Gratuities aboard Royal Caribbean

Hello

I have booked our first cruise for next year, me, my bf and our 2 young children. I didn’t select to pre pay the gratuities and being British I find paying for a service I’ve not yet experienced, a bit weird. I have read that the staff rely on these payments and I understand there are many workers working behind the scenes so to speak who will rely more so on this money.

Can you opt out of these payments with Royal Caribbean and pay those people who provide great service individually? It is pretty expensive, our son will be two and his cost is the same as us. So for 4 of us for 11 nights, it’s a lot. Can I just pay for the adults? Also we don’t drink alcohol so I’d rather more went to the staff that make our stay great and not ones we will not meet/ did not do anything for our family.

We are a working class family, this is a real treat, so I’m not being tight, just realistic. Thank you in advance for any advice xx

You can, but any cash you give to staff will be turned in to the pool and split. If you leave the auto charge on, they can keep the cash.

Hello

 

I have booked our first cruise for next year, me, my bf and our 2 young children. I didn’t select to pre pay the gratuities and being British I find paying for a service I’ve not yet experienced, a bit weird. I have read that the staff rely on these payments and I understand there are many workers working behind the scenes so to speak who will rely more so on this money.

 

Can you opt out of these payments with Royal Caribbean and pay those people who provide great service individually? It is pretty expensive, our son will be two and his cost is the same as us. So for 4 of us for 11 nights, it’s a lot. Can I just pay for the adults? Also we don’t drink alcohol so I’d rather more went to the staff that make our stay great and not ones we will not meet/ did not do anything for our family.

 

We are a working class family, this is a real treat, so I’m not being tight, just realistic. Thank you in advance for any advice xx

Gratuities will go to your cabin attendant, some behind the scenes housekeeping staff, your waiter, assistant waitperson and maître d.

The bartenders do not get a portion of this. They get their tips from the 18% that is added to every drink or from the pooled gratuities collected from the 18% that is collected from th3 sale of drink packages.

LOL, here we go again. Someone get the Popcorn ready.

OP,

this is one of the, if not THE hottst topics on CC. A quick search could have brought up many threads discussing your exact questions.

You will get a gazillion varying opinions of both sides of the argument and most likely it will soon get ugly.

As it already started anyway, I´ll tell you, yes you can cancel your prepaid gratuities. If not prepaid they will be added daily to your onboard account, but yes you can cancel that as well with guet relations.

The crew wil be notified about who cancels gratuities and draw their conclusions, as well as their bosses draw their conclusions to this. It´s your call and you are free to do as you think it´s OK.

As for not drinking alcohol, this has nothing to do with anything, as bar services are not part of prepaid gratuities. Whenever you order something from the bar 18% will be added to the bill as gratuity.

My opinion, it´s part of the cruise cost and yes it doesn´t matter the age of the passenger, if you can´t afford them stay home. Working class or not, cancelling gratuities is cheap and should not be done, but I do know people do as they fit and my opinion won´t change it. So go ahead and cancel grats. I hope everybody who does this will have their food being tampered with in the dining room and their tooth brushs used to clean the toilet.:D

Now lets start the fun - oh I already did:cool:

Don't go until you can afford to pay the hard working people who serve you.

LOL, here we go again. Someone get the Popcorn ready.

 

 

 

OP,

this is one of the, if not THE hottst topics on CC. A quick search could have brought up many threads discussing your exact questions.

 

 

You will get a gazillion varying opinions of both sides of the argument and most likely it will soon get ugly.

 

 

As it already started anyway, I´ll tell you, yes you can cancel your prepaid gratuities. If not prepaid they will be added daily to your onboard account, but yes you can cancel that as well with guet relations.

 

The crew wil be notified about who cancels gratuities and draw their conclusions, as well as their bosses draw their conclusions to this. It´s your call and you are free to do as you think it´s OK.

 

 

As for not drinking alcohol, this has nothing to do with anything, as bar services are not part of prepaid gratuities. Whenever you order something from the bar 18% will be added to the bill as gratuity.

 

 

 

My opinion, it´s part of the cruise cost and yes it doesn´t matter the age of the passenger, if you can´t afford them stay home. Working class or not, cancelling gratuities is cheap and should not be done, but I do know people do as they fit and my opinion won´t change it. So go ahead and cancel grats. I hope everybody who does this will have their food being tampered with in the dining room and their tooth brushs used to clean the toilet.:D

 

 

Now lets start the fun - oh I already did:cool:

You forgot to say u can also cancel auto gratuities on your final day if u wish to save any unpleasantaries

No you cannot 'just pay for the adults' since your kids will receive the same level of service( and then some) as you. so unless you expect to prepare all their meals, clean up after all their meals; doing the dishes yourself, washing all their towels and bedlinen, etc and so on, you would be out of line to cancel any gratuities whatsoever.

furthermore, you make to MUCH harder for the staff to actually receive their just due by removing the daily charge and paying in cash only those individuals you see fit to reward. they must turn in all cash from those pax( and yes they DO know who has removed the autogratuity) into the pool to be redistributed amongst everyone.

the daily charge covers your meals in all venues that do not have a surcharge( so Buffet, MDR. Promenade, Park Cafe, etc) and yourcabin attendant who will service your room twice a day and provide things like ice and whatnot.

it does NOT cover: room service, the delivery guy for RS and any items that you purchase such as alcohol, soda, specialty coffee, the ice cream by the coffee bar. the RS guy should get $1-5 depending on how big your order is( on top of the $7.95 fee) coffee, ice cream etc will have the surcharge automatically added and no you cannot remove it.

the fee is a recognized and accepted cost of cruising. you should be budgeting for it and if you do incur any issues, you bring those concerns up WHILE STILL ON BOARD so that the staff can rectify things.

You forgot to say u can also cancel auto gratuities on your final day if u wish to save any unpleasantaries

I´m just not such a pro as you are when it comes to stiffing the crew:)

1) Wait until the last day/evening of your cruise.

2) Give your cash tips to whoever you wish to while the automatic tips are still in place.

3) Then go to guest services to remove the automatic tips charge.

4) Whoever you gave a cash tip to (will) get to keep it...

5) Don't worry about what people on a message board think.

:cool:

Most of us are "working class", as you put it. We save and save and save and when know that we can afford to book a cruise we do it. If you do not have the $$ to pay gratuities, then you cannot afford a cruise. Save until you can.

Obstructedview that’s great! Perfect in fact. Excellent advice, thank you xx

Yes you can save and save and not book until you have every penny which is very sensible but you could be like my poor father who got brain cancer young and died. Healthy man, life cut short. Live life while you can, I say. Xx

and of course you only replied to the person that said what you WANTED to hear. Typical.

1) Wait until the last day/evening of your cruise.

 

2) Give your cash tips to whoever you wish to while the automatic tips are still in place.

 

3) Then go to guest services to remove the automatic tips charge.

 

4) Whoever you gave a cash tip to (will) get to keep it...

 

5) Don't worry about what people on a message board think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

:cool:

Clap clap THIS EXACTLY

The excuses for trying to justify being cheap just keep getting better and better.:rolleyes:

Yes, I came here for advice. Not a lecture x

Yes, I came here for advice. Not a lecture x

Good to know, yet you chose to only accept the advice from the person that gave you instructions of how to remove the tips. You also posted this under the forum of Ask a Cruise Question and ignored all of that advice also. So happy you found 1 person to confirm your theory is right. Hey, what goes around comes around.

1) Wait until the last day/evening of your cruise.

 

2) Give your cash tips to whoever you wish to while the automatic tips are still in place.

 

3) Then go to guest services to remove the automatic tips charge.

 

4) Whoever you gave a cash tip to (will) get to keep it...

 

5) Don't worry about what people on a message board think.

:cool:

They still have to turn in the cash received.

Good to know, yet you chose to only accept the advice from the person that gave you instructions of how to remove the tips. You also posted this under the forum of Ask a Cruise Question and ignored all of that advice also. So happy you found 1 person to confirm your theory is right. Hey, what goes around comes around.

Ah yeah, but we all know it´s always like this. People will only look at what they want to hear and where they can get someone to confirm their point of view. None of what is said here will change their point of view and they don´t really come here for advice, they just want someone to justify their wrong doings.

Most people don't want to help enable you at the expense of others. But...you did find one or two folks to give you the answer you want and give you advice on how to screw the truly "working class" people on the ship. I mean, think of it, Many of the crew leave their families for months at a time. That's sacrifice.

Ah yeah, but we all know it´s always like this. People will only look at what they want to hear and where they can get someone to confirm their point of view. None of what is said here will change their point of view and they don´t really come here for advice, they just want someone to justify their wrong doings.

Amen

 

They still have to turn in the cash received.

 

Yeah right! That is not going to happen. The employees tipped in cash will not be tracked down, tackled by security, and told to empty their pockets! Hahaha!!:') Once that cash tip is in the pocket, it's staying there & not being turned in.

To: AutumnDaze,

Stick with my original reply below.

:cool:

 

1) Wait until the last day/evening of your cruise.

 

2) Give your cash tips to whoever you wish to while the automatic tips are still in place.

 

3) Then go to guest services to remove the automatic tips charge.

 

4) Whoever you gave a cash tip to (will) get to keep it...

 

5) Don't worry about what people on a message board think.

 

 

:cool:

It's pathetic how some people are so judgmental and are incapable of answering a question for a first time cruiser.

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Tipping policies are often very different and vary from country to country.

That being said tipping policies on a ship are the same wherever you are from.

Tips are part of the earnings crew members get to provide you with services.

This, along with the meager salary from the cruise lines, is how they earn a living and provide for their families back home.

Whether you tip before with prepaid tipping, cruise on lines where the tips are already included as on "NO TIPPING REQUIRED" cruises or do it any other way discussed it is only fair and should be part of the expenses anticipated when you go on a cruise.

We always prefer to do prepaid at least two billing cycles pre cruise on our RC credit card for the extra OBC rewards. Then since we have always, after about 26 cruises on different lines, received sterling service from all the staff we do tip extra to bartenders and servers throughout the cruise and room stewards and dining staff towards the end of the cruise.

It is just the nature of the beast as to the way they are paid not the way it is done in other places and tipping in their case is only fair.

Do whatever you think is fair, but remember ship's crew are not rewarded for their service in the same way other service providers are in other places..

OMHO

bosco

Yes, I came here for advice. Not a lecture x

You want advice? Ok, stay home. The crew will appreciate it.

It's pathetic how some people are so judgmental and are incapable of answering a question for a first time cruiser.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

So nice to see you are not judgemental at all:rolleyes: