Is tipping mandatory

[teddie]

2 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

 

You can hope, but you don't know.  Just like no one here KNOWS that cash goes into the pool. 

Well, that is my point...

 

Teddie

[tvo7]

How about downgrading tips.  Can you ask CS, that you do not want to give 18 dollars pp per day,  instead 10 dollars per person per day?

 

[Another_Critic]

5 minutes ago, tvo7 said:

How about downgrading tips.  Can you ask CS, that you do not want to give 18 dollars pp per day,  instead 10 dollars per person per day?

 

Supposedly auto gratuities are all ($18) or nothing ($0).

[not-enough-cruising]

9 hours ago, uvadover said:

When you resort to yelling, you've lost.  But it clearly touched a nerve that removing auto-gratuities is typically the sign of a miser, who will gladly stiff the staff to save a few bucks on an otherwise awesome vacation.

Read the room, my yelling was simply in reply to the yelling of the post I quoted. 
 

No nerve to touch here, I am very comfortable in the way I conduct my business; and the staff that cares for me and mine seem very satisfied 

[not-enough-cruising]

16 hours ago, logan312 said:

If something truly gets me upset, I will go and request that days tipping be removed and tell the agent why.

You can’t do that, auto tips are an “all in or all out” proposition 

[A&L_Ont]

So I guess there was no cease fire on Christmas Day.😂

[not-enough-cruising]

15 hours ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

then why not tip if it is customary? if it is a societal norm from where you are sailing from, why not tip? 

No one on here (save one) has mentioned not tipping, many of us just do it differently 

[Joe33472]

23 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

So I guess there was no cease fire on Christmas Day.😂

 

Quite a spirited discussion, with strong opinions on both sides of the issue.  At least it's not a dress code debate.   Not as many of those here as on the Cunard forum.   Those can get heated like this 🤷‍♂️

[logan312]

35 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

You can’t do that, auto tips are an “all in or all out” proposition 

I still did. Though I havent cruised since before the Pandemic.

[A&L_Ont]

3 hours ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Quite a spirited discussion, with strong opinions on both sides of the issue.  At least it's not a dress code debate.   Not as many of those here as on the Cunard forum.   Those can get heated like this 🤷‍♂️

I think RC cruisers have some to the realization that everyone dresses differently, as those threads have slowed over time. Hopefully the tipping ones will get to that point.  The one aspect I don’t like, no tipping at all.  

 

I guess if I need some excitement I could always head to the Cunard boards. 😀

[KarlK]

If I don't have to I dont, plain and simple.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

1 hour ago, KarlK said:

If I don't have to I dont, plain and simple.

So you don't tip at all?

[Mikew0805]

22 hours ago, Joe33472 said:

RCI could always ask the crew member if they received a cash tip from a certain cabin or passenger, and I hope that the answer from the crew member would be NO, even if they had received a cash tip.  

 

 

I would hope that they follow their company policy that they agreed to when they signed on. Lying is never the answer.

21 hours ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

i cant wait till the day that they refuse to remove tips and make it part of the cruise fare like they do for taxes and fees. 

I hate this and people who do this. 

and all caps to make my point:

 

IF YOU CANT AFFORD TO CRUISE, DONT CRUISE!

Even better... if you can't read, stay off message boards.

21 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

+100% .. remove tipping and roll it into the fare... getting old watching grats being raised every year or so to make up for the non tippers. 

I am not sure that they are raised because of non tippers. 100+ cruises and I am at GS all the time including in the long line at the end of the cruise, and my hearing is just fine. I have yet to hear one person remove gratuities. I have heard many questions about gratuities, but never heard someone remove them. If the speculation on this message board was to be believed, I would have heard it by now. I believe it is an extremely small number of folks, and raising the gratuities have nothing to do with those who remove them. 

15 hours ago, uvadover said:

When you resort to yelling, you've lost.  But it clearly touched a nerve that removing auto-gratuities is typically the sign of a miser, who will gladly stiff the staff to save a few bucks on an otherwise awesome vacation.

Reading for comprehension, rather than reading just to respond... might serve you well.

 

 

 

 

My overall opinion - tipping is personal. I will tip how I do, and you should tip how you do. My way is none of your business, and your way is none of my business.

 

I completely understand why some are removing auto grats, and instead tipping in cash. I have not reached that breaking point yet but if the trend towards lower/less service, while raising auto grats continue... I can see myself getting there. 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Mikew0805

[KarlK]

If the service is above and beyond, a tip might happen to a bartender or server. Not room or wait staff, usually, very rarely.

[tvo7]

Karl you are just the person I want to talk too.  I love cruising but cannot afford the tip amounts.  Heck, it might become 30 per person per say pretty soon. 

 

You did not tip at all.  Did you experience any backlash from the crew?

[bjlaac]

We have been on lots of cruises over the years, close to 100 in actuality.  Gratuities/tips have morphed considerably over the decades and from my perspective not in a good way.  Whatever side of the discussion you are on is irrelevant, there is on right or wrong answer.  Removing them does not make you a cheapskate and leaving them on does not make you a blind fool following the company's sob story.

 

We generally leave them on but don't hesitate to remove them either if warranted, and to answer some questions, no, service is not different, there is no list singling you out , the staff treats you the same no matter what.you choose to do.

 

However, we have reached the spill over point with reductions in food quality and room service and never ending increases in gratuities and we are changing our MO.  From now on all prepaid gratuities will be removed and we will tip accordingly to those that actually serve us.  I expect those amounts to be equal to the prepaid amounts that go to the cabin stewards, waiters, and assistants.  No we don't tip the laundry or any other behind the scenes workers.  

 

The cruise line made the their labor deals and its up to them to keep their employees happy and paid.  Tips need to be earned so by my definition they should never be prepaid even though I went along with that concept for a long time.

Edited December 28, 2023 by bjlaac

[Morecruisesplz]

1 hour ago, bjlaac said:

We have been on lots of cruises over the years, close to 100 in actuality.  Gratuities/tips have morphed considerably over the decades and from my perspective not in a good way.  Whatever side of the discussion you are on is irrelevant, there is on right or wrong answer.  Removing them does not make you a cheapskate and leaving them on does not make you a blind fool following the company's sob story.

 

We generally leave them on but don't hesitate to remove them either if warranted, and to answer some questions, no, service is not different, there is no list singling you out , the staff treats you the same no matter what.you choose to do.

 

However, we have reached the spill over point with reductions in food quality and room service and never ending increases in gratuities and we are changing our MO.  From now on all prepaid gratuities will be removed and we will tip accordingly to those that actually serve us.  I expect those amounts to be equal to the prepaid amounts that go to the cabin stewards, waiters, and assistants.  No we don't tip the laundry or any other behind the scenes workers.  

 

The cruise line made the their labor deals and its up to them to keep their employees happy and paid.  Tips need to be earned so by my definition they should never be prepaid even though I went along with that concept for a long time.

Spot on. We cruised 5 days on Virgin then 4 on Royal this past week. We went from one ship to the other on the 22nd so easy to compare. VV has no tipping but had the friendliest, best trained, enabled staff of any of our nearly 50 RCL cruises. Just for being nice and engaging with staff they give you stuff and invite you to special functions. No one has to "go ask a manager." So refreshing! At VV everything is included: wifi, tips, speciality dining, still and sparkling water, soft drinks, coffee, tips and a $300 bar tab. When we compared the daily rates on each cruise, Virgin was less by $48/day. Better is not always more!

[cruiseboy89130]

7 hours ago, tvo7 said:

You did not tip at all.  Did you experience any backlash from the crew?

They do not know!

[glentally]

4 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

They do not know!

not according to "the experts". I think someone said it is posted on the walls in the bowels of the ship.  I have no proof but find it hard to believe 1500-3000 cabin numbers are posted and I would have to assume changed daily as people bail out of the mandatory tips.

 

PS I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express last night!

Edited December 28, 2023 by glentally

[livingonthebeach]

Is there a list of the 450+ different positions onboard? Is there a breakdown of how the $18 a day is divided amongst them? Does every single crew member who is "supposedly" due a pooled gratuity see a list of the passengers who removed the auto grats? The answers are no, no, and no. 

 

Until I see how and to whom auto grats are distributed, I will continue to tip those I interact with and provide me service, directly, and in cash. 

[glentally]

3 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

 

Until I see how and to whom auto grats are distributed, I will continue to tip those I interact with and provide me service, directly, and in cash. 

Amen Brother. Happy New Year!  

[S.A.M.J.R.]

4 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

Until I see how and to whom auto grats are distributed, I will continue to tip those I interact with and provide me service, directly, and in cash. 

Curious... when you go out to eat at a restaurant at home, do you pay your tip in cash?  If not, and just put in on CC, you don't know where it's going.

 

Even if you just leave the cash on the table as you leave, you don't know who's picking it up/where it's going. Or do you hand cash straight to the server?  Even if you do that, you don't know if they're sharing with the bus boy, dishwasher, cook, whoever.  

 

So why does it matter to whom the auto grats are distributed? 

[Airbear232]

On 12/17/2023 at 10:31 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

You are screwing over crew members who depend on tips, but who work behind the scenes and never interact with passengers. However, under the current system you aren’t doing anything wrong, unless it bothers you that you are taking advantage of hard working crew members. 

I really go back and forth on this in my mind constantly.  We have always kept gratuities and then given more to specific crew members who make our cruise better.  Honestly, I’d prefer it if they bumped the fare and paid people properly and we then just tipped those who were extraordinary.  I’m a little frustrated as I believe Royal has taken advantage of both customers and crew with all of the cut backs in staff and services and nickel and diming customers for insignificant things.  I prefer Royal’s ships but are considering other options for better food and services. 

[livingonthebeach]

5 hours ago, glentally said:

Amen Brother. Happy New Year!  

You mean Amen sister! A happy and healthy to you too!!!

[livingonthebeach]

5 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Curious... when you go out to eat at a restaurant at home, do you pay your tip in cash?  If not, and just put in on CC, you don't know where it's going.

 

Even if you just leave the cash on the table as you leave, you don't know who's picking it up/where it's going. Or do you hand cash straight to the server?  Even if you do that, you don't know if they're sharing with the bus boy, dishwasher, cook, whoever.  

 

So why does it matter to whom the auto grats are distributed? 

I don’t compare a floating resort i.e., cruise ship, to a restaurant, either Mom & Pop or chain. I relate my experience to that of an AI. The restaurant analogy has been completely blown out of the water.

 

To answer your last question, I don’t give one Iota how auto grats are distributed, hence why I tip cash directly.