Gratuities to be added to sea pass account daily.

[Charles4515]

it is ok for the tv, radio and newspaper to refer to a dad as a dead beat dad because he does not pay his child support, but let someone who skips out without giving their cruise staff the suggested tips get called "dead beat"and then we get a HISSY FIT. :confused::confused::confused:

 

Whatever, I think the change is a good one as long as they are not screwing the crew.

 

As for how to label those who don't tip, I prefer to call them cheapskates. Miserable people....

[oneputt18]

It might not reduce the posts as you are still able to visit guest services and have the amount(s) reduced if you feel service hasn't been up to scratch

I was wondering when we would here from you, you never miss a tipping thread!

:)

[iheartbda]

I have reported this post for the aggressive description used of "deadbeats". I hope it will be removed shortly

Well, the post is still here and that's because it was used as a general term, no idividual poster was directly called a deadbeat. If the shoe......oh never mind.

[Daghis]

I wonder, now that it appears to be a new policy that's being implemented for everyone, whether they'll discontinue the prepaid gratuities with final payment for MTD guests, and instead have them pay their gratuities via the daily charge to their onboard account as well.

[Charles4515]

I wonder, now that it appears to be a new policy that's being implemented for everyone, whether they'll discontinue the prepaid gratuities with final payment for MTD guests, and instead have them pay their gratuities via the daily charge to their onboard account as well.

 

Probably not. On their Celebrity brand they have had automatic gratuities for a while. If you have Select dining, which is the same thing as Royal Caribbean MTD, gratuities have to be prepaid.

[Goodysj]

Better still a thread asking RCI set a cruise fare that covers everything .

 

That way if you don't want to pay the price . Don't book !

 

Yep I agree, but we don't need a thread we just need RCI to publish the cruise fare all included.

[mtsublueraider]

I just don't know how I feel about this. There is just something about coming up to a waiter after a successful week of cruising with an envelope full of cash, lookin gthem in the eye, and thanking them for the service.

 

Now.... it's not anything special. Just add it to the account. WHY NOT JUST ADD IT TO THE PRICE OF THE CRUISE??????

 

Gratuity Definition:

Noun

• Money given in return for some service or favor, in particular.
  

Doesn't that mean you need to have a service or favor BEFORE you give the money? Not it's just a service fee and doesn't seem the same....

 

Will the service change because of this? Who knows?

[Goodysj]

 

Will the service change because of this? Who knows?

I'm sure we will find out in another thread sooner or later :D

[kingsgirl]

I've read through this thread, but I apologize if this has already been said, but the changes are on RCI's website and say that it applies to ALL cruisers. The only way you won't be affected by the increase is if you prepay your tips before February 28, 2013. Regardless though, tips will be applied to your account as everyone else has already reported.

 

They should just do away with "tips" and just hike cruise fares based on the length of the cruise.

 

We've always tipped, but I hate the feeling of constantly being gouged. Just hide the changes and increase the price. Easier to deal with.

[goodycruising]

 

Do you tip at McDonalds? Why not?

 

Seriously, I will keep that in mind, and if I ever get good service I will give them a tip. I don't expect that will happen, but I will take note.

 

I think the people are generalising way to much about nationality on the boards here, and agree it is insulting to say one nationality tips and the other doesn't. I must say as an Aussie that I think our reputation is possibly due to a high percentage of people thinking that when they book a cruise that they are getting an all inclusive holiday and have budgeted accordingly. That is where prepaid gratuities being encouraged by the travel agents would make sense, and I could see RCI giving the agent some incentive there.

 

However, as someone who asked around on the first trip, got an understanding of the logic of it, and has accepted it is part of the cost, I think that the education process for first time cruisers could be better. Sticking it in the middle of the tiny font conditions pages is not the best way to highlight that it is something I need to understand. I do print out the conditions and read them, but on the first cruise there was so much to absorb, that the daily cost breakdown of the gratuities was not something I actually multiplied by the days of the trip, and doubled for 2 people. My bad, but I like the total costs of things I need to pay for to be in big font!

 

I think we surprised some of the workers on our last trip by paying gratuities to those not on the list also. I got some extra envelopes and wrote their name and just thank you. Big smiles I must say! :)

[iheartbda]

Can people not multiply and add? The rate is $13 x 7. Add that to the cost of your cruise and you will know your total. For all those who want it included in the cost of the cruise, what difference does it make if you pay it now or pay it later?:confused:

[goodycruising]

Can people not multiply and add? The rate is $13 x 7. Add that to the cost of your cruise and you will know your total. For all those who want it included in the cost of the cruise, what difference does it make if you pay it now or pay it later?:confused:

 

Actually in Australia, it is law that the cost of something must be all inclusive. No extracosts that are hidden. It is our law and culture that when we see a big total at the bottom, we don't need to add taxes, freight, fees, or any other charges, that is the total. So while I can actually add and multiply, the law of my country has not prepared me for small printed extra costs. Some company selling items under a .com.au website has all the apprearances of understanding our laws.

[fishtaco]

I've read through this thread, but I apologize if this has already been said, but the changes are on RCI's website and say that it applies to ALL cruisers. The only way you won't be affected by the increase is if you prepay your tips before February 28, 2013. Regardless though, tips will be applied to your account as everyone else has already reported.

 

They should just do away with "tips" and just hike cruise fares based on the length of the cruise.

 

We've always tipped, but I hate the feeling of constantly being gouged. Just hide the changes and increase the price. Easier to deal with.

 

 

Yes now it has appeared in T&C,s even for us Aussies:eek: I am sure it will put more than a few noses well out of joint especially those who like to pay cash tips to individuals only!

 

I have always liked Auto tips and think its pretty fair that everyone pays the same.

 

This may of course not be appreciated by some staff on USA sailings who are used to getting quite a bit extra because of North Americans generous tipping culture. There may not be the enthusiasm to bend over backwards with some cruisers demands if the end results may be a very small extra amount or nothing extra at the cruise end?

 

I just hope any adjustment down or removal would involve more than just a cabin call to guest services.

 

I get involved in many cruise tip threads:D and am now happy with RCI,s automatic daily auto tipping. This means i can just leave a "small extra sum" at my discretion to waiters and cabin staff last night without feeling pressured or cheap:)

 

The crew on other than USA sailings will be very happy I would say as this does away with the unintentional tip dodgers when they are faced with a choice on the final spend bill that is so easily lowered.

[shutterbug63]

I will be prepaying my gratuities. I don't want to deal with the ins and outs and authorizations for this. I was planning on pre-paying anyway...I'll just do it a little earlier than planned.

[fishtaco]

Actually in Australia, it is law that the cost of something must be all inclusive. No extracosts that are hidden. It is our law and culture that when we see a big total at the bottom, we don't need to add taxes, freight, fees, or any other charges, that is the total. So while I can actually add and multiply, the law of my country has not prepared me for small printed extra costs. Some company selling items under a .com.au website has all the apprearances of understanding our laws.

 

 

How does this work when Australians must book through RCI Australia with no choice like I did?

 

The automatic daily tip should "now" be part of the advertised cruise price if it is part of the cruise price? This is according to Australian consumer protection laws and one reason Australians pay more for a same cruise than USA cruisers,This is what i was told by RCI when I emailed about the huge cost difference between an apples for apples cruise and why i paid much more than people who booked from North America.

 

I do agree that many non tip paying Australians are usually first time cruisers who did not expect to be charged Gratuities on their final onbard spend!

[iheartbda]

Actually in Australia, it is law that the cost of something must be all inclusive. No extracosts that are hidden. It is our law and culture that when we see a big total at the bottom, we don't need to add taxes, freight, fees, or any other charges, that is the total. So while I can actually add and multiply, the law of my country has not prepared me for small printed extra costs. Some company selling items under a .com.au website has all the apprearances of understanding our laws.

 

OK, I understand where you are coming from. However, you've cruised a number of times so you know about tips/service charge and the cruise lines are not operating under your laws. I can see where it may be a problem for first timers but do not TA even mention tips? They surely should as part of their job giving a customer information. Seems at least some do since people have said their TA advised having them taken off.

 

When we were going on our first cruise we knew NOTHING about cruising and didn't even discover CC until a number of cruises later. We did however, recieve a booklet with all the cruise information......the same information that can now be found online. Both of us read that booklet from cover to cover numerous times so we knew what was covered and what was not. Tipping guidelines were covered as they are now online. We were suprised about nothing.

 

Maybe being married to someone whose job it is to read the fine print makes a difference for us.;) But once again, the information about tipping is not hidden in the fine print. There is also a FAQ section that has answers about tipping and that is not hidden either. People need to read.:)

[mn1111]

I believe that the crew members deserve every penny they can get, but I am not happy at all about being forced to prepay gratuities. Not because I don't want to pay them, but mainly because I don't trust a company that will pay their hard working staff slave wages not to be tempted by the pot of money they will collect.

 

I like giving cash because I know that 100% will go to the crew members that I hand it to, but I believe that giving control of the money to the cruise line will eventually lead them to start sneaking admin charges and whatever other charges they can get away with to whittle it down. It is quite frankly none of their business what I tip the staff, just as it is none of mine what they choose to pay them. Of course giving us recommended amounts is helpful and I am happy to use that as a guideline and add to it, but to call it a tip and then charge it to your account as a mandatory fee is preposterous as it is no longer a gratuity. I would rather them raise the rates, pay their staff better and let tips truly be tips and not a subsidization of their salary shortfalls.

 

For those who are seeing this as a good thing that stops certain cruisers from stiffing the staff, keep in mind that the cruise line who has been really stiffing them from day one by paying them so poorly on a regular basis will now have complete control of all of their tips. With the cruise lines registered in all sorts of foreign countries with no labor laws, there is really nothing to stop them from eventually dipping into this money by charging fees, coming up with bogus penalties and anything else they can come up with. I for one will march right down to the desk, have all the tips removed from my account and pay cash as usual.

 

Neda

[travelplus]

We as customers should decide how much we feel the crew earns. I agree that auto tips is a forced tip. Lets say you go to a restaurant and the service was bad you leave either a minimal tip or no tip at all.

 

So what you can do here is go to your credit card company and contest the charge for the auto tip if you feel you did not get proper service.

 

I like the envelops that you hand out so if you feel one should get more you can give more and if one should get a bit less you can adjust it.

 

I feel RCCL is going to have more work on the last night before the cruise is over with people contesting the bill.

 

We as customers should be the ones setting the tipping rules. Its bribery in my opinion to state the suggested amount then automatically charge it.

 

I think RCCL should pay the crew more. I am not against tipping but I am against someone telling me how and who to tip.

 

What happens if I'm at the bar and my drink and service was subpar am I forced to pay the 15 percent automatic tip?

 

I don't want to hear from the people here who would tell me not to cruise. I love cruising but when it comes to tipping its the customer who should decide the tips.

 

Can RCCL ban you from cruising if you don't leave a good enough tip?

 

So how do we make it so our OBC's will go to the specialty restaurants and not towards the tips?

 

TIPS= Tip if you want Prompt Service.

 

 

I'm sorry if my post sounds strong but there are times when a tip is not warranted and it can be a hassle to switch the tip amount with the long lines.

 

I hope RCCL keeps track of workers who are lazy and don't provide good service. I would hope they would be retrained.

 

I think a better way to handle this is to fill out a form the last night of the cruise stating how much we want added to our credit card(after the OBC has been used) for tips.

[travelplus]

I believe that the crew members deserve every penny they can get, but I am not happy at all about being forced to prepay gratuities. Not because I don't want to pay them, but mainly because I don't trust a company that will pay their hard working staff slave wages not to be tempted by the pot of money they will collect.

 

I like giving cash because I know that 100% will go to the crew members that I hand it to, but I believe that giving control of the money to the cruise line will eventually lead them to start sneaking admin charges and whatever other charges they can get away with to whittle it down. It is quite frankly none of their business what I tip the staff, just as it is none of mine what they choose to pay them. Of course giving us recommended amounts is helpful and I am happy to use that as a guideline and add to it, but to call it a tip and then charge it to your account as a mandatory fee is preposterous as it is no longer a gratuity. I would rather them raise the rates, pay their staff better and let tips truly be tips and not a subsidization of their salary shortfalls.

 

For those who are seeing this as a good thing that stops certain cruisers from stiffing the staff, keep in mind that the cruise line who has been really stiffing them from day one by paying them so poorly on a regular basis will now have complete control of all of their tips. With the cruise lines registered in all sorts of foreign countries with no labor laws, there is really nothing to stop them from eventually dipping into this money by charging fees, coming up with bogus penalties and anything else they can come up with. I for one will march right down to the desk, have all the tips removed from my account and pay cash as usual.

 

Neda

 

Amen . And adding an automatic fee is considered extortion. Judge Judy would say this practice is illegal and immoral. What if the tips go to Alan Goldstein( a relative of Adam)? What if the tips go to the captain and his family? We don't know if there is a mean manager pocketing the tips of some hard working cabin attendants who he feels are not doing a good job. For all we know these people are working long and hard hours and may never see one penny of the tip. This is why I like handing the envelopes out the last night of the cruise so we as passengers can decide who gets more and who gets less etc.

 

On my last cruise San Juan-Barcelona we gave an extra tip to our assistant waiter and head waiter because they were beyond helpful and so sweet. They really gave us better service than we expected. They anticipated our needs and the nice Indian headwaiter gave us good tips on what nights to order the Indian selection as he felt the other choices were not as good.

 

Our room attendant also got an extra tip because he kept checking on us to make sure we had enough ice and was really a nice man. I always thanked him and spoke with him when he had a chance and learned about his country.

 

What I'm going to do on my next cruise is tell them to remove the automatic tip and I will do my own tipping. If they refuse I will tell them remove the tip or else I'm contesting the charge.

[fishtaco]

OK, I understand where you are coming from. However, you've cruised a number of times so you know about tips/service charge and the cruise lines are not operating under your laws. I can see where it may be a problem for first timers but do not TA even mention tips? They surely should as part of their job giving a customer information. Seems at least some do since people have said their TA advised having them taken off.

 

When we were going on our first cruise we knew NOTHING about cruising and didn't even discover CC until a number of cruises later. We did however, recieve a booklet with all the cruise information......the same information that can now be found online. Both of us read that booklet from cover to cover numerous times so we knew what was covered and what was not. Tipping guidelines were covered as they are now online. We were suprised about nothing.

 

Maybe being married to someone whose job it is to read the fine print makes a difference for us.;) But once again, the information about tipping is not hidden in the fine print. There is also a FAQ section that has answers about tipping and that is not hidden either. People need to read.:)

 

 

MMM RCI Australia is operating under "Australian law" it is an Australian company albeit a ".com.au" :)

 

And many who book a first cruise in Australia do so (foolishly) through an Australian T/A and only T/A has access to the booking info! they tell you what and when they want unless you go searching,that is why I am a CC member! My first cruise I could not get any info from T/A and cruiseline would only deal with T/A.

[fishtaco]

We as customers should decide how much we feel the crew earns. I agree that auto tips is a forced tip. Lets say you go to a restaurant and the service was bad you leave either a minimal tip or no tip at all.

 

So what you can do here is go to your credit card company and contest the charge for the auto tip if you feel you did not get proper service.

 

I like the envelops that you hand out so if you feel one should get more you can give more and if one should get a bit less you can adjust it.

 

I feel RCCL is going to have more work on the last night before the cruise is over with people contesting the bill.

 

We as customers should be the ones setting the tipping rules. Its bribery in my opinion to state the suggested amount then automatically charge it.

 

I think RCCL should pay the crew more. I am not against tipping but I am against someone telling me how and who to tip.

 

What happens if I'm at the bar and my drink and service was subpar am I forced to pay the 15 percent automatic tip?

 

I don't want to hear from the people here who would tell me not to cruise. I love cruising but when it comes to tipping its the customer who should decide the tips.

 

Can RCCL ban you from cruising if you don't leave a good enough tip?

 

So how do we make it so our OBC's will go to the specialty restaurants and not towards the tips?

 

TIPS= Tip if you want Prompt Service.

 

 

I'm sorry if my post sounds strong but there are times when a tip is not warranted and it can be a hassle to switch the tip amount with the long lines.

 

I hope RCCL keeps track of workers who are lazy and don't provide good service. I would hope they would be retrained.

 

I think a better way to handle this is to fill out a form the last night of the cruise stating how much we want added to our credit card(after the OBC has been used) for tips.

 

What is the difference if you pay x dollars per day charged to your final bill or the exact same dollar figure handed out in cash? it is the same outcome? $12 per day per cruisers?

 

OBC is not money,I doubt any staff get full tips if paid for with OBC unless the OBC was cash redeemable type and then I still doubt it would go to staff.

[Cotswold Eagle]

I guess RCCL looked at statistics and saw that Europeans think the tips are included so they don't bother and see the envelop in their stateroom and use it to mail a card home rather than for its intended use.

 

You don't want to start a fight and yet post this crap?

 

Pathetic.

[Borgcruiser]

Bryce, well said, I so wish there was a 'like' button, although this is from a Proud Mancunian!:D

 

Thumbs Up ,

 

 

Regardless , I'm really looking forward to my Three cruises this year and looking forward to doing my time dining with my Parents in September. 18.30 dining is far to early and 21.00 is just a tad to late. Looking forward to 19.30 reservations in addition to Chops and Giovanni's Table and all the other speciality restaurants on board Serenade.

 

RCI will make some revenue out of me :)

[goodycruising]

OK, I understand where you are coming from. However, you've cruised a number of times so you know about tips/service charge and the cruise lines are not operating under your laws. I can see where it may be a problem for first timers but do not TA even mention tips?

 

People need to read.:)

 

Nope, first time we used a cruise specialist TA, online, that was recommended, and as it was someone else's celebration, they booked the whole thing. We have since used the same TA, and we can hardly get them to return an email question, and last time used RCI online direct.

 

Yes, I do now know all the ins and outs, like I said we did ask questions on the first cruise, and once we were educated we were not going to stiff the staff that is for sure.

 

Yes, we need to read, but still, it is like the millionaire question on TV, if you know the answer you wonder why others are so stupid. Sometimes I don't know the $500 question. I think there are many things about cruising that after a while you think that while it was fun discovering these things, better value for money could have been had if newbies had a better introduction to the setup onboard.

[bigeck]

Well, I've caught up with this thread and I am disgusted with the attitude and constant labelling of us Brits as people who 'stiff' the staff. We have always tipped, and since the option of MTD have had to prepay our gratuities.

 

I have not received the email and sail in May. Perhaps I didn't get it because we have already elected to prepay having selected MTD. And why have we selected MTD? So that we don't end up alone on the last night when our tables mates don't materialise, mmm I wonder why? And who comprises the largest percentage of guests on a Caribbean cruise, just saying. Work that one out. You don't have to be a scientist to work that one out. Oh, come on then, give me all the excuses why people don't turn up to the MDR on the last night, yawn. There's one reason and one reason only, to stiff the staff.

 

There are so many responses I want to report on this thread as offensive, but it won't change anything. People in the US have the perception that we Brits never pay gratuities. That will never change. There will always be some people from the US who will shout 'yippee' (yes, you know who you are) whenever you think the Brits are being brought into line to conform to your culture.

 

There will always be the ones you say 'get over it, get over yourself, move on and don't cruise', well I won't bow to your desires. I will continue to cruise, I can hold my head up because I tip.

 

I can also hold my head up in the Diamond Lounge on the last evening of a cruise when we are the only ones there, and those loud demanding guests who have been 'doing Europe' and clicking their fingers at the wait staff all week are noticeable absent on the last night. Mmm, I wonder why? And don't start trying to tell me that they may have already been in the lounge and tipped the staff, or tipped the staff each night, because I've seen them leave without tipping. So don't start criticising us Brits.

 

People in glass houses should not throw stones.

 

I agree Peter. Its not only the Brits getting the email. I live in Scotland and didnt get one.

I see the people walking around the ships telling everyone how much cruises theyve done and where there going next. How they are friends with the Cd and staff. Then they dont turn up at dinner and you never see them again. Listened to there crap all week and not even a goodbye.

 

Bye the way, we now go Mtd although I do agree, why tip for things we dont use.

 

Alex