Sorry for the gratuity question but.....

[Lady & Sir]

Okay, I understand that the MDR and Room are added in automatically.

 

I am guessing that if we buy drinks at the bar ( not big drinkers here) then the tip is automatically added?

 

We have a spa appointment booked....is a gratuity automatically added to that?

 

Sorry, but we have sailed RCCL more than Princess, (this is our second Princess Cruise) so we want to make sure we are ready.

 

Thanks.

:)

[Hoosier-Cruiser]

The bar bill has a 15% gratuity added to every purchase. So the bartenders and servers are taken care of out of that pool.

 

It has been 7 years since we used the Lotus Spa, so I cannot answer that one.

[goofy559]

The gratuity is also added automatically in the spa.

[I_r_a]

Hi L&S,

 

Think of the "gratuity" and/or "tip" as a Service Charge - just like at a French Resto.

 

It's added to everything.

 

Give additional tips for extra good service.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Ira

[TomCruises]

You can pretty much figure that a gratuity will be added to just about everything....Wine purchase,drink purchase,spa,cruise gratuities!Tipping has become an intergral part of the cruise experience.

[chrysalis]

Hi L&S,

 

Think of the "gratuity" and/or "tip" as a Service Charge - just like at a French Resto.

 

It's added to everything.

 

Give additional tips for extra good service.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Ira

 

Not "everything"....photos, shore excursions, extra-charge restaurants, sanctuary, to name some things where it is not added.

[Pia1913]

The gratuity is also added automatically in the spa.

 

Which they shouldn't have done on all services. A nail fill is $45 and with the 15% added it's an extra $6.75. I used to tip more than that, but now I don't.

[cb at sea]

Service charge....gratuity....tip...it's all the same thing.

[waltd]

Pia do you know if the gratuity is the same percentage for all spa services? I do remember a while back someone complaining they felt the auto gratuity was too high.

 

Joe

[Pia1913]

Pia do you know if the gratuity is the same percentage for all spa services? I do remember a while back someone complaining they felt the auto gratuity was too high.

 

Joe

 

Yes, Joe. When they started tacking on the 15% it was across the board. I'm sure that it was due to the fact that passengers were not tipping at all.

[bigchid]

I noticed on our recent Panama cruise that the tickets in the extra charge dining (including Chefs table) didn't even have a space to add a tip. I guessed that the tip was included in the extra charge?

Edited February 16, 2015 by bigchid

[hollydog]

If I give an extra tip to the Wheelhouse server, does he/she get to keep it or must it be turned into a general pool?

[caribill]

If I give an extra tip to the Wheelhouse server, does he/she get to keep it or must it be turned into a general pool?

 

Cash may be kept or some servers will share with others at that bar on that shift.

 

Signed for on the tab will go to the bar staff pool.

[JF - retired RRT]

Not "everything"....photos, shore excursions, extra-charge restaurants, sanctuary, to name some things where it is not added.

Part of the "extra charge" is the additional gratuity. No further tip is required. Our waiter told us not to worry about it when we realized we weren't carrying any money and TOLD us NOT to add it to the receipt.

[JF - retired RRT]

i noticed on our recent panama cruise that the tickets in the extra charge dining (including chefs table) didn't even have a space to add a tip. I guessed that the tip was included in the extra charge?

yes

[TomCruises]

Yes, Joe. When they started tacking on the 15% it was across the board. I'm sure that it was due to the fact that passengers were not tipping at all.

 

 

And that's because the services etc. are already OVERPRICED which leads people away from additional tipping because they feel the tip is already included.

[caribill]

Part of the "extra charge" is the additional gratuity. No further tip is required. Our waiter told us not to worry about it when we realized we weren't carrying any money and TOLD us NOT to add it to the receipt.

 

On a recent cruise I asked the person in charge of crew payroll if any of the specialty restaurant charge was gratuity.

 

The answer was "no."

 

Of course the staff in the specialty restaurants are part of the daily auto-tip.