New gratuities by May 1st, 2016

[marci22]

Why do people see a difference in whether that money is included in the price, listed as a daily service charge, or called an automatic daily gratuity? It is only how you are thinking about it, it doesn't change how the system actually works.

 

One reason people may not like it is because they are eating most/all meals in a specialty restaurant or in CK. A lot of people like to tip the servers in those venues because they are the ones directly providing service.

 

If I was going to eat one meal in a specialty, I would leave my tips in place and tip additionally at the specialty. However, on our next cruise, we are booked at CK every night. I think I will feel awkward eating there every night and not leaving a tip each night. However, I don't feel the need to pay daily 'gratuities' when we are not eating dinner in the other restaurants, and then tip nightly as well, in CK.

 

I was always on the side of 'just pay the gratuities' as requested, but since they have become daily charges, and a percentage of the money goes to 'other staff', and with the advent of more and more specialty dining locations, I do not feel the same way. I plan on requesting that the daily gratuities not be debited from my account, and I will pay them myself, as I choose.

Edited April 23, 2016 by marci22

[caribbean sailor]

We are first time cruisers and opted not to pre pay gratuities. Will an automatic amount be added to our room or can we tip as we go along?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

You can go to customer relations and remove your auto tips.And pay the amount that you want.With the high price of a Royal cruise i think they should kick in some of their profits to help pay their employees themselves.

I say you pay them and i will tip them.Cheerleaders flame on.:)

[Merion_Mom]

One reason people may not like it is because they are eating most/all meals in a specialty restaurant or in CK. A lot of people like to tip the servers in those venues because they are the ones directly providing service.

 

If I was going to eat one meal in a specialty, I would leave my tips in place and tip additionally at the specialty. However, on our next cruise, we are booked at CK every night. I think I will feel awkward eating there every night and not leaving a tip each night. However, I don't feel the need to pay daily 'gratuities' when we are not eating dinner in the other restaurants, and then tip nightly as well, in CK.

 

I was always on the side of 'just pay the gratuities' as requested, but since they have become daily charges, and a percentage of the money goes to 'other staff', and with the advent of more and more specialty dining locations, I do not feel the same way. I plan on requesting that the daily gratuities not be debited from my account, and I will pay them myself, as I choose.

 

On the Anthem this past winter, I was almost always seated with the same waitstaff, so I tipped at the end. :)

[caribbean sailor]

We are first time cruisers and opted not to pre pay gratuities. Will an automatic amount be added to our room or can we tip as we go along?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

As long as you know you can go customer relation cancel your so called tips.AND PAY WHAT YOU WANT. A tip is what you want to give,not what Royal tells you to give.:eek: :)

[caribbean sailor]

Royal Caribbean has to come up with the money they paid out for the Anthem problems.:rolleyes::eek:: (just joking….but it is a thought).

 

That's their problem:rolleyes::eek: just not joking it is the truth.

[caribbean sailor]

I have never had a problem paying daily gratuities/service charge, and will consider to do so, and also tip extra.

 

However, judging by the number of posts from people on these boards who choose to remove their tips, perhaps we are in actuality paying extra because of them.

 

It is time RC stopped allowing removal of gratuities without reason and even if service was suspect it should be reported and corrected and not used as an excuse.

 

I just posted a comment on another thread where a passenger reported removing gratuities and paying $15 per person for the week. This is just not appropriate, nor fair to other people who take the service charge/tips seriously and do the right thing.

 

It's also time to use the phrase service charge.

 

 

How sad to say we are paying more because of them.Grandma Dazzles.You are paying more because of Royal Caribbean's GREED.THEY ARE THE ONE PERCENT.They are going to suck every penny from you until there is some push back.

[hulksmash]

How sad to say we are paying more because of them.Grandma Dazzles.You are paying more because of Royal Caribbean's GREED.THEY ARE THE ONE PERCENT.They are going to suck every penny from you until there is some push back.

 

Lol. The mobility between quintiles is about 20% per decade and almost 46% of Americans will be in the top 10% during their lifetime. You, yourself are never greefy, its always the other guy.

[sisocialworker]

it's time royal and the cruise industry paid their workers a living wage and not expect customer tips to make up their salary...let tips be extra for work they do, not have them dependent on it..RCI greed is correct.....even with the tips RCI requires and extra tips I pay, it still does not equal a living wage...not all RCI staff live in low wage/standard of living countries

Edited April 25, 2016 by sisocialworker

[hulksmash]

So what is a living wage? For me its 1 million dollars a day and I dont make that, so life is unfair.

[Biker19]

so what is a living wage? For me its 1 million dollars a day and i dont make that, so life is unfair.

 

lol. Ibtl.

Edited April 25, 2016 by Biker19

[Bound4Bermuda]

The argument that RCI should pay their staff a living wage without it affecting the customer is faulty. Of course inflation of staff wages will affect us. If you don't pay your $0.55 in gratuities, they would just need to add the $0.55 on the price of the cruise. This is basic economics. But, I'm sure you protest any increase in price by your employer on behalf of your customers and have refused any raise from the day you started working, because it wouldn't be fair to ever expect inflation to affect your customer.

 

BTW, the free gratuities sale is still going on, so you can price adjust and stick it to The Man and have RCI pay the gratuities for you. Of course, the base cost might be more, but simply based on principle, it seems like the hill to die on for some posters.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited April 25, 2016 by Bound4Bermuda

[sisocialworker]

It's ok to raise the price of the cruise to do this. From what I've researched rci pays about $50-100 a month. Well below USA minimum wage

Edited April 25, 2016 by sisocialworker

[LA_CA_GAL]

....This is basic economics.

 

The vast majority have no clue about basic economics.

 

Whether you raise wages, raise corporate taxes, cost of goods/services, the end user/consumer will always be handed the bill.

[LuCruise]

I haven't read this full post so I apologize if this has been stated already, but how long is Royal offering the free gratuities on sailings? It is tempting as it saves close to $500 for a week long cruise for a family of four (in CAD).

Edited April 25, 2016 by LuCruise

[Biker19]

THEY ARE THE ONE PERCENT.They are going to suck every penny from you until there is some push back.

 

If you make over $40K/yr you are the ONE PERCENT compared to the rest of the world. Are you worried about the push back from the other 99%?:cool:

[Biker19]

I haven't read this full post so I apologize if this has been stated already, but how long is Royal offering the free gratuities on sailings? It is tempting as it saves close to $500 for a week long cruise for a family of four (in CAD).

 

Until the next promo - probably next week.

[Biker19]

It's ok to raise the price of the cruise to do this. From what I've researched rci pays about $50-100 a month. Well below USA minimum wage

 

Maybe you don't realize a ship is not US territory and not subject to US min wage laws. Never mind the fact that as poorly as they are paid, they are still better off than a large majority of the rest of their countrymen.:cool:

[Ourusualbeach]

I haven't read this full post so I apologize if this has been stated already, but how long is Royal offering the free gratuities on sailings? It is tempting as it saves close to $500 for a week long cruise for a family of four (in CAD).

 

If you are booking 1 cabin for the 4 of you it's only for the first 2 guests. The past promotions have had equivilant OBC and/or other incentives. Bottom line price factoring in everything is usually within a few $ regardless of the promotion.

[molly361]

I haven't read this full post so I apologize if this has been stated already, but how long is Royal offering the free gratuities on sailings? It is tempting as it saves close to $500 for a week long cruise for a family of four (in CAD).

 

It ends May 1- not sure if it includes May 1 or ends midnight April 30th

[LuCruise]

If you are booking 1 cabin for the 4 of you it's only for the first 2 guests. The past promotions have had equivilant OBC and/or other incentives. Bottom line price factoring in everything is usually within a few $ regardless of the promotion.

 

Yes. What was interesting is that an interior (plus gratuities) was the same cost overall as an outside room (including free gratuities) since you saved almost 500 on the full price and this was the difference between the two....so very tempting.

 

But I know that they keep adding different "deals" with raising the price at the same time so it's not much difference in the end. The cost now is $1000 more than we just paid for the cruise on which we just returned...so that "hurts".

 

It ends May 1- not sure if it includes May 1 or ends midnight April 30th

Thanks

Edited April 25, 2016 by LuCruise

[sisocialworker]

Maybe you don't realize a ship is not US territory and not subject to US min wage laws. Never mind the fact that as poorly as they are paid, they are still better off than a large majority of the rest of their countrymen.:cool:

 

while the "ship" is not registered in the US..RCI is a US company...there are English, aussies and other non "poor country persons" working....just sayin pay a real wage up front...I do know it gets passed on to the consumer anyway...just my point of view...kinda like restaurant workers here in the USA too...their employers think customer tips should make up the difference in their wage..just not right IMO

[Biker19]

while the "ship" is not registered in the US..RCI is a US company...there are English, aussies and other non "poor country persons" working....just sayin pay a real wage up front...I do know it gets passed on to the consumer anyway...just my point of view...kinda like restaurant workers here in the USA too...their employers think customer tips should make up the difference in their wage..just not right IMO

 

Well, then, if you feel so strongly about it stop cruising, stop going out to restaurants and stop patronizing any other business which has employees depending on tips.

[sisocialworker]

Well, then, if you feel so strongly about it stop cruising, stop going out to restaurants and stop patronizing any other business which has employees depending on tips.

 

great advice....

 

rather just share the realities of these employees on threads that discuss tipping. I have written my concerns to RCI as well...but since this an industry problem and the greed of companies always win out...don't see it changing...so the best I can do is tip extra for those that provide service to me....I'm not even sure the required collected tips by RCI gets to all the staff on the ship......if you check youtube you will see some of the vids by RCI employees concerning this

[Paulette3028]

great advice....

 

rather just share the realities of these employees on threads that discuss tipping. I have written my concerns to RCI as well...but since this an industry problem and the greed of companies always win out...don't see it changing...so the best I can do is tip extra for those that provide service to me....I'm not even sure the required collected tips by RCI gets to all the staff on the ship......if you check youtube you will see some of the vids by RCI employees concerning this

 

There are several industries that historically have had wages lower for employees and those employees relied on tips, nothing new here.

 

What I have learned over my life, is that to believe EVERYTHING you hear or in today's world view on a video over the internet is foolish.

 

Those employees making the video have their own reasons and perhaps just there own simple desire to make more money and use the vehicle they have to get their message out so some cruisers will increase their tip even further.

 

I expect that Royal funnels the tips collected to the employees it is to go to.....if you believe I am naive -- that is your opinion. Just like you will disagree perhaps that the employees creating the videos you can watch on YouTube have totally upstanding motives. It works both ways.

[sisocialworker]

There are several industries that historically have had wages lower for employees and those employees relied on tips, nothing new here.

 

What I have learned over my life, is that to believe EVERYTHING you hear or in today's world view on a video over the internet is foolish.

 

Those employees making the video have their own reasons and perhaps just there own simple desire to make more money and use the vehicle they have to get their message out so some cruisers will increase their tip even further.

 

I expect that Royal funnels the tips collected to the employees it is to go to.....if you believe I am naive -- that is your opinion. Just like you will disagree perhaps that the employees creating the videos you can watch on YouTube have totally upstanding motives. It works both ways.

 

yep, nothing new in many industries..but $50 a month for working 70 hours a week is a bit "unfair"...true no is forcing them to work there..the salary paid is fact, not just supported by staff but by the industry itself..they see nothing wrong with it...such is life