Appropriate Tip for Cabin Steward/ess?

[CapCrunch]

Haven't been on a cruise (yet!), so I can only say what I do in hotels. I leave a tip of $5 each day, which some people think is a but much, but I find it SOMETIMES yields better results, and also I have kids so the room might need a bit more work. And I know those people work hard and don't really get paid much. BUT, I don't tip the day we check out - I figure they're cleaning for the next person using the room, so that person can tip the following morning. So each day's tip is really for the previous day's cleaning. That's how I look at it anyway. I'll probably do the same on board, but my upcoming cruise is a short one (just 4 nights). If it was a week or more, I'd probably cut it down to $4/day considering there's a gratuity built in and it starts to add up.

[Laszlo]

Oh geez Here we go.....again

 

They were not forced to sign the contract

 

They are paid well and their families live well back home.... That's why they take these jobs in the first place

 

Their income cannot be measured by our income standards as they don't have the same expenses we do and rarely spend money in port.

 

The hospitality industry is a very good industry and maybe you don't want to do it....but really don't patronize them by feeling sorry for them.

 

 

 

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I don't feel sorry for them. They are paid ok for where they come from but its still a rough life, one I would not want. If the hospitality is so wonderful why don't we see more American's working these ships...........not really that wonderful after all. I'm not getting into a pissing match about how fair the pay is etc....Tip them, don't tip them.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Laszlo

[hlsess]

What is DSC?

I'm assuming tips are included from what I've read on this thread....

[Crusin6]

I don't feel sorry for them. They are paid ok for where they come from but its still a rough life, one I would not want. If the hospitality is so wonderful why don't we see more American's working these ships...........not really that wonderful after all. I'm not getting into a pissing match about how fair the pay is etc....Tip them, don't tip them.

 

 

Why do Americans need to prove themselves by working these ships? We don't need to work on the ships for the most part except possibly as an entertainer or as a crazy college kid working an unpaid internship. Unpaid internships are ridiculous imho and take away jobs from Americans that need them to live and even college kids are bogged down with expenses so getting paid is good but I digress.

 

But let's face reality.....Americans don't work these ships because they don't need to.....and also ncl won't pay American wages ( ever wonder why the pride of America is so expensive?) so they go to 3rd world nations and get workers and pay them better than anything they can make back home thus making ship jobs a very very lucrative and sought out position for these workers which allows their families to live very well on $30,000 a year

 

An American would need 3x as much to live as well

 

I bet if they paid Americans a decent wage on the ships they would get them to work ....but they don't pay enough by American standards....nor do they have to.....but more than enough by the "back home" standards. Wherever that may be

 

 

And yes the hospitality industry is an incredible field to get into.....that is why Cornell university charges $50000 plus per year for their school of hotel management and it is incredibly difficult to get into. Like all Ivy League schools are

 

Hospitality industry is lots more than busboys and maids.....high end hotel directors are multilingual summa cum laude grads probably with a degree from the Wharton school Probably smart enough to be president too. Lol

 

Any way and Fwiw. I usually give .....

 

An extra $20 at the end of a 7 day cruise Maybe $30. But that is for the entire cabin not per person. Of course once I didn't give a penny on the carnival victory to Canada as the steward was nasty and once on the ncl jewel I should have withheld extra but I didn't when I saw the steward pick up a wet towel from the floor and rehang it. You should have seen the look on his face when I walked in and caught him. I promptly handed it to him and said this is wet and has been on the floor

 

 

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Edited October 23, 2015 by Crusin6

[CapCrunch]

This kind of "argument" comes up a lot on message boards about hotels a lot too, and I never quite get why they start. It's a personal decision how much you want to tip. I don't think anyone is suggesting everyone should tip what they tip, or that if they think it's a difficult or unpleasant job, everyone else should be thinking that. They're just answering a question.

[luvtheships]

This kind of "argument" comes up a lot on message boards about hotels a lot too, and I never quite get why they start. It's a personal decision how much you want to tip. I don't think anyone is suggesting everyone should tip what they tip, or that if they think it's a difficult or unpleasant job, everyone else should be thinking that. They're just answering a question.

 

 

I agree with you but it sparks debate here because everyone seems to feel so overly sorry for the stewards and is always comparing their wages to American standards

 

There is no shame in being a cabin steward and there is equally no shame in admitting it's not a job for everyone

 

It's apples and oranges. And personally I feel that we need to stop with the guilt so many cruisers seem to have regarding the stewards job

 

 

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[NMLady]

Yes, I felt that $30 was a good tip but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't stiffing him. The only thing was we missed out on the towel animals for the first half of the trip because I didn't know we had to request Turn Down service on our cabin! :rolleyes:

 

We quickly figured it out and then got towel animals for the remaining nights. :D

 

I have never heard of having to request turndown service. It is part of the steward's job -- unless there is a Do Not Disturb sign.

 

As others have said, if you leave the DSC in place there is no need to tip extra unless the steward did something extra.

 

But we are among those who do tip extra if the job was done well. I'd think $30 for a 7 day cruise is generous. I tip $20-$25. One cruise I tipped $50 but that was because the steward went promptly to the laundry to find my missing sock, had our shower curtain replaced in a timely manner, (the ship had lurched and I'd fallen against the curtain which pulled it out of its moorings. I was fine since it had cushioned me), had maintenance replace a flickering flourescent bulb for us, and always had our cabin turndown done by 8pm which was often when DH went to cabin for the night.

Edited October 23, 2015 by NMLady

[djaycruiser]

on my last cruise. I was in a handicapped room and spent a good portion of the cruise resting in bed or out on a lounge on the balcony. My cabin steward was wonderful and looked out for e the whole 7 days. He brought extra pillows, blankets and checked up on me when my cabinmates were off the ship. I gave him $70 for the week and felt that even that didnt compensate for his caring.

[NMLady]

What is DSC?

I'm assuming tips are included from what I've read on this thread....

 

DSC = Daily Service Charge, the amount for some gratuities, incentives, etc that is automatically charged to your shipboard account each day. The cabin steward is one of those included for the gratuities from it.

Edited October 23, 2015 by NMLady

[JohnIreland]

We do $20 to $50 extra depending the service.

 

Of course it would be zero for bad service , but it's never come up.

[punkincc]

I agree. I would not have tipped this Cabin Steward anything other than paying the DSC, if I had to request turn down service. One should expect the cabin to be made up and turned down, unless they have the do not disturb sign on.

 

Yes, however would you manage to get between the sheets if the edge was not folded back and a chocolate left on your pillow?:rolleyes:.

 

One should expect the cabin to be cleaned amd maintained as needed, of course. But if I forget to put out my Turn Down Service request and I come back late and have to turn down my own spread, it would probably not even register, let alone insense me enough to withhold a tip! LOL

[markf]

I am fascinated that someone does not know that the DSC covers the cabin steward, they go on a cruise and have no idea as to whats going on?? Not trying to be sarcastic but spend some to time to et to know the lay of the land---

[cruisin07family]

I don't feel sorry for them. They are paid ok for where they come from but its still a rough life, one I would not want. If the hospitality is so wonderful why don't we see more American's working these ships...........not really that wonderful after all. I'm not getting into a pissing match about how fair the pay is etc....Tip them, don't tip them.

 

AMEN!!

 

I don't feel sorry for them but as my son is working for NCL I do understand some of their hardships. They don't get home very often. They rarely get time to themselves or to actually visit many of the beautiful ports they visit. They work in excess of 60 hrs per week and share their personal space typically. Of course there are definitely pluses or noone would ever work for a cruise line. My son, for instance is 26, not married, no dependents so far, so he is saving quite a bit of money as he has basically no living expenses whatsoever. His sacrifices are that he hasn't had a holiday with us or his grandparents in 3 years. He was able to at least telephone on Christmas day but not Thanksgiving or any birthdays.

 

Anyway, tip or don't. Whatever. (My son is a tech staff person so untipped if anyone cares where my opinion may or may not come from.)

[roger001]

There's a difference between "feeling sorry" for the employees and having great respect and admiration for them.

[drvalo]

These threads always feel like bragging about who tips more.

 

The DSC means we paid the tips. That is why is it charged. If I get extraordinary service and have and will again tip more, but certainly it is not expected and there have been cruises that I hardly even saw the steward, although the room was made each day. We also are probably neater than the average guests as well as we pick up everything and straighten out the bed before we leave for the day.

 

They just increased the DSC and my expectation (although it's true I don't know) is that some of that is going to the room steward. When I look at my bill and see that $27 a day, I assume my tip has been paid.

[casofilia]

I'll get on my New Zealand hobby horse!! I hate tipping to a vengeance but I do tip when I feel I "have" to!! But nowhere near the extent that Americans do.

 

This was brought home yet again with the figure quoted earlier of what the eligible crew probably get from the enforced "gratuity", it is more than I get, in total, a week from my NZ Government Super.

 

At least on the boat it is my decision whether to add to the compulsory "gratuity" and no one has an expectation of getting anything extra.

 

I do object onshore where there are notices expressing an expectation of a tip. In the USA and Canada tipping is the norm so I do as they do (not as well though) but I treat those who have expectation notices as beggars and treat as such. Hotel Courtesy Coaches from San Francisco Airport have a notice which reads something like "I would like to thank you for your generous tip"; like a red rag to a bull to me!!

 

I wish restaurants would build in the expected gratuity to their prices and say so. To press "No Tip" on the Credit Card reader with someone staring at what you are doing is a hard thing to do; sometimes you just have to do that.

 

Mik

Pom by Birth; Coin Collecting Retired Kiwi by Choice.

[NMLady]

Yes, however would you manage to get between the sheets if the edge was not folded back and a chocolate left on your pillow?:rolleyes:.

 

One should expect the cabin to be cleaned amd maintained as needed, of course. But if I forget to put out my Turn Down Service request and I come back late and have to turn down my own spread, it would probably not even register, let alone insense me enough to withhold a tip! LOL

 

Turn down service is more than turning down the spread. It is putting fresh ice in the bucket, replacing used towels/facecloths, emptying any trash, doing any cleaning that is necessary from spills etc.

[maywell]

I'll get on my New Zealand hobby horse!! I hate tipping to a vengeance but I do tip when I feel I "have" to!! But nowhere near the extent that Americans do.

 

This was brought home yet again with the figure quoted earlier of what the eligible crew probably get from the enforced "gratuity", it is more than I get, in total, a week from my NZ Government Super.

 

At least on the boat it is my decision whether to add to the compulsory "gratuity" and no one has an expectation of getting anything extra.

 

I do object onshore where there are notices expressing an expectation of a tip. In the USA and Canada tipping is the norm so I do as they do (not as well though) but I treat those who have expectation notices as beggars and treat as such. Hotel Courtesy Coaches from San Francisco Airport have a notice which reads something like "I would like to thank you for your generous tip"; like a red rag to a bull to me!!

 

I wish restaurants would build in the expected gratuity to their prices and say so. To press "No Tip" on the Credit Card reader with someone staring at what you are doing is a hard thing to do; sometimes you just have to do that.

 

Mik

Pom by Birth; Coin Collecting Retired Kiwi by Choice.

But yet, some of you Europeans / Australian / New Zealanders will be 1st ones complaining that service went downhill or got none after going to an establishment that has a tipping policy, 2nd time. [emoji57] Trust me, it's funny hearing you guys at Starbucks or Wendy's acting like it gives good service /product and badmouthing a Top-rated Zagat / Michelin sitdown restaurant that has waitstaff that lives off tips. It's like "Really, you think a cheapie fast food place that taking it sweet time of 20 minutes and no seats to sitdown at, is better than a restaurant that giving you the full white glove treatment?!?!"

 

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[DMH15]

These threads always feel like bragging about who tips more.

 

The DSC means we paid the tips. That is why is it charged. If I get extraordinary service and have and will again tip more, but certainly it is not expected and there have been cruises that I hardly even saw the steward, although the room was made each day. We also are probably neater than the average guests as well as we pick up everything and straighten out the bed before we leave for the day.

 

They just increased the DSC and my expectation (although it's true I don't know) is that some of that is going to the room steward. When I look at my bill and see that $27 a day, I assume my tip has been paid.

I found a humorous irony in your post.

 

If "I tip more than the average guest" is bragging, then isn't "we are neater than the average guest", just as well?

Edited October 24, 2015 by DMH15

[casofilia]

.... restaurant that has waitstaff that lives off tips.

 

I think that that is what really sets me against tipping. I would prefer that the waitstaff could expect a living wage from the employer and not to have to "live off tips". Then tips would be a bonus for great service.

 

Mike

Pom by Birth; Coin Collecting Retired Kiwi by Choice,

[wilmingtech]

I think that that is what really sets me against tipping. I would prefer that the waitstaff could expect a living wage from the employer and not to have to "live off tips". Then tips would be a bonus for great service.

 

Mike

Pom by Birth; Coin Collecting Retired Kiwi by Choice,

Its truly a cultural thing. Its like trying to tell an American how to build a house in meters and centimeters. Until you live in it and use it daily it won't make any sense.

 

-Sean

[punkincc]

Turn down service is more than turning down the spread. It is putting fresh ice in the bucket, replacing used towels/facecloths, emptying any trash, doing any cleaning that is necessary from spills etc.

 

The duties you mentioned fall under the realm of Make Up Cabin or Service Cabin, both of which are available on your dial. If we do not have one of these two indicated, we'll put Welcome on the dial, meaning the steward is free to spot check or do anything else he needs to do. Sometimes, we will return in the evening having left the Welcome sign out to find we have been "turned down", but never do we request it. And when we don't, there has never been an issue of a cabin not serviced properly.

 

Turn Down service is just that. Turn down, a mint on the pillow, Freestyle Daily on the bed rather than in the rack outside the door, and a towel animal. We need none of the above. For anyone who does, just indicate it on the door. But for heaven's sake, if your cabin needs Service, indicate that when you go out for the evening. Do not flip it over at 5:30 to Turn Down and then be disgruntled when you return to dirty towels at 9:00 and the steward does not get to you until 9:30 for Turn Down.

[NMLady]

The duties you mentioned fall under the realm of Make Up Cabin or Service Cabin, both of which are available on your dial. If we do not have one of these two indicated, we'll put Welcome on the dial, meaning the steward is free to spot check or do anything else he needs to do. Sometimes, we will return in the evening having left the Welcome sign out to find we have been "turned down", but never do we request it. And when we don't, there has never been an issue of a cabin not serviced properly.

 

Turn Down service is just that. Turn down, a mint on the pillow, Freestyle Daily on the bed rather than in the rack outside the door, and a towel animal. We need none of the above. For anyone who does, just indicate it on the door.

 

You have obviously only sailed on ships that have a dial outside the door. Some of the older ships do not have that. They have a card that goes in the key slot. One side says Do Not Disturb. The other side says, Make Up Room.

The steward on those ships automatically does Turn Down service each evening, including filling ice bucket, putting fresh towels, and emptying trash. That is part of a ship's turndown service, unlike hotel..

 

When we have cruised on ships with the dial we have never turned it to say Turn Down Service. We always leave it on Welcome and we have always gotten turn down service -- including fresh ice bucket, fresh towels, emptied trash.

Edited October 24, 2015 by NMLady

[punkincc]

The poster with the turn down problem was on the Dawn. I don't recall what system those ships use. If no dial, then Turn Down late in the evening would be standard unless you have the Do Not Disturb sign out. But, trash and towels and ice fall under Service. If these are lacking, you do not have an issue with "no turn down service". You have a problem with "Service". I would think that room stewards would service all cabins in the early evenings as people go out to dinner and shows. They surely do not leave the dirty towels on the floor until Turn Down time. And the poster in question I don't believe mentioned a problem with Service. She wanted the towel animals.;)

[ray98]

Strange how things change over time. At one point we tipped everyone personally at the end of the cruise, now the cruise lines have combined everything into one charge such as the DSC that gets distributed to those who serve you. People are now paying the charge and are somehow guilted into thinking they must tip on top of it.

 

It is the same thing....the DSC took the place of personal tips. I pay the DSC and am done with it.