How does RCI know you have tipped?

First of all, I have my gratuities prepaid for our upcoming trip on navigator :)

Reading another thread about tips got me thinking.

If you don't Pre pay or auto-pay on sea pass and choose to tip in cash in person (which I think is much more meaningful), is this info somehow recorded for RCI?

Up until reading the other thread I thought tips were compulsory.

If I chose to not have tips put on sea pass and give cash as i go, will i be counted as a non-tipper?

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

RCCL will add your tips daily to your seapass account now.You can't choose NOT to have this.....as you probably read in the other thread,you can ask to have them removed.But that requires going to Guest services and telling them why you want to.

Sheesh.. so they discourage you from tipping in person.

I guess it's all the same the person gets their tips but it seems so impersonal.

Money money money.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

we always pre-pay gratuities and then tip extra in person.

Haha see that's what I was afraid of! Being sucked in toOver tipping.

I will tip the kids camp and room service because they are not included. But service would Need to be exceptional for me to tip extra.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

First of all, I have my gratuities prepaid for our upcoming trip on navigator :)

 

Reading another thread about tips got me thinking.

If you don't Pre pay or auto-pay on sea pass and choose to tip in cash in person (which I think is much more meaningful), is this info somehow recorded for RCI?

Up until reading the other thread I thought tips were compulsory.

If I chose to not have tips put on sea pass and give cash as i go, will i be counted as a non-tipper?

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Back in the day, well a few months ago :D I know the room stewards & dining staff both had a list with your name, age, status AND if you had prepaid your tips. It's my understanding that recently Royal decided to add tips daily ($12) to your seapass if you don't prepay.

BonVoyage

Dawna

Haha see that's what I was afraid of! Being sucked in toOver tipping.

I will tip the kids camp and room service because they are not included. But service would Need to be exceptional for me to tip extra.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

You are the only one who can decide if you want to add extra. Understanding that the crew knows that the policy is that your have paid your gratuities either thorough MTD prepaid or daily automatic charge to your SeaPass removes any concern by them that you did not pay them. And the only way to not have them paid is for you to remove them daily through guest services.

Therefore there should be no concern for being sucked in to over tipping as you indicate as tipping more is voluntary and only you can add more if you want. And nobody is expecting you to tip more than the recommended amount.

Haha see that's what I was afraid of! Being sucked in toOver tipping.

I will tip the kids camp and room service because they are not included. But service would Need to be exceptional for me to tip extra.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Not at all. It is simply to assure that those who deserve to be tipped get the minimum they deserve rather than what one feels he or she wants to give. I've seen so many posts over the years from those who feel that since the are traveling with three or four kids they can just pay a partial amount since it adds up to a lot of money in their eyes. Rubbish. If they can afford to cruise, they can afford to tip.

I like the new system and that they have made it more difficult to remove the tips.

Haha see that's what I was afraid of! Being sucked in toOver tipping.

I will tip the kids camp and room service because they are not included. But service would Need to be exceptional for me to tip extra.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

That would be the only reason to tip over and above the recommended amount. :)

I've never commented on a tipping thread before so, for what it's worth, here's my view on the whole thing.

I do not see the $12/day so-called-gratuity as a gratuity at all. It's simply a service charge and is factored into the cost of the trip. (Just like baggage fees for the airlines get factored in to the total airfare cost even though it's paid separately.) Regardless of the level of service we pay it (and I like that it's automatically applied - it's easier that way.)

We always have a certain amout of cash available for cash tips - this is what we consider to be the actual tip. Every cruise there is always two or three that we feel deserve a good tip. Last cruise it was the head waiter (who got a big one,) the assistant waiter, and a server in the theatre who served us every day and did a great job.

So I guess it's all a case of perception. I suspect that this will all be moot at some point though. The cruise lines will charge the gratuities up front due at the same time as, but listed separate from, final payment. And they will be mandatory.

(Oh, and if you really have a problem with the service you received, a much more effective method of showing your displeasure, rather than withholding tip, is to comment on it specifying names where possible on the satisfaction survey.)

Haha see that's what I was afraid of! Being sucked in toOver tipping.

I will tip the kids camp and room service because they are not included. But service would Need to be exceptional for me to tip extra.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

How can you be 'sucked into over tipping'? You don't HAVE to tip anything extra. And there's nothing wrong with not doing it.

I have mixed feelings about the auto-tipping RCI is applying. I am glad that all of the staff are getting tips that they deserve.

On the other hand, I remember when I was a waitress (for about 3 months--I do not possess that skills set, so I really admire those who do and do jobs like that well!), we had to declare, for tax purposes, 15% gratuity on all of our sales whether we earned it or not. For untalented waitresses like me, it could be difficult to earn the full 15%, but for the really talented waitstaff, they could earn far more than 15% and not have to declare more than 15% for tax purposes. While I would never normally support tax evasion, I have to admit that I always thought it was cool that waitstaff could earn money they didn't have to pay taxes on.

Of course, that was twenty years ago, and laws may have changed since. Especially with more people paying by way of charge cards, it may be easier to track tips. The world has gotten really Big Brother with governments and companies tracking so much information about individuals' personal choices. I hate when another bit of private information falls into the public information arena.

I have mixed feelings about the auto-tipping RCI is applying. I am glad that all of the staff are getting tips that they deserve.

 

On the other hand, I remember when I was a waitress (for about 3 months--I do not possess that skills set, so I really admire those who do and do jobs like that well!), we had to declare, for tax purposes, 15% gratuity on all of our sales whether we earned it or not. For untalented waitresses like me, it could be difficult to earn the full 15%, but for the really talented waitstaff, they could earn far more than 15% and not have to declare more than 15% for tax purposes. While I would never normally support tax evasion, I have to admit that I always thought it was cool that waitstaff could earn money they didn't have to pay taxes on.

 

Of course, that was twenty years ago, and laws may have changed since. Especially with more people paying by way of charge cards, it may be easier to track tips. The world has gotten really Big Brother with governments and companies tracking so much information about individuals' personal choices. I hate when another bit of private information falls into the public information arena.

Since a great many of them are not US citizens, and the ships are sailing under foreign flags, do they even pay US taxes?

Since a great many of them are not US citizens, and the ships are sailing under foreign flags, do they even pay US taxes?

I'm sure they don't, but how do taxes work in other countries? I am sure in a similar way??

I'm sure they don't, but how do taxes work in other countries? I am sure in a similar way??

When a cruise ship employee works outside of his or her own country onboard a vessel where the employment contract is six months or more in duration, any income earned by that employee is not taxable by their country of origin.

RCCL will add your tips daily to your seapass account now.You can't choose NOT to have this.....as you probably read in the other thread,you can ask to have them removed.But that requires going to Guest services and telling them why you want to.

you don't have to give a reason other than you wish to pay them in person as we do and will continue to do so. we like to thank them in person and give extra if they have gone that extra bit out of their way.

The amount of the "suggested" tip is so minimal that we always carry extra to tip those on our cruise who we feel merit extra, and to this date we haven't had a cruise where we didn't give some extra to someone....these people work hard to make my vacation wonderful and I'm happy to let them know I appreciate it by tipping ..... of course since I'm in the hospitality business I know how hard the work is and how low the pay usually is too.....

The amount of the "suggested" tip is so minimal that we always carry extra to tip those on our cruise who we feel merit extra, and to this date we haven't had a cruise where we didn't give some extra to someone....these people work hard to make my vacation wonderful and I'm happy to let them know I appreciate it by tipping ..... of course since I'm in the hospitality business I know how hard the work is and how low the pay usually is too.....

Have you ever considered that $24 a day may be "minimal" to you but not to others? It takes a long time for my husband and I to save up for a cruise. We cannot take some of the excursions we would like because we cannot afford them. We could not normally afford to do speciality restaurants - (just twice in 7 cruises). I could not afford spa treatments etc. We pay our tips but they are a part of our budget and we save to be able to pay them. We enjoy our cruises and although we may not be able to afford much above what's available for our cruise price that's fine with us. I wish I had a bigger disposable income and could look at $24 a day as a mere pittance but unfortunately not all are that lucky.

Have you ever considered that $24 a day may be "minimal" to you but not to others? It takes a long time for my husband and I to save up for a cruise. We cannot take some of the excursions we would like because we cannot afford them. We could not normally afford to do speciality restaurants - (just twice in 7 cruises). I could not afford spa treatments etc. We pay our tips but they are a part of our budget and we save to be able to pay them. We enjoy our cruises and although we may not be able to afford much above what's available for our cruise price that's fine with us. I wish I had a bigger disposable income and could look at $24 a day as a mere pittance but unfortunately not all are that lucky.

If you can not afford to take advantage of an excursion you want to take while on the cruise, speciality dining once in a while or a few dollars to tip those who provide exceptional service, you should cruise less and save a little longer so that you are prepared to thoroughly enjoy your cruise when you do go.

If you can not afford to take advantage of an excursion you want to take while on the cruise, speciality dining once in a while or a few dollars to tip those who provide exceptional service, you should cruise less and save a little longer so that you are prepared to thoroughly enjoy your cruise when you do go.

Seems to ba a bit of a harsh assessment as to how folks should decide what level of cruise spending is appropriate for their circumstances. Each of us make that personal decision, and shouldn't have to be approved by members on these boards.

Ray in NH

If you can not afford to take advantage of an excursion you want to take while on the cruise, speciality dining once in a while or a few dollars to tip those who provide exceptional service, you should cruise less and save a little longer so that you are prepared to thoroughly enjoy your cruise when you do go.

She never said she did not tip, only that $24 a day is not a pittance. It's not a pittance to many people including me. Just because we don't go to specialty restaurants and go on extravagant excursions doesn't mean we shouldn't cruise when it suits us. Not doing those things doesn't make me enjoy my vacation any less. And yes I do tip.

If you have not tipped than be prepared for sharp pains in the neck area....it is the result of stick pins being jabbed into your voodoo doll image by your crew members below deck.

When a cruise ship employee works outside of his or her own country onboard a vessel where the employment contract is six months or more in duration, any income earned by that employee is not taxable by their country of origin.

Thanks for the info. This just confirms in my mind that I will never understand the taxation process. You said, "not taxable by their country of origin." Is it taxable in the country that the ship is registered in? So Americans who work overseas do not pay taxes?

I am confused. However, an explanation would in all likelihood confuse me more.

As long as the staff are receiving fair payment for fair service, and usually it is more than fair service, I guess that is what matters. :)

seems to ba a bit of a harsh assessment as to how folks should decide what level of cruise spending is appropriate for their circumstances. Each of us make that personal decision, and shouldn't have to be approved by members on these boards.

 

ray in nh

agreed !!