Tipping and Children????

[glrounds]

I always feel a little guilty when I just tip the normal amount because I cruise SOLO and, as one poster pointed out, the cabin steward only makes half as much money on my cabin as he would if it were double-occupancy. So I usually give him a little extra ($10-15), but make a conscious effort to straighten up the bed, hang up the towels, straighten up the bathroom counter and wipe it down, etc. :o Sorry, guys, I guess its just the bachelor in me. :D

[halos]

The $10 is "suggested" only and even though they sleep in a bed, the steward still only cleans 1 toilet,vacumns 1 room, fills only 1 ice bucket,cleans only 1 shower. If you had your kids in the room next to you the steward would get the same tip.:confused:

So in you case if you think about it, you are paying $126 for what?If it was only 2 of you in the room the steward would get $52. You can't tell me that he does 150% more work because of 5 people versus 2. He does more like 50% more work.

The waiters on the other hand do work on a per person basis.

 

A few of the other posters on this thread are solo travelers so they, tipping the "Suggested amount" only cost's them $26. But we will surely read all the post's to follow about how they tip like they are royalty.:D

 

Steve

 

 

UNBELIEVABLE :rolleyes:

[halos]

so if you are going to use their services' date=' pay for them.

And teach your children about the right way to treat people who work for them. If your children are lucky, maybe some day soon they will work for tips too. I did. My kids did. We learned to appreciate what we have.

 

 

!!!!!!!! :D !!!!!!!!!

EXACTLY!

[neverenufcruising]

but make a conscious effort to straighten up the bed, hang up the towels, straighten up the bathroom counter and wipe it down, etc. :o Sorry, guys, I guess its just the bachelor in me. :D

Well, I can't say we make up our bed:D but we do try to keep the room picked up at least. We do put away our clothes and other stuff and straighten up a bit. We personally just think that's common courtesy. I don't expect the steward to have to pick up after me just because I'm on vacation. Just keep the room clean, stocked with the necessities and keep the ice full. That being said we almost always get service beyond what we expect and we show our appreciation at the end of the cruise by tipping beyond what is expected. My DW and twin DDs all shared a room on the last cruise and we certainly felt that our steward deserved to be tipped (and then some) by all 4 of us.

 

So when going out to eat at a restaurant I guess using the other fuzzy logic I could say that since we're only using 1 table for the 4 of us instead of 2 people at 2 seperate tables I should tip less because the server didn't have to walk as much and only had to clean 1 table instead of 2.

 

We always figure in the recommended tip for whatever we're doing, be it eating out or cruising. If we can't meet at least the minimum, we'll just stay home.

[ozcaz]

Hi All

 

I am Australian so i find this whole tipping thing very confusing, so we prepaid our gratuities. I then understand we pay for room service and more if someone goes out of their way. No problem. We are travelling with our child as well and would agree they make more mess then adults. Especially toddlers.

 

What i really wanted to say was do people really leave their rooms in a mess and the room stewards fold up their clothes. Good grief! I always clean up our room in a hotel. Make the beds, put our dirty clothes in a bag etc. I dont expect anyone to have to do that. Thats our mess. After reading these boards i have to say i feel very guility about our last trip to america. We knew we had to tip in restaurants but not room people. We where there for 4 weeks and never left a tip. We just didnt know. So thank you for the info.

 

Just a question. How many rooms do each of the stewards look after.

 

Caz

[hstrybuf]

Caz, you really don't have to make your bed. :)

[ozcaz]

Hi Hstrybuff,

 

Cant help myself. Room looks a mess if it isnt made. lol

 

Caz

[neverenufcruising]

If I did make the bed, the steward would probably laugh and redo it anyway. Mine doesn't look anywhere nearly as good as when they are finished. They would probably be afraid their supervisor would come in and think they made it look like that.:D

[matchman]

We knew we had to tip in restaurants but not room people. We where there for 4 weeks and never left a tip. We just didnt know. So thank you for the info.

Hi Caz, in a regular US hotel you do not need to leave a tip for the people cleaning the room. Its only on the Cruise ships that you tip the cleaning staff. (and no I am not implying I disagree with the tipping of the Steward.)

 

As a good majorite of people who stay in hotels in the US are there on business it would be out of hand trying to identify and recover the tip cost from the Expense departments and the good old IRS :) So its never caught on. (The staff cleaning the hotel rooms earn at least minimum wage.)

 

As to some of the other posts :p

 

I always like these circular debates, why are we often all so cheap the arguments run around in circles, yes for say groups of 5 in a room there will probably be less work involved to earn more money than one in a cabin, but its not that very different. As Caz posted she cleans the room herself so I think she should only have to pay half the fee because they only do half he work!!!! ROFL :D (I didnt see Caz suggesting that she would pay less!)

 

Some things in life cost me a little more than other people and some things cost me less we try to find the average. I weight 150lbs and probably carry 30lbs in luggage, why should I pay full fare on an airline with someone weighing 250lbs and with 100lbs of baggage. (We all know that the highest expense for the airline is fuel and its usage is directly linked to weight. Heck thats why you pay more based on a packages weight.) Okay I'm laughing so hard at my visual thought of a set of scales at the airport with my GF refusing to stand on them while mumbling something about "100lbs" and her being told if she refuses there will be a surcharge.

 

Come to think of it as a normal solo cruiser I pay 150% or more for my cabin yet the group of 4 people in a single cabin pay only 320% because of the discount for extra people. (hmm thats not fair to me, why should I be charged more. Rhetorical question please I do know why :))

 

Maybe it should just be added to the standard cost of the fare and we then can if we wish give real Tips to the Crew. (Of course the howl in the back ground would then be A) The cruise costs have gone up and B) How do they guarntee service now.)

 

Yes I can see discussions on minimum wages for crew and other similar topics that affect everyone but to me when I see people referencing exceptions to reduce their costs all it smacks of is cheap, and wish they would just admit all they are trying to do is justify their saving money and not some noble campaign for everyone. (*Laugh* give me 2 mins to don the flame retardent underwear.) :D

[steveaaaa]

Hi Caz, in a regular US hotel you do not need to leave a tip for the people cleaning the room. Its only on the Cruise ships that you tip the cleaning staff. (and no I am not implying I disagree with the tipping of the Steward.)

 

As a good majorite of people who stay in hotels in the US are there on business it would be out of hand trying to identify and recover the tip cost from the Expense departments and the good old IRS :) So its never caught on. (The staff cleaning the hotel rooms earn at least minimum wage.)

 

I don't know where you got your info.

As soon as I get to a hotel I am handing out a tip to the bell person to take my bags to the room.I am tipping the bell person on the way out also.I am also tipping the "get me a cab guy" and finally, I am also leaving a daily tip for housekeeping. Yes it is hard to deduct these on the taxes but I do deduct my meals,drink,ect. In the long run I make out.There is also a tip line on the charge slips that you fill out and use for deduction purposes.

As far as the cleaning staff earning minimun wage, the Matrie'd on board is an officer and he receives a salary along with the other officers yet he is still a tip monger.I am not sure he does not get a piece of each waiters tip either.

Steve

[matchman]

I don't know where you got your info.

As soon as I get to a hotel I am handing out a tip to the bell person to take my bags to the room.I am tipping the bell person on the way out also.I am also tipping the "get me a cab guy" and finally, I am also leaving a daily tip for housekeeping. Yes it is hard to deduct these on the taxes but I do deduct my meals,drink,ect. In the long run I make out.There is also a tip line on the charge slips that you fill out and use for deduction purposes.

As far as the cleaning staff earning minimun wage, the Matrie'd on board is an officer and he receives a salary along with the other officers yet he is still a tip monger.I am not sure he does not get a piece of each waiters tip either.

Steve

Hey Steve, I'd say using the bell person is a personal choice to provide an extra service. (So I carry to my room my own bags.) I've spent 17 years in the US and have never once other than loose change left a tip in my hotel room and I've never seen any of my colleagues ever leave a room tip. As my original post noted I was talking about tipping the room cleaning staff and not the normal meals and drinks which as you point out give reciepts and have an area on them to add the tips paid so that you can recoup them from expenses.

 

Not sure about the reference to the Matrie'd, the original post was asking about $10 tipping per person and whether they should pay the full amount for children. (As far as I am aware the Matrie'd is not included in that $10 charge, so they were not mentioned in the thread and as we have all agreed many times they are classed as a very optional person to tip, I personnelly never tip them unless I changed tables and/or they visit me and see how things are going.) :)

[abbyndrewmom]

My husband and I both have both worked in hotel management and I can tell you that most people do tip the housekeepers in North America. We typically leave a dollar per day per person so for our famly of 4 we leave $4.00 usually rounded up to $5.00. If you are going to be staying at hotel more then 1 night I would recommend giving the tips daily as it will ensure better service. We bring envelopes marked housekeeper and leave our tips in there.

[mafig]

Always tip the housekeeping staff in hotels as well.

 

Good point about tipping every day, we usually wait till the end, but your idea makes sense.;)

[klfrodo]

I'm a frequent business traveler also.

 

I am also in the habit of leaving a small gratuity for the housekeeping staff. If I'm traveling by myself, I usually only have my room cleaned every other day. I leave a note with a couple of bucks under it. On the note I indicate it's for the housekkeeper with a smiley face and a great big THANKS. Yes, I do expense it off just like any other business expense as TIPS.

 

To the individual from Australia....Don't worry about it.

Tipping is also a cultural thing and most people who privide a service in the States understand this. I was in Alaska sitting at a bar having lunch one time. It was full of cruise passengers and I was sitting next to an elderly couple from Germany. Their bill came to around $20. They left a 25 cent tip. After they left, the bartender and I had a good laugh over it. he was not upset at all. He understood that it was a cultural thing, and he was just happy that they had a wonderful time in Alaska.

[abbyndrewmom]

Always tip the housekeeping staff in hotels as well.

 

Good point about tipping every day, we usually wait till the end, but your idea makes sense.;)

Another reason for leaving the tip daily is that you might not have the same housekeeper all week. Some hotels do pool the housekeeping tips but most of the time who ever cleans the room the last day would get the whole tip.

[ozcaz]

Hi all,

Hope the original poster doesnt mind if i ask a tipping question that is nothing to do with the cruise here.

Had a few responses, you do tip house keeping. If i do this daily and brought a packet of envelopes like someone suggested what should i put in it?? $2.00 a day to me would look like an insult but we cant afford $5.00 per day. Any ideas.

Someone else talked about tipping bellboys etc. This was our experience in las vegas. We took the shuttle from the airport to the hotel. 4 pieces of luggage. Gave the driver $5.00 Then a bellboy came out to take the luggage. Out came the hand. Another $5.00 Then someone else took us up to our room. Yes another $5.00 After that, when we checked out we took our own luggage. $15 in tips in about 10 minutes was ridiculous.

Then we ate in a restaurant in San Fransico. Like we had been doing everywhere we went. We put the money in the folder for the bill and where going to put the tip on the table which seemed to us like everyone did. Next thing we have this waiter screaming at us we have to tip him. He was not a happy chappy. We explained and he settled down. But there is nothing like being in a quiet restaurant and having a waiter go crazy at you. Sheesh!

Hopefully this time round we will be better prepared and more understanding of this whole tipping phenomon.
I have no problems tipping the people on the cruise. I cant believe the pitful amount of money these poor people earn.

Thanks
Caz

[halos]

[quote name='matchman']Hi Caz, in a regular US hotel you do not need to leave a tip for the people cleaning the room. Its only on the Cruise ships that you tip the cleaning staff. (:D[/QUOTE]


HUH???
I think not.

[BottledRed]

I've always tipped housekeeping by leaving money on the bathroom counter (no envelope). It seems to get to the right people, and I've always gotten tons of fresh towels, free toiletries, etc.

I tip $3 per day (but $5 a day in Vegas when on a streak) for a hotel stay, and it's always been noticed by the staff. Or maybe it's my hair color. Regardless, I always get service with a smile :)

[mafig]

$2/day would not be considered an insult. Consider how many people leave nothing -- and I'm not speaking of people like you who are not familiar with our tipping customs, but americans who don't tip housekeeping.:confused:

[steveaaaa]

[quote name='ozcaz']Hi all,

I have no problems tipping the people on the cruise. I cant believe the pitful amount of money these poor people earn.

Thanks
Caz[/QUOTE]
What do you mean? These people are rich in their country.The wage in an island like Dominica is $0.37 per hour for household workers and $0.74 to $1.11 for the rest. From $900 to $2000 per year.They make that on a ship in less than a month.
Steve

[matchman]

Well from reading the responses, all I can say is it appears tipping is out of control in the US. So if it moves tip it :) Sorry I am not leaving a tip in the Marriott when staying there on business to the cleaning staff when I'm paying often $200+ per night and I do expect a clean room! (And they do get above minimum wage and they are not taxed on any extra they earn! Unlike of course all the waiters and bar staff!) Or is the $200+ for something else? Can I take the bed with me or something?

I'd love a tip on how you manage to expense those charges, I just asked my boss here who is American if I could charge a tip for my room cleaning while on a business trip and he laughed and said RIGHT!

Now if you all can think on how I get in on the tips and can increase my salary to cover all these incidentals that are not covered by expenses then I'm there for them but until then no.

Ouch looks like I have to visit the hospital better pack plenty of singles need to make sure I get clean sheets!! ROFL Oh and I better slip that surgeon an extra twenty just to make sure the stitches are straight and of course I better slip a couple to those nice guys in the truck washing down the sidewalk as I do intend to walk down it today and I'm sure their salary blows. Whoops forgot to tip the young lady who checked me onto the plane she did smile and wish me a nice day, and of course that nice TA did sound awfully nice on the phone booking the cruise and was very helpful so I'll just slip a fiver into this little brown envelope and post it off to her because heck no one seems to actually get paid properly for what they do! :D

Yes I do think Waiters, Barstaff etc should be tipped. (The IRS chases them down and charges them and companies do pay them less because they know that they are tipped.) Oh and before you suggest that I should pay extra for good service, please let me know what I'm actually getting when I pay for something. One sec my new car has arrived seems the wheels are a little wobbly because I forgot to tip extra and the guys building it only fitted 3 bolts as a result! Its only fair after all they they get a Tip!

[MrPete]

[quote name='matchman'] it appears tipping is out of control in the US. So if it moves tip it [/QUOTE]Without a doubt!

Now you go into Dunkin' Donuts or the local stationary, and you see cups, somethimes with "TIPS APPRECIATED" on it.

Give it up. I will NEVER put anything in those where people are getting salaries, regardless of the wage.

[steveaaaa]

[quote name='matchman']

Yes I do think Waiters, Barstaff etc should be tipped. (The IRS chases them down and charges them and companies do pay them less because they know that they are tipped.) Oh and before you suggest that I should pay extra for good service, please let me know what I'm actually getting when I pay for something.[/QUOTE]
Why should they not be paid an average wage and no tipping? This way they don't get stiffed and neither do we and when something is wrong we can take it up with managment.
I just can't seem to figure out why the wait person at Denny's works their but off for 15% of a $28 bill for 4 and the same person at Red Lobster gives me less service on a $100 bill (no more cheese biscuits or free refills). There is no way they deserved a 15% tip ($15).
Steve

[crzndeb]

I also tip hotel room staff, not because it's a tax thing or it's because a minimum wage thing or because of any other reason except I want to and I can....pay it forward

[matchman]

[quote name='steveaaaa']Why should they not be paid an average wage and no tipping? This way they don't get stiffed and neither do we and when something is wrong we can take it up with managment.
I just can't seem to figure out why the wait person at Denny's works their but off for 15% of a $28 bill for 4 and the same person at Red Lobster gives me less service on a $100 bill (no more cheese biscuits or free refills). There is no way they deserved a 15% tip ($15).
Steve[/QUOTE]Hey Steve, I dont disagree (Laugh although others will :)) other than we have to get the IRS to stop taxing them based on receiving tips first. I know people jump on the differences between places as to why the tip should cost you more at expensive places but I often wonder why if I order a $30 bottle of wine I pay $4.50 then I order a $100 bottle of wine at the same place and am then asked to give the same person $15 for opening that bottle. Maybe the walk in the cellar is further and they need to dust the expensive bottle? *laugh*

I like the idea of tipping for service over and above, but it does seem more and more its simply paying for service and not service above anymore and lets face it in the modern world almost everyone who works is stressed and has it rough so telling me they have it so much harder or with difficult people doesnt go very far. (I always try and put myself in their shoes and wonder how stressed they are before being nasty but I do wish they would also try my shoes for awhile.) :D