My EXTRA tip for Room Service

[ICMDGO]

Could you give me an idea of what kind of items you brought as little gifts? That sounds like something we might want to do.

Thanks so much!

We brought little gifts from our town. Rocky Mountain Chocolate (headquarters is in Durango), some dip mix, honey and jams from a local business. All food items so he didn't have to keep anything and he could share with others if he wanted to.

 

[RedSox68]

One year we brought salt water taffy from the shore. Another year we bought the strips of chocolate bars during our grocery stop. You'd think they had never seen chocolate when we handed those out Also international phone cards are most appreciated.

And I for one think the thoughtful gesture of letting the room server out on your verandah for a few minutes to enjoy the view was most generous and will be a great memory for him!

 

[disney1990]

So, we ordered room service every morning on the Alaskan. At least coffee. We had the same delivery person every day. And every day we would invite him in to put down the tray. The second day, the sights started to get AMAZING, so we invited him to step out on the verandah to take a look. He loved it! He was so thankful. I know they, especially dining and room stewards, do not get a lot of free time, and this was their first time to Alaska too. So be sure to invite your room steward and/or room service person to take in the sights for a few minutes while in your room...especially if you have a verandah!!

I thought this was so thoughtful of you.

 

[clten]

I have to pop in and say that with room service servers, they are very often just running between the kitchens and the rooms that they very rarely get to see outside. When we were on the transatlantic last year, we also had a room service server that came to deliver for us several times. He would chat with us as he delivered our items. One day he asked how the weather was. It just never occured to us that he wouldn't know. So we told him he could take a look for himself. He also was unbelievably grateful that we let him step out onto our veranda.

I don't think that him stepping out there the few times that he did, delayed anyone else's delivery (you can tell when room service is busy or not by how fast they answer your calls and how quick you get your food) and he didn't lose money because we tipped him very well for each delivery. I don't know that I would invite every server out but I think you can tell if it is someone who would appreciate it. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again because he helped make our cruise more special and it didn't take anymore time than chatting with him for a few minutes would have.

 

[clairedy6]

Sorry for contributing to this so late, but wow--that is such an incredibly kind idea and I'm sure your room service attendant must've really appreciated it. Like a previous poster said, little things like this really can make the crew members' days. I think it's important to go out of your way a bit to let them know how much you appreciate their help. Letting them check out the view is just one great example. If more people show little acts of kindness you will make their job so much easier! I love the idea of giving them gifts too (not just the room service people but also the servers, room attendants, and even just random crew members you see walking around, like the guys in the orange suits). I'm sad to admit that I've witnessed numerous people being disrespectful and unappreciative of the crew members; it really ruins my day but think about how it affects theirs.

I will most definitely get some little gifts for crew members to bring on my next cruise and I encourage everyone else to do the same!! Little things really do go a long way.

If anyone has any other suggestions for acts of kindness towards crew members please share!

 

[DakotaDisneyLover]

Sorry for contributing to this so late, but wow--that is such an incredibly kind idea and I'm sure your room service attendant must've really appreciated it. Like a previous poster said, little things like this really can make the crew members' days. I think it's important to go out of your way a bit to let them know how much you appreciate their help. Letting them check out the view is just one great example. If more people show little acts of kindness you will make their job so much easier! I love the idea of giving them gifts too (not just the room service people but also the servers, room attendants, and even just random crew members you see walking around, like the guys in the orange suits). I'm sad to admit that I've witnessed numerous people being disrespectful and unappreciative of the crew members; it really ruins my day but think about how it affects theirs.

I will most definitely get some little gifts for crew members to bring on my next cruise and I encourage everyone else to do the same!! Little things really do go a long way.

If anyone has any other suggestions for acts of kindness towards crew members please share!

I am all for the acts of kindness. I can't imagine the grind of the continuous long days of work the crew experiences, and they still seem so happy and friendly! A note card filled out expressing thanks and appreciation along with some token(s) of some sort for them is nice, along with mentioning them when filling out your comment card is great. This could possibly help with promotions even. When we went to an all inclusive on vacation, we were not allowed to tip. I brought travel size bottles of Bath and Body Works lotion, shower gel, and body spray and tied a cute ribbon on the bottles and wrote a note saying "Thanks for taking such great care of us" on each. Partly to thank them, partly so their supervisors would know it was a gift for them and that they hadn't stolen the items. On our upcoming 7 day cruise we will definitely give our room attendant and servers something extra above and beyond the 'suggested' tipping, along with friendliness and appreciation shown towards them!

 

[PizzieDuster]

I think that is AWSOME of you....so true that they don't get enough time to take everything in. I bet he really appreciated it! I'm going to follow your lead in August.

Oh BTW some people need happy pills to stay nice and some MORE than others! Ignore negative comments...or stupid ones...

I agree with you. I hate to be a wet blanket, but if I were waiting for my coffee to be delivered, and had any idea that the CM was on someone's balcony enjoying the view, I wouldn't be a happy cruiser.
I guess I'm a no-fun fuddy-duddy. While I do agree that the CM's could (and probably should) politely decline, they're also instructed to make the passengers happy.....most find it hard to say no to anything.

I can also see them not saying no to anything. I'm sure they will come and take a look and they know they have to get back to work. Also, don't they cruise every week so I'm sure they've taken a peak at the views at some point during their contract?

Maybe he was trying to look at something else...jk, jk. I know what I look like in the morning. jk.
"Hmm, maybe I'll just look out this way while she gives me a tip so I can get the heck out of here"...just kinda kidding.

 

[jdb in AZ]

When we were on the Fantasy in Oct we had no use for the castaway cay gift -- the backpack. They're nice, but we didn't want to add it to our overloaded, already-heavy luggage, and decided to leave the backpack behind for whoever to do whatever with it. Just after we left our room, the steward came out with the backpack and told us we'd left it. We told him he could do whatever he wanted with it.

His face lit up and he exclaimed, "My first backpack!" Just like a kid at Christmas.

 

[shburks]

When we were on the Fantasy in Oct we had no use for the castaway cay gift -- the backpack. They're nice, but we didn't want to add it to our overloaded, already-heavy luggage, and decided to leave the backpack behind for whoever to do whatever with it. Just after we left our room, the steward came out with the backpack and told us we'd left it. We told him he could do whatever he wanted with it.

His face lit up and he exclaimed, "My first backpack!" Just like a kid at Christmas.

Do you think he could keep it? The backpack?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Do you think he could keep it? The backpack?

Have no idea. Hope his superviser didn't accuse him of stealing it.

 

[MrsScooby]

I was told that if you want to leave something for the room steward that you need to leave a note saying that they can keep it or they are obligated not to.
Often we have more than we can take home and I now leave a note saying the CM can have anything we leave behind. Gives them the option to throw it out, give it away or keep it for themselves.

OP, your idea to share your verandah with the CM is a really nice one
Thanks for sharing it with us.

Also not a bad idea not to go overboard with any good thing as Irishcowboy points out this can cause problems too

 

[shburks]

Have no idea. Hope his superviser didn't accuse him of stealing it.

That's what I was wondering, I guess...

 

[coloradodumbo]

So, we ordered room service every morning on the Alaskan. At least coffee. We had the same delivery person every day. And every day we would invite him in to put down the tray. The second day, the sights started to get AMAZING, so we invited him to step out on the verandah to take a look. He loved it! He was so thankful. I know they, especially dining and room stewards, do not get a lot of free time, and this was their first time to Alaska too. So be sure to invite your room steward and/or room service person to take in the sights for a few minutes while in your room...especially if you have a verandah!!

We did this with our room steward as we went through Tracy Arm Fjords the first month DCL was in Alaska. Then one of his buddy's was walking by and we invited him in to, they went out on the verandah and loved it! We also had our TV on the bridge camera so they saw what was coming also. They had never seen so much wood in the water or all of the snow and ice.

 

[dstein12]

I think what you did was great. If everybody in this world did just a little act of kindness everyday, what a different world we would live in. But I have a question, I saw someone posted that DCL does not allow tipping. Is this true? Because I have always given the staff from the cruise money at the beginning of the cruise to say Thank you before hand (I have 2 kids) and then again on the last night my tips. Things like room service I did each time and always try to help the room Stewart by keeping room clean everyday. But now I will also bring little gifts from home because that too will hopefully say thank you I was thinking of your hard work before I even get there.

 

[MrsScooby]

I think what you did was great. If everybody in this world did just a little act of kindness everyday, what a different world we would live in. But I have a question, I saw someone posted that DCL does not allow tipping. Is this true? Because I have always given the staff from the cruise money at the beginning of the cruise to say Thank you before hand (I have 2 kids) and then again on the last night my tips. Things like room service I did each time and always try to help the room Stewart by keeping room clean everyday. But now I will also bring little gifts from home because that too will hopefully say thank you I was thinking of your hard work before I even get there.

DCL allows tipping no problem, but if you leave things behind like books, magazines, gifts, they are not supposed to keep them unless you leave a note saying they can.

 

[kcashner]

I saw someone posted that DCL does not allow tipping. Is this true? Because I have always given the staff from the cruise money at the beginning of the cruise to say Thank you before hand (I have 2 kids) and then again on the last night my tips. Things like room service I did each time and always try to help the room Stewart by keeping room clean everyday. But now I will also bring little gifts from home because that too will hopefully say thank you I was thinking of your hard work before I even get there.

There are 4 tipped positions on DCL. CMs in other positions are not permitted to keep tips if they are given--they must turn them over to their manager who will pool them and use them for a department event (kid staff) or they are required to turn them in for donation to a charity. CMs in non-tipped positions can accept small gifts (candy, etc).

On one trans-Atlantic, we had a book swap group; at the end of the cruise, we donated the books to the crew library. You can do this by giving them to Guest services; we happened to see the ACD as we were heading that way, so asked if he could accept them for the crew or if we should drop them at GS--he took them.

If you leave stuff in your cabin without a note indicating that it is being left for the crew, they are obligated to place it in the Lost and Found. You are better off leaving a note or handing it to the CM in person.

 

[geoly1]

Up on tic tacs to giv as thank yous as an extra tip ( on top o cash) for room service & room Stewart, wait staff etc. thought they were easier & less mess than chocolate but now I am rethinking my tic tak plan from the reaction you got ;0

 

[wifey1220]

We gave our room steward 2 bottles of unopened alcohol we brought on board. I guess he didn't drink because he didn't seem very appreciative. So we also left some extra cash in an envelope for him.

 

[coloradodumbo]

We gave our room steward 2 bottles of unopened alcohol we brought on board. I guess he didn't drink because he didn't seem very appreciative. So we also left some extra cash in an envelope for him.

Alcohol is one thing many guest service job positions are not allowed to accept no matter what. I know this from previous guest service jobs, in training that is one of the first things they point out that you may not accept even if there is a note from the guest. You are told to throw away the alcohol which can be a huge crime in my opinion because often people leave good alcohol behind normally.

 

[Night Owl]

I will try to keep this in mind, this is something that is so easy to do, but yet I would have never thought to do. Since they are on these cruises 10 months or so out of the year, I would have thought they have seen it all before. I never stopped to consider that they probably are not able to see the sights when they are busy working This is a good eye opening thread. Makes me sad to think the employees are the ships are treated badly by the guest

So, we ordered room service every morning on the Alaskan. At least coffee. We had the same delivery person every day. And every day we would invite him in to put down the tray. The second day, the sights started to get AMAZING, so we invited him to step out on the verandah to take a look. He loved it! He was so thankful. I know they, especially dining and room stewards, do not get a lot of free time, and this was their first time to Alaska too. So be sure to invite your room steward and/or room service person to take in the sights for a few minutes while in your room...especially if you have a verandah!!