Gratuities for 1 year old on Oasis?

[LMaxwell]

I know I'm going to get flamed for this. Please understand I am not "anti-children," but rather trying to get the OP to see the flip side of things.

 

Why exactly should it be reasonable to expect a discount for a 1 year-old when I don't get a discount for cruising with your 1 year-old? I don't have a child in my cabin, yet I can hear it all night when yours cries. Our cabin attendant spends more time on your cabin because there are more beds to make, dirty diapers to dispose of and finger prints to clean off of walls, mirrors and surfaces. I don't throw things on the floor, but have to watch while your child does. I can smell those dirty diapers from a mile away. My dinner conversation is frequently interrupted by high pierced shrieks - sometimes of joy, sometimes anger, sometimes just the need for a nap. In the horrible event that your child "isn't taking up space" on the lifeboat, because he or she is on your lap, I will be forced to listen to him or her wailing. Now that I think about it, maybe I should be entitled to that discount you think is so "reasonable" because your child impacts my vacation. And, while I'm at it, I should also request compensation for the anguish of having to look at families with children when I wasn't able to have them.

 

Completely absurd. You can, of course, do as you wish.

 

My earlier post only gave OP benefit of doubt to compare to other lines where children are either not charged grats or charged a reduced amount.

[payitforward]

Completely absurd. You can, of course, do as you wish.

 

My earlier post only gave OP benefit of doubt to compare to other lines where children are either not charged grats or charged a reduced amount.

 

I was trying to be absurd because I believe that not tipping for your child is also absurd.

[marci22]

LO is in cabin with us. AND we are paying full fare for her which seems outrageous.

 

I never considered that my kids were taking up less room or eating less, but they were older (4 and up). I waited til they were older because I thought a cruise was a waste of money for infants (even toddlers). So I avoided the problem altogether.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I was trying to be absurd because I believe that not tipping for your child is also absurd.

I respectfully disagree.

 

Any child under perhaps 6 years of age will simply not require the same level of services as an adult. The prudent thing would be to have a lower rate of gratuity for such children - but that has not be done to this point.

[marci22]

I respectfully disagree.

 

Any child under perhaps 6 years of age will simply not require the same level of services as an adult. The prudent thing would be to have a lower rate of gratuity for such children - but that has not be done to this point.

But it's not that simple, as people have posted. The child is taking the space of an adult, who may need more services, but will also spend more. Their business model is that children are suggested to pay full gratuities. If many of them choose not to, I suppose that the price for the third and fourths would go up instead of being discounted.

[jana616]

I've cruised as a couple, and I've cruised with three young children. I've paid full gratuities from them every time because the crew and staff work JUST as hard for them, if not harder, than they do for adults. My kids make more of a mess than adults (at dinner and in the room), and the dining staff spent just as much, if not more, time on them at meals. They cut their food for them and allowed me to eat mine while hot, lol...I will happily pay them for that!

 

 

 

 

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[gerif]

I would remove the grats for the little one and then tip as you go along. You may need a lot of assistance and tip more or not need anything and tip less

 

Full price for an infant is outrageous.

That's absurd. The people you tip are doing so much for your child - I'm very neat. Other than making the bed and leaving clean towels, there is little cleaning up. Does this mean I should tip less? To even consider this would make me a very cheap person indeed.

 

It is not up to the cruiseline to decide how many bodies can go into a lifeboat. Now if an infant takes a spot that would otherwise go to an adult (who would also generate extra income by drinking, playing bingo, eating in specialty restaurants and gambling in the casino while the infant doesn't spend a cent), why would they charge less? What would be the incentive for doing so?

[NephieRN]

Having just sailed the Harmony for 10 nights (still waiting to dock in Ft Lauderdale as I type) with our 13 month old daughter, I cannot imagine not tipping the full amount just because she is a child. We actually gave our room steward and dining room team extra cash. Every single crew member on this ship has gone above and beyond for our daughter and for us to make this sailing as smooth as possible.

[cruiselvr04]

Those of us who have cruised with kids know how hard the staff work. We paid third person rates and full tips for 1,3 and 6 year old grandkids. It's the cost of cruising plain and simple. Otherwise leave the little one with grandma.

 

Our stewards dealt with diapers, crumbs on the floor, making a toddler bed out of the lovesseat turned backwards, working around a pack and play in a very small space. The wait staff worked extra hard to bring them their favorite food, have something ready for them when they sat down, took the one year and held him while we ate....I could go on and on. They deserved the EXTRA tips we left.

[RNRcruisers]

I agree with those who say tip the full amount. Kids may not eat as much or use all the facilities but they are still a lot of work, as any parent knows, and the attendants and servers are doing a lot of the work we do ourselves at home to make our vacation a good one. We took our kids on a cruise when they were older, maybe 15, 13 and 9, and all the crew members were wonderful with our kids.

[Sam Ting]

Having just sailed the Harmony for 10 nights (still waiting to dock in Ft Lauderdale as I type) with our 13 month old daughter, I cannot imagine not tipping the full amount just because she is a child. We actually gave our room steward and dining room team extra cash. Every single crew member on this ship has gone above and beyond for our daughter and for us to make this sailing as smooth as possible.

 

If that's the case you should have tipped more.

 

The op does not know what services were provided yet so how could she possibly know how much to tip.

 

We always remove the grats and tip as we go along anyway. We probably end up paying more in the end but at least we know who we are giving the money to. What they do with it afterwards is their business.

[galavant3]

I would remove the grats for the little one and then tip as you go along. You may need a lot of assistance and tip more or not need anything and tip less

 

 

 

Full price for an infant is outrageous.

 

 

 

Keeping it in perspective, the cost of gratuities is about the same as one drink per day. I'm as frugal and the next guy but just doesn't seem out of line to me.

 

 

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

But it's not that simple, as people have posted. The child is taking the space of an adult, who may need more services, but will also spend more. Their business model is that children are suggested to pay full gratuities. If many of them choose not to, I suppose that the price for the third and fourths would go up instead of being discounted.

 

Why would the gratuity rate impact the 3rd/4th rate?

 

Yes, Royal's business model is to charge full gratuity. It is not the business model on NCL, Carnival, MSC, and perhaps others. I have no issue with paying a suggested amount, but just giving perspective that someone may have experience with other lines and be wondering why if there is no charge or reduced charges there, why is it full price on Royal. The same services and features exist across all the lines, so it is a fair question for a poster to ask. The same circumstances apply regarding berthing, lifeboats, guest capacity, service levels, etc.

 

I only read the OP's question as one of gathering information and fact finding.

[mjkacmom]

The ship only has so many lifeboat spots, so the opportunity cost to the cruise line is full fare.

Plus possibly preventing an adult, who might gamble, buy alcohol, photos, spa services, jewelry, etc. from booking. Cruise lines lose money on kids, even full fare.

[fridaythe13th]

If that's the case you should have tipped more.

The op does not know what services were provided yet so how could she possibly know how much to tip.

 

We always remove the grats and tip as we go along anyway. We probably end up paying more in the end but at least we know who we are giving the money to. What they do with it afterwards is their business.

 

They said they DID tip more!

[dssking]

By your logic we should Also be charged for a 4th person in our cabin because we are a party of 3 and we are not maximizing the number of ppl who can technically fit so we are denying the cruise revenue, correct?

 

 

Adamrosie,

 

Your logic escapes me but I will add this : Each passenger (pax) represents a revenue stream, whether it be an adult, teen, of child. They are a pay pax, albeit discounted from the first two. As many have so astutely pointed out that your child will make a mess which could entail anything from crumbled cereal from the Windjammer, to grinding cookies into the carpet, spilling milk or juice, or smearing a soiled diaper on the wall. Any of which the cabin steward will have to clean up. Then, there's the diner dining in the MDR where the waiter and assistant waiter will undoubtedly attempt to keep your child entertained while you and your husband/wife try to enjoy dinner.

 

 

When dinner is finished, and you decide to attend the main show in the theater and your child cries uncontrollably, should everyone in the surrounding area receive a credit for an interrupted show?

 

If you feel that your child takes up no room on the ship, sleeps in your bed, doesn't require a high chair in the MDR, or, by your logic, really isn't there and therefore should pay no gratuities, then perhaps if the ship was going down, the child should be left behind because he/she is really not there?

 

Gratuities are for EVERYONE. Even though I didn't gamble in the casino,use the flow rider, or water slide, should the attending staff not share in the gratuities? They were all facilities there for me to use. It's like me sending Royal a bill for the cabin attendant sleeping with my wife. They say he never did, and why am I billing $1000. My response could be, well she was there and you COULD HAVE.

 

 

This, adamrose, this is your logic, or lack thereof. Perhaps you should simply go to an all-inclusive where kids are free. But then you'll still moan about having to pay for airfare.

[haawwks27]

I know they are automatically included. Do you pay them in full? Why or why not?

 

 

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i 100% understand and will have a 1yr and a 4yo on my cruise.

 

the 1yo i was having a hard time since they are not eating the food, using the pools, using their beds etc BUT they will be making a mess in the room so... do i understand not seeing the point in the full gratuity YES but I think partial is justified, if not the full.

[marci22]

Why would the gratuity rate impact the 3rd/4th rate?

 

It wouldn't necessarily, I am just pointing out that they (RC) want to get X dollars from X passengers and if they started collecting less dollars from discounting gratuity rates they would just make it up somewhere else.

[postmeome]

I know they are automatically included. Do you pay them in full? Why or why not?

 

 

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Don't pay it your paylng enough already.

[southnam]

My first cruise was when my kids were 3,5,7. I went through the same struggle of thinking should they really be charged the same for the cruise AND tips. A few things I realized made me leave the tip as is and tip in cash over and above the tips.

- as neat and tidy as I think my kids are, they are kids. They drop crumbs, spill drinks, drop forks at dinner etc... the waiters were great and so was the room stewards. Always smiled and never made us feel bad. Maybe only my kids are like that and others are perfect. ☺

- my daughter was going through anxiety issues and wet her bed more than once. The steward cleaned up with a smile. We apologized but he would have none of it and kept reassuring us that it happens.

- little things like how they tidied up kids toys, crayons, papers. The kids didn't leave a huge mess but the steward would just put it all nicely in a corner.

- the waiters always had our kid's appetizers ready for us at diner after the first day.

- at lunch in windjammer when the staff saw my wife alone with 3 kids they went and got drinks for her so she didn't have to leave the kids alone or take them with her.

- one of my kids has a nut allergy and really wanted a certain cookie that they said may have been in contact with nuts. The waiter asked the chef to keep a special batch aside each day that was not contaminated.

- finally, the biggest thing of all. I realized that if I didn't like what they were "charging" then no one was forcing me to go on a cruise. Some say it's a principle thing. I believe the right principle is if you don't like it then you have many other choices of Vacations to chose from.

 

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[LMaxwell]

It wouldn't necessarily, I am just pointing out that they (RC) want to get X dollars from X passengers and if they started collecting less dollars from discounting gratuity rates they would just make it up somewhere else.

 

We have been told for years that RCI does not count the gratuity rates as revenue.

[topnole]

I think you would be very cheap to reduce a tip based on it being a one year old. Done a few cruises already with our near 2 year old. The room attendant has to deal with smelly diapers, working around the baby sleep schedules (naps, early bed times) and knowing when to be quite/not knocking, puting up a pack and play, cleaning up the food on the floor, getting lots of extra towels for cleaning up the lil one, etc. One of ours even duck taped towels to the sharp corners in our room without even us asking. Much of the same goes for the wait staff. Not sure about all but most one year olds should be eating regular food and our staff did lots of cutting food for us or when she was just 6 moths old would purée fresh veggies. Plus all the food on the floor for them to clean, the high chairs, etc. They all deserved extra tips and that is what we gladly gave them for their excellent service. They took care of our girl so well!!

 

 

Please don't make up your mind now but consider how much they do.

 

 

Some advice. Ask your room attendant for plastic baggies for the diapers on day one. They will gladly get them for you.

[davekathy]

Just pay the full gratuities, stop whining about the cost of the cruise for a kid and enjoy the cruise or leave the kid home. :rolleyes:

[Havingfun2010]

Thanks. I imagine this is true but I'll wait and see. As for the taking a bed and seat of another person, I don't think this is true. LO is in cabin with us. AND we are paying full fare for her which seems outrageous.

 

 

 

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Welcome to parenthood! We all paid for our kids 18+ years times 2. Yes, a highchair is a seat at the table. Yes, a crib still is a bed, and represents a space on a life boat. Your child is taking up a space and is charged full fair for that space.

[StknCPA]

I respectfully disagree.

 

Any child under perhaps 6 years of age will simply not require the same level of services as an adult. The prudent thing would be to have a lower rate of gratuity for such children - but that has not be done to this point.

Depends on the child and the parents. For example, have you ever looked at the floor by a restaurant table after someone with kids has left? Sometimes it is a disaster, sometimes not. Generally more messy than a table that does not have children. Perhaps less messy than a table if drunk adults.

 

I used to tip extra when I went out with my kids even though they were pretty well behaved. That is because try as we might, we probably left the table more messy than my friends and I (without kids) would have.

 

I hear some of the requests people make on board, and I've never made requests like that. I think I am probably a low maintenance passenger, but I don't expect to adjust my gratuity.

 

My point is, it's different from person to person--child or not. The cruise line has no way of knowing if a particular passenger is higher or lower maintenance than usual. They don't know if a parent will carefully roll diapers and put them at the bottom of the trash can or just take them off and fling them towards the can. From my perspective, I can see why the gratuity remains the same amount.

 

What remains is for you to adjust the gratuity if and how you see fit.

 

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