Who gets my tips?

I have also started giving random tips to those who likely never get one-the washy washy person at the WJ, a guy painting, etc. It really makes their day. I simply keep some ones in my pocket and give them out spontaneously.

 

Happy Sails to You

It really "makes their day"? Kind of a bit high on ourselves aren't we? They smile and say thank you, because that's what they're trained to do. You think at the end of the day, you're what "made it" for them.... Wow.

We're some people's tipping nightmare. We leave the daily or prepaid tips in place, tip a dollar for every drink on the drink package, and tip extra to waiters, bartenders, and cabin attendants that provide excellent service. Once the money 'leaves my wallet,' I don't care where it goes nor do I care what there systems is.

Why one earth do you care which line this person cruises?

Umm, I don't.

All of his posts on this board are negative and somewhat questionable - so perhaps he needs to take a break, this cannot be healthy for him :confused:

Our cabin on our last cruise was cleaned by "a team" They worked together and were very organized and thorough. When you remove the auto tip and only tip those that you perceive that give you direct service you are missing many employees who work behind the scenes. That is why I believe you should never remove the auto tip.

Well said!

The automtatic gratuities are something I both love and hate. On the one side it likely helps prevent people from getting stiffed by cheapskates, and it helps spread the tips to some people who indirectly contributed to your experience that you might not have thought to tip before. On the flip side it doesn't really let you single out how much you want to give to specific people. Hence when we cruise I pay the suggested automatic gratuity, but also hand cash directly to my room steward and dinner servers. This does make tipping more expensive but not that much more so compared to the cost of the cruise. On a 1 week cruise I usually give an extra $50 to the room steward and 3 dining servers.

All tips are pooled and RCI decides who gets what.....

RCI has their own way of scoring EVERY employee and distibute the tips by that score - that they came up with, in the way THEY decide to distribute the tips !

So it does not matter how you tip...once it left your wallet - RCI decides what will be done with it and who gets how much of the pooled tip!

 

So YOUR waiter etc. gets what RCI decides he gets acording to the score THEY assign to him.

You have no influence on that....no matter how and how much you tip.....

RCI has no way of knowing if any of their staff gets money in a tip envelope unless the employee divulges that to them.

Last comment: they don't know.....ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. We pre-pay, get it out of the way. Tip extra where earned...the employees are not strip searched at the end of their shift. Oh, have to add, our info? From friends who have been working ships for 20+ years are a bar waiter and bartender. (Husband and wife).

These threads are always a source of humor and opinion. The OP who starts them is generally asking if they can simply remove the auto-tip and pay directly and if they do choose to pay directly, are those CASH funds then taken from the servers and re-distributed to others? This is a solid logical inquiry but it's met with people questioning motives, explaining things they may or may not really know (like what happens to cash or what internal cruise lines policies may or may not be)...

IMHO what should be posted on each of these is a simply statement like this:

The cruise industry is moving to this trend so perhaps the best way is to think of the auto-tip as being a "baseline" rather than an option. If you want to tip more in cash to people who serve you directly, be aware that they are getting part of that baseline amount PLUS whatever you decide to give them in addition.

These threads are always a source of humor and opinion.

That is a fact :D Great post too. I have to admit I like watching people get a rise over threads on tips, dress code, dogs, etc. I might even, at times, push some buttons for amusement. Some of the best entertainment associated with cruises are on these message boards. In the end, it is a choice...as is not worrying about what everyone else does, thinks, says, or whatever and enjoying your vacation. Some people can't get over their own egos to do that :')

Whether I prepay or have them automatically put on Sea Pass each day I know doesn't make a difference for the following questions.

My questions are:

-does my actual cabin steward, & my actual wait staff (traditional dining) get my tips, or are they now pooled among all cabin stewards & all wait staff?

-If that is the case, if I hand my people an envelope with cash at the end of the cruise, do they actually get to keep that money for themselves. or do they need to throw it in to the pool of tips to be divided up?

-If I pay the recommended amounts (either prepay or daily automatic) & then tip with additional cash in an envelope & hand it directly to specific people at the end, do they get to keep the cash?

I guess I am trying to determine that if I want to give additional tips above the recommended to specific people for exceptional service , do they get to keep the cash for themselves? Last cruise on Independence I tipped Victor the "Windjammer Greater" because he was excellent & always started our day off with a big smile, greeting & singing & dancing.

Thank you in advance for any responses.

Honestly, while some claim to have insider information, no one really knows the answer to these questions. Some are heavily invested in an anti-tipping, anti-cruise line, agenda. The best advice is to do what makes you feel the most comfortable while recognizing that the auto-gratuities often compensate those who support your cruise but whom you never meet.

We just pay the automatic gratuities as we just count that as part of the cost to cruise and tip extra based off service. We make sure to let the crew member know along the lines of “We know they deducted the automatic gratuities on our shipboard account but wanted to give you extra for taking such good care of us” that way they know they don’t have to say a word to anyone and can keep the cash for themselves.

I see no contradiction....it gets distributed just not in the way people LIKE to belive it does...

 

It is in the best interest of RCI to keep it a secret who actually gets what out of the tip-pot.

So making the pax belive they have any influence on what THEIR waiter etc. gets is essential to keep the secret money-spreading system alive.....:rolleyes:

The RCI employee-scoring system determines how much tip-bonus your waiter gets - not you.....

If it's a "secret", how do YOU know? :eek::evilsmile:

If I told you where he was getting this information from I'd be banned from CC.

Is it an internal anatomical crevice? :confused: ;) :D :cool: :evilsmile:

Is it an internal anatomical crevice? :confused: ;) :D :cool: :evilsmile:

I have never heard it put that way but something to remember...:D

So if I cancel my prepay or auto tips & tip entirely in cash at the end, then my people get all of that cash?

I've asked room stewards and I've asked MDR staff this question on different ships and in different years.

I've always gotten the same answer.

If auto-tip (or prepaid tips) are left in place, any cash given is kept by the employee it was given to.

If no prepaid tips or if auto-tips are removed onboard, any cash given to the employee is supposed to be turned in to be pooled/shared with the behind-the-scenes personnel who would have received a portion of the auto-tips.

I just keep the auto-tips in place and give out an extra $20-$50 to my steward, waiter, and assistant waiter, based on their competence level.

I also give out occasional cash throughout the week to my pool deck and nightclub servers who keep me well-supplied with Diet Coke on my soda package.

I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories or nefarious business plans stating "they should pay their workers, it's not my job to pay them!" I've been cruising since the 1980s, and it was this way then... it's just the industry standard, it's the way it is.

Figure the amount of the tips into your fare (call it a "resort fee" like a hotel does, if you need to) and forget about it. Beyond that, if you want to tip someone, tip someone. If you don't want to, don't.

If you want to know how much money your server or steward gets from your auto tips or cash tips, ask them. I had a waiter on Navigator five years ago who had been working for Royal for TWENTY YEARS. He was obviously happy with the way the company treated him... nobody forced him to remain Loyal To Royal!

Brillohead is correct.

Sent from my LG-US998 using Forums mobile app