Tips at the Beginning of the Cruise Plus Solo Traveler Tipping

We've never "pre-tipped" and yet we get excellent service! It's customary to tip on the last evening...not on the 1st day.

Everyone usually get excellent service but something extra during a cruise can make a difference between excellent & outstanding.

Here we go again and again and again.

Isn't that why we're all here?

Isn't that why we're all here?

Yep, to watch them argue. Pass the popcorn.

To the OP: You really don't "cost" your cabin steward much if anything as the daily service charges are pooled across all ships of like class in the Princess fleet.

We give the steward extra at the end of the cruise but something special (not cash) during the trip. You'd be surprised to see the difference in service sometimes when doing so.

What sort of "something special" things do you give?

I've been cruising since the mid-80's (I started young), and I found that I normally get much better service if I give a tip at the beginning of the cruise, to show I'm a good tipper. I normally leave a note for the cabin attendant with a small request (for a robe, extra towels, etc.) and leave a $10 or $20 bill. (In the "good old days" I used to tip $20 for the attendant to deliver a deck chair to my balcony. Apparently those days are long gone. <sigh>) I've found I usually get excellent service. I think I got this idea from CruiseCritic many years ago. Note: I also try to be very appreciative, and to remember to say "Please" and "Thank-you."

 

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How can you tell that you are getting much better service if you have not also done exactly the same cruise w exactly the same attendant with exactly the same requests but w/o the tip at the beginning. Any comparison requires baseline data and you have no baseline data.

DON

There is one time I MIGHT tip extra other than at the end of the cruise, and thatsif I know someone is getting time in Port, then I'll make it clear that they can't expect more at the end.

I guess that's your idea of a valued gift but not mine.

We only provide things that are appreciated by everyone. :cool:

+ cash at the end of course. :D

There is something they seem to appreciate as much or more than cold hard cash $$$$$, and that's a little note to the head of hotel about how great they are, but only if they really are.

What sort of "something special" things do you give?

Without getting to specifics we once gave a movie player to our favorite bartender. They appreciate similar items.

Without getting to specifics we once gave a movie player to our favorite bartender. They appreciate similar items.

Oh, wow! You really did mean special. I was hoping for ideas but that's definitely out of my price range. :D

Oh, wow! You really did mean special. I was hoping for ideas but that's definitely out of my price range. :D

Not necessarily. You can get them for around $20 now.

Not necessarily. You can get them for around $20 now.

Oh! When you said movie player, I think I had a Kindle Fire or something similar in my head. :)

Do you mean like... leave some English chocolate or something?

A bendy straw. Slightly used.

I am also a solo traveler. I never gave a tip to my cabin steward in the beginning of the cruise. I usually give him extra tip on the last night. I just finished b2b cruises and gave him the tip on the last night of the 2nd cruise.

It never occurred to me to give him more $$$ because I am a solo.

We also give a tip on embarkation day ($10

There was an error in my previous post.

We also give a tip on embarkation day ($10

We don't pre-tip/bribe. :(

I have never felt the need to bribe anyone anywhere - stateroom attendants, dining room hosts, waiters, etc. Never had any issues with poor service without bribing anyone. I just don't like the idea of putting someone in a position of owing me because they have been paid ahead of service. It just reeks of a power play to me, a way of trying to convince someone that the person making the bribe needs to be the dominant person.

The only time I tipped a stateroom attendant at the beginning of the cruise was on Explorer of the Seas last May in Alaska. I was traveling with extended family and asked for an extra chair for our aft junior suite balcony. He said that he would try and would need to check with his supervisor. When the chair appeared without any fuss or fanfare, I tipped him $20 for getting the chair and having an extra 5 people in and out of the stateroom throughout the week. He also got a bit extra at the end of the week.

When I cruise solo (a whole two times but more to come), I don't tip extra for being solo (although I keep my room neat and try to let them know when I'm going out). I do however tip extra at the end of the cruise if the service was good.

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I appreciate everyone's honest responses. I learned a lot. My question betrays the fact that it has been a very sad 13(?) years since I've taken a cruise and many things have changed. One difference is that it wasn't until my last cruises that prepaid gratuities were put in place--before that the tip that a cabin attendant received was whatever cash tip you gave him/her. I understand that there was a pooling of tips, but because I cruised on many lines besides Princess, I was never sure exactly how the pooling system worked on each line.

My predisposition to pre-tipping may also stem from the fact that for awhile I traveled to Las Vegas frequently, and in my experience, pre-tipping in Las Vegas makes a difference in the service you get. Others may have had a different experience, and that's fine.

Also, I have read that some people in the service industry feel that women are generally not as generous in their tips as men. I have no idea if this is actually true, but I want my cabin attendant to know that I appreciate his/her professional service. I do this in many ways besides tipping, such as always acknowledging service with a genuine thank-you.

All of these things are things "I" do, and I'll let others make their own personal decisions about how much to tip and when.

I'm expecting many differences when I go on my transatlantic cruise on the Caribbean Princess NEXT WEEK!! Considering that I paid roughly the same solo (double) fare for this 14-day cruise as I paid for a lower-fare 7-day cruise on Princess 13 years ago, I expect that there will be cutbacks and other changes. However, whatever the changes are (well, within reason) I expect I will enjoy myself, because no matter what happens on the ship, my first love is being at sea.

Side note: I do miss the fact that you can no longer get a deck chair for your balcony for the cost of an extra tip to your steward. I loved sitting out there. Even with smaller balconies, as a solo traveler at least one deck chair would fit. However, because of wind and weather, I wouldn't sit out on the balcony as much on a transatlantic cruise (although I greatly appreciate the floor-to-ceiling view as well as the fresh air).

Speaking of balcony size, sometime I'll have to tell the story about traveling with a companion on the Grand and finding a way to "camp" out on the large Caribe deck balcony at night. That's my idea of "camping"--sleeping outside, but with indoor plumbing a few feet away and room service.

If you want to give extra then cash is really the only way to go, apart from filling out the 'made a difference' card.

Giving any electronic type device is more than likely useless to them as it seems all the crew have the very latest iPads, Android tablets, phones and so can watch all the movies they want on them, use them for facetime/skype etc. Crew will always show appreciation regardless of what tat some people will foist on them.

If you want to give extra then cash is really the only way to go, apart from filling out the 'made a difference' card.

 

Giving any electronic type device is more than likely useless to them as it seems all the crew have the very latest iPads, Android tablets, phones and so can watch all the movies they want on them, use them for facetime/skype etc. Crew will always show appreciation regardless of what tat some people will foist on them.

Funny, I didn't realize that the crew was so wealthy nowadays that there's nothing you can possibly give them as a present that they'll appreciate. After lending my DVD device (not a DVD player) to a crew member for a few days he were asking if they could buy it from me.

I wonder why if they already have everything like you say.:confused:

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