Tipping room steward after prepaying gratuities

[BND]

Triggering some people is so easy.  We don't feel the need to brag about what we tip.  

Edited October 10, 2022 by BND

[gqboy1]

In previous cruises we gave the room steward cash (not in the envelope) on the last day of the cruise.  On our recent cruise we tipped half way and at the end.  Another family we travelled with tipped daily.  There is no right or wrong to tip/not tip/tip frequency....

[mek]

5 hours ago, Thesandman12 said:

I think the prepaid or recommended paid are enough. If you do not add additional, that is OK as well,

should not feel stressed about it. Having said that, we sometimes ask for additional things, and we have sometimes required assistance/help.  We may ask for extra set of towels, extra pillows, spilling something in the room, etc. When our room attendant goes above and beyond, for whatever reason, I do tip more. I know when that happens and I think others do too. It is a personal thing. I can tell you I have always felt right when tipping more, and right when tipping required. I have seen people cancel the prepaid tips on the last day day cruising. We had our kids in one cabin, separate, from us, and I guarantee we tipped more.

LOL - We took a couple of very messy grandkids on a cruise and like you they were in a separate cabin.  We told the cabin steward to only change out their towels and if they had stuff on the bed to not worry about making it.

We tipped extra just because the poor steward had to enter their cabin and we never took those two on another vacation.  I was so glad when we got home and their parents picked them up.

Edited October 10, 2022 by mek

[Ret MP]

4 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

That doesn’t make it an extra, or above standard practice. 

Sure it does.  And I, if they do it, give them an extra $10,000.00 for a job well done.  All in $2.00 dollar bills.  No 💩, or not!

[Missusdubbya]

5 hours ago, Ret MP said:

Just a point of clarification:  The paying of tips, pre-cruise is an option. If you opt to not pay for the tips pre-cruise, the ship will automatically add the daily amount to your Set Sail Account.  But, once again, that is ultimately optional.  If you don't think you received the service you expected, you can remove all or part of the tip/gratuity by going to the Guest Services desk.  Now, I don't know if, for example, you can tell them that you don't want any or part of your tip to go to your Steward or whomever.  I believe you can only adjust the daily amount, the amount is totally up to you.

prepaying is not optional in all markets 

 

[Ret MP]

8 minutes ago, Missusdubbya said:

prepaying is not optional in all markets 

 

As I understand it, Australia/Australians don't tip.  By law or culture, I don't know.  I'm sure you will tell me, though!  Australia is on my bucket list.  Can't wait to get there one day.  

[Missusdubbya]

1 minute ago, Ret MP said:

As I understand it, Australia/Australians don't tip.  By law or culture, I don't know.  I'm sure you will tell me, though!  Australia is on my bucket list.  Can't wait to get there one day.  

We don’t really tip in Australia, as the minimum wage is quite high in comparison.
 

However we do tip when it is a custom in the country we visit etc.

 

You would be very welcome to visit us 😁

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, BND said:

Triggering some people is so easy.  We don't feel the need to brag about what we tip.  

Or modeling positive behavior might encourage/inspire others, especially when there is a 'why' behind the story.  It's all good my friend - the crew benefits from us all.

[billslowsky]

58 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Sure it does.  And I, if they do it, give them an extra $10,000.00 for a job well done.  All in $2.00 dollar bills.  No 💩, or not!

I prefer to give them a similar amount. but I convert it to their local currency and add personal hygiene products, used clothing, and homebaked goods.  I enjoy seeing the twinkle in their eye when presented with my old socks.

[shofer]

7 hours ago, pcur said:

If I ask for anything extra in addition to the usual cabin clean-up, then I tip some extra in cash.

On a cruise with my mother several years ago on Celebrity, I asked for a pitcher of ice water in the room and he supplied it every day.   On disembarkation day I made sure to give him $20 as a thanks.

[Tin can]

11 hours ago, Thesandman12 said:

I have seen people cancel the prepaid tips on the last day day cruising. 

 

Very common on UK cruises, we (and I can use 'we' being British myself) generally as a nation just can't get our heads round the concept.

 

We have been to the States many times now on holiday and cruised many times with Royal so understand and just accept the concept and tend to leave a bit extra on the last night.

[kernow]

1 hour ago, Tin can said:

 

Very common on UK cruises, we (and I can use 'we' being British myself) generally as a nation just can't get our heads round the concept.

 

We have been to the States many times now on holiday and cruised many times with Royal so understand and just accept the concept and tend to leave a bit extra on the last night.

I always feel slightly ashamed to be British when I see queues of people on the Southampton cruises waiting to remove their tips. I wish Royal would just include them in the price on UK bookings like they do in Australia.

[Tin can]

55 minutes ago, kernow said:

I always feel slightly ashamed to be British when I see queues of people on the Southampton cruises waiting to remove their tips. I wish Royal would just include them in the price on UK bookings like they do in Australia.

 

Its terrible to see, as you say Royal should just include them in the cost of the cruise. Thats we we do when booking a cruise, we just add it into our own calculations for the overall total cost. 

 

I wouldn't mind but the staff completely deserve it but you probably know as well as me what a very volatile conversation this can turn into with our fellow countrymen who don't (or won't) understand the concept.

 

 

[Donsyb]

1 hour ago, Tin can said:

 

Its terrible to see, as you say Royal should just include them in the cost of the cruise. Thats we we do when booking a cruise, we just add it into our own calculations for the overall total cost. 

 

I wouldn't mind but the staff completely deserve it but you probably know as well as me what a very volatile conversation this can turn into with our fellow countrymen who don't (or won't) understand the concept.

 

 

Yes they really should adjust to the custom/ culture of the market the ship is departing from, as people form that market will likely make up the majority of passengers . So in Europe they should include the tips in the price and problem solved! They do it for drinks packages etc, so not sure why they don’t do it for the actual cruise.

[billslowsky]

8 hours ago, shofer said:

On a cruise with my mother several years ago on Celebrity, I asked for a pitcher of ice water in the room and he supplied it every day.   On disembarkation day I made sure to give him $20 as a thanks.

I think that's pretty much the norm, rather than the tales reminiscent of the old "The Millionaire" tv series.

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, Donsyb said:

Yes they really should adjust to the custom/ culture of the market the ship is departing from, as people form that market will likely make up the majority of passengers . So in Europe they should include the tips in the price and problem solved! They do it for drinks packages etc, so not sure why they don’t do it for the actual cruise.

Maybe RCI is concerned that the higher cruise price will affect bookings? I, obviously, don't know the answer but I have to think that RCI has studied this issue.

[Joseph2017China]

17 hours ago, forests_lover said:

I have prepaid for gratuities for my upcoming 7-night cruise, now am I supposed to put a tip in the room steward's envelope at the last day ? or is that considered an unnecessary double tip ?

if I'm supposed to do that, then what's the good average range for a tip in a trip like this to the Caribbean ?

You don't need to give any extra tip.  The amount you already tipped, prepaid, is a customary amount, for the cruise industry (Note, I said, the cruise industry, which is international, not the USA).  

[Tulsacoker]

On the first day I go down to guest services and get a few Tip Tip Hooray envelopes. I place one in shirt pocket for all to see every day.  I seem to get above average service during my cruise.  

[TBurr]

15 hours ago, BND said:

We usually tip extra, but not a huge amount.  I also don't buy the posters who say they tip $100 extra.  There are a few who virtue signal on this site so don't believe everything you read.  It costs them nothing to say they do.  🙂

 

 

You may believe me or not, your choice, but if I have received excellent service on a 7 day cruise, I do tip the cabin attendant $100.00.  I paid more for my wifi and they worked hard for it.

 

You can believe people or chose not to

[goldfish65]

7 minutes ago, TBurr said:

 

You may believe me or not, your choice, but if I have received excellent service on a 7 day cruise, I do tip the cabin attendant $100.00.  I paid more for my wifi and they worked hard for it.

 

You can believe people or chose not to

Sometimes I think people forget it’s not the 1970’s anymore….$100 isn’t that large a sum nowadays….I believe you lol. 

[Tin can]

28 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Maybe RCI is concerned that the higher cruise price will affect bookings? I, obviously, don't know the answer but I have to think that RCI has studied this issue.

 

If they have then I think they are making a mistake and misjudging the market. Marella cruises here in the UK is gaining market share with an inferior product (in my opinion) and is not too dissimilar in price to RCCL as they capitalise on 'tips included'.

 

Tips strike fear into a lot of folks over here in the UK, as bizarre as it might sound to the majority here from the US I know people who have booked a cruise line solely on the basis of the tips included.

[crazyank]

58 minutes ago, Donsyb said:

 

deleted

Edited October 10, 2022 by crazyank

[mjkacmom]

Always, we are a family of 7, 5 kids, connecting balconies, 1 cabin is the kids cabin (although 1 sleeps in ours). They can be messy.

[adolfo2]

18 hours ago, forests_lover said:

I have prepaid for gratuities for my upcoming 7-night cruise, now am I supposed to put a tip in the room steward's envelope at the last day ? or is that considered an unnecessary double tip ?

if I'm supposed to do that, then what's the good average range for a tip in a trip like this to the Caribbean ?

Typically give them $20.00 at initial handshake & extra as we go along if merited.

[ARandomTraveler]

1 hour ago, goldfish65 said:

Sometimes I think people forget it’s not the 1970’s anymore….$100 isn’t that large a sum nowadays….I believe you lol. 

Exactly. I feel like I spend $100 every time I leave the house, just by doing things like buying coffee and picking up something at the grocery store. 
 

What people think is a lot of money is relative to their outlook on so many things; how much money that person is accustomed to regularly spending, how much discretionary money they allow themselves to spend, their age (my 70 year old mother still thinks $40 is a lot of money, so don't even get her started on $100), their income, etc.

 

Everyone views money differently, and while one person may feel $100 isn't a lot, another will feel it's outrageous.