Tip your stateroom attendant on the first day??

[Route66]

We will go on the Indy on 21st February and really can't wait to start our cruise - we are already so excited !!!

 

Are you going to give an initial tip your stateroom attendant on the very first day to get a good service during the cruise?

 

Any advice is highly appreciated - thank you :)

[cruzincurt]

I never have done so. If you are high maintenance, perhaps.

 

We don't demand much of the steward other than service the room.

[mgg42]

It's a very gray area. Although it is my understanding that the vast majority of people do not tend to do this. I have done it on occasion, I just kind of wait until I meet the attendant, and see how things go.

 

More important in ensuring a pleasant experience, is to treat the attendant well. Sad but true, a lot of rude people tend to treat them poorly. Smile, learn his or her name, look him or her in the eye. Say "Thank You!". Basically, do all the things your mother told you! :o

[petel]

We will go on the Indy on 21st February and really can't wait to start our cruise - we are already so excited !!!

 

Are you going to give an initial tip your stateroom attendant on the very first day to get a good service during the cruise?

 

Any advice is highly appreciated - thank you :)

 

IMHO: You will get great service during the cruise from your attendant without a tip. If you don't get good service you have wasted the tip. If you are happy with the service a larger than recommended tip at the end of the cruise will be greatly appreciated.

 

It is very rare that a cabin attendant doesn't give great service but if you have any problems with the service ask to meet the floor/deck supervisior. That's my tip :)

 

The Indy is a big beautiful ship with lots to see and do. Enjoy :)

[cb at sea]

We've never "pre-tipped" (or bribed) the attendant, and always get the best service! They know that the "tipping" happens at the end of the cruise, and they will work hard to ensure that you give them their tip!

[medfordgirl]

I always tip a couple extra here and there when I ask (ie.leave a post it) to do an extra favor. First day I tend to give a couple extra dollars because I always ask then to clean out the fridge so I can put in my own stuff. then during the week if I ask for extra stuff I will leave a dollar or two with my request. Have always had the best service but I am sure I would even if I didn't give extra. I just don't feel right asking for more stuff if I don't give. maybe it's just me but that's the way I am.

[bethco]

I have tipped the cabin steward at the beginning of the cruise when I have 2 teen girls in a cabin together. I know that simple room maintenance will be very difficult due to the fact that every available square inch of floor and furniture will be covered with clothing, make-up and hair accessories. During the week, I do not set foot in the room except to stick my head in to check on them. I also ask the attendant to empty the fridge in the kids' room. I don't want them "accidentally" drinking those drinks in there.

[polodad]

We never tip in advance even though we sometimes request additional service. We usually request down pillows for our room & the use of bathrobes. We are cordial and appreciative to our attendants. We always tip at least the recommended amount at the conclusion of the cruise and will tip above that for extraordinary service such as providing the down pillows and bathrobes. Have a great cruise.

[lisiamc]

Some tablemates of ours told us how, on a previous cruise, they tipped their cabin steward half of the suggested amount at the beginning of the cruise, with the idea of paying the other half (or more) at the end. Two days into the cruise, the steward broke his leg and had to leave the ship. They had a replacement steward, and had to start again!

 

Lisa

[negc]

It is really a matter of personal preference, but my feeling is that if you tip in advance you never know whether or not the excellent service you receive was influenced by that advance tip. Some like to think so, but I doubt that there is any way that they can prove it. I prefer to treat a tip as an acknowledgement of our appreciation for the quality service we have received not as some sort of advance inducement to the staff to serve me well.:)

[jtwisconsin]

The only time we tipped in advance was when traveling with the kids. They had a room across the hall from us, and they had a different steward than we did. When he introduced himself the first day, I made a point of telling him the kids would be in his room, showed him where our room was, and gave him an extra $20 up front.

 

Otherwise we have always tipped at the end and been given excellent service on each cruise.

[cruisinfanatic]

We will go on the Indy on 21st February and really can't wait to start our cruise - we are already so excited !!!

 

Are you going to give an initial tip your stateroom attendant on the very first day to get a good service during the cruise?

 

Any advice is highly appreciated - thank you :)

Under most circumstances, Never.

Some posters ahead of my had reasons for tipping in advance.

Who is the last person you ever tipped in advance of the performed service. I would never do it.

[missbogota]

We tipped $20 when we met our cabin attendant. We prepaid tips. Told him we wanted ice twice a day(also in our flexible cooler we brought along) and extra towels. Service was great! We stayed in our suite until 9:30am morning we that we left because we had a 5:00pm flight out of San Juan. Tipped another $20 when we left.

 

Tipping is up to the individual. The great service and extra smiles I get in return makes it worthwhile for me!!!!

[missbogota]

We tipped $20 upon meeting our cabin attendant. We wanted ice twice a day (also in our flexible cooler we brought) and extra towels. Stayed in our cabin until 9:45am the morning we left since we didn't have a flight until 5:00pm. Tipped $20 again we when we said goodbye. We had prepaid our tips.

 

Tipping is up to the individual. However the great service, and extra smiles I received all week makes it all worthwhile for me!!!!

[billscruiser]

We tip $10 to $20 up front (depending on length of cruise) and ask them to keep our ice buckets and roll on cooler full of ice. It's extra work for them to keep these filled several times a day. We always leave extra at the end of the cruise also. It can't be easy to remember each cabins special needs when they turn over every 7 to 14 days. Has nothing really to do with their quality of service, just letting them know we understand and appreciate the extra effort for special requests. Happy cruising!!!:)

 

Kathryn

[pjlee3333]

We're amoung the group that hasn't tipped in advance and has gotten excellent service. On one cruise I accidentially left postcards on the ship and the room steward kept them for six weeks because he remembered we'd be back on ship (in another room steward's area just down the hall) and gave them to us. We also saw this person the next year he was on another floor he took the time to tell us where different people that we knew were. It shocked the current person when the attendant stopped to say hi.

[Tranquil Waters]

Hard to imagine what more our cabin attendants could have possibly done for us - and never an upfront tip. :)

[DonnaK]

I have never felt it necessary to tip in advance. Ice, pillows, extra towels, etc, are part of his/her job and should be provided upon request regardless. We tip the suggested amount at the end of the cruise, and have never received less than outstanding service.

[Gracie115]

We have tipped in advance on some cruises and not on others. NEVER did it as a "bribe." When we did, it was because we were asking for service above and beyond the norm and wanted him to know that we knew it would be extra work and that it wasn't going to be done for just a "thank you."

 

We have always received great service from our stateroom attendant so don't think it's necessary if you are not asking for anything unusual.

 

We DO tip our cocktail server in the dining room the first night and our service has always been outstanding in this area. Our cocktails are always delivered to the table the moment we sit down.

 

For anyone who thinks tipping in advance is a bribe they should know that the word TIPS came from the saying "To Insure Proper Service" and initially all "tips" were given ahead of time, it has just evolved over time to after the fact. :D

[Cuizer2]

We will go on the Indy on 21st February and really can't wait to start our cruise - we are already so excited !!!

 

Are you going to give an initial tip your stateroom attendant on the very first day to get a good service during the cruise?

 

Any advice is highly appreciated - thank you :)

 

I don't. Personally I would consider a "tip" before the service is rendered to be a bribe.

[cruisecrasy]

We will go on the Indy on 21st February and really can't wait to start our cruise - we are already so excited !!!

 

Are you going to give an initial tip your stateroom attendant on the very first day to get a good service during the cruise?

 

Any advice is highly appreciated - thank you :)

 

Agree with Cruiser2...That is not tipping. It is bribery!

 

Tipping is given for service received. $ received before service performed is given to 'hopefully' receive 'better' service hence called 'bribery' :)

[julesbeara]

We have tipped our state room attendant upon boarding and magically our luggage appears very quickly.

[Cuizer2]

We have tipped our state room attendant upon boarding and magically our luggage appears very quickly.

Of all the things a tip can get you, this is not one. Thousands of pieces of luggage are loaded on the ship at once. Then that luggage is moved up the to proper deck. Whichever piece is in front when the person (most likely not your room steward - (s)he is busy with other things) comes to grab the next piece of luggage is the one that gets delivered next. Your room steward is not going to go digging through 4000 pieces of luggage looking for yours simply because you slipped him/her a $20.

[KULPN]

Of all the things a tip can get you, this is not one. Thousands of pieces of luggage are loaded on the ship at once. Then that luggage is moved up the to proper deck. Whichever piece is in front when the person (most likely not your room steward - (s)he is busy with other things) comes to grab the next piece of luggage is the one that gets delivered next. Your room steward is not going to go digging through 4000 pieces of luggage looking for yours simply because you slipped him/her a $20.

we tip our steward on day 3 & 5. (if things are done promptly). Our luggage arrived at 5 pm last time, earlier others.

[Cuizer2]

we tip our steward on day 3 & 5. (if things are done promptly). Our luggage arrived at 5 pm last time, earlier others.

 

I've received my luggage both early and late (and usually in between) and I don't tip on the first day. Luggage is simply luck of the draw.