Gift box for room steward?

[phillygwm]

On 7/31/2022 at 2:04 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

We don't tip in advance.  Could be insulting to the recipients, as though you feel you need to bribe them to do their jobs.  

If that's the case, call me an Ugly American who walks around insulting people 🙂.  For a 7 day cruise, I give him the room steward $50 when I see him on the first day.  Then another $50 either on the last night or left on the counter when disembarking.  I suppose if service wasn't good I wouldn't do the end of cruise tip but that hasn't happened yet.  Only once have I not given a tip up front and that's because I rarely saw the guy.  He was like a ninja.

 

Likewise, when I find a bar where I think I'll be a "regular" (there's always one or two) I'll insult the bartenders up front.  They're usually so offended that they'll try to get me drunk whenever I see them, because my glass is never empty.

[phillygwm]

On 8/1/2022 at 7:00 AM, Coastalbreezes said:

After 100 cruises, 80 on NCL I've become close with many crew members and tend to sail the same ships again and again. Prior to sailing I reach out and always ask if there's anything I can bring.

This is a great idea but there's a key difference between your situation and most of the rest of us:  I cruise maybe once a year and never know a single crew member when I board.  

 

On a cruise in a few months, I'll be travelling with an Indonesian friend.  Last time, he was chatting up the bartenders, most of whom were Balinese (as he is.  I.e., not Muslim.)  I'll mention it to him.

Edited August 2, 2022 by phillygwm

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, phillygwm said:

If that's the case, call me an Ugly American who walks around insulting people 🙂.  For a 7 day cruise, I give him the room steward $50 when I see him on the first day.  Then another $50 either on the last night or left on the counter when disembarking.  I suppose if service wasn't good I wouldn't do the end of cruise tip but that hasn't happened yet.  Only once have I not given a tip up front and that's because I rarely saw the guy.  He was like a ninja.

 

Likewise, when I find a bar where I think I'll be a "regular" (there's always one or two) I'll insult the bartenders up front.  They're usually so offended that they'll try to get me drunk whenever I see them, because my glass is never empty.

I don't offend staff up front - then again I don't necessarily think it's offensive if you want to give a tip for no work done. You do you...but I do have to challenge the notion a bartender won't get you drunk unless you tip up front (which I think is what you're saying).

 

On a sea day in the middle of the Atlantic I wandered down to the bar on the Waterfront opposite the inside Sugarcane. After being disappointed the bartender couldn't make a mojito as it was too early, I ordered a Mai Tai. Then a Long Island, then a some other kind of similar to a Long Island...then the bartender started suggesting drinks. Five or six drinks later (in less than 2 hours), my husband (rightfully) cut me off and we wandered to our stateroom where I devoured a room service pizza and promptly passed out. 

 

The bartender was so enthused about making me different drinks to try that before my glass was even half empty I had another sitting in front of me...no tip, no nothing up front other than some conversation about his life onboard the ship. It was a good April sea day spent with a bartender named July. 

[graphicguy]

16 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

I've never had trouble spending $2 bills.  The cashier puts them under the cash drawer just like they do with $50's and $100's.

 

Wouldn't the ship's purser be able to turn them into $1 bills?

That's the way it's supposed to work.  Many times I've found that there are people who have never heard of, or seen, a $2 bill and think it's a novelty and not true currency.

[pcakes122]

On 7/31/2022 at 2:04 PM, Turtles06 said:

We don't tip in advance.  Could be insulting to the recipients, as though you feel you need to bribe them to do their jobs.  

I agree with this, but another reason I don't tip upfront is because of the message I think it sends. Not everyone will agree (I'm sure lol), but I think it implies "OK, right up front, let's establish who has the power here. I have the money, you need the money.  I am the boss, you are the servant. This is your reminder that I hold the cards and you can either have a good week or a bad week depending upon if you please me."

 

That's the part I find offensive.

 

I'd rather establish the relationship as equals (e.g., I'm a paying guest, you're working professional who is expert at your job) and then express my appreciation for great service at the end with a thank you note and a tip.

[drew2d]

On 7/31/2022 at 5:57 AM, FreestyleNovice said:

 

With all due respect I find this hard to believe as being the norm.

 

Let's take a regular balcony/inside hallway in let's say a set of 20 for one steward/ass. steward team; 7 day cruise, double occupancy, and all cabins are at your average of $7,50 per person per day. That would generate them $2100 a week, roughly $8400 a month if you multiple it by 4 weeks! Divided by two, plus their salary from the cruise line. 

 

I don't think they make such money on the tips, on average. And even with some people stiffing them, some giving them whatever instead of money and some big brag tippers, it would even out at above average.

 

Which just seems high to me.

 

But it might be the explanation why some crew members do have a newer model iPhone than me.. 

Their phone is probably their life in their tiny room / on the ship 9-10 months/yr.

[Trimone]

We pay are gratitudes up front in the U.K. 

[scooter6139]

28 minutes ago, Trimone said:

We pay are gratitudes up front in the U.K. 

 

I was just about to ask that here for US based cruisers.  Who pays a tip upfront, before service at a restaurant?  I know some locations require it if the party is large enough.  I can see both sides of tipping butler/concierge/steward/waiter/bartender both upfront (I appreciate you and know you will do great!) and not upfront (see this?  there's more if you do a good job!).  We tend to tip at the end, after we've experienced the service offered.

Edited August 2, 2022 by scooter6139

[Trimone]

25 minutes ago, scooter6139 said:

 

I was just about to ask that here for US based cruisers.  Who pays a tip upfront, before service at a restaurant?  I know some locations require it if the party is large enough.  I can see both sides of tipping butler/concierge/steward/waiter/bartender both upfront (I appreciate you and know you will do great!) and not upfront (see this?  there's more if you do a good job!).  We tend to tip at the end, after we've experienced the service offered.

We pay it when we book the cruise.

[Sue Do-Over]

Money!   Second is good-quality candy.   No t-shirts, knick-knacks, keyrings or other items that they don't have room for in their cabins.  Salty or savory snacks might not fit their cultural or religious guidelines.  Sure, they will smile and thank you, but that's so they don't hurt your feelings.

 

On the money topic... some people want to be memorable by giving $2 bills or dollar coins, but these are a burden.  Stores and foreign banks won't accept them.   Stick to regular bills that are easy for crew to spend, and write a Cruise Hero note.

[cruise*enthusiast]

7 hours ago, graphicguy said:

That's the way it's supposed to work.  Many times I've found that there are people who have never heard of, or seen, a $2 bill and think it's a novelty and not true currency.

 

I used to collect $2 bills when I was younger.  They can be used just like all other US currency.  Never had an issue with them.

 

[LGW59]

10 minutes ago, cruise*enthusiast said:

 

I used to collect $2 bills when I was younger.  They can be used just like all other US currency.  Never had an issue with them.

 

They can be used just like all other US currency  In the US sure, not so sure India or the Philippines or...will accept as easily as they do in New Hampshire.

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

As for $2 bills, I remember being a camp counselor a very long time ago. We had one parent who decided to adorn each of us with a single $2 bill as a tip, and to begin our collection of money. We just looked at each other and laughed after he left. We did say thank you to the well-meaning, but not exactly astute father. Then we said a bunch of horrible things about how cheap he was behind his back. We didn't say this about those parents that gave us nothing...call us terrible people or what have you. Unless it's a stack of 50 $2 bills I suspect cruise ship staff in 2022 will think the same as we did back in the mid-2000's. 

[cruiserbear55]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

As for $2 bills, I remember being a camp counselor a very long time ago. We had one parent who decided to adorn each of us with y a single $2 bill as a tip, and to begin our collection of money. We just looked at each other and laughed after he left. We did say thank you to the well-meaning, but not exactly astute father. Then we said a bunch of horrible things about how cheap he was behind his back. We didn't say this about those parents that gave us nothing...call us terrible people or what have you. Unless it's a stack of 50 $2 bills I suspect cruise ship staff in 2022 will think the same as we did back in the mid-2000's. 

It must be nice to consider being a camp counselor in the mid 2000s a “very long time ago”. Some of us on CC, ( actually a great many from what I can deduce) think that Woodstock was a “very long time ago”!!! Happy cruising!

[graphicguy]

Still have a stack of $2 bills in their bank wrapper sitting in a drawer somewhere.

 

I know I tried to use them at Office Dept and Krogers once near where I live.  The cashiers called their managers over to get their approval.  Neither had seen a $2 bill before.  The Office Dept manager said he had to call corporate to accept it.  Wasn't worth the hassle.  I pulled out my credit card instead.

 

I can't even imagine what a hassle it would be for crew in say, the Bahamas, the Caribbean or Mexico to try to use $2 bills in foreign (to North America) countries.

Edited August 3, 2022 by graphicguy

[ChiefMateJRK]

DW and I once served as volunteer offering counters at our small church.  She and another lady counted the money while I just did other associated stuff.  The paperwork required entries by denomination.  One Sunday, some clown put a $2 bill in the offering plate.  Me, being the once-quick thinker (this was years ago), pulled out my wallet and gave them two singles to replace the $2 bill, which went back into my wallet.  A week or two later, after an afternoon of traveling around town on business with some associates, we stopped at a pub for a beer.  When the bill came, we all kicked in.  I included my $2 bill.  With some surprise, they asked me where the heck I got that?  I honestly told them that I pulled it out of an offering plate at church.  🤣  (that was a true story and, after persistent claims that I was making it all up, we all had a good laugh)

[PTC DAWG]

On 8/2/2022 at 7:07 AM, phillygwm said:

If that's the case, call me an Ugly American who walks around insulting people 🙂.  For a 7 day cruise, I give him the room steward $50 when I see him on the first day.  Then another $50 either on the last night or left on the counter when disembarking.  I suppose if service wasn't good I wouldn't do the end of cruise tip but that hasn't happened yet.  Only once have I not given a tip up front and that's because I rarely saw the guy.  He was like a ninja.

 

Likewise, when I find a bar where I think I'll be a "regular" (there's always one or two) I'll insult the bartenders up front.  They're usually so offended that they'll try to get me drunk whenever I see them, because my glass is never empty.

That’s pretty much how I roll.  

[juju2454]

On 7/31/2022 at 6:46 PM, njhorseman said:

But the overwhelming majority are. Per this report about 88% of Indonesians are Muslim and the nation is home to 13% of the world's Muslim population:

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2010/11/04/muslim-population-of-indonesia/

Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they practice it. I cannot begin to tell you how many Jewish people I know that eat pork, ham, venison,  and have meat and dairy o the same plate.   My old boss was Jewish and he would always eat a ham sammich if I brought on for him, he would tell me his wife would be mad if she knew but cie la vie.   Not all who are of a particular religion are devout to it.  Just sayin' 

[njhorseman]

7 hours ago, juju2454 said:

Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they practice it. I cannot begin to tell you how many Jewish people I know that eat pork, ham, venison,  and have meat and dairy o the same plate.   My old boss was Jewish and he would always eat a ham sammich if I brought on for him, he would tell me his wife would be mad if she knew but cie la vie.   Not all who are of a particular religion are devout to it.  Just sayin' 

Well...bring a tray of ham sandwiches into a room where you know 88% of the occupants are Jewish and you can be certain that a substantial percentage of those people will think you're a complete ignoramus at best and some might consider it offensive and antisemitic .

 

[pdmlynek]

On 7/31/2022 at 2:08 PM, WYB! said:

On a recent B2B voyage I asked my cabin steward from Indonesia if he wanted anything and he asked specifically for pork rinds. So I got him a bag and also some bags of chips.

I am pretty sure that he was trolling you. 🙂 

[Oakman58]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:56 PM, ronrythm said:

The most precious thing most of these employees have is time. They never have enough time for themselves. Having to take time out of their day to get a gift converted into something they can use negates the value of the gift.

Just my thoughts.

 

With the auto-gratuity now $32 per day for a couple in a balcony cabin and the automatic 20% tip on drinks, maybe I should just quit tipping extra altogether. No big deal since $2 bills aren't appreciated anyway.

[cruiseny4life]

16 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

 

With the auto-gratuity now $32 per day for a couple in a balcony cabin and the automatic 20% tip on drinks, maybe I should just quit tipping extra altogether. No big deal since $2 bills aren't appreciated anyway.

 

No one's going to fault you if you don't tip...it's no longer a necessity on board.

[The Shrike]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

No one's going to fault you if you don't tip...it's no longer a necessity on board.

First day on Cruise Critic?  😁😁😜😄

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, The Shrike said:

First day on Cruise Critic?  😁😁😜😄

Argh....you are so right. What the heck was I thinking? Err, I guess I wasn't thinking, at all!

[mpk218]

On 8/2/2022 at 8:31 AM, graphicguy said:

That's the way it's supposed to work.  Many times I've found that there are people who have never heard of, or seen, a $2 bill and think it's a novelty and not true currency.

I sent my kid to school with a $2 bill for lunch ( years ago ) I got a call from the school (morons) that my kid was trying to buy lunch with funny money .  True story  🙄