gratuities for kids

[amiller2850]

Wow... Poor OP... just wanted to get some simple info and look what happened... Well, we cruise with our 8&10 year old boys several times per year. Never once had a problem with them. They have won he hearts of many adult cruisers and we have made many great friends. Well behaved kids are always a pleasure to take on vacation. They learn more about cultures of the world there than any class room.

 

 

To respond to the original question yes, your 8 year old will need to tip the same as you all. We will also be cruising in August. 1-8 oasis

 

 

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[Aintnofun007]

and in the dining rooms your son will be treated like a prince with snacks brought out immediately before the adults even look at the menu. and they are fussed over like nobody's business.

 

Junior likes grapes? every day a plate will be waiting for him. prefers his apples with peanut butter instead of ranch dip? no problemo.

 

Bopttomline you may not notice it since you do it automatically every day but KIDS ARE A LOT OF WORK. they are receiving the SAME amount of attention and service as any overly needy adult and as such should be paying the same in gratuities.

 

furthermore they are not spending money buying booze and gambling, which is where a significant portion of the profits are made, keeping your cabin price so reasonable.

 

 

jealous much, omg... no one brought me grapesssssss haha

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

Bopttomline you may not notice it since you do it automatically every day but KIDS ARE A LOT OF WORK. they are receiving the SAME amount of attention and service as any overly needy adult and as such should be paying the same in gratuities..

 

Yes, that is why the OP should tip 100% as the little ones take up more time in service areas.

Tip, Tip, Tip

 

 

 

.

Edited June 2, 2015 by P&O Lynn Knickers
Lynn is the best GO LY N N

[emeraldcity]

This started our as a simple question. Should you tip? ... and we all agree the answer is yes.

 

I find it curious that people bash kids so much on this web site. I chose Royal Caribbean because they offer kids clubs, and teen activities and family events ... on ships large enough to allow the older members of the family to go off and do some adult things ... or do nothing at all from time to time. They market to families ... why is it that people get all bent out of shape about having kids on board?

 

P.S. my youngest is in college and I still prefer to sail on a ship that caters to families with kids.

[LizzieandLuke]

I brought my kids 9 and 11 on the Freedom last summer. Great service on a cruise (and it is also very true on land) makes a meal. My children are well behaved, but a good waiter, room attendant, etc. knows that kids do need special attention.

 

I know the OP asked a simple question and the simple answer is yes, full gratuities. The actual answer is if your kids have a great cruise, you have a great cruise and it is hard to put a price on that (but we did :p and our staff was happy!)

[kdnurs]

here comes all the kid haters.. doesn't take long

 

i think adults over a certain age shouldn't be allowed to cruise, since your making generalizations. i guess i can do the same, it seems all they do is complain..

 

You made me laugh so hard with this one...tooooooooo funny!!!:D

[Sitzmark]

and in the dining rooms your son will be treated like a prince with snacks brought out immediately before the adults even look at the menu. and they are fussed over like nobody's business.

 

Junior likes grapes? every day a plate will be waiting for him. prefers his apples with peanut butter instead of ranch dip? no problemo.

 

Bopttomline you may not notice it since you do it automatically every day but KIDS ARE A LOT OF WORK. they are receiving the SAME amount of attention and service as any overly needy adult and as such should be paying the same in gratuities.

 

furthermore they are not spending money buying booze and gambling, which is where a significant portion of the profits are made, keeping your cabin price so reasonable.

 

He eats what we eat and servers that intrude on our family time are not adding value. What you describe does not sound like a pleasant meal to me.

 

I don't gamble either because it's boring but that is irrelevant since we are talking about service fees, not company profit, unless you're suggesting that RCI isn't actually distributing this to the people performing services. If that is your point then it sounds like an argument not to pay the fee.

 

The discussion of whether $457 a night for a room is reasonable, really is a separate issue and departs from the point of this thread.

[kdnurs]

jealous much, omg... no one brought me grapesssssss haha

 

awwwwww me either, but my 3 yr old grandson had a bowl of them brought out to him every night. He saw his Steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli as the other said, before we even got a menu and put our napkins in our laps. :) When he was 18 months, or maybe 2 (he has been cruising for a while) they brought him warm cookies and milk to take to our cabin for his bedtime snack..He didnt even eat cookies, but we loved them...Yummmm :D

[emeraldcity]

awwwwww me either, but my 3 yr old grandson had a bowl of them brought out to him every night. He saw his Steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli as the other said, before we even got a menu and put our napkins in our laps. :) When he was 18 months, or maybe 2 (he has been cruising for a while) they brought him warm cookies and milk to take to our cabin for his bedtime snack..He didnt even eat cookies, but we loved them...Yummmm :D

 

Hey, can I borrow your kid? ... I want warm cookies to take back to my cabin after dinner (because, of course, we don't get enough food ...). :)

[denatravels]

He eats what we eat and servers that intrude on our family time are not adding value. What you describe does not sound like a pleasant meal to me.

 

 

Bringing your child food when they sit down is intruding on family time? You're kidding, right?

[spookwife]

ALL Children are passengers receiving the SAME level of service as any adult. in fact it can be argued they get a HIGHER level of personalized service.

 

there is NO legitimate reason outside of sheer miserliness to reduce or eliminate gratuities based on a passenger's age.

[griffy116]

My Grandson is 21 and has been cruising since he was 3. He's always had good manners, and has always been very respectful. That being said, he's always gotten such special treatment from the crew and staff that we've always felt they deserved the gratuities. They always had a snack waiting on him and when he said "thank you" they beamed. They always asked if he would like this or that and asked us where he learned his manners when he responded, "no thank you, but thank you for asking." He would occasionally have a slice of fruit drop from his hand and of course had bread crumbs around. It's doesn't mean he was messy...just that he was a normal 3 year old. We cleaned up after him in the cabin, but he still required the bed to be let out (pullman or sofa bed), got chocolates on the pillow (back when) and the towel animals, same as the adults and he had dirty towels, washcloths, and bed linens changed...same as an adult. Gratuities are the same, regardless of age. It was a simple question asked and we've veered off...again.

[Aintnofun007]

You made me laugh so hard with this one...tooooooooo funny!!!:D

 

 

lol, its true... people want to generalize, i can do the same...

 

 

on another note, i dont think people realize that if kids do get special attention what a positive mark it leaves on the children.. its like a toy in a happy meal.. my almost 4 year old daughter will be going on her 6th cruise in november and she CONSTANTLY asks when are we going away again. how many more sleeps till our next cruise. remember such and such at dinner, or i want to go in the kids club. or she talks about the other kids shes met, etc etc

 

its like she talks about going away more than my wife and I, so even if the staff is looking for extra tips, which i have no problem doling out. its a hell of a marketing scheme.

 

but i know this will drive you miserable kid haters nuts, sorry...

[Retired LEO]

He eats what we eat and servers that intrude on our family time are not adding value. What you describe does not sound like a pleasant meal to me.

 

Here's an idea. Why don't you just go into the galley and tell the chef that you'll cook your family's dinner. And tell the servers not to intrude as you will be serving dinner. Then you will have a pleasant meal with no intrusions.

[TheGaDawgFan]

We keep a good eye on him, but I still think my son is higher maintenance than me or my husband. They deserve the full tip!

[Sitzmark]

Bringing your child food when they sit down is intruding on family time? You're kidding, right?

 

No I'm not kidding. they should bring a menu first so we can order. They should not "fuss over my son like nobody's business" because that isn't their business, that is intrusive. The best service in a restaurant is the kind that brings the menu, takes the order, brings the food, checks that it is satisfactory then checks back in a bit to see if anything else is needed.

[Sitzmark]

Here's an idea. Why don't you just go into the galley and tell the chef that you'll cook your family's dinner. And tell the servers not to intrude as you will be serving dinner. Then you will have a pleasant meal with no intrusions.

 

Yeah, right, that's what I said. :rolleyes:

[nolesrule]

No I'm not kidding. they should bring a menu first so we can order. They should not "fuss over my son like nobody's business" because that isn't their business, that is intrusive. The best service in a restaurant is the kind that brings the menu, takes the order, brings the food, checks that it is satisfactory then checks back in a bit to see if anything else is needed.

 

Cruise ship dining isn't exactly the same as a basic sit down restaurant.The meal takes twice as long. Hungry children can be emotional and can't control their emotions to the extent that most adults do.

 

My children are well behaved, but it's nice having the cup of fruit waiting there when we sit down. It's also nice that the waiter's cut their food and pay extra special attention to the kids so that we can enjoy our meals too instead of making sure our kids are taken care of at every little moment like we do the rest of the year. It makes the whole experience more relaxing and a bit special.

[Sitzmark]

Cruise ship dining isn't exactly the same as a basic sit down restaurant.The meal takes twice as long. Hungry children can be emotional and can't control their emotions to the extent that most adults do.

 

My children are well behaved, but it's nice having the cup of fruit waiting there when we sit down. It's also nice that the waiter's cut their food and pay extra special attention to the kids so that we can enjoy our meals too instead of making sure our kids are taken care of at every little moment like we do the rest of the year. It makes the whole experience more relaxing and a bit special.

 

We have much different expectations. Strangers cutting my sons food at the table regardless of his age is creepy. If he requires any assistance he knows who to ask. I take a vacation from home and work, not from being a parent.

[spookwife]

We have much different expectations. Strangers cutting my sons food at the table regardless of his age is creepy. If he requires any assistance he knows who to ask. I take a vacation from home and work, not from being a parent.

 

so you are okay with him being fussy because he is HUNGRY when you sit down and rather than have the staff ANTICIPATE that and head him off at the pass with a simple dish of some fresh fruit you would rather they just ignore him?! I sure as hell NOT want to be seated anywhere near your table if that is the case.

[Spurschick]

Maybe for your kid. Some would argue though that gratuities are not something to be charged though. Kids should certainly not be charged a higher service fee, and if they have responsible parents in the vicinity they should probably be charged less.

 

Regardless of how old the child is the cabin steward needs to place towels per person, needs to make beds accordingly. When our DD was in a pack and go and even when progressed up to sofa bed, these items are bought out each evening and stored out the way during the day. They still change the bedding. Regarding waiters they still bought fruit and milk and entertained with tricks and made a fuss over her. Even if they are the tidiest child in the world it still creates more work for cabin stewards and waiters.

 

I have never begrudged or even thought twice about paying full gratuities on behalf of our child.

[Sitzmark]

so you are okay with him being fussy because he is HUNGRY when you sit down and rather than have the staff ANTICIPATE that and head him off at the pass with a simple dish of some fresh fruit you would rather they just ignore him?! I sure as hell NOT want to be seated anywhere near your table if that is the case.

 

no, he won't fuss, lol.

[LMaxwell]

I made my kid on a cruise ship. They should tip me.

[LMaxwell]

no, he won't fuss, lol.

Come sit at our table, it's cool.

[nolesrule]

I've never met a kid who doesn't fuss.