New gratuities by May 1st, 2016

in case this is new news

http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/02/articles/crew-member-rights-1/royal-caribbean-the-rich-get-richer-the-poor-get-poorer/

I don't understand why everyone seems to think this is a cruise industry thing. Even the US wage laws allow a lower minimum wage for workers who receive tips. I think the minimum for tip earners where I live is around 3.50 an hour vs some where around 9 an hour for nontip earners. This is a standard practice.

I don't understand why everyone seems to think this is a cruise industry thing. Even the US wage laws allow a lower minimum wage for workers who receive tips. I think the minimum for tip earners where I live is around 3.50 an hour vs some where around 9 an hour for nontip earners. This is a standard practice.

gotta love those business owners in those industries, not "fair practice" in the US either, IMO...leaving it up to customers to make up a persons salary...what about equal pay for equal work..some customers tip more to the same job title....I'm just saying pay a real wage, even it's the legal minimum...and of course the price will go up..after all the CEO can't cut back his 12.3 million a year salary

I love to cruise and I guess support this practice by doing so..all I can do is give big tips to those who provide service to me while I cruise....

There are lots of jobs where part of the compensation is made up from commission type funds.I know many sales people who have part of the pay dependent on how much the sell. For example, I have realtor friends who get paid when they sell or list houses and more if they do more of that. They sometimes get bonuses or perks based on how well they performed.

Waiters in restaurants (in the U.S.) can often do a lot better with tips then they would on a fixed salary. If they serve really well their tips are often commensurate. I don't know for sure, but I'd guess that if "tips" were included in a cruise ship staff's wages and passengers were told as much (so as not to feel any need to give additional tips) many of the workers may make less than they do now. I'd also guess that workers that do a superior job often get more in tips than those who just work to get by.

There are mixed reviews on some of the places in the U.S. where wages have been raised and tips "included" in restaurants (I.E., Seattle). I've heard good and bad stories. Of course, the really good waiters are probably affected the most. Patrons are affected, because many of the restaurants where a "tip included" wage has been implemented have raised the prices by 20%+ to compensate so it's just like including the tip (kind of what RCI does).

So, I think for the customer it's mostly a matter of semantics. You pay for the tip extra, or it gets included. You end up paying either way. For the worker, it's more difficult to quantify. I'd guess really good workers get more in tips and average to below average workers would benefit from having it included in their base salary.

Having part of the compensation be based on performance is not necessarily a bad thing for the worker though.

I kind of don't care any more. If I go on a cruise and the cruise line quotes a price for the gratuities, I just pay it as part of the cost of the cruise.

Tom

gotta love those business owners in those industries, not "fair practice" in the US either, IMO...leaving it up to customers to make up a persons salary...what about equal pay for equal work..some customers tip more to the same job title....I'm just saying pay a real wage, even it's the legal minimum...and of course the price will go up..after all the CEO can't cut back his 12.3 million a year salary

 

I love to cruise and I guess support this practice by doing so..all I can do is give big tips to those who provide service to me while I cruise....

gotta love those business owners in those industries, not "fair practice" in the US either, IMO...leaving it up to customers to make up a persons salary...what about equal pay for equal work..some customers tip more to the same job title....I'm just saying pay a real wage, even it's the legal minimum...and of course the price will go up..after all the CEO can't cut back his 12.3 million a year salary

 

I love to cruise and I guess support this practice by doing so..all I can do is give big tips to those who provide service to me while I cruise....

Would you cut your salary say 40% to give others more money? Its a tip, give more if you want and dont srick your nose up in the air because others make a different choice.

I am not a employee from Royal but know someone who works on one of the ships. He told me what he made. Yes it wasn't super bad and included room and board but worked many hours to receive it. The spa and photography people are contract people so they pay room and board. The waiters and room attendants rely on tips. If they don't make eight hundred a month, Royal will pay them. And this does happen.

I will pay the higher price of tips. If I get lousy service, I can change it.

Oh this person works in the theatre part.

Would you cut your salary say 40% to give others more money? Its a tip, give more if you want and dont srick your nose up in the air because others make a different choice.

I guess I wasn't making my position clear..I am not critical (sticking my nose up) at anyone..people can chose to tip or not..I am critical of the owners in this and other service industries that tell their employees to rely on tips to make up for the below living wage, USA minimum wage they pay. that is all....and yes, if I was making 12 million a year...I would cut it less, increase prices a bit and find new efficacies to pay at least min. wage to staff...but that is my business model

I hope this clears my position up for you and others that may have misunderstood

I guess I wasn't making my position clear..I am not critical (sticking my nose up) at anyone..people can chose to tip or not..I am critical of the owners in this and other service industries that tell their employees to rely on tips to make up for the below living wage, USA minimum wage they pay. that is all....and yes, if I was making 12 million a year...I would cut it less, increase prices a bit and find new efficacies to pay at least min. wage to staff...but that is my business model

 

I hope this clears my position up for you and others that may have misunderstood

And as the business model you describe as your own you also clearly added "increase prices a bit" so therefore still having the cruiser pay more.

It does clear up your position.

And as the business model you describe as your own you also clearly added "increase prices a bit" so therefore still having the cruiser pay more.

 

It does clear up your position.

ok, my main point was not criticizing those who tip or not tip...yep for increasing wages some small concessions must be made by all stake holders in a business...least the owner wants to choose to make less profit to fund this ...which is good too, but rarely made

I wish they would make gratituties a requirement for everyone and be done with it.

I wish they would make gratituties a requirement for everyone and be done with it.

I believe if that were to happen they'd reduce staff level and reduce service level and you could potentially have awful service and not be able to do anything about it. Who wants a vacation like that.

Sorry, I do feel like you're being selfish. Royal has decided that this is the way that they are pricing the cruise and having us pay their tipped staff separately. If they changed it to the way you suggest then your cruise price would go up and you would be out the same amount of money as with auto-tipping. Therefore you are basically hurting the staff - NOT ROYAL - by your own greed to not pay them their full "salary".

 

I'm sorry that Royal's marketing strategy - to be able to compare apples to apples on price with most other cruise lines and to be able to make it seem like the cruise is cheaper than it is - disturbs you but that certainly isn't the fault of the crew members who work hard.

I am so tired of people talking about royal will raise the cruise price, fact is they have already raised the price of their cruises,and the tips.:eek:

I believe if that were to happen they'd reduce staff level and reduce service level and you could potentially have awful service and not be able to do anything about it. Who wants a vacation like that.

So youre saying the cruise line would decrease staff even though the staff is making more money.:confused: If all cruise passangers paid gratituties the staff would make more money. I would think that would improve morale and the service recevied.:confused:

So youre saying the cruise line would decrease staff even though the staff is making more money.:confused: If all cruise passangers paid gratituties the staff would make more money. I would think that would improve morale and the service recevied.:confused:

I'm saying if you make a service charge completely mandatory and compulsory the company has no reason to provide enough staff to give excellent service. They are getting their money no matter how bad the service is.

I'm saying if you make a service charge completely mandatory and compulsory the company has no reason to provide enough staff to give excellent service. They are getting their money no matter how bad the service is.

Companies that fails to provide enough staff or give excellent service will go out of business unless they're in an area that doesnt have competition.

Companies that fails to provide enough staff or give excellent service will go out of business unless they're in an area that doesnt have competition.

That is of little comfort if you are the one getting the bad service on your expensive vacation. If Royal makes it so you can't even change the amount at your discretion do you think any Hotel Director would ever give a customer a minute of face time to resolve an issue?

Companies that fails to provide enough staff or give excellent service will go out of business unless they're in an area that doesnt have competition.

There seem to be a lot of posts about under staffed MDRs these days but I don't see RCI going out of business any time soon.

I wish they would make gratituties a requirement for everyone and be done with it.

If they did that gratuities would no longer be gratuities, they'd be fare.

come on people.... your complaining over .55 cents a day per person...

and you already paid how many thousands on the cruise, air, excursions.. etc..

don't have that last $12 night cap cocktail...one night... with the 18% gratuity and you will have covered the $3.85 extra....

oh wait... you could have a $6 one and still be ahead...

If they don't make eight hundred a month, Royal will pay them. And this does happen.

I'm sure that that money is made up by the nebulous 'service' charges described in the auto-grats. They are not really saying who gets what so they are free to distribute to the crew as they see fit.

If they did that gratuities would no longer be gratuities, they'd be fare.

And that would be incredibly FAIR for all involved

come on people.... your complaining over .55 cents a day per person...

and you already paid how many thousands on the cruise, air, excursions.. etc..

 

don't have that last $12 night cap cocktail...one night... with the 18% gratuity and you will have covered the $3.85 extra....

oh wait... you could have a $6 one and still be ahead...

No one is complaining about .55 per day.

Sorry, Granny but some of us resent being told what we have to tip folks. RCI needs to stop nickel and diming guests and just pay their folks a decent wage and fold it into the cruise price.

 

How do you figure that you are paying extra because some folks elect to not have their gratuities automatically charged to their account?

totally agree with you.

Given so many non-tippers, I look forward to the great service that I always receive as someone who tips.

 

(Look for me - I'll be the guy who gets extra towels, the good pour from the bar and who won't have to wait for a drink or a table in the MDR)

Really.:D :eek: :p

I wish they would make gratituties a requirement for everyone and be done with it.

I wish they could make you give a larger tip,and be done with it.:p :p