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Question about Gratuities

lalalemon

By lalalemon,
in Royal Caribbean International

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serene56

serene56

Posted
Posted
I'll start the ball rolling, why not?

 

You will be served in the Windjammer, by the same pool of people who serve in the MDR. I would just leave my tips in place.

 

 

 

I vote to keep them inplace. Because of the people who work the dining room also work at the buffet area.

 

Might I also suggest that you pick anytime dining that way you are not holding a table and any money on the account for the dining room that is not used will go to the people in the buffet area.

 

and MAYBE- just maybe you will see yourself in the dining room one night

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dplusd

dplusd

Posted
Posted

I've read that gratuities mainly go to dining room staff though so as we won't be using their services, I'd rather tip our room attendant!

 

A portion of the auto gratuities go to "Dining Services"...not the main dining room staff. Since you will be eating on the ship in other venues it would be appropriate to leave the auto tips in place.

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BNBR

BNBR

Posted
Posted (edited)

The issue is the way gratuities are distributed on the ships. A typical American would assume the gratuities for the dining staff go to YOUR waiter and back waiter, nobody else. Why? Because in the US, it's flat out illegal to spread gratuities around to others. So if you aren't in the dining room, how does your gratuity make it to a random server in the windjammer?

 

So this could be confusing for most. I have a gratuity thread of my own trying to figure it out, and the wording from Royal is pretty straight forward. Gratuities are shared with the staff throughout the ship. How they are directly distributed, nobody seems to know. Does your waiter get a larger share based on number of guests? Who knows.

 

The cruise uses them to simply pay their wages throughout the ship. It's slimy, yes, especially compared to US labor laws and the fact that a restaurant would be publicly shamed and sued for doing the same.... But that's just how it works on a cruise ship.

 

So, should you remove the gratuities because you aren't at MDR? Probably not, since that money is spread to staff throughout the ship which would almost certainly include the staff in the windjammer.

Edited by BNBR
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hansolosmom

hansolosmom

Posted
Posted
The issue is the way gratuities are distributed on the ships. A typical American would assume the gratuities for the dining staff go to YOUR waiter and back waiter, nobody else. Why? Because in the US, it's flat out illegal to spread gratuities around to others.

 

WHAT???? Since when? When I waited tables, we were expected/told to give X percent of our tips to the bus people, kitchen and bar staff.

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Mark_K

Mark_K

Posted
Posted
Yeh I know I'm going to get mixed response!

 

 

 

I've read that gratuities mainly go to dining room staff though so as we won't be using their services, I'd rather tip our room attendant!

 

 

If you already knew what responses you'd get, why did you start yet another thread on the topic?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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LilBlackDress

LilBlackDress

Posted
Posted

As others have said, leave the auto tip in place...

 

I look at the Dining Staff the same as MOST casino dealers in Vegas. Vegas pools all the dealers tips over a 24 hour period and divides it equally over all the dealers that worked that day.

 

For a cruise ship, pool all the waitstaff tips over the length of the cruise, divide it equally over all the waitstaff that worked that cruise.

 

Keep in mind that you are eating 2 - 4 times a day regardless of where you are eating. The waitstaff is there to bus your table, bring you drinks, and/or serve you...

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Lordnlkon

Lordnlkon

Posted
Posted (edited)
WHAT???? Since when? When I waited tables, we were expected/told to give X percent of our tips to the bus people, kitchen and bar staff.

 

 

Yeah no idea where they got it was illegal. When I waited tables back in college was the same way.

Edited by Lordnlkon
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Espn

Espn

Posted
Posted
I have to say, this might be the least confrontational tipping thread of all time, lol. Please, original poster guy, just go read alllllll the other tipping threads that have ever existed on here, and let's let this one die before it goes downhill.

 

Yes this is a very calm thread.

 

To the OP, as others have said, leave the tips in place and enjoy your cruise.

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papaflamingo

papaflamingo

Posted
Posted
in the US, it's flat out illegal to spread gratuities around to others.

 

Wrong. Here is a quote from the Department of Labor.

 

"The requirement that an employee must retain all tips does not preclude a valid tip pooling or sharing arrangement among employees who customarily and regularly receive tips, such as waiters, waitresses, bellhops, counter personnel (who serve customers), bussers, and service bartenders. A valid

tip pool may not include employees who do not customarily and regularly received tips, such as dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and janitors. "

 

As for leaving tips in place, as others have said the common understanding is they are pooled. But also consider this. If you have Traditional Dining, your space at the table is yours. No one else can sit there. Your waiters count on the tips for pay. If you aren't there, they are being shorted their pay. So as someone else pointed out, if you don't intend to use the MDR, then be sure to be on My Time Dining so places won't go empty. But keep the tips in place. Dining services get $6.35 per day. So that covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, any free eating area like Sorrentos. If you are on a 7 night cruise each person will pay a total of $44.45 per week for ALL the food you eat in the free venues for the cruise. Not much in the grand scheme of things.

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dasi11

dasi11

Posted
Posted
Your gratuities already tip the cabin attendant...and the waitstaff! Unless you plan NEVER TO EAT on the ship...leave the tips "as are"!

 

If you never eat on the ship then you never would need to tip. But once you go to any venue to eat, that tip is used for wages for those that help you. Even if it is a Buffet, they still cleaned the table before and after you arrived. It is the cost of cruising. It is the wage structure on ships, like it or not. Why rip off the waiters to save a few bucks? They work so hard for the small tips we leave them.

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
When I leave the auto tip in place, is that the end of it for me? Is it like it is on Carnival...it is taken care of and I am not handing anything out on the last night? Thanks.

Correct, unless you want to hand out more.

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Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
By handing out, I meant a voucher that represents the tip. I have never sailed with RCCL so I didn't know if prepaid gratuities worked the same way as what I am used to. Thank you.

They eliminated the vouchers a while back. Nothing to give out anymore.

 

They do leave some envelopes in case you want to give more, but that's totally up to you.

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