Royal to raise gratuities

[John&LaLa]

We received our email today. I feel the price increase should be for future bookings. I am staring at my RCI paperwork for three future cruises that states $12 per person per day will be added...

 

It's not the small amount of money that bothers me as much as RCI being tricky. Hotels and airlines can't/don't change things after you have a reservation.

 

Airlines don't let you cancel a reservation either. ;)

[TheMiz]

Hotels and airlines can't/don't change things after you have a reservation.

 

Not exactly true. I booked a Frontier Airlines flight for my Panama Canal cruise last month. I booked and paid for my ticket on Oct 29, 2014 . On Jan 2015 Frontier began charging $30 for a carry on and started charging for snacks and soft drinks. I argued and argued then ended up paying for these but now I filed a complaint with my Visa and will see how that plays out.

 

Oh when I called Customer Service they actually laughed saying

"But that increase started in January and its now April" Not sure what the

heck that has to do with a ticket I paid for in full in Oct.

[ladysail2]

I haven't read the entire thread..but do we actually have to pay the gratuities by June 1...or simply have them added to our invoice as part of the cruise cost, regardless of when the ship sails?

 

Thanks

Joyce :D

[TheMiz]

I haven't read the entire thread..but do we actually have to pay the gratuities by June 1...or simply have them added to our invoice as part of the cruise cost, regardless of when the ship sails?

 

Thanks

Joyce :D

 

 

It doesn't need to be paid for until final payment , it only needs to be added to your invoice.

[Clarea]

I haven't read the entire thread..but do we actually have to pay the gratuities by June 1...or simply have them added to our invoice as part of the cruise cost, regardless of when the ship sails?

 

Thanks

Joyce :D

People have contacted Royal and were told that the gratuities only have to be added to the booking by June 1.

[ladysail2]

It doesn't need to be paid for until final payment , it only needs to be added to your invoice.

 

People have contacted Royal and were told that the gratuities only have to be added to the booking by June 1.

 

Thank you both for the quick answer. I leave on a cruise on Sunday and don't get back until June 8, so I wanted to know how to handle this before I left...:D:D

[TM38Rob]

Just received an email today about the increase:

 

Dear Friend,

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





As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of an update to our daily service charges. As of June 1, 2015, Royal Caribbean will be adjusting the automatic daily service charge from $12.00 to $12.95 per day for regular staterooms and $14.25 to $15.95 per day for suite. This service charge is shared by dining & culinary services personnel, stateroom attendants and other housekeeping and guest services personnel.





We want to extend the opportunity to prepay your service charge now at the current rate, before it adjusts on June 1. After this date, any service charge applied will be at the new rate.

 

Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: an 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar service beverages, specialty dining reservations, spa services and mini bar items, and will be itemized on your receipt.





Call 1-866-504-3941, log onto RoyalCaribbean.com or contact your travel agent by May 31, 2015, to prepay the daily service charge at the current rate.





Thank you for choosing to cruise with us.





Sincerely,





Royal Caribbean International®

Edited May 16, 2015 by TM38Rob

[CptSticky]

Thank you both for the quick answer. I leave on a cruise on Sunday and don't get back until June 8, so I wanted to know how to handle this before I left...:D:D

 

 

Enjoy your cruise and stop worrying. You will be on a cruise. Hopefully it will look like this:

[ColoradoGurl]

It doesn't need to be paid for until final payment , it only needs to be added to your invoice.

 

Not true! According to the email I got today from Royal about my August cruise, I must pay our tips in full before June 1st to avoid being charged the $12.95. My cruise has been booked for about ) months and I've already paid it in full (except the tips), so having the booking does not lock on the $12 price, only paying it ahead of time before June 1st does. I probably won't bother tondo that myself as it's only an extra $13 and I always too extra anyways, but for those who don't, they need to pay before June 1.

[ColoradoGurl]

People have contacted Royal and were told that the gratuities only have to be added to the booking by June 1.

 

They actually need to be paid by June 1, not just added. That's what the email that went out today said.

[TheMiz]

Not true! According to the email I got today from Royal about my August cruise, I must pay our tips in full before June 1st to avoid being charged the $12.95. My cruise has been booked for about ) months and I've already paid it in full (except the tips), so having the booking does not lock on the $12 price, only paying it ahead of time before June 1st does. I probably won't bother tondo that myself as it's only an extra $13 and I always too extra anyways, but for those who don't, they need to pay before June 1.

 

 

 

I stand by my post.

[jkrislc]

 

Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: an 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar service beverages, specialty dining reservations, spa services and mini bar items, and will be itemized on your receipt.

]

 

Royal adds 18% now for specialty dining reservations? What does the fee cover, then? Just the food? I thought the service charge already covered the gratuities although additional could be added for exceptional service.

Edited May 16, 2015 by jkrislc

[ColoradoGurl]

I stand by my post.

 

Did you get the email? Someone posted it above. Maybe I'm reading it differently than you, but to me it definitely sounds like they are saying if you don't actually PAY the tips, not just add them, that you will be charged the increased price. The email doesn't say "if you want to add pre-paid gratuities to your reservations..." It says "If you want to prepay your tips before June 1..."

 

It doesn't hurt to have people test out both options just to see what happens, since it's only a few dollars anyway.

 

Also, sorry for all the typos above. Sometimes I hit a wrong key, or Siri just changes my words after I've typed them. I usually proofread and edit but it's too late to make changes on that one :)

Edited May 16, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[Cuizer2]

Airlines don't let you cancel a reservation either. ;)

 

It depends on what kind of a ticket you purchase.

[Cuizer2]

Not exactly true. I booked a Frontier Airlines flight for my Panama Canal cruise last month. I booked and paid for my ticket on Oct 29, 2014 . On Jan 2015 Frontier began charging $30 for a carry on and started charging for snacks and soft drinks. I argued and argued then ended up paying for these but now I filed a complaint with my Visa and will see how that plays out.

 

Oh when I called Customer Service they actually laughed saying

"But that increase started in January and its now April" Not sure what the

heck that has to do with a ticket I paid for in full in Oct.

 

I bought a ticket on JetBlue before any checked luggage charges were introduced. Checked luggage were charges were introduced before I flew. When I checked in they tried to charge me for the checked luggage. I told the check in agent that I bought the ticket before the charges were announced. She checked, verified that I was right, and then removed the charges.

Edited May 16, 2015 by Cuizer2

[TM38Rob]

Did you get the email? Someone posted it above. Maybe I'm reading it differently than you, but to me it definitely sounds like they are saying if you don't actually PAY the tips, not just add them, that you will be charged the increased price. The email doesn't say "if you want to add pre-paid gratuities to your reservations..." It says "If you want to prepay your tips before June 1..."

 

It doesn't hurt to have people test out both options just to see what happens, since it's only a few dollars anyway.

 

Also, sorry for all the typos above. Sometimes I hit a wrong key, or Siri just changes my words after I've typed them. I usually proofread and edit but it's too late to make changes on that one :)

Called Royal today and asked to add prepaid gratuity to my reservation. After it was added, I was asked if I would like to make a payment. I did not make a payment and said I would make one next week. Received an invoice in my email for $12 a day rate for the gratuities ($48) for a 4 day cruise.

 

From the letter (email) I received: "We want to extend the opportunity to prepay your service charge now at the current rate, before it adjusts on June 1. After this date, any service charge applied will be at the new rate." I think they mean that if you apply the prepay gratuities before June 1, it will be at $12/day.

Edited May 16, 2015 by TM38Rob

[HOBE SOUND CRUISER]

This gratuity (service charge) is shared by dining & culinary services personnel, stateroom attendants and other housekeeping and guest services personnel.

Does anyone know the $12.95/person/day breakdown ($/position) of how this is distributed?

Stateroom Attendant:

MDR Waiter:

MDR Assistant Waiter:

Head Waiter:

All others:

Edited May 16, 2015 by HOBE SOUND CRUISER

[Clarea]

This gratuity (service charge) is shared by dining & culinary services personnel, stateroom attendants and other housekeeping and guest services personnel.

Does anyone know the breakdown ($/position) of how this is distributed?

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=415&faqSubjectName=Gratuities&faqId=5523

[ColoradoGurl]

Called Royal today and asked to add prepaid gratuity to my reservation. After it was added, I was asked if I would like to make a payment. I did not make a payment and said I would make one next week. Received an invoice in my email for $12 a day rate for the gratuities ($48) for a 4 day cruise.

 

From the letter (email) I received: "We want to extend the opportunity to prepay your service charge now at the current rate, before it adjusts on June 1. After this date, any service charge applied will be at the new rate." I think they mean that if you apply the prepay gratuities before June 1, it will be at $12/day.

 

Hmmmm....it seems vague enough that I can see a lot of people up in arms and pissed off later if that turns out not to be correct, and Royal uses the vague wording to give a lawer like response of "It didn't technically say that just adding the prepaid gratuities counted, you had to actually pay them to keep the lower rate." Who knows, I think if the additional money matters to you, I would err on the side of caution that the wording isn't specific enough to count on them grandfathering anyone in simply for adding the prepaid gratuities and not actually pre-paying them before June 1. It's a very minimal risk at under $7/person if it turns out to be one way over the other. So I guess it doesn't really matter. But I am reading it as you have to actually pay them, not just add them.

 

And I wouldn't take any of their customer service reps interpretations over the phone as a guarantee either, unless you get it from them in writing. They often don't know their right hand from their left, but if you get it in writing then you can use that to argue your point later if they try to increase your rate on you.

Edited May 16, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[sunshine002]

I was just about to ask about this. I knew you could do this on Carnival but didn't know about RCCL. In that case, there really is nothing to see here. If the increase is too much then feel free to go and reduce the amount. I never would do that unless they raised them to some obscene amount, an extra dollar a day is no big deal, I just don't like how they give such short notice on these things when people book so far in advance.

 

This is easier said than done. I was on a cruise where I had the worst cabin steward ever. I wanted to reduce the tip amount so I can reduce or cut out his tip. No go, I was told at the time, had to pay what they suggested, or take the whole tip off.

[HOBE SOUND CRUISER]

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=415&faqSubjectName=Gratuities&faqId=5523

 

The automatic gratuity is $12.95 USD, or $15.95 USD for suite guests, applied to each guest's SeaPass® account on a daily basis. Here's how it is shared between your onboard service team:

•Dining & Culinary Services: $7.75 USD

•Stateroom Attendant: $3.85 USD OR Suite Attendant: $6.10 USD

•Other Housekeeping Services: $1.35 USD OR Housekeeping and Suite Services: $2.10 USD

 

The Dining & Culinary services does not break it down for the Waiter, Assistant Waiter & Head Waiter receive. Any body know the breakdown?

[PattyW]

I hate to be "that person" but I read the first few pages of the thread and thought my 6/21 cruise was in the clear because it was before July 1. But then I got the email about increased tips. We do have a 2016 cruise booked as well, but the email didn't say anything about sailings after July 1.

 

Is it just Celebrity that's after July 1?

[FLACRUISER99]

I recieved this email about my May 30 2015 & June 6 2015 cruise.

However this is a change from the original release that stated it would start on sailings departing after July 1.

"Important update about your upcoming sailing"

"Dear Friend,

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

As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of an update to our daily service charges. As of June 1, 2015, Royal Caribbean will be adjusting the automatic daily service charge from $12.00 to $12.95 per day for regular staterooms and $14.25 to $15.95 per day for suite. This service charge is shared by dining & culinary services personnel, stateroom attendants and other housekeeping and guest services personnel.

We want to extend the opportunity to prepay your service charge now at the current rate, before it adjusts on June 1. After this date, any service charge applied will be at the new rate.

Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: an 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar service beverages, specialty dining reservations, spa services and mini bar items, and will be itemized on your receipt.

Call 1-866-504-3941, log onto RoyalCaribbean.com or contact your travel agent by May 31, 2015, to prepay the daily service charge at the current rate.

Thank you for choosing to cruise with us.

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International®"

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Royal adds 18% now for specialty dining reservations? What does the fee cover, then? Just the food? I thought the service charge already covered the gratuities although additional could be added for exceptional service.

 

When did this start? We were on Radiance in Feb/March and didn't pay this.

[ewt715]

We have always given tips in cash. Lucky we have been able to avoid my time dining. I frankly do not trust Royal to give the tips out as they describe. The email states guest services are included. Are these the folks at the guest service deck.

 

I have spoken to a number of crew member about tips and most rather have cash. I think they fear speaking there minds about the current system. For all I know Royal charges the crew a service charge for managing the tip money they collect.