Royal Carribbean basically "forced me" to tip waiters I never met!

[willing292]

the majority of dining room waiters are working for their room, board, medical and a very small stipend. they make their real money from tips. if they do not receive excellent reviews at the end of the cruise, they can be demoted to assistant waiters or bus boys around the pool, where their opportunity to make good money diminishes. the tips paid in the main dining room go to the waiters/asst. waiters assigned to your table. if you do not plan on eating at your assigned table, you should let the maitre' d know. he will make note that a waiter may be 2 or 4, etc. diners short at his tables. to add tips on to the price of the cruise would mean that the taxes on the cost of the cruise would also increase, and of course, we wouldn't like that!

[crusinpeg]

The dining room staff rotates with the Windjammer. I know it bugs a lot of people but if everyone were to follow the recommended tipping guidelines published by RCCL all waitstaff would be tipped. They might not get it the week they are in the WJ but the next time they are scheduled for the MDR they will be tipped. If you like certain waitstaff you can give them extra.

 

Thank you so much...it all makes sense now....I can't believe that people still complain about the tipping!! I can see some being upset about the MTD tips being taken out early, but as far as I'm concerned its one less thing to worry about and spreads out my total expenses.

[lysolqn]

...to add tips on to the price of the cruise would mean that the taxes on the cost of the cruise would also increase, and of course, we wouldn't like that!

 

IMHO, the idea of doing away with tipping in favor of adding the cost of tipping to the cruise fare is nothing more than a difference without a distinction. If someone is opposed to the idea of tipping as it currently exists, how will knowing the cost of one's cruise has increased to include the cost of tipping make any difference when the intent remains the same?

[lysolqn]

The dining room staff rotates with the Windjammer. I know it bugs a lot of people but if everyone were to follow the recommended tipping guidelines published by RCCL all waitstaff would be tipped. They might not get it the week they are in the WJ but the next time they are scheduled for the MDR they will be tipped. If you like certain waitstaff you can give them extra.

 

Speculation or fact? Dining room staff work Windjammer for breakfast and lunch on a rotating basis but I do not believe they work exclusively in WJ on a weekly rotation.

[pspercy]

I might never ever see you again, why do i look after you when i'm guaranteed wages!!

 

Trying to put myself in a waiters shoes.

 

Might help you understand why the cruise lines do it this way, standards would definitely drop.

 

Couldn't disagree more.

 

We use MTD so we prepay and the waitstaff (and everyone else) all know this. Nevertheless we receive excellent service.

[Puffinater]

Speculation or fact? Dining room staff work Windjammer for breakfast and lunch on a rotating basis but I do not believe they work exclusively in WJ on a weekly rotation.

 

As mentioned in this thread several times. There is a rotation they all must do and during the rotation where the servers are in the WJ for the evening meal they are working exclusively in the WJ and are not part of the tip pool. FACT.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

OP's title says she was forced to tip waiters she never even met. :confused:

I believe this is an unfair statement. :rolleyes:

 

Perhaps some of these workers made her toast in the WJ, served her juice or coffee. They cleaned a table so she could have a clean table to sit at for dinner. Did they take away her plate while she was getting dessert? So many of the DR staff work in the WJ and deserve their tips! :)

 

The day is coming where it will be added to our cruise fare or mandatory

pre- pay.

 

***

[Charles4515]

IMHO, the idea of doing away with tipping in favor of adding the cost of tipping to the cruise fare is nothing more than a difference without a distinction. If someone is opposed to the idea of tipping as it currently exists, how will knowing the cost of one's cruise has increased to include the cost of tipping make any difference when the intent remains the same?

 

The cruise line won't do away with gratuities and add it to the cost of the cruise fare because that would increase the commision they pay travel agents. They might make it a service charge or something like that but they will keep it a seperate line item from the fare.

[rubrrick]

Charles, you are correct, to an extent. If you look at a reservation, guest copy, you will see that the price for Vacation Protection Plan, Gratuities, and Taxes and Fees are seperate line items that Travel Agents do not get paid for, and it all adds up to the total price that you must pay so many days out.

 

So, it's still in the reservation, just on a seperate line, one that Royal Caribbean keeps 100% of, to go to the appropriate crew, as listed.;)

 

Rick

[Charles4515]

Charles, you are correct, to an extent. If you look at a reservation, guest copy, you will see that the price for Vacation Protection Plan, Gratuities, and Taxes and Fees are seperate line items that Travel Agents do not get paid for, and it all adds up to the total price that you must pay so many days out.

 

So, it's still in the reservation, just on a seperate line, one that Royal Caribbean keeps 100% of, to go to the appropriate crew, as listed.;)

 

Rick

 

That is what I am saying, whatever they call it, gratuities, service charge, or whatever, if they make it mandatory, will not be in the base cruise fare, it will be a separate line.

[travelnap]

Some lines such as HAL, NCL, & Princess have gone away from the tipping frenzy at the end of the trip and just add a daily service charge to your account, for the tips for the dining staff and also for the room stewards. That works fine for me as I seldom eat in the MDR as I travel as a solo and do not care for the two hour dinners. Then if I have a staff member that does an exceptional job, I can tip them directly over and above the DSC. You have the option of removing the tips or DSC on most lines, but I don't think too many people do that. You would have to have very poor service to want to do that to the staff. Just part of budgeting for a cruise.

[DCwom]

Maybe we should all be assigned a dedicated servant for the cruise, they can clean our room, hand us drinks by the pool, and serve dinner wherever we choose to dine. This way there would be no question of who to tip, or flog.:rolleyes:

[CruiseMomCrystal]

Like some have said, I wish the cruise lines would include the "tips" into the cruise fare, and then if you receive service above and beyond, you can further tip at your leisure. But then again, if you had poor service, you'd have nothing to take away from either...

[crusinpeg]

Like some have said, I wish the cruise lines would include the "tips" into the cruise fare, and then if you receive service above and beyond, you can further tip at your leisure. But then again, if you had poor service, you'd have nothing to take away from either...

 

I read somewhere that the cruiseline can't include tips in cruise price since from a financial standpoint it would affect how profits are reported and could affect stock value... as well as the crew would have to report the tips as income and may have to pay more taxes.

 

Before anyone says anything let me just say this is what I have read..not saying its necessarily fact.

[lysolqn]

The cruise line won't do away with gratuities and add it to the cost of the cruise fare because that would increase the commision they pay travel agents. They might make it a service charge or something like that but they will keep it a seperate line item from the fare.

 

Thank you; I know that. My post was in response to folks who would like to see tipping included in the price of their cruise, even if tips show up as a separate line item on their reservations. I question why making it part of an increased cruise fare would make them happier since the increase would not only likely be identified as "Tips" or "Service Charge" but the extra dollars would be used for the very same tips to which they currently object.

[grandmamlw]

I am sure that you ate somewhere on the ship? Breakfast, lunch, dinner? The tips are all pooled so it is a great system. I do not begrudge the measley 11 or 12 a day tip.

 

I so agree! When I was asked to prepay tips because of MTD I thought that was fine. I was also told that even when you have a set dinning and have the same waiters every night if you tip in cash at the end of the cruise they have to turn in all the tips. All the tips are then redistributed in a set percentage, so those who work in other venues (windjammer etc) don't get cheated. When they went to MTD it became necessary to change the way tipping was handled. On RCCL I have always received great service and gladly pay the tips.

[grandmamlw]

Since tips are pooled and you give cash above and beyond the amount prepaid, is the waiter required to pool that extra tip as well?

 

YES! They must turn in the envelopes! They might not turn it in if you hand it to them seperate but they are suppose to.

[sailawayjack]

I got off a Royal Carribbean Cruise Ship last week and I am still steaming about the tipping policy. I would like your feedback and advice.

 

So basically we ate at alternative restaurants or the buffet (at in the ports of calls) the entire time we were on the cruise. This is our 6th cruise and we did not have the stomach to sit in the main dining room and make small talk to strangers at our assigned table for two hours in the evenings. We ate our dinners in the buffet.

 

So about five days into the cruise we got material asking us to pay our tips for the cruise. We had no trouble tipping our cabin attendent but they also required we tip our Assistant and Head Waiter. Yes there was an alternative that we pay everyone in cash if we did not want our sign and sail card credit card charged. We had gone through all our cash so we just signed the form for the required tips and basically compensated the waiters at the Main Dining Room we never met.

 

According to the show on the cabin television, believe it or not we were told to hunt down all our service people and hand them the envelop with the voucher or cash on our last day. Does anyone really do that?

 

In an era where a large number of cruisers do not eat in the main dining room, there has to be a better way for cruisers who do not have lots of cash along to tip only those service people who they actually came in contact with. What do you think?

 

:cool:This was not your first rodeo, or in this situation, cruise. You could opt for pre-paid tips, or pay at end. Either way, you are expected to pay. As I am not one to underapreciate the service I receive, I take cash, never less than minimum, and always tip cabin attendant, waiters more than necessary. I tip room service min $3.00, and bar tenders get what they give, if you get my drift. Call it a servicxe charge or tips, you are expected to pay:cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN

[sanwin]

You do NOT have to do the envelop thing if you've prepaid your tips. They envelopes and vouchers are provided as a symbolic gesture for those who WANT to have something to hand out.

 

If your tips are already paid, then you are done. No more is necessary unless you wish to tip extra.

 

 

 

Actually I was given vouchers with crew titles on...cabin steward, head waiter, assistant waiter etc.

I then had to tare off the vouchers from the sheets and place them in the matching envelopes !!!!

 

That is the reason why I said ...if I have prepaid grats which are pooled anyway ...why do I have to fiddlea about putting vouchers in envelopes ???

There was 5 of us in the FP...which meant I had to repeat the thing 5 times for us and my kids.....such a waste of my time on my last day onboard !!!

 

Sandra

[Puffinater]

Actually I was given vouchers with crew titles on...cabin steward, head waiter, assistant waiter etc.

I then had to tare off the vouchers from the sheets and place them in the matching envelopes !!!!

 

That is the reason why I said ...if I have prepaid grats which are pooled anyway ...why do I have to fiddlea about putting vouchers in envelopes ???

There was 5 of us in the FP...which meant I had to repeat the thing 5 times for us and my kids.....such a waste of my time on my last day onboard !!!

 

Sandra

 

You don't. The staff will get the tips without having the vouchers. The envelopes are for show.

[klingoncruiser]

I have to agree as well that the system probably needs tweeking at this point. :rolleyes:

[sanwin]

I just want to say that do not have a problem with tipping onboard ship.

 

I believe if someone has given you good service and helped to make your holiday a memorable one then they should be rewarded for that.

 

I like to pay as much of what I call the main cost of my holiday upfront. this includes prepaid tips, excursions, soda packages for the kids etc.

Then I know that any other monies paid out onboard is for drinks and extras.

 

This why I have said that the voucher and envelope procedure is redundant for prepaid grat pax.

 

If RC want to leave envelopes ( with no crew titles on them ) in my stateroom for me to put cash in and hand out , then thats fair enough. But vouchers are a waste of printer ink if RC already have my money to distribute to staff.

 

Sandra

[Charles4515]

Actually I was given vouchers with crew titles on...cabin steward, head waiter, assistant waiter etc.

I then had to tare off the vouchers from the sheets and place them in the matching envelopes !!!!

 

That is the reason why I said ...if I have prepaid grats which are pooled anyway ...why do I have to fiddlea about putting vouchers in envelopes ???

There was 5 of us in the FP...which meant I had to repeat the thing 5 times for us and my kids.....such a waste of my time on my last day onboard !!!

 

Sandra

 

The reason is that on Royal Caribbean unless you do the my time dining or otherwise pre pay, buying the vouchers are optional. They still do cash in envelope tipping. So say you are at dinner the last night. The other people at your table might be giving envelopes with cash. You might feel out of place not giving an envelope. Also some people like to give them and out say personally thank the servers.

[crusinpeg]

I just want to say that do not have a problem with tipping onboard ship.

 

I believe if someone has given you good service and helped to make your holiday a memorable one then they should be rewarded for that.

 

I like to pay as much of what I call the main cost of my holiday upfront. this includes prepaid tips, excursions, soda packages for the kids etc.

Then I know that any other monies paid out onboard is for drinks and extras.

 

This why I have said that the voucher and envelope procedure is redundant for prepaid grat pax.

 

If RC want to leave envelopes ( with no crew titles on them ) in my stateroom for me to put cash in and hand out , then thats fair enough. But vouchers are a waste of printer ink if RC already have my money to distribute to staff.

 

Sandra

 

Haven't cruised RCCL in awhile...are you saying that even if you have MTD and prepay tips..you still get envelopes in your cabin?? If so...why??

[sanwin]

You don't. The staff will get the tips without having the vouchers. The envelopes are for show.

 

 

 

 

 

But as a newbie last year I didn't know that !...My cabin steward explained to me what the vouchers and envelopes were for and said all I had to was fill the envelopes and leave them down at guest relations !!!

 

But thanks to CC I have learnt so much !!

 

Oh and nobody start me on TAs ...mine was useless last year...didn't even know that I was able to order our luggage tags online....got quite stroppy when I told them I had printed of my tickets and seapass and ordered my tags !!!!

So how would they know anything about prepaid tips ...lol :D

 

 

Sandra:)