Tip your stateroom attendant on the first day??

[Tucker in Texas]

I consider the "recommended" tip part of the cruise fare when pricing it out. Those hard working crew members have to be paid somewhere and it is either the cruise line raising fares to cover it (which they don't want to do because then they can't advertise a 7-day cruise for $399 which looks better than $469) or me adding it on to cover their salary. What I give extra is the true "tip."

I, too, am low maintenance. I don't leave the cabin in the morning without it being policed thoroughly. I don't go to dinner without everything in its place. All I ask extra after my initial requests upon boarding is to keep my thermo six-pack cooler full of ice.

Tucker in Texas

[cruisecrasy]

[quote name='honeywell']That is why I don't even feel comfortable with the whole "pre-paid gratuity" concept. Not to say it is wrong, or you should or shouldn't do it - it just feels unnatural to me.

I tip well at the end of my cruise, over and above the recommended amount if warranted, tip others who aren't even "on the list" like Adventure Ocean staff - but feel funny doing so ahead of the service rendered.

For my cabin steward and others who do a great job I will find out their port "day off" and give them some $$$ to spend on themselves, buy lunch or have a drink. I always tip for special requests at the time of service. But just "slipping them a tip" when I meet them is strange to me. But that is just me.[/QUOTE]

U pre-pay the gratuity but are not 'pre-tipping'. It is distributed to the crew after your cruise is over...!

[setsail]

[quote name='Tranquil Waters']I guess I would have to ask how you know the service is kicked up a notch? And this is asked nicely. Unless you have the same attendant on 2 separate cruises - and can then compare as to whether your service was better or worse depending on the pre-tip or lack there of - how would you know? The attendant could very well give this "kicked up" service to everyone.

And even if you had the same attendant on 2 cruises and tipped up front one time and not the other and noticed a difference in service. How could you know it was because of the tip? Maybe he/she was sick one of the weeks. Maybe he or she had a fight with their SO and was having a bad week in general one week.

I think it would really be hard to know for sure that a pre-tip was giving better service......[/QUOTE]

I guess from experience.Like I said we are needy sometimes.
Makes the staff more friendly,breaks the ice
Whenever they see us in the hall some will rush down and open the door for you with a good morning,etc.
Taking care of getting things sent to the room
Inside info on ports
Service with a Smile
Lots of small things over the years,we like to get to know the staff that waits on us.

If the pre-tip does not work out for us then I would just deduct from the tip at the end of the cruise,but we have never had to do that.

Also what I am talking about is NOT pre tipping but putting cash into your stewards hands.

[RevSmith]

[quote name='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![/quote]
[SIZE=3]This is not to make you feel bad..or to critise what you said, I enjoy seeing many of your comments on the board...but you touched a nerve, when you said "(or bribed)" ...when you bribe it usually means:to give somebody money or some other incentive to do something, especially something illegal or dishonest. I do not consider a tip something along such lines...but money to insure good service...and I also believe that when and how much you tip is a very personal matter. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I bring a cooler on board and want it filled with ice in the morning and afternoon...because I request this extra service, I give a little extra as an incentive to do that little bit extra for me at the beginning of the cruise. Thanks for listening.[/SIZE]

[otisishere]

We always give our room steward a $20 when we first meet them and mention what we consider are our necessaties such as ice "always" in our room and more than 2 towels at all times even though there are only two of us. I wouldn't say we are high maintenance but higher than some. I want them to know that we will take care of them as they are taking care of us. Service has usually been excellent. If they surpass our expectations then we will usually tip again mid cruise and again at the end. When I come back to the room and pleasantly surprised with something extra that they did for us then I tip again. It makes me feel good to thank them for their extra effort and then it feels good again to see how much they appreciate the kind words and extra money. We are on vacation.....everyone should feel as good as we are feeling. Tip generously and tip often, you will be surprised at how good it makes YOU feel. :D

[Cuizer2]

[quote name='setsail']
Makes the staff more friendly,breaks the ice
Whenever they see us in the hall some will rush down and open the door for you with a good morning,etc.
Taking care of getting things sent to the room
Service with a Smile
Lots of small things over the years,we like to get to know the staff that waits on us.[/quote]

I get all of the above and I always tip at the end of the cruise.

[negc]

[quote name='RevSmith'][SIZE=3]This is not to make you feel bad..or to critise what you said, I enjoy seeing many of your comments on the board...but you touched a nerve, when you said "(or bribed)" ...when you bribe it usually means:to give somebody money or some other incentive to do something, especially something illegal or dishonest. I do not consider a tip something along such lines...but money to insure good service...and I also believe that when and how much you tip is a very personal matter. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I bring a cooler on board and want it filled with ice in the morning and afternoon...because I request this extra service, I give a little extra as an incentive to do that little bit extra for me at the beginning of the cruise. Thanks for listening.[/SIZE][/quote]

The point that many of us are trying to make is that there is no reason to feel that it is necessary to offer any "incentive to do that little bit extra" and doing so seems to reveal a belief that only because you offer this "incentive" you will receive that extra service. It is what is referred to as a "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy that concludes that because something (excellent service) happened after another thing (an advance tip) occurred, the excellent service was the direct result of the tip. Try not offering that advance tip sometime and you might be surprised to find that the service you receive is just as good as it has always been. On those very rare occasions that the service isn't exceptional it probably wouldn't have been even if you did tip in advance. :)

[Grandiva]

I read one really great post on this subject that said pre-tipping can be offensive. It may indiate that if not "bribed" they can not or will not do a good job. It can also be offensive as a suggestive "treat me better than my neighbor" when your room attendant prides themselves on the quality of service they provide. I tend to think pre-tipping is statement of the "treat me better".:rolleyes: The question is why should they cater to people who [COLOR=black]want to be treated[/COLOR] as if they are in the OS, or aboard one of those exclusive and very expensive cruise lines, when the room number on their sea pass cards leads to the deck right above steerage :cool:

[Tranquil Waters]

[quote name='negc']The point that many of us are trying to make is that there is no reason to feel that it is necessary to offer any "incentive to do that little bit extra" and doing so seems to reveal a belief that only because you offer this "incentive" you will receive that extra service. It is what is referred to as a "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy that concludes that because something (excellent service) happened after another thing (an advance tip) occurred, the excellent service was the direct result of the tip. Try not offering that advance tip sometime and you might be surprised to find that the service you receive is just as good as it has always been. On those very rare occasions that the service isn't exceptional it probably wouldn't have been even if you did tip in advance. :)[/quote]

I love it when someone can express my thoughts in big words..... :D

[RevSmith]

[quote name='negc']The point that many of us are trying to make is that there is no reason to feel that it is necessary to offer any "incentive to do that little bit extra" and doing so seems to reveal a belief that only because you offer this "incentive" you will receive that extra service. It is what is referred to as a "post hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy that concludes that because something (excellent service) happened after another thing (an advance tip) occurred, the excellent service was the direct result of the tip. Try not offering that advance tip sometime and you might be surprised to find that the service you receive is just as good as it has always been. On those very rare occasions that the service isn't exceptional it probably wouldn't have been even if you did tip in advance. :)[/quote]
[SIZE=3]Thanks for the mini logic lesson...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]however my point was missed....[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I give the steward extra money up front because I have cruised for a very long time...I realize that Royal Caribbean has cut down on it's staff...and that now there are more rooms assigned to each steward....what I am asking takes extra time and I am willing to give a reward because of that....It usually takes two or three trips...and about five minutes to complete the job...so I feel I would like to compensate by offering them a little reward (NOT BRIBE). Of course they would do it any way...but to me that would be very inconsiderate to ask them to do that without rewarding them.[/SIZE]

[RevSmith]

[quote name='Tranquil Waters']I love it when someone can express my thoughts in big words..... :D[/quote]
[SIZE=3]Not my opinion exactly...I prefer the common word when speaking on the boards.[/SIZE]

[marci22]

I have never pre-tipped. I have always gotten excellent service from the stateroom attendants (just don't look under the sofas).

[negc]

[quote name='RevSmith'][SIZE=3]Thanks for the mini logic lesson...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]however my point was missed....[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I give the steward extra money up front because I have cruised for a very long time...I realize that Royal Caribbean has cut down on it's staff...and that now there are more rooms assigned to each steward....what I am asking takes extra time and I am willing to give a reward because of that....It usually takes two or three trips...and about five minutes to complete the job...so I feel I would like to compensate by offering them a little reward (NOT BRIBE). Of course they would do it any way...but to me that would be very inconsiderate to ask them to do that without rewarding them.[/SIZE][/quote]

Of course they should be rewarded, but why not do it afterwards instead of in advance? Done that way it would be obvious that the tip is a reward for the service provided and not that the service resulted from your tip.?:confused:

[Host Kewlguy]

The only person I tip before the end of the cruise is the bar server in the concierge lounge. You'd be surprised how much stronger my drinks suddenly become. :D

[RevSmith]

[quote name='negc']Of course they should be rewarded, but why not do it afterwards instead of in advance? Done that way it would be obvious that the tip is a reward for the service provided and not that the service resulted from your tip.?:confused:[/quote]
[SIZE=3]I like the personal touch...at the end...you are just another envelope.[/SIZE]

[Dagny]

[quote name='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 :)[/quote]

I always tip the first day - to my cabin steward and my waiter, (if it is assigned seating). It isn't usual that I have to make a special request, (yes, I mean the sort of request that is not part of normal service), but if I do, then it is taken care of immediately :)

I tip everyone well, everywhere I go, even for things most people just take for granted - I get remembered and it often results in some pretty cool experiences and opportunities :)

I don't understand why people are arguing against giving people money, whatever our motivations are. Rather dimwitted really :)

[marci22]

Ok I'll revise my post to say that I don't pre-tip, but if the room steward does anything along the way, I will tip for those instances in addition to the final tip.

[Tranquil Waters]

[quote name='Dagny']I don't understand why people are arguing against giving people money, whatever our motivations are. Rather dimwitted really :)[/quote]

As "dimwitted", perhaps, as missing the point of most of the posts. :rolleyes:

No one is saying that anyone should not pre-tip if they choose, Most are only arguing about the assumption that pre-tipping leads to better service. Big difference........

[Cuizer2]

[quote name='RevSmith'][SIZE=3]Thanks for the mini logic lesson...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]however my point was missed....[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]I give the steward extra money up front because I have cruised for a very long time...I realize that Royal Caribbean has cut down on it's staff...and that now there are more rooms assigned to each steward....what I am asking takes extra time and I am willing to give a reward because of that....It usually takes two or three trips...and about five minutes to complete the job...so I feel I would like to compensate by offering them a little reward (NOT BRIBE). Of course they would do it any way...but to me that would be very inconsiderate to ask them to do that without rewarding them.[/SIZE][/quote]

You do realize that you can tip extra at the end of the cruise - don't you?

[Tucker in Texas]

[quote name='kewlguy']The only person I tip before the end of the cruise is the bar server in the concierge lounge. You'd be surprised how much stronger my drinks suddenly become. :D[/quote]

How much do you tip them? I really don't care if my drink is that much stronger because I drink weak drinks (my Mom used to call them "pee water") but I do like to recognize them because I don't think the concierge shares his tip with them at the end of the cruise. I gave them a buck when I "checked" in for the first drink but never noticed my drinks any stronger than before even though I would have the same bartender fix my drink who had done it before. To be honest, I never saw any other people tipping them at the time.

tucker in texas

[cruisePRN]

[B]I have never tipped in advance and have always received good service. I prefer to tip after the fact because if you prepay tips and cancel after there are no refunds you have tipped and can't get a refund on those gratuities.[/B]

[PantherFan]

I think it is a personal choice but I feel a tip at the end is appropriate.

We recently stayed in a suite and the recommendation to tipping is more per day. $5.75 pp.

However, the attendent was the absolute worse one we have ever had! (didn't clean the bathrooms, refresh towels, make the beds)

We complained and altered our tip accordingly. RCL said we couldn't change the amount on the pre-paid tip form so, we just got a regular stateroom prepay form and filled it out. Which was still more than he probably deserved for his lack luster service.

[Cruzincaribbean]

We always tip at the beginning and then again at the end. Just my preference.