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Shocking 60% of guests removed gratuities on NV Transatlantic

Board_Shorts

By Board_Shorts,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Banana Benders

Banana Benders

Posted
Posted

I think to bigger picture, is the amount of money RCI get with automatic Gratuities whether they are passed on or not.

Whether people with draw gratuities and pay them directly to people is irrelevant. The money still should end up in the hands of the crew.

 

Lets take  Oasis OTS 

Total average passages  :  5400            ( working on twin shares, not quad or triples)

Average Auto Gratuities  :  $ 14.50 pp    (not taking into account of suites)

Total crew on board        :   2180        ( this number includes all ships company )

 

That calculated out give RCI      $ 78,300 (per day remember)  (30 day figure :  $2,349,000.00)

Each crew should receive approx. $35.92 a day.  For a 30 day period as they are paid monthly they

should receive more then $1077.60 ea.  Remember gratuities aren't paid to all crew, so this figure should be a lot higher.

 

From what I have read in this forum this figure is more then their average monthly wage. 

So my question is if they were paid this amount as Cruise Lines say they are:  

They would not need to go above and beyond to give us great serves in the hope of more gratuities from everyone,

to be put in a big pot to be shared with others.

Personally I don't think all this money ends up in the hand of the people who do the hard work. 

Its a great  little money spinner for RCI and all cruise lines.

RCI on one ship alone , Oasis of the Seas turns over approx. $28 million just in automatic gratuities per year.

 

Just my thought and if all the Gratuities went to the Crew that would be great as it should be ????????

 

🍸🍻

 

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Definitely a cultural differente....I just want them to do their job and keep a professional distance!

Americans often want the staff to be their "new friends" :classic_huh:

I very much prefer them to just do their job and not having  to small-talk with them!:classic_rolleyes:

If they ask where I come from and what I do...I find that very intrusive and unprofessional ...but I guess they have been trained to do that - to maximise their tips!:classic_ohmy:

As a British big tipper I do understand your points.

We use the speciality restaurant's a lot and it is the very friendly demeanor and willingness to please us that influences my tipping.

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ditmar2007

ditmar2007

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Definitely a cultural differente....I just want them to do their job and keep a professional distance!

Americans often want the staff to be their "new friends" :classic_huh:

I very much prefer them to just do their job and not having  to small-talk with them!:classic_rolleyes:

If they ask where I come from and what I do...I find that very intrusive and unprofessional ...but I guess they have been trained to do that - to maximise their tips!:classic_ohmy:

YES, THIS!!! I'm not here for your company. I'm either here for my own, or to be with my friend/partner/kid/whomever I'm travelling with.
 

Don't come to my table and interrupt me to ask if everything is ok. If it wasn't, you'd know by now.

 

Dane here. Other nationalities that come to Denmark find our waiters unfriendly. We simply like it that way. 

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Thorben-Hendrik

Thorben-Hendrik

Posted
Posted (edited)
26 minutes ago, ditmar2007 said:

YES, THIS!!! I'm not here for your company. I'm either here for my own, or to be with my friend/partner/kid/whomever I'm travelling with.
 

Don't come to my table and interrupt me to ask if everything is ok. If it wasn't, you'd know by now.

 

Dane here. Other nationalities that come to Denmark find our waiters unfriendly. We simply like it that way. 

I have to defend them a little......Americans will tie them up in convesations for hours trying to make them a "new friend" - while actually they would need to work....

So in order to maximise their tips - they need to small-talk with the tippers for ever!:classic_rolleyes:

So actually it is a smart move on the part of the crew - and hard to understand not all passengers are like that.....:classic_laugh:

But then those will not tip for convesations anyway!🤣

Edited by Thorben-Hendrik
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vacationlover_mn Great Review Rare

vacationlover_mn

Posted
Posted

Fun side topic- on our first cruise, back when you left the tip out the last night before final turn down service, we tipped very little (can’t remember the reason- probably we were tight on money, etc etc). When we got back for the evening, our room steward had put sand in our beds, under the covers...  

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grapau27

grapau27

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ditmar2007 said:

YES, THIS!!! I'm not here for your company. I'm either here for my own, or to be with my friend/partner/kid/whomever I'm travelling with.
 

Don't come to my table and interrupt me to ask if everything is ok. If it wasn't, you'd know by now.

 

Dane here. Other nationalities that come to Denmark find our waiters unfriendly. We simply like it that way. 

Really?

We have been to Copenhagen 4 times and every waiter.was pleasant even in Tivoli.

Wonderful wonderful Copenhagen.

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Thorben-Hendrik

Thorben-Hendrik

Posted
Posted
20 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Fun side topic- on our first cruise, back when you left the tip out the last night before final turn down service, we tipped very little (can’t remember the reason- probably we were tight on money, etc etc). When we got back for the evening, our room steward had put sand in our beds, under the covers...  

He should have been fired immediately!:classic_angry:

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ditmar2007

ditmar2007

Posted
Posted
20 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Really?

We have been to Copenhagen 4 times and every waiter.was pleasant even in Tivoli.

Wonderful wonderful Copenhagen.

AAAWWW!!! Thank you. That was very nice of you to say so.

I live in Copenhagen, and I like my city too.

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kontraxed

kontraxed

Posted
Posted

As used in cruising, I find the term "gratuity" to be a real joke. A gratuity is supposed to be, "something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service," (Merriam-Webster). While people obviously have the ability to cancel the cruise gratuity, it is otherwise not given voluntarily so why call it a gratuity? I wish the cruise lines would just raise the rates to cover the cost of the wages and let the passengers go back to rewarding specific individuals for service that is above and beyond - or not.

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DirtyDawg

DirtyDawg

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, kontraxed said:

As used in cruising, I find the term "gratuity" to be a real joke. A gratuity is supposed to be, "something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service," (Merriam-Webster). While people obviously have the ability to cancel the cruise gratuity, it is otherwise not given voluntarily so why call it a gratuity? I wish the cruise lines would just raise the rates to cover the cost of the wages and let the passengers go back to rewarding specific individuals for service that is above and beyond - or not.

 

It is just a marketing term like 'New and Improved' or 'free'. :classic_biggrin:

 

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peteukmcr

peteukmcr

Posted
Posted (edited)
54 minutes ago, kontraxed said:

As used in cruising, I find the term "gratuity" to be a real joke. A gratuity is supposed to be, "something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service," (Merriam-Webster). While people obviously have the ability to cancel the cruise gratuity, it is otherwise not given voluntarily so why call it a gratuity? I wish the cruise lines would just raise the rates to cover the cost of the wages and let the passengers go back to rewarding specific individuals for service that is above and beyond - or not.

The thing is it's not been called a 'gratuity' on our invoices in the UK for many years, but an 'on board service charge'

 

Service.jpeg

Edited by peteukmcr
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Yoshikitty

Yoshikitty

Posted
Posted (edited)
18 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Definitely a cultural differente....I just want them to do their job and keep a professional distance!

Americans often want the staff to be their "new friends" :classic_huh:

I very much prefer them to just do their job and not having  to small-talk with them!:classic_rolleyes:

If they ask where I come from and what I do...I find that very intrusive and unprofessional ...but I guess they have been trained to do that - to maximise their tips!:classic_ohmy:

 

I am from the same country like Torben-Hendrik* and feel embarrased  and disagree with everything that he says re. tips - in particular the wild theory of cultural differences ( isn‘t it a bit too easy to put it down to these simple clichees?)

Its just my opinion, but the entire theory of ‚cultural differences and such‘ is just an easy way out do deal with the guilty feeling for having stiffed the crew by removing the tips  - and partly let other passengers pay for what he‘s saving.

 

I do hope that the crew receives every penny that is on the daily servicechargeand we feel that they deserve it.

 

* I can only see him showing up in tips topics and lecture everybody with his theories.

 

Edited by Yoshikitty
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Seadog & Sea Hag

Seadog & Sea Hag

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Fun side topic- on our first cruise, back when you left the tip out the last night before final turn down service, we tipped very little (can’t remember the reason- probably we were tight on money, etc etc). When we got back for the evening, our room steward had put sand in our beds, under the covers...  

Sure, that’s believable 

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GUT2407

GUT2407

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, KS Sunflower said:

Had you been to the beach that day?. I don't think the cabin attendant carries around sand, just to put in the bed of poor tippers.. but believe as you will.🙄

I must say I was wondering where the steward got the sand from.

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