Tipping for room service?

[Mommy40]

When my children were in college and were working in restaurants or as caterers, here in the jolly old USA and although they were earning a salary they depended greatly on the tips they would receive.

 

It made me so aware of how much these tips meant to these hard working young people....nothing has changed....serving the public, in any capacity, is very, very hard work and when a job is done very well it deserves to be recognized by us! Tipping is the way to do it!!!!!!!!! I don't care what "land" you hail from.....:rolleyes:

 

I totally agree with Roz. My last cruise my kids wanted to order some sandwiches and I made sure they had a few dollars to tip the person from room service when they arrived. I figure most of these people are from poor countries and we have so much why not throw them a few dollars? Just MHO.

[happyscot]

The last time a thread like this came up it ended up getting pulled. What is the point in continuing to rehash all this. We know how you feel, you know how we feel. No one is going to changes anyone else's mind. Continuing this debate creates bad feelings on the board and serves no postive purpose.

Let's declare a truce and have some fun with more upbeat topics.

 

 

 

errrrr.....I hqaven't said a word for 5 days...........

 

xxxxx

[cruisePRN]

My last cruise my kids wanted to order some sandwiches and I made sure they had a few dollars to tip the person from room service when they arrived. I figure most of these people are from poor countries and we have so much why not throw them a few dollars? Just MHO.

I tip because i receieved service not because i want to throw a few dollars to "these people" from poor countries:o

[peterv]

I totally agree with Roz. My last cruise my kids wanted to order some sandwiches and I made sure they had a few dollars to tip the person from room service when they arrived. I figure most of these people are from poor countries and we have so much why not throw them a few dollars? Just MHO.

 

Good job then, indoctrinate those kids early!

 

Just teach them it is easy to toss a few dollars around to make the foreigners feel better.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[smeyer418]

Good job then, indoctrinate those kids early!

 

Just teach them it is easy to toss a few dollars around to make the foreigners feel better.

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

you got xenophobia?

 

Ta ta.

[Mommy40]

I tip because i receieved service not because i want to throw a few dollars to "these people" from poor countries:o

 

Of course the tip is for a service. If I received bad service I would not tip.

I will be sure to word my responses more carefully on this board.

[cruisePRN]

Of course the tip is for a service. If I received bad service I would not tip.

I will be sure to word my responses more carefully on this board.

 

It came across as charity instead of tipping, I'm sure you didn't mean it that way based on your coming back and responding. :D

[Mommy40]

It came across as charity instead of tipping, I'm sure you didn't mean it that way based on your coming back and responding. :D

 

no not at all. I just know that alot of the workers on cruise ships are from poorer countries and away from their families for many months. I don't walk around the ship handing out random dollars LOL but they seem to appreciate it when I have used room service. It's really everyone's personal preference.

[seacuracao]

if you do the math, and you tip your cabin steward well, as I did, you will discover that this "poor hard working soul , makes more than you do at the end of the month:eek: :D :cool:

I am in the buisiness of hospitality, am in a Dutch Island which is non tipping by culture.

 

Bottom line is, if it is your culture to tip, then you will , for it is in your nature.

For those that do not tip, they won't, for it is not in their nature.

 

It is IMPORTANT, however, to be aware of the cultures you are visiting, be it on ship or land:)

For those of us that know the cultures.....watch the waitresses hide when the busses of "non tipping cultures" pulls into the parking lot

[sultan_sfo]

Would like to know "your" math. /Sultan

 

...

if you do the math, and you tip your cabin steward well, as I did, you will discover that this "poor hard working soul , makes more than you do at the end of the month:eek: :D :cool:

[peterv]

you got xenophobia?

 

Ta ta.

 

No, not afraid of foreigners in any way. Can not quite see how you made that leap from my comment.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[seacuracao]

Would like to know "your" math. /Sultan

Each steward is responsible for 18 rooms.

Assuming that half will tip good(say 100) and half will tip medium.

18 x $50 =$900 x 4 = $3600 tax free on top of his $800.00 mo base pay.

Of course, I do not know what to believe about the auto tip and the pooling and giving back of tips to the pool, so, Sultan, my math may be faulty , indeed.:cool:

[seacuracao]

Would like to know "your" math. /Sultan

Each steward does 18 rooms, that in and of itself, is amazing.

 

18 rooms x $50.00 tip= $900.00 /week x 4 weeks = $3600 + the base pay

 

With the 15% on the drinks, I have worked spots where the bartenders cleared more than the General Manager.

 

That being said, Sultan, all of the auto tip information and mandatory pooling would make my math useless. I still find it hard to believe that a tip given in the room will always be turned in:cool:

[PescadoAmarillo]

That being said, Sultan, all of the auto tip information and mandatory pooling would make my math useless. I still find it hard to believe that a tip given in the room will always be turned in:cool:

Exactly. This is a cruise line which (from my own experience and several recent reports on this board) has a hard time keeping passenger accounts accurate. And we're supposed to believe that they have this whole "extra tipping in addition to the daily autocharge" thing down to a science? They need to transfer THOSE accountants over to the Passenger Services desk!!!

[sultan_sfo]

Appreciate your posting your calculation. Now for a different viewpoint.

 

With pooling, the cabin steward gets $1.75pp or $3.50 per cabin.

 

From this, another (roughly) $0.50 goes away in what he/she gives to get extra help sometimes needed during turn-around days.

So with $3 per cabin, it would still be $54 per day.

 

For this, he/she works about 12 hours per day. So it works out to be less than $5 per hour!

 

Base pay is about $50 per week. Let us assume that those who cancel auto-tipping are balanced by many of us who give extra. Remember, that if auto-tipping is in place, they get to keep the extra. So the incentive to turn-in cash tips during and end of cruise is that they will get it most of it back. Also, the 9-month contract, means 3 month forced vacation. But then during the contract they are working 7-days a week for 45 weeks, an extra 90 days, making up for the 3 months vacation.

 

With the economic recovery and new prosperity of Eastern Europe, we are seeing less and less cruise service personnel from there. Even the dining room persons will gradually be from Asian Countries.

 

While I am on this soapbox, another misconception is that the cruise stewards and dining waiters are unemployed in their own country and join the cruise. In fact, the cruise line labor contractors recruit from 4* and 5* hotels and restaurants. And those of us who have traveled there know that one has to be very good to get those jobs in those countries. Yes -- I chat with some of the cruise workers in the Horizon Court (during off-hours) and DW always gets to know the cabin steward. Many of them are surprised at the respect we show for them because in their own countries there is so much disrespect for them even in 5* restaurants and hotels.

/Sultan

 

Each steward does 18 rooms, that in and of itself, is amazing.

 

18 rooms x $50.00 tip= $900.00 /week x 4 weeks = $3600 + the base pay

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Appreciate your posting your calculation. Now for a different viewpoint.

 

With pooling, the cabin steward gets $1.75pp or $3.50 per cabin.

From this, another (roughly) $0.50 goes away in what he/she gives to get extra help sometimes needed during turn-around days.

So with $3 per cabin, it would still be $54 per day.

 

For this, he/she works about 12 hours per day. So it works out to be less than $5 per hour!

 

Base pay is about $50 per week. Let us assume that those who cancel auto-tipping are balanced by many of us who give extra. Remember, that if auto-tipping is in place, they get to keep the extra. So the incentive to turn-in cash tips during and end of cruise is that they will get it most of it back. Also, the 9-month contract, means 3 month forced vacation. But then during the contract they are working 7-days a week for 45 weeks, an extra 90 days, making up for the 3 months vacation.

 

With the economic recovery and new prosperity of Eastern Europe, we are seeing less and less cruise service personnel from there. Even the dining room persons will gradually be from Asian Countries.

 

While I am on this soapbox, another misconception is that the cruise stewards and dining waiters are unemployed in their own country and join the cruise. In fact, the cruise line labor contractors recruit from 4* and 5* hotels and restaurants. And those of us who have traveled there know that one has to be very good to get those jobs in those countries. Yes -- I chat with some of the cruise workers in the Horizon Court (during off-hours) and DW always gets to know the cabin steward. Many of them are surprised at the respect we show for them because in their own countries there is so much disrespect for them even in 5* restaurants and hotels.

/Sultan

 

Where does the other $1.75 go?

 

They must have gotten a raise. It used to be $50 per month. Or so I've heard.:)

 

Bill

[sultan_sfo]

This is the Princess Official Statement:

 

DISCRETIONARY HOTEL AND DINING CHARGE

During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. Many more crew support those who serve you directly. For your convenience a discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $10 per passenger per day (including children) will be added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others.

______

The part that we know that comes from the Steward's portion is the laundry staff -- including the person who prepares the Steward's Cart twice a day. Our understanding was that Room Service was not included in the auto-tipping but the number of posts suggest that they are. In that case, Room Service would also come from the Cabin portion. My figure of $50 per week was based on a conversation with Cabin Steward when we were on a cruise just before a 2-week dry-dock and they would not get any tips for the whole 2-weeks. But I could have misunderstood what was said. /Sultan

 

 

Where does the other $1.75 go?

 

They must have gotten a raise. It used to be $50 per month. Or so I've heard.:)

 

Bill

[S.S.Oceanlover]

This is the Princess Official Statement:

 

DISCRETIONARY HOTEL AND DINING CHARGE

During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. Many more crew support those who serve you directly. For your convenience a discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $10 per passenger per day (including children) will be added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others.

______

The part that we know that comes from the Steward's portion is the laundry staff -- including the person who prepares the Steward's Cart twice a day. Our understanding was that Room Service was not included in the auto-tipping but the number of posts suggest that they are. In that case, Room Service would also come from the Cabin portion. My figure of $50 per week was based on a conversation with Cabin Steward when we were on a cruise just before a 2-week dry-dock and they would not get any tips for the whole 2-weeks. But I could have misunderstood what was said. /Sultan

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I just asked out of curiousity sake.

 

I saw a show on the Travel channel a little while ago where Uncle Bob worked on the ships. I saw the room stewards getting up at 4-5am and folding all the sheets,towels, etc before starting the day making up cabins.

 

They have somebody who actually does it for them now? That's what I am taking from your statement that their is a person who makes up the stewards cart.

 

Like I said I'm just curious as to the inner workings of the ship and have no idea myself what actually goes on.

 

Bill

[seacuracao]

Hi Sultan...

I used to work in an island where the cruise staff was recruited. It would clean out my kitchen and wait staff every six months(my good people).

The salary for the cooks was $800 usd per month on the ships.(that was in the early 90's). Thus my faulty math.

I guess they have different pay scales for non tipped positions.

 

 

I would also assume that most people prone to tipping would leave their steward from $50.00 to $100.00 at the end of their stay.

 

The remark about more Asian and less European is true. A waiter in Sabatini'stold me that with the exchange rate, it is not woth it anymore to work so hard for greenbacks given the conversion rate.

 

You will still see a strong presence of Jamaicans in the staff make up.

Alot of my friends and former cooks built their houses from their time on the ships!:cool:

[cruisePRN]

It's none of our business what anybody earns and why people constantly try to figure out what the crew earns is ridiculos. Tip if you want, don't if you want, it's irrelevant to what they earn.

[sultan_sfo]

One of the cruise shows on the Travel Channel has a segment on the ship laundry. It is quite an operation -- washing, drying, folding, and stacking of towels and sheets -- most of it largely with automated machines. On one of these posts, I saw someone ask how he could arrange a visit to the ship's laundry -- he runs an industrial laundry outfit. It could be more interesting than the galley visit! /Sultan

 

...

I saw a show on the Travel channel a little while ago where Uncle Bob worked on the ships. I saw the room stewards getting up at 4-5am and folding all the sheets,towels, etc before starting the day making up cabins.

 

They have somebody who actually does it for them now? That's what I am taking from your statement that their is a person who makes up the stewards cart.

...

Bill

[wizard-of-roz]

Don't you think there are just some things that are best left unseen?:eek:

[NSWP]

I am doing as JACQUELINE suggested. No more from me on tipping. We will never change our thoughts/ideas on the subject, I do not think so anyway.

 

I will continue to tip according to the level of service provided to me.

 

Cheers :cool:

[Crown Prince]

if you do the math, and you tip your cabin steward well, as I did, you will discover that this "poor hard working soul , makes more than you do at the end of the month:eek: :D :cool:

I am in the buisiness of hospitality, am in a Dutch Island which is non tipping by culture.

 

Bottom line is, if it is your culture to tip, then you will , for it is in your nature.

For those that do not tip, they won't, for it is not in their nature.

 

It is IMPORTANT, however, to be aware of the cultures you are visiting, be it on ship or land:)

For those of us that know the cultures.....watch the waitresses hide when the busses of "non tipping cultures" pulls into the parking lot

 

And soooooooo true. ;)

 

BTW, I love your liqueur - my favourite colour! :D

[katkell]

"No it does not include room service. Most people tip 1 or 2 dollars. More if you are getting a whole meal."

 

I would to know why one would tip more for a "whole meal". They are only making one trip, with one tray, whats the difference, does it go on weight?:confused: