Gratuity question.

[Ret MP]

On 12/24/2022 at 11:26 AM, Tree_skier said:

TA's don't get commission off prepaid tips or taxes and fees.  Their commission is based off of fare paid.

Yep, pre-paid gratuities are already part of the invoice, if you elect to pre-pay them.  But, it is separated from the fare.  

 

 

Also, if someone elects not to pre-pay the gratuities, they are added to the onboard account, daily.  So, if someone doesn't like the service received today, he/she can go to customer service and have them remove the gratuity fee for the/that day.  Not that anyone would notice, especially the offending crew member(s).  

[not-enough-cruising]

7 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Exactly.

 

Do the easy thing:  Just pay up front and don't think about it again.  

Taking care of it on your own is just as easy.

[Tree_skier]

6 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Only if the head waiter did something other than come to your table to remind d you of the post cruise survey.

I haven't had a "tip-able" interaction with the head waiter in a long time.

I would have said the same thing until my last cruise.  On navigator the HW came by every night, each offering some unique thing.  One night it was a special off menu curry dish, another night it was a special off menu dessert that my grand daughter said she would like.  She was truly remarkable.

[Mum2Mercury]

11 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Taking care of it on your own is just as easy.

Disagree for several reasons: 

 

- If you pay ahead of time, you just include it with your cruise bill.  You don't have to think about it on your vacation.  That's literally no effort on your part; well, no additional effort since you're going to pay for your cruise ticket ahead of time. 

- If you have the RC VISA, you can earn extra points, taking you a bit closer to On Board Credit. Okay, that's not about saving effort, but having free money is certainly a good thing.  

- If you pay via envelopes onboard, you have to consider whom to include /exclude in your generosity, and you have to bring the cash onboard to divide up into those little envelopes.  Speaking only for myself, since I rarely spend cash at home, this would require a trip to the bank to obtain small bills.  

- If you pay with envelopes, you have to find the right people -- your cabin steward will be easy enough to find, but occasionally your wait staff are "switched up" without warning.  

- You have no way to tip the "behind the scenes" staff who do quite a bit to make your vacation nice.  

Edited January 19, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Mum2Mercury]

14 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Only if the head waiter did something other than come to your table to remind d you of the post cruise survey.

I haven't had a "tip-able" interaction with the head waiter in a long time.

I think I did:  On our last cruise, we found our table assignment unacceptable.  I went to the head waiter (on Day 1), and he immediately changed us to a table I liked.  

 

Regardless, I'd say that the Head Waiter's job is one of those things that -- when it's done well -- is invisible.  That is, he doesn't directly interact with guests that much, but he manages all the wait staff; he makes sure they have everything they need, schedules them, and takes care of emergencies.  In that manner, he helps every guest, even if he never speaks to them.

[not-enough-cruising]

15 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

I would have said the same thing until my last cruise.  On navigator the HW came by every night, each offering some unique thing.  One night it was a special off menu curry dish, another night it was a special off menu dessert that my grand daughter said she would like.  She was truly remarkable.

That is great to hear; I agree, this type of interaction is deserving of recognition.

[Morecruisesplz]

9 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I think I did:  On our last cruise, we found our table assignment unacceptable.  I went to the head waiter (on Day 1), and he immediately changed us to a table I liked.  

 

Regardless, I'd say that the Head Waiter's job is one of those things that -- when it's done well -- is invisible.  That is, he doesn't directly interact with guests that much, but he manages all the wait staff; he makes sure they have everything they need, schedules them, and takes care of emergencies.  In that manner, he helps every guest, even if he never speaks to them.

On the Explorer B3B. The headwaiter did involve herself and screwed everything up on cruise 2 and 3. Then she blamed the screw ups on waiters. 

[not-enough-cruising]

12 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Disagree for several reasons: 

 

- If you pay ahead of time, you just include it with your cruise bill.  You don't have to think about it on your vacation.  That's literally no effort on your part; well, no additional effort since you're going to pay for your cruise ticket ahead of time. 

     Why would i give a corporation EXTRA money to hold onto??

- If you have the RC VISA, you can earn extra points, taking you a bit closer to On Board Credit. Okay, that's not about saving effort, but having free money is certainly a good thing.  

     I do not find this credit card worth much at all, there is a long list of travel specific reward cards that are a much better bang for your buck

- If you pay via envelopes onboard, you have to consider whom to include /exclude in your generosity, and you have to bring the cash onboard to divide up into those little envelopes.  Speaking only for myself, since I rarely spend cash at home, this would require a trip to the bank to obtain small bills.  

     Not a problem at all, I always have cash when traveling. Whom I include in my tipping is always decided by the people I interact with, no thought at all is required on my part. 

- If you pay with envelopes, you have to find the right people -- your cabin steward will be easy enough to find, but occasionally your wait staff are "switched up" without warning.

     Wait staff are handled daily, no problems  

- You have no way to tip the "behind the scenes" staff who do quite a bit to make your vacation nice.

     Behind the scenes people aren't even a consideration in my tipping plans.   

 

[not-enough-cruising]

4 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

On the Explorer B3B. The headwaiter did involve herself and screwed everything up on cruise 2 and 3. Then she blamed the screw ups on waiters. 

That stinks.  I can accept sometimes things get fouled up; I will not accept a lack of responsibility and certainly won't tolerate blaming third parties.

[not-enough-cruising]

16 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I think I did:  On our last cruise, we found our table assignment unacceptable.  I went to the head waiter (on Day 1), and he immediately changed us to a table I liked.  

 

Regardless, I'd say that the Head Waiter's job is one of those things that -- when it's done well -- is invisible.  That is, he doesn't directly interact with guests that much, but he manages all the wait staff; he makes sure they have everything they need, schedules them, and takes care of emergencies.  In that manner, he helps every guest, even if he never speaks to them.

That is his job

[Barbrielle]

Does RCL provide envelopes for tipping?

[neverbeenhere]

Ask and ye shall receive 

seek and ye shall find

knock and someone will say; go away!!!

[discru]

1 hour ago, Barbrielle said:

Does RCL provide envelopes for tipping?

Yes. You can also go by Guest Services and request more. 

[Coralc]

1 hour ago, Barbrielle said:

Does RCL provide envelopes for tipping?

Welcome to Cruise Critic. ☺️ They do provide envelopes for additional tips. Your daily gratuities will be removed your account, unless you have pre-paid in advance.

[audcc77]

7 hours ago, Coralc said:

Your daily gratuities will be removed your account, unless you have pre-paid in advance.

Huh?  I’m new here.  What does this mean?

 

Are you saying that I have to prepay my grats prior to sailing?  
 

Otherwise, they automatically remove them at the end of the cruise?

 

 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

21 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

Huh?  I’m new here.  What does this mean?

 

Are you saying that I have to prepay my grats prior to sailing?  
 

Otherwise, they automatically remove them at the end of the cruise?

 

 

Welcome along. Simple answer not the rights and wrongs of tipping.

 

You can prepay 

Or 

You can remove the pre pay option and you get a daily ammount automatically added to your onboard account during the cruise.

Or 

You can go to guest services and remove the tips and tip who you want with cash. Usually in envelops at end of cruise.

👍