Embarkation Tip/gift for cabin steward?

[MIAMouseketeer]

Has anyone given an extra tip or gift for their Cabin Steward on embarkation day? If so, Looking for recommendations.

 

[alpal22]

I'm not sure about DCL's policy. You should probably look it up before doing anything else with it.

 

[Marc D]

You certainly can but you will not get better service by doing so. There is no rule against it. We find that DCL stateroom hosts are reliable, efficient and friendly across the board. They also know that through automatic gratuities, they will get tipped at the end of the cruise by most guests anyway.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

I'm not sure about DCL's policy. You should probably look it up before doing anything else with it.

There’s no policy against tipping more

 

[MomOTwins]

Do you mean disembarkation day? It seems weird for it to be embarkation day, since you're just meeting them, and they haven't done anything yet for you for you to tip them for. DCL provides envelopes the night before disembarkation where you can insert extra cash tips and hand it to your steward.

As for non-cash gifts, this question comes up a lot on this board. DCL employees share small rooms on the ship and have very little storage space for personal possessions, so gifts can be an inconvenience. An alternative to extra cash is an enthusiastic compliment to guest services, which can be helpful for them as well.

 

[Dug720]

Giving something extra on embarkation smells like a bribe to me.

I agree with the others who say add a tip at the end and be sure to mention them by name on the survey. MUCH more valuable than trinkets which will likely be tossed out.

 

[wilafur]

I tried this (addl cash tip up front) on my first DCL cruise. Didn't help increase the level of service we received.

 

[clten]

I know its a "thing" with some people to pre-tip a little. I guess they are trying to communicate that you know the person is working for tips and you plan to take care of them with a nice tip. But I definitely fall into the category that sees that leaning toward "bribe". I'd be uncomfortable in doing this because to me it sends the message that I think I'm more important than all the other guests you are taking care of. In 48 DCL cruises (plus others on other lines), I have not "pre-tipped" and have received remarkable service from cabin hosts and dining room staff. We do take time to talk to the crew and get to know them; I think treating them with kindness from the start means more than upfront cash.

 

[dznyacct]

We always like to gift a small bag of candy on day one if we are requesting something special. On our last cruise, we asked for two wine glasses every day so we could enjoy a glass of wine while getting ready for dinner. Those glasses were delivered like clock work every day. DCL CMs are amazing and deserve to be tipped very well.

 

[tarheelz]

We always like to gift a small bag of candy on day one if we are requesting something special. On our last cruise, we asked for two wine glasses every day so we could enjoy a glass of wine while getting ready for dinner. Those glasses were delivered like clock work every day. DCL CMs are amazing and deserve to be tipped very well.

Was that your steward/host or was that room service?

 

[dznyacct]

Was that your steward/host or was that room service?

Our cabin steward brought us the glasses each day,

 

[Maggie'sMom]

There's no reason to give a tip on embarkation day to the stateroom host. I've always had incredible service from our stateroom hosts and add extra in the envelopes at the end of the cruise.

 

[Quellman]

If you have something unique to your area, like packaged candy, syrup, something like that i could see it, but otherwise at embarkation no. I would phrase it like, "Hi we are the Quellman's from Canada. Our town has a local syrup farm. We thought we would share some of our home with you. Where are you from? and let it run through there.

But while there is no rule against it, Disney Cruiseline tipping customs have you tip at the end of your voyage.

 

[monkeydawn]

Count me in as a person who feels like this can only be called a bribe and not a tip. LOL

My other concern is if I only bribed a little would the steward possibly think that was all he was getting and possibly provide less service since he sees me as a poor tipper?

If I were going to do this with cash, I might just tip a little extra at the end of each day before turn down. Kind of like at a hotel. And Id leave a note each night so it's clear that it is for the steward.

If you are talking a non monetary tip, I do like the idea of some sort of consumable from your hometown. Maybe with a postcard from your town that explains what it is and where you are from. Because turnaround day must be very busy for the stewards so I wouldnt count on meeting them or having time to chat the first day.

 

[tinkerone]

Unpopular opinion however we always give the room steward $20 on embarkation day. When he/she pops their head in to make sure we are settled and if we need anything I give it to them and mention it is just an extra as we may make special request through the week and may not be around to thank them personally. Do we get extra/special service? I don't know because we always do this. Also, its not given to get extra/special service, its given to make me feel better about asking for things that may or may not be out of the ordinary. One example is when my sons gf had her birthday I asked the room steward if he could think of anything we could do and he made the most beautiful cake out of towels. I wasn't there when he did it but it had to have taken him extra time. I don't want to wait till the end of the cruise to say thanks for this in a way that is important to them.
If all goes well, we tip extra at the end as well. Again, that's just what we do and it is important to me.

 

[monkeydawn]

Unpopular opinion however we always give the room steward $20 on embarkation day. When he/she pops their head in to make sure we are settled and if we need anything I give it to them and mention it is just an extra as we may make special request through the week and may not be around to thank them personally. Do we get extra/special service? I don't know because we always do this. Also, its not given to get extra/special service, its given to make me feel better about asking for things that may or may not be out of the ordinary. One example is when my sons gf had her birthday I asked the room steward if he could think of anything we could do and he made the most beautiful cake out of towels. I wasn't there when he did it but it had to have taken him extra time. I don't want to wait till the end of the cruise to say thanks for this in a way that is important to them.
If all goes well, we tip extra at the end as well. Again, that's just what we do and it is important to me.

This is about the most gracious way Ive ever heard of doing this. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

Unpopular opinion however we always give the room steward $20 on embarkation day. When he/she pops their head in to make sure we are settled and if we need anything I give it to them and mention it is just an extra as we may make special request through the week and may not be around to thank them personally. Do we get extra/special service? I don't know because we always do this. Also, its not given to get extra/special service, its given to make me feel better about asking for things that may or may not be out of the ordinary. One example is when my sons gf had her birthday I asked the room steward if he could think of anything we could do and he made the most beautiful cake out of towels. I wasn't there when he did it but it had to have taken him extra time. I don't want to wait till the end of the cruise to say thanks for this in a way that is important to them.
If all goes well, we tip extra at the end as well. Again, that's just what we do and it is important to me.

I really like this. We do tend to ask for special requests and often times we don’t see the steward before we leave and don’t get to say thank you. We used to give phone cards back in the day. I like the idea of giving a small gift too but I know they don’t have much room in their cabins and have always heard cash is king when it comes to anything extra.

 

[Dug720]

We always like to gift a small bag of candy on day one if we are requesting something special. On our last cruise, we asked for two wine glasses every day so we could enjoy a glass of wine while getting ready for dinner. Those glasses were delivered like clock work every day. DCL CMs are amazing and deserve to be tipped very well.

I have had the exact same service with a simple polite request - no bribery necessary.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Write their name on the comment card! They are recognized and rewarded. If your service was extra special, extra in the tip envelope. I would tend not to tip ahead.

 

[clten]

I have had the exact same service with a simple polite request - no bribery necessary.

So have we. We've also received the towel birthday cake (on several cruises where we have sailed on actual birthdays) without requesting anything special or even mentioning to the cabin host it was a birthday.