Tipping - New Policy

[PORT ROYAL]

Have read all posts on this subject and wish to post my personal opinion.

We always pre-pay andjust forget about it, and give a litle extra when service is top notch.

However, may I suggest that we all pre-pay and request MTD, as I thing this would cause havoc on the ship.

PS: In our years of cruising, only one person (exceptional service) has declined a substantive grat' stating it was all part of the RCL service (On the Indy).

So this proves some people are not motivated by money

[04cruises]

How strange we posted a similar opinion at the same time??lol:D

 

Yes but I think a lot of other people have the same opinion.My problem with this is that we eat a lot in the ports and specialty dining so we may only go to the dining room a couple of nights but I am still tipping a waiter that I am not getting service from. We tip well to those who take personal care of us but do not feel the guilt of not paying somebody who we are not using their service.But as long as the cruise lines can make us feel obligated,they will never pay their employees a fair wage.

[Paul65]

I am really amazed that Rccl would take this approach.We just got off the NCL Dawn on Sun. and I can tell you that the service is not even close to Rccl. When a person knows they will get paid anyway they just seem to care a little less about their service to you. It will be interesting in a few months to hear some feedback on this move.

 

I haven't been on NCL, so can't compare, but I'm not sure it will make that much of a difference. I could be wrong, but I feel like I can usually tell the difference between an employee who is truly friendly and helpful, and one who is just acting that way to get tips. I've seen some of both on my Royal Caribbean cruises, but most of the time it seems to be those who really take pride in their jobs, rather than just sucking up for a tip.

[Missus Makkem]

Have read all posts on this subject and wish to post my personal opinion.

We always pre-pay andjust forget about it, and give a litle extra when service is top notch.

However, may I suggest that we all pre-pay and request MTD, as I thing this would cause havoc on the ship.

PS: In our years of cruising, only one person (exceptional service) has declined a substantive grat' stating it was all part of the RCL service (On the Indy).

So this proves some people are not motivated by money

 

sorry to say it will not make any difference to MTD as they only allocate so many places for this facility and when they are gone they are gone and you will be sent back to the main dining room so get in quickly if that is what you want.

[bigeagle12]

When a person knows they will get paid anyway they just seem to care a little less about their service to you. It will be interesting in a few months to hear some feedback on this move.

 

I would have thought the same thing. But I have cruised Princess and HAL and they both automatically charge a daily "service charge". The Princess service is equal to RCI and the HAL is superior :)

[PORT ROYAL]

sorry to say it will not make any difference to MTD as they only allocate so many places for this facility and when they are gone they are gone and you will be sent back to the main dining room so get in quickly if that is what you want.

 

Thanks for this, but my point was that if all guests prepaid the grats, the if all the guests requested MTD, would this cause a problem?

[krazy4cruizen]

IMHO the "new" grats policy isn't exactly the same as MTD grats. MTD grats are pre-paid by you when you book your cruise. The new policy simply charges them to your seapass account on a daily basis without you having to go to the guest relations desk to give authorization or use all cash at the end of your cruise. If someone has a problem with specific service on any given day, a quick trip to guest relations should take care of whatever charge one might want subtracted. I don't look at this as a punitive charge, nor a hardship, it's simply long overdue. Now I'd be happier if they'd just wrap my grats into the price of my cruise. Kirsten:)

[jbond]

I would have thought the same thing. But I have cruised Princess and HAL and they both automatically charge a daily "service charge". The Princess service is equal to RCI and the HAL is superior :)

 

I agree with the Princess comment. Princess has had auto tipping for quite some time and their service level has remained at the same high level.

My only complaint is that the grats are posted to your on board account every day. The extra two posting clutter up an already busy account. I wish that they would just post it once for the entire cruise.

[Mark_K]

That may be but they specifically mentioned in my email that it would be effective for my sailing which included March 1st. Regardless, as seems to happen with RCCL they changed policy or weren't able to institute it quick enough for my sailing after all but I assure you they specifically said my sailing was included.

this would not be the first time, nor likely the last, that RCI's IT department sent emails to people in error.

[caddie1]

I am glad you did post this as I also had missed it before.I just booked a Rccl cruise and the travel agent did not say anything about this,I am really amazed that Rccl would take this approach.We just got off the NCL Dawn on Sun. and I can tell you that the service is not even close to Rccl. When a person knows they will get paid anyway they just seem to care a little less about their service to you. It will be interesting in a few months to hear some feedback on this move.

 

So will i.

[Gumbey]

I just booked a B2B in Mar 2014 on the Allure. I also selected MTD and had to pre-pay the tips. I would assume there is no additional charge of $12 per day as mentioned in the OP?

[cruisenfever]

When a person knows they will get paid anyway they just seem to care a little less about their service to you. It will be interesting in a few months to hear some feedback on this move.

I completely disagree as we've been doing prepaid gratuities for the last 3 years and have not noticed any lack of service. If anything, we've gotten better service.

 

These folks that attend to you during a cruise are well aware of the fact that if they do not continue to give good service to any of the people they are servicing during any given week, the auto gratuities can be adjusted by any/all guests to reflect bad service.

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

Bob is right. The 15% gratuity is still added on to bar purchases, mini-bar items, and also spa and salon services.

 

Gratuity on mini bar items that I am serving to myself?

 

 

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[tgnorton]

I really do know the answer to this, but .....

 

If the grats will be automatic - wish they would just include them in the price of the cruise and say, grats included.

 

I guess TAs couldn't offer it as a bonus if this was the case...

And, I guess it would also increase the overall price of the cruise from the brochure point of view....

 

Anyway, just blabbing on for a Friday to avoid working:eek:

[bigeagle12]

These folks that attend to you during a cruise are well aware of the fact that if they do not continue to give good service to any of the people they are servicing during any given week, the auto gratuities can be adjusted by any/all guests to reflect bad service.

 

They also realize that too many customer complaints and they will be dismissed or their contract not renewed. :eek:

[crisndeefromde]

Yes but I think a lot of other people have the same opinion.My problem with this is that we eat a lot in the ports and specialty dining so we may only go to the dining room a couple of nights but I am still tipping a waiter that I am not getting service from. We tip well to those who take personal care of us but do not feel the guilt of not paying somebody who we are not using their service.But as long as the cruise lines can make us feel obligated,they will never pay their employees a fair wage.

 

quick question for you ....do you not enjoy the windjammer or main dining room for lunch or breakfast? your servers in the main dining room for dinner also work in these venues as well. Just asking?

 

We enjoy all dining aspects and also see our servers working in the daytime in many food places. Just serving you at dinner is only one of their duties as a server.

 

Also if you read the new policy your account gets charged EACH day. If you do not feel you recieved the service you felt you deserved on that day you are asked to go to guest relations to let them know so that they may investigate your issue and go from there.

 

Our waiters on the Adventure were excited about the new policy in some ways and not so much in others. They have to share more of their money so therefore they make less however when they do cruises outside of the caribbean they will get monies from guests who otherwise don't tip at all and feel the gratuity should be included in the price of the cruise which many lines do now. I haven't experienced a cruise in my 27 cruises that I didn't get great service and I didn't prepay my tips either. Your tips will be charged the next day as we were told.

[04cruises]

quick question for you ....do you not enjoy the windjammer or main dining room for lunch or breakfast? your servers in the main dining room for dinner also work in these venues as well. Just asking?

 

We enjoy all dining aspects and also see our servers working in the daytime in many food places. Just serving you at dinner is only one of their duties as a server.

 

Also if you read the new policy your account gets charged EACH day. If you do not feel you recieved the service you felt you deserved on that day you are asked to go to guest relations to let them know so that they may investigate your issue and go from there.

 

Our waiters on the Adventure were excited about the new policy in some ways and not so much in others. They have to share more of their money so therefore they make less however when they do cruises outside of the caribbean they will get monies from guests who otherwise don't tip at all and feel the gratuity should be included in the price of the cruise which many lines do now. I haven't experienced a cruise in my 27 cruises that I didn't get great service and I didn't prepay my tips either. Your tips will be charged the next day as we were told.

 

We do the buffet for breakfast and at sea for lunch and a lot for dinner.Now my turn to ask,do you tip the same amount when you go out to dinner at home rather it be a full service restaurant or a buffet?

[Mark_K]

I really do know the answer to this, but .....

 

If the grats will be automatic - wish they would just include them in the price of the cruise and say, grats included.

 

I guess TAs couldn't offer it as a bonus if this was the case...

And, I guess it would also increase the overall price of the cruise from the brochure point of view....

 

Anyway, just blabbing on for a Friday to avoid working:eek:

A lot of people wish the gratuities would be included in the price, but as long as people are lured by low advertised prices, and the other mass market lines operate the same way, it will not change.

[Havingfun2010]

When I book my cruise, I prepay everything, from the tips, to the soda to the excusions and when I get on the ship, I need no money and now, I can even prepay for my booze. So all I need is money to lose in the casino.

 

To be serious, this is better for the crew, and I glad it is finally going to happen. I always looked at the tips as part of my trip (why I prepay). Now on many occasions, and if I did not lose too much money in the casino, I start handing out $20 on the last night for the crew that worked hard so I didn't have to. :D

[crisndeefromde]

We do the buffet for breakfast and at sea for lunch and a lot for dinner.Now my turn to ask,do you tip the same amount when you go out to dinner at home rather it be a full service restaurant or a buffet?

 

thanks for the great question. Here we don't have the same staff working at multiple restaurants or buffets so my answer would differ than from what I do for gratuities on the ship. I wasn't trying to offend, I was just asking if you were aware of the waiters duties in the the different food venues. Many cruisers do not know that their waiter works elsewhere in food venues other than the dining room. Many think that is the only time he/she works is at dinner and are often shocked to see them serving at breakfast and or lunch.

 

We had new cruisers dining at our table that were surprised when our waiter said he would be working in the main dining room for breakfast. Enough said.

[Tucker in Texas]

Gratuity on mini bar items that I am serving to myself?

 

 

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Someone has to stock the mini-bar so you can "serve yourself."

 

Tucker in Texas

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

Someone has to stock the mini-bar so you can "serve yourself."

 

Tucker in Texas

 

So build the price of that "service" into the purchase.

 

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[04cruises]

thanks for the great question. Here we don't have the same staff working at multiple restaurants or buffets so my answer would differ than from what I do for gratuities on the ship. I wasn't trying to offend, I was just asking if you were aware of the waiters duties in the the different food venues. Many cruisers do not know that their waiter works elsewhere in food venues other than the dining room. Many think that is the only time he/she works is at dinner and are often shocked to see them serving at breakfast and or lunch.

 

We had new cruisers dining at our table that were surprised when our waiter said he would be working in the main dining room for breakfast. Enough said.

 

No offense taken.On our recent Oasis cruise,our waiter told us that doing the buffet some days was a separte contract.But since none of us can produce a contract,I guess we will never know.A good debate lets the lines know we are watching them. As always,may we have great cruises in the future.

[Tucker in Texas]

So build the price of that "service" into the purchase.

 

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Agree but then you would have people complaining they can get a coke for whatever at the bar (where 15% is automatically added) cheaper than the mini-bar price. So it is 1/2 a dozen of one and six of another.

 

No offense taken.On our recent Oasis cruise,our waiter told us that doing the buffet some days was a separte contract.But since none of us can produce a contract,I guess we will never know.A good debate lets the lines know we are watching them. As always,may we have great cruises in the future.

 

I heard that the dining room servers have to rotate out a week a month (or so) to the WJ. Amongst themselves they call it "free week" because they get no tips (lol). I take some dollars up there when I eat at night and tip out a server if he/she is attentive.

 

Tucker in Texas

[cruisenfever]

I heard that the dining room servers have to rotate out a week a month (or so) to the WJ. Amongst themselves they call it "free week" because they get no tips (lol). I take some dollars up there when I eat at night and tip out a server if he/she is attentive.

 

Tucker in Texas

Only the assistant waiters must do a rotation every so many weeks in the WJ. It could be 7 days or it could be longer depending on length of itinerary and how their rotation schedule falls.

Edited March 9, 2013 by cruisenfever