Rhapsody Facebook page getting flamed for gratuity changes

[need_a_holiday]

The Rhapdosy of the Seas Facebook page has a thread from disgruntled passengers impacted by the change of gratuities from opt in to opt out. Some angry passengers venting frustration. RCI has got this wrong in Australia, gratuities (mandatory or optional) are a problem in this country. P&O has been cruising here for much longer than RCI and does not have mandatory gratuities. Carnival got rid of tipping in Australia after realising it was the major cause of complaints:

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/nice-barbie-and-no-tipping-cruise-ship-gets-aussified-20111114-1nf1l.html

 

I think now that RCI has made gratuities mandatory they are breaking the law. As shown in this article the airlines in Australia were penalised for displaying prices on the website with hidden fees:

http://www.ausbt.com.au/jetstar-tiger-air-nz-in-trouble-with-accc-over-hidden-fees

 

I think the mandatory gratuity, not shown on price lists on the RCI website, is a hidden fee and breaks Australian consumer laws. The consumer guarantee they are breaking - "A supplier guarantees that goods are free of any hidden fees and charges and will remain so, except in certain circumstances".

 

As of today the gratuity is still not showing up in the price, even after choosing a room and entering passenger details. It is showing up as an optional. What ends up happening is those who pay it end up subsiding those who do not via higher cruise fares.

[rkmw]

The Rhapdosy of the Seas Facebook page has a thread from disgruntled passengers impacted by the change of gratuities from opt in to opt out. Some angry passengers venting frustration. RCI has got this wrong in Australia, gratuities (mandatory or optional) are a problem in this country. P&O has been cruising here for much longer than RCI and does not have mandatory gratuities. Carnival got rid of tipping in Australia after realising it was the major cause of complaints:

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/nice-barbie-and-no-tipping-cruise-ship-gets-aussified-20111114-1nf1l.html

 

I think now that RCI has made gratuities mandatory they are breaking the law. As shown in this article the airlines in Australia were penalised for displaying prices on the website with hidden fees:

http://www.ausbt.com.au/jetstar-tiger-air-nz-in-trouble-with-accc-over-hidden-fees

 

I think the mandatory gratuity, not shown on price lists on the RCI website, is a hidden fee and breaks Australian consumer laws. The consumer guarantee they are breaking - "A supplier guarantees that goods are free of any hidden fees and charges and will remain so, except in certain circumstances".

 

As of today the gratuity is still not showing up in the price, even after choosing a room and entering passenger details. It is showing up as an optional. What ends up happening is those who pay it end up subsiding those who do not via higher cruise fares.

 

that article from the SMH is old news, nearly 16 months old and the tipping , some people do tip and some dont but what might happen in the future any RCI cruise that comes to AU they might increase the fares and all the tips are paid and then no one can remove them....princess and p&o did away with the tips a long while ago and everything is ok, some staff still get a bit extra but thats up to the passengers

 

i had a look on the Royal facebook site and they are complaing that they dont have any laundries on the ship and one person budgets and extra $100 so he can get his washing done

[gbenjo]

 

I think now that RCI has made gratuities mandatory they are breaking the law. As shown in this article the airlines in Australia were penalised for displaying prices on the website with hidden fees:

http://www.ausbt.com.au/jetstar-tiger-air-nz-in-trouble-with-accc-over-hidden-fees

 

I think the mandatory gratuity, not shown on price lists on the RCI website, is a hidden fee and breaks Australian consumer laws. The consumer guarantee they are breaking - "A supplier guarantees that goods are free of any hidden fees and charges and will remain so, except in certain circumstances".

 

As of today the gratuity is still not showing up in the price, even after choosing a room and entering passenger details. It is showing up as an optional. What ends up happening is those who pay it end up subsiding those who do not via higher cruise fares.[/quote

The gratuity is not "mandatory" as you can go to the pursers desk and have them removed but you have show a failure of service and give them an opportunity to remedy the failure. I think they know it's not quite "legit" but are counting on people copping it sweet and not asking so maybe we all need to make some noise.

[cruisin-m]

In a sense they do try and make it all inclusive, because all bookings made in Australia automatically have pre-paid gratuities unless specifically requested to be taken off.

 

What annoys me though is that these people are then pressured into tipping even more onboard and given no recognition of pre-paid tips (at least, recently on Radiance it seemed that way). If you've paid tips in any way, shape or form you should be treated that way :)

 

I also don't like the US cruise line concept of gratuities not as a recognition of a service but as a wage subsidy or potentially an entire wage. Based on RCCL tipping guidelines of $5pppd for steward with mixed 2+4 berth rooms if everyone were to tip accordingly, the room stewards would be earning at least $1000 week with no living costs and on tips alone. Seems unlikely to me that RCCL would pay them much above this, if at all.

 

It would be better in my opinion if they charged a little more, paid their staff normally and then where exceptional service is given they can be rewarded with a gratuity. This emphasises service, doesn't make tips an expected part of the wage.

 

Just my thoughts anyway :P

[MicCanberra]

I know it is just being fussy but I wish that they stopped calling the 'Service charge' a 'Gratuity'.:D

[Aussieflyer]

I know it is just being fussy but I wish that they stopped calling the 'Service charge' a 'Gratuity'.:D

Agreed - it is a misnomer in effect.

One of the (admittedly probably dodgy) online dictionaries defines gratuity as

1. a gift of money, over and above payment due for service, as to a waiter or bellhop; tip.

2. something given without claim or demand.

 

A service charge is

a fee charged for a service, sometimes in addition to a basic charge.

 

As the gratuity is a mandatory (unless you remove it) fee it is more in line with

service charge IMO

 

I have no issues with paying the fee, just wish it was not called gratuity which makes it sound like I am tipping as I do that separately to those who have given me extra service. Just roll it into the cost of the cruise.

 

Of course this is one topic bound to get Australians heated - a bit like dress standards on the Cunard board :-)

[Sutho]

I have just done Celebrity Solstice for which I did pre-pay the charges. I personally had no problem with it and found service and attention outstanding the whole time. There was never any obligation to tip extra and they did not mention it nor did they send you any literature in the cabin asking for more. I has glad I pre-paid and felt it was part of the fare and avoided the hassle of having to worry about it onboard.

 

I also purchased the drinks paskage for which 15% was already added to the package to cover drinks. Again another good system.

 

With all the onboard credit I had that I could not possibly use all to myeslf I even had enough cash to splash around optional gratuities for specialty restaurants that I ate in.

 

From an Australians persepective and a younger person who certainly does not like the tipping culture I found the pre-payment of it good enough for me and did not cause a problem. Pre-paying it does not mean you get poorer service and does not mean they will be pressuring you for more cash.

[Aussieflyer]

I have just done Celebrity Solstice for which I did pre-pay the charges. I personally had no problem with it and found service and attention outstanding the whole time. There was never any obligation to tip extra and they did not mention it nor did they send you any literature in the cabin asking for more. I has glad I pre-paid and felt it was part of the fare and avoided the hassle of having to worry about it onboard.

 

We had the same experience on Solstice in January - no one was after any extra, there were no envelopes left strategically on the last night. On Celebrity Xpedition, we found it almost impossible to tip people extra!

 

The Celebrity organisation of "gratuities" works very well in our experience.

[need_a_holiday]

According to RCI on the Australian facebook site it is easy to remove the automatic gratuities and pay at the end and Facebook has a comment from a Rhapsody passenger who refused to pay any gratuity:

"Hi Sue, thanks for contacting us! 1. You can modify your daily gratuities at the Guest Services Desk once you're onboard and does not have to be on the first day, so long as it is done before the end of your cruise!

2. This only has to be done once.

We hope this clears the policy change up for you, happy cruising!"

 

After reading several threads on Australian Facebook pages the main grips are passengers who feel full gratuities for children or infants are too expensive or anyone planning on tipping less or tipping at the end. As I said in the opening post gratuities are not part of Australian holidays and some people are going to have problems. Better to build it into the price and let people tip extra if they want. The current system will continue to have complaints and people who refuse to pay who are subsidized by other passengers.

 

Here are some of the Facebook comments:

"totally shocked and disappointed. Just days before we sail with them for the first time we receive an email say we have no option other than to pay $12.50usd per person in our group per day for gratitudes....for a family of 4 that is over $500Usd for our family which will now be taken out of our spending money on board. Shame on you rhapsody of the sea not happy at all. Now we have to board the ship and try to take it out with customer service when we are suppose to be relaxing on our much awaited holiday....will not recommend again.....NOT HAPPY RHASODY YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES.....BACK TO P&O FOR SURE NEXT TIME"

 

"Are you going to the US or leaving from Aus? If you are leaving from Aus then I would not be happy about paying any more than the advertised price because it is so much more expensive to cruise from Aus."

 

" I am GOING on this Ship on Monday Friend of mine Rang R. Carribian YESTERDAY and they did not say in email go straight to the pursers desk on arrival and GET IT TAKEN OFF !!! in which I am doing as soon as I walk on 1st stop this is rediculous pricing I want to tip who looks after me and who deserves it........"

 

" i rang too and they told me what the told shirley i dont mind 12 dollars a day for me and hubby but taking tips from my 3 kids too they can jam that i will be going straight to pursers desk to tell them to remove the kids after i purchase drinks package lol"

 

"they put 163 each person tips on top of drinks package too....a joke so 12 us a day plus on top packages mmmmmm p.o looking good in future"

 

"my poor mum in law and her hubby struggle thru life and we paid for her to go she saved 7 hundred spending money for her and hubby they dont drink but now shes being told they will take nearly 3 hundred of that for tips i think its rude !!"

 

"There is no mention of pre paid gratuities on the R.C. booking price summary. These used to be."

 

"me and my husband went on the rhapsody 6 weeks ago and never had to pay like that......we were given envelopes the night b4 we got off and tipped whoever we wanted too"

 

"definiatley don't agree with how they've changed it because most the staff are tipped at the end with so much percantage of the takings, like the barstaff so in my opinion it's OUR choice as to who deserves the tip's, it's a personal choice!!!!"

 

"No u can't as of 1st march tips are mandatory I came off rhapsody today and I refused to pay the gratuities as I wasn't aware of the policy change! Apparently it was changed on the entire fleet from 1st march... 1 yr olds were getting charged $12 per day!!!!"

 

"NOT HAPPY ! Got this notice today... I'm booked for April... One minute you offer us on board bonuses and the next you take it away.... WAY NOT HAPPY !!!!!..... ENTRAPMENT Comes to mind.

Very Expensive for Families. SO NOT HAPPY...

 

As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of a change to our gratuity policy. As of March 1, 2013, Royal Caribbean will add an automatic daily gratuity of $12.00 USD ($14.25 USD for Suite guests) to the onboard account of each guest"

 

"I'm not happy either - means I have to find another $600 for my next cruise for tipping -as we are a family of 5 ....Should be left to the guest to decide who they wish to tip & how much ... not be forced to pay..."

 

"I've emailed consumer affairs about what our rights are now. Will advise what response I get. I've already emailed RC customer service and haven't received a reply."

 

"Any informations you get on removing the auto tip would be appreciated. Surely people do not expect $500 in tips from one family, if so I am obviously in the wrong profession."

 

"Just get it taken off. We should not be paying wages which is what this effectively is. This is Australia - not America. Poor form Royal Caribbean"

 

"Just got advise from our TA. We took gratuities off when we booked but now we have to pay anyway on our cruise card - this will add over $400 to our trip. We can amend the tipping if the service is not up to standard! Way to go RC you have spoilt our trip. IF you can amend the drinking age to fit in with Australia you should amend the tipping policy also. We pay proper wages in Australia and any tipping is an added bonus not compulsory. The service better be A1!"

 

"We have budgeted for tips Sharon but not $450. We like to tip personally."

 

"I'm the same sue I have put money away for tips . But not over $1000.00 dollars worth. I don't agree to pay 12.00 per day for a 12 month old baby. I do tip but like to tip the people myself. I bibe tipping is a personal thing."

 

"Well I have been looking at taking my first cruise soon with my family but posts like this scare me mmm tipping would be appreciated more so on person I would think"

 

"I will be paying the tips, there are only 2 of us and the changes don't really affect us as that's about how much we were going to pay. If I had young children though it would be a different story I think! I don't think many people have ever given tips on behalf of their children on top of the tips they already pay."

 

"Hi all, great comments....Im sailing saturday on Voyager, just hope I dont loose my cool at the Guest services desk over this...has already put a bad spin on the whole cruise... will let u know what happens ."

 

" I know this is an american thing, but its not what we do down here. Dont know why they dont just include it in the cruise fare ? What I would like to know is Royal Caribbean actual;y looking at this FB page or do they dont just care?"

 

" I don't mind tipping at the end of a cruise but when I googled tipping on cruises it stated that most of the lower staff's wages are covered by tips, which means effectively we are paying for their wages. Tipping can ensure good service, but what is the point of pre-tipping? I agree with the poster about having to tip for a baby. As a single parent I would be expected to pay by myself, the tipping for my children, which means I am not that keen to book another cruise."

 

"HOW CAN RCCI CHANGE THE GRATUITIES POLICY WHEN OUR FARE IS FULLY PAID LEAVING ON VOYAGER THIS SATURDAY !!! THIS DOESNT SET A GOOD START TO THIS CRUISE."

 

"Was about to pay the deposit tonight for my planned trip today so if it is compulsory then sorry royal caribbean, yes i did really enjoy my last cruise with you in 2010 but will have to go back to carnival as i will not be able to afford these gratuities of an extra $288 minimum for me and my 15 yo son, not to mention the other 2 children on my booking. Is it per person over 12 ? That is $572 if it includes under 12s ?) for 12 days. RC can you please post and confirm that it can be removed for guests that have not chosen my time dining."

[The_Big_M]

The Celebrity organisation of "gratuities" works very well in our experience.

 

The thing is that the RCL way is the same (being the same parent group).

[MicCanberra]

Travelling allows you to meet other people and sample other cultures as such some things you will like and others you will not. When you board a ship for a cruise through cruiselines like Celebrity, RCI, Princess or Carnival, you are essentially entering another country which has that country's culture (think USA). When it comes to gratuities/tipping, I think some people are over reacting and as such make poor travellers by not accepting what occurs as a norm.:D

[gek]

Travelling allows you to meet other people and sample other cultures as such some things you will like and others you will not. When you board a ship for a cruise through cruiselines like Celebrity, RCI, Princess or Carnival, you are essentially entering another country which has that country's culture (think USA). When it comes to gratuities/tipping, I think some people are over reacting and as such make poor travellers by not accepting what occurs as a norm.:D

 

Agreed. I like the American style of cruising and tipping is part of that even though I'm not fond of it. Pre-paid gratuities makes things easy for everyone (and ensures the crew gets paid a reasonable amount).

 

I also like American style bacon (I'm talking to you, Carnival).

[Aussieflyer]

The thing is that the RCL way is the same (being the same parent group).

 

That's why I have no problem with it. But then there are only 2 of us, both adults. I am not sure i would be happy if the cost was levied on children as well. Is it?

[The_Big_M]

That's why I have no problem with it. But then there are only 2 of us, both adults. I am not sure i would be happy if the cost was levied on children as well. Is it?

 

Yes. Again, the same policy in both lines. Not so happy about that myself, but that's the way it works.

[MicCanberra]

Yes. Again, the same policy in both lines. Not so happy about that myself, but that's the way it works.

Am I missing something? Why should the children be exempt from the service charges/gratuities, don't they use any of the staff? Who changes their towels and bed linen, who serves them drinks and food etc.?:D

[Sutho]

No way children should have gratuity charges added to their accounts. That is just profit making in my opinion. Its no harder work than preparing or cleaning a cabin for one or two passengers.

 

Besides that the arguement is flawed about your idea about "when in rome" philisiphy. Cruise ships are coming here then they should adopt to our payment methods. One of my pet hates is seeing tourists come to this great country and throwing tips around. I never tip anyone in Australia. Never have, never will. I know the foreign people throw tips around here because I have seen it. When I was on Solstice in Melbourne I did the Great Ocean Road tour. I did not tip at the end of the day but every other foreign passenger did.

 

My personal opinion on this matter is that cruise lines should factor it in as part of the fare and make it pre-paid if it is that important to them. That is exactly what Princess is doing in Australia right now except we do not see it on the fares that we are pre-paying their gratuities. Its part of the fare. If cruise lines do not change then it will always be a free for all to remove the gratuities from their account. Nothing can change that. It will continue to happen.

 

Cruise ship passengers are cheap. With cheap passengers looking for bargain prices of less than $100/night as a ballpark figure you can certainly guarantee people who look for those prices are not too generous when it comes to tipping staff.

[The_Big_M]

Am I missing something? Why should the children be exempt from the service charges/gratuities, don't they use any of the staff? Who changes their towels and bed linen, who serves them drinks and food etc.?:D

 

I didn't say exempt, and didn't even make a fuss.

 

However, pricing for things are on a twin share basis - and so are cruise line accounting, costs and wage expectations.

 

It's also definitely the case for me that there's not 4 times as much effort for 4 people in a cabin then there are for 1. Still one bin to clean for 4 people. Still one sink to clean for 4 people. Still one shower to clean. Still one floor to vacuum and so on. Some things are more such as the extra beds to make/pull down beds - but I didn't say there should be no tips. However, there also shouldn't be 4 times as much. That is just profiteering (in a different form) :D.

[MicCanberra]

The grauities (the $11.50-$16 per day per person depending on the cruiseline) are made up of several components, one of which is for the room steward. For example, on Celebrity it is as below.

How are gratuities handled onboard? $11.50 per person per day for guests in staterooms ($12.00 per person per day for guests in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms and $15.00 per person per day for guests in Suites). These service gratuities are based on the following recommended amounts:

 

Restaurant Service*Per Person Per DayWaiter$3.65

Assistant Waiter$2.10

Dining Room Management$1.00

Stateroom Service*Per Person Per DayButler (Suites Only)$3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

Alternative Service* Other Service Personnel$1.25

 

 

As you can see the room steward only gets the $3.50 out of the $11.50. It is similar on other lines.:D

[Sutho]

The steward would be making a lot more than $3.50 a day. He has 20 cabins to look after on Celebrity ships. It is no harder work cleaning up a cabin for four people opposed to one person. The bathroom, toilet, sink all need cleaning and the time to clean the bathroom is equal no matter how many occupants are in the cabin.

 

The pre-payment system on Celebrity worked fine for me. I certainly did not give any extra and no obligation at all to fork out more cash. It looked as if it was part of the fare itemised seperately.

 

Besides that there are more staff on Celebrity than you thnink. In the public toilets they have assistants working them full time of an evening and constant security patrols to name a few. Their staffing measures are different to the other ships I have been on.

[Aussieflyer]

One of my pet hates is seeing tourists come to this great country and throwing tips around. I never tip anyone in Australia. Never have, never will.

Do you not tip at restaurants at all? or throw some money in a tip jar at a cafe? or round up a taxi fare or add a couple of dollars?

I think that would be quite unusual now - not saying that there is anything wrong with it, just find it unusual. I certainly do all of the above.

[Sutho]

Do you not tip at restaurants at all? or throw some money in a tip jar at a cafe? or round up a taxi fare or add a couple of dollars?

I think that would be quite unusual now - not saying that there is anything wrong with it, just find it unusual. I certainly do all of the above.

 

Never have and never will. Thats just the way it is in this country and the way we should keep it.

[Big Kev]

Never have and never will. Thats just the way it is in this country and the way we should keep it.

 

 

Sorry, but you sound like a sad person... Very Un-Australian to us Aussies who were born in this country...

 

 

Sue and Phil

 

.

[The_Big_M]

Ah, another tipping thread. Where each side batttles the other to call them 'un-Australian!' (as meaningless as that is).

[cassamanda]

Do you not tip at restaurants at all? or throw some money in a tip jar at a cafe? or round up a taxi fare or add a couple of dollars?

I think that would be quite unusual now - not saying that there is anything wrong with it, just find it unusual. I certainly do all of the above.

I would think that most Aussies do most of the above but we certainly would not hand out tips for every drink we buy or every bag the porter picks up etc. On most organised land tours we have pooled our tips or on hosted tours they are usually included in the tour price and handled by the Tour Director. So in effect we have prepaid our gratuities on those as well.

We usually do MTD and so have always had to pre pay gratuities when booking. To us it is just a part of the fare. This whole question really only affects those people that usually do main dining and have probably got away with not tipping the recommended amount.

[Aussieflyer]

Ah, another tipping thread. Where each side batttles the other to call them 'un-Australian!' (as meaningless as that is).

 

Yep, it brings us all out :D