Drink Package, OBC, Gratuities ????

[Aussie One]

The latest deal are on some cruises pick two of the above.

Say you choose the drink package and the OBC can you cancel the Gratuities and pay direct to the staff that serves you ? note these deals are only on chosen cruises thank you Aussie

[WestLakeGirl]

The problem with your plan is figuring out who has served you and how much to give each, do you plan to do it by the meal? Or at the end of the cruise? And what if you can't find them that day? Best to leave the auto gratuity in place, simpler and fairer to all

[OzKiwiJJ]

The latest deal are on some cruises pick two of the above.

Say you choose the drink package and the OBC can you cancel the Gratuities and pay direct to the staff that serves you ? note these deals are only on chosen cruises thank you Aussie

 

It would be very hard to ensure that you fairly distribute your gratuities to all the staff who serve you. It's not just your cabin stewards, and main dining room waiters and sommelier if you choose traditional dining, it's also the waiters that may change every night if you choose anytime dining, and those staff that service the buffet restaurant, the Spa Cafe or the Mast Grill where you may have breakfast or lunch. The cruise lines have worked out a system that is fair to all. Of course, if you receive exceptional service from anyone you are always at liberty to give them a little extra and it is always appreciated. :)

[digital_curator]

I would take the drink package and the OBC. Use the OBC to pay off the gratuities with a little left over if you are on a 7-day cruise in a regular room. We took this option and the OBC will cover all but $42 of our expenses of gratuities and upgrading the drinks package.

[cruisestitch]

If you cancel the automatic gratuities, you are liable to have your room steward ask you "what did I do wrong, why did you cancel the tips?" because their supervisors are likely to make the assumption that you are displeased with the service. That's really not fair, and the best thing to do is to simply leave the gratuities in place, so no one is missed and no one is concerned that they won't get their share.

[Aussie One]

HI guys the only post to answer my question was Digital Curator.

Aussie

[WestLakeGirl]

Trying again,

 

Can you cancel the gratuities? Yes

 

Can you cancel the gratuities and pay direct to the staff that serves you? It's unlikely you'll be able to locate all the staff that serve you and it creates its own difficulties when you make that choice

[wpgcycler]

When you "say, those that serve you", are you asking about cabin/dining room staff or bar staff?

[WestLakeGirl]

Bar staff receive a gratuity every time you get a drink, whether by the drink or in a package. Spa staff also have gratuities added to the price of the treatment. The auto gratuities cover housekeeping and wait staff.

 

The problem with thinking you can tip each person involved with your meal service is that some are behind the scenes, some work in the buffets or Cafe al Bacio, or Aqua Samcafe or elsewhere around the ship, and you couldn't possibly identify them all

[wpgcycler]

For the life of me, I just cannot understand why people insist on meddling with a perfectly workable gratuity system. Am I missing something?

[digital_curator]

HI guys the only post to answer my question was Digital Curator.

Aussie

 

I think what confused people was your use of the word "cancel." Some people do remove their tips, which will get the result that others describe.

 

If you haven't prepaid your tips, they will post to your onboard account. Any OBC will go towards these charges (and anything you purchase onboard). You won't need to do anything for this to happen.

 

Cheers,

[gogo65]

Written in error:eek:

Edited February 10, 2016 by gogo65

[patsf]

Hi Aussie One

 

This was just the question I was going to ask, so was very happy to get your informative reply!

 

Ta!

[Adidas4fun]

For the life of me, I just cannot understand why people insist on meddling with a perfectly workable gratuity system. Am I missing something?

 

Yes you are missing something. But apparently that issue has been done to death. I believe something along the lines of "just pay them a decent wage and stop this BS of so called gratuities".

[wpgcycler]

Yes you are missing something. But apparently that issue has been done to death. I believe something along the lines of "just pay them a decent wage and stop this BS of so called gratuities".

 

And removing the gratuities somehow helps that cause? And, in the process, hurts the people whose livelihoods their allegedly concerned about? Seems I'm missing more than I originally thought.:confused:

[Cruisennerable]

Staff on Celebrity make 50$ a month and the gratuity is the only money your stewards and waiters make. If you don't like the way it works don't cruise. One word KARMA

[Adidas4fun]

And removing the gratuities somehow helps that cause? And, in the process, hurts the people whose livelihoods their allegedly concerned about? Seems I'm missing more than I originally thought.:confused:

 

Yep, its proof that the "perfectly good system" isnt.

[Gypsy2]

Bar staff receive a gratuity every time you get a drink, whether by the drink or in a package. Spa staff also have gratuities added to the price of the treatment. The auto gratuities cover housekeeping and wait staff.

 

The problem with thinking you can tip each person involved with your meal service is that some are behind the scenes, some work in the buffets or Cafe al Bacio, or Aqua Samcafe or elsewhere around the ship, and you couldn't possibly identify them all

 

So with a drink package, a server gets a gratuity based on how many guests they serve? I always hoped for that, the most attentive server making more in tips than done one who never approaches us.

[cruising46]

The latest deal are on some cruises pick two of the above.

Say you choose the drink package and the OBC can you cancel the Gratuities and pay direct to the staff that serves you ? note these deals are only on chosen cruises thank you Aussie

Please do not cancel the gratuities the staff works really, really hard for them Quite often we give extra gratuities for the great service provided on the cruise, which makes for a better cruise.

[JobbesL]

the gratuity is the only money your stewards and waiters make.

 

Yup I was able to confirm this with multiple waiters (MDR and Specialty).

I felt really bad for them, that I gave extra tips every night to our waiters and cabin steward. One of them told me that one of the biggest offenders of pulling grats were Aussies. To the defense of Aussies, I explained to them that Aussies aren't comfortable with the concept of tipping, hence the behavior.

[Aussie One]

Yup I was able to confirm this with multiple waiters (MDR and Specialty).

I felt really bad for them, that I gave extra tips every night to our waiters and cabin steward. One of them told me that one of the biggest offenders of pulling grats were Aussies. To the defense of Aussies, I explained to them that Aussies aren't comfortable with the concept of tipping, hence the behavior.

 

The reason Aussies don't like tipping is that the wages paid in Aussie. the hospitality business are paid well a waiter wage would be between $20 to $23.00 per hour with Saturdays and Sundays extra, this reflects in the cost of the meal. its that we dont tip its not considered you must tip.

in some areas it might be considered a insult to tip Aussie

[SheriffJoe]

The reason Aussies don't like tipping is that the wages paid in Aussie. the hospitality business are paid well a waiter wage would be between $20 to $23.00 per hour with Saturdays and Sundays extra, this reflects in the cost of the meal. its that we dont tip its not considered you must tip.

in some areas it might be considered a insult to tip Aussie

 

EVERYONE knows that Aussie culture doesn't use the tipping system but most cruise lines are based out of the US and use that system......its really as simple as ....when in Rome...

[Pavovsky]

EVERYONE knows that Aussie culture doesn't use the tipping system but most cruise lines are based out of the US and use that system......its really as simple as ....when in Rome...

 

 

Except in most cases the ships are not in the US. So perhaps the cruise lines are more akin to the Roman Empire.

 

 

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[asnaleah]

Trying again,

 

Can you cancel the gratuities? Yes

 

Can you cancel the gratuities and pay direct to the staff that serves you? It's unlikely you'll be able to locate all the staff that serve you and it creates its own difficulties when you make that choice

 

I agree with this. One year we cancelled the gratuities and paid directly. You will be given tip envelopes, but then have to make sure you don't leave someone out. It was awkward and we only did it once. Much better to leave the automatic in place and give extra to those who really stand out. Enjoy your cruise!

[Cruizen Susan]

It would be very hard to ensure that you fairly distribute your gratuities to all the staff who serve you. It's not just your cabin stewards, and main dining room waiters and sommelier if you choose traditional dining, it's also the waiters that may change every night if you choose anytime dining, and those staff that service the buffet restaurant, the Spa Cafe or the Mast Grill where you may have breakfast or lunch. The cruise lines have worked out a system that is fair to all. Of course, if you receive exceptional service from anyone you are always at liberty to give them a little extra and it is always appreciated. :)

 

Excellent explanation.