Up Front tip for Steward? Yes or No? How much?

[AlabamaFootball]

Have seen some mention this, just wondering.

[MrPete]

Never. The steward will perform the same duties whether you do this or not. The only time it may work is in the bars.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Some will advocate this, but I've never done it and received the same service they say it gets them. :D IMHO, it's not a tip when you give it before service is performed, it's a bribe. I always leave the auto tips in place and, if I feel my room steward went above the basics to help provide a great experience for my family, I tip extra at the end.

[CRUZBUDS]

Some people do it. We tried it twice and never will again. One time the service proved to be just fair at best and the other time, the steward said he preferred to earn it before being rewarded and he did - he was excellent!

[taragl]

No, for us. Tipping is in response to good service, not to coax good service. I do make sure that we meet our cabin steward the first day, shake hands, and learn his or her name. I find taking a moment to say hello and make a connection is just as effective as tipping beforehand.

[serene56]

We have never tipped ahead of time either. (we would consider that a bribe)

 

and nver really had bad service.

 

My room gets cleaned made up twice a day and we get clean towels and ice.

I am not cruising looking for a new friend-- some people get all tied up because they didnt see their cabin person.

 

If you do get bad service-- tell someone onboard and give them a chance to fix it

[bobsfamily]

Mostly I have tipped a 20 at the beginning, forgot a couple of cruises and make sure I always tip now. It has made a difference, either that or the 2 that I did not tip were having a very bad week... still acceptable service, just not excellent. With tip never had to remind for ice, always had plenty of whatever was requested.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

With tip never had to remind for ice, always had plenty of whatever was requested.

 

 

Same for me, only no $$ up front. Maybe the ones you didn't were having a bad week, as you said. We've had "poor" service only once--the only time we didn't tip additional at the end.

[MrPete]

Mostly I have tipped a 20 at the beginning, forgot a couple of cruises and make sure I always tip now. It has made a difference, either that or the 2 that I did not tip were having a very bad week... still acceptable service, just not excellent. With tip never had to remind for ice, always had plenty of whatever was requested.

 

Can you elaborate the difference between acceptable and excellent service?

[Not_Done_Living]

We provide a $20 to the steward at check in not as a bribe or to set expectations, but because DW is pretty high maintenance and she will probably spend more time talkign to the steward than me while on the cruise ;)

 

(we also leave auto tip on and we also tip post cruise for exceptional service)

[lazygal]

If they show up, introduce themselves, show us the details - yes. I pre-tip. It shows them up front that we are not deadbeats and they will receive much more if warranted. This goes for hotels, resorts, etc. Bribe? Call it what you want. We tip big for great service - never have tips taken off our account. It usually always pays off and if not - no loss to us. $20 up front.

[lazygal]

I'll add that exceptional service is when the cabin steward calls me by name, sees me coming and runs down and opens the door for me, asks me if he can get me anything, realizes that I bring my own pillow and still has the pillow case cleaned, always has my cooler iced and smiles, smiles, smiles.

 

None of this is asked for - that's the difference.

[dabear99211]

Have seen some mention this, just wondering.

For me as I allways do B2B cruises it works to tip extra. On the first day when I meet the two of them, I tell them the little things that make a difference to me, like allways having my ice bucket full, and my room made up as early as possible after I leave to go to breakfast, I tell them, "you take good care of me and I will take extra good care of you" then on about the 4th day I give each of them $10 and thank them for doing the things for me and I say "keep it up more later", ( providing they have lived up to thier end ) then on the first day of the 2nd week I give them another $10 each and thank them for thier service of me cabin and tell them keep it up, more later and then I do the same on the 5th day of my 2nd week. For me just to see them happy and to help those with less than myself is well worth the $60 spent for 14 days of service.

[NCTribeFan]

Unless you have a parallel universe in which you can compare the service with the bribe and without, how do you know that that up-front tip is why you got good service? :confused:

 

I've always received exactly what I expected and wanted - cabin straightened, bed made, bathroom cleaned, bucket-o-ice for my carry-on wine. That last item is the only "special" request I make.

[Cruising Golfer]

In our many years of cruising we have never had a bad room steward!:)

We have had some that were far better than others, but never a BAD one.

Back in the day we would include a D.V.D. with any added tip(that was before they had a movie library to use) They would really love that!!!:D

A tip needs to be earned no just given. These people work their butts off and if they have time to take special care of me, I will take special care of them!!!

C.G.

[HeatherC430]

My DH normally gives ours a $20 upon meeting him the first night. We've never had bad service.

[larkz]

I tip by the 2nd or 3rd day, never less than $20, because I enjoy giving them a reward for their hard work. By the end of the week, it might be another $20 or $30.

 

My requests are all relatively minor, I don't make a big mess and tend to clean up after myself (even in the buffet and MDR, I can't help picking up crumbs and debris, wiping the table, and nicely organizing dishes for efficient dispatch!) It couldn't be described as a bribe.

 

I believe in the work ethic, and want to encourage it.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I did it once and we ended up having the worst steward service we have ever received on a cruise. I won't do it again.

[cathyoo]

Always tip extra at the end. The amount of the tip depends on the level of service. I've never tipped at the start. It would feel awkward to me.

[JimAOk1945]

Even though I pay gratuities up front when booking a cruise, I always tip. Here's the way I like to do it.

 

I tip on the evening of the last day of cruising. The amount depends on the type of service we receive during the week. We have had some surly stewards, so I gave a small amount because I deemed their work "acceptable" service.

 

On the other hand, we have had stewards who were cheerful and kept our stateroom or suite spotless. I tip those exceptional individuals extra in addition to a certain amount.

 

Don't get me wrong. I know these people work very hard. But, IMHO, there is service and then there is Service.

[babyher]

I have never tipped up front on a cruise , but have on several occasions at land based places . Especially Las Vegas. And it has usually brought pretty good results.

 

 

My former boss , who I traveled with many times . Was like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddy Shack (well not as vulgar :) , but did throw tips around in the same manner .) He was always treated royally . It was quite a thing to see.

[lazygal]

Well said, Jim

[txponycruiser]

On our first cruise, we tipped $20 at the beginning when we requested our cooler bag to be filled with ice each morning. We also tipped another $20 on the last night as our steward went above and beyond (in our opinion). We'll do the same on this next cruise. We prepay our tips and leave them in place as well. I figure if I have several thousand dollars to go on vacation the least I can do is tip my room steward well.

[KenMo]

I found this site quite a few years ago before my third cruise.

 

Lots of people talked about tipping up front.

 

So I handed some money over to my steward on the first day. That was the worst steward I've ever had. Couldn't get him to bring me ice, took a while to get more TP, etc. I've never tipped upfront again.

[Sparky2]

Always tip extra at the end. The amount of the tip depends on the level of service. I've never tipped at the start. It would feel awkward to me.

 

We also tip extra at the end of our cruise. Our room steward knows we are doing B2B and takes good care of us. He & his assistants get another extra tip at the end of the 2nd week.