Automatic Gratuities

[Shmoo here]

I'm not removing the gratuities but it is highly likely that's all the gratuities they will get. The cruise lines make automatic gratuities all but mandatory and then pass out the plate again in the form of envelopes and the seeming expectation (often discussed here) that more tips are required on top.

 

Again if this subject is so offensive, people are free to scroll on past.

 

 

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The suggested gratuities are all that's necessary. The envelopes are only if you want to do additional, not asking for additional. Again, just a courtesy (supplying you with envelopes).

 

What cruise line still passes out tip envelopes? I haven't seen them on the three cruise lines I cruise on for years and if I wanted any, I would have to go to the Guest Services desk and ask for them.

 

I know Disney still supplies envelopes. Mostly because they also have tip "coupons" indicating the tips that are usually placed in them for handing out. Just another taste of "the way it used to be".

 

The coupons have the name, position and amount of gratuity being paid.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Shmoo here

[luddite]

My point is if the charge is going to be mandatory to pay it, it should be part of the initial price instead of advertising one price and then adding on more fees.

 

 

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Well, it isn't.

It IS an unadvertised cost of the trip.

[pullen0]

Well, it isn't.

 

It IS an unadvertised cost of the trip.

 

 

In another thread its been said the staff gets a list of who has prepaid and who hasn't. If you don't prepay, I'd suggest locking your toothbrush up in the cabin safe when not in use.

 

 

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[Langley Cruisers]

In another thread its been said the staff gets a list of who has prepaid and who hasn't. If you don't prepay, I'd suggest locking your toothbrush up in the cabin safe when not in use.

 

Oh stop. Anyone who doesn't prepay is charged the daily service charge/auto grat on their account. Just because a passenger chooses NOT to pre-pay doesn't mean they are going to stiff the staff by removing the tip. Gee.

[pullen0]

Oh stop. Anyone who doesn't prepay is charged the daily service charge/auto grat on their account. Just because a passenger chooses NOT to pre-pay doesn't mean they are going to stiff the staff by removing the tip. Gee.

 

 

I'm talking about those who visit the desk and have auto grat taken off their accounts. Apparently the crew will know who does this according to the other thread I read.

 

 

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[Langley Cruisers]

I'm talking about those who visit the desk and have auto grat taken off their accounts. Apparently the crew will know who does this according to the other thread I read.

 

Well that's not what you said so I replied accordingly. You said:

 

In another thread its been said the staff gets a list of who has prepaid and who hasn't. If you don't prepay, I'd suggest locking your toothbrush up in the cabin safe when not in use.

 

Anyway, I think you're having way too much fun here scrapping with everyone so I'ma take my leave. :p

[iheartbda]

:DPullen, maybe you have some points of merit and maybe the cruise lines should change the way things are done but, here's the thing. You can come up with all sorts of reasons, scenarios, etc. until you're blue in the face but it's not going to change anything.

 

The cruise lines have decided, and I'm sure they've look at this from every angle possible, what the best way to go about things and the fairest way for the crew. They need to keep the crew reasonably happy.

 

Can't remember if there were envelopes in our cabin on our last RCCL cruise, and it was just a year ago.:o However, if there were, I had prepaid, knew I didn't have to add anything extra and didn't feel like I was getting a shake down. One more thing, you say you've read what people post the amount someone should give as extra. Usually, someone has asked what people give, IF THEY CHOOSE TO DO SO, since they would like to have an idea. It's for information only, not what someone has to do or even add the amount anyone says.

 

Karen, I'm outta' here, too, see you around someplace else.:D

Edited August 25, 2016 by iheartbda

[ducklite]

Novel idea... If you want an all inclusive, book one. Otherwise your entire complaint is moot.

[donaldsc]

Ok, I'm new here and I'm sure this topic has been beaten to death already. I've seen several discussions about tips in various threads. Who, what, where, when and how much to tip on top of the automatic gratuities, etc. I didn't really want to hijack someone else's thread with this so hear goes.

 

. :D

 

It has been beaten to death ad nauseum. So why did you feel it necessary to start yet another useless thread? Does your post add anything at all new? Me thinks that you have too much time in your life that you need to spend.

 

DON

Edited September 14, 2016 by donaldsc

[CruisingAlong4Now]

It has been beaten to death ad nauseum. So why did you feel it necessary to start yet another useless thread? Does your post add anything at all new? Me thinks that you have too much time in your life that you need to spend.

 

DON

 

Of course the OP is having fun. And the responders are feeding it. I can't believe that anyone actually thought this was an honest inquiry.

 

Now if we all stop posting here, the OP can move onto a thread about smoking on board. :rolleyes:

[sft429]

Novel idea... If you want an all inclusive, book one. Otherwise your entire complaint is moot.

 

It has been beaten to death ad nauseum. So why did you feel it necessary to start yet another useless thread? Does your post add anything at all new? Me thinks that you have too much time in your life that you need to spend.

 

DON

 

 

Of course the OP is having fun. And the responders are feeding it. I can't believe that anyone actually thought this was an honest inquiry.

 

Now if we all stop posting here, the OP can move onto a thread about smoking on board. :rolleyes:

 

Well, except for this mini-flurry of 3 posts in the past 12 hours or so, the thread had been dead for three weeks. People complaining about its existence are perpetuating it...

[notentirelynormal]

If you're so sure the topic has been beaten to death why bring it up again? The search feature would have answered your question.

 

But then you're also the one who started a thread for men to wear shorts in the MDR at dinner.

 

In response to this post

 

The rudest thing I've seen was people complaining about a sick baby and the ship having to return to Grand Caymen. In Dec 14 on Freedom a baby on board got extremely sick a couple hours after we left the island. The ship had to turn around and we missed the next port. I've never seen people be more rude. If it would have been my child I would have wanted the captain to make the same call.

 

 

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I can't believe there is no other option for something like that other than to turn around the ship. How many thousand people were on that ship that had already booked/paid for excursions to a port they didn't get to go to? I'm assuming excursions would be refunded if you booked through the ship.

 

I'm going on a 7 night, 5 port cruise. It's highly likely I will never return to any of those places again. How many people could afford to redo a cruise due to missing a port? You better believe I'd be upset if I were made to miss one.

 

On Caribbean cruises, most of the ports are fairly close together. I can't believe there isn't a boat service that can't pick up a sick passenger without disrupting thousands of people's vacations.

 

 

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So if someone is minutes or hours from dying and you just pulled out of port 2 hours ago, you're telling me the best option is to turn around a slow moving massive ship instead of sending out a much smaller and faster moving boat to do a transfer or sending a helicopter? Turning the ship around is the only method for medical evacuation? I'd say that's piss poor logistics by the cruise line.

 

Way to take the high road and wish death on my loved ones. I said I'd be upset. Nowhere did I say I'd rather they die than miss a port.

 

 

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This guy is just a piece of work.

[GUT2407]

If the auto-gratuity amount became mandatory then it would have to be added to the invoice at the time of booking as the Government Taxes and Fees are. And it is already being done in Australia where the initial fare quote to a citizen of Australia or New Zealand for a cruise on ships based Down Under year-round must be the grand total including all taxes, fees and gratuities. As you can guess the price ends up higher that what someone from the rest of the world pays even after taxes and daily auto-grats are added. Plus the prices of drinks on board is substantially higher due to the lack of 15% gratuity; rather than charge the exact equivalent of price + 15% they of course round the price well up.

 

(And I suggest you look up the definition of "bait and switch" which refers not to switching the price on an advertised item, but to either substituting an inferior item or forcibly trading you up to a higher priced item by refusing to sell the advertised one)

 

Funny that on another place someone is complaining big time because a cruise booked through a US agent is costing more than the same cruise book by an Aussie through an Aus agent.

[GUT2407]

We had to eat out twice in one day and the gratuities came to $9.50 per person (at roughly 20% of the bills). Seems reasonable to pay what the cruise lines charge for three meals a day and twice a day cabin service. I don't see why someone doesn't have a problem with a restaurant making its customers pay the wages of its staff but do have a problem with the cruise lines doing the same thing.

 

Many do have a problem with restaurants doing it.

[MicCanberra]

Seems someone is having some fun bringing up no end of controversial posts and threads. I see a troll in 'first timers' clothing.:(

[sparks1093]

Many do have a problem with restaurants doing it.

 

Yes, I understand, but my remark concerned those that didn't have a problem with restaurant tipping but balked at tipping onboard.

[pullen0]

For your reading pleasure.

 

Edit: link wouldn't work. Evidently the site won't allow a link to it. An email I received with a link to an article giving 4 reasons gratuities should be included in the fare.

Edited September 21, 2016 by pullen0

[pullen0]

My cruise just proved why I hate automatic gratuities. My cabin attendant was terrible while most everyone else was excellent. I can't not tip the cabin attendant without punishing everyone else and my understanding is that if I tipped anyone individually for great service, it's supposed to be put into the pool that would then benefit my cabin attendant.

 

The carpet of our cabin on the first day looked like someone nearly took a vacuum bag and dumped its contents on it. Hair beads, several pieces of broken metal and debris everywhere. The next morning, we left a note saying to please vacuum and it looks like she just moved it around with a broom. After a week, I think she finally got the hair beads up.

 

 

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[Texas Tillie]

My cruise just proved why I hate automatic gratuities. My cabin attendant was terrible while most everyone else was excellent. I can't not tip the cabin attendant without punishing everyone else and my understanding is that if I tipped anyone individually for great service, it's supposed to be put into the pool that would then benefit my cabin attendant.

 

The carpet of our cabin on the first day looked like someone nearly took a vacuum bag and dumped its contents on it. Hair beads, several pieces of broken metal and debris everywhere. The next morning, we left a note saying to please vacuum and it looks like she just moved it around with a broom. After a week, I think she finally got the hair beads up.

 

 

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Why didn't you talk to the housekeeping supervisor on day 2? Never let a deficiency go unreported. It's not fair to the crew who are doing their jobs.

[pullen0]

Why didn't you talk to the housekeeping supervisor on day 2? Never let a deficiency go unreported. It's not fair to the crew who are doing their jobs.

 

Because I didn't want my toothbrush used to clean the toilet. She'll get hers on our survey.

[zqvol]

Because I didn't want my toothbrush used to clean the toilet. She'll get hers on our survey.

 

I would hate to be you with all the venom you spew. Probably deserve to have your toothbrush used to clean the toilet, though I doubt any steward would stoop that low.

[Texas Tillie]

Because I didn't want my toothbrush used to clean the toilet. She'll get hers on our survey.

 

You could have requested a different steward. But, it sounds like you're the type who'd rather b!+@h than try to seek a solution.

[mom says]

It seems that the majority of your posts since joining have been either argumentative or complaining about the Cruise lines or your fellow passengers. Now you have completed your second cruise, and your first posts are more complaints.

 

It doesn't seem unreasonable to suggest that cruising is not for you. Perhaps you should stick to land based vacations in the future. Please.

[madamhound]

That was before automatic gratuities. When RCI started sutomatic gratuities they no longer left envelopes in cabins. Same with other cruise lines.

 

 

My husband and I recently went on a 5 day cruse. Only our 2nd. (last 1 was 20 years ago). We prepaid our gratuities and were told by experienced cruisers that we could leave extra if we wanted to. However on the next to last day we found an envelope on our bed from our cabin steward basically asking for more money. How common is this?? It made me feel very uncomfortable. If I want to leave extra it should be at my desertion....this felt more like an obligation. None of our experience friends have ever had this happen to them.

[madamhound]

It's definitely a psychological thing. I understand that if I tipped at point of interaction, I'd often leave more than by prepaying. But tips used to be done at point of interaction to ensure a good interaction. If the person providing the service knows they're tip is already given, what's the incentive to provide good service?

 

Not only that, there are multiple posts here suggesting how much to tip stewards, bartenders, servers, etc on top of the already paid automatic gratuities. If I recall correctly, there were envelopes in our cabin on my first cruise to leave even more tips for the steward, etc. It's akin to passing the offering plate around at the church twice because you weren't gracious enough the first time it came around.

My husband and I recently went on a 5 day cruse. Only our 2nd. (last 1 was 20 years ago). We prepaid our gratuities and were told by experienced cruisers that we could leave extra if we wanted to. However on the next to last day we found an envelope on our bed from our cabin steward basically asking for more money. How common is this?? It made me feel very uncomfortable. If I want to leave extra it should be at my desertion....this felt more like an obligation. None of our experience friends have ever had this happen to them.