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First time cruiser - is it standard to tip the cabin steward

Belfast1916

By Belfast1916,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Belfast1916

Belfast1916

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Hi we have the All Included - tips/wifi/drinks - However, I have just been told that we need to tip the cabin steward on the last day of our cruise.  Is this always done, I thought they would have been included in the tips in our All Included package.  

I would like to know if it is and how much do you leave?  Thanks everyone

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rebeccac

rebeccac

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If you have the package with tips included (or even if you don't and just leave the auto-gratuities in place) , it is not necessary to tip any extra.  That being said, we usually do leave a little bit extra.  What we leave will depend on the service we received and our budget.

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emmas gran

emmas gran

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It is entirely up to you, if you ask for something from him/her and they are able to do Yes we tip extra. It's like extra towels or ice bucket filled twice daily, just small things but you can show it is appreciated.

We sometimes get early morning coffee so will tip the person bringing it a couple of dollars if we have full breakfast it will be $5.

There is no hard and fast rule your tips are paid so any extra is up to you.

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JFontaine

JFontaine

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In the "old days" cash tips were handed out on the last evening of the cruise.  I still do this in envelopes obtained from the guest relations desk; they are available for free, and they have a stack for this purpose.  I write a short note on the envelope (thank you and good luck, and my name), and I give them out before dinner, dining room staff receive their envelopes as I'm leaving dinner. Have a great cruise. 

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kywildcatfanone

kywildcatfanone

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4 hours ago, Belfast1916 said:

Hi we have the All Included - tips/wifi/drinks - However, I have just been told that we need to tip the cabin steward on the last day of our cruise.  Is this always done, I thought they would have been included in the tips in our All Included package.  

I would like to know if it is and how much do you leave?  Thanks everyone

If tips are included, no.  Now, if our service is good for our week, we do tip some cash.

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LB_NJ

LB_NJ

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5 hours ago, Belfast1916 said:

Hi we have the All Included - tips/wifi/drinks - However, I have just been told that we need to tip the cabin steward on the last day of our cruise.  Is this always done, I thought they would have been included in the tips in our All Included package.  

I would like to know if it is and how much do you leave?  Thanks everyone

 

There are multiple discussions in multiple forums on this subject.  As all the others have said there is absolutely no need to tip the steward.

 

And if the service were truly subpar, I would ask for some of the automatic gratuities to come back.  All that said, if you were provided outstanding service you could tip the steward a few extra dollars at the end.  Additionally, if you expect to be making many requests you might give the person a few dollars up front.

 

Even though you didn't ask here are the people we usually tip extra:  the porter at the dock when we check our luggage; the waiter and the assistant at dinner (assuming that we have the same person the majority of the trip and the service was excellent).

The porter I give $5.   The waiter usually gets around $2 per night and the assistant $1, all in envelopes at the end of the cruise.  Some people don't tip at all, some more.  On occasion I have tipped a barrister and a bartender.

Absolutely none of this tipping is necessary and you should NOT feel compelled to tip anybody. 

 

After the cruise you will get an email asking for your reviews of the cruise.  I think a good rating in response to the email is more important to the crew members.

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2chiefs

2chiefs

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1 hour ago, JFontaine said:

In the "old days" cash tips were handed out on the last evening of the cruise.  I still do this in envelopes obtained from the guest relations desk; they are available for free, and they have a stack for this purpose.  I write a short note on the envelope (thank you and good luck, and my name), and I give them out before dinner, dining room staff receive their envelopes as I'm leaving dinner. Have a great cruise. 

We do the same thing

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TeaBag

TeaBag

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We tip extra also.  Another thing we do is go to Guest Relations and ask them for a note (it used to be called "attention to detail").  We fill it in with the name of the crew member and what they did to make our cruise special.  I believe they get some extra time off for this or maybe even a promotion in due time.

Enjoy your first cruise, Belfast.  It will always be a special memory.

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bayonnejoe

bayonnejoe

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6 hours ago, Belfast1916 said:

Hi we have the All Included - tips/wifi/drinks - However, I have just been told that we need to tip the cabin steward on the last day of our cruise.  Is this always done, I thought they would have been included in the tips in our All Included package.  

I would like to know if it is and how much do you leave?  Thanks everyone

Most seasoned cruisers  give something extra. And as Happy Cruiser said, the staff regards positive reviews very highly. More than extra tips I think. They get good perks for great reviews. So don't  forget  names. 

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Julma

Julma

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I can't think of a time when I didn't tip something extra, but if I had subpar service, I could see not tipping extra.  I also tip some bartenders, buffet servers, and the lovely people who work hard keeping the public restrooms clean.  I doesn't add up to a lot of money and it shows appreciation. 

Have a wonderful first cruise!

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Jim_Iain "Live from...." Rare

Jim_Iain

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You will often hear that tipping is a personal choice and it is.   Basic tips are indeed included in most packages or added to your bill.

 

Our attitude is that if a person just does their job we do not feel compelled to tip additional.   If a staff member in any capacity goes above and beyond to make our vacation special we always tip extra.

 

On this trip, our Room Attendant will definitely get a nice tip.  He immediately learned our schedule and would clean our room the moment we left so it was back to perfection when we returned.   When he wold see me coming down the hall he would unlock our door for us.    I also sent a letter to the Hotel Director saying he would make a great butler in his next career move.

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