My time dining and gratuities

[MrsPete]

I am looking at cancelling my gratuities when I get on board so I can pay these personally. We have my time dining and according to the threads it looks like the gratuities are asked to be prepaid. What happens if I cancel the gratuities?

Don't do it.

This will make your life more complicated.

And the wait staff's life more complicated.

And guest services' life more complicated.

 

The system's in place for a reason -- it's easy, and it works. The workers knew /understood their compensation package when they agreed to work onboard, so clearly they're okay with it. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

If you opt out of daily gratuities your account will not be charged for them. A list of those who do this is available to the staff. If you tip personally in cash, those people must turn it in or face dismissal. Don't know why you want to do this (are you planning to carry cash every time you go to the WJ?) but it's so much better to leave the automatic tips in place and just give extra cash to those you feel deserve it.

 

Fake news!:rolleyes:

[Thorben-Hendrik]

someone else that pays more will take up the slack for you

+1;)

If else fails RCI will add to the wages as they guarantee a minimum theses days...

[shibby sails]

I will never understand this. They should just make it mandatory so the workers don't get stiffed. Holding back gratuities and paying individually does not help all the people in the background that make the cruise work that you will not be tipping. I don't use the MDR but use all the other eating facilities and would never think of canceling the tip because I don't use one part of the ship over the other. I once asked a waiter when 15% was the norm if he would like it automatically added to the bill or take his chances on the peoples generosity. He said he would make out way better with standard tip of 15% from everybody. Cruise lines should just add it on and not let people take it off.

[vacationlover_mn]

This is an unfair statement. Gratuities haven't been going up "almost every year." But even so, it's more likely to keep up with cost of living, not to make up for those who don't tip. Automatic Gratuities were added to lessen the event of "skipping out" on tips and to make sure MTD waiters were tipped. But I remember the days before MTD and Automatic Tips when, on the last night, TIP Night, people would eat at other venues and skip out on tipping the wait staff. Cheap people have been around for years.

 

 

 

Not that I remove prepaid gratuities... however, they do seem to be going up each time I've sailed (about once a year, the last 3 years)...

 

 

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[CCC3]

So...if you give your cabin steward or servers cash (AND have paid the gratuities) do they still have to declare the extra money you give them?

 

 

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[Grandma Dazzles]

Not that I remove prepaid gratuities... however, they do seem to be going up each time I've sailed (about once a year, the last 3 years)...

 

 

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I only remember one increase in the last several years on RC. Did you perhaps sail in a suite one time and regular cabin the other? There is a different in gratuities between suites and regular cabins.

[PlanetX]

I will never understand this. They should just make it mandatory so the workers don't get stiffed.

 

I would take it one step further, it should be legally mandatory for cruise lines to disclose the gratuities as part of the fare quoting process. If the cruise line is relying on the passenger explicitly paying for a significant portion of their labor expense as part of their business model, they shouldn't be allowed to hide these costs or pretend that they're optional when they're really not.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

I would take it one step further, it should be legally mandatory for cruise lines to disclose the gratuities as part of the fare quoting process. If the cruise line is relying on the passenger explicitly paying for a significant portion of their labor expense as part of their business model, they shouldn't be allowed to hide these costs or pretend that they're optional when they're really not.

 

But gratuities ARE optional on RCI!

You can opt out any time - no questions asked!

[Ned11]

Why don't they just pay them more?? I find it ridiculous that we don't have to pay the gratuities and get slammed for where, of the just put the price of the fare up by £75, then I wouldn't feel like I'm getting slammed for doing something I rightfully can do.

 

 

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[PlanetX]

But gratuities ARE optional on RCI!

You can opt out any time - no questions asked!

 

But not really, because they know that 99% of cruisers don't - and they are explicitly relying on customers to not stiff their servers to fund a major part of their employees' pay.

[Biker19]

I would take it one step further, it should be legally mandatory for cruise lines to disclose the gratuities as part of the fare quoting process.

Cruiseplum does that - their prices include grats (but you can see them in the price details).

[Biker19]

You can opt out any time - no questions asked!

Yes and no - you will likely be asked at GS about it when one tries to do it.

[PlanetX]

Cruiseplum does that - their prices include grats (but you can see them in the price details).

 

Nice, did not know this. Will have to check them out.

[Biker19]

I only remember one increase in the last several years on RC.

I remember the 12.95 to 13.50 increase last year and I thought the increase to 12.95 was not that much earlier than that.

[Biker19]

So...if you give your cabin steward or servers cash (AND have paid the gratuities) do they still have to declare the extra money you give them?

Depends which steward you ask and if you believe them.

[vacationlover_mn]

I remember the 12.95 to 13.50 increase last year and I thought the increase to 12.95 was not that much earlier than that.

 

 

 

That is what I remember too...

 

 

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[Thorben-Hendrik]

Yes and no - you will likely be asked at GS about it when one tries to do it.

 

No they do not ask - they just remove it!

You can even call them from the cabin to have it done....no need to go to GS!(y)

Edited June 26, 2017 by Thorben-Hendrik

[grapau27]

Depends which steward you ask and if you believe them.

And how many children they have back home to feed as 1 poster remarked on another thread lol.

[grapau27]

But not really, because they know that 99% of cruisers don't - and they are explicitly relying on customers to not stiff their servers to fund a major part of their employees' pay.

On P&O threads there are many more who remove the gratuitys if their posts are to be believed.

[maryjaden]

I am not sure if it affects the level of service (because we leave auto tips in place) but there is a list available to staff of the cabins that have opted out of the auto tips. We actually saw this list on an all access behind the scenes tour a few years ago.

[Rala]

I hope I don't get werved.

 

Ooooh! I don't know. It could be fun ?! ;p

[Thorben-Hendrik]

I am not sure if it affects the level of service (because we leave auto tips in place) but there is a list available to staff of the cabins that have opted out of the auto tips. We actually saw this list on an all access behind the scenes tour a few years ago.

Fake news!

Not the case any-more as there was privacy concerns and Carnival got into a ****storm for posting a list.

Anyway you can remove grats until the last night 10pm - no time to distribute a list to everybody....:rolleyes:

[grapau27]

Fake news!

Not the case any-more as there was privacy concerns and Carnival got into a ****storm for posting a list.

Anyway you can remove grats until the last night 10pm - no time to distribute a list to everybody....:rolleyes:

I think that is awful after all the excellent service from the crew.

If there is issues that deserves gratuitys to be stopped no-one would fault that but i could never do that on the last night.

I always prepay tips for RC when i book our cruise because i am confident we will get excellent service.

[Clagmeister]

I think that is awful after all the excellent service from the crew.

If there is issues that deserves gratuitys to be stopped no-one would fault that but i could never do that on the last night.

I always prepay tips for RC when i book our cruise because i am confident we will get excellent service.

I am with you on this one and find it despicable that anyone would want to cheat the service staff in this cheap way. Added graduities go with the territory when cruising and are as much a part of the cost of a cruise as do all of the other elements that make up the final bill. Give them the money they have earned it.