Removing tips due to bad service

[Smithster]

To all that are stating you can not remove prepaid tips.  I have never encountered  that issue whatsoever on RCCL, prepaid or otherwise.

[lovesthebeach2]

8 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

Hi 

Most of the time I add the tips to my cruise price I have never removed tips on a ship but I read over and over that most people don’t pay the tips in advance because it’s hard to remove it if you need to. 

 

Had you ever removed the tips because service was so bad that you felt you had to do it? I only had 2 staterooms attendants that were bad, well not exactly bad but unapproachable and always serious. I didn’t remove the tips but I didn’t give extra. 

 

We once had a room attendant that was really bad, worst ever!

He had just come back after his break and the ship had just returned from the TA and our room was FILTHY!. He kept apologizing but never got it clean. I never walked in there without shoes.  BUT I could see he was trying and was doing his best, even though it wasn’t up to par.  I never complained or removed his tip.  I find they all work so hard, I wouldn’t think to punish them. Who knows what he may have gone through before he returned to the ship. 

[Biker19]

31 minutes ago, Smithster said:

To all that are stating you can not remove prepaid tips.  I have never encountered  that issue whatsoever on RCCL, prepaid or otherwise.

I think most are referring to removing them once on the ship or after - not before the cruise.

[RazorbackIslandGirl]

I am another NEVER!

[travelplus]

Before you jump to remove tips first talk with the stateroom attendant and if it's not resolved the Director of Housekeeping. Wait a day or two then speak with Guest Services. If its still not resolved have a word with the Hotel director and as a last resort ask them to remove the tip. 

 

Would you stop paying your cleaning team at your own home without talking with them and expect them to work for free or less pay? There is a tactful way to work it out. 

 

Oh and if your basing the tip on personality and not on service then you may want to rethink your reasoning. If the cabin is dirty it's one thing but if you don't get towel animals that is not a reason to do so. 

[dreadpirate3]

I have never and would never. If there is an issue, then I speak to the supervisor or the Director of Housekeeping.

 

I tip extra based on service, for the room steward and the dining team.

[dwhe]

1 hour ago, Smithster said:

This may sound bad but hear me out.  We remove tips all the time as we tip daily direct to the person/persons that connect with us directly.  First of all I we only dine in dining room maybe twice and if we do we tip that evening.  We are mostly at specialty restaurants which we tip.  All bartenders we tip over the 18% already added.  Room steward we tip directly.  We also usually have gifts in hand we give out.   The amount of money we tip far exceeds the allotted amount and when we tip direct the amount of service we receive is two fold.  We sail a multitude of times on same ship and know a lot of crew and they seek us out as they know we tip far and above.  

I have no contact with the Matre d' so I see no reason to tip.

We have never had a issue in removing tip with Guest Services 

 

You must do what you feel is right, personally I leave tips in place so that all the people that don't have Front of House contact get their fair share.

 

A plate washer washes up plates if you eat anywhere on the ship, main dining room, buffet or any speciality restaurant.

 

I give extra at the end of the cruise for good service, not much about $20 or €20 per person that has impressed.

 

It doesn't matter that you tip more than the set tips,  the fact is a lot of people that work hard for those tips are not getting them because you can't see them, and that's not fair.

[dani negreanu]

4 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

We just need the bed made, trash emptied, and towels replaced, and advise that they need not waste time making towel animals. 

 

They are overworked as it is.....

[Thesandman12]

I always prepay tips, just part of the cruise costs, would never remove, my feeling is that is part of their income and just as I said, cost of the cruise.  Something exceptional, then I give additional. I made a mistake once after becoming diamond, not tipping in the diamond lounge, or wherever the diamond lounge is.  These people essentially don't get the xtra money, some from the ship but not much.  My mistake then and I do not make that mistake now.  Also I have seen some real abusive cruisers as well as some real hard higher ups abusing lower workers, I don't tolerate that and I say so when I see it. I do not know what happen to worker before serving me, so I cut them some slack. I make sure to tell the worker he should not have to put up with it, but I know that is part of his job, to just take it.  I had a guy in the windjammer behind the coffee counter, I ordered 1 cup coffee and a cup hot water, first morning. 14 day cruise, he had my coffee and hot water ready, every day.  He got a tip at the end and told me he had never got one before.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

37 minutes ago, Thesandman12 said:

He got a tip at the end and told me he had never got one before.

Did you belive that?🤔

[Thesandman12]

8 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Did you belive that?🤔

Yeah I believed it, he had only been on the ship about 5 weeks, and you could tell he was learning because the other guys around for one thing, he still deserved it.  Had one passenger  notice I did what I did, and informed me I was not supposed to do that.  Had an omelet lady once did the same thing, when I showed up, I did not have to stand in line and wait, she saw me, made my omelet, others around, got bent sometimes, 16 day cruise, she got a 20

[johnjen]

There was one time we talked about doing it but then realized these guys n gals don't get paid that much as it is, so we changed our minds and just let them keep the tips. No additional tips however except the cabin attendant who went above and beyond, helping my wife ice up her hand after the balcony door slammed it. Gave him a $50 tip in addition. 

[Merion_Mom]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

I think most are referring to removing them once on the ship or after - not before the cruise.

 

I returned to say this, more or less.

 

Some people on this thread misunderstand or are confused about what kind of gratuities are being discussed.

 

You can:

 

1. pay your total gratuities before you sail, along with your final payment.

 

2. let them add $14.50 ($17.50 if in a full suite) per person per day to your Sea Pass account during your cruise

 

3. do neither of these things and pay staff with cash

 

 

The one that can't/is very difficult to cancel once your cruise has begun is #1.

[Merion_Mom]

4 hours ago, fla gang said:

Had a few stateroom attendants that weren't as good as others but that didn't stop them from getting a tip. Last year on the Harmony all six at our table ordered salmon and it was so overcooked a knife had to be used to cut into it. Brought it to the matre'ds attention and he brought out the chef and the chef said the fish was unacceptable, but all still received a tip.

 

4 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

You aren't tipping the chef.  You are tipping your servers.  They didn't overcook the fish.

 

3 hours ago, fla gang said:

I told the server and he went and got the matre'd which in turn brought out the chef. Are you telling me I did the wrong thing?

 

Of course not.  I am saying that you said that you still tipped even though the fish was overcooked.  The fish being overcooked should be irrelevant to your tips.  The person responsible for overcooking the fish and people receiving your tips are different people.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

33 minutes ago, Thesandman12 said:

Had an omelet lady once did the same thing, when I showed up, I did not have to stand in line and wait, she saw me, made my omelet, others around, got bent sometimes, 16 day cruise, she got a 20

So you thought that was good service?🤔

[GUEST71919]

7 hours ago, Biker19 said:

There are some who don't trust RCI to distribute the grats and always remove them - they are perfectly happy with the service and rather tip in cash. There are others who, again, are very satisfied with the service but simply don't believe in grats - and remove them.

I still don’t get why me when I agreed with you, but whatever. My point was removing gratuities, *period* and in direct response to what you posted. My comments weren’t at all related to whether gratuities were pre-paid or by cash, but again only about people *removing* gratuities.  It would be great if people could just post without random disagreement over nothing as eventually cc will be left only with people who disagree over nothing or are snippy and I think that would be unfortunate.

[Biker19]

3 minutes ago, 2Beeze said:

My comments weren’t at all related to whether gratuities were pre-paid or by cash, but again only about people *removing* gratuities. 

So were mine, but having re-read the posts and context I can see what you mean - sorry about that.

[GUEST71919]

2 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

So were mine, but having re-read the posts and context I can see what you mean - sorry about that.

I do appreciate your saying that 😊 - it’s rare in life that anyone does anymore, I think there is hope for CC 👍🏼

Edited April 15, 2019 by 2Beeze

[galfromkazoo]

I have never considered removing tips.  I know it is part of the cost when I book the cruise.  For years I did not know that removing them was even an option.

[George C]

I would leave tip, wouldn’t tip extra and make sure problem is mentioned in post cruise survey . 

[Thesandman12]

4 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

So you thought that was good service?🤔

Well I ordered an omelet she made it perfectly, I thanked her, said it looked good, went on my way. It was excellent, I went back and told her so,  went on my way. Next morning,  went back She nodded at me and made my omelet, her decision, which impressed me, no one ever knew, you brag you loose.  All the omelets were excellent.  Being nice is not the usual things now, demanding is.  She chose to take care of me I chose to tip her for it.  I do not ask for favors, but will accept them as well as give them. So yes, it was NOT good service, it was excellent service and I was just lucky, anyone else could deserve the same and I would have no complaints.

I do not know what people expect on a cruise, my cruises have always met my expectations.

[mek]

They would have to be really bad for me not to tip and if I had a problem I would address it with their supervisor.  I personally don't care about their personalities as long as they get the job done.

[PhoenixCruiser]

14 hours ago, LMaxwell said:

 

Yes.  I have had service in the past so poor I felt that person did not deserve a tip.  Hotel Director ensured me that any cash I gave to anyone else was 100% theirs to keep without penalty or having to turn in so I had no qualms about doing so.   

 

Do you ever worry about companies keeping track of customer's complaints?  

[Sultan84]

18 hours ago, sellwingri said:

I would never, under any circumstances, remove gratuities.  That’s their salary that they usually send home to support their families.  

 

Thank you for mentioning the notion of salary. This idea of giving money on board makes it seem like a "tip", money given on top of a salary, when in reality it is their salary. It is just calculated in a different manner from most salaries.

When you see the amount of gratuity on your bill at the end of the cruise (or if you have prepaid this amount), you just have to think of it as part of your cruise cost that goes to the service crew (instead of fuel or food etc., things that you have paid for with your fare).

Consider it this way: when you go to the bank and the teller is having a bad day, you don't go to the bank manager to demand to be refunded a part of the teller's salary. So why should you be doing this if some staff member on board is having a bad day?

[LMaxwell]

10 hours ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

 

Do you ever worry about companies keeping track of customer's complaints?  

 

"worry"? 

 

No.  That's an odd word to choose. 

 

I hope they do keep track, otherwise why take surveys?