Late night room service fee question

[LoveyHowell]

Does any portion of the late night service fee for room service go towards a gratuity for the delivery person? The fact that the charge is called "service charge" leads me to believe that at least part of the charge is also a gratuity, ala specialty dining where a portion of the fee is gratuity for the server. My sister that no part of the late night charge is a gratuity.

 

Does anyone know the correct answer? I searched Royal Caribbean web page but could not find an answer. I searched Cruise Critic but found conflicting answers (both ways).

[Langley Cruisers]

I searched Cruise Critic but found conflicting answers (both ways).

 

That is correct. There are those here on both sides of the issue. That is why you found conflicting answers. Many think the service charge was implemented because so many passengers ordered late night room service after a night of drinking, then passed out before it was delivered.

 

What do you want to do? I mean, short of coming out and asking the delivery person if s/he gets any of it (which I think would be rude and is absolutely none of my business), would you feel better giving a tip or not doing so? The decision really is yours to make.

[Ashland]

Does any portion of the late night service fee for room service go towards a gratuity for the delivery person? The fact that the charge is called "service charge" leads me to believe that at least part of the charge is also a gratuity, ala specialty dining where a portion of the fee is gratuity for the server. My sister that no part of the late night charge is a gratuity.

 

Does anyone know the correct answer? I searched Royal Caribbean web page but could not find an answer. I searched Cruise Critic but found conflicting answers (both ways).

Does either way make such a big difference to you?

 

I have no problem (JMHO) giving an additional cash tip (regardless) to the person that delivers food to my cabin between midnight-5:30am.

 

As said above, it's a personal decision and one that you can make.

[LoveyHowell]

Well, I have never ordered late night room service. I guess I'd tip the same as I would for occasions when I have ordered room service.

 

It was a topic that came up when my sister and I were discussing our next cruise and obviously we believe different answers are correct; we can't both be correct. So I thought I'd ask here just so we knew what the actual policy was. So in that sense, yes it does matter to us what is correct.

 

So, that said, if anyone could clarify what the official policy is that would be helpful for us.

[LostAgain]

Maybe it is me but I do not think it rude to ask someone (Pizza delivery person for example) if tip is included when they present the tab. However even if tip is included we will generally give more. It does help us decide how much more to give if we know what we have already paid to begin with.

[cb at sea]

Yes...the "late night fee" IS the tip.

[Ourusualbeach]

Yes...the "late night fee" IS the tip.

 

Just like at the specialty restaurants it Is NOT the tip.:(. A portion of it may or may not be a tip but it is a service charge. No one on here officially knows how much if any the staff delivering the food gets to keep.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Ourusualbeach

[LoveyHowell]

Yes...the "late night fee" IS the tip.

 

Thanks. Glad to learn they get the full amount. To be honest, I usually tip $2-$3 for room service so $3.95 included on the Seapass card is fine with me.

[Langley Cruisers]

Just like at the specialty restaurants it Is NOT the tip.:(. A portion of it may or may not be a tip but it is a service charge. No one on here officially knows how much if any the staff delivering the food gets to keep.

 

Absolutely agreed. No one on this board knows, and for what it's worth, there is no "official policy". RCI does not specify how this service charge is divided up or where it goes.

 

OP, please do not listen to cb at sea. She simply does not know, and has been perpetuating the same false information for years on these boards. It's becoming a problem, I'm afraid. *sigh* As a couple of us have said, do what you feel is best.

[sellwingri]

It's certainly a personal decision. We order room service often and always tip at least $2, regardless of the time.

[marci22]

Thanks. Glad to learn they get the full amount. To be honest, I usually tip $2-$3 for room service so $3.95 included on the Seapass card is fine with me.

 

That poster does not know that for sure. I don't think anyone knows.

[tlatrice]

Absolutely agreed. No one on this board knows, and for what it's worth, there is no "official policy". RCI does not specify how this service charge is divided up or where it goes.

 

OP, please do not listen to cb at sea. She simply does not know, and has been perpetuating the same false information for years on these boards. It's becoming a problem, I'm afraid. *sigh* As a couple of us have said, do what you feel is best.

 

If no one knows and there's no official policy, how do we know cb at sea's info is false?

[Langley Cruisers]

If no one knows and there's no official policy, how do we know cb at sea's info is false?

 

Fair question. I do not want to gang up on or slam another member of the boards, but many of us know that this member continually posts false information on several different topics. Some of us correct her on this so as not to mislead any new members here, or those who may not know that what she says is not true. She says that any service charge - specialty restaurant charge ($20.00 - $30.00 per person or more sometimes), room service charge, etc. is given to the wait person in its entirety as a tip. We do know that is untrue. The service charge is divided and although we may not know the exact amounts, it goes without saying that if a waiter serves a party of, say, 6 people at Portofino, the s/he will not be receiving all 6 service charges as his/her gratuity.

.

[ryano]

how do we know cb at sea's info is false?

 

There is no way that RCI gives ALL of the "service charge" to the crewmember no matter if its for room service OR a specialty restaurant.

 

cb at sea also has said 238,678 times (seems like anyway) that the service charge for specialty dining IS the tip.

 

Simply not true yet after being corrected EVERY time she still spews the same false information and misleads people.

Edited April 8, 2014 by ryano

[ryano]

. I do not want to gang up on or slam another member of the boards,.

 

 

Calling out or correcting someone who continuously spreads false information on these boards is not ganging up on them or slamming them IMHO Karen :)

 

In fact, its doing the board and new cruisers specifically a huge disservice to NOT call it out IMO.

 

None of us know exactly how much of the service charge the waiter or waitress in a specialty dining venue gets but most ALL of us know its not 100% as she claims :)

Edited April 8, 2014 by ryano

[mark290]

In my Guest Ticket Booklet that I just printed it says under Guest Service and then under Room Service " A late night charge of $3.95 per delivery

will apply when oredering room service between the hours of midnight and

5:00 AM. This service fee includes gratuity."

Edited April 8, 2014 by mark290
SP

[marci22]

In my Guest Ticket Booklet that I just printed it says under Guest Service and then under Room Service " A late night charge of $3.95 per delivery

will apply when oredering room service between the hours of midnight and

5:00 AM. This service fee includes gratuity."

 

 

There we go then. You don't have to worry about a tip, but if you're feeling generous, go ahead and add more.

 

This problem is officially solved! Nice work.

[akcruz]

In my Guest Ticket Booklet that I just printed it says under Guest Service and then under Room Service " A late night charge of $3.95 per delivery

will apply when oredering room service between the hours of midnight and

5:00 AM. This service fee includes gratuity."

 

There we go then. You don't have to worry about a tip, but if you're feeling generous, go ahead and add more.

 

This problem is officially solved! Nice work.

 

Yes, however the highlighted in red word above (includes) is the key here. It is included, but not the entire amount. What none of us knows is what percentage of the $3.95 is the gratuity.

[DrD]

Personally I would feel horribly guilty making someone bring me food that late. I'm pretty sure they never get to sleep in. I would go to a 24 hour venue or just go to sleep. If I did order I'd feel compelled to give a generous tip.

 

But for me it's moot as I'm never up that late.

[lady_cruiser]

They way it was explained to us at one of the Q&A's sessions we had with some Officers is that it is to off set the rising costs of food. People, mostly kids, were ordering huge amounts of food from room service only to leave it in the halls uneaten or in one case was caught throwing it overboard.

 

Either way I am one of those early to bed seniors. Usually in bed around 10:30 - 11:00 PM. Enough time before the start of the 4.95 charge time that I don't to have to worry about paying for it. And if I happen to wake up around 2:30 or 3:00 I can always run down to the Promenade Café for a cookie or two. And I always try to sail on a ship that will have the Promenade Café on it.

[mark290]

Personally I would feel horribly guilty making someone bring me food that late. I'm pretty sure they never get to sleep in. I would go to a 24 hour venue or just go to sleep. If I did order I'd feel compelled to give a generous tip.

 

But for me it's moot as I'm never up that late.

 

Do you feel horribly guilty having someone captain the ship while you sleep or clean your toilet ? I don't think they go to an employees cabin and wake them up to deliver food but even if they did, it's the job.

[Panda3]

Do you feel horribly guilty having someone captain the ship while you sleep or clean your toilet ? I don't think they go to an employees cabin and wake them up to deliver food but even if they did, it's the job.

 

Good one Marc, lol. The person who is delivering your food is on the late/midnight/graveyard shift. He gets to sleep during the day. He/She may even get more $$ for doing an unpopular shift.

 

And really...does it matter what percentage of the $3.95 service charge is going towards the person who delivered it? Unless you are ordering it every night go ahead and give the employee a few bucks on top of it. It will make their day! (or night)

[Robinola]

cheap is so unattractive

[LoveyHowell]

cheap is so unattractive

 

I hope that's not directed at me. I asked an honest question, you all decided to make it a monkey waste flinging contest. I don't even know how one makes the leap about asking what a mandatory fee covers to making a cockamamie statement like yours. Whether directed at me or not it really isn't necessary commentary and does nothing to help answer the question and shows perhaps you did not read the thread.

 

I am glad I read through the entire thread again and someone posted a factual answer; I kind of assumed someone with 60,000 posts knew what they were talking about.

Edited April 9, 2014 by LoveyHowell

[Robinola]

I hope that's not directed at me. I asked an honest question, you all decided to make it a monkey waste flinging contest. I don't even know how one makes the leap about asking what a mandatory fee covers to making a cockamamie statement like yours. Whether directed at me or not it really isn't necessary commentary and does nothing to help answer the question and shows perhaps you did not read the thread.

 

I am glad I read through the entire thread again and someone posted a factual answer; I kind of assumed someone with 60,000 posts knew what they were talking about.

 

To clarify, my post was absolutely not directed to you.