$12.00 question

[Kelly07]

NEWBIE - I pay the service fee of $12.00 per day for tips, the room keepers come in and make the bed and clean the bathroom. What else do they do or can we ask them to do? I don't mind paying the fee and will definately add more for good service but what is beyond their standard quality service to deserve the extra tip? Thanks in advance for your replies.

[LOWTYD]

NEWBIE - I pay the service fee of $12.00 per day for tips, the room keepers come in and make the bed and clean the bathroom. What else do they do or can we ask them to do? I don't mind paying the fee and will definately add more for good service but what is beyond their standard quality service to deserve the extra tip? Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

They are happy to anything reasonable. Me? I ask for ice. If I have a cooler, I ask if they can keep the ice filled it and every day I get a cooler full of new ice. If you have a balcony and want a lounge chair, you can ask for them to exchange the straight back chair for the lounger.

Do you have idea what you might want them to do?

[shellmisi]

My kids love when towel animals appear at night!

[Arwenmark]

NEWBIE - I pay the service fee of $12.00 per day for tips, the room keepers come in and make the bed and clean the bathroom. What else do they do or can we ask them to do? I don't mind paying the fee and will definately add more for good service but what is beyond their standard quality service to deserve the extra tip? Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

The $12. per person per day does not ONLY cover the cabin steward and assitant, it also covers all your dining room and buffet personnel and a few other things. It does NOT cover those who deliver room service and it is customary to tip them something.

 

as to what they do some of them do towel animals which some people like, they also make up the room and change towels TWICE a day including turning down your bed closing your drapes if you have them and dimming the lights in the evening.

 

If you need something extra ask, but don't ask just for the sake of them earning a tip in your eyes. They have a lot of cabins per person to clean each day.

[gbcruise]

I always ask for the small towels as the body size towels will snap your neck if you wrap your hair in them. The $12 is split with the wait staff as well as the cabin stewards.

[Kelly07]

Thank you for your replies, I am just happy having clean towels for the next day and having our bed made. Im not really picky or demanding but would like to know what is available. Thanks also for letting me know that the tips aren't only for the cabin keepers!

[DMAB]

Thank you for your replies, I am just happy having clean towels for the next day and having our bed made. Im not really picky or demanding but would like to know what is available. Thanks also for letting me know that the tips aren't only for the cabin keepers!

 

The "extra service" that caught my attention in a tipping thread was having the room steward empty the mini-fridge. I occasionally have a use for the fridge but it's always full of overpriced stuff I'm not willing to pay for.

 

I'll do that on my next cruise in 3 weeks.

[boaterette]

Making your bed, changing your towels, filling your ice bucket and making towel animals are part of the normal service. Filling your coler with ice is something extra. We needed a pair of scisssors once and felt that was above the normal. Other than that never had anything above what is normally provided.

[smeyer418]

NEWBIE - I pay the service fee of $12.00 per day for tips, the room keepers come in and make the bed and clean the bathroom. What else do they do or can we ask them to do? I don't mind paying the fee and will definately add more for good service but what is beyond their standard quality service to deserve the extra tip? Thanks in advance for your replies.

First they will generally come in twice a day. In the am they will clean the room from the night and make up the beds for the room to be used during the day. They will change any soiled towels(left on the floor) re fill the ice clean up any glasses or food trays in the room and empty the garbage cans(there are two) they will wash and sanitize the bathroom. Vacuum the floor and if it is really dirty they may shampoo it if there are any stains.

While you are at dinner they will come in again and turn down the room, do a quick clean up refill the ice bucket and replace the towels again.

Some of them will make towel animals without asking some will need to be asked.

This is what the rooms stewards do. they also deliver any mail and put a new daily newspaper on your bed.

 

Also included in the DSC is the dining room staff. Wait staff, dishwashers, and line chefs(these are the people the dining room staff would have tipped out of your tips if there was no DSC) also the head waiter-maitre d shares in the pool as they are responsible for the overall ambiance of the dining room, training the staff and handling any problem or special request.

 

The room stewards, the asst head housekeeper, the storeroom and laundry staff are included in the pool as well.

The Spa staff, the Kids crew, the Butler and concierge are not part of the pool. Bar staff is tipped as part of the drink(15%) and not in the pool

While you are not required to, if someone goes over and beyond an additional tip may be appropriate.

 

room service- while its not required and they might be included in the pool anyway many people tip room service a couple of bucks or more depending on the size of the delivery...

 

 

 

does that help?

[mbisson]

The "extra service" that caught my attention in a tipping thread was having the room steward empty the mini-fridge. I occasionally have a use for the fridge but it's always full of overpriced stuff I'm not willing to pay for.

 

I'll do that on my next cruise in 3 weeks.

 

I normally have other uses for the fridge as well, and will just talk with the steward prior to emptying it myself (& placing the contents on some shelf I've agreed upon with the steward)...so far, they've all been happy with that arrangement (and then I'll ask for ice or whatever & give a little extra to him/her as well) :D

 

First they will generally come in twice a day. ?

 

I don't know how they do it, but sometimes, it's almost like they come in every time I leave the room. Does Steward sleep in my closet?

[DMAB]

 

 

 

I don't know how they do it, but sometimes, it's almost like they come in every time I leave the room. Does Steward sleep in my closet?

 

Behind the secret panel right under the safe.

[Kelly07]

First they will generally come in twice a day. In the am they will clean the room from the night and make up the beds for the room to be used during the day. They will change any soiled towels(left on the floor) re fill the ice clean up any glasses or food trays in the room and empty the garbage cans(there are two) they will wash and sanitize the bathroom. Vacuum the floor and if it is really dirty they may shampoo it if there are any stains.

While you are at dinner they will come in again and turn down the room, do a quick clean up refill the ice bucket and replace the towels again.

Some of them will make towel animals without asking some will need to be asked.

This is what the rooms stewards do. they also deliver any mail and put a new daily newspaper on your bed.

 

Also included in the DSC is the dining room staff. Wait staff, dishwashers, and line chefs(these are the people the dining room staff would have tipped out of your tips if there was no DSC) also the head waiter-maitre d shares in the pool as they are responsible for the overall ambiance of the dining room, training the staff and handling any problem or special request.

 

The room stewards, the asst head housekeeper, the storeroom and laundry staff are included in the pool as well.

The Spa staff, the Kids crew, the Butler and concierge are not part of the pool. Bar staff is tipped as part of the drink(15%) and not in the pool

While you are not required to, if someone goes over and beyond an additional tip may be appropriate.

 

room service- while its not required and they might be included in the pool anyway many people tip room service a couple of bucks or more depending on the size of the delivery...

 

 

 

does that help?

Thank you! Yes it does help clarify matters. Thank you everyone!:)

[johnql]

they also deliver any mail and put a new daily newspaper on your bed.

Just to clarify and avoid any misunderstanding: the "new daily newspaper" is not an actual, journalistic newspaper. It's the Freestyle Daily, the ship's daily activities publication (4 pages) that is distributed every night that details the next day's shipboard activities.

[pmd98052]

It does NOT cover those who deliver room service and it is customary to tip them something.

 

In another thread today someone claimed that the room service employees were part of the regular dining room wait staff and were in the tip pool?

 

Which is the accurate answer?

[pengu1n]

Behind the secret panel right under the safe.

 

I thought he was under the bed?:eek:

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

In another thread today someone claimed that the room service employees were part of the regular dining room wait staff and were in the tip pool?

 

Which is the accurate answer?

 

No - you need to tip for room service separately. Depending on how much I order I'll tip $2-$5

[OKCThunder]

Do you all really expect new towels everyday? Do you wash your towels at home everyday?

And do you really expect towel animals?

[halos]

Do you all really expect new towels everyday? Do you wash your towels at home everyday?

And do you really expect towel animals?

 

I use my towels twice a day...after a morning shower and a pre-dinner shower. I have them changed out once per day....at turn-down.

I don't expect towel animals every day...but I like when I get them every day :)

[SPMorrissey]

After the second night of the Room Steward showing up after 10pm I told him not to bother if it's going to be that late and he must have been really busy because he didn't show up for the rest of the week.

I didn't give him extra for that request.

[OKCThunder]

I use my towels twice a day...after a morning shower and a pre-dinner shower. I have them changed out once per day....at turn-down.

I don't expect towel animals every day...but I like when I get them every day :)

 

You must do a lot of laundry at your house!

I remember last year when I joined CC there were people writing a lot of negative reviews b/c there were no towel animals, but I have not seen that much if at all lately.

[halos]

You must do a lot of laundry at your house!

.

 

I do.

[johnql]

Do you all really expect new towels everyday? Do you wash your towels at home everyday?

And do you really expect towel animals?

I have a friend whose son was in the habit of using his bath towel just once and then throwing it into the hamper. He did this for years. Then, he grew up, moved out, and had to start doing his own laundry. He now uses his towels more than once before throwing it into the laundry.

[martinchem]

If you get really lucky your room steward will bring you a coffemaker and packets of coffee and you can have coffee 24/7.

[MrLee]

I have a friend whose son was in the habit of using his bath towel just once and then throwing it into the hamper. He did this for years. Then, he grew up, moved out, and had to start doing his own laundry. He now uses his towels more than once before throwing it into the laundry.

 

I'm 67 years old and I won't use a bath towel more than once. I refuse to wipe my face with a towel that I (or someone else) has used to wipe their butt!

[weltek]

After the second night of the Room Steward showing up after 10pm I told him not to bother if it's going to be that late and he must have been really busy because he didn't show up for the rest of the week.

I didn't give him extra for that request.

 

Ouch. That sucks. Not because turndown service is NECESSARY, but because most other people were getting this nice perk and you weren't. I find the nightly tidy up and turndown is a wonderful bit of pampering.