UK Gratuities

[caribbean sailor]

As someone who has always cruised with my 2 children ages 10 and 12 I can tell you that the cabin stewards and the waiters spend more time paying attention to, cleaning up after or doing extra things for my 2 kids than they do for us.

 

Absolutely worth the money for the service they provide.

 

Yes RCI should pay them more but they don't. The staff makes their wages from the tips on RCI and most of the other cruise lines are the same. If they paid them higher wages then you would be paying more for the cruise so in the end it all works out the same.

 

Not telling you what to do just providing information so you can make an educated decision and at the end of the day the decision to tip and how much is entirely yours.

 

 

If it is the same why won't they raise the cruise price and pay their employees.And we will tip them.But why should they,when enough people are more then willing to pay it all.Bottom line you do what you want and other people will do what they want. Have a great next cruise :)

[caber]

Do the staff a favor and stay home...:rolleyes:

 

Why do you have to be so rude? Are you this rude to the staff too?

[gerif]

If it is the same why won't they raise the cruise price and pay their employees.And we will tip them.But why should they,when enough people are more then willing to pay it all.Bottom line you do what you want and other people will do what they want. Have a great next cruise :)

 

When you go into a restaurant here do you tell your server that the restaurant owner should charge more for meals so you wouldn't be expected to tip and then leave a dollar or two? I should hope not. It's the industry norm and you know it. If you want tips included then by all means sail one of the luxury lines where they do just that. The mainstream lines expect you to tip at least a minimum amount and it doesn't matter if you are six months or sixty years of age.

[Ourusualbeach]

If it is the same why won't they raise the cruise price and pay their employees.And we will tip them.But why should they,when enough people are more then willing to pay it all.Bottom line you do what you want and other people will do what they want. Have a great next cruise :)

 

I believe that the reason that they don't is then they would be advertising prices that are higher than the other cruise lines who wouldn't include the tips therefore putting them at a disadvantage when people price shop. Most consumers only look at the bottom line price that they see advertised and don't fully compare what is or is not included.

 

Agreed that it is everyone's one decision. :)

[glenboy]

I'm sure I will Caribbean Cruiser. And I will make my own mind up.

 

 

Thanks

[setsail]

 

I guess your 10 year old sleeps in bed with you so the stateroom attendant doesn't have to make his bed, change his sheets,

 

:D:rolleyes:

 

My 10 year olds are now 41 and 45 and pay for their own cruises

[Scotty G]

I don't have a problem tipping but maybe not so much and not added automatically

 

glenboy, My post from yesterday in another thread might help you understand the cruise gratuity system.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucysmommy1

"Ahh ok didn't mean to start a debate - will do what we think is best -

I think it's a uk thing - tip when you receive good service"

My response:

"Being a Scot I can understand your position; however, the cruise staff that does all the menial tasks are not on salary per say and it is largely different in the cruise industry compared to other service industries. It is also NOT controlled by any country's minimum wage laws.

RCI is typical of the majority of the industry. They pay their non professional staff $25 every two weeks plus room and board. They pay for the employees fare to get to the ship. At contracts end (average 8 months) the employees pay their way home. Most live thousands of miles from where they get off the ship.

So what you should now see is that the real wages dining room/Windjammer wait staff, cabin stewards and other housekeeping employees get are from guests via gratuities. The Housekeeping folks clean the ship areas including public toilets as well as cabins on turn around day; and, move luggage to and from your cabin. No way you could ever know which of those you should tip for their hard work.

We have found it easier to give the suggested gratuities automatically and then tip extra for excellent service.

Hope this helps you understand a system that we have no control over and don't want to deny hard workers their due!

Bon Voyage!!!"

Edited May 12, 2014 by Scotty G

[Scotland01]

As a Scot who has spent many happy times living and vacationing in the States I understand the different attitudes to tipping. Living in the UK our service staff have a minimum wage but we nearly always add 10% unless a service charge has already been added. If our service was less than should be it would be reduced. Having had 32 cruises I accept the tipping and always prepay. Often giving extra for outstanding service. However with RCI now adding tips daily on accounts maybe that should be regarded as a service charge and cruisers accept this as part of the cruising ethos. In other words pay up or do not cruise.

[ZAC1972]

It's always interesting to read the views on service charges/tips/gratuities (all the same thing in reality) as it appears to me that they are, by and large, frequently based on the emotive 'moral' argument. On one hand, you have people who state that they do not wish to pay automatic charges. On the other, more often than not, you get the people that castigate these opinions and tell people to stay at home and the like...amazing.

 

The real point seems to be completely ignored. I don't actually know what the staff on board get paid; it appears it's pretty paltry, but is that my fault and therefore should I be personally held liable more so than the multi-billion dollar companies that operate these cruises? Is it really down to me to make up the difference for these companies, on top of the several thousand dollars/pounds or whatever that I already pay to them for my holiday? Really?!

 

The answer, in my most humble opinion, is a firm, 'NO'. I do have sympathy with the staff and they do provide a great personal service, no argument there. However, I also pay a lot of my hard earned money to take my family on a cruise and I wish to spend my money on them; call me selfish, but that's how it is. I therefore, and entirely reasonably in my view, expect good service for that money. The cost I pay, as with any other holiday, should be plenty enough for a company to pay its staff properly; especially when those particular organizations are generating huge profits by anyone's imagination. If there is a moral issue here, I'm afraid it certainly isn't mine.

 

On my last cruise I removed the automatic charges and I will do so again next year (just booked for 2015). I did tip and I will tip, but I will do it how I want to do it and not at the behest of any cruise company or anyone else who calls me stingy and tells me to stay at home.

 

Now I suppose I'll brace myself for the inevitable backlash, but hey ho...everyone's entitled...and all that. :)

[caribbean sailor]

When you go into a restaurant here do you tell your server that the restaurant owner should charge more for meals so you wouldn't be expected to tip and then leave a dollar or two? I should hope not. It's the industry norm and you know it. If you want tips included then by all means sail one of the luxury lines where they do just that. The mainstream lines expect you to tip at least a minimum amount and it doesn't matter if you are six months or sixty years of age.

 

I will sail any Cruise line that i want to, Mr Industry NORM.Have a great next cruise. :D

Edited May 12, 2014 by caribbean sailor

[caribbean sailor]

I believe that the reason that they don't is then they would be advertising prices that are higher than the other cruise lines who wouldn't include the tips therefore putting them at a disadvantage when people price shop. Most consumers only look at the bottom line price that they see advertised and don't fully compare what is or is not included.

 

Agreed that it is everyone's one decision. :)

 

You are right the point is they want the price of the cruise to appear less then it really is,i say stop playing the price game.Have a great next cruise.:)

[galavant3]

Keep in mind the staff expects the minimum gratuity since they are now automatically added. If you have no intention of paying the minimum (we, like many others, just consider this part of the cost), it would be helpful to let the staff know. That way, they can focus more attention on those that will tip the minimum and possibly more.

 

It doesn't seem fair to accept the exceptional level of service and then "pull the rug out from under" the employee. For the price of less than 2 drinks per day, you have a level of service that I haven't seen anywhere else.

 

We have cruised many, many times across 6 different lines and not once have I felt that the minimum recommended gratuity was not a bargain.

 

The Brits we know that cruise, always tip up front. For some reason they feel that they get better service if the staff knows they intend on tipping the minimum. It might be their imagination or it might be a common perception among the staff.

[galavant3]

You are right the point is they want the price of the cruise to appear less then it really is,i say stop playing the price game.Have a great next cruise.:)

 

Agree. Just raise the price and don't give the option of removing the tips.

[Cruisingbairn]

Read several topics about this now and the way some(not all) people from the US reply is outrageous. Yes there is a huge tipping difference between USA and UK but people could be a bit nicer when discussing it.

 

Not everyone, especially first time cruisers know how cruises work. How is a first timer meant to know that crew are paid peanuts and the automatic tips make up their wages. I am a first time cruiser from the UK and certainly wasn't aware of this auto tips until doing my research. After reading about the poor wages and the excellent service the crew provide I will have no problem paying the automatic tips and will tip more as I see fit.

 

I just think some people are very quick to shoot others down with comments such as stay at home.

[Jan the City Fan]

Gerif,

 

I think I'm as much entitled to a RC cruise as anyone else.

 

When booking RC should let people know this is the case with gratuities.

 

The level of tipping is the same for children or adults.

 

Is it fair that 2x10 year olds should have $300 dollars added for gratuities as well as their parents ?

 

GLENBOY,

 

We have 2 babies aged 1 & 2, who have had to pay the same ammount for this cruise as anynother adult. We certainly wont be paying tips at this rate for them, they would be free on any other holiday , so give some of their fare to the staff for their tips.They dont even have a bed.

We will have them removed & at the end tip the recommended ammounts for the adults.

[caribbean sailor]

It's always interesting to read the views on service charges/tips/gratuities (all the same thing in reality) as it appears to me that they are, by and large, frequently based on the emotive 'moral' argument. On one hand, you have people who state that they do not wish to pay automatic charges. On the other, more often than not, you get the people that castigate these opinions and tell people to stay at home and the like...amazing.

 

The real point seems to be completely ignored. I don't actually know what the staff on board get paid; it appears it's pretty paltry, but is that my fault and therefore should I be personally held liable more so than the multi-billion dollar companies that operate these cruises? Is it really down to me to make up the difference for these companies, on top of the several thousand dollars/pounds or whatever that I already pay to them for my holiday? Really?!

 

The answer, in my most humble opinion, is a firm, 'NO'. I do have sympathy with the staff and they do provide a great personal service, no argument there. However, I also pay a lot of my hard earned money to take my family on a cruise and I wish to spend my money on them; call me selfish, but that's how it is. I therefore, and entirely reasonably in my view, expect good service for that money. The cost I pay, as with any other holiday, should be plenty enough for a company to pay its staff properly; especially when those particular organizations are generating huge profits by anyone's imagination. If there is a moral issue here, I'm afraid it certainly isn't mine.

 

On my last cruise I removed the automatic charges and I will do so again next year (just booked for 2015). I did tip and I will tip, but I will do it how I want to do it and not at the behest of any cruise company or anyone else who calls me stingy and tells me to stay at home.

 

Now I suppose I'll brace myself for the inevitable backlash, but hey ho...everyone's entitled...and all that. :)

 

Outstanding i could not agree with you more.Don't worry about the Royal Caribbean cheer leaders.:)

[yogimax]

I do have sympathy with the staff and they do provide a great personal service, no argument there. However, I also pay a lot of my hard earned money to take my family on a cruise and I wish to spend my money on them; call me selfish, but that's how it is.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic Zac and your first post.

 

You have invited us to call you selfish so I will!

 

All of us pay a lot of our "hard earned money" to cruise. Why should you be the one to stiff the staff so that you and your family can have more drinks and excursions while 98% of the rest of us understand that the gratuities are tremendously important to the staff? Are you special? Are you entitled?

 

If that is "how it is," enjoy. What goes around comes around!

[Jan the City Fan]

Outstanding i could not agree with you more.Don't worry about the Royal Caribbean cheer leaders.:)

 

Well said .

[yogimax]

Outstanding i could not agree with you more.Don't worry about the Royal Caribbean cheer leaders.:)

 

And don't worry about the waiters, cabin attendants and others who will make your cruise enjoyable.

 

As Garfield would say, "It's all about me." Unfortunately, this has become a mantra in today's world.

 

Caribbean, enjoy your cruise. The waiters and others will give you their highest service while you go to the purser's desk to quietly have your tips removed. Hope you enjoy your ride home!

[uksimonusa]

GLENBOY,

 

We have 2 babies aged 1 & 2, who have had to pay the same ammount for this cruise as anynother adult. We certainly wont be paying tips at this rate for them, they would be free on any other holiday , so give some of their fare to the staff for their tips.They dont even have a bed.

We will have them removed & at the end tip the recommended ammounts for the adults.

 

Either of your babies still in nappies, I would imagine so, extra unsanitary work for your room steward, deserves a tip

[ZAC1972]

Welcome to Cruise Critic Zac and your first post.

 

You have invited us to call you selfish so I will!

 

All of us pay a lot of our "hard earned money" to cruise. Why should you be the one to stiff the staff so that you and your family can have more drinks and excursions while 98% of the rest of us understand that the gratuities are tremendously important to the staff? Are you special? Are you entitled?

 

If that is "how it is," enjoy. What goes around comes around!

 

Firstly, thank you for the welcome; it is appreciated.

 

Secondly, I apologize but I thought my original post clearly stated that if anyone's 'stiffing' the staff it certainly isn't me. I don't consider myself special, but I do consider myself entitled to receive good service for the price I choose to pay. I pay a lot of money for a cruise and the companies I pay that to make a huge profit (and I mean huge). I say again, if there is an issue with staff wages thus making the gratuities 'tremendously important to the staff' (and I'm not disputing there is), then I'm afraid I'm not the source of that problem. Just check out the profit margins of the leading companies (all published online); the figures are staggering by anyone's imagination. My friends, it may be my opinion, but I'm pretty confident that they really can afford to pay their staff....honest...and still make an exceptional profit. It is not yours, mine, or anyone else's responsibility to relieve them of that requirement.

[Alaskalovr]

I have given my opinion on auto tips.I have put no one down.You have to know every one will not agree with you.People with your point of view always assumes that people that take off auto tips do not tip.Not the case we always tip.We choose to tip the way we want ,and to the people we want. People on your side seem to have some pretty big stones also.Have a great next cruise.:)

 

( I actually think this was not aimed at you, but more on your side. Just thought I would mention that)

[LMaxwell]

I have given my opinion on auto tips.I have put no one down.You have to know every one will not agree with you.People with your point of view always assumes that people that take off auto tips do not tip.Not the case we always tip.We choose to tip the way we want ,and to the people we want. People on your side seem to have some pretty big stones also.Have a great next cruise.:)

I was in 100% agreement with you, not talking against you or putting you down. my response was to how arrogant and disgusting yogimax is. I do not think that people that choose to tip cash are stiffing anyone. Tip however you please (amount and method).

[ttnc4me]

GLENBOY,

 

We have 2 babies aged 1 & 2, who have had to pay the same ammount for this cruise as anynother adult. We certainly wont be paying tips at this rate for them, they would be free on any other holiday , so give some of their fare to the staff for their tips.They dont even have a bed.

We will have them removed & at the end tip the recommended ammounts for the adults.

 

Either of your babies still in nappies, I would imagine so, extra unsanitary work for your room steward, deserves a tip

Next time you're at the Dept. store and need to change a nappy, please also tip the janitor.

Oh, and be sure and tip the garbage man at your residence extra too because garbage is not garbage is not garbage.;):rolleyes:

[NEMMRRC]

My friends, it may be my opinion, but I'm pretty confident that they really can afford to pay their staff....honest...and still make an exceptional profit. It is not yours, mine, or anyone else's responsibility to relieve them of that requirement.

 

Correct. The cruise lines can afford to pay the service staff the appropriate wage. But in do so they would increase the cost of the cruise accordingly (plus profit margin). Furthermore, the cruising public's demand for lower cruise prices does not help.

 

The bananas don't come for free.

 

Folks, it's time to pay the piper.