Auto Gratuities- Yes or No?

[KATHYMAC68]

Are we still able to cancel the auto gratuities and tip with the cash in envelopes?

I always liked handing them the envelopes and giving more when someone deserved it.

I know I can still tip extra, but I miss that last night ritual.

[topnole]

1 minute ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

Are we still able to cancel the auto gratuities and tip with the cash in envelopes?

I always liked handing them the envelopes and giving more when someone deserved it.

I know I can still tip extra, but I miss that last night ritual.

Just go to GS and cancel the automatic tips.  I believe workers know you did this. May want let ‘em know your plan so they don’t stress thinking you’ll stiff them.  

[Biker19]

3 minutes ago, KATHYMAC68 said:

Are we still able to cancel the auto gratuities and tip with the cash in envelopes?

Yes.

 

🍿

[soremekun]

I miss @thorben-hendrik

[pcur]

Many of the crew had a hard time of it during the pandemic when cruising was stopped.  So, you might want to hold off on cancelling the auto tips, and give an envelope of extra cash to all your face-to-face service people on the last day/night.

 

A portion of your auto tips go to the behind-the-scenes workers, too.  So, cancelling and giving cash tips to just those you actually interact with, has a negative financial impact on others you cannot give to directly.

 

You don't have to give a lot in addition to the auto tips.  I gave an extra $5 to my room steward on a 3 night cruise, then an extra $10 on the next (longer) cruise.  My other habit is if I win anything in the casino (and I don't very often, as I'm not in there very often), I give my room steward half.

 

I've been unemployed in my lifetime:  I know how it feels.

[cruisebabe50]

I do the auto tips and then more on top for those that go above and beyond.  They all seem to work very hard to make my vacation special.  I reward that.  🙂

[time4u2go]

5 minutes ago, pcur said:

A portion of your auto tips go to the behind-the-scenes workers, too.  So, cancelling and giving cash tips to just those you actually interact with, has a negative financial impact on others you cannot give to directly.

I don't know if it's true or not, but some on here have indicated that if the auto tips are cancelled, any cash tips then go into the tipping pool, to be split among others.

[pcur]

5 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I don't know if it's true or not, but some on here have indicated that if the auto tips are cancelled, any cash tips then go into the tipping pool, to be split among others.

Even more reason to leave the auto tips alone and give cash to whomever one wants.

[cured]

26 minutes ago, topnole said:

Just go to GS and cancel the automatic tips.  I believe workers know you did this. May want let ‘em know your plan so they don’t stress thinking you’ll stiff them.  

Does anyone know for sure if the rumors are true that if you remove your auto-gratuities, the employee must pool whatever you give them? Basically making it the same thing that they don't get the full amount of what you give them, but just their auto gratuity share. We always leave the autograts on so that we don't stiff anyone and give extra where extra is due. However, we have a family member that insists on removing the auto gratuities and just tipping the people he sees everyday.  I would love to present the argument that it doesn't work the way he thinks it does. They can see that he removed the gratuities and that anything he gives in an envelope has to go into the pool anyway.

 

[flamingos]

One thing we have started doing is finding a staff member or two who normally wouldn't get tipped (the really nice cleaner in the restroom by the theater that I saw every night, the pool deck sweeper who always got our hot tub bubbler working by hitting the button the right way) and leaving them a tip as well.

[smokeybandit]

Why would you cancel auto tips only to give them that and more in cash? Just give them the "more" part in cash.

[Sunshine3601]

6 minutes ago, flamingos said:

One thing we have started doing is finding a staff member or two who normally wouldn't get tipped (the really nice cleaner in the restroom by the theater that I saw every night, the pool deck sweeper who always got our hot tub bubbler working by hitting the button the right way) and leaving them a tip as well.

Nice!

[Tlbecker1]

7 minutes ago, flamingos said:

One thing we have started doing is finding a staff member or two who normally wouldn't get tipped (the really nice cleaner in the restroom by the theater that I saw every night, the pool deck sweeper who always got our hot tub bubbler working by hitting the button the right way) and leaving them a tip as well.

This is what we do also!

[karena1]

1 hour ago, cruisebabe50 said:

I do the auto tips and then more on top for those that go above and beyond.  They all seem to work very hard to make my vacation special.  I reward that.  🙂

That is EXACTLY what we do.  I am so against people taking off the auto tips and robbing the behind the scenes people that work so hard to make our vacation a great one.

[yogimax]

56 minutes ago, snaefell said:

OMG not this one again,the subject that nobody will agree on,

Actually, there is a vast amount of agreement... Keep the auto tips in place and tip extra if you wish.

 

It is the minority that will remove the tips.  One wonders what the actual reason is.

[DCPIV]

Yet another reason why OPs should be able to lock their own threads.

[soremekun]

Why don't we tip other important staff:

-The captain and his/her close work associates

-Engine crew

-Security staff

-Guest services team

 

 

[loman]

I just prepay the gratuities when i book the cruise , i find it easier that way.

If i feel like tipping someone extra in cash , then i do it .

I dont use envelopes .

[Submariner]

I hate being auto-charged gratuities and I remove it as soon as I board. Cruises force this onto cruisers and wont make it a service charge as they would have to declare and probably pay taxes on it. Gratuity and tips should be a personal choice and not shoved down our throat but its the American Way - unfortunately. Nevertheless, I make sure to give certain people padded envelopes at the end of the tip, er trip.

 

[John&LaLa]

7 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Why don't we tip other important staff:

-The captain and his/her close work associates

-Engine crew

-Security staff

-Guest services team

 

 

I tipped the Captain once, but he had to pool it with the casino dealers

 

Concierges and Loyalty Ambassadors are part of Guest Services.  We tip them

[CruisingHogFan]

Hopefully someday Royal will make gratuities a mandatory line item and not give the choice and these discussions end.

 

We usually tip extra for above and beyond to our cabin attendant, MDR staff, and bartenders we use a lot.

[John&LaLa]

9 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

Hopefully someday Royal will make gratuities a mandatory line item and not give the choice and these discussions end.

 

We usually tip extra for above and beyond to our cabin attendant, MDR staff, and bartenders we use a lot.

 

They should just call it a resort fee and make it mandatory 

[rudeney]

1 hour ago, karena1 said:

NO - sorry the 18% is automatic and you cannot remove that.  

 FYI, that was sarcasm (hence my "stir the pot" and devil-face emoji). I know it cannot (and should not) be removed. 😜

[Jerseygirl1416]

38 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Why don't we tip other important staff:

-The captain and his/her close work associates

-Engine crew

-Security staff

-Guest services team

 

 

I see those positions to be more part of the management team who are usually compensated accordingly. I feel like it’s the service employees that are historically not paid that well and that should be tipped.

 

That said, I love to tip and am grateful I’m able to do it. I’ll happily pay the automatic tips as well as extra tips along the way. I have a standing rule that anything I win in the casino I split with the cabin steward. It makes me happy and hopefully it makes them happy too😊 

[neverbeenhere]

We are so generous that we tip Chair Hogs.