Late night room service fee question

[DrD]

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)

 

Well there are important differences. I should disclose I'm basing much of my opinion on the well-known books about the life of a cruise ship crew by Brian Bruns and I concede these may have been exaggerated.

 

Basically there are not "shifts" for low-level crew like servers. They (with rare exceptions) always have to some work early and into the late night with very little sleep. It is my understanding that a worker bringing food late at night would be losing valuable sleep. In fact if even half of what is in his books is true the amount of sleep deprivation and overwork is really quite severe.

 

Even if they did works shifts I'm sure they would much rather be sleeping at that time, especially given how much they've been working.

 

And the example of the Captain is really quite silly as it is clearly required for the safety of the vessel and souls aboard her that an officer has the con, while getting food at night is let's say slightly less important. Also of course officers have much more reasonable and sane schedules.

 

And the "it's their job" is a logical explanation that is technically true but does not help me to feel better as it's still within my power to make that job easier. It's the job of the cleaning staff at my office to clean the toilet but that doesn't mean I should gleefully pee all over the rim.

 

Note I'm not criticizing anyone else or suggesting people should not order, I'm just saying this is how I feel. Perhaps I'm a bit too sensitive but that's me.

[readytolose]

Personally I could care less if the fee IS the tip, is a portion of the tip, or RCCL keeps all of it. If I'm going to make someone walk and bring me something that I could have done myself (walk and get food from a different venue myself) then I'm going to give them a tip! They deserve it! Not because I think they are underpaid or overworked. (because, really, how do I know how much money they make?)Just because they did something nice for me that I could have done myself!

Edited April 9, 2014 by readytolose

[Robinola]

DrD and ReadytoLose-------

Well said !

I appreciate your comments.

[tlatrice]

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."

 

So cb at sea was right. The tip is included in the service charge.

[Langley Cruisers]

So cb at sea was right. The tip is included in the service charge.

 

:) This will be my last entry in this thread, but no, she wasn't right. To quote her exactly, she said:

 

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

 

Very different (red emphasis mine, to make the point).

.

[Merion_Mom]

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.

 

Many of those posts are on the Fashion Board. :rolleyes:

[maureencruiser]

Many of those posts are on the Fashion Board. :rolleyes:

 

:D Now, don't you be dissing the fashion board - there are some really nice people over there! :D And, if I could lose a LOT of weight, I could get one of Porthopper's beautiful gowns! :D

[Merion_Mom]

:D Now, don't you be dissing the fashion board - there are some really nice people over there! :D And, if I could lose a LOT of weight, I could get one of Porthopper's beautiful gowns! :D

 

But those posts don't add credibility on the issue of tipping.

 

:D

[mark290]

:) This will be my last entry in this thread, but no, she wasn't right. To quote her exactly, she said:

 

 

 

Very different (red emphasis mine, to make the point).

.

 

As much as I don't like cb's style, the statement "the late night fee is the tip" is correct. The fee might also be compensation to the cruise line or something else but it is the tip. If you feel the person delivering the food deserves more then go ahead and tip extra. I'm sure everyone tips above the guidelines for something on a cruise including myself.

[marci22]

As much as I don't like cb's style, the statement "the late night fee is the tip" is correct. The fee might also be compensation to the cruise line or something else but it is the tip. If you feel the person delivering the food deserves more then go ahead and tip extra. I'm sure everyone tips above the guidelines for something on a cruise including myself.

 

No, it is not correct. A 'portion' of the fee is the tip. A portion of 3.95 (or whatever it is) is different than 3.95.

 

ps she also says this about the specialty dining fees: "the fee is the tip". That makes it seem like the waiter gets $25 in his pocket rather than a portion of that $25.

Edited April 9, 2014 by marci22

[Thetrail]

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

Another bad answer and false answer, sorry....:rolleyes:

[marci22]

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.

 

I don't think one needs to know. People who want to know that the gratuity has been paid will be happy. People who like to give generous tips will know that only a portion of the 3.95 is the gratuity.

 

I think that's enough to know to make an informed decision whether or not one has to tip. The answer is no as it has been included.

[marci22]

I just did a search using 'cb_at_sea tip'.

 

Only 88 pages came up.

 

Surely there must be more.

[Thetrail]

As much as I don't like cb's style, the statement "the late night fee is the tip" is correct. The fee might also be compensation to the cruise line or something else but it is the tip. If you feel the person delivering the food deserves more then go ahead and tip extra. I'm sure everyone tips above the guidelines for something on a cruise including myself.

Not sure what part isn't regeristing in your mind but NO she is not right. If the portion was .25 cents and you feel that is "enough" of a room service delivery tip, well can't really say how I feel about that on this board.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[tlatrice]

 

I think that's enough to know to make an informed decision whether or not one has to tip. The answer is no as it has been included.

 

THANK YOU! The original question wasn't about HOW MUCH of the service charge goes to the delivery person.

[marci22]

THANK YOU! The original question wasn't about HOW MUCH of the service charge goes to the delivery person.

 

And people aren't disagreeing about this. They are disagreeing that you agree cb is right when she says that 'the service fee is the tip'. That is incorrect. The tip is included in the fee, but the fee is not 'the tip'.

[mark290]

Not sure what part isn't regeristing in your mind but NO she is not right. If the portion was .25 cents and you feel that is "enough" of a room service delivery tip, well can't really say how I feel about that on this board.....:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Something can be more than one thing. The one thing we do know, according to RCCL, is that the service fee is the gratuity . It might also be a profit item for the cruise line but if you believe RCCL it is also the tip.

 

If you feel the delivery person's cut is not enough then tip more. The fact I tip in addition to the service fee has nothing to do with the fact the service fee is the tip and also possibly money in the cruise lines pocket. The only thing not registering is why you feel so right when you are wrong.

[marci22]

The one thing we do know, according to RCCL, is that the service fee is the gratuity .

 

They do not say this. According to the poster who posted the information, his booklet said that 'the service fee INCLUDES the gratuity'. This is different than saying, 'the service fee IS the gratuity'.

 

Otherwise, they would say, 'the service fee is the gratuity'.

 

It can't be explained any more simply. Therefore, I will not post this again.

 

Good luck to all you intrepid late-night room service ordering cruisers out there.

 

Be safe.

[Thetrail]

Something can be more than one thing. The one thing we do know, according to RCCL, is that the service fee is the gratuity . It might also be a profit item for the cruise line but if you believe RCCL it is also the tip.

 

If you feel the delivery person's cut is not enough then tip more. The fact I tip in addition to the service fee has nothing to do with the fact the service fee is the tip and also possibly money in the cruise lines pocket. The only thing not registering is why you feel so right when you are wrong.

What your original post said and what I think it suggests are two entirely different things, thank you.....:rolleyes:

[spookwife]

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.

 

no they do NOT get the full amount. Cb is wrong, just as they are wrong on a few other oft discussed topics here.

 

no one here has ever been able to get a definitive answer as to how much of the late night fee( if any at all) is allotted to the person delivering.

 

if you go down to Guest services, or ask over the phone when placing your room service order, you will get different answers on board as well.

[LMaxwell]

What a contentious topic. OP asked a fairly straightforward question and someone found the policy and posted it; some unknown portion of the fee is a tip. That's all there is to it. They didn't ask how much. They didn't say they won't tip more. I just saw an objective question.

 

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[UCF_Knight]

What a contentious topic. OP asked a fairly straightforward question and someone found the policy and posted it; some unknown portion of the fee is a tip. That's all there is to it. They didn't ask how much. They didn't say they won't tip more. I just saw an objective question.

 

I agree. Go back and look at the original question:

Q. "Does any portion of the late night service fee for room service go towards a gratuity for the delivery person?"

 

It is a straightforward answer: Yes. A portion of the late night service fee goes towards the delivery person as a gratuity.

[Stephluva2711]

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.

 

OK sorry but in no way can you compare how much a cap't of a ship gets paid compared to what the room svc people get paid. And really so what if it's their job? It's a personal preference as someone mentioned earlier. If she feels 'guilty' and wants to give a few extra bucks what's the issue? Waiters in restaurants on land get tipped. it's their job to bring you your food, however we tip for a good svc. At 4 am ordering food even though there is a charge for it, what is the hurt in giving an extra 2 or 3 bucks? And if you chose not to then that's a personal choice as well. I don't understand what the argument is about

[iheartbda]

Many of those posts are on the Fashion Board. :rolleyes:

I beg to differ with you on that.;):)

[Robinola]

I have two thousand seven hundred and sixty three pennies sitting in a bucket in my garage just taking up space.