give him into Indonesia currency when he gets back home.  So tip in what ever currency is most convenient for you.  Converting NZ$ to US$ (or what ever) just to tip in the “correct” currency just wastes on set of currency exchange fees.

[rkacruiser]

16 hours ago, Jana60 said:

 I view keeping it as motivation to visit Europe again some day.

 

Or a Caribbean French island destination that uses the Euro.  Some of my leftover Euros helped pay for a very nice lunch at St. Barts a couple of years ago during the Prinsendam's port call.