Gratuity Guideline Question

[shareen3]

Thanks for all the info Pete!

 

I don't remember it being charged on shore excursions but I may be mistaken. I know that you will pay it on speciality restaurants on board including the Chops Grille options in the MDR.

 

You will pay it on Spa and wine packages once onboard. The prices for wine packages available online prior to boarding do include the VAT element (or they did last year).

 

On each sailing out of Barcelona we've done (Adventure in 2010 when the VAT rates were 17% and 7%, Liberty in 2011 when the rates had increased to 18% and 8%) we were provided with a letter in our stateroom detailing the rates to be levied and the reasons why.

 

I believe we have paid the VAT element on our Chops and Portofino reservations we have made online in the last few days. A little hard to tell as the $20 for Portofino and $30 for Chops per person is converted to GBP£ by RCI when we book in advance. But a cost for 2 people of $40 + 8% = $43.20 and using an exchange rate of $1.587 = £1 seems a reasonable rate today as this is a very similar exchange rate RCI have used in the past and results in the charge of £27.22.

 

If the $40 was converted to £27.22 it means exchange rate of 1.469 which I think is a little low.

[Lunchlady]

I noticed this on our last cruise, on the first night tables all around us were full, then the rest of the nights tables were empty. Did those people who were served the one night have totip, and if they ate somewhere else, ie, buffet, room service...who would you tip.:confused: