I emailed the executive office with questions about auto-gratuity dispersement.

[Ocean Boy]

12 minutes ago, pcur said:

When you are in the MDR at a specific table, your presence is noted.  If you are not recorded in a specific place that can "claim" that portion of that day's gratuities, then it goes to the pooled "Dining Services", and it distributed throughout the no-charge eating venues.

If you say so....

[time4u2go]

14 minutes ago, pcur said:

When you are in the MDR at a specific table, your presence is noted.  If you are not recorded in a specific place that can "claim" that portion of that day's gratuities, then it goes to the pooled "Dining Services", and it distributed throughout the no-charge eating venues.

How do you know all of this?  I'm not doubting you...it just seems like very specific information so I was wondering where it comes from.

[pcur]

On 12/13/2023 at 4:27 PM, time4u2go said:

How do you know all of this?  I'm not doubting you...it just seems like very specific information so I was wondering where it comes from.

Way back in the way back a MTD manager explained the whole system to me when they first started MTD.

[katiel53]

On 12/5/2023 at 3:06 PM, lovesthebeach2 said:

I would like detail on these:
Culinary services staff

Other Hotel services teams

Others who work to enhance the overall cruise experience.

 

so even though they said 100% go to these groups, who knows who is actually IN these groups of “staff”,  “teams”,  “cruise experience enhancers”

 

staff could be anyone from bathroom cleaners to the Captain..they’re all staff.

 

 

 

On 12/5/2023 at 3:06 PM, lovesthebeach2 said:

I would like detail on these:
Culinary services staff

Other Hotel services teams

Others who work to enhance the overall cruise experience.

 

so even though they said 100% go to these groups, who knows who is actually IN these groups of “staff”,  “teams”,  “cruise experience enhancers”

 

staff could be anyone from bathroom cleaners to the Captain..they’re all staff.

 

 

I asked this question while on a ship a couple of years ago.  I was told that it is everyone that works on the ship except for the officers.  That includes the entertainment staff as well as guest services.  

[neverbeenhere]

On 12/13/2023 at 4:13 PM, pcur said:

When you are in the MDR at a specific table, your presence is noted.  If you are not recorded in a specific place that can "claim" that portion of that day's gratuities, then it goes to the pooled "Dining Services", and it distributed throughout the no-charge eating venues.

This is what I've been told when I asked; "Why do you keep calling me when we don't show for dinner?".

[Ocean Boy]

48 minutes ago, katiel53 said:

 

I asked this question while on a ship a couple of years ago.  I was told that it is everyone that works on the ship except for the officers.  That includes the entertainment staff as well as guest services.  

Not what I would have imagined at all.

[HappyTexan44]

1 hour ago, katiel53 said:

cv     nhg

I asked this question while on a ship a couple of years ago.  I was told that it is everyone that works on the ship except for the officers.  That includes the entertainment staff as well as guest services.  

 

To me, that is flat-out skimming.  Laundry is not a tipping position.  Maintenance is not a tipping position.  

[livingonthebeach]

When there was no specialty dining and everyone dined in the MDR, envelopes were given and most everyone tipped their servers. The room stewards were also left envelopes with cash for the most part. Fast forward to today, some of us (myself included) only dine in the specialty restaurants which charge an automatic gratuity when purchased as a UDP. I tip cash for my voucher drinks and leave my room steward a generous cash tip at the end of the cruise. Then why do I ask, do I have to tip the other workers?  When I stay at a hotel, I don't tip the laundry personnel nor the IT guy. Hotels don't ask for a blanket tip for every single worker so why should a cruise ship?

[not-enough-cruising]

57 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

 

To me, that is flat-out skimming.  Laundry is not a tipping position.  Maintenance is not a tipping position.  

It's 100% skimming; well not with my money

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

When there was no specialty dining and everyone dined in the MDR, envelopes were given and most everyone tipped their servers. The room stewards were also left envelopes with cash for the most part. Fast forward to today, some of us (myself included) only dine in the specialty restaurants which charge an automatic gratuity when purchased as a UDP. I tip cash for my voucher drinks and leave my room steward a generous cash tip at the end of the cruise. Then why do I ask, do I have to tip the other workers?  When I stay at a hotel, I don't tip the laundry personnel nor the IT guy. Hotels don't ask for a blanket tip for every single worker so why should a cruise ship?

I guess because the cruise lines tried it and found that people bought into it. They found a way to get about $850,000 in seapass charges for every 7 night O class sailing.

[livingonthebeach]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I guess because the cruise lines tried it and found that people bought into it. They found a way to get about $850,000 in seapass charges for every 7 night O class sailing.

 

Yes the bean counters discovered a discreet way to pad the bottom line knowing full well there would be objectors, thus the option to remove grats. 

[harcher]

I hate that they call them "gratuities." It's a service fee. Just call it that, make it mandatory, and be done with it. 

[Ocean Boy]

30 minutes ago, harcher said:

I hate that they call them "gratuities." It's a service fee. Just call it that, make it mandatory, and be done with it. 

They call them gratuities because they give you options.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

On 12/17/2023 at 3:13 PM, livingonthebeach said:

some of us (myself included) only dine in the specialty restaurants

For breakfast and lunch too? I know some for-pay places are open at lunch, but I did not know any were for breakfast.

 

The gratuities for the servers cover those meals as well since those servers ARE the servers from the MDR. So if you eat non-extra-pay breakfast or lunch and don’t leave the autos on, you are stiffing them.

[livingonthebeach]

4 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

For breakfast and lunch too? I know some for-pay places are open at lunch, but I did not know any were for breakfast.

 

The gratuities for the servers cover those meals as well since those servers ARE the servers from the MDR. So if you eat non-extra-pay breakfast or lunch and don’t leave the autos on, you are stiffing them.

 

I'm not a breakfast breakfast person but occasionally I'll go to the Diamond (now Crown Lounge) for specialty coffee and croissants. For lunch there are specialty restaurants open on sea days and on port days we like to sample the local cuisine. I haven't been in the MDR since the restart.

[steveru621]

16 hours ago, harcher said:

I hate that they call them "gratuities." It's a service fee. Just call it that, make it mandatory, and be done with it. 

 

The issue with mandatory or adding and hiding the amount in the cruise fare?  Insurance; rates will increase, or if you don't have insurance an increased loss.

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, steveru621 said:

 

The issue with mandatory or adding and hiding the amount in the cruise fare?  Insurance; rates will increase, or if you don't have insurance an increased loss.

They could add them as a separate line item as they do now when you pre-pay gratuities (refundable if cancel/no show like port/taxes).

[meadowlander]

On 12/13/2023 at 10:15 AM, pcur said:

It's my understanding that if you do not eat in the main dining room, then the "dining related" portion of your gratuities are distributed to the "dining services" category.  This is all the other eating venues that do not record your cabin number when you go in. 

I asked a server in WJ last week about this, his response would indicate it is not being done.

[pcur]

7 minutes ago, meadowlander said:

I asked a server in WJ last week about this, his response would indicate it is not being done.

Ask the podium manager as you go into the dining room.  

[not-enough-cruising]

58 minutes ago, pcur said:

Ask the podium manager as you go into the dining room.  

It amazes me the people that believe, lock stock and barrel, what biased crew members report to them. 

[Ocean Boy]

45 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

It amazes me the people that believe, lock stock and barrel, what biased crew members report to them. 

It amazes me what some people actually ask the crew members. 

[not-enough-cruising]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

It amazes me what some people actually ask the crew members. 

Thank you 

[yogimax]

17 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

It amazes me the people that believe, lock stock and barrel, what biased crew members report to them. 

It amazes me how obsessed some people are in attempting to justify their actions.

 

Guilty conscience?

[Ocean Boy]

7 minutes ago, yogimax said:

It amazes me how obsessed some people are in attempting to justify their actions.

 

Are you the pot or the kettle?

[not-enough-cruising]

20 minutes ago, yogimax said:

It amazes me how obsessed some people are in attempting to justify their actions.

 

Guilty conscience?

Guilty conscience about what?  
 

I guess the answer is, absolutely no, since I’ve done nothing wrong.