Arrival Gift for Cabin Steward?

[Host Walt]

When we sail on Holland America I bring along maps of Indonesia and Philippines so we can talk about where the steward's home is and engage in a conversation about his family.

 

When we started doing that we worried that the steward might be offended that we were getting so personal. The opposite happened. They just loved talking about their hometown. And they were grateful when we left the map with them.

[NMLady]

But what if everyone gave their steward a trinket or food from their home state? How many rooms does each steward clean at any given time? I have no idea but will guess 15. (I may be way off there.) So, every week, for 9 or so months, the steward gets 15 trinkets or snacks. That's overwhelming. It wouldn't take long to run out of space to put it all ...

 

This is an excellent way to think about it.

[donaldsc]

Do you mean, he will ACT appreciative? ;)

 

I would love to be a mind reader when a steward is presented with a gift such as a key chain from the Sheboygan chamber of commerce. There must be some sort of container down in the where the crew can toss all of the junk that they are given.

 

Everyone thinks that the people who serve you on the ship are your friends. I am certain that when you walk off the ship, they totally forget about you because they have to worry about dealing with the new batch of people.

 

This may sound cynical but I am sure that this is the way it is.

 

DON

[PoppyandNana]

I would love to be a mind reader when a steward is presented with a gift such as a key chain from the Sheboygan chamber of commerce. There must be some sort of container down in the where the crew can toss all of the junk that they are given.

 

Everyone thinks that the people who serve you on the ship are your friends. I am certain that when you walk off the ship, they totally forget about you because they have to worry about dealing with the new batch of people.

 

This may sound cynical but I am sure that this is the way it is.

 

DON

 

Of course that is the way it is. A steward or waiter deals with dozens of people over the course of a cruise. They are in a service capacity which calls for lots of smiles and extra effort which a lot of people mistake for being "friends". In these posts lots of people swear they are the exception and their steward is truly their friend. When reminded that friends invite each other over for a BBQ and that when was the last time they went to some village in interior Indonesia for their "friend's" six year old sons's birthday party I never hear confirmation.

 

I think a lot of this originates from some misplaced guilt Here they are spending thousands for a luxurious cruise while their steward sweats to serve them like, well, like a servant. People for the most part are not comfortable with having a servant and by giving a gift somehow assuages their guilt. Of course they know what their friends like and are positive that in their case they know that the steward will just love the:

 

Key chain from Nebraska

Candy

Chocolates

Alarm clocks

Tee shirts

Phone cards

A framed photo of themselves (helps keep track of friends)

 

And more useless stuff that is a waste of money and time. Pisses the steward off regardless of the delusions the passenger operates under. Next time you eat at your favorite resturant leave an orange for a partial tip.

[ThatAdamGuy]

I'm pretty new to this community, and I realize that I may be (re)opening a hornet's nest here, but even as an American I find the practice of tipping to be horribly odious and long-term damaging to our economy and to people overall. Just do a Google search for tipping discriminatory and spend a few minutes reading how awful the practice of tipping is.

 

So given that, I continue to tip 20% in American restaurants (because a lot of these people are paid below minimum wage), but I absolutely refuse to extra-bribe/tip people on a ship that 1) I believe are already getting minimum wage and 2) are already getting pre-paid gratuities from me.

 

Ask yourself... do you extra-tip the people who cook your food? Clean the restaurant? Wipe down the pool deck? If your answer is "No, but I don't see them every day" then voila, you're paying bribes, not tips. If your answer is "Yes, I tip every single person on the ship that works hard!" then you are super-human or are just messing with me :p.

 

In the majority of countries in the world, I believe, people do a job -- and, in many/most cases -- do it well because they have a sense of pride and honor and adult responsibility. One gets great service in Japan, for instance, with tips essentially forbidden. By perpetuating and expanding the people we tip in lots of contexts, we're essentially eroding this... possibly for perceived personal benefit, possibly out of (oft-misguided) guilt, and so on.

 

Okay, thanks. I feel better for getting this off my chest. And, er, if you read just one article about tipping, I recommend this one.

[Cuizer2]

I'm pretty new to this community, and I realize that I may be (re)opening a hornet's nest here, but even as an American I find the practice of tipping to be horribly odious and long-term damaging to our economy and to people overall. Just do a Google search for tipping discriminatory and spend a few minutes reading how awful the practice of tipping is.

 

So given that, I continue to tip 20% in American restaurants (because a lot of these people are paid below minimum wage), but I absolutely refuse to extra-bribe/tip people on a ship that 1) I believe are already getting minimum wage and 2) are already getting pre-paid gratuities from me.

 

Ask yourself... do you extra-tip the people who cook your food? Clean the restaurant? Wipe down the pool deck? If your answer is "No, but I don't see them every day" then voila, you're paying bribes, not tips. If your answer is "Yes, I tip every single person on the ship that works hard!" then you are super-human or are just messing with me :p.

 

In the majority of countries in the world, I believe, people do a job -- and, in many/most cases -- do it well because they have a sense of pride and honor and adult responsibility. One gets great service in Japan, for instance, with tips essentially forbidden. By perpetuating and expanding the people we tip in lots of contexts, we're essentially eroding this... possibly for perceived personal benefit, possibly out of (oft-misguided) guilt, and so on.

 

Okay, thanks. I feel better for getting this off my chest. And, er, if you read just one article about tipping, I recommend this one.

 

While I personally do not like the "tipping system" I participate in it because I believe it would be unfair not to. That said, if you have any flame proof clothing, now would be a good time to put it on.

[ThatAdamGuy]

Well, just to emphasize, I participate in the tipping system as well. As noted, I prepaid gratuities for my cruise, and I also generally tip 20% in American restaurants.

 

I'm just noting that doing anything to further support this system is a disservice to people over the long haul ("Hey, look, Fred is getting [$x] in tips a day; we don't have to give him a raise or increase pay for any of our employees!").

 

Personally, I think companies like Celebrity should simply post a total cost for the cruise (that includes enough money to pay a decent, living wage to all employees on the ship), and not rely on stupid "gratuity" classifications to pay their employees.

 

Can you imagine the day when you, say, go to the dentist and you're expected to pay a gratuity to the friendly receptionist? The hygienist? Maybe even the dentist? I mean, it wouldn't be *required*, but if you wanted nicer, more comfortable service...

[iheartbda]

.................

So given that, I continue to tip 20% in American restaurants (because a lot of these people are paid below minimum wage), but I absolutely refuse to extra-bribe/tip people on a ship that 1) I believe are already getting minimum wage and 2) are already getting pre-paid gratuities from me.

..................

But they aren't getting minimum wage, and if you've prepaid the gratuities, there is no need to tip over and above that. Many do and it's your choice not to. Most do it at the end of the cruise so no way it can be considered a bribe.

[ThatAdamGuy]

I assume (er, I hope) you mean they're getting above minimum wage :). In which case, then I feel even better about not tipping extra.

 

Though you raise a good point; for people tipping at the end of a cruise, that's clearly 100% out of thoughtfulness/kindness; even though I disagree with the gesture, I respect that intent and it would be wrong to call that action a bribe.

[iheartbda]

I assume (er, I hope) you mean they're getting above minimum wage :). In which case, then I feel even better about not tipping extra.

 

Though you raise a good point; for people tipping at the end of a cruise, that's clearly 100% out of thoughtfulness/kindness; even though I disagree with the gesture, I respect that intent and it would be wrong to call that action a bribe.

 

No, they are not getting above minimum either. You say they should be paid a decent living wage. Whose standards would that be based on? I'm not making excuses for the way crew is paid but, you must remember that chances are, they cannot make anywhere near the money at home. Generally, there is a waiting list to get on as crew and many stay for years so something must be right about the remuneration.

 

Like it or not, all the cruise lines pay pretty much the same way and until the lines find another way of doing it, none of us mere mortals are going to change it.

[wieslaw]

....... a decent living wage. Whose standards would that be based on? I'm not making excuses for the way crew is paid but, you must remember that chances are, they cannot make anywhere near the money at home. Generally, there is a waiting list to get on as crew and many stay for years so something must be right about the remuneration.

 

Like it or not, all the cruise lines pay pretty much the same way and until the lines find another way of doing it, none of us mere mortals are going to change it.

 

I have the same view/opinion. One coutry's decent living wage might be a lot different than other.

There must be a good reason ( for them) why so many of the crew members are from India or Phiippines - I just looked on the internet what the average wages are in their home land.

There is no shortage of people that the cruise line hires - so they must know what it takes to attract the new hires as needed.

Edited November 27, 2015 by wieslaw

[nicsaenz]

Spotted! The Walking Thread 😱

[ThatAdamGuy]

iheartbda, wieslaw, really good points and something I have to admit I hadn't considered. It's really easy (and IMHO understandable) to be upset about people being paid $2something an hour in the U.S. (which is obviously nowhere near a livable wage), and yet things get a lot more fuzzy when you're on an international ship.

 

And nicsaenz, not sure whether I should feel awful about apparently being the resident zombie, but the brains were so tasty! :o

[KiwiFunCruiser]

When we cruise, we do what suits us not what others want us to do.

[EleventyBangBang]

I haven't cruised yet, but just imagining myself in that position, I would prefer cash.

 

And if you absolutely must give some non-cash item, then something quick and relatively disposable: A phone card or some sort of pre-packaged (NOT homemade! can't stress that enough) snack, e.g. Someone else mentioned a box of Snickers bars.... I did a tour in Iraq and we always appreciated it when Girl Scout cookies showed up... That sort of thing. Something that I could trade/share with my fellow crew members.

[zoncom]

Why would you give a present to someone you have not met? You do not even know sex of cabin staff. More Females now. Have you been down to crew quarters? Smaller than a NCL cabin, sleeping two Your junk is thrown out. They have admitted it to me.They work harder now than in past years. Less staff for more cabins. Leave them alone to do their jobs. They are not your new best friend . Only there because they make more money on ship than their home country.

[notentirelynormal]

I haven't cruised yet, but just imagining myself in that position, I would prefer cash.

 

And if you absolutely must give some non-cash item, then something quick and relatively disposable: A phone card or some sort of pre-packaged (NOT homemade! can't stress that enough) snack, e.g. Someone else mentioned a box of Snickers bars.... I did a tour in Iraq and we always appreciated it when Girl Scout cookies showed up... That sort of thing. Something that I could trade/share with my fellow crew members.

 

Phone cards are hardly used any more due to Skype and various other programs. Plus cards bought in the US maybe can't be used overseas. They can buy them on board if they desire at a much cheaper rate than you could.

 

Candy bars are also not practical. You don't know if they even like chocolate or have a food allergy. I often bring chocolate bars home from Canada because that is what I grew up with. If you were to give them something from their home country that might be different but how would you know where they were from before you got on the ship?

 

Serving overseas and bringing something from home is far different than giving something to someone whose country you don't know. My bother's in laws have been here over a year from the Philippines and dad is still having trouble adjusting to our food. He still wants rice morning, noon and night.

[iheartbda]

I haven't cruised yet, but just imagining myself in that position, I would prefer cash.

Please don't take this as condescending, rude or snarky but, most everyone who is saying not to give anything other than cash has cruised many, many times.;) Likewise, this subject comes up on a fairly regular basis and the answer is always the same....cash :)

[Harry and Lucille]

The vast number of ship workers that I have talked to run along the same theme. There is no work in their home countries. Many have families back home that they help support. I only tip at the end of the cruise for the service that I received from that person. I always tip the cabin steward. Two dollars a day for normal service and more if deserved. I always fill out the information cards for those that I have encountered that went out of the way to assist me.

 

I have only given one "trinket" to a person on a cruise. That was the Captain that I sorta got to know. Ran into him in the corridor and elevator many times. My gift? A key chain with a very small compass attached. We both had a great laugh about it and, he asked if I minded if he passed it along to his Navigator.

 

Methinks that the laughter on the bridge would have really been worth it. ;)

[Cuizer2]

The vast number of ship workers that I have talked to run along the same theme. There is no work in their home countries. Many have families back home that they help support. I only tip at the end of the cruise for the service that I received from that person. I always tip the cabin steward. Two dollars a day for normal service and more if deserved. I always fill out the information cards for those that I have encountered that went out of the way to assist me.

 

The standard tip for the cabin steward is more than $2.00 per day.

[Schoifmom]

The vast number of ship workers that I have talked to run along the same theme. There is no work in their home countries. Many have families back home that they help support. I only tip at the end of the cruise for the service that I received from that person. I always tip the cabin steward. Two dollars a day for normal service and more if deserved.

 

Not to resurrect the oft repeated tipping issue, but I would hope your very generous $2 per day (roll eyes) is ON TOP OF the standard gratuity.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I haven't cruised yet, but just imagining myself in that position, I would prefer cash.

 

And if you absolutely must give some non-cash item, then something quick and relatively disposable: A phone card or some sort of pre-packaged (NOT homemade! can't stress that enough) snack, e.g. Someone else mentioned a box of Snickers bars.... I did a tour in Iraq and we always appreciated it when Girl Scout cookies showed up... That sort of thing. Something that I could trade/share with my fellow crew members.

 

I have done some volunteer work at Operation Gratitude (they're the group who puts together care packages to send to soldiers) and there's generally a variety of items that are placed in that box. Most likely some will be given to the kids a soldier might encounter (and hopefully will help point out any dangers...at least that's the idea, I've heard). Usually at least one beanie baby is packed for that purpose. As far as chocolates, sometimes when we unpack the donations to sort out, often the chocolate seems the worse for wear...and that's going from an US location to the OG facility in the San Fernando Valley part of LA. So probably the chocolate doesn't travel that well overseas. There's often boxes of cookies but I guess Samoas travel better than the Thin Mints.

[serene56]

The standard tip for the cabin steward is more than $2.00 per day.

 

i think its up to 4.00 per person per day now.

[Harry and Lucille]

The standard tip for the cabin steward is more than $2.00 per day.

 

Standard amount is like the food. Very subjective.

 

Not to resurrect the oft repeated tipping issue, but I would hope your very generous $2 per day (roll eyes) is ON TOP OF the standard gratuity.

 

That $2.00 is in addition to the daily charge by the cruise line. Many times that amount goes up quite a bit depending on the circumstances. I do not reward poor standard service expected. Sorta like the idea that every child that runs in a race gets a first place ribbon. Really? Adult life does not work that way. There are winners and there are losers. The winners get the ribbon and the losers get the low end of the tip. $2.00 per day and their portion of the pre-paid gratuity. Ok?

[GUT2407]

More tipping police telling someone that they're not tipping enough.

 

That's my biggest fear about auto tipping and including tips in the fare, that people will still want everyone to tip more and more and the whole stupid system starts all over again.

 

If you pay the auto tips, or tips are included in the fare, that is all that is required. Anything over that is generous.

 

But no someone gets berated here for ONLY tipping $2 EXTRA