Consensus on tipping

[BelAirMom]

I know this has been widely discussed in the forums :D but instead of trolling through hundreds of posts, here goes: what is the link to the suggested tipping and what are your feelings about paying the tips in advance vs. cash on the last night? Thanks everyone!

[crusinmama06]

I just got off Enchantment and I am going to put this in my review but we talked to a waiter who said this

 

-- RCI pays them $25 every 2 weeks, that's it

-- They prefer cash tips because they can get off the ship and send it directly back to their family without waiting 2 weeks to get it back from RCI.

-- They start work at 7am and work till midnight - 1 hour break after breakfast, 2 hour break after lunch - less when you count the time it takes to get ready for those shifts.

-- If you throw cash on the table in Windjammer, Chops or at breakfast in DR, it doesn't go into a pool, the waiters/assistant waiters who served you split it.

-- Out of the $25 cost of Chops per person, the waiters split .75 cents of the amount as tip.

 

Tip Calculator Here... http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

[OleSalt]

Oh, Lord, when is it going to end?

[marci22]

There is no consensus on tipping. And there never will be. That's why there are 100's of threads.

[TEXASMUNK]

....info on tipping....ever!

CruisinMama laid it out, clearly and precisely.

 

Not a pro or con comment, simple facts.

 

Well done.

[BklynBorn47]

Thanks for the real info Cruisinmama - without having to digest hundreds of contentious posts!

 

$25 every 2 weeks?

I understood that staff depended on tips to supplement low pay, but that's ridiculous. Hardly sounds legal for those hours.

[rskjas]

Thanks for the real info Cruisinmama - without having to digest hundreds of contentious posts!

 

$25 every 2 weeks?

I understood that staff depended on tips to supplement low pay, but that's ridiculous. Hardly sounds legal for those hours.

 

 

Yes, $50 a month is correct and out of their "wages" they also have to pay for their uniform :eek: :eek:

 

Sue

[FLACRUISER99]

I know this has been widely discussed in the forums :D but instead of trolling through hundreds of posts, here goes: what is the link to the suggested tipping and what are your feelings about paying the tips in advance vs. cash on the last night? Thanks everyone!

Link to RCI tipping page: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Onboard+Extras&faqId=263&faqSubjectId=337&faqType=faq

[rskjas]

Ooops posted twice!

[CruisinGerman]

.....and the waiter probably didn't offer, either, is that taking into account the base salary plus tips, a waiter earns about $3,000 per month net of taxes plus has his room, board, basic medical insurance and a plane ticket to and from his home between contracts all covered.

 

Yes they work horrible hours under horrible conditions and they deserve every penny of it. But it is not a bad job at all, really.

 

We always have our tips pre-paid so we don't have to bother with what here in Europe is considered a degrading practice of giving people envelopes and throwing money at them.

 

What cruisinmama also doesn't tell you is that here on cruise critic, we members seem to live in Utopia. We always tip, we never save pool chairs, etc. But the reality of the matter is that if you talk to the waiters their biggest fear is when people who haven't pre-paid their tips purposely don't show up in the dining room the last night so as to avoid the tip entirely. This appears to happen a lot more than the impression we are given here on cruise critic.

 

I also agree that there is never going to be a consensus on tipping.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[marci22]

.... But the reality of the matter is that if you talk to the waiters their biggest fear is when people who haven't pre-paid their tips purposely don't show up in the dining room the last night so as to avoid the tip entirely. This appears to happen a lot more than the impression we are given here on cruise critic.

 

I also agree that there is never going to be a consensus on tipping.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

I think this is why one of my waiters, when I asked him, told me that he preferred his tips to be prepaid, rather than paid in cash.

 

He also told me that he liked getting the tip vouchers at the end of the cruise so that he knew what he should be getting from Royal.

[EV2008]

I just got off Enchantment and I am going to put this in my review but we talked to a waiter who said this

 

-- RCI pays them $25 every 2 weeks, that's it

-- They prefer cash tips because they can get off the ship and send it directly back to their family without waiting 2 weeks to get it back from RCI.

-- They start work at 7am and work till midnight - 1 hour break after breakfast, 2 hour break after lunch - less when you count the time it takes to get ready for those shifts.

-- If you throw cash on the table in Windjammer, Chops or at breakfast in DR, it doesn't go into a pool, the waiters/assistant waiters who served you split it.

-- Out of the $25 cost of Chops per person, the waiters split .75 cents of the amount as tip.

the waiter do a good job no incentive. Are you sure he told you the truth???

[firefly333]

I know this has been widely discussed in the forums :D but instead of trolling through hundreds of posts, here goes: what is the link to the suggested tipping and what are your feelings about paying the tips in advance vs. cash on the last night? Thanks everyone!

 

Neither of the above. I sign the form during the cruise and have them added to my onboard account.

 

My "feelings" which you ask for are people who pay cash are wanting to pay less than the suggested amounts.

[SliderNc]

I think this is why one of my waiters, when I asked him, told me that he preferred his tips to be prepaid, rather than paid in cash.

 

He also told me that he liked getting the tip vouchers at the end of the cruise so that he knew what he should be getting from Royal.

 

Both of our waiters on our last two cruise had said the same things about the vouchers.

 

We had pre-paid gratuities and then because both times they were phenomenal wait staff, we gave cash on the side as well.

[crusinmama06]

I think this is why one of my waiters, when I asked him, told me that he preferred his tips to be prepaid, rather than paid in cash.

 

He also told me that he liked getting the tip vouchers at the end of the cruise so that he knew what he should be getting from Royal.

 

I thought that would be the case too, so we pre-paid. But our waiter said they don't like to wait the 2 weeks to get the auto tips - they prefer the cash because it would go right to pay the families immediate bills/groceries. But yes, guaranteed auto-tips are much better than someone who skips out on cash on the last night.

 

Oh and I forgot to add - they do have list of all passengers and whether they auto-tipped or not. He knew that we auto-tipped. He knew who didn't.

 

He was very positive about the passengers who skip out on the tips. He said that he thought the passengers just weren't informed enough to pay the tips. He considered them inexperienced cruisers who thought that maybe their TAs had told them that their tips were included in the cost of the cruise. I told him that "No, the people were stiffing you. They wouldn't be here on the last night" :rolleyes: He remained very positive though.

 

He said the company was very good to him, if he every got "into a jam".

[crusinmama06]

the waiter do a good job no incentive. Are you sure he told you the truth???

 

Yes, I was with another CCer and we were rapid firing questions for about an hour. The guy was pretty forthcoming with answers. He had no reason to lie. The numbers he gave us have been confirmed by others on different ships. Of course, he didn't know we were members of CC. ;)

[Langley Cruisers]

Yes, I was with another CCer and we were rapid firing questions for about an hour. The guy was pretty forthcoming with answers. He had no reason to lie.

 

 

mama, I respect you immensely and have been following you for years. :) Having said that, I wonder why you decided to pepper this guy with questions about his wages? I have to say, I just think asking someone about their wages/salary is offensive. He was courteous and professional in replying politely to you, but I guess I just have a real problem with it (not with you, just the fact that people want to know how much employees make and ask them about it). Curiously asking. :)

[johneeo]

Abolish tips completely.

 

Add them to the cost of the cruise and be done with it.

[Reimer]

.....and the waiter probably didn't offer, either, is that taking into account the base salary plus tips, a waiter earns about $3,000 per month net of taxes plus has his room, board, basic medical insurance and a plane ticket to and from his home between contracts all covered.

 

The bolded part isn't entirely true. At least on RCI it's not. RCI will only pay for one end of an employees airfare.

 

Also if they are only getting $50 a week in tips, which I have heard to be accurate. How are they making $3,000 a month after taxes. There is no way their base wage is that high. Maybe the assistant cruise director or head waiter would make that much, but not a regular/assistant waiter or waitress in the dining room .

[Reimer]

mama, I respect you immensely and have been following you for years. :) Having said that, I wonder why you decided to pepper this guy with questions about his wages? I have to say, I just think asking someone about their wages/salary is offensive. He was courteous and professional in replying politely to you, but I guess I just have a real problem with it (not with you, just the fact that people want to know how much employees make and ask them about it). Curiously asking. :)

 

If you want an accurate insight into the industry and their workers, the only way to get the most accurate information is from the horses mouth.

[crusinmama06]

mama, I respect you immensely and have been following you for years. :) Having said that, I wonder why you decided to pepper this guy with questions about his wages? I have to say, I just think asking someone about their wages/salary is offensive. He was courteous and professional in replying politely to you, but I guess I just have a real problem with it (not with you, just the fact that people want to know how much employees make and ask them about it). Curiously asking. :)

 

 

Actually, that's totally fair question and if I were reading my original post and in your shoes I would have thought, how rude. :eek:

 

But the entire conversation started out very naturally. I can't tell you where the waiter was working because I don't want to give his identity away but we were watching watching workers clean decks. And he commented to us out of the clear blue sky that they had the best jobs on the ship, work short hours, get paid great.

 

I am very chatty as is the woman I was sailing with (who will probably come along here soon). We started saying normal things to carry on the conversation like "Oh you probably have to work long, long hours" :(

 

And he started telling us his story. He needed very little prompting. He had no other tables so he spent the entire time talking to us. He kept coming back and telling us more. Before long he had told us all about his family. How long he works. Who has the best jobs on the ship because they work the least hours. Who works the longest hours on the ship (this we already knew, the waiters and the cabin attendants).

 

We didn't sit down to a meal and decide we were going to grill a waiter for tip information. :p I am not one that you usually see on the tip threads. But after he told his story. I knew that I had to come back and repeat it to you all. It really put it all into perspective for me.

[Happy ks]

Oh, Lord, when is it going to end?

 

 

I've been on CC since 2000 (had to re-register in 2002). The answer is, probanly never. Just like the discussions on babies, older rude people, clothing, smoking, table mates, when to fly to port, when to fly out, what time to get onboard the ship, etc...

[Happy ks]

Abolish tips completely.

 

Add them to the cost of the cruise and be done with it.

 

That would be nice

 

If you want an accurate insight into the industry and their workers, the only way to get the most accurate information is from the horses mouth.

 

Never in a million years would I be able to ask a person about what they earn in tips. Not onli None of my business, but how do you know they wouldn't reduce that amount in the hopes of your feeling sorry for them? There was another thread recently that stated the workers earn somewhere between $50 - 3000 a month, that's the most accurate answer I've ever read. It depends on passenger load, how many cheapskates are onboard, how many generous tippers are onboard...

[BelAirMom]

I didn't want to start a negative thread :p I appreciate all the different perspectives...happy sailing to all :D

[Mines]

The bolded part isn't entirely true. At least on RCI it's not. RCI will only pay for one end of an employees airfare.

 

Also if they are only getting $50 a week in tips, which I have heard to be accurate. How are they making $3,000 a month after taxes. There is no way their base wage is that high. Maybe the assistant cruise director or head waiter would make that much, but not a regular/assistant waiter or waitress in the dining room .

 

Are you not getting this the wrong way around? I thought that their income WAS the tips. This is why they CAN make up to $3,000. The $25 every 2 weeks is their salary:eek:, isn't it?

 

By the way, we always pre-pay tips, because for us Europeans the idea of people having to live off tips is uncommon. It is good to know how it works, so we do tip extra if the service is very good, but the suggested gratuity we always consider part of the price we pay for the ticket. These workers are often from very poor countries and I find it abhorant to think that some rich guys actually get pleasure in taking away earnings from these people.