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Gratuities and kids

Ariel35

By Ariel35,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Finbar127

Finbar127

Posted
Posted
Hi,

 

Do gratuities apply to ALL passengers? I had thought so, but then I read somewhere that kids do not.

 

Is this true, or a mistake? I was under the assumption that you would pay for each passenger.

 

Thank you.

 

They apply to all passengers including children. They used to recommend half the amount for children but that changed some time ago.

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negc

negc

Posted
Posted
Hi,

 

Do gratuities apply to ALL passengers? I had thought so, but then I read somewhere that kids do not.

 

Is this true, or a mistake? I was under the assumption that you would pay for each passenger.

 

Thank you.

 

Your assumption is correct, at least on RCI and many other cruise lines. There are some which suggest that tips for children should be half the amount suggested for adults, but not on RCI or Celebrity.

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sun~

sun~

Posted
Posted

I always give the recommended tip for my lads. I always give extra to the cabin steward for dealing with the lad's cabin. We have tipped extra to the servers and maitre'd when they have done a great job for the lads. Don't forget a tip to the kid's program staff.

 

I have found the crew works really hard for the kids. They work especially hard for infants.

 

Cruising is a pretty cheap vacation, and the tips are peanuts in comparison to what we pay on land. My lads have a wonderful time on a cruise and the staff makes it an enjoyable experience for them.

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kwiikii

kwiikii

Posted
Posted

Not that I believe service staff do not deserve tips. They very certainly do. And we are typically very good tippers.

However, add up 7 days worth of tips per person per day - that's a good chunk of money - over $400 for my family of 5!

The kids pay a lower rate to sail but are expected to pay full-fare on the tipping? I haven't fully come to terms with that, I'm just sayin' :rolleyes:

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luvbrady

luvbrady

Posted
Posted

They are recommeded per person per stateroom- kids or grown ups, the beds still get made and turned down, and the towles washed and replaced.

 

On Serenade ours was a doll and was fantastic with the kids. And one of the Majesty trips we left a hefty additional cash tip- since my then 4 year old had somehow thrown up in his bed while sleeping the final night :( I felt worse for the state room attendant than the kid! He was fine when he woke up:confused: My husband had reported seeing barf bags hanging all over the ship on his way back to the cabin that night. I didn't think it was all that bad. Guess I was mistaken....

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Paulxyz2004

Paulxyz2004

Posted
Posted
Not that I believe service staff do not deserve tips. They very certainly do. And we are typically very good tippers.

However, add up 7 days worth of tips per person per day - that's a good chunk of money - over $400 for my family of 5!

The kids pay a lower rate to sail but are expected to pay full-fare on the tipping? I haven't fully come to terms with that, I'm just sayin' :rolleyes:

 

 

Kids do not pay a lower rate on RCI. If they sail as 3rd /4th persons they have a reduced rate, but not because they are kids, they still pay the same as an adult sailing as 3rd / 4th person in a cabin.

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kwiikii

kwiikii

Posted
Posted
In order to request My Time Dining we have had to pay the gratuities up front for the baby who will be 13 months old.

 

Ouch! See, doesn't sound right does it! I guess we just build it into the price of the cruise, huh?

 

 

luvbrady: yes, I can see tipping extra for that kind of service. Hope it was just an isolated thing.

 

paul: ooops - you're right. It's not a kid thing, but an extra person of any age. Sorry bout that!

 

Thanks for your replies and making me feel a little better!!

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ryano

ryano

Posted
Posted

My first cruise, I sailed with "friends" :o that went had the Carnival gratuities removed totally for their 2 year old and cut in half for them :mad: for no other reasons than just being a cheapskate.

 

Children are just as much work if not more in a lot of cases than adults are.

 

IMHO, and I hope this doesnt make anyone mad BUT, if you cant afford the tips for ALL people in your party (including kids) you shouldnt be cruising at all.

 

Flame away, I can take it ;)

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baggal

baggal

Posted
Posted
My first cruise, I sailed with "friends" :o that went had the Carnival gratuities removed totally for their 2 year old and cut in half for them :mad: for no other reasons than just being a cheapskate.

 

Children are just as much work if not more in a lot of cases than adults are.

 

IMHO, and I hope this doesnt make anyone mad BUT, if you cant afford the tips for ALL people in your party (including kids) you shouldnt be cruising at all.

 

Flame away, I can take it ;)

 

No flame here. If your friends' 2-year-old was still in diapers, who removed the dirty ones from the cabin? They should be ashamed.

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negc

negc

Posted
Posted
Not that I believe service staff do not deserve tips. They very certainly do. And we are typically very good tippers.

However, add up 7 days worth of tips per person per day - that's a good chunk of money - over $400 for my family of 5!

The kids pay a lower rate to sail but are expected to pay full-fare on the tipping? I haven't fully come to terms with that, I'm just sayin' :rolleyes:

 

Add up those fares for a family of 5 and compare the cost with the amount you are paying in tips and that might put it in better perspective and not seem as outrageous as you claim. Over $400 in tips, compared to how much for the fares? As someone else has pointed out the kids are often charged a lower cruisefare amount because they are the third, fourth (and fifth) persons in the cabin and not because of their age.

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sjb317

sjb317

Posted
Posted

We've taken our grandsons twice (their parents went also:D). Both times, the MDR staff went above and beyond with them. One of the waiters even bought them gifts. We tipped extra both cruises, just because they may be smaller, it does not mean they are less work and in fact, may be more!

 

Sherri:)

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bplazo

bplazo

Posted
Posted
Do you have children? Bring them on cruises with you? :)

.

 

Yes, I used to bring my daughter on cruises with me and I have always made sure that I tipped well for her. Being a server for alot of years,I am more than aware of how much patience and effort and cleanup it takes to wait on a family with children.

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LovesCruising

LovesCruising

Posted
Posted
In order to request My Time Dining we have had to pay the gratuities up front for the baby who will be 13 months old.

 

We paid when ours was 6 months old - yes there wre diapers - however they were in plastic bags in the trash so not really seeing where there would be extra work - nothing extra was asked for the baby - however having said that we paid full tips without complaining. Those guys work hard.

 

I think that they should double the tips if you have children.

 

WHY?

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