Gratuity ?

[sailnsee]

If you have 2adults and 2kids in a cabin...what do you pay for tips,all four at 12$ per day...also are all tips charged per day or could you get envelopes

[cle-guy]

If you have 2adults and 2kids in a cabin...what do you pay for tips,all four at 12$ per day...also are all tips charged per day or could you get envelopes

 

All 4 pay the daily gratuity amount, it's automatically added to the folio on a daily basis.

 

you can go to guest services up until 3 days prior to the end of cruise to adjust up or down. Do note that if you remove gratuities, many have said here in these forums that affected staff does get a list of the gratuity modifications, so are aware you took their gratuity away once it's done....so bear that in mind if service changes....i'd recommend giving the envelope same day you adjust if you do adjust. I myself can not confirm this as I just go with the auto gratuity.

 

Most ships no longer have special gratuity envelopes, but the guest relations desk will give you some general envelopes to use upon request.

[Lsimon]

Tips are all charged per person regardless of age. Tips are charged in one of two ways: Auto charged to your account daily or prepaid before you sail. Depending on your booking the tips on some bookings, including those who have chosen select dining, must be prepaid.

 

If your tips are not prepaid then you can have them adjusted or even removed on board so that you can pay cash in envelopes but the best way is to leave them either prepaid or auto pay as this is the best way for the staff.

 

Every now and then there is a thread here on Cruise Critic from those who want to take tips off so they can pay reduced amounts or even not pay tips for one reason or another. Common reasons are not using a particular dining area or feeling that someone in their party, such as children, should not have tips charged to them. This general opens up a long debate as there are many moral and practical reasons why this should not be done. The bottom line being that the crew depends on the "tips" as their basic compensation so they are not really "tips" but more in the nature of a service charge. This is true of employees in all dining areas including room service and buffet who get a portion of the daily tips. Also, everyone, even children, do use the services of the ship staff one way or the other.

Edited May 24, 2014 by Lsimon

[Lsimon]

...Do note that if you remove gratuities, many have said here in these forums that affected staff does get a list of the gratuity modifications, so are aware you took their gratuity away once it's done....so bear that in mind if service changes....i'd recommend giving the envelope same day you adjust if you do adjust. I myself can not confirm this as I just go with the auto gratuity....

 

I don't know if things had changed but a few years back the staff would get a list towards the end of the cruise, presumably the second day before the end, of those who have adjusted their tips so that they would be aware of those that tipped extra and those that had them removed who would, hopefully, be distributing tip envelopes in person.

[WestLakeGirl]

They actually are told immediately if the auto tips are removed

[cle-guy]

Here is how the daily gratuity is split among staff:

 

Waiter - $3.65 pp/per day

Ass't. Waiter - $2.10 pp/per day

DR Mgm't. - $1.00 pp/per day

Stateroom Service - vaies by cabin category:

• Suite Butler $3.50 pp/per day (plus the Standard regular stateroom steward gratuity)
  
• Aqua - $4.00 pp/per day;
  
• Concierge Class - $4.00 pp/per day;
  
• Regular Stateroom - $3.50 pp/per day.
  

Other service personnel: $1.25 pp/per day

 

It;s off by 50 cents, as this is from before they upped the rate to $12 a day standard, but you get the idea. Not sure where the extra 50 cents was split.

[Yellowfurbaby]

I personally can not imagine that a cruise line would inform staff of a passengers decision to remove tips, certainly not till the end of the cruise anyway. The cruise line wouldn't benefit from tips as it goes to staff so why would they risk staff giving subpar service to guests who have removed thereby making the guests experience inferior and risking future bookings.

Makes sense to tell staff at the end but not while service could be effected.

Personally (and being British) I don't agree with forced tipping but I pay upfront and just think of it as part of the cost of the holiday. I wouldn't like to be handed a bill at the end. So best upfront and then forgot it.

 

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[cle-guy]

I personally can not imagine that a cruise line would inform staff of a passengers decision to remove tips, certainly not till the end of the cruise anyway. The cruise line wouldn't benefit from tips as it goes to staff so why would they risk staff giving subpar service to guests who have removed thereby making the guests experience inferior and risking future bookings.

Makes sense to tell staff at the end but not while service could be effected.

Personally (and being British) I don't agree with forced tipping but I pay upfront and just think of it as part of the cost of the holiday. I wouldn't like to be handed a bill at the end. So best upfront and then forgot it.

 

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I think it makes PERFECT sense to tell them as soon as the gratuity is modified, as a gratuity is usually given to reward service. Removal of a gratuity is an indicator someone may not be happy, and gives the staff member a chance to attempt to resolve any issues relative to that presumed lack of service. Being notified that the service is unacceptable at the end gives the staff no time for recovery and to win back the customer.

 

Likewise, adding gratuity mid-crusie, lets the staff low they are especially appreciated, and can lead to even more enhanced service and care and attention. Many give extra in the bars for their drinks, but many don't bother with the wait staff which is a shame. I will admit I only tip the standard amounts, except for my butler who gives me above and beyond service, and sometimes cabin steward. I'd never remove a gratuity without first discussing it with the appropriate staff member and/or their supervisor first to give them a chance to recover the service level. On a cruise, I have NEVER removed a gratuity so far.

[sandancer]

They DO tell the crew who has removed the tips. I just had this confirmed onboard recently. Like you, we pre-pay and consider it part of the cruise cost. I was assured by a senior person that it is definately not only the Brits who remove the tips although this seems to be the opinion of some people on these forums.

 

 

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[caladezi]

I find it ironic that when traveling in British countries the people working there in hotels and restaurants are alway expecting the American tourists to leave them a big tip. Those same people come to this country and feel that they are insulted by being expected to leave a tip. Go figure!

[lexdisic]

They DO tell the crew who has removed the tips. I just had this confirmed onboard recently. Like you, we pre-pay and consider it part of the cruise cost. I was assured by a senior person that it is definately not only the Brits who remove the tips although this seems to be the opinion of some people on these forums.

 

 

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Agree 100% - Personally IMO, it doesnt matter where anyone comes from. - there will be those who do and those who dont. We have many non UK cruising friends who tell us that they dont tip as well as Brit friends - I think its a case of the Brits that dont are quite keen to tell others they dont - almost to the point of bragging about it. it does get quite embarrassing sometimes. I would like to know, out of interest, just how many adjust or cut the auto tip regardless of nationality. From some of the threads on tipping, it seems there may be more that cut them than we think. :(

[cle-guy]

I find it ironic that when traveling in British countries the people working there in hotels and restaurants are alway expecting the American tourists to leave them a big tip. Those same people come to this country and feel that they are insulted by being expected to leave a tip. Go figure!

 

I've never felt that the Brits EXPECT a big tip, sometimes just leaving the coin change is all that's needed or expected or warranted. I think we Americans are so used to it we just do. I've left some tips before in british bars, and had the bartender chase me up and tip the hang plate back to my hand thinning I forgot my change. The brits all get a standard wage, whereas american servers get a small portion as a wage and balance comes from the gratuity, its just a difference in custom and government regulation. I don't tip the cashier at Target who makes the minimum wager or better, so I don't feel the need to tip a waiter or other service person who makes the same wage, unless of course there is some above and beyond personalized service.

 

I do note in many countries they refer to it as a service charge, and it;s custom that that goes for the use of the glass and silverware and stuff like that, it's not a tip given to the servers.

 

Of course any server who knows they can scam a tip from a tourist who isn't really gonna ever be a return customer is gonna try to do what they can to enhance their income and take advantage of that situation.

[lexdisic]

Here is how the daily gratuity is split among staff:

 

Waiter - $3.65 pp/per day

Ass't. Waiter - $2.10 pp/per day

DR Mgm't. - $1.00 pp/per day

Stateroom Service - vaies by cabin category:

• Suite Butler $3.50 pp/per day (plus the Standard regular stateroom steward gratuity)
  
• Aqua - $4.00 pp/per day;
  
• Concierge Class - $4.00 pp/per day;
  
• Regular Stateroom - $3.50 pp/per day.
  

Other service personnel: $1.25 pp/per day

 

It;s off by 50 cents, as this is from before they upped the rate to $12 a day standard, but you get the idea. Not sure where the extra 50 cents was split.

 

That list has been very similar for years, but going by our last RCI cruise - our cabin steward and his assistant had 28 cabins to look after :-

 

28 cabins x 2 PAX x $3.50 = $196 between 2 = $98 each x7 = $686 a week !! - I doubt that they receive that

 

I suppose one could say - less meals, less accomodation, less flights home, less uniform, less admin etc - certainly wont leave much and those figures remain pretty meaningless.

[cruisestitch]

The OP is American, so this is not a British vs. American culture thing.

 

With four in the room, you do pay tips for all occupants.

 

The easiest and most reliable way to handle these, if you haven't already pre-paid them by choice or aren't in Select Dining (where pre-payment is required), is to leave the auto-tips in place. These will appear on your SeaPass account, to be settled at the end of the cruise.

 

Envelopes will be available if you wish to add more.

[sginva]

I find it ironic that when traveling in British countries the people working there in hotels and restaurants are alway expecting the American tourists to leave them a big tip. Those same people come to this country and feel that they are insulted by being expected to leave a tip. Go figure!

 

We were recently on a Celebrity cruise and on a cruise excursion we were questioned as we got off the bus by folks from the UK and New Zealand as to why we tipped the guide and bus driver? We simply said it is our choice to do so for good service. They said they do not believe in tipping and said they pay the gratuities on board because it is required although we are not sure what that means. We have no idea if this is a prevailing opinion? We mentioned our experiences in the UK especially with added service charges and additional tip lines on the bills? In Spain and Italy cafés added cover charges to the bill on a recent trip. Perhaps this is their way of coping with the tipping issue. One guide told us the cover charge comes from times long ago when people would bring there own food to a cafe and only order drinks. Nothing new under the sun...

[melsuli]

Can't help being from different cultures but I tend to follow the adage 'when in Rome' so much so I consider the gratuities part of the cruise price.

 

Furthermore I think it fitting to additionally reward personally those who provide me and mine with good service over the course of my holiday.

 

Yes, you've guessed it.........I'm British. :eek:

[Yellowfurbaby]

Can't help being from different cultures but I tend to follow the adage 'when in Rome' so much so I consider the gratuities part of the cruise price.

 

Furthermore I think it fitting to additionally reward personally those who provide me and mine with good service over the course of my holiday.

 

Yes, you've guessed it.........I'm British. :eek:

 

Yes I follow the custom too. Like when I recently visited the states of course I followed local custom as I expect people to do when visiting England.

 

Cruising is a slightly different ball game though. Set sail from Southampton with fellow guests overwhelming British. Sailing around European ports nowhere near America. So if course basically it's a tailored to a British audience. This is evident in food and a kettle in the cabins and entertainment but not Tipping!

This does cause problems. I remember my first cruise on RCI and booking via a TA and being horrified about tips when she explained it to us. The concept of a set amount being paid to people who I wouldn't even meet for 12 months to me was almost a deal breaker. I had never come across this before.. We did pay of course as we wanted anytime dining but I do know for a fact many people didn't pay tips. Were these people cheap? Probably not they just were not used to the custom of tipping and thought they had already paid waiters, cabin attendants etc to do their job. I agree with them but of course understand this isn't actually the case.

It's a culture difference that is unlikely to ever change and really for non tipping cultures staff should be paid a better basic pay for these sailings. They are likely to receive tips from us still but these will be genuine tips given freely and gratefully from us for service above and beyond what is expected.

 

 

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[OCruisers]

All I know is the cabin stewards do know because we've had them thank us even before we gave them an extra tip in cash at the end of the cruise.

LuLu

[Jem 12]

If you have 2adults and 2kids in a cabin...what do you pay for tips,all four at 12$ per day...also are all tips charged per day or could you get envelopes

 

 

I feel your pain, we treated our DD SIL and 3 Grandchildren to a cruise several years ago, the tips for all 5 certainly added up to a sizable bill, however having children in a cabin certainly adds to the workload of the Room stewards and I didn't begrudge them a cent of it by the end of the week. All the staff were fantastic with the kids.

 

Have a great family cruise.

[blindrid]

If you have 2adults and 2kids in a cabin...what do you pay for tips,all four at 12$ per day...also are all tips charged per day or could you get envelopes

 

Why would one adjust (unless upwards)? The services employed are the same (if not more) for kids as well as adults.

Edited May 25, 2014 by blindrid

[Iamcruzin]

I never could understand the logic of removing tips for children. Children can be more work than adults. For toddlers the room steward has to deal with removing dirty diapers from the trash and the wait staff may have to find a way to entertain a cranky child. Teens are a nightmare at home and no better on a cruise. I remember on one trip we had a separate room from our boys who were 14 and 17 at the time. Every morning my wife made a mad dash to their room before the steward got there so she could straighten up. The kids all eat whether it be in the MDR or buffet so they are being served at some point by someone and they are using dishes and a table that need to be cleaned. I just don't get the mentality. I would like to know how many passenger make an adjustment upwards towards the service charge. When these threads pop up it is usually to remove or lower the charge. I realize that there are different customs around the world but don't think for one minute that stiffing a waiter at a restaurant in the U.S. doesn't happen by a U.S. citizen. There are plenty of Americans who are just cheap and will find any excuse to ease their guilty conscience for not leaving the appropriate gratuity . Some restaurants here add a 15% gratuity for parties of 8 or more. In Manhattan you have to check your bill because many restaurants there automatically add the gratuity. I don't see this to much on Long Island. I guess since Manhattan attracts people from all over the world they do this to avoid the wait staff from being stiffed by people from out of town who are not accustomed to tipping.

Edited May 25, 2014 by Iamcruzin

[WestLakeGirl]

I don't think the OP ever indicated that there was intention to remove the tips for the family members. Lets not read more into the question than was there

[sailnsee]

Thanks, was not my intention....have not cruised with kids before....simple question,do not need sermons,just answers,some people read way too much into these forums,need to have someone listen to you expound do ya?

[WestLakeGirl]

Once you hang around Cruise Critic a while longer you'll see what begins to happen....drift between threads....people begin mixing up discussions, getting far afield of the poster's original question. It's the nature of the boards

[dkjretired]

I never could understand the logic of removing tips for children. Children can be more work than adults. For toddlers the room steward has to deal with removing dirty diapers from the trash and the wait staff may have to find a way to entertain a cranky child. Teens are a nightmare at home and no better on a cruise. I remember on one trip we had a separate room from our boys who were 14 and 17 at the time. Every morning my wife made a mad dash to their room before the steward got there so she could straighten up. The kids all eat whether it be in the MDR or buffet so they are being served at some point by someone and they are using dishes and a table that need to be cleaned. I just don't get the mentality. I would like to know how many passenger make an adjustment upwards towards the service charge. When these threads pop up it is usually to remove or lower the charge. I realize that there are different customs around the world but don't think for one minute that stiffing a waiter at a restaurant in the U.S. doesn't happen by a U.S. citizen. There are plenty of Americans who are just cheap and will find any excuse to ease their guilty conscience for not leaving the appropriate gratuity . Some restaurants here add a 15% gratuity for parties of 8 or more. In Manhattan you have to check your bill because many restaurants there automatically add the gratuity. I don't see this to much on Long Island. I guess since Manhattan attracts people from all over the world they do this to avoid the wait staff from being stiffed by people from out of town who are not accustomed to tipping.

 

Some of the confusion may be that until about ten years ago, Celebrity's official tipping guidelines were that children staying in a room with their parents as third, fourths or fifths were tipped at half of the first two.