steveru621 Posted July 26 #51 Share Posted July 26 10 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said: Ya know what's funny- I see SOOOO many posts about people claiming they leave cash on the bar after every drink and throw 20's at the bartenders... I just got off and I think I saw 2 one dollar bills on the bar all week. We always leave $1/drink. Toward the end of the cruise, we ask the bartenders to 'recycle' $1 bills. They always have a jar full of money. We try to be discreet and not waive it around to get attention. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted July 26 #52 Share Posted July 26 On 7/25/2024 at 4:36 PM, Mapleleafforever said: So it's just yet another price increase? First, let's not forget that the last price increase was accompanied by a decrease in cabin service. I could've accepted one or the other, but both together was just BAD. No, this isn't an increase -- it's an attempt to get every person to tip. They're saying that if you haven't pre-paid your gratuities, they're going to add that cost to your onboard charges. 11 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said: Ya know what's funny- I see SOOOO many posts about people claiming they leave cash on the bar after every drink and throw 20's at the bartenders... I just got off and I think I saw 2 one dollar bills on the bar all week. Eh, anecdote is not a synonym for data. However, I do suspect some of the big talkers on this board are full of it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
son3cruisers Posted July 26 #53 Share Posted July 26 Below are the changes to Princess cruise line Gratutites wording. I would not put it past Royal to follow suit. It doesn’t sound like the staff receive the gratuities like they used to. “ Pooled throughout the year” and “bonus” are not gratuities for great service in my opinion. We went back to cash in the envelopes on our last cruise. Princess : All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees (except Service Charges for spa services which are not pooled for the fleet). The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another_Critic Posted July 26 #54 Share Posted July 26 9 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said: No, this isn't an increase -- it's an attempt to get every person to tip. They're saying that if you haven't pre-paid your gratuities, they're going to add that cost to your onboard charges. That has been how it has worked for years. Also, the last line of the gratuity statement on the invoice: "Gratuities may be modified in the guest’s sole discretion by visiting the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation." Which has been an option for years. At this time, I see no actual change to the gratuity policy, other than rearranged wording. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 27 #55 Share Posted July 27 Bottom line, the OP posted a comment that every frequent RCI cruiser knows. Sounds like the OP was trying to stir up trouble. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted July 27 #56 Share Posted July 27 Of course, it also mentions mini-bar purchases, and there haven't been any mini-bars in YEARS. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tree_skier Posted July 27 #57 Share Posted July 27 5 hours ago, son3cruisers said: Below are the changes to Princess cruise line Gratutites wording. I would not put it past Royal to follow suit. It doesn’t sound like the staff receive the gratuities like they used to. “ Pooled throughout the year” and “bonus” are not gratuities for great service in my opinion. We went back to cash in the envelopes on our last cruise. Princess : All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees (except Service Charges for spa services which are not pooled for the fleet). The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas. Yikes! That's horrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare island lady Posted July 27 #58 Share Posted July 27 12 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said: What do you tip him? I buy him cruises. 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
not-enough-cruising Posted July 27 #59 Share Posted July 27 6 hours ago, island lady said: I buy him cruises. 😄 Lucky cabana boy!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelblu Posted July 27 #60 Share Posted July 27 On 7/25/2024 at 5:13 PM, cruisegirl1 said: Hasn't that been the prior policy? When they announce a gratuity increase there is a short time one can pre pay for existing sailings at the old rate. I just paid my balance of a Symphony sailing in October and was able to prepay at $16 pp/pd as the booking was prior to the increase. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSHS1979 Posted July 27 #61 Share Posted July 27 On 7/26/2024 at 4:26 PM, lovesthebeach2 said: I forget…are JS considered suites when it comes to gratuity? New class of JS on Utopia gets full suite perks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseboy89130 Posted July 27 #62 Share Posted July 27 23 hours ago, son3cruisers said: Below are the changes to Princess cruise line Gratutites wording. I would not put it past Royal to follow suit. It doesn’t sound like the staff receive the gratuities like they used to. “ Pooled throughout the year” and “bonus” are not gratuities for great service in my opinion. We went back to cash in the envelopes on our last cruise. Princess : All of the Crew Appreciation and Service Charge payments made by all guests on all ships in our fleet are pooled, net of credit card transaction fees (except Service Charges for spa services which are not pooled for the fleet). The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas. Always has been like this with all the lines - including Royal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocean Boy Posted July 27 #63 Share Posted July 27 15 hours ago, island lady said: I buy him cruises. 😄 I could be a cabana boy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saab4444 Posted July 28 #64 Share Posted July 28 On 7/27/2024 at 3:32 AM, PhillyFan33579 said: Bottom line, the OP posted a comment that every frequent RCI cruiser knows. Sounds like the OP was trying to stir up trouble. Have you read my post #49? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saab4444 Posted July 28 #65 Share Posted July 28 On 7/26/2024 at 8:17 PM, Saab4444 said: Well, the real change is exactly what is mentioned in the first sentence: In certain markets they are no longer allowed to automatically charge a voluntary daily gratuity so they indeed stopped doing this (for a while already actually). The German market is one example. Only legal alternative would be to make it a mandatory service fee and to include it in the quote like e.g. MSC does it now. Again, this is the significant change applicable for some markets but not US… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirtihk Posted July 31 #66 Share Posted July 31 On 7/25/2024 at 4:51 PM, fishin' musician said: Good point! Unfortunately the customer must pay the crew's wages. They could do away with it, but the cruise price would look much less attractive. And stiffing someone who works 12 hour days for 6 months with no days off is not in my DNA. So we grin and bare it. Just for a short time. Then it would be a normal and straight forward product (no need for so wordy statements that might also lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and angry attitude by many prospective cruisers). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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