Prepay gratuities....yes or no for us?

[grapau27]

There are always people who will have highly 'principled' reasons why it is fine for someone at or near the top of the global heap to $crew over crew members who are much much lower in the global heap.

 

Nonsense like 'i want my tips to go to the people who served me', when it has been explained ad nauseum that those tips get thrown into the general pool because they removed the auto grats. And claim to tip more than the auto grats, which is about as transparent as nonsense can get, particularly in light of the preceding point. My personal favorite is the one where they are sticking it to 'the man', in the form of the cruise line, because they supposedly do not like the generally accepted compensation arrangement between the cruise line and their employees - arrangements that have tax advantages for both parties.

 

And yes, if you are able to cruise you very definitely ARE wealthy by world standards, even if Joe next door has a nicer car than you.

 

Personally, I just try to be a decent person and do the right thing.

Great attitude,i try to be nice to everyone because it makes you more friends.

[grapau27]

Totally agree about auto, but I don't see how someone's integrity is implicated if they pay the auto grats as part of their final shipboard bill rather than pre-pay them. WHEN you pay the auto grats is irrelevant so long as you do, in fact, pay them.

Even now because we do MTD, when we book in the UK we are encouraged to pre pay the tips which i always do on RC and auto tip when we go on P&O.

The integrity is only questioned when people stop their auto tips.

[SRF]

And yes, if you are able to cruise you very definitely ARE wealthy by world standards, even if Joe next door has a nicer car than you.

 

Personally, I just try to be a decent person and do the right thing.

 

Some of these people need to travel to parts of the world where a family makes, in a year, less than the auto grats for one cabin for one cruise.

[SRF]

Totally agree about auto, but I don't see how someone's integrity is implicated if they pay the auto grats as part of their final shipboard bill rather than pre-pay them. WHEN you pay the auto grats is irrelevant so long as you do, in fact, pay them.

 

Yes, I think some people do not fully read the OP or some responses.

 

Or at least I will be generous and think that.

 

I agree, it does not matter if you pre-pay or auto-pay. BUT PAY THEM.

[Tatka]

Some of these people need to travel to parts of the world where a family makes, in a year, less than the auto grats for one cabin for one cruise.

I am from a country (long time ago) where teachers , coal miners and many other even highly educated people are making now about $100-300 a month. And it's not even third world country. It's Ukraine.

[Lex450]

We no longer prepay tips before going on a cruise, preferring gratuities to be charged to our account on a daily base.

 

It's only on the last three cruises that my view has changed on providing additional tips.

To see someone who works long and hard hours and still manages to give a broad smile shows dedication that I will never have.

 

 

For me, a member of staff deserves to be rewarded additionally for providing a service that enhances the customers experience.

If you have ever had to deal with customers, you will know how hard this is to achieve.

 

 

So I am more than happy to reward staff who makes me believe that I am in some ways important to them and that they are happy to serve me even though that may not be true.

 

So in summary, although tips are unnecessary, I believe they are well deserved.

[juju2454]

Score so far:

 

OP = 1

Replies = 73 (and counting)

 

I'll bet he didn't know he was going to get this much advise.

 

Actually he never said no gratuities, nor did he say he wouldn't pay them on the daily basis of the bill. He asked if they should PREPAY them, that morphed into the whole usual debate, and shunning of telling them they are cheap, or cheating the staff,or how horror stories of staff getting even for the auto grats being remove.

 

Original post....

 

"My wife and I are going on Oasis of the Seas and we have an option to prepay gratuities before the sail date. We are NOT going to main dining room at all and no specialty dining either. My wife wants to do Windjammer buffet for dinner. (My wife wants what she wants!)

 

Should we prepay gratuities?"

 

 

 

 

I always find it interesting that at any other place you stay a gratuity is not assumed, but service is expected none the less, but on a cruise it is demanded by people on this board in advance on a bill and assumed to be gotten. (I'll put on my flame proof suit now;p) If I removed the auto tips and got bad service for it, yep I'd leave nothing, I have removed them and done it the way I want and have never had that happen but if it did, I would complain and I would not leave a thing:mad:. Service is what you are hired to do, not some thing that guarantees a tip, and yes I have been a waitress, $.73/hr at the time got a raise to $.83 at one point, in Florida where northerners came and left small tips because up north was paid better. :o

[BNBR]

Actually he never said no gratuities, nor did he say he wouldn't pay them on the daily basis of the bill. He asked if they should PREPAY them, that morphed into the whole usual debate, and shunning of telling them they are cheap, or cheating the staff,or how horror stories of staff getting even for the auto grats being remove.

 

Original post....

 

"My wife and I are going on Oasis of the Seas and we have an option to prepay gratuities before the sail date. We are NOT going to main dining room at all and no specialty dining either. My wife wants to do Windjammer buffet for dinner. (My wife wants what she wants!)

 

Should we prepay gratuities?"

 

 

 

 

I always find it interesting that at any other place you stay a gratuity is not assumed, but service is expected none the less, but on a cruise it is demanded by people on this board in advance on a bill and assumed to be gotten. (I'll put on my flame proof suit now;p) If I removed the auto tips and got bad service for it, yep I'd leave nothing, I have removed them and done it the way I want and have never had that happen but if it did, I would complain and I would not leave a thing:mad:. Service is what you are hired to do, not some thing that guarantees a tip, and yes I have been a waitress, $.73/hr at the time got a raise to $.83 at one point, in Florida where northerners came and left small tips because up north was paid better. :o

 

The ignorance in this post is astonishing.

[juju2454]

The ignorance in this post is astonishing.

 

 

I could say the same of your snarky comment..... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: seems most of what you post is snarky. so I will just leave it at that and consider the source

[grapau27]

I could say the same of your snarky comment..... :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: seems most of what you post is snarky. so I will just leave it at that and consider the source

When the op asked the question should they prepay as they are only going to the WJ. Infers to me that they don't believe in tipping as they see the MDR as the main beneficiary of the tips.

[MrYellowDuck]

When the op asked the question should they prepay as they are only going to the WJ. Infers to me that they don't believe in tipping as they see the MDR as the main beneficiary of the tips.

 

There should certainly be a reduction in gratutity since there are far fewer staff per pax and these staff do far less per pax too.

[Tatka]

There should certainly be a reduction in gratutity since there are far fewer staff per pax and these staff do far less per pax too.

There shouldn't be as WJ staff works just as hard. Plus very often they are the same people who work in restaurants.

[grapau27]

There shouldn't be as WJ staff works just as hard. Plus very often they are the same people who work in restaurants.

My thinking too.

[BNBR]

There shouldn't be as WJ staff works just as hard. Plus very often they are the same people who work in restaurants.

 

Correct. And cruise ship gratuities have nothing to do with anyones existing experience in an American restaurant. That's not how it works. Anyone who feels the need to modify down the service charge that is distributed ship-wide to the staff is simply making excuses for their socially unacceptable behavior. Or they are ignorant.

[grapau27]

Correct. And cruise ship gratuities have nothing to do with anyones existing experience in an American restaurant. That's not how it works. Anyone who feels the need to modify down the service charge that is distributed ship-wide to the staff is simply making excuses for their socially unacceptable behavior. Or they are ignorant.

I agree.

We always pre pay our tips when we book our cruise.

Service is always great and i also give extra cash tips on board.

I will never agree with people stopping their tips as it is an insult and disrespectful to the hard working crew.

[AJ's Girl]

Actually he never said no gratuities, nor did he say he wouldn't pay them on the daily basis of the bill. He asked if they should PREPAY them, that morphed into the whole usual debate, and shunning of telling them they are cheap, or cheating the staff,or how horror stories of staff getting even for the auto grats being remove.

 

Original post....

 

"My wife and I are going on Oasis of the Seas and we have an option to prepay gratuities before the sail date. We are NOT going to main dining room at all and no specialty dining either. My wife wants to do Windjammer buffet for dinner. (My wife wants what she wants!)

 

Should we prepay gratuities?"

 

 

 

 

I always find it interesting that at any other place you stay a gratuity is not assumed, but service is expected none the less, but on a cruise it is demanded by people on this board in advance on a bill and assumed to be gotten. (I'll put on my flame proof suit now;p) If I removed the auto tips and got bad service for it, yep I'd leave nothing, I have removed them and done it the way I want and have never had that happen but if it did, I would complain and I would not leave a thing:mad:. Service is what you are hired to do, not some thing that guarantees a tip, and yes I have been a waitress, $.73/hr at the time got a raise to $.83 at one point, in Florida where northerners came and left small tips because up north was paid better. :o

 

I totally agree!!!

[CanobieFan]

I personally like to prepay that gratuities so that everything is paid for upfront. And then I don't have to worry about a large tab at the end of the cruise to close out. .

[seavoyager6]

Can never understand the concept of paying thousands of dollars to eat every meal in a cafeteria

 

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[gerif]

Can never understand the concept of paying thousands of dollars to eat every meal in a cafeteria

 

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That would be totally your choice you know. You can eat in many different venues. You may be paying thousands for the cruise, but don't say you are being forced to eat all meals in the WJ. What an ignorant thing to say. If you feel there is so little value in cruising, why not choose another form of vacation.

[DirtyDawg]

My wife and I are going on Oasis of the Seas and we have an option to prepay gratuities before the sail date. We are NOT going to main dining room at all and no specialty dining either. My wife wants to do Windjammer buffet for dinner. (My wife wants what she wants!)

Should we prepay gratuities?

 

This is simply a TVM (Time Value of Money) question. Assuming you are going to pay the gratuities anyways the question is; pay a couple of hundred $U.S. (assume a 7 day cruise x 2) now or pay the same amount in 60, 90, or 120 days in the future. If you take that couple of hundred and put it in the bank instead of paying the gratuities in advance you will earn about U.S. $.50 ($200 X 1% X .25(90 days)). The coffee pods I used this morning cost about $.50 each. So paying early will cost you a cup of home brewed coffee.

 

So it it worth a cup of coffee to pay your gratuities early? I love my coffee, so for me the answer is no. Your answer may be different. Have a good cruise.

Edited October 29, 2017 by DirtyDawg

[grapau27]

That would be totally your choice you know. You can eat in many different venues. You may be paying thousands for the cruise, but don't say you are being forced to eat all meals in the WJ. What an ignorant thing to say. If you feel there is so little value in cruising, why not choose another form of vacation.

I agree, some people have a strange outlook on things.

[grapau27]

This is simply a TVM (Time Value of Money) question. Assuming you are going to pay the gratuities anyways the question is; pay a couple of hundred $U.S. (assume a 7 day cruise x 2) now or pay the same amount in 60, 90, or 120 days in the future. If you take that couple of hundred and put it in the bank instead of paying the gratuities in advance you will earn about U.S. $.50 ($200 X 1% X .25(90 days)). The coffee pods I used this morning cost about $.50 each. So paying early will cost you a cup of home brewed coffee.

 

So it it worth a cup of coffee to pay your gratuities early? I love my coffee, so for me the answer is no. Your answer may be different. Have a good cruise.

We prepay tips in £sterling which suits us.I thought the op was hoping we would condone them not prepaying tips and my feeling was they wouldn't pay full tips on board because they were not using the MDR.

[seavoyager6]

That would be totally your choice you know. You can eat in many different venues. You may be paying thousands for the cruise, but don't say you are being forced to eat all meals in the WJ. What an ignorant thing to say. If you feel there is so little value in cruising, why not choose another form of vacation.

Before you call others "ignorant" for having an opinion that apparently doesn't agree with the high horse you ride on, show me where I said this poster who wants to eat every meal in the cafeteria is "forced" to do so

 

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[springaussie]

Bookings made in Australia and New Zealand have gratuities included in all fares.

If it is good enough for us to have them compulsory it is good for the rest of the world to have them compulsory also.

 

 

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[vacationers]

It is your choice. We do not pay them upfront, but they are always charge daily to your sea pass anyway. For me, I am old fashion and if I get bad service I dont tip. I have the option of deleting the tips from my cabin account and making direct tips to the people I want to get the tips. But on the other hand a bid incovenience because you must have cash on hand.

 

If you eat at the WJ or not they still charge your seapass cabin account daily. Think abut it, people at the WJ still do their job and serve you as well. :)