NEW TIP POLICY - Automatic Charge & "Alternate Service" tip

[TravelerThom]

Can someone tell me what the tips used to be before this new policy? Just curious how much the tips went up... We are in a CC balcony which I see is $12, if that makes any difference.

The new suggested tips are $1 [per day] higher than the suggest amount that had been in place for at least several years. Of this additional dollar, 15 cents is specified for your waiter, 10 cents for your assistant waiter, and the former Assistant Head Housekeeper's suggested 50 cents has been rolled into the new "other service personnel" $1.25.

 

There have been a number of good thoughtful comments on this thread [see Brendaj's #113 above]. When I was first cruising I personally would have said "no way" to automatic tipping, but the more I cruise the more I agree with making what is essentially a service charge automatic. Do I think that cruise prices should include adequate basic compensation for the crew? Yes I do, but that is not the reality of keeping advertised prices low, or lose market share to other cruise companies who depend on tips to pay their employees [FYI at least as of two years ago RCI paid waiters etc US$50 per MONTH (yes, per month) - this info is based a photo .jpg of an actual contract which was posted on the internet].

 

My comment on "We don't feel we should tip main dining room staff if we aren't there" [this is a direct quote from a post above] is that these are the SAME people that serve you breakfast and lunch and elsewhere - so if you are eating anything in addition to dinner [you are, aren't you?] you have effectively stiffed those people. The way *I* perceive the system is I tip my particular dinner waiter, but I am really tipping for 3+ meals a day. Of course I may be using "your" waiter, not mine for say lunch, and I trust that you are taking care of your waiter as I am taking care of mine. I think a large part of going to automatic tipping is to address the perception that since I didn't go to dinner [whether for 1 day, or 2 days or ever] in the MDR, then the MDR staff hasn't done anything for me. The one item that I have not seen addressed [maybe I just missed it] is will the new "Other Service Personnel" amount cover the sit down casual evening dining [formerly with a specified several dollar tip] - I thought this tip was an enormous source of confusion, as it readily led people to conclude that the other general collection of waiters [read dining room staff who also work in the Cafe for breakfast, lunch, etc] deserved nothing.

 

I have taken a few cruises on NCL and Cunard, both of which have automatic tipping. I have gotten used to having a fixed dinner waiter who gets to know my preferences, so I tend not to favor My Time Dining with a new waiter everytime [and yes, I know that you can usually make reservations requesting the same waiter with MTD], but *I* really did not find wait service on NCL appreciably below what you get on RCI the first night you have a waiter even though the waiter has a "guaranteed tip".

 

I read an interesting comment some time ago concerning Assitant Maitre d's - their job is to make sure that you receive good service, and if they have their staff well trained and humming along they can stay in the background, and if you are seeing the AMd' a lot that indicates that his section is not working out properly. Basically you do have a complaint if your service is bad AND you are also not seeing the AMd', but otherwise he is doing his job. I suppose a similar argument could be made concerning the Assistant Chief Housekeeper.

 

Do I agree with everything RCL does? Far from it - if I was CEO I'd do a lot of things differently [and could go on for several pages with suggested changes]. As far as the new compensation policy goes, I would identify it explicitly as a "Service Charge", but other than that I am with RCI going to an automatic tipping policy. [i know that many disagree with me on this.]

[niceneasy]

Traveler Thom has summarized many previously stated points very well with the addition of his own thoughts.

 

Sky Sweet stated "It appears that one of the main objections to auto tipping is that there are a lot of passengers who rarely use the main dining room."

 

I am a first time cruiser to Celebrity on 2/23 from Ft. Lauderdale and will be affected by the new tipping policy but I welcome the auto tipping which means that no matter where I choose to eat, the staff will be compensated. I generally have my meals in the main dining area and have always had wonderful service on RCCL cruises. With this method in place I will be able to include a message of thanks and and a little extra for service that goes beyond what is expected on the final night. Furthermore, those that decide to eat elsewhere, for whatever reason, will be satisfied to know that the staff that serves them will be compensated for service.

 

I do understand the many posts about the assistants being tipped and the big question is where does it stop. Will we be soon tipping the assistant's assistant?

 

This service charge is welcomed by me and I do feel that it should be a stated portion of the cruise fare then tipping or no tipping will be left to the discretion of the cruiser.

[SusieV]

I just wanted to note that since everyone here seems to be assuming the worst about absentees on the last night, that some of us who choose to eat elsewhere still do tip!

 

We generally prefer to eat in the specialty restaurants on the last evening since we enjoy them so much and have generally dined there several times during the cruise. They are often quite empty on the last evening and the service and special items that are prepared are wonderful.

 

We simply notify our MDR staff that we will not be dining there that evening and give out our envelopes on the second to last evening instead.

 

As to the Assistant Maitre 'd, I guess we've just been lucky. On every one of our cruises, this person has helped make our experience special.

[Gerrym]

Nobody is talking about wanting to act like the Lord and the Lady... but it is also crazy to think we should all be tipping everyone around the ship. It can't possibly happen. I don't have a problem tipping the people who wait on me... and I do. But... flame me here if you want... I don't feel like everyone shining the ship needs a tip from ME! I pay my fare... and I pay it for a clean ship... clean public areas... other aspects... and those that actually WAIT on me... I tip!!! Those that don't... don't.

 

Hylasgirl, with you on this one.

 

Perhaps it is because I am from the UK and don't understand this tipping subject very well but I only tip staff that provide me with an excellent service and not just a routine.

I believe that staff get paid by the cruise line for doing their job and get tips from passengers when they provide a service that is considered more than their job.

So, I do not want my tip money being shared through the ships company as that will mean the hardest workers will be rewarded in exactly the same fashion as the lazy workers, hardly a fair system, is it?

 

No, I will act as a 'Lord', as someone else has put it, and decide which staff shall receive extra gratuities from me based on their contribution on making my holiday a success.

[Ma Bell]

Your belief is wrong, they are not fairly compensated by the cruiseline and rely on tips for their service.

[dutchess43]

I do not mind having the tips added onto my sea pass(which we normally do anyway) what I object to is the decision is taken away from me.

Regarding the Ass't head housekeeper I know for a fact that he is instrumental in making sure that you luggage gets to your cabin once it gets on the correct deck. I know this first hand on two of my cruises there they were directing to whom the luggage should be delivered to. I had a piece missing & it was him that cheked & got ti for me. Cuts down on a lot of confusion & maybe this is why we seem to get our luggage a lot faster then some other cruise lines. Another time we had the misfortune of contracting norvo while on board, it was him that checked on us daily to see if there was anything that we needed while we were in quarantine. Regarding the automatic tips for the waiters on our first Millie cruise when we had the tips added our waiter thanked us because he knew at that point that at least our table was not going to stiff him. He told us he wished more diners would do this because you would be shocked to see on the last night how many people either do not show up for dinner or who just do not tip. At least with the automatic tipping added they know they will be receiving the monies.

[Gerrym]

Your belief is wrong, they are not fairly compensated by the cruiseline and rely on tips for their service.

 

So, is it my fault they are not fairly compensated?

 

I don't mean that rudely, I just think that tipping staff because they are not paid a fair wage is not the way it should be done. I still believe in tipping for great service and not because someone has done thier job.

As I said, could be because I am a Brit!

[roygg]

I am sailing next month and had my gratuities prepaid by my TA. When my documents arrived, there was a summary of charges and one line with the description of Micellaneous Charges was in the exact amount of the prepaid gratuities. This apparently had been paid by my TA. In addition, right under that it was stated that gratuities were prepaid for signman and guest.

 

I will be checking my statement once onboard, and expect to receive a set of vouchers and envelopes to distrubute at the end of the cruise. If there is a problem, I will have my documents with me to show to Guest Relations.

 

Some interesting points are raised to which I am very sympathetic...........Are we seriously expecting to continue to receive vouchers (If I recollect 'receipts' ) and envelopes (no envelopes on Summit in Dec) in the future ? I feel that the 'thank you' night is going to fast disappear. There has been a system in place for some time that enables the crew to know whether or not gratuities have been pre paid. If I have a choice on a daily basis to 'amend' the amount of gratuities will the crew be informed of the change ? I think not. Perhaps if I see the purser and request zero gratuities for a few days will there be a reaction ?

 

I see that Celebrity are continuing to 'pre add' gratuities when you make an online booking, will this soon be mandatory ?

 

As visitors from the UK we have no difficulty in accepting the US method of tipping, we are guests in your country after all. However, if on our next sailing on the 31st Jan with Celebrity there is an attempt to increase my onboard account by the daily charge I will be very tempted to start a long discussion on the contractual obligations of delivery having prepaid for a service at a fixed price.

[lysolqn]

The concensus throughout this thread seems to be that the newly added daily charge covering tips for "Other Service Personnel" is in some way related to 1) increased passenger use of alternative dining venues which negatively impacts on tips received by dining room waitstaff and/or b) passengers who are undertipping or not tipping at all. Let's assume this is the case. By implementing the new charge covering "OSP," the cruise line has, in effect, found a way to get passengers who tip appropriately to make up the shortfall (via the new charge for "OSP") resulting from passengers who undertip or choose not to tip at all. Unless the cruise line can define "Other Service Personnel," that appears to be just what is happening.

[richsea]

So, is it my fault they are not fairly compensated?

 

I don't mean that rudely, I just think that tipping staff because they are not paid a fair wage is not the way it should be done. I still believe in tipping for great service and not because someone has done thier job.

As I said, could be because I am a Brit!

 

Agree with you 100%. I would never tip out of pity that someone may not get a fair wage. They are not slaves & agree to take the job at the wage offered.

 

Tipping or gratuities should be based upon gratitude for the level of service one receives.

 

I don't mind having tips charged to my account. I can always ask them to be modified (but have never done that). If I think that some individual deserves something additional, I give it to him or her personally.

[lysolqn]

Your belief is wrong, they are not fairly compensated by the cruiseline and rely on tips for their service.

 

 

Fair compensation is a relative concept. Let's please remember that working for a cruise line is employment at will, not slavery or indentured servitude. As far as I know, no one has ever been dragged onto a cruise ship kicking and screaming because they've been forced against their will to accept a job as waitstaff, housekeeping staff, bar staff, etc. Are we talking about people who work their tails off seven days a week with an afternoon off here and there if they're lucky? Absolutely! But cruise ship employees who depend on tips do so willingly and out of choice, knowing full well what the terms of employment are, and likewise knowing that some cruises will prove more profitable for them than others. Notwithstanding, people still line up outside employment agencies around the world anxiously awaiting an opportunity to work on ships because while there are those of us in the US who think they are not being fairly compensated, they think they are. If that were not the case, you can bet they wouldn't choose to leave home, family, friends and everything else that is familiar and dear to them for months at a time, signing up to do so over and over again.

[dutchess43]

Hey Richsea enjoying the snow? I am here on LI(suffolk) as well.

Hopefully this is not the plan but could X be comtemplating my time dining like RCI now has & will be fleet wide this year? Could that be why they are starting with the tipping being automatically being added? Even tho we choose second seating dining this is the same way Princess handles it.

[denb]

I believe that all previously pre-paid gratuities will remain the same. I don't think you will have an issue. Theron

To confirm, I just added pre-paid gratuities to my March reservation on Solstice in a Concierge Class stateroom. The total for the two of us was $147. That comes out to $10.50/day for each of us. I doubt they would add the increase once we board. We'll see.

 

Blue skies and calm seas to you all.

[conqueror]

A friend of ours has just returned from the Ruby Princess where gratuities were added daily to their bill. After 4 days they asked for the gratuities to be taken off the bill and there was no problem with that being done. our friends did however give small Christmas presents to some of the crew and tipped them individually. :)

[Sky Sweet]

If the crew were paid enough to live on without tips, the cruise lines would have to charge more for a cruise to be profitable.

 

I personally would rather pay a little more for an all inclusive cruise price that includes tips, but I have a feeling that most people don't feel that way.

[RoyalCruiser2007]

I just returned today from my first Celebrity cruise. I cruise on Royal Caribbean many times a year and have also been on Carnival which I try to avoid. I'm the type of cruiser that doesn't complain and truly enjoys the cruises. If I book a cruise, there's a reason. I'm not booking to go and analyze everything and get upset. I always receive great service, treat the staff with the utmost respect, tip accordingly, etc..

 

Overall I truly enjoyed the cruise.

 

Unfortunately I encountered a VERY lazy table staff in the Grand Restaurant. Out of 10 cruises, this is the first time that I held back on tipping several people. I always tip the minimum, plus extra! The biggest disappointment was the assistant waiter. I never received a water refill. Every time I turned around to look for him to ask for a refill, he was far off in a corner chatting with some other staff members. The only time he ever came to the table to be productive was at the end to shake our hands and receive his gratuities. Of course nobody gave him gratuities. We only gave to the waiter who did a so-so job but at least took care of us. He was also quite lazy and wasn't very nice when we asked for stuff. We also skipped tipping the maitre'd cause he never came over to introduce himself like they've done on all my other cruises. It goes back to the idea that I'm not going to tip someone I don't know.

 

I must say that my Stateroom Attendant was very good and I tipped him well for doing a good job. It's unfortunately when you have to hold back gratuities but for the first time I couldn't force myself to reward bad service.

 

I think this new policy is a mistake. It's going to turn Celebrity into NCL where the crew doesn't care since the tipping is also automatic.

[ECCruise]

A little amazed by some of the reaction here re: tipping.

What you think should be the case, or what you are used to has absolutely nothing to do with the reality. And the reality is that most of the gratuity-based crew earns $50 per month. When they sign on they expect that their tip level will equal the number of pax they serve. They do not sign on expecting to be stiffed by a number of pax who think they do not need to participate in the program.

 

It would be like someone from Germany who drives in their own country on the Autobahn at unlimited speeds and then comes to the U.S. (or Japan, or anywhere with posted speed limits) and think that it does not apply to them and get upset when told they must comply with the posted limits.

 

When you sail on a mass market cruise line you accept the fact that gratuities are part of the equation--not for extraordinary service but for service in general.

[ECCruise]

I think this new policy is a mistake. It's going to turn Celebrity into NCL where the crew doesn't care since the tipping is also automatic.

 

Have you ever sailed on NCL? We have numerous times and have had very good service there.

[RoyalCruiser2007]

Have you ever sailed on NCL? We have numerous times and have had very good service there.

I haven't yet but I've heard from a LOT of people that have who said that on some of the ships the staff is super lazy since they know from day 1 they'll be getting guaranteed tips. I love it on RCCL when the staff is amazing cause they hope that you'll reward their hard work on the last day, which I always do.

[dutchess43]

I haven't yet but I've heard from a LOT of people that have who said that on some of the ships the staff is super lazy since they know from day 1 they'll be getting guaranteed tips. I love it on RCCL when the staff is amazing cause they hope that you'll reward their hard work on the last day, which I always do.

 

Are you aware that RCI has instituted their new tipping policy for my time dining? If you select my time dining you must pre pay your gratuities. It seems that they are going fleet wide this year with this venue. I do not agree with pre paying my gratuities before I board any ship. So far this new rule does not effect me because we are traditional diners. I have sailed on NCL & the wait staff service was good as long as you did not ask for anything out of the ordinary. Dh does not like sailing on NCL because of the anytime dining he much prefers the traditonal type dining.

We have had all types of cabins from suites to an inside after 25 cruises I sum it up as the luck of the draw of whom you get to serve you.

[Gerrym]

It would be like someone from Germany who drives in their own country on the Autobahn at unlimited speeds and then comes to the U.S. (or Japan, or anywhere with posted speed limits) and think that it does not apply to them and get upset when told they must comply with the posted limits.

 

 

 

 

Sorry, you lost me there with your analogy, you will need to explain a little clearer.

[Albert Ross]

Please, please remember that tipping is generally an American custom, there is a whole world out there and tipping is unknown in most of Europe and absolutely unheard of (and abhorrent) in Australia and the Asian subcontinent

With RCI looking to open all these new regions to get new customers, you have a whole host of cruisers who have no concept of tipping. It just doesn't happen in their part of the world. They can happily walk off the ship not realising they are doing anything 'wrong' by not tipping.

And of course there are those that just refuse to tip. I had the misfortune to book a family of 8 on a RCI ship recently and they told me to my face they had no intention of tipping and they never do. I almost told them to go to another cruise line (but times are tough...:()

 

Auto tipping does not equal bad complacent service in my book, it is an effective way of keeping the staff, and keeping X's costs down by not having to train new hires every month because the staff a walking to to lines where they know they will receive a decent living wage.

[ECCruise]

Sorry, you lost me there with your analogy, you will need to explain a little clearer.

 

What I am saying is just because someone thinks that they do not need to tip (or to tip only for extraordinary service) because that is the way you do it in your country ends when you enter a venue (a mass market cruise ship) where tipping is part of the equation. Because you don't do it at home does NOT give you a pass to not do it when you cruise. I think it is a lame excuse.

[Ma Bell]

Fair compensation is a relative concept. Let's please remember that working for a cruise line is employment at will, not slavery or indentured servitude. As far as I know, no one has ever been dragged onto a cruise ship kicking and screaming because they've been forced against their will to accept a job as waitstaff, housekeeping staff, bar staff, etc. Are we talking about people who work their tails off seven days a week with an afternoon off here and there if they're lucky? Absolutely! But cruise ship employees who depend on tips do so willingly and out of choice, knowing full well what the terms of employment are, and likewise knowing that some cruises will prove more profitable for them than others. Notwithstanding, people still line up outside employment agencies around the world anxiously awaiting an opportunity to work on ships because while there are those of us in the US who think they are not being fairly compensated, they think they are. If that were not the case, you can bet they wouldn't choose to leave home, family, friends and everything else that is familiar and dear to them for months at a time, signing up to do so over and over again.

 

I understand what you are saying but these kinds of jobs are desireable because of the ability to earn tips. It's the same in land restaurants. They are not paid a salary that anyone would line up for. The poster before me said the cruiseline was paying them to serve him and he thought he only needed to tip for exceptional service.

[Gerrym]

What I am saying is just because someone thinks that they do not need to tip (or to tip only for extraordinary service) because that is the way you do it in your country ends when you enter a venue (a mass market cruise ship) where tipping is part of the equation. Because you don't do it at home does NOT give you a pass to not do it when you cruise. I think it is a lame excuse.

 

 

Well I am terribly sorry for being so lame. I have cruised many, many times and this is the first time that I have heard that staff do not get paid enough and it is expected that passengers will make up their wages.

 

I am more than willing to be educated on why Celebrity is different to European cruise lines and RCI sailing fromm Southampton.

 

For now, I will continue to tip for good service, you can continue to tip for mediocre service should you so wish.

 

I guess if you are this rude to the staff then you need to tip them all.