Thread: Room steward tip

Hello world,
In November I will be a first time cruiser on the Diamond Princess going around asia for 16 days..

I have read up all the stuff about tipping and though I am not mad about the system I will go with the flow ..

My brother, who has done a few cruises suggested that it would be a good idea to bung the room steward about $25-$30 on the first day ... His thinking is that the steward would then feel a little more inclined to look after your every whim and offer good advice to help make your first cruise go a little more smoothly

what do you think ???

Krusty Chris

I have heard of this being done, but we have never done it ourselves. There are pros and cons to this practice---some saying that the room stewards are being bribed to give you service and others saying that the tradition has been to give the tips on the last day and that is when the stewards expect it.

That being said, todays practice among most of the major cruise lines is to automatically add a daily gratuity/service charge to your ship board account. Then the theory is that if you give them some money up front it's just gravy and they don't really have to work any harder because they already have their "extra" tip in their pocket.

Here is what the Princess web site has to say:

During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. Many more crew support those who serve you directly.

A discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $11 per person for mini-suites and suites, and $10.50 per passenger in all other staterooms per day (including children) will be added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others.

A 15% gratuity is added to bar charges and dining room wine accounts. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff. We know you will find these services onboard exemplary.

I have never done it and never have had a problem ! Including on the Diamond Princess.

We just go with the flow too, we give what the cruise line suggests & to be honest we have never required any of the staff to do anything much out of the ordinary for us anyway.

We do this but not for better service. We have always had great service from all the crew. We are just appreciative of all the pampering we get on the cruise, it is all done for us and we are grateful.

I take the opposing view ... you don't give the tip until the service is rendered. Otherwise, there is no incentive for good service. Think about it, you don't tip anyone prior to receiving the service ... even slipping the maitre de a bill to get a good table is done right at the time of the service, and you can always wrestle the guy to the ground and get your five back if the table doesn't suit you!

We let the daily service charge suffice in most cases, but will go out of our way to compliment someone to their supervisor if they give exceptional service and give them an extra tip at the end of the cruise.

Sorry but I still don't see what exceptional service could be, room guy does room, waiters bring what you order as do bar staff...what else?

Maybe it isn't looked at from a woman's point of view. The regular service makes and turns down the bed, fresh towels are brought in, no cooking,no washing dishes, no cleaning, and we can relax for the week. For that alone I am grateful For that and knowing I will get that, I give the room steward $20 the first day, pay the alloted tips, and extra to any warrented at the end of the week. I also give the waiter $20 the first night at dinner to keep Dickies coffee cup full through every dinner. I tell him that we will all have a great week if he does that

Originally Posted by sue miller

Maybe it isn't looked at from a woman's point of view. The regular service makes and turns down the bed, fresh towels are brought in, no cooking,no washing dishes, no cleaning, and we can relax for the week. For that alone I am grateful For that and knowing I will get that, I give the room steward $20 the first day, pay the alloted tips, and extra to any warrented at the end of the week. I also give the waiter $20 the first night at dinner to keep Dickies coffee cup full through every dinner. I tell him that we will all have a great week if he does that

Isn't this just what the job entails? Ok we do occasionally meet individuals who don't really like helping /serving others, but mostly we find the staff willing to please & help,

Yes it is John. Here at home I am VERY busy all year and we can only cruise once a year. It is worth every penny for us to be waited on and get to totally relax and only do what we want to do. It is heaven. I don't expect anyone else to do what we do, you can all do what you wish. This is what we do and are happy to do it as a way of saying "Thank you" for everything. Even if they would do it anyway.