Royal Carribbean basically "forced me" to tip waiters I never met!

[librarygal]

I got off a Royal Carribbean Cruise Ship last week and I am still steaming about the tipping policy. I would like your feedback and advice.

 

So basically we ate at alternative restaurants or the buffet (at in the ports of calls) the entire time we were on the cruise. This is our 6th cruise and we did not have the stomach to sit in the main dining room and make small talk to strangers at our assigned table for two hours in the evenings. We ate our dinners in the buffet.

 

So about five days into the cruise we got material asking us to pay our tips for the cruise. We had no trouble tipping our cabin attendent but they also required we tip our Assistant and Head Waiter. Yes there was an alternative that we pay everyone in cash if we did not want our sign and sail card credit card charged. We had gone through all our cash so we just signed the form for the required tips and basically compensated the waiters at the Main Dining Room we never met.

 

According to the show on the cabin television, believe it or not we were told to hunt down all our service people and hand them the envelop with the voucher or cash on our last day. Does anyone really do that?

 

In an era where a large number of cruisers do not eat in the main dining room, there has to be a better way for cruisers who do not have lots of cash along to tip only those service people who they actually came in contact with. What do you think?

[sanwin]

I can understand how you feel.

While on Liberty last year , we used the MDR twice out of 7 nights.

I agree there has to be a better way for us to tip people who actually we have received a good service from.

I had prepaid my grats so just put the slips in the envelopes !!!!

The waiting staff in the MDR were different on both nights ( MTD) so who got the tips ???

 

Sandra

[Wilda]

While we do not have any gripes with tipping overall, I do wish that RCI would just include a service charge for the same amount in the cruise fare. The envelope system, along with the long line of people at Guest Services removing "gratuities" at the end of the cruise shows just how antiquated and unfair the system is. Just put it in the cruise fare and be done with it! That way passengers won't have to be concerned that the wrong people were receiving a tip.

[yarlenna]

While we do not have any gripes with tipping overall, I do wish that RCI would just include a service charge for the same amount in the cruise fare. The envelope system, along with the long line of people at Guest Services removing "gratuities" at the end of the cruise shows just how antiquated and unfair the system is. Just put it in the cruise fare and be done with it!

 

Agree! I hope RCI is reading this.

[ChipLondon]

Whilst the "Tip" structure is indicated as being for the Table Waiter and the Assistant, as well as the Headwaiter, you must also realise these are the same people that provide service in other areas around the ship. The waiters also work in the Buffett area for breakfast and lunch service. and are supervised by Head waiters. So the tipping is not solely for the evening service. As stated you did have the option to not pre-pay, and therefore tip in cash if you wanted too or not, so nobody actually forced you do to anything.

Sure I hear what you said abot not having cash, but all ships have ATMs and cash can be got from the Casino, and yes you might have been charged a small percentage for getting cash, but only similar to charges made at any foreign exchange.

However as you state that this was not your first cruise, you certainly would have been aware of the tipping policy ( which is similar on most cruise lines ) and therefore you could have prepared yourselves for tipping in cash, if that would be your preference.

Even those that have pre-paid can have those tips removed from their bill, if they feel the service did not deserve the amount spent. Sorry if you felt this policy did not suit you, but I think there were ways that would have enabled you to avoid the situation.

[bplazo]

I am sure that you ate somewhere on the ship? Breakfast, lunch, dinner? The tips are all pooled so it is a great system. I do not begrudge the measley 11 or 12 a day tip.

[sanwin]

The simplest way is put the prepaid grat costs in the price...then we can tip the people we received good service from .

I have no problems with tipping....that is why I always prepay....its those envelopes that I have to do on my last day I object to !!!!

 

 

Sandra

[Bakincakes]

Lots of pax "go through their cash"..and the staff gets stiffed for their gratuities.

 

IMO RCI should just simply add the grats to the price of the cruise..pay their staff and allow pax to give tips in excess if the service they received was above and beyond.

 

Far too many crew don't get what they should get from pax if they are allowed to do things on their own.:(

[DonnaK]

If you put the tips on your card, you do NOT have to "hunt down service people on the last day to give them the vouchers". They will get their share of the money regardless - the vouchers are only symbolic because some cruisers like to have something to pass out on the last day.

 

If you ate breakfast and lunch around the ship in any other venue, then your tip to the waiters that you "never met" includes them.

 

I agree with the suggestion that RCI just adds a daily "service charge" or "hotel charge" to everyone's onboard account like they do on all the other mainstream cruiselines. I think that they need to stop calling it a tip or gratuity - it is a service charge.

[Verfai]

In my opinion they can just add the costs for crew and staff to the total cruise price, guess that’s my European view on it.

 

However in your case and it is a cruising tradition...you are free to give your tip envelopes to the staff in the Windjammer or anywhere else for a fact. There are plenty of people on these boards that have done the same. The names of your waiters are even on the tables in the WJ, the same as in the MDR, and yes you don’t have a fixed table, but it is well known that the tips are shared amongst the crew and staff…So you are always tipping for people you never saw.

[Julesben]

I got off a Royal Carribbean Cruise Ship last week and I am still steaming about the tipping policy. I would like your feedback and advice.

 

So basically we ate at alternative restaurants or the buffet (at in the ports of calls) the entire time we were on the cruise. This is our 6th cruise and we did not have the stomach to sit in the main dining room and make small talk to strangers at our assigned table for two hours in the evenings. We ate our dinners in the buffet.

 

So about five days into the cruise we got material asking us to pay our tips for the cruise. We had no trouble tipping our cabin attendent but they also required we tip our Assistant and Head Waiter. Yes there was an alternative that we pay everyone in cash if we did not want our sign and sail card credit card charged. We had gone through all our cash so we just signed the form for the required tips and basically compensated the waiters at the Main Dining Room we never met.

 

In an era where a large number of cruisers do not eat in the main dining room, there has to be a better way for cruisers who do not have lots of cash along to tip only those service people who they actually came in contact with. What do you think?

 

We can understand and appreciate your frustrations.

 

With regard to the MDR staff, how would they get paid if they didn't get the gratuities, i thing the cruise line don't make it compulsory in order to extract maximum effort out of the staff members.

 

We always pre pay and have done, we quite often pay more if a particular staff member goes beyond the normal call of duty.

 

We quite enjoy the main dining room experience, more often then not we like a table to ourselves also, speak to the MDR manager once you board a ship regarding a smaller table if you cant do small talk, the MDR is the make or break for my cruise, had some great times in there.

 

hope you sort it out.

[sanwin]

Whilst the "Tip" structure is indicated as being for the Table Waiter and the Assistant, as well as the Headwaiter, you must also realise these are the same people that provide service in other areas around the ship. The waiters also work in the Buffett area for breakfast and lunch service. and are supervised by Head waiters. So the tipping is not solely for the evening service. As stated you did have the option to not pre-pay, and therefore tip in cash if you wanted too or not, so nobody actually forced you do to anything.

Sure I hear what you said abot not having cash, but all ships have ATMs and cash can be got from the Casino, and yes you might have been charged a small percentage for getting cash, but only similar to charges made at any foreign exchange.

However as you state that this was not your first cruise, you certainly would have been aware of the tipping policy ( which is similar on most cruise lines ) and therefore you could have prepared yourselves for tipping in cash, if that would be your preference.

Even those that have pre-paid can have those tips removed from their bill, if they feel the service did not deserve the amount spent. Sorry if you felt this policy did not suit you, but I think there were ways that would have enabled you to avoid the situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand fully what you are saying

But last year was our first experience of this tipping lark !!

Next one I intend to take cash with me to give to those who serve me !!

My problem last year was who got my envelopes !!. I knew my cabin steward but not the waiters !!!

I also never knew I could go to Guest Relations and ask about this !

 

Sandra

[Julesben]

While we do not have any gripes with tipping overall, I do wish that RCI would just include a service charge for the same amount in the cruise fare. The envelope system, along with the long line of people at Guest Services removing "gratuities" at the end of the cruise shows just how antiquated and unfair the system is. Just put it in the cruise fare and be done with it! That way passengers won't have to be concerned that the wrong people were receiving a tip.

 

I think tips are done this way so the staff member are not assured of getting it unless they give good service. id struggle to smile and greet people in my cabins or at my tables for 7,8,9,or 10 months at a time if the money was a sure thing.

 

Knowing that my good care of the customer might help me make good money would keep me on my toes.

 

I might never ever see you again, why do i look after you when i'm guaranteed wages!!

 

Trying to put myself in a waiters shoes.

 

Might help you understand why the cruise lines do it this way, standards would definitely drop.

 

My advice is pre pay and forget about it, also make more use of the MDR, you are missing out unfortunately.

[f1mauro]

This has been a real head scratcher for me as well. Why are prepaid tips required for mtd but not for reserved dining times? This policy forced me to reserve 8:30 dining for the week so as not to be forced to pay ahead for something I don't plan on using. As for the specialty restaurants, the entry fee includes gratuities (although we always tip extra regardless). Maybe the vouchers should come as "cruise dollars" that allow us to spread them out to the ones most deserving?

[BonTXNY]

Since tips are pooled and you give cash above and beyond the amount prepaid, is the waiter required to pool that extra tip as well?

 

We like to give the pre-paid vouchers to our wait staff to thank them personally for a job well done. They work hard and as others have said, they do work in venues other than dinner in the MDR. Unfortunately, we have been on more than one cruise where folks at our table do not show up at the last dinner of the cruise so that they don't "have" to tip. We know this for a fact. :eek:

[yarlenna]

I understand fully what you are saying

But last year was our first experience of this tipping lark !!

Next one I intend to take cash with me to give to those who serve me !!

My problem last year was who got my envelopes !!. I knew my cabin steward but not the waiters !!!

I also never knew I could go to Guest Relations and ask about this !

 

Sandra

 

If you give them cash, they have to turn it in - so that everyone gets a share of your "tips". The only time they can keep all, is if you give the whole amount - They can keep the extra. Please remember that the tips for the wait staff is for every meal. So if you want to eat a snack, your tips are part of that too.

[Julesben]

This has been a real head scratcher for me as well. Why are prepaid tips required for mtd but not for reserved dining times? This policy forced me to reserve 8:30 dining for the week so as not to be forced to pay ahead for something I don't plan on using. As for the specialty restaurants, the entry fee includes gratuities (although we always tip extra regardless). Maybe the vouchers should come as "cruise dollars" that allow us to spread them out to the ones most deserving?

 

Maybe the vouchers should come as "cruise dollars" that allow us to spread them out to the ones most deserving?

 

Good Idea, that would make them work.

[sanwin]

On our next cruise we intend to eat in the MDR every night.......I also intend to book the same time every night ...even tho we are MTD !

I never knew that the tips were pooled......it was never explained to me how it all worked.

We were newbies to Royal last year and had never had to do any of this stuff before.

But next time will be different !..although I have opted for prepaid , I now get it !!!

Being from Belfast UK we do not tip willy nilly ,...only for good service !

It is a bit of a culture shock when you sail for the 1st time on a Royal ship......and I have to admit to moaning about extra service charges added to drink bills etc.....but after reading soooo many threads on here about tipping and how it works...I will do my envelopes and personally hand them to the people who served me.

 

Sandra

[temple1]

On our next cruise we intend to eat in the MDR every night.......I also intend to book the same time every night ...even tho we are MTD !

I never knew that the tips were pooled......it was never explained to me how it all worked.

We were newbies to Royal last year and had never had to do any of this stuff before.

But next time will be different !..although I have opted for prepaid , I now get it !!!

Being from Belfast UK we do not tip willy nilly ,...only for good service !

It is a bit of a culture shock when you sail for the 1st time on a Royal ship......and I have to admit to moaning about extra service charges added to drink bills etc.....but after reading soooo many threads on here about tipping and how it works...I will do my envelopes and personally hand them to the people who served me.

 

Sandra

 

In the UK and other countries that does not have a tipping culture the wait staff gets paid a living wage whether they provide good service or not. When paying tips/gratuities in places where wait staff are not paid a living wage your tips supplements their pay. The suggested tips by the cruiseline brings their pay up to a living wage, what you might want to tip above and beyond that is a reward for great service.

 

If you choose MTD for your next cruise, yes the tips are pooled, but everyone choosing MTD have tipped in advance so they are all tipped unlike the main dining room where any number of diners might choose not to tip. So go ahead and give the voucher to your chosen servers and you can still supplement in cash for exceptional service.

[Reader0108598]

I have no problem with the pre paying. Infact I like it, one less thing to be concerned about on my vacation:D

 

Including this "service charge" in the price of the cruise may sound like a good idea.

 

However I can assure you at some point the fact that it is included will be forgotten and you will be expected to "TIP" .

 

 

Reader

[sanwin]

In the UK and other countries that does not have a tipping culture the wait staff gets paid a living wage whether they provide good service or not. When paying tips/gratuities in places where wait staff are not paid a living wage your tips supplements their pay. The suggested tips by the cruiseline brings their pay up to a living wage, what you might want to tip above and beyond that is a reward for great service.

 

If you choose MTD for your next cruise, yes the tips are pooled, but everyone choosing MTD have tipped in advance so they are all tipped unlike the main dining room where any number of diners might choose not to tip. So go ahead and give the voucher to your chosen servers and you can still supplement in cash for exceptional service.

 

 

 

Thank you sooo much for clearing things up a bit for me ....without flaming me !!!...

 

I think there are a lot of people like me ....who thought when booking for the 1st time on RC that when you pay everything up front ( final payment including grats ) that , that is it !

That is why I didn't get the bit about the envelopes on the last night !

I do not have an issue with tipping in cash as an extra thank you to individuals including the bar staff.

But I do think that maybe prepaid pax should not have to do the envelope thing in the MDR if the prepaid grats are pooled.

 

Just a thought !!

 

Sandra

[emelvee]

The simplest way is put the prepaid grat costs in the price...then we can tip the people we received good service from .

I have no problems with tipping....that is why I always prepay....its those envelopes that I have to do on my last day I object to !!!!

 

 

Sandra

I agree...I've never used the envelopes for gratuities. I just prepay or have them added to the onboard account.

[DonnaK]

Thank you sooo much for clearing things up a bit for me ....without flaming me !!!...

 

I think there are a lot of people like me ....who thought when booking for the 1st time on RC that when you pay everything up front ( final payment including grats ) that , that is it !

That is why I didn't get the bit about the envelopes on the last night !

I do not have an issue with tipping in cash as an extra thank you to individuals including the bar staff.

But I do think that maybe prepaid pax should not have to do the envelope thing in the MDR if the prepaid grats are pooled.

 

Just a thought !!

 

Sandra

 

You do NOT have to do the envelop thing if you've prepaid your tips. They envelopes and vouchers are provided as a symbolic gesture for those who WANT to have something to hand out.

 

If your tips are already paid, then you are done. No more is necessary unless you wish to tip extra.

[cb at sea]

If you hand someone cash, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will NOT be "turned in" to some sort of "pool"....it will go directly into their pocket! I don't know WHERE that rumor got started!

 

Look....the folks are hired KNOWING in advance the way they will get paid and how their tips will work.....so if YOU go by the cruiseline's policy, everything is cool. Everyone gets what they have come to expect.

[temple1]

Thank you sooo much for clearing things up a bit for me ....without flaming me !!!...

 

I think there are a lot of people like me ....who thought when booking for the 1st time on RC that when you pay everything up front ( final payment including grats ) that , that is it !

That is why I didn't get the bit about the envelopes on the last night !

I do not have an issue with tipping in cash as an extra thank you to individuals including the bar staff.

But I do think that maybe prepaid pax should not have to do the envelope thing in the MDR if the prepaid grats are pooled.

 

Just a thought !!

 

Sandra

 

I think your TA should have done a better job of explaining tipping on RCCL cruises.

 

As for the envelope - I asked the first time we did MTD and the head waiter told us not to worry about the vouchers.

 

If you hand someone cash, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will NOT be "turned in" to some sort of "pool"....it will go directly into their pocket! I don't know WHERE that rumor got started!

 

 

 

Look....the folks are hired KNOWING in advance the way they will get paid and how their tips will work.....so if YOU go by the cruiseline's policy, everything is cool. Everyone gets what they have come to expect.

 

 

CB - You stole my mantra! I keep repeating that but it seems to go past in the sea breeze.