Removing pre paid gratuities while on the ship

[grandgeezer]

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

You're missing the point.  The $1000 price is BEFORE gratuities.  At issue is why Royal doesn't just up the cruise fare to include gratuities.  Because they want to advertise the price without the grats.  It looks better when people are shopping.

 

Look at how many people ask "Is 30% off the best deal on the ultimate drink package"?  

If people are that gullible, they deserve what they get. When you price a cruise on line, you are asked if you want to include gratuities now. Right there yo know the difference, it stops looking better and you move on one way or the other.

As far as the drink price deal mentioned, I don’t have a comment except anything over free is too much.

You can fool some of the people all of the time.

[SNemeth]

5 hours ago, jean87510 said:

An hourly wage is a salary, isn't it? Or am I missing something?  I had an hourly wage which I referred to as my salary.

Most would consider and hourly wage as a rate that you are paid per hour vs a salary being rate you are paid to do a job.  For example Ia person works full time at a business as an hourly employee, they are paid a set rate for each of the 40 hours worked (40 hours x$10/hour equals $400). Then any hours worked above the 40 they are paid an hourly overtime rate.   A salaried employee makes X amount of dollars per year broken out into 26 or 52 pay periods and that employee works whatever number of hours is required to do the job.  They may work less than 40 hours or more than 40 hours to get the job done, but they are not docked pay if they work 20 hours and will not earn overtime if they work more than 40.  

[crazyank]

19 hours ago, SNemeth said:

I was taught it is customary to tip at buffets in the US in addition to sit down venues.  10% for a buffet where they bring you drinks and pick up your dirty dishes for good service in US land based restaurants.  

 

19 hours ago, TwoMisfits said:

 

Buffet service is absolutely a tipped position in the US.  All buffet restaurant meals should be tipped at US restaurants.

 

So, if you cruise in the US, the expectation is ALL meals are tipped meals - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

This is because tipping in the USA is completely out of control. 

[crazyank]

19 hours ago, TwoMisfits said:

you are breaking US norms on a US-based cruise.

So what??

[jean87510]

9 hours ago, Billy Baltic said:

I think you’re being optimistic. If it gets rolled into the initial cost, it will just become “I can’t believe you are only tipping what is included’. There is a group of gratuity police on CC who will be never be happy. 

Agreed.  And they will brag how they continue to hand out cash.

 

 

[jean87510]

When the gratuities are prepaid, if using a TA, does that factor into the TAs fee?

[Kiki and The Noush]

Is anyone else in the same boat as me on this?  I have always prepaid my grats - just pay it and forget it was my mantra.  On the ship, I've always tipped bar staff for bringing me drinks and waitstaff in specialty restaurants under the premise that they really aren't getting that much of the prepaid grats.  

It now seems that more and more people are removing the grats - we are all paying a lot more for everything in life and it sucks.  

 

If you consider the active members of this group, or any other online discussion, as a sampling of the typical passenger, it feels like my payment of grats has increased proportionally to cover all of the people who remove theirs.  

 

Frankly, while I haven't minded paying my fair share in the past, I'm starting to wonder why I'm paying not only mine, but part of theirs. I do wish they would just add a service fee onto the bottom line - it does irk me that they call it a gratuity if they want to automatically charge for it.  

 

One of the cruises I have booked for 2025 I didn't prepay the grats.  I'm contemplating what to do.  I don't mind paying my own way, I'm just getting tired of subsidizing others.  

[DennysDad]

6 minutes ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

Is anyone else in the same boat as me on this?  I have always prepaid my grats - just pay it and forget it was my mantra.  On the ship, I've always tipped bar staff for bringing me drinks and waitstaff in specialty restaurants under the premise that they really aren't getting that much of the prepaid grats.  

It now seems that more and more people are removing the grats - we are all paying a lot more for everything in life and it sucks.  

 

If you consider the active members of this group, or any other online discussion, as a sampling of the typical passenger, it feels like my payment of grats has increased proportionally to cover all of the people who remove theirs.  

 

Frankly, while I haven't minded paying my fair share in the past, I'm starting to wonder why I'm paying not only mine, but part of theirs. I do wish they would just add a service fee onto the bottom line - it does irk me that they call it a gratuity if they want to automatically charge for it.  

 

One of the cruises I have booked for 2025 I didn't prepay the grats.  I'm contemplating what to do.  I don't mind paying my own way, I'm just getting tired of subsidizing others.  

On behalf of others, we thank you.

[DennysDad]

8 minutes ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

Is anyone else in the same boat as me on this?  I have always prepaid my grats - just pay it and forget it was my mantra.  On the ship, I've always tipped bar staff for bringing me drinks and waitstaff in specialty restaurants under the premise that they really aren't getting that much of the prepaid grats.  

It now seems that more and more people are removing the grats - we are all paying a lot more for everything in life and it sucks.  

 

If you consider the active members of this group, or any other online discussion, as a sampling of the typical passenger, it feels like my payment of grats has increased proportionally to cover all of the people who remove theirs.  

 

Frankly, while I haven't minded paying my fair share in the past, I'm starting to wonder why I'm paying not only mine, but part of theirs. I do wish they would just add a service fee onto the bottom line - it does irk me that they call it a gratuity if they want to automatically charge for it.  

 

One of the cruises I have booked for 2025 I didn't prepay the grats.  I'm contemplating what to do.  I don't mind paying my own way, I'm just getting tired of subsidizing others.  

If you don't feel the current system is fair to you, have automatic gratuities removed on day one. Then tip in cash as you see fit. It's the only way to get total control currently.

[Kiki and The Noush]

Just now, DennysDad said:

If you don't feel the current system is fair to you, have automatic gratuities removed on day one. Then tip in cash as you see fit. It's the only way to get total control currently.

I think that is the direction I'm heading.   The tip fatigue is bleeding into every aspect of life where I live.  

[TeeRick]

29 minutes ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

Is anyone else in the same boat as me on this?  I have always prepaid my grats - just pay it and forget it was my mantra.  On the ship, I've always tipped bar staff for bringing me drinks and waitstaff in specialty restaurants under the premise that they really aren't getting that much of the prepaid grats.  

It now seems that more and more people are removing the grats - we are all paying a lot more for everything in life and it sucks.  

 

If you consider the active members of this group, or any other online discussion, as a sampling of the typical passenger, it feels like my payment of grats has increased proportionally to cover all of the people who remove theirs.  

 

Frankly, while I haven't minded paying my fair share in the past, I'm starting to wonder why I'm paying not only mine, but part of theirs. I do wish they would just add a service fee onto the bottom line - it does irk me that they call it a gratuity if they want to automatically charge for it.  

 

One of the cruises I have booked for 2025 I didn't prepay the grats.  I'm contemplating what to do.  I don't mind paying my own way, I'm just getting tired of subsidizing others.  

Here is my take on the situation.  The vast majority of cruise passengers pay auto-gratuities and do not remove them.  So the gratuity increases we have seen are not entirely due to other passengers removing theirs.  But instead we are all paying the staff more as inflation has rocked the world since the pandemic.  Yes I agree that in the US anyway that the "add a tip" line on every credit card transaction even for take-out has become quite unacceptable and it is built into the software systems.  You can put aside the machine-made guilt and add zero.

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

12 hours ago, DennysDad said:

No, Royal Caribbean keeps a small percentage of automatic gratuities as a processing fee. That's why they keep it this way. 

That doesn't make sense (as a reason to not roll in the gratuities to the cost of the cruise).  If they increase the cost of the cruise, they can still keep a "small percentage".   And do we know for sure that Royal is keeping some of the money?

10 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

If people are that gullible, they deserve what they get. When you price a cruise on line, you are asked if you want to include gratuities now. Right there yo know the difference, it stops looking better and you move on one way or the other.

As far as the drink price deal mentioned, I don’t have a comment except anything over free is too much.

You can fool some of the people all of the time.

Again, you're not paying attention.  It comes down to what Royal ADVERTISES.  I just went to their site.  At random, picked a 4 night on Freedom leaving from Miami on August 18.  ADVERTISED as $481 per person and said I have two people travelling.  Start filling things out.  "Taxes and fees" make the total $1260 (now we're at $630pp).  Fill some more out.  Look, there's the choice to add gratuities (another $72pp), and insurance (+$59pp).  So the ADVERTISED rate of $481pp is really $702 with grats, and even more if you want to select your own room or purchase insurance through Royal.  

 

Sure, go ahead and claim people are gullible and deserve what they get.  But Royal is going to do what they can to make their ADVERTISED price attractive, especially when compared to competitors.  

[Vampiress88]

12 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We strongly prefer My Time Dining.  Our experience: 

- It does start a little later than we'd prefer, but -- like you -- we consider Early Dining too early and Late Dining too late.  

- We always make reservations, and we've always been seated within 5-10 minutes.  100% of the time, though we only sail in low-season when it's not so crowded.  My Time is somewhat flexible: If you show up 15 minutes early /late, they'll still seat you quickly.  This is not true with Traditional Dining -- everyone arrives at the same time.  

- We get the same wait staff each evening, though we've been seated at different tables in the same general area -- maybe because we tend towards choosing the same time every evening?  

- Our service has been excellent regardless of whether we have My Time or Traditional Dining. 

- Don't write off the buffet for dinner.  We enjoy a fancier dinner, but maybe not seven nights in a row.  Typically we hit the buffet two nights out of a week-long cruise.    

- Now, for tips:  Chances are really good that you'll receive excellent service, but -- if you're this nervous about it -- CALL NOW and remove your tips.  Anything you CAN do ahead, DO ahead.  Then bring along cash money to tip as you see fit on the last night.   

but I can’t. 
if I want my time dining then it is MANDATORY that I pay my tips before I cruise. 
 

[Kiki and The Noush]

2 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

but I can’t. 
if I want my time dining then it is MANDATORY that I pay my tips before I cruise. 
 

Just a thought - if you select traditional dining at the early time and don't show up, can't you just get in the MTD line when you want to?  I know someone will say that isn't fair because they are holding your table, but you could just pop into the MDR shortly after you board and release the table.  Just an idea.

[DennysDad]

You know what I think it is.

 

We tip people we come into contact with. People we observe doing something for us. Wait staff, drivers, housekeeping, etc. Even food delivery (we are not there to see the driving, but we still come face to face upon arrival.)

 

The automatic gratuities added is to supplement the salary of workers we don't see. It's because corporate CEO's are overpaid and think nothing of their employees or their customers. And put their financial burden of wages on their "loyal" customers. It's unfair, unnatural, and wrong. 

 

I don't tip laundry staff in a hotel. Kitchen staff in a restaurant. Maintenance staff at either. Some positions come with tips, some an hourly wage. That's life as we have come to know it.

 

I feel no (zero) responsibility to the "behind the scenes" people. I paid my passage. Part of that should go to employee wages. That's how life goes. It's not my responsibility to subsidize the salary of two thousand people. I'm on a week off from my problems. I don't have the responsibility to subsidize payroll. Setting the world to rights shouldn't be what my one week a year is about.

 

As far as rolling the automatic gratuities into cruise fare. Why not just pay them more out of the current cruise fare (like a decent employer) and take a slightly lower profit for corporate CEO's etc. 

 

Wether, a percentage of people remove automatic gratuities or not, the automatic gratuities rate will still always rise. The cruise fare will still always rise. Don't fool yourself into believing people who think like me are the cause of that happening. 

 

I tip in cash directly to those who I have seen provide me a service and do it well. Also, the amount of my tip is generous for the service provided. It's an honest fair system that's been around for hundreds of years. I have no doubt I'm being fair to them and myself. 

 

That's my automatic 18% on the subject anyway. Have a good Sunday folks.

Edited April 21 by DennysDad

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

 

 

If you consider the active members of this group, or any other online discussion, as a sampling of the typical passenger, it feels like my payment of grats has increased proportionally to cover all of the people who remove theirs.  

 

 

No, gratuities have increased for 2 reasons.

1. People keep paying them, so why not squeeze them a little more

2. The cruise-line is constantly increasing the pool of employees on salary assistance, ie. "other hotel services"

[not-enough-cruising]

Do it, you will feel better

[not-enough-cruising]

20 minutes ago, Vampiress88 said:

but I can’t. 
if I want my time dining then it is MANDATORY that I pay my tips before I cruise. 
 

Not if you are booking in the USA

[Billy Baltic]

1 hour ago, not-enough-cruising said:

No, gratuities have increased for 2 reasons.

1. People keep paying them, so why not squeeze them a little more

2. The cruise-line is constantly increasing the pool of employees on salary assistance, ie. "other hotel services"

I’d add a third which is directly related to 1 and 2. It’s more money in the pocket of RC. 

[not-enough-cruising]

2 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

I’d add a third which is directly related to 1 and 2. It’s more money in the pocket of RC. 

Precisely 

I quit participating in the scam years ago, have never looked back, and never regretted my decision. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

1 hour ago, Vampiress88 said:

if I want my time dining then it is MANDATORY that I pay my tips before I cruise. 

 

Then you have answered your own question.  

You either chose My Time Dining and pay the gratuities (as per policy on this sailing), or chose to take you chances with dining at a time not appealing to you, and/or have at least some of your meals in the Buffet.

 

The cruise company has set the rules, you need to decide how to move forward.

 

 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

6 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Precisely 

I quit participating in the scam years ago, have never looked back, and never regretted my decision. 

Totally agree with you.

Love royal, love their ships, love the food (mostly) love the staff.

I have already paid for all that in my cruise fare, so i expect a known ship as i research it, staff to do their job, (im not needy so dont need to be pampered or served 1 minute quicker then the next person) and good food, well that one can be hit and miss lol. 

 

However being asked to pay in advance for a service that i have yet to receive is a no no. I will tip if i feel its above and beyond and on top of their basic job specifics but its my choice not royals. Graturites should be earned not expected.

 

It would be morally better to pay the staff a known wage each month without the need to "fleece" your customers to make up the wages. Considering how much the CEOs get paid, and thats all the staff not just the few that get money from Graturites. However royal know, at least in the US, that passengers will pay them as its their culture. So if you keep paying them then people cant moan about the price rises. 

 

I have no idea how much the staff get paid and how much of that they have to pay for food and accommodation onboard, however i am sure that there isnt an issue with recruitment and the wage is soo much better then what they get in their home countries. I have seen the odd video he tube that explins some of it and tbh they have more disposable income then a lot of people i know.

Royal will not put the Graturites in with the cruise fare, as one of their selling points is the initial advertised price which we all know always goes up once you start the booking process. I suspect they may start to do it in Europe as lots of cruise lines are now doing it, well for UK cruise website bookings, P&O, MSC, Marella and some NCL cruises. However the US is their primary market.

 

But as i always say its up to the individual if you pay Graturites or not and how you tip the staff, and people should focus on themselves and not worries what others are doing. 👍

 

 

[OBX-Cruisers]

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

I'm betting it has something to do with showing a lower fare for passengers.  Tell me which would you book?

 

$1000pp for a seven day cruise

or

$1126pp for a seven day cruise

 

Of course, if you purchase the $1000 cruise, later on you find out they want to tack on an extra $126.  So you're paying the same, but $1000 looks better.  

Totally agree with the sales angle you mentioned but the cruise line would more likely charge $999 for that first cruise you mentioned (for the exact same reason).

[Neosophy]

2 hours ago, Kiki and The Noush said:

I think that is the direction I'm heading.   The tip fatigue is bleeding into every aspect of life where I live.  

The problem with tipping in cash is those tips dont get shared evenly, just the person who interacts with you directly.

 

It takes a lot of people for that one waiter to bring you a drink, he/she doesnt go make the drink, clean the glasses, buss the tables (sometimes) etc.

 

Apply this to your rooms and other tips, unless you go around asking who all helped make this drink and tip each one, if you remove prepaids you are shortchanging people.

 

(Yes i know, bars add a prepaid per drink, just an example, choose MDR or WJ as other examples)

[DennysDad]

2 minutes ago, Neosophy said:

The problem with tipping in cash is those tips dont get shared evenly, just the person who interacts with you directly.

 

It takes a lot of people for that one waiter to bring you a drink, he/she doesnt go make the drink, clean the glasses, buss the tables (sometimes) etc.

 

Apply this to your rooms and other tips, unless you go around asking who all helped make this drink and tip each one, if you remove prepaids you are shortchanging people.

 

(Yes i know, bars add a prepaid per drink, just an example, choose MDR or WJ as other examples)

Those other people should be salary only and if they are not, it isn't the customers problem.