Do room stewards know that you prepaid gratiuties?

[jkx]

I usually do it so I don't have to worry about it at the end, but it would be nice to get the service at the beginning of the cruise from the room steward since he/she knows that his tips were paid for.

[hal2008]

Yes, they know 

When someone go to service desk and remove them on the last evening, they get to know that too 

 

Some people like to pay something extra based on service received 

[smokeybandit]

I don't think they care if you prepay, do they?

[Vibe]

The cabin stewards work very hard and deserve the gratuities. Please don't remove them. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Vibe

[ssb]

14 minutes ago, Vibe said:

The cabin stewards work very hard and deserve the gratuities. Please don't remove them. 

It would all depend on how much you tip him at the end of the cruise . 

[davekathy]

Our gratuities are paid daily for the cabin attendant and MDR waitstaff. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by davekathy

[neverbeenhere]

The world is a wonderful place, it is back to normal. I saw some chair hog comments the other day too. 
 

Bliss.

[Bird82]

1 hour ago, Vibe said:

The cabin stewards work very hard and deserve the gratuities. Please don't remove them. 

I’m going to remove them. 

[RandomUser123]

What extra are you looking for because you prepaid ahead of time?

[PolicromaSol]

I remember doing this years ago, and someone mentioned/suggested people who pay their gratuities all at once to get things like two dollar bills or particularly collectible coins for tips, just so that you have something to give.

 

Makes me feel better that they know, though. Tip creep is scary.

[CanHardlyWait4NextYear]

I think people knowing you tipped in advance and/or adjusted your tips is just wrong. To me it makes it a "Fee" not a "Tip". Kinda wish they would call it what it is. A Tip is something you give for good service at a suggested rate. Not something you are forced to pay and shamed if you don't. Apparently even put on a list for all crew to see. Feels like cruise lines are thugs and it's a shake down. I just think taking care of those who took care of you without being forced is so much more a class act.

[rudeney]

"Tip creep" is a real problem.   I'm not talking about traditional tipped positions like restaurant and bar servers, cruise ship crew, etc. but the almost endless line of people who have their hands out for a tip.  Fast food and counter service restaurants have "tip jars" or "tip buttons" on their pay pads.  What's next?  Will I have to tip my HOA representative?  My veterinarian?  The cashier at the Dollar General?  I've long been a proponent of tipping because I believe it puts the customer in charge of the service provider's compensation where it's the customer who is in the best position to evaluate performance.  But this expectation that every person who deals with the public "deserves" a tip is just ridiculous.  I think the pendulum will swing so far out that people will get "tip overload" and just stop tipping everyone.  

[Vibe]

1 hour ago, Bird82 said:

I’m going to remove them. 

Hope that you don't get the "urban dictionary: Jamaican Toothbrush"

Edited August 19, 2022 by Vibe

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, Bird82 said:

I’m going to remove them. 

Your choice. But a question. The auto tips are split between those you see (cabin steward, waiter etc) and those you don't (laundry for example) you can get a breakdown at Guest Services. If you remove the auto you can tip those you see. How do you tip the others or are you happy for them not to be tipped?

[Coralc]

4 hours ago, CanHardlyWait4NextYear said:

I think people knowing you tipped in advance and/or adjusted your tips is just wrong. To me it makes it a "Fee" not a "Tip". Kinda wish they would call it what it is. A Tip is something you give for good service at a suggested rate. Not something you are forced to pay and shamed if you don't. Apparently even put on a list for all crew to see. Feels like cruise lines are thugs and it's a shake down. I just think taking care of those who took care of you without being forced is so much more a class act.

 

It is a Fee. And it will be taken out either beforehand or daily. We prefer to pay it in advance. 

[gavvy]

On my booking form its listed as 'onboard service fee' to me that is not a tip and means the company can do what it likes with it, thats what I dont like about this, its all a bit of a grey area with nobody really knowing where 100% of your money is going.

As its a fee I think you are basically paying the wges of those impacted, rather than something extra for good service- which to me is what a tip is.

[Coralc]

We don't really care. It has always been part of cruising, and it doesn't even factor into our vacation enjoyment. We spend more time on bar server tips. The daily gratuities are no different than a resort fee. (to us) 

[Bird82]

6 hours ago, Vibe said:

Hope that you don't get the "urban dictionary: Jamaican Toothbrush"

I’m not squeamish. It will help strengthen my immune system. 

[Zingy2]

Just include gratuities into the pricing, like Australia and other countries do.  Problem solved.  If an individual wishes to provide additional, individual gratuities to individuals they deem earned it during the course of their cruise/vacation, then so be it.  If an individual is unhappy with the service provided, then notify the appropriate management staff.  Let the management deal with it.

[gingerpeaches]

3 hours ago, the penguins said:

Your choice. But a question. The auto tips are split between those you see (cabin steward, waiter etc) and those you don't (laundry for example) 

 

32 minutes ago, Bird82 said:

How do I know what kind of job they are doing or how good of a job they are doing if I never even see them?  How do I know how much to tip them if I never see them?  They can literally be doing  an amazing job or standing around scratching their butts doing nothing and I would never know the difference because I never see them. Tell me one other person in this world that you are supposed to tip that you either never see or never see their direct work. Hotel housekeepers I tip and I do see very little of them but I also see their direct work in my room. I

Guess you won't mind sleeping on unwashed sheets or using someone else's dirty towels then.

 

34 minutes ago, Bird82 said:

Are you hearing yourself?  Do you realize how stupid that sounds? 

Harsh.

[Maria63]

I wonder, could the dispute and disagreement be resolved if you consider the difference between a service charge and a tip?

 

I'm not sure, but isn't there a technical difference along the lines that a service charge belongs to the business owner (ie the cruise company) while a tip is personal. The charge automatically added to the bill daily, looks to me like a typical service charge. What you chose to give on top of that, for instance to your cabin attendant, is of course a tip.

 

Arguably, the daily service charge (per definition above) might just as well be included in the advertised cruise fare. Some companies actually seem to be considering doing  this (the article is from 2018, so not quite fresh and Crystal was still afloat):

 

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2018/10/16/cruise-ship-service-charges-gratuity-fees-every-line/1600311002/

 

Still, the practice of adding a gratuity charge to bills is at a crossroads in the industry. While mass-market ocean lines such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are hiking the fees at a rapid rate, a growing number of more upscale ocean lines including Azamara, Crystal, Seabourn, Regent and SeaDream have been eliminating them. The practice also is disappearing at some river lines. Uniworld, Tauck and Scenic Cruises are among those that now include gratuities for crew members in base fares.

[LEMJMcC]

10 hours ago, ssb said:

It would all depend on how much you tip him at the end of the cruise . 

And the service they provide.  Not all perform the same.  We've had over-the-top fantastic service on Brilliance from our stewardess (she set the bar pretty high for all others), but rather lack luster service on Mariner and Oasis from those stewards.

 

I prefer to tip as service is provided.  When I stay at a hotel, I don't pre-pay; there's no reason I should do so on a cruise ship for essentially the same service.  If they perform well, I tip well.  And no, someone pouring a cup of coffee and setting it on a counter doesn't count as service...if they deliver it to my table or my lounge chair, that's another matter.

[LEMJMcC]

1 hour ago, gingerpeaches said:

 

Guess you won't mind sleeping on unwashed sheets or using someone else's dirty towels then.

 

Harsh.

They are PAID to do their job which includes laundering sheets, towels, etc.  I don't get tipped because I show up at work and do my job, I get paid.  

[bjlaac]

Tipping/gratuity charges and fees are such a touchy area and the cruise lines have made it worse with their never ending increases and secrecy as to where the money actually goes.  We for the most part leave the daily charge and provide additional tips for extra ordinary service.  We will adjust the prepaid amounts if there's an issue that is not resolved by management which is rare, and if we do, make sure the people who actually serve us get extra.

 

The problem I have with the prepaid fees is this BS about money going to the "behind the scenes" worker which to me is a load of crap.  No where in the world do you tip the laundry workers or dishwashers or anyone else that do not directly serve you.  Over the years, what was once just an easier way to pre-pay the waiter and cabin steward evolved into this convoluted money grab by the cruise industry with made up people you have to tip.

 

In the end, everyone should do what they feel is best for them and their families.  Gratuities are what they are and should be treated accordingly be individuals.  If you feel like paying the service charge and tip on top of that fine.  If you choose to remove them and pay your actual cabin stewards, bar tenders and waiters separately fine, and even if you choose to tip nothing its your choice as long as the cruise lines give you that opportunity.  Either way its not for us to be the shame police or critics if someone chooses to be a big spender and double tip.

 

 

[Joseph2017China]

I could care less of what they know, don't know, or what others opinions are.  Prepaid tips, is the customary amount for the international industry called cruises.  I tip the customary amount.  How and who gets it, I don't care, I don't ask, and I have never had an employee give me bad service.