Cabin Stewards really make this much $$$

[Jimbo]

Most years have 365 days..the rest(leap years) have 366..:)

 

Ok , Ok yes each year has 365 days........I goofed, Just got off a cruise my brain isn't up to speed yet. :eek:;)

 

Jimbo:)

[SingingPixie]

I think that a lot of people have a hard time with the idea of people in "unskilled" jobs making a reasonable amount of money for the work they do. The argument of "the job may suck, but they choose to do it so it can't be too terrible" reeks of this. The thing is, those who do unskilled service jobs on cruise ships choose to do it because of the significantly greater earning potential they offer compared to jobs closer to their families.

 

These people are willing to miss out on watching their kids grow up, work long hours with few days off, live in tiny quarters with little privacy, and deal with the wide variety of habits of customers- all so they can provide a better life to their families. They SHOULD be paid more than they would if they did a similar job in their home countries, because of the sacrifices they make.

 

Even in western countries, people are paid more for doing the same job in less desirable conditions. Those who work overnight shifts are often paid a shift differential. Those who work overtime are compensated at a higher rate. Those who tour as part of their job (I specifically know about those in the entertainment/arts field, but I assume this is the case elsewhere) are paid more than those who have steady work in one location- in the case of the arts, many touring entertainers and technicians can work for 6-8 months of the year, and take the rest off, due to the premium they are paid for long hours on the road.

 

I would be thrilled if your estimate was close to what the average cabin steward takes home (but I doubt it is, based on all the issues already raised in this thread). For people who don't have the opportunities that so many of us take for granted, these sacrifices are tantamount to the sacrifices many professionals make while they train for, and work their way up to, higher-paying jobs. They should be compensated for what they have to give up. Like many have said, the fact that they don't have people from western countries doing these jobs indicates that the compensation isn't enough for someone from the west to want the position.

[peteukmcr]

Has anyone ever walked by cabins whose doors are open for cleaning?

 

Some of them are left like pig stys...I feel sorry for many of the cabin stewards especially when they get stiffed out of gratuities by cheap pax.:(

 

Some people on the ship make a mess in there rooms everyday. It takes alot to clean up after slobs. They work hard for the money working a split shift.

 

DH and I had this discussion on our cruise, to us it seems room steward is the worst job (maybe some of the behind the scenes stuff is worse, laundry room, etc but we can't see that), but people can be so GROSS about their rooms, walking by open doors and you see crap lying everywhere, dirty laundry, trash, food. I couldn't deal with this on a daily basis. And you just know the messiest ones probably tip the least!

Couldn't agree more about the state of some people's cabins. As I always say, it makes you wonder what their homes are like :D

[ChipLondon]

Whatever they earn, they desrve it.

I would not do that job..........(correction, could not do that job) and still keep a smile on my face.

As for tips, if they look after me, I look after them.

[msw1023]

The reason you don't see Americans working in some areas is that the cruise line would have to pay taxes on their behalf( employers have to match most of your withholding taxes) the ones you see usually are in retail or medical, those areas are subcontracted... I believe the spa as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[emeraldcity]

Interesting thread. I have a tendency to "do the math", so I'm always trying to figure out what the values are for the equation. I certainly hope the cabin stewards make at least as much as you have noted, since it's clear they don't net that amount. The tidbit about having to fork over some "payola" to laundry in order to be properly supplied was startling.

 

As for how they spend their $$, that's irrelevant. They are entitled to spend it however they choose -- although I do get tired of the carefully crafted sob stories to squeeze some potential "pity compensation" from the pax.

 

And like one other poster noted, why do people bother to read this thread if they feel this information shouldn't be discussed?

 

As for me, there is only one time I didn't tip more than the suggested amount for any of the tipped employees on board, and that was for an assistant waiter who was relatively new, apparently untrainable, and rarely in attendance.

 

This seems like the right thread to throw in an extra question, if you don't mind ... how many cabins do the room stewards have when they are assigned to suites? We have a GS on our upcoming cruise (our first!!!) and then an inside on the 3-day repo right after our cruise. The inside is practically right across the hall. What's the chance we'll have the same room steward ... or do the stewards who have the suites only work the suites, while a different steward has the insides across the hall?

[Gilgo Surfer]

a cabin steward could make $1,000 a year or $1,000,000 a year.

 

Why would i care?

 

bingo!!!

[swedish1]

The reason you don't see Americans working in some areas is that the cruise line would have to pay taxes on their behalf( employers have to match most of your withholding taxes) the ones you see usually are in retail or medical, those areas are subcontracted... I believe the spa as well.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Also, in the US employers have to pay withholding taxes on the employees tips and into the unemployment fund.

[MAJ]

We have been on many cruises and we no longer have the steward come in the cabin in the morning, it's just not needed, once at night while we are at dinner is enough. We just have him leave extra towels each night.

 

I will see him or her in the morning to get ice but that is it.

 

Works well for us but I know not everyone.

 

Jimbo:)

 

Just curious do you make your own bed each morning & clean your loo?

 

I do it the other way round I get my cabin serviced each morning I am not in it much during the day so just keep it tidy

 

I then tell my steward I do not require any turn down service after we shower before dinner I just fold my towels and leave them in the shower until the next morning

 

My daily compass etc is left in the post box

[Stags14]

A cabin steward could make $1,000 a year or $1,000,000 a year.

 

Why would I care?

 

Don't care - don't respond.

 

$150/day isn't a lot of money. Probably comes out to about 10 bucks an hour considering the amount of hours they work.

[joandian]

Just got off Explorer this morning.

 

 

So by doing the math 30 people x $5.00= $150.00 a day

 

$150 a day times 361 days comes out to $54,150.00

 

Do they really make that much or does Royal Caribbean take some of that money from them?

 

$150 a day????

 

Jimbo:)

 

$150 a day is hardly a lot of money. There is no way I'd be doing what they do for that much, day after day for months on end.

[KristinTravels]

Then what about the ships in Hawaii where 90% of the staff are required to be American?

 

I had a friend that did it, she worked in the kids club. She really enjoyed her time there, and made it seem like the money was good for the amount of time she worked there.

 

If you want to learn directly from their mouths about Americans and non working on ships and their experience just visit the Something Awful forums and read the cruise ship mega thread.

[Jimbo]

Interesting thread. I have a tendency to "do the math", so I'm always trying to figure out what the values are for the equation. I certainly hope the cabin stewards make at least as much as you have noted, since it's clear they don't net that amount. The tidbit about having to fork over some "payola" to laundry in order to be properly supplied was startling.

 

As for how they spend their $$, that's irrelevant. They are entitled to spend it however they choose -- although I do get tired of the carefully crafted sob stories to squeeze some potential "pity compensation" from the pax.

 

And like one other poster noted, why do people bother to read this thread if they feel this information shouldn't be discussed?

 

As for me, there is only one time I didn't tip more than the suggested amount for any of the tipped employees on board, and that was for an assistant waiter who was relatively new, apparently untrainable, and rarely in attendance.

 

This seems like the right thread to throw in an extra question, if you don't mind ... how many cabins do the room stewards have when they are assigned to suites? We have a GS on our upcoming cruise (our first!!!) and then an inside on the 3-day repo right after our cruise. The inside is practically right across the hall. What's the chance we'll have the same room steward ... or do the stewards who have the suites only work the suites, while a different steward has the insides across the hall?

 

Most likely you will have the same cabin steward for both cabins. They work areas not classes of cabins.

 

Jimbo:)

[reallyitsmema]

Then what about the ships in Hawaii where 90% of the staff are required to be American?

 

I had a friend that did it, she worked in the kids club. She really enjoyed her time there, and made it seem like the money was good for the amount of time she worked there.

 

If you want to learn directly from their mouths about Americans and non working on ships and their experience just visit the Something Awful forums and read the cruise ship mega thread.

Comparing cabin stewards and kids club staff is comparing apples and oranges. Kids club staff get a real salary unlike cabin stewards whose salary is mostly the tips they receive.

[cruisefrost]

We do the same . Just once a day in the morning for us as we spend a lot of the time in the cabin.

[swedish1]

Just think how much a cruise would cost if the cruise line had to comply with US Labor & Wage and Hour rules(withholding taxes, unemployment taxes, overtime, workmans comp, etc...)

[emeraldcity]

Then what about the ships in Hawaii where 90% of the staff are required to be American?

 

I had a friend that did it, she worked in the kids club. She really enjoyed her time there, and made it seem like the money was good for the amount of time she worked there.

 

If you want to learn directly from their mouths about Americans and non working on ships and their experience just visit the Something Awful forums and read the cruise ship mega thread.

 

Actually, we kept looking for the American crew on the POA and didn't spot any pushing those bulky room servicing carts in the hallways. The captain was a Texan and there were plenty of Americans in the officer ranks, the CD staff, and the dining room wait staff. But room stewards? that would be a "no".

[MAJ]

Don't care - don't respond.

 

$150/day isn't a lot of money. Probably comes out to about 10 bucks an hour considering the amount of hours they work.

 

10 bucks is about the minimum wage here in the uk with lots of folk very happy to be getting this and even having a job

 

I think some here in the uk work hard and long hours just to pay a mortgage/electricity/heating/food supporting a family

 

Things are a changing all over the world

[MrsPete]

Just got off Explorer this morning.

 

Our cabin steward had 15 cabins, and they no longer work in pairs so he had all 15 cabins by himself and gets the total tips.

 

Cabin stewards make $5.00 a day per person. So at the least he has 30 people to take care of.

 

Yes I know he works about 5 hours in the morning and 5 hours at night.

and yes I know not everyone tips but lets say it's a perfect world and everyone tip the $5.00 per day.

 

So by doing the math 30 people x $5.00= $150.00 a day

 

$150 a day times 361 days comes out to $54,150.00

 

Do they really make that much or does Royal Caribbean take some of that money from them?

 

$150 a day????

 

Jimbo:)

To be totally fair, you have to take a couple other things into consideration: $150/day without any taxes PLUS room and board and medical. For a job that doesn't require formal education. Even if it is backbreaking labor and long hours, that's pretty good compensation.

 

That's more than I earn in a professional job with 20 years experience; however, you're assuming that everyone tips and that every room is full.

 

Regardless, it's not our business. Pay the recommended tip amount and move on.

[sazzifrazz]

Mrs. Pete-perfectly said!

[bearchele2]

You also need to remember that these people have room and board taken out of their pay as well. I worked in a resort as a counselor and most of my actual pay was taken for room and board and I earned what was given as tips. Yes, it may seem they earn a lot but after all their expenses are taken out it isn't as much.

[time4u2go]

You also need to remember that these people have room and board taken out of their pay as well. I worked in a resort as a counselor and most of my actual pay was taken for room and board and I earned what was given as tips. Yes, it may seem they earn a lot but after all their expenses are taken out it isn't as much.

 

I think the OP's numbers were based solely on tips, so if room and board is taken out of their pay (and not their tips), then that wouldn't affect those numbers.

[postmeome]

yarnnnn.Mmm Mmm Mmm,

nodded off for a couple of pages,sorry but your so boring and predictable same old story,goin for a pint anybody fancy one???:)

[LADYBIRD]

im confused...i thought gratuties were automaticly charged to your set and sail pass

[SPacificbound]

Just thought it was much less. Sorry I asked the question:(

 

Jimbo:)

 

Even if they do make $54,000. per year, it is not that much money.