Prepaying family members gratuities

[cruisewithmebaby]

Hopefully someone can help me with a couple of questions. We are treating our 3 adult children, their spouses, and our 3 grandchildren to a cruise on Royal Caribbean (8 day). I have tried twice to get a straight answer from their customer service but… when you read what I have done you may slap yourself on the forehead and realize the problem isn’t customer service but me J.

 

We have a total of 4 cabins. Our big box travel agent booked our cruise a little wonky to take advantage of the 3rd guest discount. So booking wise, we show our cabin with two guests and each of the three other cabins have 3 guests each.The reality is that three cabins will have two guests and the fourth cabin will have 5 guests (2 adults, a 6 yr old, a 4 yr old, and a 8 month old).

 

I am hoping since we are all next to each other we will all have the same cabin steward, if not I don’t want the cabin steward tending the family of 5 to get short changed since the steward(s) tending the other 2 cabins would get the third guests gratuities. I planned on prepaying the gratuities but this is what has stopped me.

 

If I don’t prepay gratuities and pay each staterooms gratuities once on board, it will show as a credit and I can see a certain person in our party justifying reducing the amount of the gratuities for their cabin.This would cause a lot of contention (since that person will announce what they have done to the others) and be a huge issue for me.

 

If I understand correctly, prepaid gratuities do not show up on the stateroom folio.

 

My husband’s idea: We prepay gratuities for all four rooms as booked. Then we get on the ship, we give the room steward tending the family of 5 twenty dollars up front. Then at the end of the cruise we give another twenty.

 

Does this sound stingy? Does anyone have another idea?

[Jammu2]

It might be the same guy if you are all close together.

 

Ive had tgese weird family booking before when the m.i.l. does the booking. We just leave it. If someone makes a total mess give extra.

 

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[Ashland]

I do this often (yearly) with our extended family (adult children, their spouses and grandkids)...pay for everything including gratuities upfront.

 

You'll possibly have the same cabin steward and even if you don't it's really no big deal and no need to draw attention to this small fact that you'll be taking care of. Just give extra cash to the steward that has the cabin with 5....end of story.

 

Don't give this anymore thought or concern....enjoy the time with your family.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

Hopefully someone can help me with a couple of questions. We are treating our 3 adult children, their spouses, and our 3 grandchildren to a cruise on Royal Caribbean (8 day). I have tried twice to get a straight answer from their customer service but… when you read what I have done you may slap yourself on the forehead and realize the problem isn’t customer service but me J.

 

We have a total of 4 cabins. Our big box travel agent booked our cruise a little wonky to take advantage of the 3rd guest discount. So booking wise, we show our cabin with two guests and each of the three other cabins have 3 guests each.The reality is that three cabins will have two guests and the fourth cabin will have 5 guests (2 adults, a 6 yr old, a 4 yr old, and a 8 month old).

 

I am hoping since we are all next to each other we will all have the same cabin steward, if not I don’t want the cabin steward tending the family of 5 to get short changed since the steward(s) tending the other 2 cabins would get the third guests gratuities. I planned on prepaying the gratuities but this is what has stopped me.

 

If I don’t prepay gratuities and pay each staterooms gratuities once on board, it will show as a credit and I can see a certain person in our party justifying reducing the amount of the gratuities for their cabin.This would cause a lot of contention (since that person will announce what they have done to the others) and be a huge issue for me.

 

If I understand correctly, prepaid gratuities do not show up on the stateroom folio.

 

My husband’s idea: We prepay gratuities for all four rooms as booked. Then we get on the ship, we give the room steward tending the family of 5 twenty dollars up front. Then at the end of the cruise we give another twenty.

 

Does this sound stingy? Does anyone have another idea?

Tips are pooled they DO NOT get distibuted on a per person basis - RCI uses their own logic to distibute the tips....so your steward will get the tips on his individual RCI-tip-pool-rating not on the specific cabins he attends to!

[cb at sea]

That's not so...there is a set amount that goes to the cabin attendant....

 

Assuming you will have the same attendant for all cabin, then the attendant will get what they are due. You, of course, are free to tip more..but do it on the last night of the cruise, as is traditional.

No "up-front" tipping is expected or required!

 

I would privately speak to the cheap one in your party...tell them that the tips are "on me"...and let that be that.

[mediator]

Hopefully someone can help me with a couple of questions. We are treating our 3 adult children, their spouses, and our 3 grandchildren to a cruise on Royal Caribbean (8 day). I have tried twice to get a straight answer from their customer service but… when you read what I have done you may slap yourself on the forehead and realize the problem isn’t customer service but me J.

 

We have a total of 4 cabins. Our big box travel agent booked our cruise a little wonky to take advantage of the 3rd guest discount. So booking wise, we show our cabin with two guests and each of the three other cabins have 3 guests each.The reality is that three cabins will have two guests and the fourth cabin will have 5 guests (2 adults, a 6 yr old, a 4 yr old, and a 8 month old).

 

I am hoping since we are all next to each other we will all have the same cabin steward, if not I don’t want the cabin steward tending the family of 5 to get short changed since the steward(s) tending the other 2 cabins would get the third guests gratuities. I planned on prepaying the gratuities but this is what has stopped me.

 

If I don’t prepay gratuities and pay each staterooms gratuities once on board, it will show as a credit and I can see a certain person in our party justifying reducing the amount of the gratuities for their cabin.This would cause a lot of contention (since that person will announce what they have done to the others) and be a huge issue for me.

 

If I understand correctly, prepaid gratuities do not show up on the stateroom folio.

 

My husband’s idea: We prepay gratuities for all four rooms as booked. Then we get on the ship, we give the room steward tending the family of 5 twenty dollars up front. Then at the end of the cruise we give another twenty.

 

Does this sound stingy? Does anyone have another idea?

 

 

We just came off the Oasis. I had two connecting cabins. I swapped rooms taking the 3 grandkids and my son and guest in the other room. I gave the room attendant $50 extra with a note on the bed thanking him for his excellent service and I listed both cabin numbers .If I had different stewards, I would have just look for the one that was attending the guests with 5 people and hand them the envelope.

[cruisewithmebaby]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I feel so much better and can take this off my list of things to worry about :)

[Thorben-Hendrik]

That's not so...there is a set amount that goes to the cabin attendant....

 

No not true anymore...they changed that quite some time ago!

It is a pooled tip-bonus these days!

[mdsgu]

I think your steward, if it is the same one for all 4 rooms, will get compensated justly with the standard gratuity. If you feel he deserves more, $20 should be plenty.

 

The only possible issue I see, and I don't think anyone has brought it up, is that not every room can accommodate the same number of people. You have 3 rooms for 2 people each and one room for 5 people. That room for the 5 might only be set up to sleep 3. The other rooms that are "supposed" to have three people will certainly be able to hold that many, even though only 2 passengers will be in them. I would just, somehow, try to confirm that the room that you plan to put 5 people in will actually hold that many.

[Grandma Dazzles]

I think your steward, if it is the same one for all 4 rooms, will get compensated justly with the standard gratuity. If you feel he deserves more, $20 should be plenty.

 

The only possible issue I see, and I don't think anyone has brought it up, is that not every room can accommodate the same number of people. You have 3 rooms for 2 people each and one room for 5 people. That room for the 5 might only be set up to sleep 3. The other rooms that are "supposed" to have three people will certainly be able to hold that many, even though only 2 passengers will be in them. I would just, somehow, try to confirm that the room that you plan to put 5 people in will actually hold that many.

 

I agree! You might have a problem with the 5-person in a cabin. I am assuming the 5th person will be in a pack and play, which might help, but technically you are not allowed 5 unless a suite/family cabin. Probably won't be a problem, but you should be aware of this, especially as far as muster stations are concerned. That 5-person cabin is going to be very tight. Would definitely tip the steward extra on top of the standard gratuities.

[joelheather]

Tips are pooled they DO NOT get distibuted on a per person basis - RCI uses their own logic to distibute the tips....so your steward will get the tips on his individual RCI-tip-pool-rating not on the specific cabins he attends to!

 

 

 

That is 100% not correct. Its a set amount out of the tip pool.

 

 

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[joelheather]

OP upon boarding head directly to the guest relations desk. You can simply take care of the financial’s on the spot.

 

 

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[RocketMan275]

 

We have a total of 4 cabins. Our big box travel agent booked our cruise a little wonky to take advantage of the 3rd guest discount. So booking wise, we show our cabin with two guests and each of the three other cabins have 3 guests each.The reality is that three cabins will have two guests and the fourth cabin will have 5 guests (2 adults, a 6 yr old, a 4 yr old, and a 8 month old).

 

I am hoping since we are all next to each other we will all have the same cabin steward, if not I don’t want the cabin steward tending the family of 5 to get short changed since the steward(s) tending the other 2 cabins would get the third guests gratuities. I planned on prepaying the gratuities but this is what has stopped me.

 

Since you are hoping you will be next to each other, I suspect you have booked 'guaranteed' cabins.

 

Muster stations are assigned by cabin number. IOW, there stands a significant chance that those three kids in the five person cabin will not be in the same muster station and lifeboat as their parents. During the muster drill, they would have to go to their muster station which might be different from their parents. In the event of an emergency, they could be separated from their parents as well.

 

I would suggest you rethink this arrangement.

[ONECRUISER]

I agree! You might have a problem with the 5-person in a cabin. I am assuming the 5th person will be in a pack and play, which might help, but technically you are not allowed 5 unless a suite/family cabin. Probably won't be a problem, but you should be aware of this, especially as far as muster stations are concerned. That 5-person cabin is going to be very tight. Would definitely tip the steward extra on top of the standard gratuities.

We did it. Had 5 passengers, Mom/Dad, a 2/4/9 yr old in a 4 passenger room. Tight, can be, but we had the Pullman on each side with the double split ad pushed under. Was like 2 bunkbeds and little one slept w/Mom. This was the Enchantment Ocean View, only 151sq ft. Was bigger then any camping tent we ever slept in...

[Grandma Dazzles]

We did it. Had 5 passengers, Mom/Dad, a 2/4/9 yr old in a 4 passenger room. Tight, can be, but we had the Pullman on each side with the double split ad pushed under. Was like 2 bunkbeds and little one slept w/Mom. This was the Enchantment Ocean View, only 151sq ft. Was bigger then any camping tent we ever slept in...

 

Realize it can be done, however, you were fortunate (in my opinion) that RC allowed. My daughter and family have tried to do this and RC would not book, and they were trying to book a larger stateroom. Told emphatically they could not book 5 in a 4-person room. Muster stations and capacity do enter in to it.

[cruisewithmebaby]

The travel agent put our cabins together so for sure we are all next to each other. Also the cabin with the three little ones/Mom & Dad has two pullmans and baby sleeps between parents. The hoping part was that all of our staterooms would have the same steward since the rooms are all right next to each other

[Ashland]

RCI maximum occupancy when a cabin can accommodate 3...RCI will let you have an infant as long as that infant will be in a pack-n-play. We had this situation in a cabin that would only hold two RCI let the third person that was an infant in a pnp book that way. But it ended up not being a problem as right before sail date I was able to move them from an OV to a FOV...they had plenty of room with that additional sleeping area.

 

I think the OP will be fine booking how she has and then once onboard put who ever they want in whatever cabin works out best...Once onboard no one cares who sleeps where. I would go to guest services after muster drill and get the correct keys if necessary.

 

OP...don't let any of this conversation side track you...stop worrying...every thing will work out much easier than you think.

[cruisewithmebaby]

Thank you! I will sleep in the hallway if necessary I am just excited we are about a week away!

[Ourusualbeach]

I agree! You might have a problem with the 5-person in a cabin. I am assuming the 5th person will be in a pack and play, which might help, but technically you are not allowed 5 unless a suite/family cabin. Probably won't be a problem, but you should be aware of this, especially as far as muster stations are concerned. That 5-person cabin is going to be very tight. Would definitely tip the steward extra on top of the standard gratuities.

 

Oasis and Allure have regular balcony cabins that can accommodate 5. Royal will also make exceptions for infants under 2 that will be in a pack n play.