dining package now has tips add should we still tip at the table?

[joyhannah]

I notice that RCCL now add the tips when you buy the packages. they did do that before.

does that mean we no longer tip at the table?

[basenji56]

I don't think it's necessary.  I usually leave $5-10 if the service was good and I plan to come back.  But everyone is free to tip as much as they want.

[cruisegus]

30 minutes ago, joyhannah said:

I notice that RCCL now add the tips when you buy the packages. they did do that before.

does that mean we no longer tip at the table?

Before the 18% tip was built into the price you saw, so you have always auto tiped.

Personally unless the is an exceptional reason (and there rarely is), I do not leave an additional tip

[N.Ice]

My thought is when they have charged you a tip up front, then you have tipped that amount.  If you feel like you would like to tip more than that amount, then you can give the additional amount at the table.

[LilBlackDress]

I do still give extra but not the same amount I did when I purchased a specialty restaurant or a dining package and was not charged the 18%. 

 

Some people (on social media) are claiming to still tip 20% of the price of the specialty restaurant in cash... I am a generous tipper but 38%??? No, Sorry! 

[joyhannah]

thank you all for the information..

[basenji56]

18 minutes ago, LilBlackDress said:

I do still give extra but not the same amount I did when I purchased a specialty restaurant or a dining package and was not charged the 18%. 

 

Some people (on social media) are claiming to still tip 20% of the price of the specialty restaurant in cash... I am a generous tipper but 38%??? No, Sorry! 

If all the people on social media tipped what they claim, most of the crew could retire rich. 

[LilBlackDress]

3 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

If all the people on social media tipped what they claim, most of the crew could retire rich. 

EXACTLY!!! 

Even a few on here, I question when I see the bloated amounts. 
I used to think maybe I was shorting people, both on a cruise or just in general... But when I stopped and did the math, I am still a generous tipper just not a foolish tipper  LOL 

[Tree_skier]

CC represents a tiny portion of cruisers.  On my last cruise, Oasis March 5, over 50% of were first time cruisers with Royal. My suspicion is that the vast majority know they are paying the auto-gratuities and rightfully believe that that is sufficient tip and don't even consider an extra tip.  Then there is a significant % that don't tip extra even though they may be experienced cruisers.  I believe the people who post on CC giving their examples of what they tip are accurate.  They just represent a tiny portion of the cruising world.  

[taglovestocruise]

1 hour ago, joyhannah said:

thank you all for the information..

The waiters only get a few dollars from the meal. Most of the 18%  goes into the ship tip pool.  Divide the 18% amount by the 7 - 10 meals,  with sea day lunches and multiple meals a day some may have 12 - 15 melas on a 7 night cruise,  it  still works out to only a dollar or so.  We always leave $10 per visit. 

[LobsterStalker]

21 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

The waiters only get a few dollars from the meal. Most of the 18%  goes into the ship tip pool.  Divide the 18% amount by the 7 - 10 meals,  with sea day lunches and multiple meals a day some may have 12 - 15 melas on a 7 night cruise,  it  still works out to only a dollar or so.  We always leave $10 per visit. 

It always confuses me how anyone knows for sure how the tips are split when far as I know none of this info is public.... ?

 

 

Cheers

[LobsterStalker]

21 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

The waiters only get a few dollars from the meal. Most of the 18%  goes into the ship tip pool.  Divide the 18% amount by the 7 - 10 meals,  with sea day lunches and multiple meals a day some may have 12 - 15 melas on a 7 night cruise,  it  still works out to only a dollar or so.  We always leave $10 per visit. 

To be clear I'm not disagreeing with the premise ... clearly the server is not getting the 18 %

 

Cheers

[BirdTravels]

On 5/27/2023 at 7:16 PM, LilBlackDress said:

I do still give extra but not the same amount I did when I purchased a specialty restaurant or a dining package and was not charged the 18%. 

 

Some people (on social media) are claiming to still tip 20% of the price of the specialty restaurant in cash... I am a generous tipper but 38%??? No, Sorry! 

It is 18% the cost of the package is is much less than the cost of the meal. 

 

You know that the waiters don't see any of the "gratuities" added to the dining package. We always will tip them cash separately. It doesn't cost you that much to help out a crew member,,, playing it forward. 

[jean87510]

On 5/27/2023 at 6:35 PM, joyhannah said:

I notice that RCCL now add the tips when you buy the packages. they did do that before.

does that mean we no longer tip at the table?

Just do whatever you feel comfortable with.  Don't read the usual posts that claim to know exactly how the 18% is distributed.  Don't read the posts who try to tip shame everyone into tipping as much as THEY do because they are so generous and thoughtful and the waiting staff waves palm branches in front of them while they make their entrance.  Again, do whatever is good for you.  No one needs to know how much or if you didn't leave anything.

[Wineaux007]

They just recently started adding gratuity to the cost of specialty dining.  In the past it was assumed gratuity was included in the price.  Now that they tack it on the price, like ordering a drink, I don't feel guilty not tipping in Specialty restaurants, although I would leave extra (cash) for exceptional service.

 

Servers in specialty restaurants are promoted from the MDR, so I assume they make much more than being a waiter in the MDR otherwise no one would upgrade to serve in a specialty restaurant.  

[vjmatty]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It is 18% the cost of the package is is much less than the cost of the meal. 

 

You know that the waiters don't see any of the "gratuities" added to the dining package. We always will tip them cash separately. It doesn't cost you that much to help out a crew member,,, playing it forward. 

No need to shame, she said she pays extra, more than the 18%, just not 38%. 

[MommaBear55]

We always tip $5 to $10 and add extra if they have brought us our D+ drinks.

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, LobsterStalker said:

It always confuses me how anyone knows for sure how the tips are split when far as I know none of this info is public.... ?

The only ones who know for sure are the ones receiving the tips and I don’t think they are actively posting here on CC. I rarely tip above the auto grats when dining in a specialty venue. I have tipped up on bar drinks, pool side service, and my cabin steward…and the amount varies depending on the cash I have on hand so I have no hard and fast rules. Furthermore, I do not feel compelled to supplement the wages of cruise ship employees in the off chance that their employer shorts them. And I won’t feel guilty about this based on the speculation of others. I’m not cheap and I will pay for good service but I won’t do it just because anonymous CC members claim they are hefty tippers. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It doesn't cost you that much to help out a crew member

Misquote. Deleted. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[joeyancho]

When the wife and I specialty dine I leave $20.00.  There, I said it. 

[cruisinfanatic]

On 5/27/2023 at 9:22 PM, taglovestocruise said:

The waiters only get a few dollars from the meal. Most of the 18%  goes into the ship tip pool.  Divide the 18% amount by the 7 - 10 meals,  with sea day lunches and multiple meals a day some may have 12 - 15 melas on a 7 night cruise,  it  still works out to only a dollar or so.  We always leave $10 per visit. 

you have no clue

[LilBlackDress]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It is 18% the cost of the package is is much less than the cost of the meal. 

 

You know that the waiters don't see any of the "gratuities" added to the dining package. We always will tip them cash separately. It doesn't cost you that much to help out a crew member,,, playing it forward. 

Did you read what I said or are you just trying to put me down? I really don't understand... 
 

Let me make it a little simpler for you.
When we had a dining package or even a single specialty restaurant lunch or dinner before they added the 18% gratuity, we tipped between 18%-25% of the specialty restaurants' price.
After they added the 18% gratuity to the dining, we tipped extra just not an additional 18%-25% on top of the 18% we had already paid for the lunch or dinner. 

 

[vjmatty]

7 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

The only ones who know for sure are the ones receiving the tips and I don’t think they are actively posting here on CC. I rarely tip above the auto grats when dining in a specialty venue. I have tipped up on bar drinks, pool side service, and my cabin steward…and the amount varies depending on the cash I have on hand so I have no hard and fast rules. Furthermore, I do not feel compelled to supplement the wages of cruise ship employees in the off chance that their employer shorts them. And I won’t feel guilty about this based on the speculation of others. I’m not cheap and I will pay for good service but I won’t do it just because anonymous CC members claim they are hefty tippers. 

There’s reasonable tipping and there’s subsidizing the cruise line's payroll. I do the former, and don’t care if I’m shamed for it. People love their outrage. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[jean87510]

7 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

The only ones who know for sure are the ones receiving the tips and I don’t think they are actively posting here on CC. I rarely tip above the auto grats when dining in a specialty venue. I have tipped up on bar drinks, pool side service, and my cabin steward…and the amount varies depending on the cash I have on hand so I have no hard and fast rules. Furthermore, I do not feel compelled to supplement the wages of cruise ship employees in the off chance that their employer shorts them. And I won’t feel guilty about this based on the speculation of others. I’m not cheap and I will pay for good service but I won’t do it just because anonymous CC members claim they are hefty tippers. 

People think this is how the crew lives and we have to supplement their wages, give them used clothing, and basically treat them like simple minded individuals grateful for a $2 bill.  If the cruise line isn't paying enough based on the speculations of CC posters, then the crew has the option of not signing or resigning their contracts.  

With tipping, as I've said before, up to each individual.  I agree with you it's no one's business.  

[lovesthebeach2]

Yes the crew works long hard hours. But we’ve spoken to a few…one in particular who has said they own a NEW home, completely support their family (one young child), plus their parents that live with them, including food for 500.00 a month, now they didn’t say that was the amount they bring home, just their expenses. Since most live in other countries, their expenses may be way less than we’re used to receiving, so they’re doing ok. That doesn’t mean we don’t tip extra for good service, because we tip at home too.