Alternative Dining: Fee+Fee+Service Charge?

[mlbcruiser]

Although we were on two different Royal Caribbean cruises last year, we did not happen to dine in an alternative dining venue on either cruise. (We’ve done so on this and other cruise lines now and then in the past, however.)  I came across something online tonight stating that besides a mandatory 18% gratuity added onto the fee you must pay to dine in the alternative restaurant, there is an additional 10% service fee! Is this correct or did I read something wrong? So it’s the specialty dining charge  + 18% + 10%?  I understand there is now also a $7.50 pp fee for room service (outside of a continental breakfast) as well. Even during normal, non-late night hours.  I wonder if that has affected the tips the room service delivery people get? 

 

Besides the gratuities automatically added to our onboard account, we have always tipped our DR wait staff extra (among others). I doubt there would be any deductions on the auto charge even if we dined in a fee based specialty restaurant six out of seven nights!  We certainly have never reduced our tipping, mandatory or not, when dining in a specialty restaurant instead of at our main dining room table. However, if what I read tonight is accurate, perhaps we should rethink this practice! 
 

 

[Merion_Mom]

You read something wrong.  

 

There is no 10%..................unless you are somewhere where VAT is being charged.  (not that I have any idea what percentage VAT carries)

 

Yes, room service now costs $7.95 + 18% for anything except continental breakfast.

 

Your tips cover more than dinner.  They cover all of your meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  Staff work all of those venues.

[kernow]

Are you on a cruise that leaves from an EU country? If so they charge VAT on board as well as the 18% gratuity.

[njkruzer]

Just now, Merion_Mom said:

You read something wrong.  

 

There is no 10%..................unless you are somewhere where VAT is being charged.  (not that I have any idea what percentage VAT carries)

 

Yes, room service now costs $7.95 + 18% for anything except continental breakfast.

 

Your tips cover more than dinner.  They cover all of your meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  Staff work all of those venues.

Merion_Mom, could you email me please I have a question.  Rasokol48@gmail.com.  onboard the Radiance doing the circumnavigation now.  Thanks.

[Cel_cruise]

Seems like it might make sense to point out that if you pre- purchase your dining in your cruise planner that the gratuity is already included (though many choose to tip more).  When purchased on board - tip and VAT would need to be added.

[mlbcruiser]

So if we pre book a specialty restaurant, are not cruising in the UK (or other VAT location), the 18% is included in the dining fee. Good to know. Thanks so much for the info. 

[icsys]

If your sailing starts from an EU country then VAT (referred to as Spanish value added tax) is added in addition to the normal 18%

This is charged at the rate of 21% for most products and services purchased onboard and a reduced rate of 10% on beverages and food purchased at the bars and speciality restaurants.

 

To avoid the tax, ensure your sailing visits a non EU or VAT exempt port of call, such as Gibraltar and Kotor.

Ships calling at these ports do not levy any VAT 👍

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by icsys

[thrifty99]

36 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

So if we pre book a specialty restaurant, are not cruising in the UK (or other VAT location), the 18% is included in the dining fee. Good to know. Thanks so much for the info. 

Correct. So if you pay $30 for a specialty restaurant that has the 18% included.  When you get your bill to sign at dinner there will be a line for an additional tip and it is up to you if you want to add any more at that time.

[mlbcruiser]

OK then that isn’t so bad.

 

icsys, Having cruise in Europe for about five or six years but don’t remember a VAT affecting us there. Perhaps we stopped in a non-VA tea place.  So with the Brexit changes…? Just kidding because I really just wanted to know about what I had read and apparently it’s not going to apply in our case. At least not for this cruise. Thanks to everybody who replied!

[icsys]

15 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

So with the Brexit changes…?

 

I can't see EU VAT being revoked… too much of a money earner for HMRC 😓

But for cruises departing Southampton after 31st December 2020...? who knows.

Edited February 21, 2020 by icsys

[Grandma Petania]

On 2/20/2020 at 2:57 AM, Merion_Mom said:

Your tips cover more than dinner.  They cover all of your meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks.  Staff work all of those venues.

 In addition, the automatically charged gratuities cover crew members who provide housekeeping services, linen laundry, etc. etc. etc.

[cb at sea]

The fee you pay to dine in the "specialty" restaurants does include the tip.  You can tip more, if you feel the need.

[mlbcruiser]

Yes I realize that the gratuity covers more individuals. Increasing since 1972. Spoke to crewmembers on various chips when automatic gratuity’s first began appearing on the cruise bill. Just the same, there are crewmembers to deliver much more personalized service to you then other crewmembers. So we prefer to tip those additionally.

[taglovestocruise]

On 2/20/2020 at 3:31 PM, mlbcruiser said:

So if we pre book a specialty restaurant, are not cruising in the UK (or other VAT location), the 18% is included in the dining fee. Good to know. Thanks so much for the info. 

No that is not correct. There is a service charge added into the total cost. A waiter nay get a few dollars from the service charge. We always leave a tip for the waiter if we use a package for dinner. 

[mlbcruiser]

Now I am totally confused. What I read that prompted my original query said 18% is added to the restaurant fee as a tip, plus 10% more as a service fee. Ok, the 18?is  already built in to the restaurant charge when you precook a reservation. Seems like replies to my question differ. Or I am just not understanding. - ?  Let us only consider sailing out of the US to the Caribbean and back. 

Edited February 22, 2020 by mlbcruiser

[Merion_Mom]

3 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

Now I am totally confused. What I read that prompted my original query said 18% is added to the restaurant fee as a tip, plus 10% more as a service fee. Ok, the 18?is  already built in to the restaurant charge when you precook a reservation. Seems like replies to my question differ. Or I am just not understanding. - ?  Let us only consider sailing out of the US to the Caribbean and back. 

 

Where did it say this?

 

there is no "plus 10% as a service fee".

[mlbcruiser]

I can’t remember. I don’t think it was a post actually. I think it was an article talking about the restaurants on one of the Royal Caribbean megaships. I came across it doing a search to see which  restaurants are on symphony of the seas. It was an article and included a couple of other ships in it. No matter. I’ll find out for myself soon. Thanks.

[Coralc]

On 2/20/2020 at 3:53 PM, icsys said:

If your sailing starts from an EU country then VAT (referred to as Spanish value added tax) is added in addition to the normal 18%

This is charged at the rate of 21% for most products and services purchased onboard and a reduced rate of 10% on beverages and food purchased at the bars and speciality restaurants.

 

To avoid the tax, ensure your sailing visits a non EU or VAT exempt port of call, such as Gibraltar and Kotor.

Ships calling at these ports do not levy any VAT 👍

 

 

 Thank you! The November Transatlantic on Allure departs and stops at only Spanish ports before it heads to the Bahamas. I sort of doubt if that gets them out of the tax. I do recall the VAT being an issue previously. We have purchased our beverages and dining in advance. I appreciate you confirming what I had remembered. 

[kernow]

On Transatlantics they do not charge the tax as the whole cruise is not within the EU.

[katiel53]

I am not going to speak regarding the VAT as I know nothing about it on cruises, only know when I go to Europe and see it there.  My comment is about the 18% gratuity on dining booked online before the cruise, be it an individual restaurant or a package.

 

The website does state gratuity is included, but no where that I have seen does it state that it is  18% or any amount.  I have seen receipts from restaurants posted on the "other site"  showing the 18% was included and there is a space to add an additional tip. 

 

I am still, based on that receipt, not certain, that a decent tip has been included in the price because if booking onboard, the price is 18% higher.  Having said that, we do tip $10 per person for our specialty dinners as we have gotten great service and we do book online.  JMO.

[Merion_Mom]

16 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

I can’t remember. I don’t think it was a post actually. I think it was an article talking about the restaurants on one of the Royal Caribbean megaships. I came across it doing a search to see which  restaurants are on symphony of the seas. It was an article and included a couple of other ships in it. No matter. I’ll find out for myself soon. Thanks.

 

And it apparently was an inaccurate article.  🙂  Or you are not remembering it well.  😉