Room Service & tipping

[TriGirl]

Do you tip for room service?

[RDMOREU]

I believe that it would be appropriate.

[Pincus]

Do you tip for room service?

Absolutely!

[Southbound]

:) DITTO & DITTO :)

[NorfolkSailor]

Yes!

[TriGirl]

That's what I thought, but my mother thought otherwise. She seems to think the room steward brings you room service and since you tip him, it's all included. I say it doesn't matter, you tip no matter what.

Thank you.

[WindyCity]

Yes, we tip for room service. I don't think it is the room stewards that deliver room service - they have a big enough job as it is.

[sail7seas]

It isn't your cabin steward who brings Room Service. A number of years ago, they used to do it but now there are special stewards assigned the job of delivering room service. We always tip them at the time of the service as it may not always be the same steward who comes the next time your order something.

[Spot]

You bettcha!!
We always tip when service is extended.

[RuthC]

Absolutely, positively tip the room service steward.

I'll repeat what s7s said---it's not your cabin steward who delivers the requested food, and you may never see that steward again.
Tip 'em while 'ya got 'em.

[elmorejj]

Definitely, we always tip the steward, usually the tip is according to what we have ordered. We always bring a stack of ones and fives for this type of purpose....jean :cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Definitely - we always tip whomever brings our breakfast, snack, appetizers, or anything else that we have ordered.

[Brandis]

How much of a tip would be appropriate for room service?

[Cinder]

Before every trip, I go to my bank and get a pack (100) of $2.00 bills. They are available by request, but sometimes the bank needs to order them.
I always use them to tip. For room service, I give them one $2.00 bill. For luggage, I just count out the bills according to how much luggage I give them to deal with. I have found that having the two dollar bills makes them remember me, and it cuts down on the thickness of having a bunch of ones in your wallet.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Yes, definitely, $2 to $5 depending. If it's just coffee, $2 ... of course if it's your entire dinner, then it would be more.

[Orcrone]

Yes, definitely, $2 to $5 depending. If it's just coffee, $2 ... of course if it's your entire dinner, then it would be more.Heather,

If I ordered a full dinner, then I'd have to give the stewards a lot more than that. I'd probably also have to tip the forklift driver.:D

[Robin7]

Definitely - we always tip whomever brings our breakfast, snack, appetizers, or anything else that we have ordered.

But wouldn't the tip then have to go into the shared pool? Wouldn't it be more efficient and less trouble (no going to the bank for $1 or $2 bills) to just keep track of how many times you have room service and add that to the $10 a day at the end of the trip?

Robin

[Orcrone]

But wouldn't the tip then have to go into the shared pool? Wouldn't it be more efficient and less trouble (no going to the bank for $1 or $2 bills) to just keep track of how many times you have room service and add that to the $10 a day at the end of the trip?

RobinI don't believe it's the cabin stewards that provide room service. Not sure who it is. I do believe that they keep the tips themselves, so if you did that you'd be giving one person a very large tip and stiffing the others. Aside from which, if you didn't tip when receiving service, it would probably become known, and I'd assume that you're food would not arrive in as timely a manner.

[Tatka]

We tipped $1 or $2 oon our last cruise .

[DrivesLikeMario]

It would be too hard to track down the room service stewards if you waited until the last day to tip. They kinda expect a tip when the service is performed and that's when I'd give it. If you wait, they'll wonder what's going on and figure they aren't getting a tip.
We've had cruises where we ordered room service 1-2 times a day and the majority of the time, it was a different person each time doing the delivery.
On our first Princess cruise, the butler brought all our room service food. On the next one, they did away with butlers and the cabin steward brought the room service about 30% of the time. Things have changed though and it's almost always someone from a different dept. altogether that does the deliveries.

[HeatherInFlorida]

But wouldn't the tip then have to go into the shared pool? Wouldn't it be more efficient and less trouble (no going to the bank for $1 or $2 bills) to just keep track of how many times you have room service and add that to the $10 a day at the end of the trip?

Robin
I think Robin was assuming it would be the same person serving everyday. But, Robin, it will probably be a different person each day so you really have to do it separately. I doubt very much this would go with the pooled tips because of that.

[marybeach]

This is where it gets interesting with the $10 pp/pd charged to the shipboard account. We like to tip individuals, and have always tipped the cabin steward $20 when we arrive and he first comes to our cabin...asking for extra ice for insulin, etc. On HAL, the morning room service is often brought by people we recognize as assistant waiters or other dining room staff. We also tipped the girls at the Java Cafe at the end of the last cruise because we were there every day. We never ate in the dining room except at most dinners, we like the lido and coffee/breakfast in the cabin. I'd like an explanation of how these pooled tips are distributed, since they are supposed to be helping supplement the "unseen" workers. Otherwise, it doesn't seem fair, one way or the other.

[Robin7]

We like to tip individuals.So do we. I guess I don't understand how the $10pp/pd works. If you tip the cabin steward or your waiter personally, they have to give it to the shared pool, but if you tip the stewards who bring your room service or bring you a drink in the show lounge or by the pool, they DON'T have to put the tip they receive in the shared pool? Someone please help me understand this new policy! I don't want to be seen as a poor tipper if I don't tip right away, but I also wouldn't mind the convenience of not having to carry cash with me. I just want to do what's right.

Robin

[RuthC]

I guess I don't understand how the $10pp/pd works. If you tip the cabin steward or your waiter personally, they have to give it to the shared pool, ...?RobinClose, but not quite. If you leave the $10 service charge intact your steward is allowed to keep any extra you give him. If you reduce or remove the service charge the steward is expected to turn it in to the pool.
In other words, you may tip individuals extra only if you tip the the entire pool the full amount.

I have never heard HAL address how room service fits in this plan, so I continue to tip room service at each delivery.

[Gsel]

We order coffee, juice, etc. every morning. Just by luck one morning it was our waiter from the dining room who came to the door. We gave him his usual tip and every morning after that he was there with our coffee. He told us he took on the "extra" duty just to stay busy. It was worth the $2-3 every morning to see his smiling face and his joy to receive the tip. Definately give these people a tip, they work very hard.