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How much do you tip your Steward at the end of the cruise (poll)


Sim1979
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How much do you tip your Stewart at the end of the cruise (poll)  

378 members have voted

  1. 1. How much do you typically tip your stewart at the end of the cruise (Standard cabin - not haven)?

    • Nothing - Stewart is already being tipped using the Onboard Service Charges
      84
    • 5$
      1
    • 10$
      10
    • 20$
      118
    • 25$
      27
    • More then that?
      138


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Just curious, I thought the stewards were part of the DSC.  Now I feel like I should be setting side money for them.  I tip in land hotels for three reasons:

 

1. I request extra of something or change the sheets/blankets

2. I make a mess - like the time my daughter and her friend had sand in their bathing suits and it was all over the floor and shower.

3. They go above and beyond normal service

 

Now when I go to Disney and the Mousekeepers go above an beyond, posing my daughters stuffed animals, leaving towel animals, etc - doing more than just their required responsibilities, I leave a tip.  I would do the same for the steward as well.

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3 minutes ago, Shoppie124 said:

Just curious, I thought the stewards were part of the DSC.  Now I feel like I should be setting side money for them.  I tip in land hotels for three reasons:

 

 

 

The stewards are a part of the DSC.

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1 hour ago, ColinIllinois said:

 

The stewards are a part of the DSC.

 

It's the formulas under which DSC is calculated that can leave the ship's front line service people with a pittance, which some consider unfair.

 

A Matrix for a line's DSC was previously posted on CC (some CC members may still retain a copy), it was then removed by the MODS.  

Some people may have spread a rumour suggesting it was removed due to pressure from the Line, but there was never any evidence proffered by CC in support of the rumour,  therefore that specific reason could never be considered proven.

 

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I agree that these comments are very eye-opening!  As an Aussie I have always found gratuities and tips thoroughly confusing but have tried to follow what I thought were the "unspoken" rules.  Seems like there are a LOT of people who are also confused with the issue of tipping.  

 

Glad that I am not the only one who doesn't know the rules 😄 (whatever they may be)!!!!  

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4 hours ago, annenic said:

I agree that these comments are very eye-opening!  As an Aussie I have always found gratuities and tips thoroughly confusing but have tried to follow what I thought were the "unspoken" rules.  Seems like there are a LOT of people who are also confused with the issue of tipping.  

 

Glad that I am not the only one who doesn't know the rules 😄 (whatever they may be)!!!!  

 

There are no rules, it's down to the individual to decide what they think is the best gratuity protocol, albeit for them or a potential receiver.

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5 hours ago, annenic said:

I agree that these comments are very eye-opening!  As an Aussie I have always found gratuities and tips thoroughly confusing but have tried to follow what I thought were the "unspoken" rules.  Seems like there are a LOT of people who are also confused with the issue of tipping.  

 

Glad that I am not the only one who doesn't know the rules 😄 (whatever they may be)!!!!  

I  wouldn't call them rules but I understand what you are saying. I am sure, for those living in countries where tipping is not the policy do have problems. I remember being on a cruise years ago and talking with a couple from UK. They loved the cruise but hated the tipping policies. I also feel, no one should feel the need to tip above the dSC. We happen to give a little extra to out cabin steward and maybe a few others, but that is by choice. I am reading some of the amounts people give and it blows my mind. Tip or not, do what you feel comfortable doing. 

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1 hour ago, newmexicoNita said:

I  wouldn't call them rules but I understand what you are saying. I am sure, for those living in countries where tipping is not the policy do have problems. I remember being on a cruise years ago and talking with a couple from UK. They loved the cruise but hated the tipping policies. I also feel, no one should feel the need to tip above the dSC. We happen to give a little extra to out cabin steward and maybe a few others, but that is by choice. I am reading some of the amounts people give and it blows my mind. Tip or not, do what you feel comfortable doing. 

 

But remember this is the internet.

On the internet I look like George Clooney.

In the real world, it's closer to Elmer Fudd. 😀

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1 hour ago, newmexicoNita said:

I  wouldn't call them rules but I understand what you are saying. I am sure, for those living in countries where tipping is not the policy do have problems. I remember being on a cruise years ago and talking with a couple from UK. They loved the cruise but hated the tipping policies. I also feel, no one should feel the need to tip above the dSC. We happen to give a little extra to out cabin steward and maybe a few others, but that is by choice. I am reading some of the amounts people give and it blows my mind. Tip or not, do what you feel comfortable doing. 

 

Mind Blowing?  

A couple of hundred dollars?

The largest tip admitted to receiving by our waiter was $10,000.00

He did mention knowledge of a $50,000.00 tip, but would not be drawn further.

 

 

 

 

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12 hours ago, RedRover96 said:

What happen to this being a Poll vs. another hashing of gratuities?

 

 

The poll, as with most, left out many (if not most) options that people would want to select.  Just kind of the nature of the beast.  Which is why internet polls are rather silly in the first place.  Not only that, it asked how much we tip some guy named Stewart,  I have never tipped anyone names Stewart as far as I know, and the name of who I tip is not relevant to the amount I tip.   My cabin steward is another story.  🙂

Edited by Birdie And Sue
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13 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Mind Blowing?  

A couple of hundred dollars?

The largest tip admitted to receiving by our waiter was $10,000.00

He did mention knowledge of a $50,000.00 tip, but would not be drawn further.

 

A pole should be generated for this one:  fact or fiction?

 

Why would anyone ask their server how big of a tip they have ever received?  Kind of a bold question.  Just saying. 

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1 hour ago, trex-de said:

 

A pole should be generated for this one:  fact or fiction?

 

Why would anyone ask their server how big of a tip they have ever received?  Kind of a bold question.  Just saying. 

totally agree and I am guessing if anyone ever got a tip that large it would have been all over the news, our paper or whatever...

 

When I made the comment about blowing my mind, it wasn't in  the form or a complaint as Port Royal seemed to take it, I was simply using the term to make the poster understand he/she doesn't need to feel guilty if they choose not to tip other than the DSC. I didn't mean literally mind bogging. I did mean, I am surprised at those who tip $50 or more on a 7 day cruise unless the steward has gone way above and beyond and I am not a cheap tipper. 

 

I might add, like a few others, I think these polls are silly or certainly not always truthful. 

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18 hours ago, Shoppie124 said:

Just curious, I thought the stewards were part of the DSC.  Now I feel like I should be setting side money for them.  I tip in land hotels for three reasons:

 

1. I request extra of something or change the sheets/blankets

2. I make a mess - like the time my daughter and her friend had sand in their bathing suits and it was all over the floor and shower.

3. They go above and beyond normal service

 

 

Shoppie - I currently tip very similar to what you outlined above, both on a cruise and on shore.  

 

I've been cruising for over 30 years, and I can tell you my take on how tipping has evolved.  The impression I was given by several lines as "auto gratuity" emerged was that as US cruise lines diversified their marketing to capture more of the European market, average tipping began to decrease which started to create staff retention issues.  In order to remedy this, they introduced the auto gratuity system which they sold to the European markets as a "service charge" (a concept very common in Europe) and sold to the US as an auto gratuity added for convenience that could be adjusted at any time.   While there was some resistance, this has largely been successful in ensuring a more stable and predictable take home for crew (and now we even refer to it as a "discretionary service charge").

 

What I would be very curious to see is how the contractual pay offered by cruise lines has evolved since this development.  I'd really like to see if offered pay has increased at a similar rate to which the the auto gratuity amount has increased.  If cruise lines aren't upping their pay at a similar rate, I think it would tend to show a reliance on auto gratuity to compensate for pay rates not keeping up with inflation.

 

Finally, I have two thoughts about the comments by some that are frustrated this "poll" has evolved into yet another gratuity/tipping conversation:

 

1) I think having these conversations in healthy.  Tipping is a custom for which there are no hard and fast rules.  Regular discussion about the current state of the custom helps others see where the custom is moving and allows them to make a more informed decision about whether to adjust their own behavior or not.

 

2) the very fact that this is a difficult conversation without clear rights or wrongs is precisely why many of my European/English/Australian friends absolutely loathe the "tipping culture".  To them, the last thing they want to do when they are on holiday or sitting at a restaurant for a nice meal, is to run through in their head the very debate we're having here.  They'd much prefer to know that people in the service industry are being appropriately compensated for their work (even if that means higher prices or an added service charge).  For people not accustomed to it, it creates a lot of anxiety.  I quite often have European colleagues or friends come to me before heading to the US on vacation to ask what is "normal" tipping in the various vacation contexts because they are aware it changes over time (which reinforces what I said in #1 above, these conversations help calibrate "normal").

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I live in the U.S. and am a senior citizen and I STILL have problems figuring what to tip.

Restaurants are 20 percent, hotel maids $5 per night, cab drivers, etc. that I know.However,

for example if cabs are waiting across the street at a hotel  due to lack of space and the doorman

waves them over or radios a dispatcher I am assuming he requires a tip. But how much?

I give them $5. Is that too much or too little? Also if a front desk person at a hotel calls for a

car service for me do they get a tip? One time I just decided to tip EVERYONE that did any kind

of service for me and I quickly ran out of small bills plus I felt like a walking ATM. I wish it were

more cut and dried.

 

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On 4/30/2019 at 9:43 PM, weskelly said:

I was advised to tip our Steward on Day 1 and that's always gotten us fantastic service. We usually leave $20 on Day 1 and then another $20 the day we leave with a hand-written note/card of thanks.

Some would call that a bribe on day one, so as to get better service but there again that's what we do. Green back hand shake !!

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It has varied for me from $0-$60 with $40 being the norm- one time the employee was excellent and I gave $60 at the end- another time very good and I gave $20 midway and $20 at the end.

Last time on the Escape was a disaster- they wouldn't clean the room or bring me towels- it got to the point where either a  manager or supervisor cleaned it instead due to the bad employee

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1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

So that they can beat it and be #1!

 

 

I picture Chevy Chase in VACATION when his brother in-law asks him if he can spare some money. While taking out his wallet and tugging out a few bills, Chevy says “sure, much do you need?”. His brother in-law says “about 52,000”, and Chevy quickly shoves the bills back into his wallet.

 

If the guy was trying to top his server’s biggest tip, imagine his shock when hearing the answer (while tucking his $20 bill back into his wallet).

Edited by cruiser1955a
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1 hour ago, Ron the Rev said:

Some would call that a bribe on day one, so as to get better service but there again that's what we do. Green back hand shake !!

Some would say...”you get what you pay for”.

“Extra” money has a way of incentivizing people. There’s no incentive to work harder for their DSC because it’s automatic. That’s not to say they don’t work hard, or do a good job. It’s just human nature for people to appreciate being acknowledged “monetarily”, and return the favor the only way they can, by going an extra step for you.

Edited by cruiser1955a
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1 hour ago, cruiser1955a said:

I picture Chevy Chase in VACATION when his brother in-law asks him if he can spare some money. While taking out his wallet and tugging out a few bills, Chevy says “sure, much do you need?”. His brother in-law says “about 52,000”, and Chevy quickly shoves the bills back into his wallet. 

 

Ellen (Clark's wife) and Catherine (Eddie's wife) are cousins. How Rusty got younger while Audrey got older is a mystery.

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I usually tip 20% for good service at a restaurant, but now tip $25-$30 for our room steward.  We don't ask much of the steward, pick up our laundry, etc.  We never ask for ice, etc.

 

Tipping is a very personal thing and I won't criticize anyone else's tipping.   We have cruised with friends that never tip the tour guides.  I disagreed with that, but don't say anything.

 

I can imagine that those in suites tip a fair amount more.  When we upgraded to a Sky Suite once, I tipped the Butler $50.  We didn't use him much, but he was there if we needed him.   Still, when a little less than half of the responders tipped more than $25, that suprised me, especially some people that tip in triple figures.  I suppose that some people ask a lot of the room steward as well as book suites, but still that is more than I expected.  

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On 4/30/2019 at 12:46 PM, Love my butler said:

Several hundred dollars, depending on how much he/she helped during the cruise.

 

 

Just curious but what could a room steward possibly do for you that would merit a "several hundred dollars" tip?

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10 hours ago, trex-de said:

 

A pole should be generated for this one:  fact or fiction?

 

 

Fact

Think "The House Of Saud", then there is no need for a Poll

 

 

Edited by PORT ROYAL
Predictive text
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