What is the suggested gratuities for

Here's another quote from the OP who seems to be fixated on not prepaying tips...

 

"It is about the the so called upfront tips Money.Tell Royal if you can't have the dining you want you are going to cancel the cruise. Worked for us,this is a game they play."

And i still stand behind every word that i said.:)

My question is how do you tip the other Housekeeping folks that clean the public toilets and other areas? They also clean your cabin on turn around day along with the cabin stewards; and, deliver and pick-up your luggage to and from your cabin. The new RCI gratuity system takes these folks into account but your plan does not seem to. :confused:

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

I agreed with your thoughts, and felt the same back when the auto tipping first was implemented. Those folks were (past tense) paid adequately by the cruise line. In the past, the staff hired into those not-tipped-at-that-time positions were hired with the understanding that the base pay they receive was all that they would get. And so the base pay was likely enough for them to consider it adequate compensation for the work they did.

Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Today, for the cruise you intend to go on, these people, are hired with the understanding that they will be receiving a portion of their pay in the form of tips. Thus they accept a lower base pay. (Whether or not the base pay was altered, I don't know. It could have been lowered, or merely allowed to stay the same and decrease in value as salaries tend to do if not increased to meet inflation.) Either way they are working with the expectation of their usual compensation, as all employees everywhere do.

Also, (while I have no personal info on this) it has been reported on these boards, that those workers who's tips have been removed from the auto tip pool, are required to turn over the tips you hand them in person. How this is supposed to be achieved, I have no idea. But as I said in my previous post, removing your tips does tend to put those workers with whom interact, in a rather uncomfortable position. So while I can see that you really want show your appreciation of their efforts to your own particular cabin steward and wait staff, in reality, what you are doing is not going to be the benefit to them you had hoped. Possibly the contrary.

When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

Oh by the way, for this part of the question, the answer is "Yes, you do". I have been in many nice establishments where there was a washroom attendant who you were expected to tip.

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

And I agree, tips should be given, not taken, but it amounts to the same thing, as long as you have the option to remove them following poor service. The alternative is for Royal to just call it a "fee" and not a gratuity. From what I understand, that is what Norwegian does. The fee is NOT removable.

As for giving more to those people who take good care of you, well I explained in my previous post, how that can still be done. And in those situations, I venture to guess that if the auto tips are in place, the crew members that are given extra, are likely able to keep it.

Do you also force them to remove the 15% gratuity from drinks so you can tip in cash? Same with at a restaurant when additional gratuity is automatically added with a party above 6 or 8 - do you request that be removed from the bill too? It's the same concept, that tip is already included in the price of your meal and drink. Much like the gratuity is already included in the price when you book the cruise.

I think RC made it easier on both them and the customers with this change. I don't have to carry around a bunch of cash and stuff it in envelopes at the end of the cruise making my life easier. They don't have to handle thousands of envelopes with cash at the end of each cruise. Easier.

If you continue to fight change you'll end up exhausting yourself and wasting a lot of time on your vacations.

IMO, those that remove their daily gratuities because they want to give cash instead, will give less than the daily gratuity amount. It just goes to show that even the **other housekeeper personnel** is getting stiffed now. I guess $1.35 is too much money for someone to part with daily. It's sad to penalize those housekeeper personnel who ensure your cabin is clean and ready by the require time for you to board your cabin.

I also tip the washroom attendants they have in fine restaurants, but a cheapskate wouldn't know about the finer things in life, would they.

And I agree, tips should be given, not taken, but it amounts to the same thing, as long as you have the option to remove them following poor service. The alternative is for Royal to just call it a "fee" and not a gratuity. From what I understand, that is what Norwegian does. The fee is NOT removable.

.................

It is removable as people want to do the same thing, give cash personally. There are the same heated arguments about removing it on the NCL board.

It is removable as people want to do the same thing, give cash personally. There are the same heated arguments about removing it on the NCL board.

Really? The one time we considered booking the Epic, we were told otherwise. We were told that their fee is just that, a service fee, and that it was not optional. But then, their phone people may be just as accurate (read that as totally unreliable) with their information as Royal's are.

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.

Actually you and Gayle V are wrong! Cabin Stewards had to pay the other Housekeeping folks that assisted them and do the other menial chores from the gratuities they received.

The gratuity system (actually a service charge often mistakenly called "tipping" which it is NOT) on the majority of the World's cruise lines is the same. That is how the "hourly" crew gets their pay whether you like it or not. If you choose to do it your way you will be denying the service charge to some of those who do work for you during your cruise.

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

In reference to the daily charge (not pre paying with final payment), you are not tipping before service. Your credit card isn't charged for your onboard account until the last night (one would hope you received service by then) and the crew doesn't get the tips until after the cruise is over.

Really? The one time we considered booking the Epic, we were told otherwise. We were told that their fee is just that, a service fee, and that it was not optional. But then, their phone people may be just as accurate (read that as totally unreliable) with their information as Royal's are.

Yes, really. Phone reps for ANY line don't seem to be accurate and it's the "same old, same old", call back and get a different answer.:D

Do you also force them to remove the 15% gratuity from drinks so you can tip in cash? Same with at a restaurant when additional gratuity is automatically added with a party above 6 or 8 - do you request that be removed from the bill too? It's the same concept, that tip is already included in the price of your meal and drink. Much like the gratuity is already included in the price when you book the cruise.

 

I think RC made it easier on both them and the customers with this change. I don't have to carry around a bunch of cash and stuff it in envelopes at the end of the cruise making my life easier. They don't have to handle thousands of envelopes with cash at the end of each cruise. Easier.

 

If you continue to fight change you'll end up exhausting yourself and wasting a lot of time on your vacations.

First it is not included in the price of the cruise,it is a extra charge.You say RCI made it easier for you fine.I will not tip before service is rendered. Maybe Royal Caribbean should have the guts to call it what it is a service charge.Have a great next cruise.:)

And I agree, tips should be given, not taken, but it amounts to the same thing, as long as you have the option to remove them following poor service. The alternative is for Royal to just call it a "fee" and not a gratuity. From what I understand, that is what Norwegian does. The fee is NOT removable.

 

As for giving more to those people who take good care of you, well I explained in my previous post, how that can still be done. And in those situations, I venture to guess that if the auto tips are in place, the crew members that are given extra, are likely able to keep it.

Funny you don't seem to get it we don't like auto tips.We will not pay before service.What you do is fine with me.You can explain all you want.If Royal has the guts to call it what it is a service charge.We will have no problem,it is not about the money.:)

How were they paid before Royal Caribbean changed to auto tips.They were paid by Royal Caribbean.We do not tip before service,also tips are given not taken.Do you tip the ships plumber,cooks,painter,Janitor,Captain,How about the guys that built the ship,can't leave them out.We tip the people that take care of us and we give them more.When you eat at your upscale New York Restaurant do you tip the guy/girl that cleans the public toilets. :) :D

Now you're comparing apples to oranges and using absurd analogies........:rolleyes:

Funny you don't seem to get it we don't like auto tips.We will not pay before service.What you do is fine with me.You can explain all you want.If Royal has the guts to call it what it is a service charge.We will have no problem,it is not about the money.:)

My emphasis. You pay for the cruise before you take it - what's the difference?

I agree it should be called a service charge; ideally it should be included in the base fare; however it is not. It does not matter what it is called - it is a part of cruising - and - like it or not - that is the way it is.

You seem to wish to make things more difficult for yourself and to deny many members of the crew - it's a vacation - not a moral crusade.

My emphasis. You pay for the cruise before you take it - what's the difference?

 

I agree it should be called a service charge; ideally it should be included in the base fare; however it is not. It does not matter what it is called - it is a part of cruising - and - like it or not - that is the way it is.

 

You seem to wish to make things more difficult for yourself and to deny many members of the crew - it's a vacation - not a moral crusade.[/quot

 

You have your opinion i have mine.We will not tip before service.

Maybe you should not cruise, therefore not giving any tips to anyone.

Funny you don't seem to get it we don't like auto tips.We will not pay before service.What you do is fine with me.You can explain all you want.If Royal has the guts to call it what it is a service charge.We will have no problem,it is not about the money.:)

If you remove the auto-charge and pay in cash, make sure you tip your cabin steward for both their amount AND the "other housekeeping staff" amount ($3.85 plus $1.35), as the cabin steward will have to tip that amount ($1.35 per person per day) to the other housekeeping staff even if they don't receive it from you.

This is similar to the system in restaurants where the waitstaff has to tip the busboy a percentage of their sales for that shift. If the waitstaff doesn't receive an adequate tip from a table that night, the waitstaff still has to tip the busboy a percentage of the sales from that table.

If you don't tip the cabin steward the additional amount, that amount is going to come out of the cabin steward's cash that you pay them anyway, so in effect you just stiffed your cabin steward.

My emphasis. You pay for the cruise before you take it - what's the difference?

 

I agree it should be called a service charge; ideally it should be included in the base fare; however it is not. It does not matter what it is called - it is a part of cruising - and - like it or not - that is the way it is.

 

You seem to wish to make things more difficult for yourself and to deny many members of the crew - it's a vacation - not a moral crusade.

Things are not difficult for me at all you seem to have the problem.I

spend my Money as i please.And how you spend yours is not a concern for me yes i pay ahead for the cruise,the difference is IT IS NOT A TIP.Have a great next cruise.:)

I'm getting the distinct impression that someone lives under a bridge when not taking a cruise....

This..

My emphasis. You pay for the cruise before you take it - what's the difference?

 

I agree it should be called a service charge; ideally it should be included in the base fare; however it is not. It does not matter what it is called - it is a part of cruising - and - like it or not - that is the way it is.

 

You seem to wish to make things more difficult for yourself and to deny many members of the crew - it's a vacation - not a moral crusade.

:rolleyes:

Things are not difficult for me at all you seem to have the problem.I

spend my Money as i please.And how you spend yours is not a concern for me yes i pay ahead for the cruise,the difference is IT IS NOT A TIP.Have a great next cruise.:)

If you remove the auto-charge and pay in cash, make sure you tip your cabin steward for both their amount AND the "other housekeeping staff" amount ($3.85 plus $1.35), as the cabin steward will have to tip that amount ($1.35 per person per day) to the other housekeeping staff even if they don't receive it from you.

 

This is similar to the system in restaurants where the waitstaff has to tip the busboy a percentage of their sales for that shift. If the waitstaff doesn't receive an adequate tip from a table that night, the waitstaff still has to tip the busboy a percentage of the sales from that table.

 

If you don't tip the cabin steward the additional amount, that amount is going to come out of the cabin steward's cash that you pay them anyway, so in effect you just stiffed your cabin steward.

I've heard this statement often, but this is illegal just about everywhere. An employer cannot make you pay a portion of your earnings based on what they believe you should have received. And though this is a bit of a grey area, they can only require sharing of reported gratuities (keep in mind that in the US and a number of other countries, failing to report all gratuities is a violation of income tax codes, and can get someone in more trouble than not sharing).

Actually you and Gayle V are wrong! Cabin Stewards had to pay the other Housekeeping folks that assisted them and do the other menial chores from the gratuities they received.

 

The gratuity system (actually a service charge often mistakenly called "tipping" which it is NOT) on the majority of the World's cruise lines is the same. That is how the "hourly" crew gets their pay whether you like it or not. If you choose to do it your way you will be denying the service charge to some of those who do work for you during your cruise.

Hate to burst your bubble on explanation of Tips and service charge but RCI defines them as one and the same as shown below copied directly from Australian. RCI T&C,s and RCI does not have an Australian specific fleet it is one and the same fleet:)

22. Gratuities (tips)

On all of our ships, it is customary to offer gratuities (also known as ‘service charge’ or ‘tips’) to staff members who work to enhance your cruise experience. For guests’ convenience we automatically add your onboard gratuities to our cruise fare so that they are pre-paid in Australian Dollars in advance of your holiday.