% of guests who remove gratuities

[Ryder101]

12 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Well... it's also money that is expected to be distributed to tipped employees on the ship. 

 

Compensation packages are based on employees receiving these gratuities if service levels meet expectations.  Again, if auto grats are removed, I just hope that cash is distributed at least to the same level of auto-grats, if service was met.

Only the automatic gratuities not removed at guest services at any time up until the morning of departure or by calling guest services from your cabin, are expected to be distributed. 

[JeffT237]

After 15 pages of responses backed up with answers originating from people's personal opinions, to speculation, to a YouTuber said or I met a crew member who said this is how it works the only thing settled in the great tipping debate is nothing.  Not one person's views on this has changed, nor will it.  But at least by jumping in I got my post count up to over 400 so it's not been a total waste 😄 And yes (from my previous post) it's still cold and rainy in SoCal!

 

Perhaps when I board on Sunday I'll spend time talking to crew members, officers and GS about how tipping really works, as well as the economics in the crew's home countries.  I'll make sure I report back to Cruise Critic with "facts" to end the debate once and for all.  I know before I retired I really enjoyed random people coming up to me and discussing my salary and benefits.  I'm sure your waiter who is serving multiple tables loves stopping to chit chat about his or her thoughts on auto gratuities vs cash.  On second thought I think I'll just enjoy my cruise, good luck with your debate!

[Biker19]

12 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

 But at least by jumping in I got my post count up to over 400 so it's not been a total waste

Very rarely is a tipping thread anything but a post whoring fest.

 

Biker, who is surprised the mods have not locked this one too.

[rolloman]

15 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

After 15 pages of responses backed up with answers originating from people's personal opinions, to speculation, to a YouTuber said or I met a crew member who said this is how it works the only thing settled in the great tipping debate is nothing.  Not one person's views on this has changed, nor will it.  But at least by jumping in I got my post count up to over 400 so it's not been a total waste 😄 And yes (from my previous post) it's still cold and rainy in SoCal!

 

Perhaps when I board on Sunday I'll spend time talking to crew members, officers and GS about how tipping really works, as well as the economics in the crew's home countries.  I'll make sure I report back to Cruise Critic with "facts" to end the debate once and for all.  I know before I retired I really enjoyed random people coming up to me and discussing my salary and benefits.  I'm sure your waiter who is serving multiple tables loves stopping to chit chat about his or her thoughts on auto gratuities vs cash.  On second thought I think I'll just enjoy my cruise, good luck with your debate!

Very simple...as I already stated...go to the Captains (and his officers) Q/A session which occurs on most 5+ night voyages and ask the question. There is no need to inundate the crew with questions. Go straight to the source. 

Edited March 1, 2023 by rolloman

[Ryder101]

21 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

After 15 pages of responses backed up with answers originating from people's personal opinions, to speculation, to a YouTuber said or I met a crew member who said this is how it works the only thing settled in the great tipping debate is nothing.  Not one person's views on this has changed, nor will it.  But at least by jumping in I got my post count up to over 400 so it's not been a total waste 😄 And yes (from my previous post) it's still cold and rainy in SoCal!

 

Perhaps when I board on Sunday I'll spend time talking to crew members, officers and GS about how tipping really works, as well as the economics in the crew's home countries.  I'll make sure I report back to Cruise Critic with "facts" to end the debate once and for all.  I know before I retired I really enjoyed random people coming up to me and discussing my salary and benefits.  I'm sure your waiter who is serving multiple tables loves stopping to chit chat about his or her thoughts on auto gratuities vs cash.  On second thought I think I'll just enjoy my cruise, good luck with your debate!

How much did you make? What about now?

[Ryder101]

8 minutes ago, rolloman said:

Very simple...as I already stated...go to the Captains (and his officers) Q/A session which occurs on most 5+ night voyages and ask the question. There is no need to inundate the crew with questions. Go straight to the source. 

Record it and put a link on YouTube. Really. 

[JeffT237]

2 minutes ago, rolloman said:

Very simple...as I already stated...go to the Captains (and his officers) Q/A session which occurs on most 5+ night voyages and ask the question

yeah I was being sarcastic, first off: I more than likely wouldn't take the time out of my vacation to attend an event with the Captain or any staff.  If it came down to me making a fool of myself at the 70's Disco Inferno or taking the time to go to and event like that I pick Disco Inferno every time, much to the dismay of my wife.  But to some that's important so go for it.  Second:  A lot of the tipping posts include observations made by passengers who talked to their waiter or cabin steward about how tips work and this becomes a Cruise Critic fact.  Just trying to have fun with this whole debate!

[robmtx]

43 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

yeah I was being sarcastic, first off: I more than likely wouldn't take the time out of my vacation to attend an event with the Captain or any staff.  If it came down to me making a fool of myself at the 70's Disco Inferno or taking the time to go to and event like that I pick Disco Inferno every time, much to the dismay of my wife.  But to some that's important so go for it.  Second:  A lot of the tipping posts include observations made by passengers who talked to their waiter or cabin steward about how tips work and this becomes a Cruise Critic fact.  Just trying to have fun with this whole debate!

You're in luck! the Disco Inferno does not conflict with Capt Q&A. But I would guestimate that if one were to ask such a question in this Q&A, the Hotel Director would answer something similar to this: "We can't discuss actual salaries/compensation here."  NEXT!

 

I see one consistent element - we only hear from some crew who give us different answers. We can't rely on them as a source really (your info, my info, doesn't matter... none of us have Scientific data to present here). Crew could be making it up on the fly to tug on your heart strings, or just don't want to give you an honest answer.

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, JeffT237 said:

yeah I was being sarcastic, first off: I more than likely wouldn't take the time out of my vacation to attend an event with the Captain or any staff.  If it came down to me making a fool of myself at the 70's Disco Inferno or taking the time to go to and event like that I pick Disco Inferno every time, much to the dismay of my wife.  But to some that's important so go for it.  Second:  A lot of the tipping posts include observations made by passengers who talked to their waiter or cabin steward about how tips work and this becomes a Cruise Critic fact.  Just trying to have fun with this whole debate!

Even if you did, there would be those that still argue and disagree with you from both sides of the discussion.
 

As you said, no need to waste your time.

[davekathy]

18 minutes ago, robmtx said:

the Hotel Director would answer something similar to this: "We can't discuss actual salaries/compensation here."  NEXT!

 

As it should be. No ones business what the staff/crew makes. 

[Ryder101]

23 minutes ago, davekathy said:

As it should be. No ones business what the staff/crew makes. 

No one's problem either. Between employer and employee.

[davekathy]

Just now, Ryder101 said:

No one's problem either. Between employer and employee.

Agree. I've said that same thing before. Including their workload. 

[dunrobbin]

G'day,

Can someone tell me, do auto tips go into a huge bucket? Are they then shared out equally among all crew?

If I remove my auto tips,  does it just put less in the huge  bucket?

That would hardly make a dent, unless a lot of people remove the auto tips?

We pay the auto tips, as well as give a few cash handshakes at the end.

In the scheme of things it isn't very much, and its just part of the cruise fare for us.

Hubby works for Wahl and we bring several good quality hair clippers on board as gifts, and give them to the barbers.

Does anyone else give gifts that are not money?

 

[kirtihk]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

This made me laugh.  My husband and I recently went to a brew pub in our area.  We had never been before so when we arrived we sat at the bar and had a beer and a good look around the place.  Above the bar was a huge whiteboard entitled "Shi**y Tipper Leader Board"  On it they wrote the amount of the bill and the amount of the tip along with the customer's first name and the date.  We were aghast by the tip amounts.  Some bills were in excess of a hundred bucks with no tip at all.  I asked if the board was real and the manager said that sadly, it was.  Much as I like to keep a glass half full disposition about me, I agree...some people really do suck.

No one would "suck" if the upfront fare include EVERYTHING without details - no initial fare, port charge, tax, gratuities (AKA tips, service charge or whatever), just a full total price (there would be NOTHING to adjust).  It would be some much straight forward (like prices in Europe and a lot of other countries).  Then there would be no debates like here, and everyone who books would be a happy person, because only a happy person would book a vacation for an ACCEPTED price (I cannot imagine a person who willingly pays and then yet complains about it - again, I'm writing about a paid vacation, not a necessity like food or a utility bill). 

Edited March 1, 2023 by kirtihk

[jencruzin]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Very rarely is a tipping thread anything but a post whoring fest.

 

Biker, who is surprised the mods have not locked this one too.

Truth. Before DH left these boards, he told me you were one of the good guys.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Back to the OP i think the % would depend on:

The location/country/area of the cruise.

The demographics of the passengers.

 

I would imagine cruises from the US with mostly US passengers the % would be low.

 

Cruises from the UK and Europe with mostly European passengers the % would be more then the US. 

 

Some cruise companies sailing now from the UK such as P&O and recently MSC have put the graturities into the cost of the cruise. 

 

IMO it is simply down to the culture of the passengers. Certainly our Brilliance cruise out of italy last year the GS queue buster had a clip board taking names of guests removing the grats. The list was at least two double pages long. For other queries she had a seperate clipboard. 

 

[JLvacation]

~ This Topic is as Amusing as People who expect to be treated a certain way when cruising ! 

Yet here's a Curve Ball ~ Who here tip's cash to their room steward on day one , when meeting the person who will be taking care of You and Your Families / Need's and Want's while on the Cruise . 

 

We Tip Our's / And have found it to be a Positive Outcome , Every Time ! ~ We have gone to Guest Relation's on day one ! An asked them to remove automatic tipping ! It's nothing personnel ! 

 

All in All this will always be a hot topic ! I just hope at the end of your Cruise . That your as nice to the crew as they are to you .... And Paying it Forward is Something Everyone should at least consider when cruising !  

[rolloman]

2 hours ago, davekathy said:

As it should be. No ones business what the staff/crew makes. 

I have not read where anyone is asking what does the crew make. What I have read though is: 

 

* What percentage of guests remove the auto-tips? 

*Does Royal Caribbean keep a portion of the auto-tips?

*Do non-guest facing crew receive tips as well ?                                                                                         * If auto tipping is offered only as a convenience, why are passengers not allowed to opt out of auto tipping prior to boarding?

[davekathy]

7 minutes ago, rolloman said:

I have not read where anyone is asking what does the crew make. What I have read though is: 

 

* What percentage of guests remove the auto-tips? 

*Does Royal Caribbean keep a portion of the auto-tips?

*Do non-guest facing crew receive tips as well ?                                                                                         * If auto tipping is offered only as a convenience, why are passengers not allowed to opt out of auto tipping prior to boarding?

Obviously you haven't read all the posts on this thread.  I'll refer you to post #363. That's the post my comment was directed. 

[not-enough-cruising]

4 hours ago, rolloman said:

Very simple...as I already stated...go to the Captains (and his officers) Q/A session which occurs on most 5+ night voyages and ask the question. There is no need to inundate the crew with questions. Go straight to the source. 

The Captain and officers have no idea what RCG is doing with the auto gratuities. 

[BND]

Just now, not-enough-cruising said:

The Captain and officers have no idea what RCG is doing with the auto gratuities. 

I was going to post that.  The way it's handled is a corporate decision.

[time4u2go]

2 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

The Captain and officers have no idea what RCG is doing with the auto gratuities. 

Wouldn't the hotel manager have some insight into it?

[not-enough-cruising]

1 minute ago, time4u2go said:

Wouldn't the hotel manager have some insight into it?

Honestly, I doubt it.

 

I don’t know, but I doubt it; these types of financial wrangling and decisions are made well up the ladder. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 minutes ago, BND said:

I was going to post that.  The way it's handled is a corporate decision.

IDK...lots of decisions were made by higher up in my district office that I had no say in but I knew what those decisions were and how they were going to impact the people who worked for me...

[time4u2go]

6 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

IDK...lots of decisions were made by higher up in my district office that I had no say in but I knew what those decisions were and how they were going to impact the people who worked for me...

That's how I was thinking it might be.