Am I a cheapskate?

[leinhto]

I would take the gratuity discount offered. And while onboard increase your gratuity where you feel appropriate. The reality is we pay the minimum gratuity allowed and add more as we desire. No one I know has paid more than the prescribed gratuity before boarding. I think once you are onboard and see the service you get you'll tip accordingly. Don't think it fair for anyone to call you cheapskate.

Edited December 6, 2014 by leinhto

[gerif]

I must say some people just amaze me on the way they respond, telling people they should not cruise or find another vacation because they can not afford it because they ask a question about tipping. A 1 yr old is not going to make more work for someone in the dinning room if you really think that then you are sadly mistaking.

 

Seriously? Have you ever had a one year old?

[volleyballmom87]

I am glad you decided to keep your tips the same. Yes, they are little and don't eat much, but my experience is that the smaller they are, the bigger the mess. When you become an empty-nester you will realize that your house has not been tidy and clean for about 20 years. As a former server, the food on the floor under the toddler usually exceeds what made it into their adorable mouths. ;)

[zapman]

Seriously? Have you ever had a one year old?

 

Yes i did 2 of them and a 1 yr old is being feed by mom or dad they are not feeding them selves in the dinning room.. yes the 3 yr old is making a mess

[LMaxwell]

I am surprised it took so long in this thread for the anti-tipping cheapskates to show their flag. Must be a slow morning on cruise critic.

 

For me, with kids that young, I would probably tip EXTRA, assuming good service. So you are telling me your chores around the house (laundry, linens, trash, kitchen clean up, ECT) did not increase when you had kids? Your kids could eat nothing all week and the work would still be increased.

 

If you want to be frugal, that is fine, no problem there, but do not be frugal on the backs of the crew. Try a different form of vacation. I did not start cruising till my girls were almost 6 because I could not afford it, and I would not take a vacation by screwing those who take good care of me.

 

Enjoy your trip.

I did not see a single anti-tipping comment anywhere in this thread.

[Big_G]

I am surprised it took so long in this thread for the anti-tipping cheapskates to show their flag. Must be a slow morning on cruise critic.

 

 

I'm surprised that it took so long in this thread for the reading challenged to show their lack of comprehension but you are at least three hours behind the rest of us. ;)

[spookwife]

Hi everyone,

 

My husband and I are planning a cruise for next fall. We will be traveling with our 3 year old and 1 year old. We researched different cruise lines and dates to find a cruise within our budget. We are also driving, rather than flying, all the way from Ohio to save money. I have cruised before (before I had kids), so I know how the gratuity works on a cruise, but I found out our gratuity will be $84 per person, totaling $336. I thought that seemed high for a 3 year old, who won't eat much, and a 1 year old, who will hardly eat anything. The RC rep said that we are able to adjust the 3 year old and 1 year old's gratuity. Should I, or would that make me a cheapskate? Has anyone ever done this, and if so, what do you think would be considered fair? Thanks!

 

 

fair is the suggested gratuity period, regardless of age. children generate MORE work.. the cabin steward now gets to deal with dirty diapers, making up all the availale beds in the cabin and cleaning up after messy kids. the wait staff will be providing extra attention to them as well as making sure they have stuff to occupy them during meals.

[aloha43]

I must say some people just amaze me on the way they respond, telling people they should not cruise or find another vacation because they can not afford it because they ask a question about tipping. A 1 yr old is not going to make more work for someone in the dinning room if you really think that then you are sadly mistaking.

 

A one year old in the dining room can be a really time consuming effort for all and a LOT more work. They are VERY messy.

 

But they are not just talking about the dining room. It is for the stateroom also......and there is a lot of clean up after two toddlers, let alone all of the diapers they would have to dispose of.

 

I'm glad the OP is taking the advice of others and willing to tip the recommended amount.

 

I think YOU are sadly mistaken on this....not the others.

[nacdcruiser]

A 1 yr old is not going to make more work for someone in the dinning room if you really think that then you are sadly mistaking.

 

My observations of the floor and anything surrounding as we walk past tables in the Windjammer where toddlers are eating often is time I give thanks for those that care for us so well as we enjoy our cruise vacations.

 

John

[spookwife]

A 1 yr old is not going to make more work for someone in the dinning room if you really think that then you are sadly mistaking.

 

actually they DO make extra work. the wait staff will go and fetch finger foods, provide crayons and other activities. once they know Junior likes applesauce? Junior has a dish of it every night. they will often serve the kids faster than the adults so that they aren't bored/fussy/disruptive to the table at large/ I have often seen the ass't waiter cut up the food so the 'rents can actually eat their meal before it gets cold.

 

they will coo and fuss over the kids.

 

and of course have to clean UP the ground in cracker crumbs, smushed cheese bits and flung carrots.

[AquaAdventurer]

Hi everyone,

 

My husband and I are planning a cruise for next fall. We will be traveling with our 3 year old and 1 year old. We researched different cruise lines and dates to find a cruise within our budget. We are also driving, rather than flying, all the way from Ohio to save money. I have cruised before (before I had kids), so I know how the gratuity works on a cruise, but I found out our gratuity will be $84 per person, totaling $336. I thought that seemed high for a 3 year old, who won't eat much, and a 1 year old, who will hardly eat anything. The RC rep said that we are able to adjust the 3 year old and 1 year old's gratuity. Should I, or would that make me a cheapskate? Has anyone ever done this, and if so, what do you think would be considered fair? Thanks!

 

When I began reading this thread I was expecting expressions of support and understanding. I appear to have been wrong. You are taking extraordinary measures to keep the budget low. The fact that you're willing to take the kids, as young as they are, seems to indicate that your other options are limited. But, your making the effort even though there are some aspects of the cruise that you won't be able to take advantage of. RC sees your logic and apparently agrees with your rationale. Take the extra $$ and have a nice meal at a specialty restaurant :)

 

This is not just an economics question, it's a matter of family what lengths you are willing to go to be inclusive. Don't forget to take lots of picture of the little ones to show them how special they were - and that they sailed on the ocean before they knew what it was !

[Bailey & Sophie]

I must say some people just amaze me on the way they respond, telling people they should not cruise or find another vacation because they can not afford it because they ask a question about tipping. A 1 yr old is not going to make more work for someone in the dinning room if you really think that then you are sadly mistaking.

What about all the messy food that falls on the floor? Someone has to clean that up and I'm sure it's not the parents.

There was a very young child at the MDR table next to us last year. That table was a MESS at the end of the meal. The wait staff had to clean it up.

That's not extra work? Then what is?

[KeywestK]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely keep the gratuity as is!

 

LIKE! My DD and SIL took their three kids on their first cruise last year. At the time, they were 9-yr/old twins and a 2-1/2 yr old. They had two cabins. The cabin attendant was amazing, checking with my daughter every day to see if she needed anything extra to make their lives easier, etc., made towel animals for the kids every evening (even when he wasn't making them for every cabin,) and in general, made life as easy for my DD as possible. Needless to say, my daughter gave their cabin attendant extra cash at the end of the week, and said it was worth every penny. Cabin attendants are the unsung heros of our cruises, and when it comes to children they work even harder.

[Wilda]

I am surprised it took so long in this thread for the anti-tipping cheapskates to show their flag. Must be a slow morning on cruise critic.

 

For me, with kids that young, I would probably tip EXTRA, assuming good service. So you are telling me your chores around the house (laundry, linens, trash, kitchen clean up, ECT) did not increase when you had kids? Your kids could eat nothing all week and the work would still be increased.

 

If you want to be frugal, that is fine, no problem there, but do not be frugal on the backs of the crew. Try a different form of vacation. I did not start cruising till my girls were almost 6 because I could not afford it, and I would not take a vacation by screwing those who take good care of me.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

Nicely said and agree completely.

 

When I began reading this thread I was expecting expressions of support and understanding. I appear to have been wrong. You are taking extraordinary measures to keep the budget low. The fact that you're willing to take the kids, as young as they are, seems to indicate that your other options are limited. But, your making the effort even though there are some aspects of the cruise that you won't be able to take advantage of. RC sees your logic and apparently agrees with your rationale. Take the extra $$ and have a nice meal at a specialty restaurant :)

 

This is not just an economics question, it's a matter of family what lengths you are willing to go to be inclusive. Don't forget to take lots of picture of the little ones to show them how special they were - and that they sailed on the ocean before they knew what it was !

 

Want to make sure I understand your intent... Are you encouraging the OP to decrease the tip amount and spend the "extra" on a specialty restaurant. Exactly how does RCI " see their logic and agree with their rationale". They have recommended tip amounts that they suggest passengers pay

 

OP, enjoy your cruise and hopefully the towel animals, extraordinary service and pampering will show you the value of recommended tipping amounts.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Wilda

[DirtyDawg]

Want to make sure I understand your intent... Are you encouraging the OP to decrease the tip amount and spend the "extra" on a specialty restaurant. Exactly how does RCI " see their logic and agree with their rationale". They have recommended tip amounts that they suggest passengers pay

 

OP, enjoy your cruise and hopefully the towel animals, extraordinary service and pampering will show you the value of recommended tipping amounts.

 

In the OP's original post she said the Royal rep offered to adjust the 3 and one year old's gratuity. So I guess Royal saw the logic and agreed with their rationale. It's all moot now as the OP has since stated that she will be paying the full gratuity for everyone.

Edited December 6, 2014 by DirtyDawg

[EmTeeNesters]

There are many online TAs that will include prepaid gratuities when you book with them. You may want to check them out if you haven't booked yet or if you booked with RCI and want to transfer the booking.

[MADflyer]

In the OP's original post she said the Royal rep offered to adjust the 3 and one year old's gratuity. So I guess Royal saw the logic and agreed with their rationale. It's all moot now as the OP has since stated that she will be paying the full gratuity for everyone.

 

Royal Caribbean policy allow anyone to remove gratuities and the only requirement is that the remaining balance on the onboard account is settled prior to disembarking the ship.

 

This does not indicate that they agree with or justify the passengers 'right' to do so.

 

The policy states in the FAQ on the website:

 

Q: Am I required to pay these adjusted totals? (new auto gratuities)

 

A: Gratuities are at the discretion of each guest. These guidelines serve as recommendations to help guests express their gratitude for the outstanding service they experience on their cruise vacation, from members of the dining and housekeeping staff. We hope you find these suggested totals to be an accurate reflection of your satisfaction, and thank you for your generous recognition of the Royal Caribbean staff.

Edited December 6, 2014 by MADflyer

[LovesCruising]

Glad you are keeping the grats in place

 

If it makes you feel any better - we paid grats for a 6 month old and then again later for a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old

 

The crew treated them like royalty

 

well worth it

[DirtyDawg]

Royal Caribbean policy allow anyone to remove gratuities and the only requirement is that the remaining balance on the onboard account is settled prior to disembarking the ship.

 

This does not indicate that they agree with or justify the passengers 'right' to do so.

 

The policy states in the FAQ on the website:

 

Q: Am I required to pay these adjusted totals? (new auto gratuities)

 

A: Gratuities are at the discretion of each guest. These guidelines serve as recommendations to help guests express their gratitude for the outstanding service they experience on their cruise vacation, from members of the dining and housekeeping staff. We hope you find these suggested totals to be an accurate reflection of your satisfaction, and thank you for your generous recognition of the Royal Caribbean staff.

 

"Gratuities are at the discretion of each guest." Seems pretty obvious to me.:rolleyes:

 

It's only on CC that "Gratuities are NOT at the discretion of each guest."

[camofwilliamsburg]

Sorry, I feel differently. The cabin steward is not picking up anything more with the 1 and 3 yr old in the cabin. He is making one extra bed for the 3 yr old and probably not for the baby, since the baby will be in a crib. He will empty the garbage no matter what is in it. He will not dust or vacuum any differently for 4 in the cabin as compared to 2 in we cabin. I do not think we have to pay income to employees, these are tips, not a supplement of poor wages. They work and hope for good tips but I do not think it is our jobs to make sure they have a living wage. As far as having food served, I do not think the infant will be served, and I think a 3 year old will not be eating many courses either. We use to do 50percent per child when it was not auto tipping. I have learned that we Americans over tip for everything, and after cruising with so many people that tipping is not done so readily, I have been looking at tipping in a different way. I only adjust when I am having poor service. I do it and feel no regret. It does not happen often, but if it does I do reduce or take it all off and give the people who worked cash. I have been told that they keep it. If they have to split it, so be it also. Not going to worry about it.

So to the op, do what you feel comfortable doing depending on service.

Edited December 7, 2014 by camofwilliamsburg

[davekathy]

I must say some people just amaze me on the way they respond, telling people they should not cruise or find another vacation because they can not afford it because they ask a question about tipping. A 1 yr old is not going to make more work for someone in the dinning room if you really think that then you are sadly mistaking.

 

...and they don't make less work for the dining room staff either. Age has nothing to do with tipping.

[Guest maddycat]

You said that you are planning to cruise in the fall. If you can manage to put away $20 a month you will have enough money to cover the children's tips.

Edited December 7, 2014 by maddycat

[camofwilliamsburg]

Why should one cabin have to pay tips X 4 when 2 are babies? They have paid a cruise fare. The idea of a tip is nothing more than a service charge now. If it truly is a tip then do with it what you wish. It should not be mandatory. For those who are more generous then so be it. I am sure the staff appreciates it. So this couple is paying $48 a day in tips???? That is highly insane and the whole tipping aspect should be looked at.

The cabin steward, as nice as they are, make a bed and unmake a bed. They dump a pail of garbage. Sometimes they vacuum but not every day. On HAL our cabin steward had 32 cabins to do. They are not dusting either. I have found tons of dust along the headboards. I find a $24 a day tip is TOO high on RCL. When you consider that the breakfast in the main dining room is now serve yourself, and the dining rooms are closed for lunch during port days, and buffets close at 9 PM.... how much service am I really getting?

Please do not tell me it is for the people that do the laundry either. That is their job. It is not for me to supplement living wages. Also, they do not even change the sheets on a 7 night cruise!

[twindaddy]

Why should one cabin have to pay tips X 4 when 2 are babies? They have paid a cruise fare. The idea of a tip is nothing more than a service charge now. If it truly is a tip then do with it what you wish. It should not be mandatory. For those who are more generous then so be it. I am sure the staff appreciates it. So this couple is paying $48 a day in tips???? That is highly insane and the whole tipping aspect should be looked at.

The cabin steward, as nice as they are, make a bed and unmake a bed. They dump a pail of garbage. Sometimes they vacuum but not every day. On HAL our cabin steward had 32 cabins to do. They are not dusting either. I have found tons of dust along the headboards. I find a $24 a day tip is TOO high on RCL. When you consider that the breakfast in the main dining room is now serve yourself, and the dining rooms are closed for lunch during port days, and buffets close at 9 PM.... how much service am I really getting?

Please do not tell me it is for the people that do the laundry either. That is their job. It is not for me to supplement living wages. Also, they do not even change the sheets on a 7 night cruise!

 

 

They are not mandatory. If you want to be cheap, you can stand in line with your kind the last night and remove the tips. You can pay absolutely nothing.

 

It is not a service charge because those are mandatory. A tip can be removed.

 

What I do not get is how someone can go on as many cruises as you have been on, and be so jaded.

Edited December 7, 2014 by twindaddy

[LMaxwell]

They are not mandatory. If you want to be cheap, you can stand in line with your kind the last night and remove the tips. You can pay absolutely nothing.

 

It is not a service charge because those are mandatory. A tip can be removed.

 

What I do not get is how someone can go on as many cruises as you have been on, and be so jaded.

What a mean spirited individual you are.