Not thrilled with being forced to pre pay tips for My Time Dining

[SGM Arty]

I am not happy with having to Pre pay tips for choosing My Time Dining. The last cruise I booked I could not get an 8:30 seating and had to be placed on a wait list. Last night I booked a cruise and did not have an option for either a 6:30 or 8:30 seating. I still had to pre pay the tips.

 

First of all RC is having trouble filling the cruise that I booked. There have been extra discounts such as Crown and Anchor member discounts, Over 55 discounts, and bonus C & A loyalty points if you book the cruise. When I booked the cruise the Royal Carribean rep was asking what area of the deck I would like my room. She said "there were plenty to choose from". How is it then that neither a 6:30 or 8:30 seating was available?

 

Why am I forced to prepay tips when I have no other option?

 

Secondly when you prepay tips for my time dining you pay for all tips including Cabin steward and Assistant. What does that have to do with dining?

 

I am on a wait list for 8:30 seating. If I get the 8:30 seating the prepaid tips will not be removed from my bill unless I call ask request it.

 

I usually pre pay my tips anyway but I do it on my timeline. The way RC is setting this up I have to pay my cruise price including tips 90 days out. The money I earn by keeping $160 in the bank until just before the cruise when I pay it is probably negligible. I feel it should be my choice though of when to give it up.

 

This is a bad policy.:(

[Cruzaholic41]

If they are having trouble filling the ship, why is all the fixed dining full? :confused:

[Langley Cruisers]

Sorry you feel this way. Just venting, or are you seriously asking why things are done this way?

 

MTD is wonderful. You can eat at any time you want. Some people don't understand this - of course, RCI wanting us to make reservations doesn't help. However, you can just go when you want and unless you are showing up during peak dining times, you should be able to be seated within a few minutes if not right away.

 

Big bubbles, no troubles. :)

[negc]

I am not happy with having to Pre pay tips for choosing My Time Dining. The last cruise I booked I could not get an 8:30 seating and had to be placed on a wait list. Last night I booked a cruise and did not have an option for either a 6:30 or 8:30 seating. I still had to pre pay the tips.

 

First of all RC is having trouble filling the cruise that I booked. There have been extra discounts such as Crown and Anchor member discounts, Over 55 discounts, and bonus C & A loyalty points if you book the cruise. When I booked the cruise the Royal Carribean rep was asking what area of the deck I would like my room. She said "there were plenty to choose from". How is it then that neither a 6:30 or 8:30 seating was available?

 

Why am I forced to prepay tips when I have no other option?

 

Secondly when you prepay tips for my time dining you pay for all tips including Cabin steward and Assistant. What does that have to do with dining?

 

I am on a wait list for 8:30 seating. If I get the 8:30 seating the prepaid tips will not be removed from my bill unless I call ask request it.

 

I usually pre pay my tips anyway but I do it on my timeline. The way RC is setting this up I have to pay my cruise price including tips 90 days out. The money I earn by keeping $160 in the bank until just before the cruise when I pay it is probably negligible. I feel it should be my choice though of when to give it up.

 

This is a bad policy.:(

 

You can always wait until you board and try to sign up for MTD at that time. Your tips will be added to your onboard account. If they are having so much trouble filling the ship, I would think your chances of getting MTD would still be good.

As far as why your tips for your room steward are concerned, I believe that it is just much simpler for them to group all of the tips into one charge than break out the room steward's gratuities. Since you intend to pay the suggested tips anyway, I think that your concern over being required to pay them in advance is a bit misplaced.It is what it is, whether or not you or I like it and as you say the amount of interest you will lose really is negligible. If the principle is so important to you, perhaps you have chosen the wrong line to cruise with. Frankly, If I were you, I'd pick my fights and not become overly upset about what many feel is a minor issue.

[kag19]

I am on the wait list for 8:30 dining on the cruise I booked today as well and had to prepay the gratuities. The cruise I am taking isn't until December and isn't full yet either so I don't get this either. We usually prepay our gratuities as well but as the OP stated I would rather do it on my timeline, not because they are forcing me to.

[SGM Arty]

If they are having trouble filling the ship, why is all the fixed dining full? :confused:

 

This is my thought exactly. Do they allow less tables to people who want fixed dining times to accomodate my time diners?

[Lost_in_BC]

If I'm reading you right, your complaint is that you were looking for assigned seating, either the early or late seating, but none were available. Because of that you are being forced to choose MTD and pre pay your tips. Correct?

 

It does seem odd that both would be full if they are having difficulty filling the ship. Have you called RCI directly to see if this is a mistake?

[Debde]

I am in total agreement with you. The word Tip and pre-pay should never be in the same sentence IMHO. To me, it is not a tip anymore.

 

I won't do MTD for that reason. There are many ways to create your own version of MTD that does not require an advance so called tip.;)

[akcruz]

Here is another thread from earlier today with the same topic and some suggestions as to why -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1602489

[kag19]

If I'm reading you right, your complaint is that you were looking for assigned seating, either the early or late seating, but none were available. Because of that you are being forced to choose MTD and pre pay your tips. Correct?

 

It does seem odd that both would be full if they are having difficulty filling the ship. Have you called RCI directly to see if this is a mistake?

 

In my case I called RCI directly to book and was forced into MTD because all the regular seatings were already booked. Strange since the cruise isn't until December. They said that some time slots should open up within a month or two so keep checking back. They must block off tables for groups and then open then up if they don't get a full booking from the group??? Strange though. They should put people on the waitlist and then if you are forced into MTD at the final payment then add the gratuities at that point.

[SGM Arty]

You can always wait until you board and try to sign up for MTD at that time. Your tips will be added to your onboard account. If they are having so much trouble filling the ship, I would think your chances of getting MTD would still be good.

As far as why your tips for your room steward are concerned, I believe that it is just much simpler for them to group all of the tips into one charge than break out the room steward's gratuities. Since you intend to pay the suggested tips anyway, I think that your concern over being required to pay them in advance is a bit misplaced.It is what it is, whether or not you or I like it and as you say the amount of interest you will lose really is negligible. If the principle is so important to you, perhaps you have chosen the wrong line to cruise with. Frankly, If I were you, I'd pick my fights and not become overly upset about what many feel is a minor issue.

 

I do not want the My Time Dining. My wife and I like the late seating for dinner. We like to come back to the ship after the excursion of the day and relax before dinner. We feel that having the same waiter and asst waiter to get to know and interact with is one of the highlights of many of the cruises we have been on. We have met some couple as tablemates that we have had a great time with and have been another highlight of past cruises. my issues are with not having the option for a late or early seating and having to pre pay the tips.

[TravelerThom]

We signed up for the 22 Nov 2012 Independence otS TransAtlantic. I think the entry price of $599 for 13 nights!! is a clue that the ship is selling pretty poorly. Yet we also were told "No assigned MDR available; you have to sign up for MTD with pre-paid tips due in advance". While I think that we will clear MDR wait list prior to final payment, RCI is generating considerable ill-will with this policy.

 

Thom

[cb at sea]

It really sounds like they are going to move to having everyone pay their tips in advance or at least, add them to your account. Almost all the other cruiselines do tips that way now.

 

But, unless it's a new policy, they really shouldn't make you add tips to your account until AT LEAST you board the ship!

[Glencraigs]

If you don't like it why not go to another cruise line! Nobody is forcing you to go this particular cruise with MTD. There are lots of bargains out there, have a look. But perhaps even with a few strange conditions RCI is very good value.

[SGM Arty]

If I'm reading you right, your complaint is that you were looking for assigned seating, either the early or late seating, but none were available. Because of that you are being forced to choose MTD and pre pay your tips. Correct?

 

It does seem odd that both would be full if they are having difficulty filling the ship. Have you called RCI directly to see if this is a mistake?

 

This is correct. I was looking for a late seating. It just struck a nerve with me that i had no option but to choose My Time Dining and am forced to pre pay the tips ( which I will eventually do anyway)

 

It just seems like they have found a way to seperate people from their money sooner than it needs to be.

[FreshOffTheBoat]

This has happened to me as well. I don't really get it either

[JillLovesTravel]

I do not want the My Time Dining. My wife and I like the late seating for dinner. We like to come back to the ship after the excursion of the day and relax before dinner. We feel that having the same waiter and asst waiter to get to know and interact with is one of the highlights of many of the cruises we have been on. We have met some couple as tablemates that we have had a great time with and have been another highlight of past cruises. my issues are with not having the option for a late or early seating and having to pre pay the tips.

 

Can't you just book the cruise and be wait listed for one of the fixed dinner seating times? If you are on a wait list you don't have to prepay, do you? I have been wait listed and then shortly thereafter (within a few weeks) was assigned a dining time.

[NorbertsNiece]

Suggestion : ask to remove the pre paid gratuities. Tell them that at this time you are intending to dine exclusively either in the specialty restaurants or in Windjammer. Absolutely refuse to be allocated to MTD. Later on more dining options should become available. It doesn't make sense that both seatings are fully allocated so far out.

[negc]

I do not want the My Time Dining. My wife and I like the late seating for dinner. We like to come back to the ship after the excursion of the day and relax before dinner. We feel that having the same waiter and asst waiter to get to know and interact with is one of the highlights of many of the cruises we have been on. We have met some couple as tablemates that we have had a great time with and have been another highlight of past cruises. my issues are with not having the option for a late or early seating and having to pre pay the tips.

 

We have had MTD and the same wait staff and the same dining time when we wished. So the two are not mutually incompatible. If the time is important you can easily replicate the early or late seating times and if having good tablemates is important, you could, when you meet such people who also have MTD, arrange to dine together and have the same experience you would get in traditional dining. Being "forced" to pay something you are going to pay anyway, is, I guess, the price of having the flexibility that MTD offers. If that is unacceptable you can request to be put on a wait list for traditional dining and it is most likely that you will have it by the time you board.

[ZoeyVictoria]

I understand your frustration. We once booked a 2-night cruise to nowhere (on another cruiseline) for seventeen family members as our wedding celebration. Our intent was to pay the cruise fare for everybody but they would pay their own onboard expenses. We were forced to pre-pay tips when we made final payment. A small amount of money times seventeen equals a not-so-small amount of money.

[Puffinater]

If I am reading this right? They have added the pre pay to your invoice? If that is the case you have not prepaid anything as of yet. Yes it is on the invoice but you will not pay them until final payment. My guess is that you will be put into traditional dining before your final payment is due. Seems to be happening quite a bit lately. Happened to us twice. If you do get assigned a traditional time when you call to make the final payment just have them remove the tips.

[DonnaK]

It happened to me for the last 3 cruises I booked (well in advance). In one case, traditional dining wait-lists were full too, but I kept checking back until spots opened and I was able to get listed on it.

 

All 3 times, I cleared the wait list months before final payment. Then, I called and had the autotips removed. (I re-added them once I was on the ship so I could use OBC to pay for them)

 

It's really not that much of a big deal as it seems.

[kag19]

I just got a call from my vacation planner from RCI and the time and seating we wanted has already freed up since this morning when we booked so we are no longer on the wait list. Seems odd but hey, I will take it! Maybe the OP should call as suggested by a previous poster because they may already be off the wait list too. Then ask to get the pre-paid gratuities taken off the account as well.

[SGM Arty]

Can't you just book the cruise and be wait listed for one of the fixed dinner seating times? If you are on a wait list you don't have to prepay, do you? I have been wait listed and then shortly thereafter (within a few weeks) was assigned a dining time.

 

Yes you have to pre pay the tips even if you are on the wait list. I am on the wait list for an 8:30 seating. If I get the 8:30 seating then I have to call RC to have them remove the pre paid tips off my bill.

[cruisenfever]

Yes you have to pre pay the tips even if you are on the wait list. I am on the wait list for an 8:30 seating. If I get the 8:30 seating then I have to call RC to have them remove the pre paid tips off my bill.

Pre-paying gratuities has never been a requirement if you are booked for traditional dining. It is only applied if you request MTD prior to boarding.

 

Sounds like you are already assigned MTD so the gratuities are automatically added to your invoice. If you are waitlisted for 8:30 Late Seating which is traditional dining, then those gratuities will automatically be removed once you have been assigned that time.