Gratuities on RCCL

[invision]

Background: Just completed our 12th cruise on RCCL.  Current Level is Dia+.

 

Statement:  I believe gratuities have gotten out of hand.  18% is collected on everything clear down to a bottle of water.  Pre-paids are expensive.  I personally like to tip members who are helpful or go the extra mile.  After talking with members on this last trip I have surmised that members are not paid enough by RCCL and us travelers are subsidizing those low wages.  Programs like WOW "Additional tip" envelopes etc...  are annoying.  In no way should gratuities be automatically added.  Can you image if every mechanic that worked on your auto or the garbage man started demanding 18% gratuity etc...  Gratuities should be earned not automatically charged to your account.

 

I realize this will not be a popular topic here and especially for a first post.

 

Happy New Year !!

 

 

[packerman8]

If you buy a drink package, You are taxed only 1 time instead of multiple times like you are explaining here.  $14.50 per person per day does seem high to me.  Do we know what percentage of the tips each person gets?  I would be very intrigued to find out.  Depending on how well they do, We usually give a little extra to our Room Steward and the Main Waiter.  Thanks!

Edited December 31, 2018 by packerman8
Spelling Error

[StolidCruiser]

6 minutes ago, invision said:

Background: Just completed our 12th cruise on RCCL.  Current Level is Dia+.

 

Statement:  I believe gratuities have gotten out of hand.  18% is collected on everything clear down to a bottle of water.  Pre-paids are expensive.  I personally like to tip members who are helpful or go the extra mile.  After talking with members on this last trip I have surmised that members are not paid enough by RCCL and us travelers are subsidizing those low wages.  Programs like WOW "Additional tip" envelopes etc...  are annoying.  In no way should gratuities be automatically added.  Can you image if every mechanic that worked on your auto or the garbage man started demanding 18% gratuity etc...  Gratuities should be earned not automatically charged to your account.

 

I realize this will not be a popular topic here and especially for a first post.

 

Happy New Year !!

 

....and no one has made a post like yours before.

 

[Thechamp555]

I just heard recently that you can ask to have the gratuities cancelled so you can decide yourself to whom these tips will be assigned.

 

Is it really the case ?

Edited December 31, 2018 by Thechamp555

[invision]

Thanks for the reply.  We have never bought a drink package as only buy water outside the use of the Concierge lounge.

 

M

[Hoopster95]

5 minutes ago, invision said:

I have surmised that members are not paid enough by RCCL and us travelers are subsidizing.....

I realize this will not be a popular topic here and especially for a first post.

 

Happy New Year !!

 

 

 

Good post, just an FYI this is very old news to many here on. Guise Critic. If you use the search tool above and search “gratuities” you will find many extremely

lengthy discussions on this topic 

 

the old News  is that the 18% is in fact a “wage”, not a gratuity at all. Royal, and all

cruise Lines, hide and lie about the fact this is not a “gratuity”.

 

Using your example, it be like taking your care to a mechanic to repair a $500 problem. He shows you the final bill to be $750 because there’s $250 Of labour.... however your bill shows the word “gratuity” for the $250. Royal and all

cruise lines should remove this word altogether and include all “wages”, 18% or whatever, into the original base cruise fare

[invision]

1 minute ago, Thechamp555 said:

I just heard recently that you can ask to have the gratuities cancelled so you can decide yourself to whom these tips will be assigned.

 

Is it really the case ?

Yes this is true.  We tried that on the last cruise.  Gave out $700 usd cash in tips to outstanding crew.  Promised a refund of the $560 usd pre-paids within 7-10days by both concierge and customer service.  Have not seen any refund in 16 days yet.  No answered emails, no returned calls by RCCL.

 

M

[not-enough-cruising]

13 minutes ago, Thechamp555 said:

I just heard recently that you can ask to have the gratuities cancelled so you can decide yourself to whom these tips will be assigned.

 

Is it really the case ?

Yes that is 100% accurate. If you pre paid you are stuck with it, but if you choose to pay on board, then you can go to GS and ask them to cancel the auto debit of gratuities from your account.  

Edited December 31, 2018 by not-enough-cruising

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, invision said:

Yes this is true.  We tried that on the last cruise.  Gave out $700 usd cash in tips to outstanding crew.  Promised a refund of the $560 usd pre-paids within 7-10days by both concierge and customer service.  Have not seen any refund in 16 days yet.  No answered emails, no returned calls by RCCL.

A good reason to not pre-pay grats if you plan to tip in cash instead - seems to be a lot harder to get the pre-paid back vs. asking to stop adding or remove the auto-grats once on board.

[Biker19]

17 minutes ago, invision said:

I realize this will not be a popular topic here and especially for a first post.

Welcome to CC.

 

Actually, tipping threads are very popular.

[invision]

So I see.  :-)

 

The explanation of "gratuities = wage subsidize" is a fact !!

 

M

[not-enough-cruising]

9 minutes ago, invision said:

Yes this is true.  We tried that on the last cruise.  Gave out $700 usd cash in tips to outstanding crew.  Promised a refund of the $560 usd pre-paids within 7-10days by both concierge and customer service.  Have not seen any refund in 16 days yet.  No answered emails, no returned calls by RCCL.

 

M

Unfortunately I have heard very few success stories of people getting the pre paid gratuities reimbursed 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, invision said:

The explanation of "gratuities = wage subsidize" is a fact !!

and is discussed in every tipping thread with lots of input whether needed or not.

[justgimeasec]

I'm curious about the 'prepaid' gratuities?

 

Are these just when the travel advisor covers them as part of the package? Or is there a way to pay these off before hand.

 

I don't mind having them added to my credit card at the end of the cruise, but the idea of getting them out of the way and having a smaller departing bill sounds good too.

[invision]

Yes you can prepay when you pay for the cruise 3 months ahead of time.  But its black magic to whom gets the money...

 

M

[Grandma Dazzles]

Welcome to cruise critic.  This subject is regularly beaten to death.  Just as a reminder, food service and similar workers in the industry, are paid a very small minimum wage at their jobs in the US.   By law tips make up their wage to a minimum. In Wisconsin where I live minimum wage is $2.33 per hour for such workers.  Cruising is just the same - if you don’t like the way the industry operates, suggest cruising on a line that incorporates the “tips” into your base fare and then you don’t have to tip.

 

I also don’t find $14.50 per person per day to be excessive.  If I were to eat in a land-based restaurant for at least three meals per day, have twice daily room cleaning, bathroom cleaning, and so on, I would spend more.

 

Drink package price has the automatic 18% added.  The bar gratuity is only charged on individually priced drinks.  Very easy to drink tap water or any of the drinks included with your cruise.

Edited December 31, 2018 by Grandma Dazzles

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, invision said:

So I see.  🙂

 

The explanation of "gratuities = wage subsidize" is a fact !!

 

M

As with Millions of other American server's that are paid less then Minimum wage. But even on cruise ship's this is a standard at least 100yrs old

Edited December 31, 2018 by ONECRUISER

[zdad59]

"I don't believe in tipping   I believe in over tipping."

                                                    - Todd Wilkinson

[Milwaukee Eight]

OP, where are you from/reside?

[invision]

I don't think the $17.50 a day per person they charge us is bad.  Trouble is who get how much of this amount is not clear.  RCCL should state that somewhere but I have not been able to put my hands on that info.  

 

M

 

Edited December 31, 2018 by invision

[invision]

Just now, Milwaukee Eight said:

OP, where are you from/reside?

From LA USA.  LA = Lower Alabama :-)

[ONECRUISER]

54 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

Welcome to cruise critic.  This subject is regularly beaten to death.  Just as a reminder, food service and similar workers in the industry, are paid a very small minimum wage at their jobs in the US.   By law tips make up their wage to a minimum. In Wisconsin where I live minimum wage is $2.33 per hour for such workers.  Cruising is just the same - if you don’t like the way the industry operates, suggest cruising on a line that incorporates the “tips” into your base fare and then you don’t have to tip.

 

I also don’t find $14.50 per person per day to be excessive.  If I were to eat in a land-based restaurant for at least three meals per day, have twice daily room cleaning, bathroom cleaning, and so on, I would spend more.

 

Drink package price has the automatic 18% added.  The bar gratuity is only charged on individually priced drinks.  Very easy to drink tap water or any of the drinks included with your cruise.

Well said. Was a Manager of Rest/Bar 35yrs ago and my Wait Staff were making those low wages plus their tips. This all while putting themselves threw college, doing so while living on own...

[ONECRUISER]

7 minutes ago, zdad59 said:

"I don't believe in tipping   I believe in over tipping."

                                                    - Todd Wilkinson

Classic movie...

[zdad59]

31 minutes ago, invision said:

I don't think the $17.50 a day per person they charge us is bad.  Trouble is who get how much of this amount is not clear.  RCCL should state that somewhere but I have not been able to put my hands on that info.  

 

M

 

 

From another thread on this topic.....

 

Stateroom Attendant: $3.55

Dining Room: $6.25

Other Hotel Services: $4.70

Total Standard Staterooms: $14.50 Previously $13.50

 

Stateroom Attendant: $6.20

Dining Room: $6.25

Other Hotel Services: $5.05

Total for Suites: $17.50 Previously $16.50

 

The other hotel services include the persons who wash the bed linings as well as whoever cleans balconies or restocks the mini bar. Other hotel services include any additional person other than the stateroom attendant that may attend to any stateroom need.

[MNfamilycruiser]

45 minutes ago, invision said:

I don't think the $17.50 a day per person they charge us is bad.  Trouble is who get how much of this amount is not clear.  RCCL should state that somewhere but I have not been able to put my hands on that info.  

 

M

 

I think on the website the information is listed in the FAQ - I am certain I have seen it multiple times.