Expat Cruise

Straight up Royal is lying to the Public about this. And really not much can be done it. They will keep lying and passengers options are stay with them or leave for another company.

We (Customers) need to understand that Royal is not our friend, is not looking out for our best interest. They are looking out for the shareholders. So they play the balance game, be as nice as they need to and get maximum profit from the customers to return to the shareholder.

Nothing wrong with this but we as passengers need to protect ourselves and lookout and do what is best for us not for Royal.

Correct AWS (Automatic Wage Subsidy.' The cruise lines do not want to pay all the service crew wages from their coffers, they want the pax to pay extra on their fare by way of auto tips - (AWS)

 

I note you reside in the Philippines. I know service crew, i.e. bar staff, waiters, cabin stewards get around US$2000 - $2500 per month with wage and tips/tipping pool. The Filipino service crew on Princess ships tell me that is a very good wage in the Philippines. Correct?

 

And of course their pay is tax free and they send most of it home, as board/food/medical care on the ships is provided.

Yes you are correct US$2000 to US$2500 is much more than most of the population here makes. Jobs here are very hard low pay and long hours. None of the United States type rules apply. Major Employers Like malls here hiring sales clerks will run ads, saving things like Wanted Female Single 19 to 26 Attractive. All things not allowed under US Labor laws.

Even with a four year college degree like a nurse the pay rate will be about US$250 dollars per month. With long hours 12 hour shifts and no more than 4 days off per month. Also most of the labor force here has no benefits because they don't start until you have worked in a company for 6 months and a day. So companies offer 3 month contracts and terminate after two contracts. Good workers are then called back after a few months.

It is not a great system the money here is very low for 95% plus of the people here. To put in US Terms what they are paid is like telling a bartender, waiter, or hotel maid that if they go to work at a private Island Resort for one month (housing, transportation, and meals included) You will Pay them US$125,000 dollars for the month. And then try to claim that these poor workers need tips.

Give me a break it is a con by the cruise lines.

Not quite understanding this, what does how and when you pay have any correlation to wearing shorts in the dining room? Could you please explain?

I would explain but then Royal could correct the problem within the system and close this loop hole. Since it is to my benefit not to allow this to happen I will just say talk to a contract law lawyer.

Can you imagine having Union Room Stewards aboard our cruise ships? What a disaster! No one would tip these Union Stewards because service would be

horrible! Never let the US get involved with cruising personnel! Look at the

Veterans Administration. 80% union employees and a complete failure at the

VA! Imagine what it would be like on a cruise ship! This would not be a JOKE!

They do not need to be union. But why apply US Standards to non US workers? That was the whole point. Tipping is not a Worldwide practice, most of the World is non tipping. The people that tip are Americans it is a idea that came about in America in the early 1900's. No reason to tip as part of the standard service received, tip for those who go above the standard level.

Tops should be earned not required or expected just for doing your job. Not US Workers or Standards.

Yes LM I take your point re different countries and policies.

Yes the booking polices can be different. But since Royal processes as a US Credit Card Merchant, they must follow the US Rules. Even if you prepaid the daily gratuities you can remove them and get them back. Call Royal and tell them to do so, when the line representative says no, request request dispute resolutions. It will get done, and you always have your credit card service on your side.

On Grandeur last year they did enforce the no shorts at dinner policy. It's hit or miss on enforcement but it is a rule. :)

Again I think it depends upon the passenger and how they react to the request by staff. If you show up in shorts and they say leave and you do, then they are not allowed. But if you do not comply with the staff, for whatever reason I do not see them using force to remove you.

It comes down to what type of person are you and are you required to follow this rule. Depending upon how and when you paid you may or may not be covered by the terms of the cruise contract. So if you want to wear shorts and you defend yourself I see Royal folding every single time.

I'm not saying I agree with wearing shorts, I think for the respect of other passengers you should follow the dress code.

Unlike the cruise lines, wait staff in restaurants in the US do work hard for their tips

 

Obviously the writer of this comment hasn't been cruising for a long time. The staff on cruise ships work very long hours and work extremely hard for their pay.

 

An example of a waitress in Café Bacio on the Celebrity Solstice started at 9.00 am and finished at 1.00 am the following morning with a 2 hour break during the day and was back in the Café at 7.00 am the following morning and we saw her still at work after the late show at 10 pm.

 

These people work extremely hard and always still have a smile for even the most thankless of passenger. A café worker on shore would have kittens if they had to work as hard and the hours of a cruise worker

What is obvious here is you have spent very little time in third world countries, and you want to judge these things based upon your own life experiences. In third World working conditions, 12 hours a day 28 days a month is common. Low pay rates are very common. At this time about 25% of Royal's service staff is from the Philippines, they are paid around US$2000 dollars per moth in total. If the same same staff worked in the Philippines the month pay (same level of work) would be about 12,000 pesos US$261 and from this they would need to pay transportation, food, housing. All things Royal pays for them.

For most of these workers the cruise ship jobs pay at least ten times what they would make in the Philippines. And if they all quit today, 20 workers would be lining up to take each job. So don't compare to Western standards, they are third World workers in fact being very overpaid based upon their standards.

As a shareholder I just want the job done at the lowest cost to me, so I get the most return on my investment. If Royal can cut crew costs that is good for me. As a passengers I have already paid for the cruise and it is up to Royal to pay their own staff. Either way it is not on me, to support or help anyone.

A Little Harsh!

Sorry but not really harsh enough if the Captain lined up the crew and told me I am throwing a crew member over board unless you pay me a one cent surcharge.... I would tell him he will need to jump first because I will throw the money over board before paying a cent.....

You are allowed to do what you want, these fees are voluntary and optional and that means I can do what I want. So now is that harsh enough for you? Not one extra penny to save a crew members life or all the crew members because it is not my responsibility.

Have a great weekend, I know I am.

Just wondering can you get them refunded like you do on the princess as I like to choose who I pay mine to eg the room attendant and regular dining staff that take care of me. Never sailed on the rcl before

 

 

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Just go to guest services and have them removed once you are on the ship. But do not select to prepay them during the booking process, getting a refund would make it harder.

If you did prepay them contract Royal and get the credit back to your charge card before you sail. If your package included no cost gratuities you can not change things.

I always have removed the auto daily gratuity from my account. I will never pay it.... don't care what the company says, never going to happen. For me these auto daily gratuities are nothing short of robbery and thief.

I have more respect for a armed robber than Royal over this, at least he/she puts a gun in my face and says they are stealing. Royal wants to say how poor hard working crews have little money and are so needy, and work so hard to make my cruise better.... All worthless garbage from company PR, pay your own employees, if they can't live on what they make find another job.

Royal does not want to operated under US Labor laws. They do everything they can to be able to operate with control from the US Labor Department. If you posters who keep saying how we should help these poor crew members really want to help them then get Royal to operate as a US staffed and paid crew.

What Royal and other cruise lines do is to want to be a US Operator when it comes to stealing money in the form of Auto gratuities which they then control and spread as they see fit. But they don't really want to help the crews they just want us to pay the crews.

RCCL has a corporation is not responsible for caring about the crews, they are responsible to the shareholders. And it makes prefect sense to con the passengers into paying extra money for staff wages.

No different than any other day that you eat outside your home. You need to follow the same rules you would if not on a cruise. The cruise line can help by providing information but you make the choices for what you eat.

Downy Wrinkle Release works wonders and the cabin isn't waterlogged from steam. I pack everything in dry cleaner bags and spray lightly when I unpack. Easy Peasy and it's done for the whole cruise.

 

 

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Yes you are correct but it misses the point. If you purchase Downy, it cost you money. But if you use the shower it costs Royal..... I love to spend the cruise lines money.

While I could, personally, give a rat's tutu what anyone else does in regards to tipping - auto, handout, nothing or some combo, people are free to do whatever they feel they should do.

 

I am simply tired of reading Donald Trump like garbage from posters.

 

Stealing is taking something without someone's permission - everyone who does auto-gratuities (or any other form of paying gratuities), is willingly paying it. Perhaps they are clueless about their ability to NOT do so, but that is on them - I find RCI quite clear on these things. So, debate all you want - but let's stop with the hyperbole -- because, to twist your quote:

 

"Lying is lying and what you are doing is absolutely no different than other lying"

 

Mike

And you are entitled to allow Royal to steal from you.... But you are not entitled or allowed to tell others what they must do or believe. Royal is stealing with the Auto Gratuity policy that they have in place. I will keep posting as I see fit and know is correct.

Royal change the company policy about a year ago. Under the new guidelines no added discounts will be offered within 30 days from sailing.

I agree I too like the old system.

As others have said the official policy is no shorts. But most of the time the staff will not question guests, and if they do is the guest goes on offense, they staff just fold.

Thant said I do believe you should follow the dress codes. Not for the cruise lines but to show respect to the guests.

Royal Caribbean Custom Excursions

Repackage the same old tours they have, make a few changes, call them Custom Excursions, double the prices, add a $100 fee, and then offer no added $100 fee. Wow sounds like a get deal Royal..... For RCCL that is.

I have found that since Royal created the problem that maybe the fix should cost them money..... Seems to work for me. So what I do is place the clothes on hangers in the bathroom and run the shower with the door close to make hot steam, 30 to 60 minutes. You will need to allow a couple of hours for the dampness to dry from your clothes, but they will be wriggle free.

With the added bonus of wasting all that water and energy required to make the hot water, pump through the ship and handle the waste water. :):):):)

Yes, having an 18% tip for any kind of drink on top of already heavily encouraged gratuities is highway robbery.

And if someone tries to rob you on the highway what do you do? You don't pull over and say please rob me sir..... But some many people here seem to believe letting Royal rob you is OK and good. It helps the poor underpaid workers....

For those who believe this please forward your alarm and pin codes, so while your on the cruise some poor American citizens can charge you a vacation service fee, in the form of taking your money left at home and in the bank....

Stealing is stealing and what Royal does is absolutely no different than other stealing.

By Royal normal policy 3 but the ship can have only 2. Formal nights equal more profits so they always want to push them.

Just another bad idea from Royal..... The proof is in the product.

If everyone started removing auto gratuities, service would improve employees that really earned tips would made more. The company uses auto tipping to steal, others here can choose to be sheep and allow this to happen but I will not. No auto daily fees here, remove them every single trip.

Please post back how I am mean and should not cruise... etc...etc... the more others tell me how wrong I am the happier it makes me. Removing the Auto daily gratuity is a highlight of the cruise.

I will not pay the outrageous amount requested. I believe the extra is not going to the staff but going to RCL'S bottom line.

Royal says no all to the staff.... But I have talked to staff members off the ships outside the control of Royal and they all say the same thing. They do not get the total amounts Royal includes may "crew members" that are not really tipped employees mangers, and takes a cut.

Many will read and say its only a small amount and they are poor and hard working. But by allowing cruise lines to steal with auto gratuities, and not pay fair wages, hurts the crews much more. I always remove them and tip direct as I see fit and correct.

Understand these are not tips, RCCL can call them tips but they are not. It is a service fee, Royal way of stealing from the passengers to pay for Royal's Staff. This is done company wide.

We as passengers are not responsible for paying the staff that is the job of the cruise lines. And while RCCL wants to take all the benefits of being American, they only want benefits like tips. They do not want to employ US crews, they do not want to follow US Labor laws.

It is time for the company to pay the staffs and stop trying to steal from me. I cay trying because I always remove the daily recommend stealing from my account and tip as I see fit in cash.

After off the plane so that no confusion while in air transit.

The format of the Muster Drill is set by the USCG and SOLAS. IT must be done, it cannot just be watched on TV. Maybe Royal took video and after the drill place on their TV channel but the live drill is done at the muster stations.