Tipping at end

[ONECRUISER]

17 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I wonder if all those on the "other" thread that are prepaying to save $1.50 still give extra cash to people.  I wouldn't think so if saying a buck and a half a day is that important  Just sayin😇

True! Though for some increase alone could add up. Me, doing B5B inc Panama Canal starting next month, along with my other Booked Cruises 75+ nites in next 14 Months so for me $1.50 does add up. Most of the time I DO tip extra and I'm easy! SOLO, having Cabin cleaned only in Evenings, having same one for weeks with no change over deep clean for Room Attendant

Edited August 24, 2022 by ONECRUISER

[Morecruisesplz]

On 8/23/2022 at 9:56 AM, brillohead said:

It's obviously been a VERY VERY VERY long time since you cruised, because the tips get added daily, not in a lump sum the morning of debarkation.  Been that way since I started cruising with Royal almost a decade ago.

Unless you prepay. And tipping was up to the customer not so very long ago! 

[Merion_Mom]

3 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

True! Though for some increase alone could add up. Me, doing B5B inc Panama Canal starting next month, along with my other Booked Cruises 75+ nites in next 14 Months so for me $1.50 does add up. Most of the time I DO tip extra and I'm easy! SOLO, having Cabin cleaned only in Evenings, having same one for weeks with no change over deep clean for Room Attendant

 

That's like complaining that you are paying twice as much as Joe Blow is paying, when he is cruising for one week and you are cruising for two.

 

Or another way to look at your "reasoning":  You are solo in the cabin for all those weeks.  Your cabin steward is only getting one person's "auto grats".  

 

So, if I were you, I would..................ST.................

[jolly3]

It's been a while since we've cruised and a lot of things have changed. Can you still opp out of having gratuities automatically added to you bill and tip with cash in envelopes at end of cruise?

[Merion_Mom]

1 minute ago, jolly3 said:

It's been a while since we've cruised and a lot of things have changed. Can you still opp out of having gratuities automatically added to you bill and tip with cash in envelopes at end of cruise?

 

 

You "can" do anything you want.

[Hutcha]

38 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

That's like complaining that you are paying twice as much as Joe Blow is paying, when he is cruising for one week and you are cruising for two.

 

Or another way to look at your "reasoning":  You are solo in the cabin for all those weeks.  Your cabin steward is only getting one person's "auto grats".  

 

So, if I were you, I would..................ST.................

Where do you get that they are complaining??? They are only saying that with 75 days of cruising booked, prepaying before the increase saves more than a couple of bucks. As a side not they mention that they DO tip extra, and they are easy, with few needs.

 

Maybe slow down and read, on your race to 100K posts.....or maybe....... ST? 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Hutcha

[Merion_Mom]

1 minute ago, Hutcha said:

Where do you get that they are complaining??? They are only saying that with 75 days of cruising booked, prepaying before the increase saves more than a couple of bucks. As a side not they mention that the DO tip extra, and they are easy, with few needs.

 

Maybe slow down and read, on your race to 100K posts.....or maybe....... ST? 

 

"It does add up" sounds like a complaint to me.  But you do you.

[Hutcha]

22 minutes ago, jolly3 said:

It's been a while since we've cruised and a lot of things have changed. Can you still opp out of having gratuities automatically added to you bill and tip with cash in envelopes at end of cruise?

Yes you can, however a lot of people that receive the gratuities would not get them. Behind the scenes folks, Windjammer, etc. Also, it's been reported that your waiter and room steward are "supposed to" turn their tips into the pool. Why they would lie about that escapes me. It only would incentivize you to not tip them directly

[Hutcha]

8 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

"It does add up" sounds like a complaint to me.  But you do you.

 

YAY for you! One post closer!!

I broke it down for you

 

  

4 hours ago, molly361 said:

I wouldn't think so if saying a buck and a half a day is that important  Just sayin😇

 

4 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

True! Though for some increase alone could add up.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by Hutcha

[brillohead]

My TA emailed me today to ask if I wanted to add grats to my upcoming cruises (nine this fall, three in January), but I would actually prefer to pay the higher amount and have the crew get that extra money.

Yes, it adds up when you're doing that many cruises in a row, but I figure if my cost of living has gone up, so has the crew's cost of living (back home), so they deserve the extra $1.50/day.  Ten bucks a week isn't going to make or break my cruise expenses.  

This really is such a First World Problem, and it says a lot about a person who begrudges the cruise ship staffing a decent wage.  

[Morecruisesplz]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

My TA emailed me today to ask if I wanted to add grats to my upcoming cruises (nine this fall, three in January), but I would actually prefer to pay the higher amount and have the crew get that extra money.

Yes, it adds up when you're doing that many cruises in a row, but I figure if my cost of living has gone up, so has the crew's cost of living (back home), so they deserve the extra $1.50/day.  Ten bucks a week isn't going to make or break my cruise expenses.  

This really is such a First World Problem, and it says a lot about a person who begrudges the cruise ship staffing a decent wage.  

Sounds a lot like bragging 🤔 

[brillohead]

32 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Sounds a lot like bragging 🤔 

 

[DaKahuna]

13 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

True! Though for some increase alone could add up. Me, doing B5B inc Panama Canal starting next month, along with my other Booked Cruises 75+ nites in next 14 Months so for me $1.50 does add up. Most of the time I DO tip extra and I'm easy! SOLO, having Cabin cleaned only in Evenings, having same one for weeks with no change over deep clean for Room Attendant

 So when doing consecutive cruises and you want to tip extra do you do it at the end of each cruise or at the end of the last cruise?

 

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 8/23/2022 at 8:35 AM, Scotico said:

I know some people on here get bent out of shape when mentioning tipping out in cash.  Typically we just close out the account the night before we leave by going to the desk and paying cash.  In the past when we have done this, the next morning there is several hundred $$ in tips added that we could have just handled in giving enveloped with cash.  It's been a while since we have cruised but remember having to go to the desk to have the tips removed from the account so you can tip cash.

I didn't know that RCL added the tips to your account the morning you are getting off.

 

Live and learn. 🙂

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

I didn't know that RCL added the tips to your account the morning you are getting off.

 

Live and learn. 🙂

They don't.  They add them daily.

[ReneeFLL]

On 8/23/2022 at 3:10 PM, taglovestocruise said:

Just be aware that when auto tips are removed the MDR wait staff and cabin stewards are required to turn that cash over and into the tip pool.  Then the cash is evenly distributed to all those you left out. 

 

On 8/23/2022 at 9:11 PM, taglovestocruise said:

Just ask a room attendant or any waitstaff personal and they will confirm. 

I did just that. Years ago there was a big debate on here if the attendants got to keep cash that was given to them. Because of this I asked my cabin attendant. She said yes she would be able to keep it herself. Besides, how would Royal really know how much an attendant is given? 
 

Edited August 25, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[livingonthebeach]

14 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

I did just that. Years ago there was a big debate on here if the attendants got to keep cash that was given to them. Because of this I asked my cabin attendant. She said yes she would be able to keep it herself. Besides, how would Royal really know how much an attendant is given? 

 

This makes the most sense.  How could RCI possibly know the amount of cash one puts in an envelope? From my experience, the crew I receive services from are more than happy to receive cash directly.  It makes me feel good knowing that that the crew members are getting 100% of the cash I give them.  I'm not sold on the percentages RCI purports to give to them. 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

13 hours ago, jolly3 said:

It's been a while since we've cruised and a lot of things have changed. Can you still opp out of having gratuities automatically added to you bill and tip with cash in envelopes at end of cruise?

Yes of course. Guest service on boarding day usually have someone going down the waiting line and taking peoples room number to stop auto gratuities. Its entirely your choice. 

[motheroftwocats814]

We prepay the gratuities. Then tip extra in cash to bartenders, MDR staff, room stewards etc. They work hard.

[Scotico]

So not sure I saw it here, but for any tip you give that over and above the normal rate, is the employee obligated to also put that into the tip pool to share among their co-workers or could they just pocket it.  Reason why I say this is because our last cruise, which was a long time ago (due to having kids), our waiter at the dining room went way over and above for us every night (he was from Colombia and in fact from the same town as my wife).  We only spoke in Spanish which made him happy.  He had drinks always waiting for us when we arrived and always brought out extra items for us to try.  Well the last night we had him, we gave him a really nice extra tip for everything he did.  We told him to pocket it and buy something nice for himself.  We really hope none of it went to the Maître d' since he tried a few times to switch us to a different area because of the extra attention the waiter gave us.

[ONECRUISER]

7 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 So when doing consecutive cruises and you want to tip extra do you do it at the end of each cruise or at the end of the last cruise?

 

Yes, at end of each Cruise. Besides only happen once but possible Room Attendant for that Cabin could change for next Cruise

[Cigar King]

11 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

So when doing consecutive cruises and you want to tip extra do you do it at the end of each cruise or at the end of the last cruise?

I do.  People often move between cruises so the person doing the job today may be different on the next one.

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, Scotico said:

So not sure I saw it here, but for any tip you give that over and above the normal rate, is the employee obligated to also put that into the tip pool to share among their co-workers or could they just pocket it.  Reason why I say this is because our last cruise, which was a long time ago (due to having kids), our waiter at the dining room went way over and above for us every night (he was from Colombia and in fact from the same town as my wife).  We only spoke in Spanish which made him happy.  He had drinks always waiting for us when we arrived and always brought out extra items for us to try.  Well the last night we had him, we gave him a really nice extra tip for everything he did.  We told him to pocket it and buy something nice for himself.  We really hope none of it went to the Maître d' since he tried a few times to switch us to a different area because of the extra attention the waiter gave us.

I've been told that additional cash given (over and above the gratuities) can be kept by the crew person.  

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, ONECRUISER said:

Yes, at end of each Cruise. Besides only happen once but possible Room Attendant for that Cabin could change for next Cruise

 

2 hours ago, Cigar King said:

I do.  People often move between cruises so the person doing the job today may be different on the next one.

 

Thank you both for your responses.  

 

 We are in the same cabin for both sailings but never considered the Room Attendant or dining room wait staff could be different.

[Wineaux007]

I thought the rule of thumb was, if you remove your gratuities and give your stateroom attendant cash, he has to turn that in to the pool to be spread among those folks.  If you leave auto gratuities on and give your stateroom attendant extra cash, he gets to keep it.  Same for the dining room wait staff.  That sounds the most logical, so best for me to leave auto grats on and tip extra if desired.