"Tipped my cabin steward the first day" -- how much??

[Sablerose]

Hi all,

 

I keep reading about how people slip their cabin steward on the very first day and he does things like, keep them in ice all weekend for their coolers, et. al.

 

What is an appropriate amount for something like this? We also plan to tip at the end of the cruise also.

 

And how do you go about doing it, can someone give me advice on the "smooth moves for the Cabin Steward Tipping On The First Day?" Anything you should say or not say, do or not do? When should you expect to see your steward for the first time, anyway?

 

Infinitely and greatly appreciated!

[I Luv Crusin]

Hi all,

 

I keep reading about how people slip their cabin steward on the very first day and he does things like, keep them in ice all weekend for their coolers, et. al.

 

What is an appropriate amount for something like this? We also plan to tip at the end of the cruise also.

 

And how do you go about doing it, can someone give me advice on the "smooth moves for the Cabin Steward Tipping On The First Day?" Anything you should say or not say, do or not do? When should you expect to see your steward for the first time, anyway?

 

Infinitely and greatly appreciated!

 

I've wondered this too!

[Sablerose]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one with this question! Sometimes I'm afraid I'm going to sound like a big dorkus with some of the questions I pull out of thin air!!

[CruiseCentric]

Hi all,

 

I keep reading about how people slip their cabin steward on the very first day and he does things like, keep them in ice all weekend for their coolers, et. al.

 

What is an appropriate amount for something like this? We also plan to tip at the end of the cruise also.

 

And how do you go about doing it, can someone give me advice on the "smooth moves for the Cabin Steward Tipping On The First Day?" Anything you should say or not say, do or not do? When should you expect to see your steward for the first time, anyway?

 

Infinitely and greatly appreciated!

 

I dont pre-tip, some say that it provides you with better service, but I have always had great service from my room steward by leaving on the auto tip and giving him $10 extra at the end of the week.

 

If you want to pre-tip you can do it the first day. Normally you will see you room steward the first afternoon/evening. Let him know what extra or special requests you have..ice,extra pillow..etc. You can just hand him $10..trust me there is no bad way to give a room steward money, so dont feel akward about it :) He will be very happy and appreciative regardless of how silly you think the transaction occured.

[Sablerose]

So, $10 is an acceptable pre-tip then? Our only really special request will be to make the bed up as one bed and not two, if it's usually two (my PVP told me that our "room has a king-size bed," so I'm not sure what that means) and to keep our cooler filled with ice. :)

 

Whee!

 

(Off topic but... does this happen, rooms with a king size bed in it?)

[CruiseCentric]

So, $10 is an acceptable pre-tip then? Our only really special request will be to make the bed up as one bed and not two, if it's usually two (my PVP told me that our "room has a king-size bed," so I'm not sure what that means) and to keep our cooler filled with ice. :)

 

Whee!

 

(Off topic but... does this happen, rooms with a king size bed in it?)

 

I travel solo so $10 works for me..Im not sure about the bed in your cabin, many that are twins can be made into a king by being pushed together. Room steward can also use king size sheets that they put on the bed so there is no chance of them sliding apart. But, maybe you just have a king size bed.

[hoosier]

We have always pre-tipped the steward $20 per cabin when we meet him the first day. We have always rec'd nothing but stellar service on any of our cruises. We figure we are shelling out such big $$$ for our cruises, what does another $20 per cabin matter?

[Bsan1221]

I've never pre-tipped..

 

I have always smiled and treated them nicely.... At the end of the week I leave the pre-paid tips and I tip the Cabin Steward and Assistant each separately the same amount anywhere from 20.00 to 50.00 depends on the service. Same for the dining room staff.

[GoinCruisin]

I always give a little upfront when the steward introduces himself... I tell him about me, my requests, needs, etc... which is never much... ice, don't worry about this, blah blah blah... if it is just me, I tip $10 upfront (if there are 2 of us, $20), and then periodically through the week... I hand it to him upfront, and if he takes great care of me, I leave more through the week with a little thank you note... I have been very lucky to always have fabulous stewards... but I show them a great deal of respect and always try to have some fun with them... they generally show their appreciation by taking very good care of me :D

[wannacruisemore]

I totally agree with Hoosier,whats another few bucks on what we pay. I tip our stewart $20.00 the first day. We had ice a couple times a day, Out towels animals most of the time 2 each night.

Happy Cruisin:)

[pholter]

We do the prepaid tips for the minimum, then we tipped both the steward and assistant steward $5 each at the beginning, another $5 in the middle of the week, and $5-$10 each on the last day. I've never been disappointed with my cabin service and hope that a little extra may bring a smile to their faces or help them phone home to their families.

[JGR01]

The whole pre-paid tipping thing is new (at least from my several Princess trips up to a few years ago).... but on the last two cruises I liked the ease of managing it.

 

NOW I do pre-tip when I have a Suite/Junior Suite. Partially since you tip per person per day and a suite is two to four cabins in size for the steward to make up and keep perfect.

 

I have an envelope (typically the same amount as I would tip for the whole cruise) and give it to them within the first day. I say 'I know it is traditional tipping and the END of the cruise .. and I will do that too .. but as a suite I expect a lot more service'. With a balcony I do tend to spend a bit more time in the suite than other people might.

 

That said, I expect and 90% of the time have gotten outstanding service.

 

I know how the ships LOVE to show off a suite ... to the inside cabin passengers. So typically I organize a party (before a dinner, or for an event or on the Panama Canal transit afternoon) for my table companions. I tell the steward a few days ahead what I want to do .. and can he/she arrange something? 100% of the time the food, setup and maybe even some wine has been comp.

 

We had a FAB suite at the stern on a TransCanal trip.. so thought the table (some inside, some outside) would enjoy the unique view of 'where we had been' in the locks. Asked the Steward .. and within about 30 minutes Knock Knock there was the Catering/Room Service Manager and an Assistant Purser coming to make plans. They wanted to put up a table on the balcony for food .. and offered wine for a bar (would I need a bartender?). The event went of WONDERFULLY! There was so much food (finger sandwiches, chips, veggies) that we shared with the junior suite next door (who were doing the same party thing but did not know they could request food etc).

 

My favorite 'party' was on the old Island Princess. We had the Owners Suite which was on a half-deck at the start of 'officers only territory'. We had the Shore Excursions Manager at our table anyhow, and when she heard we were throwing a 'do' in the Owners Suite .. she went to town! The Captain showed up (we were close to his cabin anyhow). Both the lead singers from the show came for a drink .. as I recall the male singer gave away a few of his tapes (cassette!). There was a little old lady at our table with her husband . and she BEAMED while chatting with the singers and the Captain .. all in the Suite.

 

Sorry for the long-winded comments . but YES I do pre-tip especially in a Suite. Then it seems the cruise line and Steward REALLY go all out. Extra tipping in a regular cabin may not need to be as 'much' but if you expect excellent service, it certainly does not hurt. I prepare an envelope early and put a note inside saying 'this and MORE'.

 

Which reminds me .. gotta get that done for the QM2 trip in about a month's time!

[mummy]

And how do you go about doing it, can someone give me advice on the "smooth moves for the Cabin Steward Tipping On The First Day?" Anything you should say or not say, do or not do? When should you expect to see your steward for the first time, anyway?

 

My first cruise, I didn't see the steward in the flesh until the day before we got back. My room was always clean with fresh towel animals, but we never seemed to run into each other.

 

My second cruise, I met Raul when I dropped my carryon in the room before heading up to the Lido deck, and after that I just left a note with the request (a couple of times, I attached a $5/$10 bill to the note. Note and bill disappeared and request was promptly attended to).

 

If I don't see the steward at embarkation for my next cruise, I'll leave a note with my requests with cash for the pre-tip attached. He/She'll figure it out, I'm sure. :D

[gypsyrose]

Another tip I read somewhere, take a postcard from your hometown and write a personal thank you for the last day. I plan on tipping an extra $20 the 1st day. I am sure I would get wonderful service even if I did not do this, but.......:)

[2Cruise4Ever]

In the past, we've never pre-tipped and have been treated very well. This last cruise, we had a suite and from the many tips I've read here, pre-tipped a few people. The service was fantastic as a result. I suggest this: bring a package of thank-you cards with you on the cruise. On the first day, leave a little note for your cabin steward with $20 in it. I wouldn't mention the money in the note at all. I would just say something like: "We know you work very hard and we appreciate everything that you do. Some of the things we like to enjoy on a cruise are: ice bucket filled at all times. . . . " etc, etc. This way, you avoid the awkward situation of a face-to-face money-exchanging hand-shake. Also, after the first night, send another thank you note to the head chef, the hotel director, and the cruise director. A quick "thank you for working so hard to make this vacation so special for us. We really appreciate it." will get you a LONG way!!! We did this on our last cruise and boy did the perks door open up for us!!! A bottle of Moet White Star champagne, specialty restaurants for free, the best table in the house for dinner at the main dining room, and the list goes on and on. You can leave the notes for your room steward to deliver. Or, take them to the purser's desk to be delivered. Keep in mind that these folks only hear about all the complaints from passengers day after day. So, to receive a nice thank you note is a real treat for them.

 

 

Just my 2 cents :)

[Snowball]

I generally tip about $5-10 the first day and, depending on the service received during the week, may also tip another $10-20 on the last day. :)

[Sablerose]

That sounds like a fabulous set of ideas. I think an extra $10 or $20 for our Steward at the beginning of our trip could make a difference. I want our cruise to be something for my husband to remember, let alone me too!

 

And I also LOVE the idea of the thank-you cards. As it is I have already sent a thank-you to my PVP for being so kind and getting us all set up. So! That's right up my alley! And it if adds some perks, then more power to the people giving the perks.

 

I think that would be absolutely amazingly a fabulous idea.

[beaming90]

Our first cruise was only a 4 day, but the first morning I left 4 mini snicker bars, $3.00 and a note thanking my steward for keeping the room so spiffy - and I left it on one of the beds. I did that each morning and on the last night I left $20 with another note thanking him for how special he helped make our first cruise. When we came back after dinner there was a giant heart made out of towels. I thought that was so sweet. I know that 3.00 wasn't much, but he thanked me each time he saw me. And the daily tipping was on the sign and sail card also.

[Cotton]

Rose - I'm sure that any cabin steward would graciously accept any money at any time; however, I think it's unfair to the stewards to assume they'll do a better job if you tip them cash up front.

 

I always meet my steward on the first day, and I never give a tip when I first meet him .... and I've always had wonderful service, everything and more than I expected, and extra things if I ask. (I do leave my automatic tips in place, and tip extra on the last evening.):)

[tankersbabe]

Hubby and I left $2 with a note about unlocking the fridge and emptying it out the first night, along with a mini pack of M&M's.

 

Each night there after, we left $2 and a mini pack of M&M's on the bed...

 

Our steward thanked us about four days in when he saw us in the hall, loving the M&M's he said!

 

Final night, we left $5 and the rest of the mini packs...probably three or four of those...

 

HE WAS AWESOME! On the last day, he thanked us for being so great, and he loved being our steward!

 

Plus we prepay our tips with our final payment...so that was done too.

 

Stef

[bpatters1]

JGR01

"Princess - yes lots of times

Cunard - 9 Aug 2005 . cannot WAIT

Carnival - not ever

Celebrity - fair

Costa- once more than enough:eek: "

If you will “Not Ever” sail on carnival then how can you give advice to those who do. I am not flaming you, but you posted a 4-paragraph response about your Suite’s and Owners Suite, drinking with the Captain, etc.. Then you make sign off with “Carnival - Not Ever”. Makes me feel like you look down upon people that sail carnival, that you think you are better then carnival. Just my observation.

 

[Cotton]

Bpatters - This is known as a Carnival Snob. "Will not ever" cruise on Carnival shows lack of knowledge (and a teeny bit of arrogance). Good for us - more cabins available!:)

[KenMo]

I found this website a couple of months before my last cruise. So I used alot of the great advice and had an even better time!! One piece of advice I took was tipping a little at the beginning, middle and end. Also brought a collapsable cooler (didn't even know they existed!). So....my steward was at my cabin when I dropped off my luggage. She saw me take out my cooler and asked me if I wanted her to keep it filled with ice. I said, that would be wonderful! and handed her $20. So off she went to fill my cooler. That was the first and last time she ever put ice in it!!! Oh well....didn't kill me to get my own ice and it certainly didn't ruin my cruise! So next time....maybe I won't give extra up front. Just wait to see if the little extras are done and tip more at the end.

[babs275]

Just curious about something I've wondered about for a long time (and really not trying to be controversial so please don't flame me) - how many of the pre-tippers are people who will pass up a comparable level of service they seem to enjoy that a TA provides - over the same $20 to book on an internet site?

[Chucksta63]

I always give a little upfront when the steward introduces himself... I tell him about me, my requests, needs, etc... which is never much... ice, don't worry about this, blah blah blah... if it is just me, I tip $10 upfront (if there are 2 of us, $20), and then periodically through the week... I hand it to him upfront, and if he takes great care of me, I leave more through the week with a little thank you note... I have been very lucky to always have fabulous stewards... but I show them a great deal of respect and always try to have some fun with them... they generally show their appreciation by taking very good care of me :D

We do the same I give our steward a note thanking them for taking care of my family for the week with a $20 in it. I have a couple of special needs. I need extra pillows to sleep for my knee, (proped up) and I like alot of Ice all day, and I would like a real ashtray for the balcony. We always have company... So it can't hurt to be up front with a tip. If the week was great and they played with us we tip a bit more at the end!!! Last time we got the steward to open up one of the other group cruisers cabins so we could put a hat in there.. It was a game of tag.. Our room steward took the hat and came and got us when the deed was done so we could get a picture!!! This is having fun with the cabin steward!!! Yep he got another tip at the end!!!