Why Prepaid gratuities?

[fischymom]

I am not asking this as a complaint question but as I am curious as to why if I eat at a scheduled time in the MDR you do not have to prepay but if I go with MTD I do have to prepay? Do they think that I am going to be less likely to pay the gratuities if I want the flexibility of doing things at my own schedule? Because if I am in the MDR or Windjammer or JR or any other venue I still have waitstaff that do the utmost to take care of me. I would pay them regardless of where I am dining so I just don't understand the reasoning.

[boewok]

In MTD you do not always have the same servers. Just cuts out confusion over who to give gratuities. Prepaid are distributed among wait staff (including WJ, etc). So it covers all possibilities.

[fischymom]

Ok I see where they are coming from. I was thinking that if I had envelopes that needed to go be distributed I could just take the waitstaffs to the services desk when I was paying my OBC account. Not an issue just curious.

[Hypo]

I would guess that it has a lot to do with "float".

 

RCCL gets to use that money, interest free, for about 12 weeks. I would guess that it will eventually be required to prepay all tips when final payment is made, or they will go the way of Carnival and add the tips as a form of "resort fee".

[macruisefan]

A lot of people don't realize the tips are pooled. Since you don't have the same servers, there was concern that people would feel the need to individually tip the commensurate amount to each member of the team each evening. Basically, it would become a pain in the neck for the cruise staff to be collecting small, incremental tips all the time.

[sparky-elpaso]

Ok I see where they are coming from. I was thinking that if I had envelopes that needed to go be distributed I could just take the waitstaffs to the services desk when I was paying my OBC account. Not an issue just curious.

 

Actually you don't need to distribute the envelopes - unless you want to add extra cash. The crew gets the money in their paychecks. I think they're phasing out the envelopes on a ship by ship basis.

[akcruz]

I would guess that it has a lot to do with "float".

 

RCCL gets to use that money, interest free, for about 12 weeks. I would guess that it will eventually be required to prepay all tips when final payment is made, or they will go the way of Carnival and add the tips as a form of "resort fee".

 

OK, we get that, but the OP asked why they are required for MTD and not for regular dining. The only want to "float" the $$ of those that are using MTD?

 

BTW I do agree with you (or at least hope) that they change this to a service charge and do away with the "tip", it will be much less confusing.

[sunsetbeachgal]

OK, we get that, but the OP asked why they are required for MTD and not for regular dining. The only want to "float" the $$ of those that are using MTD?

 

BTW I do agree with you (or at least hope) that they change this to a service charge and do away with the "tip", it will be much less confusing.

 

As a regular Princess cruiser who has recently cruised RC and is now cruising on RC again nest week, I agree that I much prefer the service charge on my on board account as Princess does. I refuse to prepay tips, based on principle, so will again do fixed seating dining and then add tips to my on board account on the ship.

[Beaching It]

A lot of people don't realize the tips are pooled. Since you don't have the same servers, there was concern that people would feel the need to individually tip the commensurate amount to each member of the team each evening. Basically, it would become a pain in the neck for the cruise staff to be collecting small, incremental tips all the time.

 

Does the my-time dining pre paid gratuity cover everything on the ship or do we tip our cabin steward separately?

[tulsacubfan]

A lot of people don't realize the tips are pooled. Since you don't have the same servers, there was concern that people would feel the need to individually tip the commensurate amount to each member of the team each evening. Basically, it would become a pain in the neck for the cruise staff to be collecting small, incremental tips all the time.

 

Okay - now this makes sense. I never could figure it out either, but I can see their point with this explanation. Thanks much.

[temple1]

Does the my-time dining pre paid gratuity cover everything on the ship or do we tip our cabin steward separately?

 

Prepaid gratuities, whether for traditional dining or my time dining covers the dining room staff and your cabin steward.

[cb at sea]

If you do MTD, you may not have the same waitstaff nightly...that's why they require it.

It covers EVERYONE you're supposed to tip, so once you've paid it...you are DONE! No more thoughts about tips!

[llkingsz]

What concerns me about prepaid gratuties with MTD is that there is no incentive for the wait staff to give great service. They know that the tips are already pais and will be pooled so they will get a fixed amount irrespective of the level of service they provide. They have nothing to look forward to on the last day, thats why I hate this system which results in lower levl of service provided to guests with no option for them to do anything.

[ShipRiders]

What concerns me about prepaid gratuties with MTD is that there is no incentive for the wait staff to give great service. They know that the tips are already pais and will be pooled so they will get a fixed amount irrespective of the level of service they provide. They have nothing to look forward to on the last day, thats why I hate this system which results in lower levl of service provided to guests with no option for them to do anything.

 

 

I do think they have a lot vested in their service....being their job!

 

If the MD is breathing down their neck every night, plus the feedback from customers....I do not believe they get off so lightly because tips are prepaid. Probably more so. They have an even higher expectation of service from some.

[jebl]

We always use MTD and just figure that prepaying gratuities just goes along with that choice. I rather like having all that taken care of before we even leave home.

 

As for service, we have had nothing but excellent service from all the wait staff when using MTD. So in my experience, the argument that service will be lacking if gratuities are prepaid just doesn't hold water.

 

Given the number of deadbeats that stiff the waitstaff at Traditional Dining, I am surprised that RCI does not automatically add gratuities to the Seapass account or require prepayment.

[negc]

What concerns me about prepaid gratuties with MTD is that there is no incentive for the wait staff to give great service. They know that the tips are already pais and will be pooled so they will get a fixed amount irrespective of the level of service they provide. They have nothing to look forward to on the last day, thats why I hate this system which results in lower levl of service provided to guests with no option for them to do anything.

Contrary to your belief we have observed no diminution in the quality of service since the concept of prepaid gratuities was introduced. If you feel that the system "results in lower level of service", consider that your ability to add an additional gratuity at the end of the cruise is certainly an added incentive to them to provide you with the highest level of service. In our experience it appears that the servers who are assigned to My Time Dining are chosen from the best wait staff on the ship, people who take great personal and professional pride in providing the best possible service to their guests. In the unlikely event that someone should find the service lacking, a word to the supervisory staff should be sufficient to correct the situation and, failing that, a negative rating on the guest satisfaction survey is likely to have a far greater effect than an adjustment of gratuities. If anyone reduces the amount of their gratuity to protest poor service, they risk the possibility that their action will be misinterpreted as their just being cheap. Offering a negative review leaves very little chance that it will be misinterpreted.

In short, prepaid gratuities do not necessarily result in a lowered incentive for the staff to perform their duties to the best of their ability. Try it and I believe that you will arrive at a similar conclusion.:)

[temple1]

Contrary to your belief we have observed no diminution in the quality of service since the concept of prepaid gratuities was introduced. If you feel that the system "results in lower level of service", consider that your ability to add an additional gratuity at the end of the cruise is certainly an added incentive to them to provide you with the highest level of service. In our experience it appears that the servers who are assigned to My Time Dining are chosen from the best wait staff on the ship, people who take great personal and professional pride in providing the best possible service to their guests. In the unlikely event that someone should find the service lacking, a word to the supervisory staff should be sufficient to correct the situation and, failing that, a negative rating on the guest satisfaction survey is likely to have a far greater effect than an adjustment of gratuities. If anyone reduces the amount of their gratuity to protest poor service, they risk the possibility that their action will be misinterpreted as their just being cheap. Offering a negative review leaves very little chance that it will be misinterpreted.

In short, prepaid gratuities do not necessarily result in a lowered incentive for the staff to perform their duties to the best of their ability. Try it and I believe that you will arrive at a similar conclusion.:)

 

I have always tried to figure out how the reduced level of service in the traditional dining room would work for those of us who always prepay. :confused: If DH and I are sitting at a table for 6 and we have prepaid the the other 4 guests have not. Does tht mean the dining room staff might not be as attentive to us as they are to the other 4 at our table? Will they be fawning over them as we eat cold bread and beg for water? Will our cabin steward give us a slap and a dash as he runs off to do an extra nice job of the cabins that have not prepaid?

[macruisefan]

What concerns me about prepaid gratuties with MTD is that there is no incentive for the wait staff to give great service. They know that the tips are already pais and will be pooled so they will get a fixed amount irrespective of the level of service they provide. They have nothing to look forward to on the last day, thats why I hate this system which results in lower levl of service provided to guests with no option for them to do anything.

 

I do not believe the "incentive" of a good tip at the end of the week is enough of a specific motivator. Since traditional tipping is still elective, and we know we have some horrendous cheapskates in our midst, the staff has undoubtedly learned that a direct relationship doesn't exist. In other words, it's always possible to provide extraordinary, over-the-top service, and get stiffed. On the other hand, there are those who may overtip regularly.

 

Ultimately, all the tips are pooled. So it doesn't matter. I'm willing to be the average "take" each week doesn't vary much.

 

It's not like a land based restaurant, where one encounter results in one tip. Rather, it is their ongoing performance that will be addressed at a review. They're not jumping through hoops for any one tip.

[joe6666]

I do not believe the "incentive" of a good tip at the end of the week is enough of a specific motivator. Since traditional tipping is still elective, and we know we have some horrendous cheapskates in our midst, the staff has undoubtedly learned that a direct relationship doesn't exist. In other words, it's always possible to provide extraordinary, over-the-top service, and get stiffed. On the other hand, there are those who may overtip regularly.

 

Ultimately, all the tips are pooled. So it doesn't matter. I'm willing to be the average "take" each week doesn't vary much.

 

It's not like a land based restaurant, where one encounter results in one tip. Rather, it is their ongoing performance that will be addressed at a review. They're not jumping through hoops for any one tip.

 

If all the MDR tips are pooled, why does the cruise line suggest the amount to give the various wait staff and cabin steward?

[negc]

If all the MDR tips are pooled, why does the cruise line suggest the amount to give the various wait staff and cabin steward?

 

So that guests have a guideline as to how much they should tip. I believe that only the tips for the servers in the MTD section of the dining room are pooled though how the tips are distributed is in no way connected to the amounts that we are asked to tip.

[Hapytocruise]

What concerns me about prepaid gratuties with MTD is that there is no incentive for the wait staff to give great service. They know that the tips are already pais and will be pooled so they will get a fixed amount irrespective of the level of service they provide. They have nothing to look forward to on the last day, thats why I hate this system which results in lower levl of service provided to guests with no option for them to do anything.

 

Disagree..servers and cabin stewarts who give great service KNOW they are more likely to get "extra" from those who appreciate it. We always plan on having extra cash to reward those who impress us with their service and love prepaying grats as it is one less expense on the final cruise bill.

[nbsjcruiser]

I think they're afraid of a situation where people will not feel as inclined to tip if they do not see the same waiter every night. Its takes a special kind of cheap to see the same waiter do a good job for 7 nights and then not tip. I don't think there's many people who will do that although there most assuredly are some. I would not be surprised to learn that the number of cheapos would be much higher if they're seeing a different face every night. It wouldn't be as personal. So my guess is that the cruise company is heading off that possibility by requesting tips in advance. A good idea IMHO.

[cruisegirl1]

I am told that the best servers are assigned to MTD. These servers are guaranteed tips, whereas other servers may work hard for the week and get nothing from passengers. The incentive is to do a great job and STAY in MTD.

 

 

 

M

[hubofhockey]

I am not asking this as a complaint question but as I am curious as to why if I eat at a scheduled time in the MDR you do not have to prepay but if I go with MTD I do have to prepay? Do they think that I am going to be less likely to pay the gratuities if I want the flexibility of doing things at my own schedule? Because if I am in the MDR or Windjammer or JR or any other venue I still have waitstaff that do the utmost to take care of me. I would pay them regardless of where I am dining so I just don't understand the reasoning.

 

Well, YOU might make sure that the MTD waitstaff is taken care of. But I don't think they believe the same percentage that uses traditional dining would. I wouldn't take it personally. They are just looking out for the staff.

[smoosh21]

OK, we get that, but the OP asked why they are required for MTD and not for regular dining. The only want to "float" the $$ of those that are using MTD?

 

BTW I do agree with you (or at least hope) that they change this to a service charge and do away with the "tip", it will be much less confusing.

 

 

I agree that it doesnt make any sense. They must feel that MTD are less likely to give any tips since they don't have the same staff every night. Why not have everyone pre-pay, or just have everyone pay with sign and sail when they get on the ship. I shouldn't have to pre-pay at time of final payment.