Another gratuity question?

[beastiemom]

OPT OUT? You put cash in envelopes and give it to your servers so there's no opt in or opt out. If I didn't eat in the MDR I wouldn't have a server to give that cash to. I personally have always used the MDR so I've never had this scenario come up but if it did I would not tip servers I never met in the MDR, I'd leave that to the people who used their service.

 

I think you missed my point. You stated in several of your posts that if you ate the WJ, which you asserted was a non-tipping venue, that you would not tip the MDR staff. I don't know about you, but others have indicated that if they ate at the WJ every night, they then shouldn't have to tip anyone. From the tone of your posts, it seems that you feel the same way.

 

MY point was is that you are always assigned to the MDR. My understanding is that there is no way to tell RCCL that you don't want to be assigned a table. Therefore, you will always be assigned a MDR waitstaff. They assign particular tables to that waitstaff for the week, and that staff is counting on the tips from those tables to make their salary. RCCL is expecting you to pay the minimum gratutity for that week regardless of whether you eat in the MDR or not, because those individuals provide much more service to you than just the MDR at dinner. They may work the WJ during breakfast or lunch. You may have breakfast or lunch at the MDR, and they may work there. Regardless of where you are, you are receiving some sort of waitstaff service.

 

If RCCL did not expect you to tip unless you ate in the MDR, they could easily not assign at table at your request (hench the opt out language of my earlier post), and you wouldn't have to worry about the tips for the staff. But you can't, because they expect you to tip your waitstaff, for all the service you receive while on board regardless if it was your actual waiter that gave you the service the entire time. The idea is that if everyone tips as recommended, regardless of which dining venue is chosen, it all evens out among the staff.

 

Look, you don't have to like it, but that is the way that RCCL does it. As I've said earlier, if I had my choice, they would charge everyone the minimum recommended gratuities as a service fee and be done with it. But what I want, and the reality of what is, is different. So I will tip the recommended amount to my waitstaff, regardless of whether we eat there or not. If someone is extra special or does something above and beyond, we will up that amount. And that, to me, is where the choice comes in. I think very rarely is service so poor that it warrants no, or even reduced tip. I mean, honestly it is only about $2.50 pp/pd-how much lower can you go than that? I think that people that are so concerned about their ability to not pay that amount are just looking for excuses not to pay.

 

If you want everything included and not be expected to pay gratuities, then chose a different cruise line or a different type (all inclusive) vacation.

[pcur]

OPT OUT? You put cash in envelopes and give it to your servers so there's no opt in or opt out. If I didn't eat in the MDR I wouldn't have a server to give that cash to. I personally have always used the MDR so I've never had this scenario come up but if it did I would not tip servers I never met in the MDR, I'd leave that to the people who used their service.

 

I don't quite understand why you think the Jammer isn't a tipping venue? It's not a DIRECT tipping venue, but it definitely IS indirectly, as explained many, many, many times on this board.

 

Rule of thumb: if you eat it, dirty it, sleep in it, poop in it, wash in it, or drink from it, SOMEONE is cleaning up after you or preparing something for you. Those people are doing that service for you to EARN THEIR INCOME. So, for pity's sake, pay the people their just amount due, whether you physically see them or not. As stated above, it's not the same as a restaurant on land.

[ruffs]

I still don't understand why they aren't tipped each day and at each meal, but I'm sure it will make more sense after our cruise on Enchantment. We just sailed on NCL, had a wonderful time and great service, ate at many of their specialty restaurants, the MDR, the buffet, room service, etc., and they just charged a fixed amount daily for tips.

 

The fixed tip could be removed but of course we didn't and even usually tipped extra.

 

I'm guessing the service on RC will be even better but who knows.

[138east]

ruffs - they aren't tipped everyday at every meal because none of the cruise guests really want to go around with lots of small bills to leave for tips every time they get service. Think of it as a pooled team effort - the wait staff is a team and the cruise guests are a team. The wait staff team provide all the services you required and the cruise guest team tip a certain amount for those services. It's a different model than the one we are used to in the US.

 

There is no set price for any given meal. However, if you tip $7/day for food service, that puts the total value of your meals at $47 for a 15% tip or $35 for a 20% tip. Where can you go on vacation and eat 3 or more meals a day (at least one of which can be an elegant 4-5 course meal with table linen, silverware, and glassware) for around $40?

[amybear912]

The WJ is usually not a tipping venue anyway. I really think you need to stop bullying people into your way of thinking. My opinion is just as valid as yours, actually more so in this case because i am following RCL's guidelines.

 

Actually, you are not following the guidelines... Again, there is no documentation that states that wait staff tips apply only to the MDR...

 

Your "opinion" is what it is... an opinion.. it certainly is not the standard of civilized society's expectation...

 

Furthermore, if you are having tips added to your SeaPass account you have no way of knowing who specifically is receiving those tips... the only way you could control exactly who the tips are going to is to tip in cash and hand it to a specific person (which many do)...

 

To even further the point... any buffet restaurant on land we have eaten at has still been a tipping venue... there is a server and that person provides a service to us... According to Emily Post the standard tip for a buffet venue is 10%...

 

Ergo, follow the guidelines per the cruise documentation and you have full-filled your civilized society expectation....:rolleyes:

[Tracy67]

Hello

Hopefully someone can answer this question - I have scanned this thread and others similar and not found the exact answer so apologies if this has been queried many times before!:o

The British v American system is very different and as I am used to the British systen I obviously prefer it - pay more for the cruise but have tips included and then all you have to worry about is spending money.

We are looking at a cruise on Independence of the Seas and have so far got three prices which range by £600 for the same cabin grade. I am not sure whether tips are included for each quote but need to investigate further.

If we choose to prepay tips (even though we are likely to eat in the WJ and pizza place a lot) can we then forget about tips for everyone and just worry about spending money.

Thanks

[138east]

If you prepay tips, you have covered everything except the porters at the pier and room service plus any other extraordinary service (example - if you had someone come to your room with a wheelchair to take you off the ship to the dock). If you purchase drinks, an automatic tip will be added.

[steponboard]

Actually, you are not following the guidelines... Again, there is no documentation that states that wait staff tips apply only to the MDR...

 

Your "opinion" is what it is... an opinion.. it certainly is not the standard of civilized society's expectation...

 

... According to Emily Post the standard tip for a buffet venue is 10%...

 

..:rolleyes:

 

Emily Post is referring to a land based restaurant not a ship. I will follow what I believe to be civilized. Service equals gratuity no services doesn't. Opionions are to shared on this board not ridiculed. The more you flame someone the more they will dig their heels in and not listen.

[amybear912]

Tell you what...

 

Provide some written documentation from the cruiseline indicating that the WJ is not a tipping venue... or that it is not included in the suggested gratuity guidelines...

 

BTW, you are not being flamed... you are being educated...

[whyrlygig]

Go with your gut and do what feels like the right thing for you. What anyone else thinks about your spending habits is just plain unimportant!

[TBSCruiser]

Emily Post is referring to a land based restaurant not a ship. I will follow what I believe to be civilized. Service equals gratuity no services doesn't. Opionions are to shared on this board not ridiculed. The more you flame someone the more they will dig their heels in and not listen.

 

Where does it say in RCCL literature or website if you eat in the buffet you don't have to tip? It is a shame that good hard working people who will take care of you all week are being screwed out of tips because of your attitude and "opinion".

[CaboWabo62]

If guests choose not to eat in the Main Dining Room should they still be obligated to tip the MDR waitstaff? I fully understand that tips are part of the income for the crew, and always tip room steward, room service, and waitstaff in other dining venues.

 

WOW did this go off the tracks.:rolleyes:

In my original question I believe other dining venues includes the buffet.

We always tip the staff in WJ in cash after eating. My thought was that I would tip the waitperson directly. Typically more than RCCL guidelines

for the MDR.

Thank You all for the sensible replies, and overboard reactions to a simple question.

[colinmc123]

if "tipping" is so essential for these people then why not have higher wages, raise prices by 10%, cover the tips, and go over board for good service, in life you tip when you have yourself services, NOT at mcdonalds, so if my drinks are brought to me i will tip etc, room service and such, but as you pay for a cruise, no one wants to be harrassed in paying 10 bucks more per day unless you feel like they deserve it.

[lovemylab]

The WJ is usually not a tipping venue anyway. I really think you need to stop bullying people into your way of thinking. My opinion is just as valid as yours, actually more so in this case because i am following RCL's guidelines.

 

I am curious to see the RCL guidelines that you seem to think you are following.

 

RCCL's guidelines state that guests should tip their dining room waiter, assistant waiter and head waiter:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do;jsessionid=0000iZApEqigyiqkFzWR9sbGr1u:13hldio7n?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=After+You+Purchase&faqId=263&faqSubjectId=323&faqType=faq

 

 

OPT OUT? You put cash in envelopes and give it to your servers so there's no opt in or opt out. If I didn't eat in the MDR I wouldn't have a server to give that cash to. I personally have always used the MDR so I've never had this scenario come up but if it did I would not tip servers I never met in the MDR, I'd leave that to the people who used their service.

 

Not everyone tips in cash. On my previous cruises I had my gratuities added to my seapass account. On my upcoming cruise they were prepaid when I booked MTD. In both these situations I didn't have the option of telling the cruiseline that I wish to exclude certain individuals.

 

The MDR staff that serve you at dinner also provide food service during breakfast, lunch and in the Windjammer. By tipping the suggested amount to the MDR waiters that have been assigned to you, it is ensuring that nobody gets stiffed. And yes, even if you choose to not eat in the MDR you still have a server that has been assigned to you.

 

I normally tip above the recommended guidelines as I feel the waitstaff deserves more than $6.25 a day for the services they provide me. If I was not planning on eating in the MDR I would do the following: I would still tip the recommended amount by having them added to my seapass (this would ensure the MDR staff is covered). I would then leave a few dollars for the staff that serve me in the Windjammer each night.

[colinmc123]

im also a university student low on cash,

and whats the point of having my room cleaned twice daily if there is nothing to clean. towels is part of job, so my tips will solely be based on service needed

[SDPadreFan]

:mad: "Mandatory service charge"...I think NOT....Everyone has the right to tip as much as they want, when they want, and to who they want...a few people that do not understand this have no right to impose a change for the majority that do.....

 

Actually, there are many restaurants that have a mandatory service charge so if you "choose" to go to one of those establishments, you give up that "right to tip as much as they want, when they want, and to who they want".

 

RCCL has the "right" to establish a mandatory service charge if they want to. It's their company. They have actually already done this if you "choose" to elect "My Time Dining". Look how popular "My Time Dining" has become. You don't get to demand "My Time Dining" and refuse to prepay your tips.

 

RCCL could easily decide to go fleet wide with a mandatory service charge if they choose to. You have the right to either continue to sail with RCCL. Pick another line, pick another vacation, or just sit at home looking at all that money you saved (@ $21 per person for the dining part of a 7 day cruise) with a big grin on your face thinking "Wow - just think of all the things I can get with $21".

[cmhmarine]

The whole tipping argument is crap. You should because thats what is expected.

 

I wish it was automatic and included, as it was on my last Silversea cruise that included everything. The level of food, accommadations, service was much better than Mass Market Cruises, so I paid one price and got cruise, food, tips, alcohol, air, transfers, room service, entertainment all included.

 

If you dont like to tip, look at some that include everything, or book through a travel agent that will pay your gratuities for you.

[colinmc123]

many of those restaurants are high end, they have mandatory tips for alcohol.... the point of tipping is not just tip cause they need it, its tip for service. i may not eat in the diner place much. and i would be all for mandatory service charges or raise price of cruises and then tip only for service. If they belong to a union then their wages are high enough. They can establish a mandatory charge but they cannot incur charges on you for which you do not accept.I have read plently of times when the service has been horrific so that is why they have open tipping policies.

[colinmc123]

Never said i dont tip...and no you dont tip because it is expected. if you go to a restaurant and your waitress is crap does that affect tipping YES!

everything should be included it would make life so much easier.

[138east]

For colinmc123 who is low on cash - Here are some of the tasks that can be performed by the room steward when he refreshes your room twice a day - cleaning the bathroom including the sink, vanity, floor, shower, and toilet, replacing used towels and glasses and carting away the used items, ensuring you have soap, tissues, and toilet paper, making the beds, turning down the beds, emptying the trash, removing glasses, plates and silver you have brought back to the room, vacuuming, and filling the ice bucket. The stewards earn their living from the tips provided by the cruise guests.

[SDPadreFan]

The whole tipping argument is crap. You should because thats what is expected.

 

I wish it was automatic and included, as it was on my last Silversea cruise that included everything. The level of food, accommadations, service was much better than Mass Market Cruises, so I paid one price and got cruise, food, tips, alcohol, air, transfers, room service, entertainment all included.

 

If you dont like to tip, look at some that include everything, or book through a travel agent that will pay your gratuities for you.

 

For the price you pay for Silversea, that could certainly be expected. The Mass Market lines will never try to compete with Silversea, Seaborne, etc. I would love to be able to afford that, but until I win the lottery (not likely since I don't gamble), I'll just continue to enjoy the mass market lines and tip not only the suggested amount, but above that for excellent service.

[colinmc123]

thanks, ill tip for service. after my cruise ill post on the quality i received and the amounts i tipped.

[uksimonusa]

thanks, ill tip for service. after my cruise ill post on the quality i received and the amounts i tipped.

 

when are you cruising, so I can make sure to check back?

[colinmc123]

dec 14th-18th.

[SDPadreFan]

if "tipping" is so essential for these people then why not have higher wages, raise prices by 10%, cover the tips, and go over board for good service, in life you tip when you have yourself services, NOT at mcdonalds, so if my drinks are brought to me i will tip etc, room service and such, but as you pay for a cruise, no one wants to be harrassed in paying 10 bucks more per day unless you feel like they deserve it.

 

Just curious since I know you said you were low on cash and I can certainly understand that. It's obvious you want to go on a cruise. If the cruise line raised the price of the cruise for each person by $70 (for a 7 day cruise, $30 for a 3 day cruise, etc.), would you still go. If the answer is yes, then what is the difference. $70 = $70. The only difference is the manner in which it is collected.

 

How the company collects the money, really doesn't matter. It's really just about perception because $70 is still $70. When I book a cruise, I know up front (it's all in the cruise contract I agree to). Somethings are expected (rules) + there are suggestions. If my cruise costs me $1500 (cabin + taxes, etc), it's still fairly simple for even my simple mind to figure out my real cruise cost is $1640 for my wife and I ($140 for the suggested gratuities). There are no surprises here. I make my economic decision based upon $1640 and not $1500. $1640 then becomes the minimum cost for our vacation. It then becomes our choice whether to pay a minimum of $1640 to enjoy a 7 day cruise on a fabulous cruise ship or not. All the other costs are truly optional. Alternative dining, shore excursions, alcohol, etc. Bottom line, we can choose to cruise for that $1640 plus any additional costs we voluntarily incur, or we can choose to spent that $1640 on a land vacation and see how far that gets us.