Daily Service Charges are now officially out of hand

[Donsyb]

2 hours ago, FamilyCruiserUK said:

So back to the OP, at what amount of daily grats do people feel would make them think about other cruise lines or stop cruising? 

25 

30 

40

Etc.....

It depends on the overall cost of the cruise for me, regardless of the split between fare and gratuities. I don’t care how it’s broken down, I just care about the total cost.

[goldfish65]

One small correction I believe to the long post at the top of the page....nowadays, most commonly, credit card tips go on the employee's paycheck....true at one time, we got our tips every night but that changed some time ago. Streamlined the process. 

 

Also my $.02 on tip pools...you may have some team members underperforming because they know they'll still get the same paycheck...but often that person gets some serious peer pressure and scrutiny...in my experience, with a tip pool, we all work together and help one another. 

[nelblu]

5 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think this is a perfect example of how a gratuity based system is far more complicated than a salary based system.🙂

Unfortunately, it's human nature that make everything complicated.  How complex of a system is $16 grats (x suites) pd/pp.

[Ocean Boy]

22 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Unfortunately, it's human nature that make everything complicated.  How complex of a system is $16 grats (x suites) pd/pp.

Math is not complicated.  And you know what is even less complicated.... I agree to pay RCI a certain amount of money to sail on their ship and they compensate their employees. That is really simple. Then you don't even have to know how to do math.

[Longford]

18 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Math is not complicated. Did you read the post I quoted or not? And you know what is even less complicated.... I agree to pay RCI a certain amount of money to sail on their ship and they compensate their employees. That is really simple.

Obviously, the cruise lines transfer some of their employee pay obligations to ship guests.  Not different from what USA restaurants push us to supplement meal prices by 20%, to supplement the low wages they pay their workers.

[Ret MP]

5 minutes ago, Longford said:

Obviously, the cruise lines transfer some of their employee pay obligations to ship guests.  Not different from what USA restaurants push us to supplement meal prices by 20%, to supplement the low wages they pay their workers.

If you work as a server at a Waffle House, yes you are working for low wages.  Cost of meal is low and thus the tip is low, even at 20%.  However, if you work at Ruth's Chris, at 20% and a good location, you are making a very good wage.  And let's be honest, I'd bet that the vast majority of cash tips aren't reported to the IRS, at least a good percentage of them aren't.  

 

One more thing I try to do to advantage the employee/server is I try to make sure I have enough cash on hand to pay my tip in cash, hard to do anymore as I don't usually carry cash.  I've heard (meaning I don't know this for sure) that tips are reduce by the % that the business is charged for charge cards, called the discount rate.  That could be anywhere between ~3 - 5% of the tip reduced.  Other reasons, too, but I won't get into that here.   

 

I do believe in our system here in the U.S.A. Good service/servers get good pay.  Bad service/servers don't.  Being a retired member of the Corporate team of a very large parking management company, I know that the hustlers at an upscale hotel valet make a very good wage, especially for entry level employment folks.  Those that don't hustle usually don't last for more than a week or two.

 

JMHO 

[bonsai3s]

Happy to be cruising. I am saying this humbly and quietly...

 

My first job was as a paperboy delivering the San Francisco Chronicle/Examiner newspaper...in 1967. At the end of each month, I would knock at every door and say politely "paperboy, collecting".

 

For tips, I usually received a quarter...sometimes 50 cents...when a customer gives me a dollar, I was forever grateful.

 

As a young kid, I learned the value of money...so I saved every penny. When I got a bit older, I used that money to buy Chrysler stocks. Everyone told me I was stupid...Chrysler was going bankrupt.

 

I was stupid and stubborn. I bought 100 shares of Chrysler stocks for myself and gifted my dad a 100 shares.

 

Chrysler Corp. hired a guy named Lee Iaccoca...who turned the company around.  The stocks doubled, tripled, quadrupled...split...and the company became Chrysler-Benz.

 

Fast forward a few years..the proceeds from my shares gave me enough money to buy my first house.

 

Fast forward to now...happy, retired, and when I tip, it has a very special meaning. Happy to be cruising.

[Pellaz]

On 12/8/2022 at 10:11 AM, not-enough-cruising said:

All cruise lines pay their crew the same way, it is regulated by international convention. There is a guarantee minimum that must be paid per

month, regardless of gratuity or service charges. The current minimum is $(1200  or 658)USD per month, which is very suitable considering the economic climate most of the workers come from. 

 

Also need to add:   free room and board, free medical for the crew, and the cruise line pays for crew repatriation to their home country.  Not sure about RCCL, but on CCL if a crewmember opts to stay in the U.S. between contracts, they are paid the equivalent of what the air travel would have cost. 

 

 

On 12/8/2022 at 2:01 PM, FamilyCruiserUK said:

Also how much money is the crew charged for board and lodgings on the ship? 

Crew are not charged for room and board while on ship.  

The menu in the crew dining room might be better than the passengers'.  It rotates every 28 days aboard CCL ships, as opposed to every 8 days for passengers.  

Crew ARE charged for access to wi-fi, but get a discount.  

 

 

[mpdog42]

15 hours ago, Ret MP said:

 

Being retired Army and Law Enforcement, I have no problem telling people where they stand with me and why I do things.  

Exactly....and" that's a rates four snaps for a M and a P" .....(Think..In Living Color )...."I am Blane Edwards..and am Anton Merryweather"....

[cube1982]

Everyone arguing about this is so comical. Fact is the service has gone down and the gratuities have gone up. (and they may go down even further if the once a day room cleaning starts) No way am I paying $450 for "gratuities" …..if anything the gratuities should be lowered. I swear this is the only industry people "worry" about the employees. Do you worry about the McDonalds employees pay, or the furniture store employees pay, or even Walmart employees pay? no, you don't......it boils down to I'm the consumer and its not my responsibility to make up the difference in pay. sorry not sorry.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

3 hours ago, Pellaz said:

 

Also need to add:   free room and board, free medical for the crew, and the cruise line pays for crew repatriation to their home country.  Not sure about RCCL, but on CCL if a crewmember opts to stay in the U.S. between contracts, they are paid the equivalent of what the air travel would have cost. 

 

 

Crew are not charged for room and board while on ship.  

The menu in the crew dining room might be better than the passengers'.  It rotates every 28 days aboard CCL ships, as opposed to every 8 days for passengers.  

Crew ARE charged for access to wi-fi, but get a discount.  

 

 

So not having to pay for their rooms or for utilities, gas elec, water etc, free medical, possible free food, i would say the crew have more disposable income then most people. Their outgoings are far less then someone paid the equivalent wage or more on shore who has to pay all of the above. 

I know they work hard and i know they are away from families but still a good wage when you have very little essential outgoings on board. 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by FamilyCruiserUK

[DirtyDawg]

14 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Math is not complicated.  And you know what is even less complicated.... I agree to pay RCI a certain amount of money to sail on their ship and they compensate their employees. That is really simple. Then you don't even have to know how to do math.

What's the process for removing the auto -tips? Can someone call Guest Services or do they have to go there in person?

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

Can someone call Guest Services or do they have to go there in person?

Either should work.

[Ocean Boy]

7 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

What's the process for removing the auto -tips? Can someone call Guest Services or do they have to go there in person?

Don't know, I've never done it...yet.

[DirtyDawg]

1 minute ago, Ocean Boy said:

Don't know, I've never done it...yet.

I'm the same as you, never bothered in the past but in the future ...  maybe.  

[DirtyDawg]

8 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Either should work.

Thanks,

I try to avoid those lineups at guest services like the plague.  Although I once found a chair within hear-shot of the G.S. desk on a rainy afternoon and was thoroughly entertained. 😉

[Ocean Boy]

14 hours ago, Longford said:

Obviously, the cruise lines transfer some of their employee pay obligations to ship guests.  Not different from what USA restaurants push us to supplement meal prices by 20%, to supplement the low wages they pay their workers.

Yes, the cruise lines like the American tipping system. They just don't like American labor laws or tax system. I wish I had the ability to piecemeal a system like they do.

[A&L_Ont]

On 12/11/2022 at 12:41 AM, Ret MP said:

 

I don't know why cruise lines can't charge gratuities as a percentage of your cruise fare.  As stated in at least one other post, if you pay a fixed rate no matter what class, category, cabin you paid for, the less expensive cabins pay a much higher percentage of gratuity than the more expensive cabins.  20% of your cruise fare doesn't sound unreasonable to me.  As one that usually cruises Star Class (not bragging, just fact), I don't mind paying a little extra for gratuities (which I already do).  But, I don't think the policy of making the prepaid gratuities or making changes onboard optional should be changed.

I’m trying to understand your suggestion above.
 

First off Star Class gratuities are “included”.😉  In reality they are rolled into your cabin cost, as we know they aren’t free.  Trying to add that will not go over well. 

 

Under your proposed suggestion of 20% gratuities a Star Class cabin at $15K for a week would then be charged an additional $3k in tips just for their stewards, MDR room staff, and behind the scenes staff as per normal breakout of tips. Then add tax to that cruise cost increase.  As a regular Star Class guest you also know that is a cabin deal at todays prices. Some regular suites are almost that price. Do you think these services will have improved with that 20% addition?
 

This doesn’t include the Genie tip, specialty dining staff, bartenders along the way etc… that one wishes to tip over and above. How much would you propose the Genie gets in cash if the regular staff get $3k? 
 

At these rates we are beyond mass market cruise lines and closer to the Ritz Carlton yachts, or a private yacht over a cabin on deck 17. 
 

 

 

[blueslily]

On 12/8/2022 at 9:08 AM, gumshoe958 said:

NCL have also started charging for room service continental breakfast this week. Let’s see if Royal does the same.

 

Face it, prices everywhere are rising fast. Cruise lines aren’t immune. We’ve already seen Royal trial cuts to MDR menus and cabin cleaning. I doubt very much that’s the end of it. I would guess every department’s been told to make savings and they’re starting to filter through to the passenger experience.

 

On Symphony now, MDR dinner menu does include the classics and cabin cleaning service is twice per day. I guess people have different experiences. I've seen people make comments on here about reductions in bith, but my experience right now is different. Happy sailing everyone. 

[ballarinamom]

On 12/9/2022 at 9:22 PM, Ocean Boy said:

And how does it really make sense to tip on a percentage of a bill? Does a server work more bringing me a $30 steak than he/she does bringing me a $10 hamburger?

The point being, someone said they will tip 20@ of the cruise price- the discounted price. The reminder is that you do not tip in a restaurant on the bill AFTER discount. So if they are going to tip 20% of heir cruise rate, make sure its not the discount and where kids cruise free.

[nelblu]

17 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Math is not complicated.  And you know what is even less complicated.... I agree to pay RCI a certain amount of money to sail on their ship and they compensate their employees. That is really simple. Then you don't even have to know how to do math.

Just consider the $16 pd as part of the total fare.  No calculations required and pretty simple.

 

First of all, I don't know why Royal allows Paxs to opt out.  Also, for those that opt out and say that they will tip accordingly based on service, this may be a simple excuse for not tipping at all.

 

Maybe they should call it a service charge.

[LGW59]

On 12/8/2022 at 8:48 AM, bjlaac said:

We have several cruises booked, mostly with RCL, but do have one with NCL.  Just got a letter they are "nominally" raising the daily service charge from $16.00 to $20.00 for those below their version of suites and $25 for everyone above.  This is a 25% increase, which is hardly nominal, and comes on top of the April 2022 increase to $16.00.

 

Now I'm all for tipping the crew and don't believe the removal of these charges are warranted unless there's a real good reason, but this is rediculous!  How long before RCL follows suit?

Is it going to cause you to stop cruising?

[Ocean Boy]

19 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Just consider the $16 pd as part of the total fare.  No calculations required and pretty simple.

 

First of all, I don't know why Royal allows Paxs to opt out.  Also, for those that opt out and say that they will tip accordingly based on service, this may be a simple excuse for not tipping at all.

 

Maybe they should call it a service charge.

Yup, this is like the never ending story. Call it a tip, a service charge, include it in the fare...... 

[pfm18]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

Just consider the $16 pd as part of the total fare.  No calculations required and pretty simple.

 

First of all, I don't know why Royal allows Paxs to opt out.  Also, for those that opt out and say that they will tip accordingly based on service, this may be a simple excuse for not tipping at all.

 

Maybe they should call it a service charge.

 

If they aren’t going to allow opt outs, why bother billing it explicitly at all? Just push the price up by $16 per person per day and remove any expectation of tipping at all.

 

[kirtihk]

On 12/8/2022 at 8:54 AM, Diver2014 said:

If you can't afford to tip, don't cruise.  Flames, anyone?

If you can't afford to eat, parish.

 

Voyage, Voyage!

Edited December 12, 2022 by kirtihk