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STATE ROOM ATTENDANT


Cowcrazy65

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The BEST way to receive great service from your Room Steward is to give them 20 bucks the very first time you meet them.   They will NEVER forget you the rest of your trip.  Works the same with the maître d'....tip on your way out the first night and they will never forget you also.  

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I've never pre tipped and have always received excellent service.

I'm with you.. Tipping is not normally done in this part of the world but when we do tip we are generous and only after great service is received. Unfortunately when the ships are in Australian waters tips are rare, especially on longer cruises with older passengers. Tipping the bar staff especially can be extremely rewarding ;)

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I don't think a few tips results in a month of free drinking for you and your friends.....

 

Really? Come on now....

It sure did (26 night cruise, too early for brain sorry)..  we also tipped them well at the very end of the cruise. Very unexpected as its never happened before.

 

On other cruises we have had one or two drinks for free here and there. On our 33 night cruise our barman was also our room barman (mini bar re-stocker on rotation) for one leg and we had "extras" appearing in our cabin that we weren't charged for.

 

We always strike up a friendly relationship with just one or two barman and it works out well for us.

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The BEST way to receive great service from your Room Steward is to give them 20 bucks the very first time you meet them.   They will NEVER forget you the rest of your trip.  Works the same with the maître d'....tip on your way out the first night and they will never forget you also.  

I agree with Stoneman....I give $20 or $30 right at the beginning to the room steward, head waiter and asst waiter.  Not only is the service great but they deserve it!

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I agree with Stoneman....I give $20 or $30 right at the beginning to the room steward, head waiter and asst waiter. Not only is the service great but they deserve it!

Deserve it because wages are low or deserve it because they'll earn it? Also, how do they know this isn't their one and only tip? Do you tell them?

 

Obviously, tipping is a personal decision and everyone should do what they're comfortable with. I just want new cruiser to think they need to pre tip or tip in addition to the daily charge to receive exceptional service.

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Deserve it because wages are low or deserve it because they'll earn it? Also, how do they know this isn't their one and only tip? Do you tell them?

 

Obviously, tipping is a personal decision and everyone should do what they're comfortable with. I just want new cruiser to think they need to pre tip or tip in addition to the daily charge to receive exceptional service.

Yes I do this because their pay is low and I'm sure they will earn it!  I have never had bad service from a room steward or waiter so I don't mind tipping early and yes I do tell them this is a little something extra to start with.  So Doc my suggestion if you don"t like this or don't think its right.....then don't do it!

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Yes I do this because their pay is low and I'm sure they will earn it! I have never had bad service from a room steward or waiter so I don't mind tipping early and yes I do tell them this is a little something extra to start with. So Doc my suggestion if you don"t like this or don't think its right.....then don't do it!

I see how the strategy could/might work. As long as a staff member understands that the pre tip isn't all there is and that it's for the good service you know or anticipate you're going to receive, I can see how the strategy could be beneficial.

 

Please don't assume that their was any judgment in my reply. I simply wanted to understand the how's and the whys behind the process. I also wanted to clarify for newbies that this wasn't a requirement above and beyond the daily fees.

 

I'm glad to hear that it has worked well for you and I'm appreciative of the fact that you're rewarding the hard working crew members. :)

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I see how the strategy could/might work. As long as a staff member understands that the pre tip isn't all there is and that it's for the good service you know or anticipate you're going to receive, I can see how the strategy could be beneficial.

 

Please don't assume that their was any judgment in my reply. I simply wanted to understand the how's and the whys behind the process. I also wanted to clarify for newbies that this wasn't a requirement above and beyond the daily fees.

 

I'm glad to hear that it has worked well for you and I'm appreciative of the fact that you're rewarding the hard working crew members. :)

Thank you Doc,  I understand now where you are coming from and your correct,  the newbies need to know where the starting point is and if they catch the incurable cruise disease most of us have on here then they can decide what is most comfortable for them on future cruises.  As I have a soft heart for the workers in the service industry I have always been a heavy tipper so you can't go by what I do.  Since I don't plan on taking my money to the grave with me I don't mind sharing it with the hard workers that make cruising what it is......ok....I'll quit now....Good Luck....Mike

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I am not so sure of tipping either... at least my views are changing.

 

On day one when we meet the attendant I introduce myself, ask for the extras I will need, such as extra pillows, ice in ice bucket, extra towels, etc. Then, when the cruise completes, I tip at the end. If he was great, and the room was exceptionally clean I will tip. I don't want to tip early because I don't want the attendant to think that's all they get, or that since they were tipped they can forget about me either. I have never had bad service, but I have had "great" service, and there is a difference.

 

I changed my tipping procedures because I heard some things since my first cruise. On one podcast, not RCB, I heard the attendant, nor anyone on the ship, does not get to keep their tips. They are pooled amongst everyone, servers, on the cruise, and the employee can be terminated if they are found to hide their tips. This makes sense, as not every server has equal chances of tips. e.g bartenders and wait staff have best chances. Also, I heard from a steward, that they only get paid if the rooms are full. So for example, if only 10 rooms of his 12 assigned are full, he only gets paid from those full rooms. Also, the tips that we are charged on tip of our bills are supposed to be the "tip". I admit that $25 per day for room and waitress seems small, all your drinks include a tip charge.

 

I also heard the best thing you can do for a staff member is to remember their name. Then when you complete the end of cruise critique, mention the great ones who served you in that critique. Their names are ver hard though, so I may ask to take photo instead... but that feels really creepy too.

 

My two cents.

 

Mike_

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I also heard the best thing you can do for a staff member is to remember their name. Then when you complete the end of cruise critique, mention the great ones who served you in that critique. Their names are ver hard though, so I may ask to take photo instead... but that feels really creepy too.

While this doesn't work with room stewards, on our first or second night in the MDR the waiter and assistant waiter's names are on cards on the table (the disappear early in the week).  I take a photo of the cards so 1) I can remember their names, and 2) Get the name spelled correctly for the comment cards at the end of the cruise.  It's also helpful years on when you are looking at photos of them and wonder what their names were.

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Before sailing, we prepare a lovely Goodie-Bag for the stateroom attendant and give it to him/her on the first day of the cruise. We find that this kind act goes a long way for rewarding the attendant before the cruise starts. The goodie bag contains a variety of packaged snacks, nicknacks and a pre-loaded calling card for the ship's homeport country.  

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