Gratuities

I just read a review stating that: it is not true that gratuities are to be automatically paid. I think the review was written by a RCL cruiser. Does a person have an option? Would you have to pay the $25.00 a day, or is there another way to do this?

I just read a review stating that: it is not true that gratuities are to be automatically paid. I think the review was written by a RCL cruiser. Does a person have an option? Would you have to pay the $25.00 a day, or is there another way to do this?

Need more info. Are you from the US, Australia, or another country, what cruise line?

Generally speaking it is rude and ignorant to remove the autotips. If you can't afford to tip, you might want to take a different type of vacation--like camping--where you aren't likely to run into people who should be tipped.

I was only wondering about the tipping. It's a Independence Of The Seas cruise, Caribbean cruise. Is it automatically billed?

I was only wondering about the tipping. It's a Independence Of The Seas cruise, Caribbean cruise. Is it automatically billed?

Tips will be automatically charged to your ship board account. You also have the opportunity to pay them in advance, which many prefer.

Yes...nowadays, they simply charge the tips to your shipboard account, unless you've paid them in advance. The folks GETTING the tips do NOT receive them until the cruise is over, so you don't have to worry about a decline in service!

To be honest, the auto tip is the easiest way....you don't have to find those you're supposed to tip, and it's easier all around. You can ask to have the tips removed, but I really don't know why anyone would do that...

If you want to tip someone more than the "suggested" amounts, you can easily do that in cash on the last evening.

I was only wondering about the tipping. It's a Independence Of The Seas cruise, Caribbean cruise. Is it automatically billed?

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

Here is a link for Royal Caribbean where there will be lots of nice people to answer your questions.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

Here is a link for Independence Of The Seas, you can go to this link then scroll down and find the date of your specific cruise. That way you can communicate with others who will be on your cruise.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=457

Have fun! :)

I was only wondering about the tipping. It's a Independence Of The Seas cruise, Caribbean cruise. Is it automatically billed?

Many cruise lines (including Royal) automatically add tips to the onboard account for the convenience of the guest (and yes, it is more convenient than stuffing an envelope with cash). They may be adjusted should service expectations not be met.

I was only wondering about the tipping. It's a Independence Of The Seas cruise, Caribbean cruise. Is it automatically billed?

I just sailed on this ship. I prefer to give cash tips so I went to the guest relations desk and had the automatic tips removed. If you prefer the auto tipping the charge will go on the credit card you have on file.

Independence is a wonderful ship. Have a great time.

I was only wondering about the tipping. It's a Independence Of The Seas cruise, Caribbean cruise. Is it automatically billed?

As already answered, yes, it is automatically billed to your on board account. However, if you opted for My Time Dining, you are charged the gratuities prior to the cruise.

Don't forget about room service, the staff bringing you your order are usually volunteers working for extra tips. If you remove your auto tips you are shorting many behind the scenes workers and the buffet staff.

Here's how it works with RCI. My Time Dining is prepaid at the time of final payment with no on board gratuities charged. Fixed time dining options have gratuities charged daily to your SeaPass account. You can always add additional amounts at the end if you wish in cash.

You can opt to prepay the on board charged gratuities as well or ask to have them removed from auto pay at guest services on board if you wish to pay them directly at the end of the cruise. They will ask to be sure that you are not removing them for service reasons, however.

Any of the Concierges if you qualify to use them and their bartenders in the Concierge Lounge or Diamond Club are not included in the auto gratuities and should be tipped separately. Overnight room service also can be tipped.

The amounts are $12 per day per person in standard staterooms and $14.25 per day per person in Grand Suites and higher. They are split among the stateroom attendants and wait staff. (This includes the Windjammer service). Part of the specialty restaurant fee is allocated as gratuity for the service staff there.

The auto tip is the most efficient way to cover all employees. Opting out would short some who provide service, whatever alternative you may choose.

I just sailed on this ship. I prefer to give cash tips so I went to the guest relations desk and had the automatic tips removed.

Keep in mind that if auto tips are removed in favor of tipping in person, the few people you elect to give tips to are REQUIRED to turn them into the tipping pool for the appropriate people to share. If they don't, they risk being reprimanded, or worse, fired. By insisting on tipping in person you aren't helping anyone but yourself as it puts those service people in the position of being watched to make sure they turn in any cash tips they may receive. The names and stateroom numbers of those who remove auto tips are posted for all crew members to see. Anyone affected by that removal will be watching closely those who may be the benefactor of a cash tip to make sure they don't short everyone else.

However, if you keep the auto tips in place, which automatically distributes the tips to the appropriate people in the tip pool (such as those people who support your stateroom attendant and your MDR wait staff), those lucky people can keep the extra as it is considered a recognition of them giving you better than expected service levels.

Bottom line - always leave the auto tips in place for the most effective distribution of those monies, and only tip extra in cash to those you feel gave you better than expected service.

We prefer to pay the gratuities in advance at time of final payment, and cash tip only those who provided excellent service. This minimizes our final bill at the end of the cruise which always seems to be much more than we anticipated. :eek:

Many cruise lines (including Royal) automatically add tips to the onboard account for the convenience of the guest (and yes, it is more convenient than stuffing an envelope with cash). They may be adjusted should service expectations not be met.

We started cruising in the days before flexible dining (which I believe is one major reason why autogratuities were instituted). I find it easier to have the cruise line put them on our folio every night. No need to carry around cash to tip this person or that (I do have a pen in my purse so if we have a crew member go beyond the call of duty, I'll write down the info from their name badge so we can fill out a "Consummate Host" card as they're called on Princess). At the end of the cruise, we just figure out if we want to tip our steward or waiter extra.

But if you are having a problem with your steward or waitstaff, it's better to talk to the passenger services desk and ask them to fix the problem. Hopefully you'll get better service and adjusting the tips will be off the table.

I just sailed on this ship. I prefer to give cash tips so I went to the guest relations desk and had the automatic tips removed. If you prefer the auto tipping the charge will go on the credit card you have on file.

 

Independence is a wonderful ship. Have a great time.

You may want to ask on the board for your cruise line to make sure removing your auto tips aren't going to actually hurt any workers. I understand that on Princess, if you tip in cash to a crew member (meaning your steward or waitstaff), they have to turn in the money to their supervisor along with your cabin number. The supervisor will check to see if you'd removed the tips. If yes, that money goes into a tipping pool and your worker actually gets less. If no, the cash will be given back to the worker.

If the worker pockets the cash, and is discovered (which is likely given the close quarters they share), they will be fired, and must then pay for their own way home.

Also on Princess (and perhaps the other lines), if you remove the auto-tips, the crew members involved will be asked by their supervisors if they did something to displease you.

Better to just keep the tips on.

We like the auto tips. Just makes life easier.

Hated stuffing envelopes and figuring out how much to tip

Saddest thing was the last dinner, the traditional time to hand out tips. The MDR was only half full.

We like the auto tips. Just makes life easier.

 

Hated stuffing envelopes and figuring out how much to tip

Saddest thing was the last dinner, the traditional time to hand out tips. The MDR was only half full.

I want to say that we've skipped MDR the last night on two of our cruises with set dining and still tipped. On one cruise we sought out the servers before dinner service began and handed them their envelopes. On the other we just left the auto tips on the account and let the concierge sort it out. Just because people aren't there, it doesn't mean they've stiffed the servers.

I want to say that we've skipped MDR the last night on two of our cruises with set dining and still tipped. On one cruise we sought out the servers before dinner service began and handed them their envelopes. On the other we just left the auto tips on the account and let the concierge sort it out. Just because people aren't there, it doesn't mean they've stiffed the servers.

After auto tips were standardized there was a very noticeable increase in the number of people dining in the MDR on the last night. It's hard to imagine a more plausible reason why so many chose to dine elsewhere on that last night before, and now chose the MDR afterwards.

Besides, in your second example, whether or not you dined in the MDR any nights at all, the tips were taken care of because you had auto tips in place.

In Australia they have introduced it but you can still have them removed in board and do yourself if you want to pay directly

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I'm not trying to tell anyone how, when or who to tip....just stating a fact some may not be aware of. When you remove auto gratuities, you do stiff some people. A small portion goes to other housekeeping staff who you don't normally see.

Rude and ignorant?:rolleyes: Telling someone to take a different vacation if they can't tip is actually rude and ignorant. Tipping is an individual choice, not yours or anyone else. :rolleyes:

I hope that those who don't tip tell their server in advance. I'll bet 99.9% wouldn't have the kahunas.

I hope that those who don't tip tell their server in advance. I'll bet 99.9% wouldn't have the kahunas.

If I chose to not tip, I wouldn't tell the server before anymore than I would tell a server at a restaurant at home. But you obviously missed my point about telling someone to take a different vacation if they can't or won't tip.

Let me first state I would never consider not tipping.

However I am curious...do you think the pay level and hours was kept from all the workers in the cruise industry until AFTER they chose to sign their contract? From what I understand, getting one of those jobs is not real easy.

They deserve to be fairly compensated. The problem comes from the word "fairly"...almost as many definitions as there are people (that comment was not intended to be literal...just in case you wanted to start picking nits).

I would prefer if all cruise lines did away with "gratuities" and simply raised the per day price accordingly. After all, if it is automatically added it really isn't a tip...it is a fee.

Let me first state I would never consider not tipping.

 

However I am curious...do you think the pay level and hours was kept from all the workers in the cruise industry until AFTER they chose to sign their contract? From what I understand, getting one of those jobs is not real easy.

 

They deserve to be fairly compensated. The problem comes from the word "fairly"...almost as many definitions as there are people (that comment was not intended to be literal...just in case you wanted to start picking nits).

 

I would prefer if all cruise lines did away with "gratuities" and simply raised the per day price accordingly. After all, if it is automatically added it really isn't a tip...it is a fee.

What any of us prefer is really irrelevant because it won't change anything- if cruise line compensation is going to change it is going to be because of the crews insisting on the change or the cruise line's deciding that compensation model makes more sense, not because of passenger "druthers". That being said one must recognize that for the tipped and tipped out staff onboard the mainstream cruise lines the tips represent a very large percentage of their total income- they receive a small base salary with the rest of their income coming from tips.

As for fair, most of the staff is able to earn 2 to 4 times more working for a cruise line than they could earn at home with comparable employment, so I would expect they think their income is fair. Of course what most people object to is that it should be the cruise line providing the compensation and not the passengers. Again, that's not the way things work even if we felt that is the way that it should be. When you eat out at a restaurant in the US (with a few exceptions) the waitstaff is earning about a third of the minimum wage with the rest of their income coming from the tips they receive. So really, what's the difference?

When one thinks about it $12 or so per day is a great deal when one considers all of the service one receives for that amount. A couple of months ago I had to eat out twice in the same day for brunch and for dinner. My tips came to $9.50 per person for the two meals, and we weren't eating at expensive establishments either.

What any of us prefer is really irrelevant because it won't change anything- if cruise line compensation is going to change it is going to be because of the crews insisting on the change or the cruise line's deciding that compensation model makes more sense, not because of passenger "druthers". That being said one must recognize that for the tipped and tipped out staff onboard the mainstream cruise lines the tips represent a very large percentage of their total income- they receive a small base salary with the rest of their income coming from tips.

 

As for fair, most of the staff is able to earn 2 to 4 times more working for a cruise line than they could earn at home with comparable employment, so I would expect they think their income is fair. Of course what most people object to is that it should be the cruise line providing the compensation and not the passengers. Again, that's not the way things work even if we felt that is the way that it should be. When you eat out at a restaurant in the US (with a few exceptions) the waitstaff is earning about a third of the minimum wage with the rest of their income coming from the tips they receive. So really, what's the difference?

 

When one thinks about it $12 or so per day is a great deal when one considers all of the service one receives for that amount. A couple of months ago I had to eat out twice in the same day for brunch and for dinner. My tips came to $9.50 per person for the two meals, and we weren't eating at expensive establishments either.

well spoken - when you consider that a $12 tip is pretty normal now for a $60 dinner in the states, then the daily cruise tip is pretty darn reasonable.

We like the auto tips. Just makes life easier.

It sure does! Personally, I would no more remove the auto tip from my account than I'd voluntarily jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, or "fall over board".