Room Attendants - Do you tip extra?

[skperson]

I wanted to make sure we didn't miss our stewards on the last morning, so on the second last night we looked for them, and gave them 55 euros each. It was a 13 day cruise, and our room was consistently cleaned well, with ice left, bedding turned down when requested, etc. They had to make up the couch every night, which was extra work, and found our missing laundry by personally going to check in the laundry room. They were very appreciative.

[4lifeinnh]

on my first cruise in may, my DM was sick almost the whole time and was in bed in our cabin. the stewards were so nice to her and even checked in on her to see if she needed anything while i was out. we appreciated it and tipped extra on the last day. but unless i get especially poor service i will always tip extra.

[skivy]

I read/heard somewhere that the room stewards make a very small salary. (minimum wage area or less, as they are not US regulated) Most are there to make and send money home to help support families. Many have to sign up for a minimum of 9 months. (once again I forget the exact amount of time, but this is close) They definitely get homesick. Last cruise we had a first timer and he definitely couldn't wait to get to a port and a cheap calling card phone call to home. I have been on 4 cruises and the room stewards have been exemplary. Mom and I asked for an extra coffee packet the first day of my last cruise (Spirit) and they made sure we were multi-supplied every day. (Love that evening after-dinner cup of coffee on the balcony) I am sure that if you received good to great service that anything that you can afford to give is greatly appreciated!

[*Wink*]

On NCL, they're paid well over America's minimum wage. Not to say they don't deserve every penny they earn. Tipping "extra" should have nothing to do with their wage or lack there of, nor should it be done out of pity. Tipping "extra" should be done out of appreciation... not guilt.

[ZoneHPH]

on ncl, they're paid well over minimum wage. Not to say they don't deserve every penny they earn. Tipping "extra" should have nothing to do with their wage or lack there of, nor should it be done out of pity. Tipping "extra" should be done out of appreciation... Not guilt.

 

clinky to that!!!

[thecatsmeow]

Not cheap but like to have a little fun even with extra tips. We put a magnetic dry erase board onto the outside bathroom door. Each day we would leave them a note and a few bucks. Usually 2 x 2. There were 2 of us and 2 of them so we would leave $4. They decorated our cabin so nicely that we left them a bit more after our first night and the same anount on our last day. Our last cruise was very memorable and they added to it.

 

Joyce (& Don)

[terrymtex01]

I second DT's comments about not feeling cheap if you didn't leave a tip because you didnt know, etc. People should not feel obligated to leave anything extra because as someone else said, it is just icing on the cake. We have always been fortunate enough to have great room stewards who have made our cruises seem like we were completely spoiled. We always try to give them at least $20.00 for each of them (on NCL we have always had two room stewards). Anything left to them I am very sure they appreciate as they know we are all aware that they get their part of the DSC so they know, if we do leave something, that we recognized their great work.

[ZoneHPH]

Not cheap but like to have a little fun even with extra tips. We put a magnetic dry erase board onto the outside bathroom door. Each day we would leave them a note and a few bucks. Usually 2 x 2. There were 2 of us and 2 of them so we would leave $4. They decorated our cabin so nicely that we left them a bit more after our first night and the same anount on our last day. Our last cruise was very memorable and they added to it.

 

Joyce (& Don)

 

hmmm...i like that.

 

now i'm expanding on the thought. think you could start a Deal or No Deal...perhaps I Am Not Smarter Than A 5th grader type game utilizing the stickies?

 

each day building up to a higher dollar value? now THAT would be fun!!!

[Planmaam]

LOL! Some of these ideas are getting creative!

[ajohnstu]

with 2 people in our room we were paying $24 a day for 7 days to cover the steward and restaurant tipping.

 

However we also tipped in restaurants, not hugely but perhaps $10-$20, remember it's covered by your personal service charge anyway so any extra is just that extra.

 

Our steward Michael was incredibly friendly and popped off to get us ice when we ran out etc etc. We gave hium $50 at the end of the week which wasn't necessary we did it though anyway. However, remember you do NOT have ot give any extra. YOu aren't cheap for only giving an extra $10 either, it's extra its veyr nice of you.

 

If you add it all up it's a **** load of money for the $12 a day plus extra tipping you may do at the bar, reastaurant, steward at the end of the week. Some of the stewards have been at it for 10 years which shows you how much they like it. I reckon they get, at the end of it all, an extremely good salary including tips and the basic.

 

Either way you tip what you want it's all extra or don't tip at all extra as there is 15-18% tip included on all drinks and meals and other stuff plus you are paying your service charge too.

[redlef]

For a 7 day cruise, we usually give the Steward $20 on the first day, $10 mid cruise and $20 on the last day. In the NCL restaurants, we usually give $10 for each dinner. I always give a bartender/server an extra dollar (or Euro) per drink.

 

We appreciate the hard work these folks do to insure we have a great vacation. What's the difference if my vacation costs $4000 or $4100? The extra tips aren't going to break me or buy me my own private jet......

[Thelly]

We have always left a small tip the first day and the second day a slightly larger one and so on. We fell it is an incentive for the room attendant to do an even better job each day. If they haven't we go back to the first days tip and start over. I know it sounds like a game but it has always worked in our favor on past cruises.

[hat776]

Please don't shoot me.

 

I agree that practically all stewards do their work well. They keep the rooms clean, stock up the ice, change towels , etc etc. However, that is their duty and I think the DSC is sufficient in most cases.

 

If there is some special circumstance , of course, it's different. Those with kids or who often have some request or other should show appreciation.

[Kancruze]

I agree that it is not necessary to leave an extra tip for the stewards. However, since they always seem to bend over backwards to do extra little things for us, we usually leave them $20-50 depending on what we've requested of them over and above.

 

I would not feel guilty if we didn't tip extra though, not one bit. Also, I do not tip extra for cocktails ever since the service charge has been tacked on. On our cruise we often had to go up to the bar, stand there, order our drinks and wait for them. For sure, no extra tip.

[SallyUK]

We've always tipped our room steward because they have always been good - not just on NCL. We also tip in local currency (most recently Euros, but we've also tipped in pounds and dollars) so that they have some money for themselves, as opposed to all the dollars that go home.

 

Sometimes we look to take little Post-It notes, as we think the wheel that says 'make up room', should say 'please make up room'.

 

In addition we make an effort to find out what thank you is in the language of the stewards, such as "salamat" in Philippino.

[maggiecatenjay]

On NCL, they're paid well over America's minimum wage. Not to say they don't deserve every penny they earn. Tipping "extra" should have nothing to do with their wage or lack there of, nor should it be done out of pity. Tipping "extra" should be done out of appreciation... not guilt.

 

On our June 5-12 Spirit cruise our Steward/stewardess team, Willy & Rachel were outstanding. I suspect they work in the area of sixteen hours per day. What astounded me was not only the pride in a job well done (in our 'grand central cabin) but thier outlook/demeanor. ALWAYS friendly. Always sweet. Genuine smiles and warm greeting whenever we saw them...

I couldn't help thinking about how grumpy I'd be working sixteen hours a day, seven days a week... on my feet. The tip we left was partly appreciation, partly awe. No guilt.

 

Does that 'well over minimum wage' reference take into account the humungous number of work-hours per day?

[petesweet]

We too tip them extra and as others have said usually $20-40 per cabin (each has two people in it). This thread has had me vacillate between "yes me too" to "wait am I being cheap"? I am still not sure so please no harsh responses.... My thought is that if they have 34 rooms and about 1/2 tip that amount (might be off a little, but others have said they tip more so I think its a good guesstimate) they make an extra $170 each on top of their pay and portion of their autogratuity.... Is this not appropriate for the job? I am just asking so please don't beat me up about it.

 

Not everybody can afford a HUGE extra tip. We always tip extra, but not large amounts--nothing like $100. We just don't have that kind of money. We, of course, leave the service charge intact and then add to it (along with the big smile and word of special thanks, of course).

I'm still smiling at OP's introduction of a "new" question. Surprised no one has commented on that.:D

Happy sails. Kathy

[petesweet]

Please don't shoot me.

 

I agree that practically all stewards do their work well. They keep the rooms clean, stock up the ice, change towels , etc etc. However, that is their duty and I think the DSC is sufficient in most cases.

 

If there is some special circumstance , of course, it's different. Those with kids or who often have some request or other should show appreciation.

 

You are right. They are doing their duty. The ones we really like to tip extra are the ones we fall in love with--which is most of them.

Kathy

[redlef]

they make an extra $170 each on top of their pay and portion of their autogratuity.... Is this not appropriate for the job? I am just asking so please don't beat me up about it.

 

Not to beat you up - just to ask a question. What does their earnings have to do with how much you value their services? If Bill Gates or Warren Buffett was your room steward, would you appreciate it more?

[tom.walker]

What does their earnings have to do with how much you value their services?

Salary is wholey relevant. If salary is $50 per month, then additional tipping for average or even below average service may be in order. If salary is "well above U.S. minimum wage" as an earlier poster asserted, then additional tipping for average or below average service is probably not in order.

 

It would be nice if one of us can find a job-posting for a cruise line cabin attendant or waiter, and see what the salary is and perhaps average tip income. It may be that these jobs are in such high demand, the cruise lines don't have to advertise via job postings? Worth a look, but unfortunately I have to get back to work.

[smrtypnts]

it would be nice if one of us can find a job-posting for a cruise line cabin attendant or waiter, and see what the salary is and perhaps average tip income. It may be that these jobs are in such high demand, the cruise lines don't have to advertise via job postings? Worth a look, but unfortunately i have to get back to work.

 

roflmao

[canpass]

How much extra we give always depends on the level of service we receive. When the go above and beyond I always give extra. I don't wait until the last night I tip as the cruise goes along. You look after them and they look after you that much better.

[JrzCruiser]

Just out of curiosity, I Googled average "cruise ship workers salary" and here's what I found...

 

http://www.mygulliver.com/job-details.asp?itemnum=1741&job-title=UNSKILLED%20JOBS%20ON%20CRUISE%20SHIPS&eid=155

[Fawn524]

Not to beat you up - just to ask a question. What does their earnings have to do with how much you value their services? If Bill Gates or Warren Buffett was your room steward, would you appreciate it more?

 

I would appreciate the work the same, but I wouldn't tip them extra! :rolleyes:

[Fawn524]

Just out of curiosity, I Googled average "cruise ship workers salary" and here's what I found...

 

http://www.mygulliver.com/job-details.asp?itemnum=1741&job-title=UNSKILLED%20JOBS%20ON%20CRUISE%20SHIPS&eid=155

 

 

Wait, wait, wait...this is saying that your cabin steward is making between 21,600 and 26,400 a year BEFORE tips? That can't be right, can it?? :confused:

 

CABIN STEWARD No experience required.

Salary: $1,800 - $2,200 US per month (approx £900 - £1,100 per month) with possible percentage of tips.