£1,000 in gratuities??

[marci22]

I would prefer to see the tips addted to the cost of the fare, whether built in or a separate resort fee. And make it one that the passengers can't remove.

 

This is key.

[MOSusan]

Nationality or cultural differences were not mentioned until post #28 where the "Host" made this comment:

 

And I am sorry to see that once again our "friends" across the pond come on here and have a go at UK Cruisers.:(

 

Prior to that comment it was a mostly a math post. As a "Host" I would expect more responsible actions.

[marci22]

Yes, Starry eyes really tried to explain the misunderstanding in simple math terms. Sometimes people don't want to hear that, though. More fun to go on a rant.

 

ps this issue comes up on every tipping thread. I'm over it. Stop debating 'what you choose to pay' and pay the suggested amount, as long as you've gotten good service. Done.

[Elizanessie]

Nationality or cultural differences were not mentioned until post #28 where the "Host" made this comment:

 

And I am sorry to see that once again our "friends" across the pond come on here and have a go at UK Cruisers.:(

 

Prior to that comment it was a mostly a math post. As a "Host" I would expect more responsible actions.

 

I think you should go back and read all the posts before I said that....especially the ones which have no mention of maths.

 

Just because I am a Host doesn't mean I can't post my opinion.

[Kristi Williamson]

 

Kristi, I don't agree with all of your posts but your choice of diction is a joy to behold.

 

Thank you.

 

Well, thank you and you're welcome. (And it's OK if we don't always agree, right? How tedious life would be... ;):))

[MOSusan]

I think you should go back and read all the posts before I said that....especially the ones which have no mention of maths.

 

Just because I am a Host doesn't mean I can't post my opinion.

 

I have read them and I stand by my comment that you were the one that threw the first stone concerning nationality. You are entitiled to have your opinions, but not your own facts.

[uksimonusa]

I think you should go back and read all the posts before I said that....especially the ones which have no mention of maths.

 

Just because I am a Host doesn't mean I can't post my opinion.

 

I just did just that, and I don't see any "having a go" posts from the US to the UK, there are a few sarcastic comments but they could be directed either side of the pond, the first have a go thread that i see was your:confused:

[Kristi Williamson]

For me, this isn't really an "across the pond" thing...from either direction. :)

 

RCI has a posted recommendation of tipping and if you're on Cruise Critic you are clearly aware that tipping is how many of these people make their salary. As I've already stated, that salary is more than some choose to believe, but that is neither here nor there. It's how they are paid and we, as the passengers, should honor that. It is really of no relevance where you eat, or how many times you eat there. It is of no relevance if your cruising companions are 5 or 105. It's of no relevance if you come from the UK, South Carolina, or Timbuktu.

 

We all eat, use towels, make a mess, drop things on the floor, etc...and someone is serving you and, possibly worst of all, cleaning up after you. They deserve to be paid and the cruise lines have determined this is how they will be paid. We've agreed to cruise with full knowledge of this arrangement, so I don't really get the "argument". Just tip the service personnel and enjoy your cruise.

 

This is only my opinion, but I think it's a valid point and I still stand by my opinion that people who don't tip for a week's worth of service, that is usually outstanding, are jerks.

[Starry Eyes]

People on this thread clarified it for me and I was clarifying that we are in a stateroom not a suite..........

 

Thank you to everyone who made helpful comments and enabled me to establish the correct amount to pay, a little less than £1,000.

:)

 

You are not the first one to misunderstand that list and have your eyes bug out. I am glad you see the issue and can end your post with a :). Have a good cruise.

[Jumbiecruiser]

I am from the UK and Northern UK at that, where tipping is very uncommon. Therefore as I am a first time cruiser and when I booked my holiday I was shocked to hear of prepaid tips. I have never heard of such nonsense was my first reaction. We had no choice we paid them as we wanted MTD.

I do not agree with paying for something I haven't received. Nor do I do agree with someone stating to me how much i have to pay for a

Service i should have already paid for! For me the cost of Cruising is far higher than your average beach holiday and personally the cost of service for example cleaning the cabin and waiting in the restaurant should be included in the price of the holiday.

However...... That being said..... I would have no objections to once the holiday has started and I see people who truly are trying the hardest to do their job and make my holiday special giving them some kind of financial reward. It may be more or less than the guidelines but i would like it to be MY choice and not forced upon me.

Personally RCL should pay staff properly for the job they do. Tipping should be therefore a bonus not expected. Anyway as everyone else has had their say I thought I would too. I do not mean to upset anyone and certainly do not wish to get into a argument with our American friends as we are all victims of our culture. Had I been American I may think like some of you and some of you were Brits you might think like us too.

So not an argument just my opinion which of course I am perfectly entitled to have.

From Liz (pre paid tips tick box done) ;)

 

Then the cruise lines need to raise the price of the cruise for those in the UK to cover the crews salary. Problem solved. You won't to worry about tips.

[joe6666]

For me, this isn't really an "across the pond" thing...from either direction. :)

 

RCI has a posted recommendation of tipping and if you're on Cruise Critic you are clearly aware that tipping is how many of these people make their salary. As I've already stated, that salary is more than some choose to believe, but that is neither here nor there. It's how they are paid and we, as the passengers, should honor that. It is really of no relevance where you eat, or how many times you eat there. It is of no relevance if your cruising companions are 5 or 105. It's of no relevance if you come from the UK, South Carolina, or Timbuktu.

 

We all eat, use towels, make a mess, drop things on the floor, etc...and someone is serving you and, possibly worst of all, cleaning up after you. They deserve to be paid and the cruise lines have determined this is how they will be paid. We've agreed to cruise with full knowledge of this arrangement, so I don't really get the "argument". Just tip the service personnel and enjoy your cruise.

 

This is only my opinion, but I think it's a valid point and I still stand by my opinion that people who don't tip for a week's worth of service, that is usually outstanding, are jerks.

 

"It is really of no relevance where you eat, or how many times you eat there"

 

Really? I'm sure there are ships out there right now.

Why don't you send them a tip?

[loubetti]

Then the cruise lines need to raise the price of the cruise for those in the UK to cover the crews salary. Problem solved. You won't to worry about tips.

 

Well, that will probably not work, even in the UK. Now, perhaps there is some discrepancy where the UK is concerned as to tips, but I'm not going to attempt to address that.

 

Cruise fares today are the same, if not lower than they were 20+ years ago.

 

Everything else costs cruise lines more. This is why we see the added cost restaurants and such; the essentially mandatory gratuities, etc.

 

They are just just getting the money from other avenues, while still advertising "low" cruise fares. I mean, I read a revue where someone described RCI's latest ships as a "floating mall". They are, deal with it.

 

The cruise lines like RCI are public companies. It is ALL about the money / profits and keeping shareholders happy FIRST, while balancing that with customer satisfaction. It's not easy. It's one hell of a balancing act.

 

They do gain economies of scale when it comes to expenses by building ever-larger ships, but those behemoths are not cheap to build either. Yes, they cut back on some staff here and there, free food quality, and some service, while charging you extra here and there; all the while advertising a 20+ year old cruise rate! It's a juggling act. Some love it, some don't.

 

It's business / marketing 101, folks. One way or the other you WILL pay.

[praline3001]

Late jumping in on this one but you need to tip. If there are 6 people in the party you need to tip for 6 people. If there are 2 people in your party you need to tip for 2. Age has zero to do with this? Are your kids warm, breathing bodies? If so, then they have to pay the tip.

 

There is no pay for 3 and get 3 free deals when it comes to tipping ;)

[Kristi Williamson]

"It is really of no relevance where you eat, or how many times you eat there"

 

Really? I'm sure there are ships out there right now.

Why don't you send them a tip?

 

And once again, taking something out of context doesn't prove your point or help with the discussion. It merely creates tension and, frankly, is a little silly.

 

The context of the post, and the implication of this entire thread, is assuming one understands that you must be ON the ship for any of this to apply.

 

....300,000,000 swimmers...and some of these people were the fastest... :rolleyes:;)

[Billyboy22]

Yes, they do count the kids. Ours are 10 and 11 and we always have to pay it. I hate doing it, but then I also think, okay, if there was an adult in the waiters section, they would be paid. They also tend to really look out for our kids once on the ship, so it is fair. It is still a hard pill to swallow when it comes time to pay.

Yes, it does make sense , more beds to make etc..Still think children sharing with parents should get a reduced rate :)

 

Before anyone slates me , children get reduced rates on buses, cinemas, etc ..They still take up a seat :)

[sanwin]

Oh for heavens sakes !!!......ok us in the UK are not used to 'tipping'....so!!???....we pay VAT on almost everything we buy at 20%.......so!!!????.....get over it !...thats just life...its the way it is.

If the ship you choose to sail on charges 'tips' separately from the cruise price and you don't agree with it ....then don't sail with that cruise line !!!..there is a so called British cruise line that says 'you don't pay gratuities' ( they are built into the price)....sail with them !!

Just so as you know ...I have sailed with them and for the cost I paid I could not compare with RC ships !!!

I am more than happy to pay prepaid gratuities..1stly because I can't be bothered to work out who gets what and taking US dollars with me to put into envelopes !

2ndly I find it a lot easier to put the vouchers in the envelopes...!!

and 3rdly it means before I cruise I have paid all that I have to pay (including excursions)..then the only spending left is for the pure enjoyment of having cocktails and shopping !!!!!

I could not fault the service I received on RC ...loved my cruise ...but as a 1st timer last year on Liberty I never took any dollars with me !....next year I will be and even tho I have prepaid grats I now know how much to tip without insulting anyone,!!!!

 

Sandra

[critterchick]

Yes, it does make sense , more beds to make etc..Still think children sharing with parents should get a reduced rate :)

 

Before anyone slates me , children get reduced rates on buses, cinemas, etc ..They still take up a seat :)

 

They do do get a reduced rate on the cruise fare. Some have suggested that the crew don't work less because of the children and actually have to work. So to reduce their tips punishes them, which I hope is not an idea that you endorse.

[bplazo]

They do do get a reduced rate on the cruise fare. Some have suggested that the crew don't work less because of the children and actually have to work. So to reduce their tips punishes them, which I hope is not an idea that you endorse.

 

So true, the mess these children make is crazy and I always think that there should be extra tips for waiting on kids.

[DaisyDoo246]

Quote "Late jumping in on this one but you need to tip. If there are 6 people in the party you need to tip for 6 people. If there are 2 people in your party you need to tip for 2. Age has zero to do with this? Are your kids warm, breathing bodies? If so, then they have to pay the tip.

 

There is no pay for 3 and get 3 free deals when it comes to tipping ;) "

As said earlier, I totally expect to tip and for all our of our party. My concern was the £1,000 I thought I had to pay. However, it was my misunderstanding of the calculations to reach that figure which is in fact a lot less at £600.

 

What a shame that this thread has escalated - I will certainly think twice before posting again.

[ALGOR]

So true, the mess these children make is crazy and I always think that there should be extra tips for waiting on kids.

 

This is without doubt the single most stupid post I have ever read on this board, do you really believe that children should not cruise and if they do they should pay extra? The world does not rotate around childless couples, we are raising the next generation, As we live in europe we don't have Mexican's on tap so we have to raise children ourselves!

 

Where do you think Royal Caribbean will be in 25 years from now if kids don't grow up cruising? Do you think that they built the flow rider, climbing wall and ice skating ring for pensioners?

[ALGOR]

Quote "Late jumping in on this one but you need to tip. If there are 6 people in the party you need to tip for 6 people. If there are 2 people in your party you need to tip for 2. Age has zero to do with this? Are your kids warm, breathing bodies? If so, then they have to pay the tip.

 

There is no pay for 3 and get 3 free deals when it comes to tipping ;) "

 

As said earlier, I totally expect to tip and for all our of our party. My concern was the £1,000 I thought I had to pay. However, it was my misunderstanding of the calculations to reach that figure which is in fact a lot less at £600.

 

What a shame that this thread has escalated - I will certainly think twice before posting again.

 

Sorry Daisy, the thread has been somewhat hijacked! Royal Carribean can't be too upset with UK cruisers as they are sending another ship, Carnival are joining the party too, enjoy your holiday, we are on the indy on the 3rd of June and I can't wait for it!

[Bobal]

Good grief, the OP came back in post #90 to say she saw where she'd made a mistake, to thank people for pointing out her error and to say that she now understands how much her tips will be. That should have been the end of the matter - question asked, and answered. But still people are point-scoring and arguing over a subject which will NEVER see a mutual agreement on these board. Different countries, different tipping cultures.

 

For goodness sake, get over yourselves people and move on :rolleyes:

[critterchick]

This is without doubt the single most stupid post I have ever read on this board, do you really believe that children should not cruise and if they do they should pay extra? The world does not rotate around childless couples, we are raising the next generation, As we live in europe we don't have Mexican's on tap so we have to raise children ourselves!

 

Where do you think Royal Caribbean will be in 25 years from now if kids don't grow up cruising? Do you think that they built the flow rider, climbing wall and ice skating ring for pensioners?

 

I don't think he meant it literally. Deep breaths...

[MOSusan]

This is without doubt the single most stupid post I have ever read on this board, do you really believe that children should not cruise and if they do they should pay extra? The world does not rotate around childless couples, we are raising the next generation, As we live in europe we don't have Mexican's on tap so we have to raise children ourselves!

 

Where do you think Royal Caribbean will be in 25 years from now if kids don't grow up cruising? Do you think that they built the flow rider, climbing wall and ice skating ring for pensioners?

 

With a comment like that you called another post stupid? Your stereotypes are ridiculous. Yes, all Americans are filthy rich with Mexican nannies to raise our children. Hint - think then type.

[peteukmcr]

Good grief, the OP came back in post #90 to say she saw where she'd made a mistake, to thank people for pointing out her error and to say that she now understands how much her tips will be. That should have been the end of the matter - question asked, and answered. But still people are point-scoring and arguing over a subject which will NEVER see a mutual agreement on these board. Different countries, different tipping cultures.

 

For goodness sake, get over yourselves people and move on :rolleyes:

I agree and this thread is in danger of being closed due to the offensive nature of some comments.