Gratuity Removal Too Easy?

[LMaxwell]

15 pages of replies to the OP's original post. Wow! I suspect that the person in line removed the gratuities at the end of the cruise because if he or she had done so at the beginning of the cruise, they would not have received "service with a smile" from their room steward because the room steward receives notification that the tips have been removed if this activity takes place at the beginning of the cruise. So, these people wait until the end so they can still get the great service that the room steward provides to them. We noticed this happen to a fellow couple we were cruising with a few years back. They removed the gratuities for their two teenagers from one of the cabins as well as their own and found a deterioration in the level of service expended by the room steward. We had the same room steward who always greeted us with a friendly smile and offers of assistance, whilst they noticed "he made an attempt to ask them if there was anything amiss with his service on a number of occasions, and after getting a response that all was fine, there were No More Smiles from him, no more greetings of have a nice day type of thing". This leads me to believe that he was informed that they had removed all the tips on the second day of the cruise for the next 12 days.

 

The other reason I am thinking people wait to the end to remove the tips is their gigantic bar bill. Gotta pay for that somehow, and there go the tips. Just my thoughts. Myself, I believe the gratuities are just part and parcel of cruising. I normally let any OBC eat up part of the tips and would really prefer if the price of the cruise were increased somewhat so we would not notice these gratuities added by the day. I do not prepay gratuities as if I had to cancel my cruise my credit card insurance would not cover the tips, it only the cruise and taxes. I know, because we had to claim previously and we did not get tips repaid to us.

 

If you cancel a cruise or don't show up and go on it, prepaid gratuities are refunded.

[Toofarfromthesea]

The grand prize goes to the first person who can state why the USA has the type of tipping policy it does for restaurant servers. Below minimum wage pay and make money in tips. 3...2...1...Go!

 

 

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Totally irrelevant. Everyone knows what the culture is on cruise ships, and people at the top of the global heap who can afford to cruise, screwing over people at the bottom of the global heap who work on cruise ships, is just nasty and wrong no matter how anyone tries to rationalize it. Personally, I just prefer to be a decent human being and do the right thing.

[Toofarfromthesea]

The pot calling the kettle black.

 

Yes, it is just lovely when someone judges people for being judgemental. Especially when they don't even notice the irony of it.

[LMaxwell]

Totally irrelevant. Everyone knows what the culture is on cruise ships, and people at the top of the global heap who can afford to cruise, screwing over people at the bottom of the global heap who work on cruise ships, is just nasty and wrong no matter how anyone tries to rationalize it. Personally, I just prefer to be a decent human being and do the right thing.

 

What do you do if you receive genuinely bad service on a ship though?

 

What do you do if you receive genuinely bad service at a restaurant? Do you tip the same amount no matter what? is it a percentage or a dollar amount? Are you being a good person rewarding bad and good service the same? if you want to feel entitled to pat your own back, please explain your logic.

[Toofarfromthesea]

:rolleyes: Hurry everyone, the gratuity police are here! I think you've had enough internet for today honey. Time to go back to your day job so you can afford those long cruises and all those gratuities! I mean, you're counting people's money on an Internet forum? Who do you think you are? Disgusting.

 

Not nearly as disgusting as when someone at the top of the global heap screws over people way closer to the bottom of the global heap. Because they can.

[Toofarfromthesea]

I find it amusing how so many people assume the worst when they see others removing the auto gratuities. Wouldn't it be nice if we imputed good to others instead of judging them? How do we know they are not removing the auto gratuities in order to give cash tips even higher than the auto gratuities?

 

It is pretty funny to see how people react. Maybe a bit of MYOB would be in order. :D

 

Because it is pretty well known that when they remove the grats the people they give cash tips to DON'T get to keep them - they are put into the pool with the auto grats. So this particular brand of rationalization is complete BS.

[deliver42]

Talk about rationalizing removing the DSC. Give me a break.

[Kowale]

Because it is pretty well known that when they remove the grats the people they give cash tips to DON'T get to keep them - they are put into the pool with the auto grats. So this particular brand of rationalization is complete BS.

Not really well known. At least our last room steward was unaware of it. He gets to keep all his cash tips. (Of course, I usually try to discretely tuck it into their jacket pockets.

 

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[oldguysandgalls]

I second that.

 

Thank you for your vote grapau27. ;)

[Toofarfromthesea]

I suspect the main reason the gratuity system is set up this way is related to profit margin.

Let’s say each pax pays an average of $100 per cruise. At the end of the year, that’s many millions of dollars company wide and is many millions that is not considered taxable revenue to RCCI. It goes straight to the staff and they’re left to pay the taxes on it.

So, in essence, they’re letting their customers pay a portion of the staff’s wages and lessening their tax bill at the same time.

I always prepay my grats and do so willingly as i just accept that’s the way it’s done.

But since they categorize this “fee” as a voluntary gratuity, they have to allow patrons to withdraw it.

 

How does this lessen their tax bill? Their income may go up, but their deductions, for those higher wages you want them to pay their tipless employees ALSO go up. This is commonly known as a wash.

[Toofarfromthesea]

i dont post often but figured id come here and see whats new since i just booked another cruise with royal... then i came across this thread.

 

tipping is OPTIONAL. giving someone a guaranteed tip makes them lazy. i ALWAYS take the tips off but i always tip cash. if you do what i ask, you'll get more cash. always have the ice full and always have fresh towels. i dont even care if the bed is made. some understand, some dont. i love people that look down on others for removing tips. none of you truly know how much of that money actually does to the room stewarts anyway lmao

 

Except when you remove them the crew do not get to keep your tips - they have to turn them in to the general pool. The 'I remove them and tip cash' folks always want to ignore that because it would interfere with their rationalizations.

[LMaxwell]

Not nearly as disgusting as when someone at the top of the global heap screws over people way closer to the bottom of the global heap. Because they can.

 

Do you work for Royal Caribbean or derive an income associated with the cruising industry?

[Toofarfromthesea]

What do you do if you receive genuinely bad service on a ship though?

 

What do you do if you receive genuinely bad service at a restaurant? Do you tip the same amount no matter what? is it a percentage or a dollar amount? Are you being a good person rewarding bad and good service the same? if you want to feel entitled to pat your own back, please explain your logic.

 

You go and complain. You don't penalize a bunch of people who had nothing to do with the bad service. Same as in a restaurant or any other venue where tipping is the norm.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Do you work for Royal Caribbean or derive an income associated with the cruising industry?

 

No, I am retired from a career that had nothing to do with cruising. But THANK YOU for casting aspersions.

 

BTW, your bonus conundrum is solved by the simple device of a weighted average.

[LMaxwell]

Except when you remove them the crew do not get to keep your tips - they have to turn them in to the general pool. The 'I remove them and tip cash' folks always want to ignore that because it would interfere with their rationalizations.

 

This is said a lot on the boards here but it doesn't make much sense for multiple reasons:

 

No one is shaking down the crew when they come off shift.

 

or

 

Let's say a person hands a crew member a $20 at the start of the week but subsequently removes the auto-gratuity? What if the crew member spent the $20 ashore? At what point would they turn in cash someone handed them? What if at the end of the cruise they DO receive cash in much higher amount than they would have received in the pool? What stops a crew member from saying any cash they have was given by a guest who had their auto-gratuity in place and double tipped vs someone that removed everything so they can avoid turning anything in? Have you noticed service levels on cruise ships in the past 5 years or so? They have fallen, by and large. So I have a really hard time believing they have the manpower to shake down staff and confiscate money that they have no proof whatsoever where it came from.

 

It's just a wives tale trotted out on forums by people who who want control and for it to be true but can't explain how on Earth that plan could ever be administered. Over the past 5 years I've asked multiple times and no one who bleats out that same garbage line takes the opportunity to explain it. Would you care to explain to me logically how this plan could work? It's an accounting nightmare, at best and complete fabricated horsepuckey in reality

[LMaxwell]

No, I am retired from a career that had nothing to do with cruising. But THANK YOU for casting aspersions.

 

BTW, your bonus conundrum is solved by the simple device of a weighted average.

 

You think people that spend a few grand a year on a vacation are the top of the heap, but you give a pass to the multi-billion dollar company that flags ships in the Bahamas to avoid paying tax in the US or paying workers fair wages. Come on man, get real. And all I did was ask you a question so I could understand your point of view. You're pretty defensive and quick to trigger. Do you want a discussion or do you just want to vent your steam here?

[LMaxwell]

You go and complain. You don't penalize a bunch of people who had nothing to do with the bad service. Same as in a restaurant or any other venue where tipping is the norm.

You don't base your tip in a restaurant on the service you had?

 

If the service is poor, mediocre, or great they all get the same tip?

[cruzsnooze]

For those that care to compare their tipping with a restaurant in the US on a percentage how do you explain the disparity in the tipping from an inside cabin to a higher level who paid more? A percentage obviously isn't in play on a cruise. The company does not dispense all the tips, they keep a large percent for employee incentives which are not my concern. As long as the daily gratuity is at my discretion I will leave $10 PP PD which I believe is what is distributed to the crew. Apparently so many of you increase your gratuity so much it all washes in the end.

[slimtny]

Everyone seems to love assuming things. How do you know they didn't approach someone earlier about the issues they may have had? Maybe they never resolved the issue and they felt the full tip amount was not warranted and they will leave a lesser tip? I had a room steward who never showed up on a 7 day cruise. We had to make the bed into a queen from the twin setup even had to call for towels and all sorts of things. I complained to customer service and housekeeping manager on the 3rd day and almost everyday till the end of the cruise. All i got was excuses.. i removed the tips and tipped everyone except the room steward.

[steveru621]

Because it is pretty well known that when they remove the grats the people they give cash tips to DON'T get to keep them - they are put into the pool with the auto grats. So this particular brand of rationalization is complete BS.

 

Yeah sure, I buy that. It goes into their pockets. Maybe the rookies would cave, but the vets know the score.

 

This is the same group of people that insist they always get stiffed on tips by RCI.

[grapau27]

If you cancel a cruise or don't show up and go on it, prepaid gratuities are refunded.

RC refunded ours in Nov 2011 for Adventure sailing we couldn't make after hearing my mam had died at home.

[grapau27]

What do you do if you receive genuinely bad service on a ship though?

 

What do you do if you receive genuinely bad service at a restaurant? Do you tip the same amount no matter what? is it a percentage or a dollar amount? Are you being a good person rewarding bad and good service the same? if you want to feel entitled to pat your own back, please explain your logic.

If we ever got bad service i would report the individual to his/her manager immediately and name them in the post cruise survey.

We would never ever stop the tips because that would affect other individuals as well

[grapau27]

Not nearly as disgusting as when someone at the top of the global heap screws over people way closer to the bottom of the global heap. Because they can.

Very well said.

[HaraldOslo]

We had to abort a cruise half way. We got refunded the beverage package, but never thought or wanted to ask for our prepaid gratuities. The hard working crew sure earns the tips for our empty stateroom :-)

 

 

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[grapau27]

Thank you for your vote grapau27. ;)

Thanks, i agreed totally with your comments.