!! I Cringe at my fellow travellers !!

[Debde]

In my relatively short time here, I've come to observe that the only way you WON'T be flamed is if you never post! :D .

 

OMG this made me laugh out loud!!! :)

[retiredgram]

This is off topic, sorry, but from what I have read, are you saying when I tip extra in cash, the crew member has to split it with others??.

[PORT ROYAL]

Apparently a Problem shared is a problem halved ??

 

We will be travelling in May on INDY , 6th Cruise , 2nd with RCCL .

 

HOWEVER

 

A family that is cruising with us ( never cruised before ) are planning on immediately taking their Auto Grats on as they 'technically don't have to pay them so why would you ?'

 

Makes me cringe , anyone ever been in this situation before , Iv had may say but it has little effect ..... Makes Me Cringe ![/quote

 

Did they also eat in the Windjammer on the last night ;)

As this is the usual protocol for this who stiff:eek:

[time4u2go]

Did they also eat in the Windjammer on the last night ;)

As this is the usual protocol for this who stiff:eek:

They haven't cruised yet. The cruise is in May.

[crazyventures]

 

Tipping can be a very personal topic. Visit the Disney boards and ask about tipping a Mousekeeper then run for your life as the discussion falls into insults.

 

The Disney boards are feisty about even the most mundane topics :eek:

 

Here: tipping, smoking, dress code, and rum runner threads are guaranteed entertainment!

[pcur]

This is off topic, sorry, but from what I have read, are you saying when I tip extra in cash, the crew member has to split it with others??.

 

Only if you have removed the auto tips. If they are charged, then the cash is the crew member's to keep. We are talking about housekeeping and dining staff. Bartenders do pool their tips with their partner or team working with them.

[pcur]

I would love it if RCCL would post the tips daily to our accounts, like Princess does. That way the deadbeats would have to make a daily trip to Customer Service and request the tips be removed for the day.

 

I would love it if it was so inconvenient they just give up. :D

[Retired LEO]

I would love it if RCCL would post the tips daily to our accounts, like Princess does. That way the deadbeats would have to make a daily trip to Customer Service and request the tips be removed for the day.

 

I would love it if it was so inconvenient they just give up. :D

 

They do post them to the accounts daily now.

[Bobal]

Bartenders do pool their tips with their partner or team working with them.

 

Not necessarily in every case. We asked a bartender what happens about gratuities from drinks packages (which incidentally he described as the worst thing Royal Caribbean has ever done - from his point of view obviously!)

 

He said that the service charge from drinks packages was shared equally between all the bartenders/bar servers onboard, the service charge from a purchased drink was shared between those bartenders working on that section at that time and any cash handed over was kept by the person it was handed to (whether that's what should happen or not I don't know, but it certainly happened in his case ;) )

Edited February 26, 2014 by Bobal

[Debde]

I would love it if RCCL would post the tips daily to our accounts, like Princess does. That way the deadbeats would have to make a daily trip to Customer Service and request the tips be removed for the day.

 

They are added daily. You only have to make one trip at any time of the cruise to stop what has been added and to stop all future adding. It is easy and since I am not a deadbeat-I am happy to have the option.

 

The true deadbeat WILL go to guest services everyday if need be. And we all know there is not always a line.

[TNCruzer56]

It has been reported on here. During a galley tour the list was seen posted on a bulletin board. Another reported that while walking past the cabin stewarts cart in the hallway the list was in plain sight.

I think you`re referring to a Carnival post:

[retiredgram]

Only if you have removed the auto tips. If they are charged, then the cash is the crew member's to keep. We are talking about housekeeping and dining staff. Bartenders do pool their tips with their partner or team working with them.

Thank you.

[tserface]

Why do people feel the need to use words like "deadbeat" and "stiff"? I know some disagree with others, but insults don't really help validate a point and no one knows how much someone else is tipping unless they are hacking the records. It's my opinion, of course, but I think calling names only weakens someone's argument.

 

Sorry, I just wish Cruise Critic had a no name calling policy!

 

Tom

[Onessa]

Half the problem here is, some now look at the auto gratuity as the staff sees this as the regular salary. Other think the gratuity should be based on service. Then others feel the staff that you don't see should be getting part of the gratuity.

This IS how RCCI (and most cruise lines) pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is these people's wages. I don't like this system, but it is the way it is - and if I choose to cruise, it is the game that I have agreed to play.

 

Thus, the auto-gratuity is the "wage" I am paying and anything I choose to give above and beyond that is the "tip".

 

 

We don't eat the MDR every night, so why am I tipping for the nights I am not there, and when I do tip it is to the waiter and his assistant. I have only seen the head waiter one time, so why am I tipping him.

This IS how RCCI pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is the waitstaff's wage. If you do not eat in the MDR, are you tipping at the Windjammer and every other place where you eat on board? If you are not, the people who provide the food are not getting paid. You'll notice that the waitstaff from the MDR are clearing tables or doing other work at non-MDR dining areas when they are not serving dinner.

 

 

If the website didn't force auto gratuities we wouldn't have to remove them at guest services.

 

Just because they are removed at guest services doesn't mean that the guest doesn't leave a tip.

 

In my world, a tip must be earned. Once you earn it, I tip very generously.

This IS how RCCI pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is these people's wages.

Making a tip mandatory completely removes the transaction from being a tip. It is just another hidden charge on the cruise fare and does NOTHING to improve service but does contribute to poor service.

This IS how RCCI pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is these people's wages.

I normally tip much more than the mandatory tip. But since they want the mandatory tip that is ALL they get no matter. I don't like it. They force me. So, its their loss.

This IS RCCI's system it is not the employee's system. The employees would probably prefer a "real" wage. And then your gratuity could be a tip

 

If you don't like the system they set up, speak up to the cruise line -- tell them to call it like it is. The "gratuity" is a non-optional "service charge" tacked on to your bill. Then if you want to tip for good service, tip for good service!

Edited February 26, 2014 by Onessa

[LetsGetWet!]

This IS how RCCI (and most cruise lines) pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is these people's wages. I don't like this system, but it is the way it is - and if I choose to cruise, it is the game that I have agreed to play.

 

Thus, the auto-gratuity is the "wage" I am paying and anything I choose to give above and beyond that is the "tip".

 

 

This IS how RCCI pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is the waitstaff's wage. If you do not eat in the MDR, are you tipping at the Windjammer and every other place where you eat on board? If you are not, the people who provide the food are not getting paid. You'll notice that the waitstaff from the MDR are clearing tables or doing other work at non-MDR dining areas when they are not serving dinner.

 

 

This IS how RCCI pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is these people's wages.

This IS how RCCI pay their service employees. So a gratuity is not a tip, it is these people's wages.

This IS RCCI's system it is not the employee's system. The employees would probably prefer a "real" wage. And then your gratuity could be a tip

 

If you don't like the system they set up, speak up to the cruise line -- tell them to call it like it is. The "gratuity" is a non-optional "service charge" tacked on to your bill. Then if you want to tip for good service, tip for good service!

LOL! It doesn't matter how many times you repeat it, it doesn't make it correct. A gratuity IS a tip. Why is a gratuity a tip? Because "gratuity" and "tip" are synonyms and mean exactly the same thing! :rolleyes:

 

And it IS optional, since some go to guest services and have it removed. Many have argued that it SHOULDN'T be optional, but at the moment it is, unfortunately.

[Debde]

Onessa-This IS what Royal is calling it-A GRATUITY. AKA a tip

They are NOT calling it a service charge.

It IS that simple.

 

Just because I put a costume on a cat to make it look like a dog, and a sign that says I am a dog. It does not make the cat a dog.

[time4u2go]

LOL! It doesn't matter how many times you repeat it, it doesn't make it correct. A gratuity IS a tip. Why is a gratuity a tip? Because "gratuity" and "tip" are synonyms and mean exactly the same thing! :rolleyes:

 

And it IS optional, since some go to guest services and have it removed. Many have argued that it SHOULDN'T be optional, but at the moment it is, unfortunately.

I agree.

[LetsGetWet!]

Onessa-This IS what Royal is calling it-A GRATUITY. AKA a tip

They are NOT calling it a service charge.

It IS that simple.

 

Just because I put a costume on a cat to make it look like a dog, and a sign that says I am a dog. It does not make the cat a dog.

Haha! And woof-woof and meowwwwww! :D

[Jaxchamp]

Kay....one more post.....and then I am out!......too touchy a subject for me!......what seems clear to me is that the cruise line industry is like many....many..... others.....but with a different name.....you work your way up into a position that entitles you to a portion of the tips...different.....wordage....but it's all the same......this IS the way it works.......so while you would all like to reward your faves with cash tips......and please continue to do so!.....but this IS the way it works!........there are entry level positions in every industry!.......if you make your way to head waiter.....or .....hey....cruise director!.....you have paid your dues and worked really hard!.....the cruise lines get this.....who are you to take away from them to give to your picks!.....leave the tips alone......and if someone makes your trip a little better....reward them!.......this is a vacay and you are fortunate enough to be cruising afterall........you don't have to agree with it.....but hey.....you don't have to cruise either!...rant over....sorry.....but we can argue we don't like it.....but that is the way it is!

[Irene7]

The Disney boards are feisty about even the most mundane topics :eek:

 

Here: tipping, smoking, dress code, and rum runner threads are guaranteed entertainment!

 

I don't know about that. I have seen a lot of feisty people on this board in the smoking threads. Every board has topics that tick people off. Over at NCL, if lifeguards are mentioned, it gets pretty feisty. :)

[Jaxchamp]

Kay....one more post.....and then I am out!......too touchy a subject for me!......what seems clear to me is that the cruise line industry is like many....many..... others.....but with a different name.....you work your way up into a position that entitles you to a portion of the tips...different.....wordage....but it's all the same......this IS the way it works.......so while you would all like to reward your faves with cash tips......and please continue to do so!.....but this IS the way it works!........there are entry level positions in every industry!.......if you make your way to head waiter.....or .....hey....cruise director!.....you have paid your dues and worked really hard!.....the cruise lines get this.....who are you to take away from them to give to your picks!.....leave the tips alone......and if someone makes your trip a little better....reward them!.......this is a vacay and you are fortunate enough to be cruising afterall........you don't have to agree with it.....but hey.....you don't have to cruise either!...rant over....sorry.....but we can argue we don't like it.....but that is the way it is!

 

Call it whatever you want!...tip....service charge?....fact is we should all understand that it is not optional~....part of the experience......and I am thankful for it!

[tserface]

The real, albeit sad, fact is that it *is* optional. RCI lets you opt out of it and they even call it a "suggested gratuity". We can make all kinds of judgments about people that don't choose to pay it, but the fact remains that RCI, themselves, consider it optional. That much is pretty clear.

 

Obviously, many people on Cruise Critic have decided otherwise and don't consider it optional, whatsoever, but they didn't write the RCI rules.

 

We know that the crew depends on the tips for a living and I certainly want to support good service, but if we're throwing around the word "fact", it is what it is until they change it.

 

Tom

 

Call it whatever you want!...tip....service charge?....fact is we should all understand that it is not optional~....part of the experience......and I am thankful for it!

[time4u2go]

Call it whatever you want!...tip....service charge?....fact is we should all understand that it is not optional~....part of the experience......and I am thankful for it!

Not true. It can be removed.

[Jaxchamp]

The real, albeit sad, fact is that it *is* optional. RCI lets you opt out of it and they even call it a "suggested gratuity". We can make all kinds of judgments about people that don't choose to pay it, but the fact remains that RCI, themselves, consider it optional. That much is pretty clear.

 

Obviously, many people on Cruise Critic have decided otherwise and don't consider it optional, whatsoever, but they didn't write the RCI rules.

 

We know that the crew depends on the tips for a living and I certainly want to support good service, but if we're throwing around the word "fact", it is what it is until they change it.

 

Tom

 

I guess RCI still has faith in people?.....bah....crazy right?....let's turn the cruise industry into a Walmart also!....call me crazy.......and please do!.....but I still like that they call it a tip!.......I suppose it will be a part of the fare or called a service charge soon......call it what you want....but people with a conscience and an understanding shouldn't need the right wordage to do the right thing?....just saying!

[Debde]

Call it whatever you want!...tip....service charge?....fact is we should all understand that it is not optional~....part of the experience......and I am thankful for it!

 

If you are going to jump on this crazy truck ride with the rest of us-know where it's going and get the facts straight!!:p