% of guests who remove gratuities

[kruzerci]

Not a tipping debate thread. But curious to know if anybody had ever heard an approximation of what percentage of guests remove the automatic gratuities on Royal sailings. I overheard a number of requests on the last day of our most recent sailing. Please keep the debate and thoughts on why this should not be done out- that topic has been beat to death. 

[firefly333]

I seriously doubt rcl would release this information.  I doubt anyone on cc knows. 

[kruzerci]

Just now, firefly333 said:

I seriously doubt rcl would release this information.  I doubt anyone on cc knows. 

I wouldn’t expect them to 🙄. If multiple people have heard from chats with crew or concierges it would be a reasonable indicator. 

[soremekun]

I would think it's a low number.  Perhaps 3-5%.

[ante2001]

I always do because i like to personally give cash to the people that help me throughout the cruise. This way, I know it’s going directly into their pocket and they don’t have to share it with anyone.

[Ozark_Kid]

1 minute ago, soremekun said:

I would think it's a low number.  Perhaps 3-5%.

3.7% was my first thought.  Just a guess. 

[PhillyFan33579]

2 minutes ago, ante2001 said:

I always do because i like to personally give cash to the people that help me throughout the cruise. This way, I know it’s going directly into their pocket and they don’t have to share it with anyone.

You are screwing over a lot of people who work behind the scenes when you don’t pay gratuities.

[crewsweeper]

3 minutes ago, ante2001 said:

I always do because i like to personally give cash to the people that help me throughout the cruise. This way, I know it’s going directly into their pocket and they don’t have to share it with anyone.

This is where extra $ come in.  To those who personally served you or had direct contact with you..  What happens with removing all gratuities is you that $ away those people behind the scenes that helped make your cruise enjoyable.

[PhillyFan33579]

9 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

Not a tipping debate thread. But curious to know if anybody had ever heard an approximation of what percentage of guests remove the automatic gratuities on Royal sailings. I overheard a number of requests on the last day of our most recent sailing. Please keep the debate and thoughts on why this should not be done out- that topic has been beat to death. 

According to a cabin steward I am friendly with having cruised with him many times, on average about 1 in 10 cabins remove gratuities, which would be 10 percent. He also said he knows who removes gratuities because his boss will always say something similar to did anything happen in cabin xxx that caused them to remove gratuities? He also said RCI tracks people who don’t pay gratuities, but that is pretty well known on this board. 

[ante2001]

4 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

This is where extra $ come in.  To those who personally served you or had direct contact with you..  What happens with removing all gratuities is you that $ away those people behind the scenes that helped make your cruise enjoyable.

Actually, I like tradition and I’ve been cruising for a long time, and we always tipped the waiters a sister, Wieters head, waiters and cabin steward directly. If I feel anyone else deserves a tip, i tip them appropriately 

[easyqueasy]

I heard bookings in Australia the tips are included (no option for pre-paid gratuities) so no way (or need) to remove. Are there bookings from other countries that gratuities are built into the fare that people know of? I don’t know the answer but I would say it depends on where the sailings are from.

[Starry Eyes]

I’d also suspect variation by region.

[soremekun]

Semi off-topic.

Features Royal Caribbean offers in other countries but not in U.S. but I would love to see here:

 

-included gratuities

-cruises to nowhere

-smoke-free casinos (I don't gamble but pass through for convenience)

Edited February 25, 2023 by soremekun

[little britain]

45 minutes ago, soremekun said:

I would think it's a low number.  Perhaps 3-5%.

On cruises from UK I’d go for 30%
 

 

[little britain]

2 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Semi off-topic.

Features Royal Caribbean offers in other countries but not in U.S. but I would love to see here:

 

-included gratuities

-cruises to nowhere

-smoke-free casinos

In UK when you book MTD you have to prepay the grats. They reintroduced this a few years ago with no announcements. 

[DallasGuy75219]

18 minutes ago, easyqueasy said:

I heard bookings in Australia the tips are included (no option for pre-paid gratuities) so no way (or need) to remove. Are there bookings from other countries that gratuities are built into the fare that people know of? I don’t know the answer but I would say it depends on where the sailings are from.

Not necessarily but into the fare but mandatory prepaid.  One of the ships (Carnival?) doing 7 day Southern Caribbean itineraries out of San Juan would also let people start and end their cruise in Barbados.  These folks were primarily from the UK, as Barbados is a British commonwealth.  They had to prepay mandatory gratuities due to the UK not having the same tipping culture as the primarily American pax sailing out of San Juan.

[taglovestocruise]

59 minutes ago, ante2001 said:

I always do because i like to personally give cash to the people that help me throughout the cruise. This way, I know it’s going directly into their pocket and they don’t have to share it with anyone.

How wrong you are. When auto grats are removed the waitstaff and room stewards turn that amount you give them into the ships tip pool. Curious as how you get your cash to all the behind the scenes works who share in the tip pool. 

[RedIguana]

20 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Semi off-topic.

Features Royal Caribbean offers in other countries but not in U.S. but I would love to see here:

 

 

-cruises to nowhere

 

Nothing Royal can do about this one, it is due to the PVSA. Although those of us in Florida within driving distance of 4-5 ports pretty much count cruises to coco cay and Nassau as cruises to nowhere

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, kruzerci said:

I wouldn’t expect them to 🙄. If multiple people have heard from chats with crew or concierges it would be a reasonable indicator. 

Nope, wouldn't trust that their information would be accurate either

[ante2001]

2 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

How wrong you are. When auto grats are removed the waitstaff and room stewards turn that amount you give them into the ships tip pool. Curious as how you get your cash to all the behind the scenes works who share in the tip pool. 

The same way they got paid before when we always tipped the way that i tip . I ask for envelopes at the customer service desk   so I can tip and they gladly give them to me. A lot of people do this.

[GTO-Girl]

Just now, ante2001 said:

The same way they got paid before when we always tipped the way that i tip . I ask for envelopes at the customer service desk   so I can tip and they gladly give them to me. A lot of people do this.

I get envelopes from Guest Services but it is only to tip extra to those who I have had great service from….my gratuities are pre-paid before boarding.

 

My only hope is that those who remove their tips do so at the beginning of the cruise rather than wait until the last day so that the crew will know it was not because of something they did wrong!!

[chengkp75]

10 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

Nothing Royal can do about this one, it is due to the PVSA. Although those of us in Florida within driving distance of 4-5 ports pretty much count cruises to coco cay and Nassau as cruises to nowhere

Actually,  the PVSA specifically allows cruises to nowhere. It is CBP's requirements for work visas for the crew.

[ante2001]

4 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

I get envelopes from Guest Services but it is only to tip extra to those who I have had great service from….my gratuities are pre-paid before boarding.

 

My only hope is that those who remove their tips do so at the beginning of the cruise rather than wait until the last day so that the crew will know it was not because of something they did wrong!!

I always remove the gratuity, in the beginning of the cruise

[RedIguana]

5 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Actually,  the PVSA specifically allows cruises to nowhere. It is CBP's requirements for work visas for the crew.

Duh..I goofed. As long as it is closed loop it is allowed by PVSA 🙂

Edited February 25, 2023 by RedIguana
added by PVSA

[cannotfathom]

20 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

How wrong you are. When auto grats are removed the waitstaff and room stewards turn that amount you give them into the ships tip pool. Curious as how you get your cash to all the behind the scenes works who share in the tip pool. 

Hmmm I don't think if you hand them the $$$ directly they will pool it.  Maybe if you put in an envelop at guest services.