How do you feel about the new change in RCI's tipping

[BND]

I would prefer that the cruiselines give all their workers extra instead of depending on us to do so.

 

And before I am slammed let me clarify that I am one of these people who will always give extra at the end of the cruise each and everytime.

 

And where exactly do you think the cruiseline will get the "extra" from? Something people don't seem to ever get is that any increased cost to a business/company is passed on in the form of increased cost to the consumer/customer. Kind of like people saying companies need to pay more in taxes. Really? The consumer will end up paying more. Very simple, basic economics.

[Patty00]

We love MTD....needless to say we pre pay gratuities! So, what will happen to the program now? Isn't everyone going to want MTD? On most of the cruises it fills fast and there is no wait list. Will RC now allow for most guests to use MTD? Also, I was told me that it is against the law to force a guest to pre pay gratuities. It is a tip and not part of the cruise fare. Don't know if this is true. Why doesn't RC call it something else or make the cruise all-inclusive including gratuities with a choice for MTD or traditional dinning available for all guests? Princess has a great system for that choice. There is never a problem going to dinner when you want. RC needs to now copy that system.....I am not against pre paid gratuities, however, I will be if I book late and can't get MTD!!!

[rpb718]

I posted a version of the following in a similar thread, but it applies here too:

 

I wouldn't mind if they also forced folks who wanted to remove or reduce the daily gratuity charge to do it on a daily basis. If there are no problems on day 1, day 2, etc. the full daily gratuity charge is charged to the account on those days. If someone is having an issue on a certain day - say day 4 - they can go down and reduce or remove the amount for that day only. They can't touch past days that have already been charged to their account, and they can't touch future days because they can't predict future problems with service, etc.

[Doug S]

I voted "for it" cuz there was no "really-really-really for it" option.

[DebJ14]

We prepaid too on RCI to avoid the hassle of having to specifically ask that they be charged to the onboard account and to avoid taking more cash. Unfortunately, we had discussions with others on our Jan cruise on the Mariner the last night and they said they were not planning to tip. The crew will at least know they will get their tips this way. Too many people stiff the staff.

[MCC retired]

It's about time RCI joins the others .:)

I welcome not having to go thru the stress of the final night envelope game.

[Dmom & dad]

i seem to be alone in this....we always tip in cash at the end. for people who gave great service we always tip above and beyond the recommended amount. We dont like the idea of them maybe not actually getting the "tips". Also if we eat in the specialty resturants on a few nights I dont think the mdr staff should get a tip for a service they didnt provide. Besides the fact that on our second cruise our dinning room staff was awful!!! We have only experienced this on one cruise normally they are great. they had awful moods and attitudes dh and i didnt want to go back after the first two nights and yes it was reported and huge apologies given but workers like that should not be assured of their "tips"

[Ditch]

If we look among our self's and really think about things others prefer why should we be forced to comply with their personal preferences? Give those a choice when they make their reservation if they want to prepay suggested tipping standards.

[quadman]

While in a perfect world I would prefer the old cash in envelopes policy, the new policy will eliminate the problem of deadbeats not tipping. For those who still want to reward extraordinarly great service, RCI will still provide tip envelopes for providing cash tips at the end of the cruise.

[Debde]

i seem to be alone in this....we always tip in cash at the end. for people who gave great service we always tip above and beyond the recommended amount. We dont like the idea of them maybe not actually getting the "tips".

 

You're not alone!;)

[redlobster]

1) I'm for it....sat at too many tables where people put nothing out and said they weren't going to give anything to any of the crew.

2) We will look to still tip extra now that this ordeal is over. It was a level of chaos that we didn't look forward to.

3) I'd like to see Royal do something to add a little extra to the serving crew based on some workable plan...not just for one person but perhaps a whole team that is serving.....they'd have to think outside the box on this.

[Mark_K]

While in a perfect world I would prefer the old cash in envelopes policy, the new policy will eliminate the problem of deadbeats not tipping. For those who still want to reward extraordinarly great service, RCI will still provide tip envelopes for providing cash tips at the end of the cruise.

In a perfect world everyone would get paid a decent wage by their employer, perform quality service to the best of their ability, and there would be no such thing as tipping. We don't live in that world.

[campingman]

Following an undercover report on U.K. tv. I said I will never pre pay the tips as the only one to benefit is the company. On the programme celebrity were shown to pay an 8 hundred dollar salary per month to a waiter but that was taken out of their pre paid tips and only guaranteed if the amount wasn't reached. So if you really want to support the staff allow them to get their salary then pay them their tips in hand.

 

I suggest that you are possibly quoting misinformation?If this were true these ships would be very full of very unhappy crews.This certainly is not true with may staff being very loyal to the companies that they have been employed by them for many years contract after contract.

[steveru621]

Like we needed to re-hash tipping. I'm with the one less form to fill out crowd.

 

I got my email a couple of days ago letting us know about the new policy. I might be reading too much into this, but it seems to me the number of employees eligible for my gratuity has increased with the new policy. (BOLD) I really don't see the difference here, $12/day on SeaPass instead of a lump sum. It's still charged to my credit card at the end of the cruise and we will still give the three people that count (waiter, assistant waiter, and cabin attendant) extra cash for great service.

 

"Dear Stephen,

 

We look forward to welcoming you onboard for your upcoming Royal Caribbean International cruise vacation!

 

As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of a change to our gratuity policy. As of March 1, 2013, Royal Caribbean will add an automatic daily gratuity of $12.00 USD ($14.25 USD for Suite guests) to the onboard account of each guest to be shared by Dining Services Staff, Stateroom Attendants and Other Housekeeping Services Personnel that work to enhance your cruise. This gratuity replaces our previously recommended gratuity guidelines.

 

If you have already prepaid gratuities for your upcoming cruise, this policy change will not affect you. Accordingly, we will not apply the daily gratuity to your account while you are onboard. If you have not prepaid your gratuities, you will see the daily automatic gratuity applied to your onboard SeaPass® account during your upcoming cruise."

 

If I can allowed one rant, which I'm sure will be flamed by someone.

 

Please stop with the liveable wage argument! I'm tired of a group of people getting to decide what a liveable wage is for employees. If I have 5 kids at home should I be paid more? If I'm a single mother? What if I'm single, should I get paid less? Should it depend on the country? These employees decided to accept this contract knowing what the terms are. Shouldn't they expect to be paid more, (gratuities) if they do their job better than others? My two cents.

[avalon007]

Hi,

 

Can someone please post a link to the page on the RCCL site regards the new tipping policy. Thank you.

 

I'm an Australian & just finished my 2nd RCCL cruise last week to NZ, I haven't heard of this change (nor received an email) until reading this thread, is it only for US based cruises or worldwide?

 

We have not pre paid in the past but always took cash & always tipped above the recommended rate, with quite a bit extra at times for really good service (despite coming from a non tipping culture - when in Rome...as they say).

 

But I would prefer to have it included as getting the right cash sorted etc is sometimes a hassle.

 

We normally have late dining seating but will be changing to MTD ongoing as this last cruise we were the only ones that turned up each night on a table for 6, bar 1 night when 2 other guest came once on about day 9.

 

We were disappointed that we had no other guests to chat with at dinner & sorry for our waiters who had several not full tables so would get less tips, so at least with MTD we can ask to share a table with others & meet people every night! :)

 

Lastly, does anyone know if you have already booked cruises prior to the new tipping policy, does it change the amount etc or is this for new bookings only?

 

We have 3 cruises booked for later this year, 2 with MTD & one late dining which we will be changing to MTD if available.

 

We will still tip extra for good service on top of the prepaid tips.

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

i seem to be alone in this....we always tip in cash at the end. for people who gave great service we always tip above and beyond the recommended amount. We dont like the idea of them maybe not actually getting the "tips". Also if we eat in the specialty resturants on a few nights I dont think the mdr staff should get a tip for a service they didnt provide. Besides the fact that on our second cruise our dinning room staff was awful!!! We have only experienced this on one cruise normally they are great. they had awful moods and attitudes dh and i didnt want to go back after the first two nights and yes it was reported and huge apologies given but workers like that should not be assured of their "tips"

 

I'm with you too.

[Clarea]

Hi,

 

Can someone please post a link to the page on the RCCL site regards the new tipping policy. Thank you.

 

I'm an Australian & just finished my 2nd RCCL cruise last week to NZ, I haven't heard of this change (nor received an email) until reading this thread, is it only for US based cruises or worldwide?

 

We have not pre paid in the past but always took cash & always tipped above the recommended rate, with quite a bit extra at times for really good service (despite coming from a non tipping culture - when in Rome...as they say).

 

But I would prefer to have it included as getting the right cash sorted etc is sometimes a hassle.

 

We normally have late dining seating but will be changing to MTD ongoing as this last cruise we were the only ones that turned up each night on a table for 6, bar 1 night when 2 other guest came once on about day 9.

 

We were disappointed that we had no other guests to chat with at dinner & sorry for our waiters who had several not full tables so would get less tips, so at least with MTD we can ask to share a table with others & meet people every night! :)

 

Lastly, does anyone know if you have already booked cruises prior to the new tipping policy, does it change the amount etc or is this for new bookings only?

 

We have 3 cruises booked for later this year, 2 with MTD & one late dining which we will be changing to MTD if available.

 

We will still tip extra for good service on top of the prepaid tips.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Gratuities&faqId=5520&faqSubjectId=415&faqType=faq

[mrefer13]

We are all for the new tipping policy, with one exception....The Head Waiter! On 90% of our cruises with RCCL (and we're D+) did the HW make himself available to us before the night before "tip night"! Often times we wondered why his tip was necessary.

 

I do believe with the new policy enforced, there will be a change of attitude in members of the crew and passengers!

 

This is our 2cents!

Edited February 17, 2013 by mrefer13

[Ramjet1997]

Too many people try to "save" money by not tipping.........this guarantees that they will pay their fair share to the hard working RCCL people on the ship....on our last 5 night cruise just completed, we gave each of our folks an additional $20, which resulted in each of them getting around double the normal gratuity - you would have thought that we gave them each diamond rings, they were so grateful.....

[silvermcs]

ITA. I consider it a part of my cruising cost. And I will go over for exceptional service and would ask to have it reduced if I felt the service was awful (which has only happened one time in 10+ years of cruising, during one meal at Chop's which isn't included in the daily gratuity anyways).

YOU GO! I agree; it's great news and so easy.

[Ditch]

Like we needed to re-hash tipping. I'm with the one less form to fill out crowd.

 

I got my email a couple of days ago letting us know about the new policy. I might be reading too much into this, but it seems to me the number of employees eligible for my gratuity has increased with the new policy. (BOLD) I really don't see the difference here, $12/day on SeaPass instead of a lump sum. It's still charged to my credit card at the end of the cruise and we will still give the three people that count (waiter, assistant waiter, and cabin attendant) extra cash for great service.

 

"Dear Stephen,

 

We look forward to welcoming you onboard for your upcoming Royal Caribbean International cruise vacation!

 

As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of a change to our gratuity policy. As of March 1, 2013, Royal Caribbean will add an automatic daily gratuity of $12.00 USD ($14.25 USD for Suite guests) to the onboard account of each guest to be shared by Dining Services Staff, Stateroom Attendants and Other Housekeeping Services Personnel that work to enhance your cruise. This gratuity replaces our previously recommended gratuity guidelines.

 

If you have already prepaid gratuities for your upcoming cruise, this policy change will not affect you. Accordingly, we will not apply the daily gratuity to your account while you are onboard. If you have not prepaid your gratuities, you will see the daily automatic gratuity applied to your onboard SeaPass® account during your upcoming cruise."

 

If I can allowed one rant, which I'm sure will be flamed by someone.

 

Please stop with the liveable wage argument! I'm tired of a group of people getting to decide what a liveable wage is for employees. If I have 5 kids at home should I be paid more? If I'm a single mother? What if I'm single, should I get paid less? Should it depend on the country? These employees decided to accept this contract knowing what the terms are. Shouldn't they expect to be paid more, (gratuities) if they do their job better than others? My two cents.

 

Amen Sister!!

[Shak]

Like we needed to re-hash tipping. I'm with the one less form to fill out crowd.

 

I got my email a couple of days ago letting us know about the new policy. I might be reading too much into this, but it seems to me the number of employees eligible for my gratuity has increased with the new policy. (BOLD) I really don't see the difference here, $12/day on SeaPass instead of a lump sum. It's still charged to my credit card at the end of the cruise and we will still give the three people that count (waiter, assistant waiter, and cabin attendant) extra cash for great service.

 

"Dear Stephen,

 

We look forward to welcoming you onboard for your upcoming Royal Caribbean International cruise vacation!

 

As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of a change to our gratuity policy. As of March 1, 2013, Royal Caribbean will add an automatic daily gratuity of $12.00 USD ($14.25 USD for Suite guests) to the onboard account of each guest to be shared by Dining Services Staff, Stateroom Attendants and Other Housekeeping Services Personnel that work to enhance your cruise. This gratuity replaces our previously recommended gratuity guidelines.

 

If you have already prepaid gratuities for your upcoming cruise, this policy change will not affect you. Accordingly, we will not apply the daily gratuity to your account while you are onboard. If you have not prepaid your gratuities, you will see the daily automatic gratuity applied to your onboard SeaPass® account during your upcoming cruise."

 

If I can allowed one rant, which I'm sure will be flamed by someone.

 

Please stop with the liveable wage argument! I'm tired of a group of people getting to decide what a liveable wage is for employees. If I have 5 kids at home should I be paid more? If I'm a single mother? What if I'm single, should I get paid less? Should it depend on the country? These employees decided to accept this contract knowing what the terms are. Shouldn't they expect to be paid more, (gratuities) if they do their job better than others? My two cents.

 

Well steveru61 if you have 5 kids at home you are being subsidized by the tax payers like me that don't have that many children at home when one file their income tax.

 

Relax it is not the end of the world.

 

Shak

[BND]

We love MTD....needless to say we pre pay gratuities! So, what will happen to the program now? Isn't everyone going to want MTD? On most of the cruises it fills fast and there is no wait list. Will RC now allow for most guests to use MTD? Also, I was told me that it is against the law to force a guest to pre pay gratuities. It is a tip and not part of the cruise fare. Don't know if this is true. Why doesn't RC call it something else or make the cruise all-inclusive including gratuities with a choice for MTD or traditional dinning available for all guests? Princess has a great system for that choice. There is never a problem going to dinner when you want. RC needs to now copy that system.....I am not against pre paid gratuities, however, I will be if I book late and can't get MTD!!!

 

Who told you it was "against the law"? Other cruise lines have been doing it. Also, a lot of resort and city hotels do it. Restaurants add it to the bill automatically for large groups (usually over 8) all the time.

 

We always prepay and do late dining. Why the heck would people choose MTD more because of prepaid? Why would it make a difference if RCI called it something else? People are going to complain regardless because that's just what they do.

Edited February 17, 2013 by BND

[Debde]

We always prepay and do late dining. Why the heck would people choose MTD more because of prepaid? Why would it make a difference if RCI called it something else? People are going to complain regardless because that's just what they do.

 

I think more people will choose it and probably not use it. they can float from venue to venue and not hold up a spot in the MDR. It will become overbooked and quickly by some who used to do the same with a table in the MDR I'm thinking.

[BND]

I think more people will choose it and probably not use it. they can float from venue to venue and not hold up a spot in the MDR. It will become overbooked and quickly by some who used to do the same with a table in the MDR I'm thinking.

 

There is a limit to the number of people that can choose MTD, just as there's a limit for traditional and late. There is a seat for everyone onboard in the MDR. So, your logic eludes me.