Tipping Cabin Steward on the First Day?

[luddite]

TIPS is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service" .

 

No. it isn't. Insurance isn't involved.

[B6ConMe]

TIP - to indicate pleasure or pleasing

 

Insure - Insure is to cover with an insurance policy, or to secure or protect someone against (a possible contingency).

 

Ensure - to secure or guarantee a specific outcome.

[garycarla]

Most of this tipping stuff defies logic.

 

We tend to tip well when we eat - 20% not unusual, often higher if happy hour and less expensive bill.

 

But - it is all still crazy.

[che5904]

We always tip something on the first night or first full day. We ask for our ice to be filled twice a day and I know that means extra work for them. We also don't get out of our cabin until 8:00 PM (do not disturb sign until then) so they usually save us for last instead of just skipping over us. They are always appreciative.

 

You do realize on NCL you do not have to ask for your ice to be filled twice a day? They do that for everyone.

[isdoo]

The DSC isn't a tip. It is their pay. A tip is money after the DSC is paid.

 

Call it what you like - it is all the same!

[weloverunning]

You do realize on NCL you do not have to ask for your ice to be filled twice a day? They do that for everyone.

 

Che5904: Sorry I forgot. Our last three cruises have been on Carnival and they no longer offer ice buckets and/or ice unless you request it. Steward said they were spending too much time filling ice buckets that people never used. We are back to NCL for our next cruise.

[vacation luvver]

Always seem to get more "considerations" by tipping on the first day.

As I said, we never saw our cabin steward after the second day, so I'm not sure how many more "considerations" we would have gotten if we had tipped him on the first day.

[B6ConMe]

How can you tip someone for something they haven't done? Tipping is supposed to show the employee, whoever it may be, that you appreciate how well they did their job. It's not meant to be a bribe.

 

This makes more sense as far as what this acronym T I P means:

 

TIP - To Indicate Pleasure or pleasing

 

And that can't be done prior to having anything done! :D

[thistimeplease]

You do realize on NCL you do not have to ask for your ice to be filled twice a day? They do that for everyone.

 

Not on my cruise. We had to ask them several times for ice everyday. Now I do give a small tip when I ask for my first bucket of ice.

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

Che5904: Sorry I forgot. Our last three cruises have been on Carnival and they no longer offer ice buckets and/or ice unless you request it. Steward said they were spending too much time filling ice buckets that people never used. We are back to NCL for our next cruise.

 

But they'll do mine first. ;) We always give the cabin steward at least $20 on the first day. We pre-pay our tips and the $20 has nothing to do with it.

 

A resorts we always tip the cabana boy upon arrival too. Its how we roll in Chicago.....:D

[bobandalice]

Just got off a 14 day cruise. Tipped the first day, tipped the 7th day, and again at the end. Our steward was VERY attentive. Might he have been without the tips...sure...but we saw him a bunch the first week, and even more the 2nd.

 

We felt good doing it, and came to really appreciate his cheerful greetings in the hall.

[calex]

It is kind of interesting to see that those of us that have given a little extra tip/gratuity/bonus at the beginning of the cruise have experienced the value in it and will continue to do it in the future...

 

And those of you that have never given something extra upfront consider it to be pointless and a waste of money.

[hattack]

My Mom worked in house keeping for a mid size hotel..I respect greatly how hard my cabin steward works and how inconsiderate some cruisers are...on the charter Jazz cruises, tips are prepaid....but

 

I always leave $2.00 on the sink, on top of the towels that I gather up so my cabin steward does not have to bend over to pick up along with a yellow post it note :) everyday :)to wish them a great day and thank them for taking care of us....when we meet our cabin steward on the first night, I find out if they are a fan of a particular Jazz artist performing on the charter and obtain an autograph CD made out to my cabin steward and leave it on our bed on the last night

 

I don't expect any extra service from my cabin steward and have never asked for any extra service from them

 

Next time you are walking down a long hallway in the late morning on your way to the lido deck, which is when the are turning over cabins peak in and see how messy some of your fellow cruisers really are

[$hip$hape]

It is kind of interesting to see that those of us that have given a little extra tip/gratuity/bonus at the beginning of the cruise have experienced the value in it and will continue to do it in the future...

 

And those of you that have never given something extra upfront consider it to be pointless and a waste of money.

It may not be related, however, one night I tipped the bartender at a crowded bar at an all-inclusive resort, even though it is not necessary.

For a second round, I raised an empty glass and he was right over. Tipped again.

I was told by another patron, "Quit tipping !". He said, "We are having enough trouble getting him to serve US at this (the other) end of the bar as it is!"

Edited March 26, 2014 by $hip$hape

[RJ2002]

Like others, we will tip at the end of the cruise based on the level of service that we've received. We always leave the DSC in place.

 

Years ago we did give our cabin steward a $20 on the first day on one cruise, but did not notice any difference in the level of service.

[vacation luvver]

It is kind of interesting to see that those of us that have given a little extra tip/gratuity/bonus at the beginning of the cruise have experienced the value in it and will continue to do it in the future...

 

And those of you that have never given something extra upfront consider it to be pointless and a waste of money.

I have never tipped a cabin steward at the beginning of a cruise, and I have always received outstanding service. I can't imagine what extra things he/she might have done for me if I had given him/her a tip on the first day.

 

As far as it being pointless and a waste of money to tip on the first day, as I said, on my most recent cruise, I never saw my cabin steward after the second day because he got sick. Is it pointless and a waste of money to tip someone for services that he/she never gives you?

[B6ConMe]

It is kind of interesting to see that those of us that have given a little extra tip/gratuity/bonus at the beginning of the cruise have experienced the value in it and will continue to do it in the future...

 

And those of you that have never given something extra upfront consider it to be pointless and a waste of money.

 

[/color][/font][/color]

I have never tipped a cabin steward at the beginning of a cruise, and I have always received outstanding service. I can't imagine what extra things he/she might have done for me if I had given him/her a tip on the first day.

 

As far as it being pointless and a waste of money to tip on the first day, as I said, on my most recent cruise, I never saw my cabin steward after the second day because he got sick. Is it pointless and a waste of money to tip someone for services that he/she never gives you?

 

Perhaps the reason those of us who don't see any reason to Pre-tip is because we feel that we receive exceptional service without priming the pump. The stewards have been wonderful and done a great job looking after our cabins and we've always shown our gratitude at the end of the cruise.

 

They certainly deserve their (To Indicate Pleasure) Tip.

[Gentle_Giant]

My Mom worked in house keeping for a mid size hotel..I respect greatly how hard my cabin steward works and how inconsiderate some cruisers are...on the charter Jazz cruises, tips are prepaid....but

 

I always leave $2.00 on the sink, on top of the towels that I gather up so my cabin steward does not have to bend over to pick up along with a yellow post it note :) everyday :)to wish them a great day and thank them for taking care of us....when we meet our cabin steward on the first night, I find out if they are a fan of a particular Jazz artist performing on the charter and obtain an autograph CD made out to my cabin steward and leave it on our bed on the last night

 

I don't expect any extra service from my cabin steward and have never asked for any extra service from them

 

Next time you are walking down a long hallway in the late morning on your way to the lido deck, which is when the are turning over cabins peak in and see how messy some of your fellow cruisers really are

 

That is what the cabin steward is employed to do! If they do not like the fact that they are earning many times what they would earn at home, then they have a choice! They are after all getting free board & lodging.

 

You leave towels on the floor or in the bath - this is the international way for telling the cleaner to replace them.

 

Sadly many cleaners are very poor in their efforts - not cleaning properly - I bet you would not be so keen to tip if you saw the bacteria growing in the cabins because of their failure to do their job.

 

Just think how many crappy CD's they must end up with!

 

Give them the DSC and leave it at that.

 

(no offence intended)

[KeithJenner]

I suppose it depends on what you require.

 

For us, we need our room steward to clean our room, maybe leave some towel animals which our son enjoys, and to be friendly when we meet.

 

We ensure we get the last one by being friendly too them. That has never failed.

 

Never had any problem with the first two. We have always been happy enough with our steward to leave something at the end. The only exception was on the Getaway one nighted, but that didn't really matter much as we were literally only in the room to sleep.

 

If we had a long list of special requirements that we wanted them to carry out for us then I would probably accompany that with some cash, but I've never had any problem getting what is expected without tipping in advance.

 

For me, the most important thing is that they are friendly, and to be honest, if I have to pay someone for that then I'd rather they just didn't bother at all.

[puggsie]

I was a bartender for many years. Although everyone got good service, anyone who threw out an advance tip got the most attention from me. And I liked those generous people a lot more. It did happen often. People know.

 

And I do the same when seated at a bar, or in a hotel room, or on a ship, or in a taxi... there are many appropriate times to do this if you're planning to tip anyway. I never consider it wasted. And it has always been much appreciated.

 

People say TIPS is an acronym for "To Insure Prompt Service." And even though it is their job and they are getting paid to do it, it still feels good to tip. And I feel better about myself by hooking up a hard worker. It is my way of "paying it forward."

 

I know TIPS really means, "You work hard and I appreciate that." While we say aloud, "By the way, can you grab me a bucket of ice? Thanks."

 

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Forums mobile app

[SissasMomE]

Does anyone tip their cabin steward on the first day of the cruise?

 

I tried it a few cruises back and I was amazed how extra attentive my steward was for the rest of the cruise.

 

Yep - always :)

[SissasMomE]

I always tip on the first day with a note containing multiple requests -- asking for the refrigerator to be emptied and all contents removed from the room, extra coffee to be left (and the tea and decaffeinated to be removed), ashtrays for balcony, and, if possible, whether he could scare me up a pitcher or two so that I could bring back orange and cranberry juice from the buffet. No one has ever said no to my requests and I think leaving a tip at that time of the request demonstrates that if I am going to ask for extra service I'm willing to pay for it...

 

Terry

 

Exactly. We do the same - leave a note on day one with requests and a tip.

[SissasMomE]

Your post mirrors what I have experienced during the last three cruises where I left a $20 bill in the steward's hand when we shook at the begining of the cruise. It was nice to find a plate of unordered chocolate strawberries one day, or the cruise where we had 2 or 3 towels animals on our bed at night. Other guests never mention being served above and beyond.

 

Not sure if it is an 'Oregonian' thing, or having family members that work in the hospitality industry mention that the unexpected tip made them feel more appreciated... either case, I'll keep up the practice in the future.

 

I think it's a Jersey Italian thing too LOL heck, we even tip the garbage men ;)

[Elaine5715]

That is what the cabin steward is employed to do! If they do not like the fact that they are earning many times what they would earn at home, then they have a choice! They are after all getting free board & lodging.

You leave towels on the floor or in the bath - this is the international way for telling the cleaner to replace them.

 

Sadly many cleaners are very poor in their efforts - not cleaning properly - I bet you would not be so keen to tip if you saw the bacteria growing in the cabins because of their failure to do their job.

 

Just think how many crappy CD's they must end up with!

 

Give them the DSC and leave it at that.

 

(no offence intended)

 

Is this reference to "where they came from" intending to justify guest's behavior towards others who come from another culture? Should the crew also be grateful that they are safe from beatings?

[FreestyleNovice]

That is what the cabin steward is employed to do! If they do not like the fact that they are earning many times what they would earn at home, then they have a choice! They are after all getting free board & lodging.

 

You leave towels on the floor or in the bath - this is the international way for telling the cleaner to replace them.

 

Sadly many cleaners are very poor in their efforts - not cleaning properly - I bet you would not be so keen to tip if you saw the bacteria growing in the cabins because of their failure to do their job.

 

Just think how many crappy CD's they must end up with!

 

Give them the DSC and leave it at that.

 

(no offence intended)

 

I chuckled about your username and post history, you must have some issues..

You truly appear to feel superior towards others and aren't ashamed of stating it, your attitude makes me sad. I thought such things were in the past..