Question about extra tipping envelopes

[snaefell]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I believe it is very difficult to withdraw the prepaid tips.

Just visit guest services & they will oblige

[FLACRUISER99]

1 hour ago, snaefell said:

Just visit guest services & they will oblige

I think you are mixing up prepaid with the onboard charge

[Clarea]

2 hours ago, snaefell said:

Just visit guest services & they will oblige

 

I've only read a couple of reports of people successfully removing prepaid tips, and it was not an easy process.

[Ptroxx]

29 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I've only read a couple of reports of people successfully removing prepaid tips, and it was not an easy process.

I’ve opted out of prepaid on NCL by going to the service desk the night B4 your last day on board.   
and I thought I read a few threads here that the same proses works on RC.    

[Biker19]

11 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

I’ve opted out of prepaid on NCL by going to the service desk the night B4 your last day on board.   
and I thought I read a few threads here that the same proses works on RC.    

Removing the auto grats is easy, removing grats you already paid BEFORE the cruise, not so much

[Ptroxx]

Just now, Biker19 said:

Removing the auto grats is easy, removing grats you already paid BEFORE the cruise, not so much

OK I get it     What would those be though?   Like on a drink package?   

[Biker19]

Just now, Ptroxx said:

OK I get it     What would those be though?   Like on a drink package?   

I think we are talking about the general $14.50 pppd gratuities. You can't remove the grats on anything else.

[Ptroxx]

15 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

I think we are talking about the general $14.50 pppd gratuities. You can't remove the grats on anything else.

Yeah that’s what I’m talking about?  Never mentioned taxes on anything else.      
 

I never worry about other taxes as personally I don’t do add ones like drink or dinner packages 

[Biker19]

19 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

Yeah that’s what I’m talking about?  Never mentioned taxes on anything else.      

As mentioned above, if you don't prepay your grats, they are automatically added to your on board account - those can be stopped/removed on board via a simple request. Some prepay those same grats (and apparently is required when booking MTD in the UK) before the cruise - those are very difficult to remove - I think we had only one report of that and it was done after the cruise with a lot of work by the customer.

[karena1]

We always prepay or pay per day tips. Then we tip our bar servers, waiters, etc as we want.  Personally, would never, ever take off the auto tips. I just tip extra where we want.  Pool servers bring me a drink (even though we have the package), I tip.  We drop a tip in WJ for breakfast.  But that is us, not everyone is the same.  We were both in the hospitality industry for many years back in the day so tipping is just part of the cruise for us

 

[robc1972]

Just got off the Independence a few weeks ago. We had the tips added onto the account daily instead of prepaying.

On the last night of this cruise, when we returned to the cabin after dinner we noticed that the cabin steward had been in and done up the room as usual.

She also left something on the bed that I have never seen before on any cruise on any line. She left a pre printed envelope that had a thank you message with her name printed on it asking for additional tips. It looked like it had been used in the past.

We usually do leave something extra for them when we leave if they take care of us but didn't leave as much as we would have because she left a note asking for it, even debated not leaving anything because of the note.

 

Is this envelope a normal thing these days? Been a few years since my last RCI cruise but been on MSC and Carnival many times recently and not seen it.

[karena1]

We cruise every month and have never seen that. We see envelopes, but never that.

 

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, robc1972 said:

Just got off the Independence a few weeks ago. We had the tips added onto the account daily instead of prepaying.

On the last night of this cruise, when we returned to the cabin after dinner we noticed that the cabin steward had been in and done up the room as usual.

She also left something on the bed that I have never seen before on any cruise on any line. She left a pre printed envelope that had a thank you message with her name printed on it asking for additional tips. It looked like it had been used in the past.

We usually do leave something extra for them when we leave if they take care of us but didn't leave as much as we would have because she left a note asking for it, even debated not leaving anything because of the note.

 

Is this envelope a normal thing these days? Been a few years since my last RCI cruise but been on MSC and Carnival many times recently and not seen it.

Cabin Steward trying it on.

Very rude if you have pre-paid your tips.

[robc1972]

15 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Cabin Steward trying it on.

Very rude if you have pre-paid your tips.

 

Judging by the envelopes condition she had been doing it for a while.

Rude and tacky to ask for tips in general.

Almost as bad as the porters that take your bags when you get to port and demand a tip from you.

[grapau27]

21 minutes ago, karena1 said:

We cruise every month and have never seen that. We see envelopes, but never that.

 

Had a cabin steward once complaining that he only got a derisory amount from prepaid gratuities clearly expecting a nice cash tip off us.

[grapau27]

41 minutes ago, robc1972 said:

 

Judging by the envelopes condition she had been doing it for a while.

Rude and tacky to ask for tips in general.

Almost as bad as the porters that take your bags when you get to port and demand a tip from you.

I would have torn the envelope up.

We are very generous with tips but take exception to that behaviour.

[Clarea]

7 hours ago, Ptroxx said:

OK I get it     What would those be though?   Like on a drink package?   

 

No, you can prepay standard tips (dining & stateroom attendant) as part of your cruise final payment.

[John&LaLa]

We always get one blank tip envelope with our luggage tags

[Burncox]

On 12/19/2019 at 10:35 AM, John&LaLa said:

We used to have a really good waiter in the DL. We always tip for every drink, but those tips are pooled, so nothing really for the excellent service she provided.

The Diamond Concierge told us we could give her an envelope at whatever bar she usually worked at and she would not have to put that in the pool. 

I like that.  I am sometimes disappointed when the tip I give the bartender for making an excellent drink goes into the jar.  It never occurred to me to give her an envelope at the end! 

 

On this last cruise, I had a bunch of $2 bills that I gave when I ordered two drinks or got a really great drink and one lady put hers right in her pocket because she collected them.  On this last cruise, I found that $2 bills were pretty popular and a great way for the bartender to remember us.

 

Dave

[Ptroxx]

1 hour ago, Burncox said:

I like that.  I am sometimes disappointed when the tip I give the bartender for making an excellent drink goes into the jar.  It never occurred to me to give her an envelope at the end! 

 

On this last cruise, I had a bunch of $2 bills that I gave when I ordered two drinks or got a really great drink and one lady put hers right in her pocket because she collected them.  On this last cruise, I found that $2 bills were pretty popular and a great way for the bartender to remember us.

 

Dave

This is so cool.    

Lololol I love this.   Your welcome.   And that other thread got closed ..

I use the 2.00 bill all the time. Love giving them.  People always seem excited to get them.    Contrary to some other person thoughts.   Lol.  
Reminds me.   I have to go get a few more for my cruise in30 days.  
 

I also like the envelope Also dislike the tip pool. 

[Burncox]

A friend told me on this last cruise that he and his companion cancel the daily auto-tipping and buy the unlimited dining package.  They tip at the restaurants and they tip the steward in cash using the envelopes that have been left in the room.  He says that he shouldn't have to pay the auto-tipping that partially goes to the main dining room when he doesn't even go there.

 

This sounded very interesting, so we are looking into this.  However, it seems that the dining packages are a lot more on some ships than on others, such as Allure vs Rhapsody.

 

(I'm not keen on prepaying tips because I'd rather set that payment back a few weeks by having it charged to my credit card).

 

Dave

 

 

 

[Biker19]

26 minutes ago, Burncox said:

This sounded very interesting, so we are looking into this. 

Are you prepared for "feedback"?

[Burncox]

I'm always prepared for informative, constructive, and respectful feedback!

[papaflamingo]

16 minutes ago, Burncox said:

I'm always prepared for informative, constructive, and respectful feedback!

I'll give you some feedback. I intend this to be only my opinion and hopefully respectful. If not I apologize ahead of time. 

 The problem with not paying the recommended daily gratuity is that the crew counts on this for their pay.  It's not the wait staff in the Main Dining Room's fault or those who serve you in the Windjammer, Sorrento's, Park Cafe, etc. that you don't like the food or whatever.  Consider this.... if you don't pay the auto gratuity, then their pay is cut.  They have a certain number of tables assigned to them.  If that table goes empty and you cut the tip, you cut their pay.  These people work very hard.  I don't see why they shouldn't get paid because you choose another option.  

Fair? Not really.  But it is the contract they live with. In the grand scheme of things, you are saving maybe the cost of one drink per day per person.  The wait staff gets about $7.75 per day per person. Is it really that big of a deal to you?  It likely is to them.  

Anyway, not really telling you what to do, none of my business.  Just suggesting you consider that the staff counts on those tips for their pay.  If they haven't done anything wrong, why punish them? 

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by papaflamingo

[Seville2Cabo]

We have been getting the UDP lately and still leave the daily in place (or pay ahead).  They also cover Windjammer and MDR breakfast and if you have any lunches on port days 

I did hear, but never know if true or not, that your daily tip portion for dinning follows you to the specialty restaurants.  We still tip extra at speciality dining.