Help with gratuity!!!!!

[negc]

Okay, now I'm really confused. My cruise is paid in full, tips were not pre-paid. When I go on my cruise is the $9.75 per day not put onto the onboard account? I've only sailed CCL so far & it is always put on your account. If you want to give over that amount, you may do so in cash. If you want to adjust the amount down (not sure why that would ever be necessary) you would go to the customer service desk.

 

So what actually happens on RCCL? We don't typically take tons of cash with us.

On RCI,guests who haven't prepaid their gratuities, will receive a form by which they can authorize RCI to put the tips on their onboard accounts. If they do not authorize it, nothing will be done and the guests will be free to tip in cash at the end of the cruise in whatever amounts they feel are appropriate. Unless we sign up for My Time Dining,where tips must be prepaid, we simply authorize them to add the tips to our account. Have never experienced a situation where we felt it necessary to reduce the tips but if you think it is likely you can always opt not to authorize them to add the tips to your account and handle the situation directly. If you do sign the authorization and subsequently become dissatisfied with the quality of the service,you should definitely speak to a dining room supervisor or to one in housekeeping.

Even if you do tip in cash you should not need to bring tons of cash with you to do so.:)

[Mark_K]

Thanks - we are on fixed dining - so undertsand that TIP's are not charged direct.

 

We will tip and use RCI guidelines but don't feel that we should be decitated to.

 

Thanks for all your help....

Since you are one of the UK cruisers that uses the guidelines, this doesn't apply to you, but the reason RCI tries to collect from UK cruisers up front is that so many of them don't want to tip the recommended amount. Bully for you.

[Slowboat2]

I've been on RCL 5 times and have never had a bad cabin steward. The only time I will tip extra during the cruise is if I ask for something and they deliver the request. Then at the end, I tip extra to those that have taken good care of us.

[Havingfun2010]

How does anyone know they are getting better service by tipping in advance? I always have ice in my bucket and never ask for it. That is far, far, from going above and beyond, filling an ice bucket? They do it anyway.

 

It almost sounds like they are some special butler service, filling up your ice. Again, my ice is always filled two times a day, and I never ask for it!!!!!! The bathroom is always cleaned, the towel animals aways show up, the floor is aways clean, and occasionally, my kid's bathing suit is hanging on the shower cord thing. So what is above and beyond?

 

That doesn't mean that I don't give extra tips, but it will happen at the end of the trip, when I shake his hand, and say thanks. On that last night, my towel animal will still greet me afterwards.

[negc]

How does anyone know they are getting better service by tipping in advance?

They don't but there are those who want to believe that by tipping in advance they can somehow guarantee that they will receive better service. As you have experienced it is hard to imagine better service than is normally provided on board, with or without an advance tip.

[TPKeller]

I forget this is there, but should use it more often... See this post on the FAQ thread. It describes all the tipping options.

 

The one part I left off in that post is that for European customers, the default method is often, if not usually, for the recommended tips to be added to the invoice, making them "pre-paid".

 

Theron

[kooljamming]

Unless you have proof that it gets you better service, why tip in advance before you can even begin to evaluate the service you receive? I have yet to find anyone who can prove that the advance tip resulted in better service.

 

I tip at then beginning or in the middle of the cruise out of generosity more than the hope or expectation for better service. I give someone who I believe could use some extra cash before hitting the bar, gift shop, casino and photo gallery. Maybe I want to say to the staff, don't worry because this week I am not ONE who will stiff you. I do believe someone would receive great service with or without and act of kindness and generosity at the beginning. No one should question those honorable intentions, should they?

 

For years I worked as a waitress. What kind of proof do you need that when I got something extra at the beginning I worked harder throughout. Were you asking only about cruise world?

[dmdiver]

On RCI,guests who haven't prepaid their gratuities, will receive a form by which they can authorize RCI to put the tips on their onboard accounts. If they do not authorize it, nothing will be done and the guests will be free to tip in cash at the end of the cruise in whatever amounts they feel are appropriate. Unless we sign up for My Time Dining,where tips must be prepaid, we simply authorize them to add the tips to our account. Have never experienced a situation where we felt it necessary to reduce the tips but if you think it is likely you can always opt not to authorize them to add the tips to your account and handle the situation directly. If you do sign the authorization and subsequently become dissatisfied with the quality of the service,you should definitely speak to a dining room supervisor or to one in housekeeping.

Even if you do tip in cash you should not need to bring tons of cash with you to do so.:)

 

Okay, thanks. That will work for us. I would rather have the tips on my onboard account - saves me a little bit of trouble. I'm with you in that I've never had an issue that would cause me to reduce tips, nor do I expect one. Tips are all part of my vacation budget.