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Prepaid Gratuities and Room Service


Jaxweb
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13 minutes ago, Jaxweb said:

I don't use porters and go out of my way to not ask for special favors or anything out of the ordinary that causes them extra work. I also clean up and put all my personal things away in closets and drawers to make housekeeping's job as quick and easy as possible.

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Simple question Room service is offered but it is actually causing extra work, when you can easily walk over to the dining room buffet to get food etc.  Wouldn't that be classified as extra work?  I also take my own luggage etc clean my room.

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One of the questions that remains is whether OBC can be used for tips and for paying for premium room service foods and drinks with auto gratuities.  If so, I could just use some unused OBC towards that.

As far as room service being "extra duty" for dining staff, they can't physically do both at the same time, so they would be delivering meals to rooms instead of whatever they would normally be doing in the dining room at that moment.

It would be part of their normal job duties for their role.

They would still get their portion of the gratuities they would have received if they didn't deliver room service.

Are they going to dock their portion of gratuities and say "You were delivering room service for 2  hours today, so you lose 20% of your share of the day's gratuities?"

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The people delivering room service are now wait staff.  They are generally supervised by a Head Waiter, who often doubles up evenings at the MDR.  We are friendly with one.  He assured us they were appropriately compensated, but are always happy with additional compensation like others in the ship.

 

if you eat at a different table in the MDR each evening in Select Dinjng, you are unlikely to add an additional tip.   Same thing.  

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8 hours ago, Jaxweb said:

 

They should already be ahead based on the $14.50 to $18 per day automatic gratuities plus 20% mandatory gratuities on drinks and any other auto-gratuities for other things from every passenger other than those that specifically opt out of daily gratuities and also don't tip anything with cash.

 

 

Once again I ask you to think of ALL the people that share in that $14.50 per day.  They are NOT "ahead" when you consider all the staff behind the scenes.  I was trying to be tactful earlier, but seriously, quit being so darn cheap and give the guy a buck or two.  

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I'm still trying to decide whether the OP has a moral objection to tipping in general, as he has occasionally alluded to, or if he's just a tight fisted cheapskate.  Seems to me, if he objects to tipping on moral grounds he wouldn't be complaining about autograts or how to use OBC for room service. Rather, he would be asking for the names of those cruiselines where gratuities were built into the fare. He's already said he'd be willing to pay more for such a system. 

 

But since he seems more interested in stiffing the crew than changing ships perhaps his posturing is just digital hot air. 

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2 hours ago, mom says said:

... Rather, he would be asking for the names of those cruiselines where gratuities were built into the fare. He's already said he'd be willing to pay more for such a system... 

 

For the OP, Cruise Critic articles about tipping policies by cruise type and cruise line:

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Luxury Lines Updated August 21, 2018

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Big-Ship Lines Updated May 21, 2019

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Expedition Lines Updated June 11, 2018

Cruise Line Tipping Policies: River and Barge Lines Updated June 11, 2018

 

For those making the personal choice to still tip on any of the non-tipping ships:

Tipping on a Non-Tipping Cruise Ship Updated August 21, 2018

 

And let us remember:

7 Times You Shouldn't Tip on a Cruise Updated March 29, 2019

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9 hours ago, mom says said:

I'm still trying to decide whether the OP has a moral objection to tipping in general, as he has occasionally alluded to, or if he's just a tight fisted cheapskate.  Seems to me, if he objects to tipping on moral grounds he wouldn't be complaining about autograts or how to use OBC for room service. Rather, he would be asking for the names of those cruiselines where gratuities were built into the fare. He's already said he'd be willing to pay more for such a system. 

 

But since he seems more interested in stiffing the crew than changing ships perhaps his posturing is just digital hot air. 

 

Maybe a little of both if you read the other thread he started.   

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19 hours ago, bikerunner said:

Simple question Room service is offered but it is actually causing extra work, when you can easily walk over to the dining room buffet to get food etc.  Wouldn't that be classified as extra work?  I also take my own luggage etc clean my room.

 

 There are crew on room service duty around the clock . This is part of their hours so it is not extra work. I personally walk to get my own food as I like walking .. Many struggle with walking and need room service. It is part of what is included in your cruise fare except for after hours. Of course extra grats are always welcome.

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10 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

 

 There are crew on room service duty around the clock . This is part of their hours so it is not extra work. I personally walk to get my own food as I like walking .. Many struggle with walking and need room service. It is part of what is included in your cruise fare except for after hours. Of course extra grats are always welcome.

I agree with that, and it is part of assigned duties but I do see this as more of added service to the guests.  There are some with mobility issues etc, understandable but maybe its more the Hotelier in me that I see it as a role that should get tipped.  But it is everyones own prerogative on how they want to handle it.  There is no right or wrong here. 

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14 hours ago, mom says said:

I'm still trying to decide whether the OP has a moral objection to tipping in general, as he has occasionally alluded to, or if he's just a tight fisted cheapskate.  Seems to me, if he objects to tipping on moral grounds he wouldn't be complaining about autograts or how to use OBC for room service. Rather, he would be asking for the names of those cruiselines where gratuities were built into the fare. He's already said he'd be willing to pay more for such a system. 

 

But since he seems more interested in stiffing the crew than changing ships perhaps his posturing is just digital hot air. 

Stop trying to read more into this than there is and inserting incendiary characterizations.  "Tight fisted cheapskate." 

If I wanted to "stiff" the crew, I would not prepay and I would remove the per-day autogratuities and still not tip anyone with cash.  Get over yourself!

 

I was clear that I wanted to just prepay with gratuities to "build it into the fare" and get it over with it so I didn't have to deal with it again.

If OBC can be used towards room service tips, then I would also use that rather than spend it on things I don't really want or have it just wasted and lost at the end of the cruise.   It will be unlikely that I will ever take another cruise after this one to make use of any unused OBC later.

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you can use your OBC for tips, but its by category ie dining staff etc, and as some said this does include room service, tho many feel they should tip room service delivery ppl , but its all personal choice.  You can go to Guest Relations and adjust the amounts on how you see fit.  But I find it easier and quicker to give whomever delivering a few dollars then go wait in line at GR and figure out a form, but that's me.  OBC is not carried over cruise to cruise btw, if its from Celebrity you lose any unused, if from a TA you can get it credited back to your card, but I never been in that area since I usually spend it on Specialty or other things to enjoy my vacation.  If you want to get over all the worries about tips try these lines

  • Azamara Club Cruises
  • Crystal Cruises
  • Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
  • Regent Seven Seas Cruises
  • Seabourn
  • SeaDream Yacht Club
  • Silversea Cruises
  • Tauck World Discovery
  • Uniworld Cruises

There completely inclusive from my understanding. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

In regards to room-service tipping...

If you are planning on tipping, be sure to have your $ ready for the delivery - they pass off the food & are gone in a flash...

 

In regards to those who believe, in general (not cruise related), Restaurants should just pay a living wage vs. tipping...

Many Great Servers would not work @ those restaurants... 

They do exponentially better w/ tips than a living wage would ever pay them...

I have a sister, with 2 degrees, who chose to be a server for 2 reasons:

  1. The lifestyle it allowed her to live
  2. $$$ - She retired @ an early age from her tipped job and is enjoying the good life now!!!

She has stated many times she would never work for a living wage as a server...

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1 hour ago, Von & John said:

In regards to room-service tipping...

If you are planning on tipping, be sure to have your $ ready for the delivery - they pass off the food & are gone in a flash...

 

"Gone in a flash" so true! For morning coffee, we put the $$ out on the counter the night before. That way, it is easy to grab on the way to open the door & easy to hand off to them as they scoot away.

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4 hours ago, TxCityKat said:

 

"Gone in a flash" so true! For morning coffee, we put the $$ out on the counter the night before. That way, it is easy to grab on the way to open the door & easy to hand off to them as they scoot away.

 

Exactly - I was thinking the morning coffee & first breakfast...

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