Tipping at the start of the cruise

[RWA Cruisers]

We have read posts by some people who are inclined to tip and even provide a gift of chocolate or some other treat to their steward at the beginning of a cruise. I'm sure the service will be great either way, but this seems like a nice gesture & I'm wondering what experienced cruisers think about this.

[paul929207]

We have never done it. We have always been completely satisfied with the service we received. I think we have always given extra cash at the end.

 

If you are giving something, give cash. Food items that you like may not conform to their religious beliefs. Many do not have dental care.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done over 120 cruises and have never tipped anyone at the beginning of the cruise.

We do give tips (keeping the Hotel Service Charge in place) at the end of the cruise to those people who have made our cruise an enjoyable one.

We would never give any crew member a gift-- their cabins are small -- they live in tight quarters and don't have room to store many items.

And food -- the crew come various religions and do not eat the same foods that we do.

[dorisis]

We tip for service over and above the expected. NO GIFTS. They appreciate money.

[Jasperdo]

I've never tipped at the beginning of the cruise, and have always received excellent service. I always leave the auto tip on, and tip extra at the end of the cruise if service was exceptional.

[Keith1010]

We do not tip at the beginning of the cruise and have always been pleased with the service.

 

Keith

[RWA Cruisers]

Thanks for the feedback. As I said, I'm sure the service will be great regardless, so I was just curious if this was a common practice. I never would have thought to consider religious beliefs when offering something sweet. We will surely tip more than the required amount, but I guess we'll save the treats for ourselves.

[gubby]

Have also never tipped at the start of a cruise. And the service has always been wonderful. We leave the automatic tips and give extra where it is deserved. And it is almost always deserved.

[NLH Arizona]

I think tipping at the beginning of a cruise is rather gauche (even worse when they slap the crew member on the back and say "there is more where that comes from if you take good care of me"), thus I've never tipped at the beginning of a cruise. I have never received anything but excellent service.

 

I wouldn't gift a crew member candy (you don't know if they eat it) or any other kind of gift (you don't know if they will like it or have a place in their stateroom for it). I'm sure that people that do give gifts feel that they are appreciated, because I'm sure a crew member isn't going to say that they don't eat chocolate or don't have room for something; they will just thank them and say it is appreciated. If you want to give them something, give them an additional tip, because money is the best gift they can get.

[lovn2liv]

we ask for several things when we board the ship from the cabin steward. We always tip them when we ask them for these things. We also tip them extra at end and pay the gratuities as well. We had one exception where we didnt tip the xtra xtra.

[donaldsc]

We have read posts by some people who are inclined to tip and even provide a gift of chocolate or some other treat to their steward at the beginning of a cruise. I'm sure the service will be great either way, but this seems like a nice gesture & I'm wondering what experienced cruisers think about this.

 

Do you tip before your meal at a restaurant? Do you tip at a car wash before they wash your car? Do you tip at the hairdresser before they start working on your hair? Why then would you think of tipping at the start of the cruise?

 

They are paid to give you good service and you can be sure that you will be amazed at the level of service that they provide. Tip at the end of the cruise if you wish.

 

DON

[trish1c]

We always give the steward a little something up front when we introduce ourselves & tell him or her what we expect -- ice, extra towels, towel animals & to be left alone on sea days. It seems a bit more polite to accompany the requests with a gratuity.

Similarly when we stake out the bar we will probably frequent, we're generous the 1st night. It's just how we are.

We have tipped waitstaff at the start of a meal if we know we'll have extra requests throughout the meal.

[RWA Cruisers]

Do you tip before your meal at a restaurant? Do you tip at a car wash before they wash your car? Do you tip at the hairdresser before they start working on your hair? Why then would you think of tipping at the start of the cruise?

 

They are paid to give you good service and you can be sure that you will be amazed at the level of service that they provide. Tip at the end of the cruise if you wish.

 

DON

 

Do you reply to your wife like that? Do you reply to your boss like that? Do you reply to your mother like that? Why then would you take that sarcastic approach with a complete stranger?

 

I asked a simple question based on something that I had read. Reply with a non sarcastic reasonable response and you will be amazed at how much better your words are appreciated.

[kitty9]

Do you reply to your wife like that? Do you reply to your boss like that? Do you reply to your mother like that? Why then would you take that sarcastic approach with a complete stranger?

 

I asked a simple question based on something that I had read. Reply with a non sarcastic reasonable response and you will be amazed at how much better your words are appreciated.

 

I don't believe donaldsc was out of line with the response. When posting on the internet, its impossible to discern intent, and in this case, i didn't perceive any sarcasm. He was using examples, similar to what I have done, to show that tipping before you receive any kind of service isn't generally done.

 

As for food/candy, the crew comes from very different cultures, with some having religious implications, such as those who eat halal. Therefore, giving any kind of food isn't the best idea.

[NLH Arizona]

We always give the steward a little something up front when we introduce ourselves & tell him or her what we expect -- ice, extra towels, towel animals & to be left alone on sea days. It seems a bit more polite to accompany the requests with a gratuity.

 

Similarly when we stake out the bar we will probably frequent, we're generous the 1st night. It's just how we are.

 

We have tipped waitstaff at the start of a meal if we know we'll have extra requests throughout the meal.

Just curious, do you think that if you don't tip the steward or bartender or waitstaff up front, they won't handle your requests?

[kitty9]

Just curious, do you think that if you don't tip the steward or bartender or waitstaff up front, they won't handle your requests?

 

That's an interesting question.

 

We've only pre-tipped once-----when sailing with our elderly mom, and we knew she might need a little more attention. But despite pre-tipping, it was the worst experience we've ever had. So, I realized that if you're going to have a fantastic steward, they'll be great no matter what. But if you're stuck with a crappy worker, they're going to be crappy whether you pre-tip or not.

[Langley Cruisers]

...Why then would you take that sarcastic approach with a complete stranger? ...I asked a simple question based on something that I had read. Reply with a non sarcastic reasonable response and you will be amazed at how much better your words are appreciated.

 

Aww, sorry you took it personally but he is like that with everyone.

 

I understand you were asking an honest, sincere question. Tipping is a matter of personal conviction and preference. We have and never will tip prior to a cruise, for the reasons already mentioned.

 

Have fun. :)

 

.

[cb at sea]

We never pre-tip either...and we always get great service! If we feel it's warranted, we will tip extra at the end of the cruise. On cruises, tipping is traditionally done on the last evening.

[beachbum53]

When you give someone a tip, it's somewhat similar to giving someone a paycheck. I don't know about you, but I don't get a paycheck before I do any work. Similarly, I don't give someone a tip before they do any work. While there are those that do, I don't believe it ensures that pre-tipping will inspire the recipient to do much more than they would do if you simply ask politely, and by saying "Please" and "Thank-you". If you feel that a staff member (steward, waiter, bar-tender, etc.) has gone above and beyond their normal duties to make your cruise extra special and memorable, then by all means, tip accordingly, at the end of your cruise, with cash. As others have said, gifts such as food items (or whatever) probably won't be appreciated very much, and may end up being thrown away.

[swoonx]

We always give the steward a little something up front when we introduce ourselves & tell him or her what we expect -- ice, extra towels, towel animals & to be left alone on sea days. It seems a bit more polite to accompany the requests with a gratuity.

 

Don't forget. They will be paid to fulfill all your desires! Tipping is not paying them, it's showing that you enjoyed their great service.

 

By the way: Expecting towel animals is like expecting amuses bouches :) Or like a woman telling her DH to buy flowers every week. I prefer to get surprised. If I would know that I will have one every night, it wouldn't be nothing special.

 

 

I don't believe donaldsc was out of line with the response. When posting on the internet, its impossible to discern intent, and in this case, i didn't perceive any sarcasm. He was using examples, similar to what I have done, to show that tipping before you receive any kind of service isn't generally done.

Yes, I couldn't figure out a negative intention and liked the examples.

[cruzeluver]

I think tipping at the beginning of a cruise is rather gauche (even worse when they slap the crew member on the back and say "there is more where that comes from if you take good care of me"), thus I've never tipped at the beginning of a cruise. I have never received anything but excellent service.

 

 

This!

 

Its gauche, tacky, belittling and straight out of a bad gangster movie.

[cstrycha]

There is a poll on cruise critic about tipping practices, and passengers who tip upfront aren't a slim minority according to the poll. I'm surprised by the veracity of opinions against the practice. It seems to really bother some people who don't do it.

 

My advice is to makeup your own mind and whatever you decide, keep it to yourself. That's the advice I should have followed.

[FL1stLady]

We have read posts by some people who are inclined to tip and even provide a gift of chocolate or some other treat to their steward at the beginning of a cruise. I'm sure the service will be great either way, but this seems like a nice gesture & I'm wondering what experienced cruisers think about this.

 

On a recent cruise some CCers suggested gifts like ball caps or tshirts. We did give our stateroom attendant a ball cap and thought the service was probably no better, no worse. Will skip it in the future.

[Elaine5715]

I think tipping at the beginning of a cruise is rather gauche (even worse when they slap the crew member on the back and say "there is more where that comes from if you take good care of me"), thus I've never tipped at the beginning of a cruise. I have never received anything but excellent service.

 

I wouldn't gift a crew member candy (you don't know if they eat it) or any other kind of gift (you don't know if they will like it or have a place in their stateroom for it). I'm sure that people that do give gifts feel that they are appreciated, because I'm sure a crew member isn't going to say that they don't eat chocolate or don't have room for something; they will just thank them and say it is appreciated. If you want to give them something, give them an additional tip, because money is the best gift they can get.

 

How is it that folks do not think that their cabin steward has not done anything for them at the beginning of the cruise? You have a completely turned over room with all fresh linens, scrubbed from top to bottom and with luggage mat ready to receive your luggage. In some cases, you find your luggage in your cabin, placed there by the steward not the luggage people.

[swoonx]

How is it that folks do not think that their cabin steward has not done anything for them at the beginning of the cruise? You have a completely turned over room with all fresh linens, scrubbed from top to bottom and with luggage mat ready to receive your luggage. In some cases, you find your luggage in your cabin, placed there by the steward not the luggage people.

 

But that is their job! For that service they get a salary and the "required" tip at the end of the cruise.

 

Don't understand me wrong. I appreciate good service and I often give an additional tip. But I just give extra for extra or outstanding service.

 

 

I don't receive extra money if I only do my job. Or before I have done it. Do you?