Are there housekeepers in addition to Room Attendant?

Our room attendants always seem to know when we're leaving for the day... we'll see them in the hall way and they say "have a good day!" or whatever and I guess they figure we're on the way out for a while. Then they pop in and clean. We try to keep our clothes put away and stuff off the floor even if just for ourselves so we're not tripping over everyone's stuff.
 
We leave the Room Host/Hostess's tip envelope on the bed on the last night of the cruise as we leave for dinner. We hand out the rest of the tip envelops at the end of the last night's dinner.

We used to leave the tip envelope for our stateroom host on the bed as well, until one cruise when our stateroom host came to us and said that he doesn't want to pick up the envelope, even though I put his name on the front, because a previous guest had gotten upset with him for taking the envelope.

I told him that's what we have always done. I was upset to hear that a guest had gone as far as to complain to GS about the issue. I don't know what prompted the previous guest to complain but our stateroom host was one of the kindest person we've ever met. If they were not done with it or wanted to hand it to him, they could have just said that instead of complaining.

I can't imagine someone complaining about him taking the envelope when we and most of the cruisers we know have always left it on the bed for convenience. We've never heard of such a thing so since then we've tried to hand it to them or let them know that we
have left it for them.
 
These are not tipped positions, but you can recognize crew members who give you good service by mentioning their names on the survey you will get at the end of the cruise.

This is a WONDERFUL point! I have heard from many crew members over the years that when their name is mentioned specifically in the end of cruise surveys, it goes toward giving them extra time off. They did not volunteer this info until I was telling them I was getting their name to mention in the survey. :cutie:


Our stateroom host last year on the wbpc told us he had 15 rooms... can you imagine vacuuming 15 rooms twice a day? And making 15 towel animals every evening?.

Yikes! That is a LOT of rooms! :crazy2: And they make beds, which means putting up the beds if its a bunk or sleeper sofa, wipe down the toilet and bathroom areas, and generally tidy in addition to vacuuming and those cute towel animals!
 
My husband just asked me if we should tip the stateroom attendant some extra cash at the beginning of our cruise. We have lots of kids and I know i'm going to feel bad making any requests for extra blankets or whatnot (it's just in my nature to feel bad asking for things). Would extra $ at the beginning seem rude though?? I've never done anything like that and heard people do it all the time for bartenders etc. at the beginning of a cruise.
 


My husband just asked me if we should tip the stateroom attendant some extra cash at the beginning of our cruise. We have lots of kids and I know i'm going to feel bad making any requests for extra blankets or whatnot (it's just in my nature to feel bad asking for things). Would extra $ at the beginning seem rude though?? I've never done anything like that and heard people do it all the time for bartenders etc. at the beginning of a cruise.

You most certainly may give your stateroom attendant extra cash at the beginning of the cruise. However, don't feel you need to tip at the beginning. You can definitely make up for any extra work, extra blankets, and "whatnots" at the end of the cruise by adding money to the suggested minimum gratuity amount. Also, mentioning him/her by name on the guest comment card at the end of the cruise is a great way to reward a crew member. :) Have a great cruise!!
 
Two cruises and the two cabin hostesses were some of my favorite people on the entire ship. Just truly wonderful people. I left them both extra at the end.

I was constantly after my children about their shoes though as they wanted to kick them off and leave them wherever and would then forget when changing into flip flops for the pool. This time I may make a sign.
 


My husband just asked me if we should tip the stateroom attendant some extra cash at the beginning of our cruise. We have lots of kids and I know i'm going to feel bad making any requests for extra blankets or whatnot (it's just in my nature to feel bad asking for things). Would extra $ at the beginning seem rude though?? I've never done anything like that and heard people do it all the time for bartenders etc. at the beginning of a cruise.

We do sometimes do this, but more in response to the first request that we make, even if the request itself is small.
 
Good question, Mark!

Also, is there anything we should do to make their job easier? I'm assuming we shouldn't leave trash lying around and generally keeping things tidy, but does anyone know of certain room attendant pet peeves or things they like guests to do (in addition to tipping, of course! :) ?
I think the general not living like a pig and picking up after oneself should suffice
 
The room hosts/hostesses seem to have a sixth sense for knowing when you're out of the cabin and will come in to clean during that time. Typically, they clean during breakfast and dinner times. I say typically, because I tend to sleep in and my first meal is usually lunch, so they don't always clean just during breakfast. It helps to put your "do not disturb" sign out when you don't want them coming in. Also, you'll see them throughout the day in the hallway and can specify if you prefer them to clean at a different time. They're very accommodating and truly want to please you. Dinner time is when they come in to replace towels, do the turn-down service, and leave the next day's Navigator.

:)

I’ll second the one statement in this paragraph. Even though they seem to have a magical sense of when to get into your room, a little communication goes a long way. All of our room attendants have been great and if you just take those couple of seconds to say “we’ll be gone all day” or “just running up to breakfast” it can help them out. If they know they have 6 staterooms left, it helps them budget time to the ones that need to get done first. Also if you want to rest in, you can ask for fresh towels and trash pickup or other quick tasks. They are suppose to clean each room but can defer due to guest request.
 
Another tip:

1) the tippees know what they’ve gotten from you from ships account at the end bc they get a single long printout. My server told me all the details. He said the ritual of giving the individual envelopes out with printed tip amount was more for the ceremony of it, and they would see it again later in the longer report.

2) you can increase or decrease that amount from the GS desk. But, if you want to avoid long lines there of other guests doing the same, go to GS night 4 or before of a 7 day. Otherwise need to wait until later. Night 5 is a freeze day as they prepare the default amounts.

3) you can give cash too to supplement, as said, though I prefer a single method. Server claimed there were no tax implication differences for him cash vs assignment. I’ll pursue a confirmation on that though.
 
If they are not U.S. citizens, they do not pay taxes. It is usually the entertainment cast members who are Americans, and they are required to pay taxes on their earnings. They are not a tipped position, however.
 
When we were there in February, our room attendant told us he had to vacuum the room twice a day. I made sure my kids shoes were in the closet, their stuff was put away, nothing was left on the couch so he can turn it down etc. We had a connecting room and our couch wasn't being used, so it became a catch all for everything all week.
I didn’t realize about the vacuuming... shoes in closet etc. seems smart... easy to do and would make such a difference to someone who is vacuuming all day!
 

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