Superyacht stewardess reveals insane tips she received from billionaires at sea: Who was generous and who was surprisingly cheap

A former superyacht stewardess has opened up about some of the eye-watering tips she received for serving billionaires while at sea.

Raissa Bellini, an Italian woman now based in Miami, worked on the luxury vessels for five years, rubbing shoulders with the mega-rich as they travelled the globe. 

The brunette beauty, 37, tells the Daily Mail she was generously rewarded for her services, with some tipping more than most people earn in several months.

‘Some charter groups would leave between US$20,000 (AU$28,070) and US$50,000 (AU$70,175) in tips after just a few days onboard,’ she says.

‘What shocked me most was how casually huge amounts of money were handed over.

‘One guest tipped more in a weekend than most people make in several months. And for them, it felt completely normal.’

According to Raissa, certain guests became legendary among yacht crews because of their generosity.

‘Crew would hear certain names and get excited straight away. Some guests were known for changing your entire season financially,’ she says.

But she claims there was a huge difference between different types of wealthy guests.

‘Some billionaires were incredibly generous and respectful. Others would spend hundreds of thousands on champagne and parties, then barely tip the crew.’

She says tipping often reflects personality more than wealth.

‘The genuinely classy guests usually treated staff the best. You could tell who respected the crew,’ she adds.

‘The younger tech entrepreneurs and finance businessmen were often the biggest spenders and best tippers. 

‘They liked showing off, partying and making a big impression on their friends.’

She goes on to say that guests who tried too hard to look wealthy and powerful were often the ‘worst tippers’.  

‘Ironically, some of the guests who tried hardest to look wealthy were the worst tippers. They’d demand perfection all trip and then leave surprisingly little,’ she says.

‘Americans were very mixed. Some were unbelievably generous and treated the crew amazingly well. 

‘Others expected perfection every second of the day and still tipped poorly. There was never really a middle ground.’

She says ‘British guests were normally polite and respectful’ but were less likely ‘to dramatically throw cash around’. 

However, when it came to Australian guests, Raissa said those from Down Under knew how to party hard and tip well. 

‘We had Australians from Sydney and Melbourne working in industries like mining, finance and property,’ she says. 

‘They were usually really fun, relaxed guests. They partied hard but generally tipped fairly well and treated the crew with respect.’  

Raissa claims some guests would even use money to show off in front of friends.

‘Sometimes it became competitive. They wanted to look like the biggest spender in the group. You’d see people hand over cash dramatically just for attention,’ she says.

And while some tips were life-changing, she adds that others came after difficult charters.

‘Sometimes the guests who caused the most chaos tipped the biggest. It almost felt like an apology,’ she recalls. 

After years of working around the ultra-rich, Raissa says the experience completely changed her perspective on money.

‘You realise there’s a level of wealth most people can’t even imagine,’ she explains.

‘When people are surrounded by luxury long enough, huge amounts of money stop feeling real to them.’

Raissa began working on a Ferretti in 2016 before moving on to work on mega yachts and then superyachts in 2019, with voyages requiring her to work 18-hour days.

Some of her most notable trips included St Tropez and Monaco in 2016, Mykonos and Montenegro in 2017, as well as around Italy and France.

Her final voyages were around Spain in 2018 and 2019, with the model usually working seasons from April to October and living in tight quarters.