Gratuity Removal Too Easy?

[grapau27]

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

 

Just because a stateroom has removed their tips it doesn't mean that they are tipping in cash. Seems like people remove them and then don't tip in cash.

That is very likely when people realise how much they are paying in total for autogratuities or they will only pay a portion of the tips in cash.

Our tips are always prepaid when our cruise is booked.

When on board i give additional cash tips based on service received plus $1 per free drink in the DL or when using Diamond vouchers in a bar.

[Expat Cruise]

That is very likely when people realise how much they are paying in total for autogratuities or they will only pay a portion of the tips in cash.

Our tips are always prepaid when our cruise is booked.

When on board i give additional cash tips based on service received plus $1 per free drink in the DL or when using Diamond vouchers in a bar.

 

Well you should never assume. But if you are right and lets say for example the cabin steward is given Only $50.00 for a 5 day cruise two passengers. That is $50.00 cash in his pocket. Vs the cabin pays $140 to the cruise line as a auto daily charge. Do you really think your cabin steward will get more than the $50.00 cash tip?

 

Once you give your auto fees you are in reality hurting the people you really believe helped you and made your cruise better. They get very little of the total people who have done nothing to help you are given part of your payment. So you then give extra money to the helpful people and the whole cycle starts again.

 

Trying to justify Auto daily pooled service charges is like a heroin dealer passing out free hits to addicts in recovery and saying "I was only trying to help them" Cruise lines use auto daily service fees because it is to the cruise lines benefit and not the crew.

[LMaxwell]

The form at Guest Services lets you opt out of "automatic gratuities." It does not let you "go halfsies".

 

Are you 100% certain of that?

[gerif]

Well you should never assume. But if you are right and lets say for example the cabin steward is given Only $50.00 for a 5 day cruise two passengers. That is $50.00 cash in his pocket. Vs the cabin pays $140 to the cruise line as a auto daily charge. Do you really think your cabin steward will get more than the $50.00 cash tip?

 

Once you give your auto fees you are in reality hurting the people you really believe helped you and made your cruise better. They get very little of the total people who have done nothing to help you are given part of your payment. So you then give extra money to the helpful people and the whole cycle starts again.

 

Trying to justify Auto daily pooled service charges is like a heroin dealer passing out free hits to addicts in recovery and saying "I was only trying to help them" Cruise lines use auto daily service fees because it is to the cruise lines benefit and not the crew.

So you have personally worked as a cabin steward and know all this as an absolute fact or is it all just coming out of your seemingly warped imagination? If you have personal experience, you can be believed, otherwise, I’ll have to disbelieve all you say.

[deliver42]

I'm off this forum. The OP and his ilk aren't going to change.They rationalize everything, and just love when we continue to feed his ego by posting here.

[Laurin612]

Personally, I think it would be great if they slightly lowered the gratuity and made it mandatory. That way, the service staff would be taken care of and cruisers could tip extra for excellent service in cash

 

I once overheard a couple in line at guest services about two days before the end of a cruise discussing removing automatic tips from their folio--because they had apparently spent too much money in the casino and were operating on a cash deposit. I was appalled! Their room steward and wait staff should not be penalized because they overspent!

[Davebhoy]

No, he's just wrong.

 

Not sure that anyone's necessarily wrong or lying here.

 

You can adjust the % of the auto-grats you pay - to as low as 0% if you're of that mind, or to over 100% if you've got money to burn.

 

What you CAN'T do though is specifically what the Poster asked - to remove tips from a single person. If you reduce the tip to 80%, then everyone who was on the list will get 80% of what was expected - it won't give everyone else their full share and zero to the one person intended.

[Davebhoy]

Personally, I think it would be great if they slightly lowered the gratuity and made it mandatory.

 

No issue if they were to go that route, but its no longer a gratuity - its a Service Charge, and should be quoted as part of the cruise price.

[John&LaLa]

Well you should never assume. But if you are right and lets say for example the cabin steward is given Only $50.00 for a 5 day cruise two passengers. That is $50.00 cash in his pocket. Vs the cabin pays $140 to the cruise line as a auto daily charge. Do you really think your cabin steward will get more than the $50.00 cash tip?

 

Once you give your auto fees you are in reality hurting the people you really believe helped you and made your cruise better. They get very little of the total people who have done nothing to help you are given part of your payment. So you then give extra money to the helpful people and the whole cycle starts again.

 

Trying to justify Auto daily pooled service charges is like a heroin dealer passing out free hits to addicts in recovery and saying "I was only trying to help them" Cruise lines use auto daily service fees because it is to the cruise lines benefit and not the crew.

What makes you so knowledgeable on Royals compensation policies?

 

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[John&LaLa]

No issue if they were to go that route, but its no longer a gratuity - its a Service Charge, and should be quoted as part of the cruise price.

It's my experience that American hotels do not quite daily service charges on their base rates. Same as taxes. This would be a similar practice. BTW, I'm all for calling it a service charge.

 

 

 

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[Davebhoy]

It's my experience that American hotels do not quite daily service charges on their base rates. Same as taxes. This would be a similar practice. BTW, I'm all for calling it a service charge.

 

 

 

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Quite possibly, John - but folk selling to other markets do, particularly in the UK from my point of view.

 

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[Laurin612]

No issue if they were to go that route, but its no longer a gratuity - its a Service Charge, and should be quoted as part of the cruise price.

 

Good point! I like the idea of calling it a Service Charge, because, after all, that is what you are paying for--service! And then any additional gratuity/tip for great service would be up to the individual cruiser.

[scorpluvsdolphins]

They can't call it a service charge in the U.S. due to a monetary legality of some sort that Royal would have to pay the IRS on those monies.

 

 

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[ustasmom]

We've sailed on DCL and we got a statement saying who got what which was basically cabin steward and server each get 1/3. The head server gets 1/3 and the assistant server gets 2/3 of that last third. And that accounting totaled what we paid in gratuities.

 

So who gets what out of the gratuities on RCCL?

 

We have an upcoming cruise and our gratuities are just over $500. Not that I want to show up with $500 in cash more than I had already planned, but we want to insure that our attendants receive our gratuities.

[Davebhoy]

They can't call it a service charge in the U.S. due to a monetary legality of some sort that Royal would have to pay the IRS on those monies.

 

 

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If it's a Service Charge, and as far as I can see it should be, then Royal should be paying the right amount of taxes.

 

Not sure a tax loophole is a good reason.

 

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[Grandma Dazzles]

We've sailed on DCL and we got a statement saying who got what which was basically cabin steward and server each get 1/3. The head server gets 1/3 and the assistant server gets 2/3 of that last third. And that accounting totaled what we paid in gratuities.

 

So who gets what out of the gratuities on RCCL?

 

We have an upcoming cruise and our gratuities are just over $500. Not that I want to show up with $500 in cash more than I had already planned, but we want to insure that our attendants receive our gratuities.[/quoteI just want to further explain which personnel get a portion of each breakdown...

 

Here is the breakdown, per day:

Housekeeping Team: $4.05 ($5.05 for suites) - this includes not only your head steward, but his/her 1-2 assistant stewards, the person that vacuums your particular passageway to your cabin, and the on call crew member from housekeeping that will come to clean up an unexpected mess or bring you extra towels outside of your steward team's normal work hours.

 

Dining Team: $6.40 - in addition to your head waiter his assistants this also covers, the runner that may be getting the meals from the galley to the wait team and the bus people that clear off the table when you are done redressing it for the next seating. Beyond dinner time it also covers those serving brunch and breakfast in the MDR (why do you think they ask your cabin # for open seating meals). Dining team members that serve on the Lido deck as wandering gratis drink servers and bus persons also get a bit out of this tip segment.

 

Alternative Services: $2.50 includes (but not limited to) the bathroom attendants, the general housekeepers for public areas that pick up the glasses, plates, or other trash left around the ship in public areas, and some of the entertainers like the pre-dinner musicians (any of the soloist or groups not selling CDs or other items).

 

Also each primary team member that services you for the cruise (steward team & dining team) will get a negative mark by adjusting down or removing tips so if they wish to tip in cash it is also recommended that a short Thank-You note also be included with an expression of how satisfied you were with the service provide to offset the negative. So those that wish to tip as they go should be advised to carry plenty of singles for the alternative service personnel they encounter daily, and have envelopes with notes made out to each individual service team member for end of cruise tipping. Since the advent of auto-gratuities team members are no longer required to share a tip given to them directly or left in a cabin or table.

 

 

This is a copy of an old post from about a year ago, but gives good information.

 

QUOTE

[LMaxwell]

I'm paying cash next cruise; too many crew on too many ships have told me that is their preference and it was posted here 2 or 3 months ago that Royal does not penalize any crew or not allow them to keep cash.

 

If I am right, I should have service equal to or better than normal. If everyone else is right I'll have worse service and I'll go back to the Sheeple method. Either way, I'm choosing an option the company offers and not doing anything to get over on anyone. I'll be taking $500-600 on a 9 day cruise for 3 people. Should be plenty for tipping.

[grapau27]

I'm paying cash next cruise; too many crew on too many ships have told me that is their preference and it was posted here 2 or 3 months ago that Royal does not penalize any crew or not allow them to keep cash.

 

If I am right, I should have service equal to or better than normal. If everyone else is right I'll have worse service and I'll go back to the Sheeple method. Either way, I'm choosing an option the company offers and not doing anything to get over on anyone. I'll be taking $500-600 on a 9 day cruise for 3 people. Should be plenty for tipping.

It will be interesting to see if it makes much difference.

Our currency is £ sterling so not practical to carry all those dollars so prepaying in £ sterling is best for us.

[Milwaukee Eight]

That is very likely when people realise how much they are paying in total for autogratuities or they will only pay a portion of the tips in cash.

Our tips are always prepaid when our cruise is booked.

When on board i give additional cash tips based on service received plus $1 per free drink in the DL or when using Diamond vouchers in a bar.

 

Hypothetically, if you bought a Bloody Mary for Breakfast or a glass of champagne prior to the cocktail hours, how much would you tip, if any?

[Milwaukee Eight]

I'm paying cash next cruise; too many crew on too many ships have told me that is their preference and it was posted here 2 or 3 months ago that Royal does not penalize any crew or not allow them to keep cash.

 

If I am right, I should have service equal to or better than normal. If everyone else is right I'll have worse service and I'll go back to the Sheeple method. Either way, I'm choosing an option the company offers and not doing anything to get over on anyone. I'll be taking $500-600 on a 9 day cruise for 3 people. Should be plenty for tipping.

 

So your removing pre paid gratuity?

[taglovestocruise]

As more and more remove their gratuities the cruise line just ups the daily service charge so those paying just pay more.

[taglovestocruise]

Forgot to add that it is very easy to find a TA that gives pre paid grats as a perk.

[csnarpy]

I usually get paid grats from my TA and use that as a bonus. If I don’t have them, then I’ll remove the auto grats.

 

 

No matter which situation, I always get envelopes from GS’s and tipout myself. It’s more personal and it is the preferred method by all the crew I’ve encountered.

[taglovestocruise]

I usually get paid grats from my TA and use that as a bonus. If I don’t have them, then I’ll remove the auto grats.

 

 

No matter which situation, I always get envelopes from GS’s and tipout myself. It’s more personal and it is the preferred method by all the crew I’ve encountered.

I would be surprised if the house keeping staff, laundry staff and the waiters in the buffet preferred your method which leaves them out in the cold.

[csnarpy]

I would be surprised if the house keeping staff, laundry staff and the waiters in the buffet preferred your method which leaves them out in the cold.

 

No matter what “someone” will complain as to this method but it worked before and it can still work. I usually end up tipping more that auto grats anyways. Plus you have no clue as to who i tip or how many I give out. Stop being so presumptuous.