Jump to content

Room Service


5onadime
 Share

Recommended Posts

9 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The OP asked a simple question with their intention of tipping.  I think the question has been answered.  Tipping is a very personal option.  All this extra "trying to justify" is irrelevant.  

 

I tip for room service.  I pool a bunch of singles and a few fives together in an easy to access location so I am not fumbling as I try to answer/open the door.  I also always have individually wrapped candy bites/minis (Snickers seem to be a favorite).  They gingerly take one before I tell them they can have as many as they like. (Thanks to another poster for this idea.  I think it was @Ombud).

 

This is just me.  Whatever kindness you share is greatly appreciated by the crew.  Even a "Thank You" goes a long way.


We also tip with $3 for a breakfast order and $5 if it includes food and drinks .. and like you, always a couple of individually wrapped chocolates.  We have other options available in case they are watching their sugar intake.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My take on Room Service tipping:

 

If it was me working in a service position I would love to get out of my regular area and be allowed to roam the ship to the passenger sections to deliver Room Service. It would allow me some freedom.

 

About a thousand years ago I worked in appliance repair. Sometimes we got basic microwaves from bars that were just used for popcorn. In order to test them we needed microwave popcorn packages. That meant someone had to leave the shop and go to the store. The other techs were too "uppity" to do this as it was beneath them. I, on the other hand, was always quite happy to leave the shop, take my company truck down to the nearest Safeway, purchase the popcorn, and return. It allowed me to do something different and to get out of the shop without being on a job to a customer site. I also always volunteered to take the company trucks to the lube shop when their turn to be lubed rolled around.

 

People here seem to feel that it's a "burden" to the person delivering Room Service. I think that is an erroneous assumption. Yes, I live in the US where it seems people feel they need to be tipped for simply doing their job. I think it's an idiotic system.

  • Like 7
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

Most people don't double tip but wouldn't dream of admitting it on these boards because they don't have flame suites! Please show where you got your mis-information from?

What misinformation?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are people that will always tip & those that never do.

I am fortunate to be able to tip so I always do & I have taught my children the same.

  I also carry a few extra dollars in my pocket for those in other positions, like for someone that might be stationed in the bathrooms.

   It is a personal choice & makes me feel good to do so.

BUT....if you are not comfortable tipping....don't !

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

Yes, I live in the US where it seems people feel they need to be tipped for simply doing their job. I think it's an idiotic system.

In the US service industry and on most cruise lines, tips are part of the person's

Compensation. Idiotic or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some centuries ago in the deep dark distant past, it was considered a clever gesture to tip the room service person with a brand new $2 bill.  They were a novelty once.  I don't know if it's a holdover from that, but I hear that a two dollar tip is still appropriate.  (Inflation evidently does not apply to tips.) 😝

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Kay S said:

Some centuries ago in the deep dark distant past, it was considered a clever gesture to tip the room service person with a brand new $2 bill.  They were a novelty once.  I don't know if it's a holdover from that, but I hear that a two dollar tip is still appropriate.  (Inflation evidently does not apply to tips.) 😝

 

I asked a friend (Assistant Maitre d') about tips in US dollars.  He told me that Princess is US currency based.  

 

These are his exact text:

 

"Our company policy is US dollar and I don't think this will be hard for any crew. Is easy to change and then don't lose the value."

 

From that...I came to the following (flawed???) conclusion.  Princess "must" provide a banking system on the ship.  I can't imagine allowing the crew to stash thousands of dollars per contract in their cabin. 

 

A $2 bill has a face value of two dollars if banked or wired home.  It may be a little more difficult for them to spend it in a US port, but not impossible.  When was the last time you used a silver dollar, a half dollar, or a Susan B Anthony coin?  Does the younger generation even know what these are?  I bet if I walked into a CVS and handed someone a Susan B Anthony coin, I would receive really strange looks by the younger cashiers.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

In the US service industry and on most cruise lines, tips are part of the person's

Compensation. Idiotic or not.

 

Yes, I tip in restaurants. I do get quite annoyed when I order a Take and Bake pizza online. I have to go pick it up, bring it home, and bake it myself but the web site wants to automagically add a 20% tip for the effort of putting it together. There are even reported to be self-checkout terminals in some places that ask for a tip. That's idiotic. When the person working at Taco Bell is making $20/hour I don't feel the need to add a tip.

Edited by Thrak
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Yes, I tip in restaurants. I do get quite annoyed when I order a Take and Bake pizza online. I have to go pick it up, bring it home, and bake it myself but the web site wants to automagically add a 20% tip for the effort of putting it together. There are even reported to be self-checkout terminals in some places that ask for a tip. That's idiotic. When the person working at Taco Bell is making $20/hour I don't feel the need to add a tip.

Fast food employees in Oregon do not make $20 + per hour. Minimum wages here are different depending on what county you are in. And no I do not tip at Taco Bell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

 When the person working at Taco Bell is making $20/hour I don't feel the need to add a tip.

I would tend to agree with that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

Yes, I tip in restaurants. I do get quite annoyed when I order a Take and Bake pizza online. I have to go pick it up, bring it home, and bake it myself but the web site wants to automagically add a 20% tip for the effort of putting it together. There are even reported to be self-checkout terminals in some places that ask for a tip. That's idiotic. When the person working at Taco Bell is making $20/hour I don't feel the need to add a tip.

You and I are part of the solution to stop the insanity of tipping everyone. I tip approx 15% in restaurants on the food not the tax. As long as people keep "feeling good" about themselves when they tip it will continue. 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

You and I are part of the solution to stop the insanity of tipping everyone. I tip approx 15% in restaurants on the food not the tax. As long as people keep "feeling good" about themselves when they tip it will continue. 

Tax ?  Here in Oregon we have no sales tax. It shocks me now when I travel to Washington or California and see tax on a receipt. We usually tip 20% but when in states with sale tax we don’t tip on that portion 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
26 minutes ago, memoak said:

Tax ?  Here in Oregon we have no sales tax. It shocks me now when I travel to Washington or California and see tax on a receipt. We usually tip 20% but when in states with sale tax we don’t tip on that portion 

how's that state income tax working out then?  we have no state income tax.

and agree completely about tipping being out of control.  the most egregious tipping on a receipt we saw was from an A/C repair company..  yeah, we tipped ... a few bottles of water as they were working ...

Edited by voljeep
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, voljeep said:

how's that state income tax working out then?  we have no state income tax.

and agree completely about tipping being out of control.  the most egregious tipping on a receipt we saw was from an A/C repair company..  yeah, we tipped ... a few bottles of water as they were working ...

Best thing about no sales tax here is you can even buy a car with no tax added. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I bet if I walked into a CVS and handed someone a Susan B Anthony coin, I would receive really strange looks by the younger cashiers.

I received really strange looks from cashiers of all ages when I used them back when they first came out. 🤣

 

17 hours ago, memoak said:

Fast food employees in Oregon do not make $20 + per hour. Minimum wages here are different depending on what county you are in. And no I do not tip at Taco Bell

@Thrak is from California though. Fast food employees here do make $20 / hr. And more power to them! That's a crap job.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last year on P&O Ventura on top of paid gratuities I gave our cabin steward £5 for no particular reason (about $6.5) from then on the service just went downhill. I had to remind him most days for a ice bucket and being a Brit we like our cups of tea therefore you require milk. Which I also had to keep chasing after him to get.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would imagine that although Princess cruise even out of Southampton England charge everything in dollars it wouldn't matter if the crew were tipped, if one felt it necessary, to pay in pounds as the crew get off in Southampton and we have often seen them carry things like widescreen tv's back to the ship. But when in the States it's usually Victoria's Secret. We find that quite funny seeing these rows of males making their way back with the pink bags.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2024 at 1:50 PM, BlerkOne said:

Perhaps not yours, but in general I think you'll find most who are aware, tip.

I've already tipped, it's in the $17 a day I'm paying 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

I would imagine that although Princess cruise even out of Southampton England charge everything in dollars it wouldn't matter if the crew were tipped, if one felt it necessary, to pay in pounds as the crew get off in Southampton and we have often seen them carry things like widescreen tv's back to the ship. But when in the States it's usually Victoria's Secret. We find that quite funny seeing these rows of males making their way back with the pink bags.

 

Yes, you are correct.  Cruises out of Southampton are US dollar based.  All ship charges are in US dollars.  All crew is paid in US dollars.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/17/2024 at 7:21 PM, Thrak said:

 

Yes, I tip in restaurants. I do get quite annoyed when I order a Take and Bake pizza online. I have to go pick it up, bring it home, and bake it myself but the web site wants to automagically add a 20% tip for the effort of putting it together. There are even reported to be self-checkout terminals in some places that ask for a tip. That's idiotic. When the person working at Taco Bell is making $20/hour I don't feel the need to add a tip.

I ordered 2 breakfast sandwiches at the deli the other day. I was charged a 20% tip and was asked when I used my debit card if I wanted to add another tip. They also have a tip jar on the counter. If I'm standing to place an order I shouldn't have to tip. Tipping is for service not for doing your job. Don't even get me started on the donations at the register. These retailers collect donations and probably take a tax credit for my donation. I'm done saving the world and financing unskilled labor who are already being paid more than they should be making. Flipping burgers at McDonalds was not meant to be a career unless you buy a franchise or become the manager. Now that I'm on a fixed income who is going to give me a living wage. It's not going to be Social Security.

 

If I already prepaid the gratuity for RS why should I tip. What happens to the tips that were prepaid for all those who don't order room service or don't drink their daily 15 drinks?  I never ordered from RS even before they were charging for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok we got the tipping out of the way. I've heard that there is now a charge for room service if you don't have the Plus and the Premier package. Is this true?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com Summer 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...