Tips automatically added to your account?

We have been on several cruises, including one last January on RCCL. This year we were told that the usual tips would be automatically placed on our shipboard charge. If we didn't agree with this we were told to see the Purser. This is new from last year's cruise.

Is this a new policy for RCCL? We are going on the Enchantment next week. Personally, we prefer handing our waiter, asst. waiter, cabin attendant, and mater'd, an envelope on the last night becasue it seems more personal. Also, while service is normally excellent, tips means "To Insure Proper Service". If I feel a person did truly outstanding work I would likely give more, and if service was less than what I have come to expect, I might give less than the normal.

I think it should be your option to have tips included on your charge, not automatic...unless you have to wait in line and go through the hassle of changing the procedure at the Purser's desk.

Am I alone in this thinking?

Casey

I couldn't agree with you more. We also like to personnally hand the tips to the people who have made our vacation enjoyable. During the week if one of them does something extra for us we give them something on the spot and tell them this has nothing to do with their tips at the end of the week. The same goes for the bartenders. We usually find a "special" bar for a meeting place with the rest of our group and get to know the bartenders alittle better.We often(or my husband I should say)leaves the bartenders something extra on the bar for him for such good service. I'm sure we are not the only ones who feel this way about tipping personally.

You can always give an envelope in addition to the auto tips. I think you can have the auto tips removed, and give the whole tip directly to your servers.

You might want to ask on the RCCL board here for the latest info, though.

Simply have the pursers office remove any tips from your account, IF that is the case. The last RCI cruise we were on, you had to request to have it added to your account.

The auto-tipping concept originated on Princess, to accommodate those folks (passengers and employees) involved with Personal Choice Dining. Since the same waitstaff wouldn't necessarily be serving the same people each night, this method assured that the gratuities would be forthcoming (as well as minimizing the possibility of those hard-working folks being stiffed). It worked well for us on Princess (of course, we did tip a bit extra each evening), given that we ate at different times.

But since RCI, Carnival, Celebrity and others still have fixed-time dinner seating, I don't see the necessity of having the gratuities added to our account. We tend to tip well above the recommended minimum (much more than $10/day for the waiter, asst. waiter and cabin steward), and will thus request that the purser remove these charges on our upcoming Miracle cruise in May. In addition, some of the money goes to those tux-clad headwaiters who somehow seem to show up precisely at the end of our farewell dinner. If I do need their assistance, I tip them at that time. They're well-paid, and I prefer that all the money go to those who made my cruise a wonderful experience. I was informed that this can't be done in advance, so right after we check our dinner arrangements, we'll head to the purser's desk.

Al

If you remove the tips, there is the possiblity that your good intentions may not be as good. Most of these people have to put tips that were removed no matter the amount into a pool to be spilt. Ie he gets #.50 per day per person (3.50 x 7 = $24.50). You removed that from his auto tip. Now you give him $35.00 as a tip at end because he did a little better then good. He now must place the full $35.00 into the tip pool, he only gets part of it. Now you left the $24.50 in place and gave him $10.50 in cash, he gets to keep the $10.50 and does not have to share it. So he is up the $10.50 before he gets what is his from the pool.

This is how it was explained to me when I asked my room stward once. He was very good so I was going to give him $50.00 and remove auto tip and give envelopes. He said it was better for him to receive his cut from the auto tip but to tip extra at the end. He also said that if you mentioned him on comment card then it would help with promotions which mean bigger cuts in the pool.

Now removing auto tips for bad service is another matter. You may hurt someone who was good, ie your waiter was good room steward bad. You can not remove just one person from the auto tip pool. I still leave the tip in place but I state what I did not like about the Room stward/waiter on the card. I also take a letter to the front desk with my comments on it.

Another reason for the autotip was because approximately 20% of the passengers stiffed the waitstaff. Haven't you noticed how the number of passengers eating in the dining rooms decreased on the last night..

If you remove the tips, there is the possiblity that your good intentions may not be as good. Most of these people have to put tips that were removed no matter the amount into a pool to be spilt. Ie he gets #.50 per day per person (3.50 x 7 = $24.50). You removed that from his auto tip. Now you give him $35.00 as a tip at end because he did a little better then good. He now must place the full $35.00 into the tip pool, he only gets part of it. Now you left the $24.50 in place and gave him $10.50 in cash, he gets to keep the $10.50 and does not have to share it. So he is up the $10.50 before he gets what is his from the pool.

 

This is how it was explained to me when I asked my room stward once. He was very good so I was going to give him $50.00 and remove auto tip and give envelopes. He said it was better for him to receive his cut from the auto tip but to tip extra at the end. He also said that if you mentioned him on comment card then it would help with promotions which mean bigger cuts in the pool.

 

Now removing auto tips for bad service is another matter. You may hurt someone who was good, ie your waiter was good room steward bad. You can not remove just one person from the auto tip pool. I still leave the tip in place but I state what I did not like about the Room stward/waiter on the card. I also take a letter to the front desk with my comments on it.

CaptData is correct... Best to leave the autotip in place then tip extra.

Thanks for the heads-up. We will do just that. Gotta love this board!!

Al