Tipping Clarification...

[cherrysaw]

Hi Everyone,

We are going on our 1st cruise this September. I have been reading everything I can I a daily basis but I am still confused about tipping.

We had to pay the pre-paid gratuities up front as that was our only option at the time we booked. What and who does that go to?

What other tips are generally paid, to whom and how much per person??? How often??? Daily?? At the end of the week??

I am truly clueless here and want to make sure we do the right thing.

Thanks for your help!

Sue

[ryano]

What and who does that go to?

 

Sue

 

Prepaid gratuities will cover your stateroom attendant, your waiter and assistant waiter and the head waiter in the Main Dining Room.

 

Others you would want to tip is if you order room service.

 

Everyone else is totally at your discretion :)

[Retired LEO]

If they put their hand out put something in it. (Of course I'm only kidding)

[Langley Cruisers]

You've already done the right thing; you are completely covered. :)

 

Gratuities will be added automatically to some items, though - any bar or beverage purchase (alcohol, soda, specialty coffee), and if you order Room Service it is customary to tip a few dollars, depending on the size of your order.

 

Have fun!

[leaveitallbehind]

Hi Everyone,

We are going on our 1st cruise this September. I have been reading everything I can I a daily basis but I am still confused about tipping.

We had to pay the pre-paid gratuities up front as that was our only option at the time we booked. What and who does that go to?

What other tips are generally paid, to whom and how much per person??? How often??? Daily?? At the end of the week??

I am truly clueless here and want to make sure we do the right thing.

Thanks for your help!

Sue

 

Surprised you "had" to pay them unless you've selected MTD. You always have the option of prepay, charge to your sea pass on board, or pay cash at the end, except for MTD. (We've never done MTD so I may be incorrect by I thought MTD prepaid only covered dining staff tips). And they are paid at the end of the week.

 

Check on the RCI website under the FAQ's section - this will answer all your questions.

[Langley Cruisers]

...I thought only covered dining staff tips...

 

No, the four staff members mentioned are always covered when gratuities are prepaid.

[cherrysaw]

Surprised you "had" to pay them unless you've selected MTD. You always have the option of prepay, charge to your sea pass on board, or pay cash at the end, except for MTD. (We've never done MTD so I may be incorrect by I thought MTD prepaid only covered dining staff tips). And they are paid at the end of the week.

 

We had to choose MTD. It was the only option available for this cruise in September. So that is the pre-paid gratuities I am talking about. Does that cover all of the mentioned attendants or only the wait staff?

[ryano]

. Does that cover all of the mentioned attendants or only the wait staff?

 

It will cover your cabin attendant too :)

[sharod]

No, the four staff members mentioned are always covered when gratuities are prepaid.

 

Yep, everyone is covered. We had MTD and our tips were prepaid. I thought that it only included the dining room. I found my stateroom attendant out in the hall and handed him his tip. A few minuted later he knocked on my stateroom door and went to hand it back to me. He stated that we had already tipped him though the prepaid. I honestly didn't realize this!!! My mistake, he was being very honest. He was a great attendant, very personable, so I handed him the envelope back and told him to please keep it. And I thanked him for setting me straight:D!!!!

[Langley Cruisers]

We had to choose MTD. It was the only option available for this cruise in September.

 

It's fine, it will be amazing. You can go to dinner anytime you want to. You do not have to make a reservation, although you may get some e-mails from RCI asking you to do so. You do not have to; you can just go when you want and you should be seated as soon as possible. The longest we ever had to wait was 3 minutes. :D

 

He was a great attendant, very personable, so I handed him the envelope back and told him to please keep it. And I thanked him for setting me straight!!!!

 

Nice!!!!!!!

[leaveitallbehind]

No, the four staff members mentioned are always covered when gratuities are prepaid.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I guess that would make sense to avoid confusion and someone inadvertantly not getting the gratuity.

[ALSEAU]

Just in case some of the responses confused you and did not bring clarity let me try to recap.

 

1. If you are booked with MTD dinning you were required to pay all the suggested tips up front. Those that have a stated policy in the brochure.

 

2. That if you request room service an additional cash tip is customary when items are delivered.

 

3. When ever making any bar purchase either alcohol or non-alcohol a 15% gratuity is automatically added to your tab.

 

4. If you chose to do any pay specialty restaurant a tip is automatically added to your charge.

 

Note: It is up to your discretion to increase or decrease any tip amount to any one who has serviced you.

[Mack704]

I believe the pay specialty restaurant charges include the tip. No 15 percent is added. You may, of course, tip your server additional.

 

Harvey

[JAMESCC]

I must ask a very stupid question because we do prepaid gratuities every time. Why wouldn't you do prepaid gratuities? It takes the guessing out of the equation, no? You pay it up front and don't have to worry about it, its done. Why do it any other way?

[Clarea]

I must ask a very stupid question because we do prepaid gratuities every time. Why wouldn't you do prepaid gratuities? It takes the guessing out of the equation, no? You pay it up front and don't have to worry about it, its done. Why do it any other way?

You might wish to use on board credit to pay gratuities.

[marci22]

I must ask a very stupid question because we do prepaid gratuities every time. Why wouldn't you do prepaid gratuities? It takes the guessing out of the equation, no? You pay it up front and don't have to worry about it, its done. Why do it any other way?

 

I like to use obc for tips.

[JAMESCC]

I like to use obc for tips.

Ah I did not think of that angle, oops. That does make perfect sense. Thanks for the perfectly good reason.

[reney313]

Yep, everyone is covered. We had MTD and our tips were prepaid. I thought that it only included the dining room. I found my stateroom attendant out in the hall and handed him his tip. A few minuted later he knocked on my stateroom door and went to hand it back to me. He stated that we had already tipped him though the prepaid. I honestly didn't realize this!!! My mistake, he was being very honest. He was a great attendant, very personable, so I handed him the envelope back and told him to please keep it. And I thanked him for setting me straight:D!!!!

 

I forgot I wasn't on Facebook and I was looking for the "like" button. I couldn't find it, so I guess I needed to quote.

 

Speaking on behalf of those of us that worked or work in the service industry--well done! And for the steward--well done as well! I don't work in the industry anymore but I always had the option to add the "auto gratis" onto bills of 6 or more people. I rarely did (exception was groups of 16 years old dropped off drinking the heck out of Dr. Pepper), and in the end I always worked out ahead. I felt it deceitful to add the gratuity and then seeing a double tip. In the early days before I realized it was best to leave it off, I would find on occasion someone would double tip and would point it out--and they generally were very gracious. In some cases they would remove, but most of the time they would then leave extra for the honesty (and i like to think the service too). That always felt like a Win-Win vs. the customer walking away feeling ripped off later when they realized the tip was already included.

[grandmamlw]

I must ask a very stupid question because we do prepaid gratuities every time. Why wouldn't you do prepaid gratuities? It takes the guessing out of the equation, no? You pay it up front and don't have to worry about it, its done. Why do it any other way?

 

I prepay also it is so much easier. Some people like to adjust the tip up or down depending on service. They do not realize the all the tips must be turned in and then they get redistributed evenly. I don't know if this is 100% fair but that is how it is done. I know one time our assistant waiter was much better and worked much harder than the waiter so we gave him a little extra. I hope he didn't have to turn that in.:confused:

[leaveitallbehind]

I prepay also it is so much easier. Some people like to adjust the tip up or down depending on service. They do not realize the all the tips must be turned in and then they get redistributed evenly. I don't know if this is 100% fair but that is how it is done. I know one time our assistant waiter was much better and worked much harder than the waiter so we gave him a little extra. I hope he didn't have to turn that in.:confused:

 

Gratuities in the recommended amounts are distributed via a pool. However additional cash gratuities in excess of the recommended amounts are not subject to the pool. In this manner if you wish to tip someone more for any reason, they would be able to keep it for themselves. This was information from a crew member.