Weasle Words and Actions - Service Charge, Gratuity, Tips

[SargassoPirate]

By Royal Caribbean's website, it would appear that the automatic service gratuity is shared among dining, bar, and culinary staff.

 

"The automatic service gratuity is $14.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $17.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest’s SeaPass account on a daily basis. The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. As a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience."

 

In the past, information from Royal stated that the service charge for specialty dining included the gratuity.  Now, specialty dining costs a service charge, plus an 18% service charge, with a space on your bill for a tip - all of these apparently in addition to the indicated shared automatic service gratuity.  

 

If one orders an upgrade entree in the MDR, there is a service charge for the items, plus an 18% service charge, in addition to the shared gratuity the waiter is already receiving.

 

I'm waiting for them to figure out a way to use the word "fee" as a revenue enhancer to shake us down even more.  Such as "Specialty Dining will incur a reservation fee, a service charge, an 18% service charge, and an optional tip" 

 

Perhaps all of this explains why, on our last cruise, there were so many empty tables in the specialty restaurants when we walked by and the specialty dining staff were stationed outside the Foodjammer every day and circulating in the MDR every evening trying to sell specialty dining.

 

 

 

 

[nelblu]

Nothing new here.  It's been like this for the last few years.    I'm assuming that the service charge is for the upgraded entrée and the 18% is applied to that amount. 

 

However, if you reserve any SR on line no grats of 18% added, for now.

[time4u2go]

This really is nothing new, and has been discussed here before.

Edited January 21, 2019 by time4u2go

[time4u2go]

13 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Perhaps all of this explains why, on our last cruise, there were so many empty tables in the specialty restaurants when we walked by and the specialty dining staff were stationed outside the Foodjammer every day and circulating in the MDR every evening trying to sell specialty dining.

 

 

 

 

Foodjammer...lol I like that!

[Cigar King]

I for one, couldn't care less.  I spend thousands on a vacation.  I am not going to worry about a few bucks here and there. 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

I would assume the automatic gratuity/service charge goes to the people working the MDR, the Windjammer, Sorrentos, etc, basically any place that you get free food.  Why would you assume it goes to the servers at the Specialty Restaurants? 

[cb at sea]

Your automatic gratuities cover you cabin attendant, waiters, ass't waiters and head waiters.

 

Specialty restaurants are now adding 18% to the fee they charge.  Any tips are divided among all those who share in those tips.

 

Drinks or drink packages add 18 % to either the drink or the package.

 

In other words, they add everything, so additional tipping is NOT required.  

[SargassoPirate]

3 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I would assume the automatic gratuity/service charge goes to the people working the MDR, the Windjammer, Sorrentos, etc, basically any place that you get free food.  Why would you assume it goes to the servers at the Specialty Restaurants? 

 

Based on the information from Royal's website, why would one assume it does not?  It is certainly not clear.  

[El Abuelo]

RCI language is designed to confuse. The service charge is not a gratuity, it’s part of the price. 

 

In the US, gratuities are sometimes part of the basic wage and other times a reward for high quality personal services. 

 

 The RCI service charge appears to be part of the basic wage, and charging it separately looks like it’s a way to break out the price and create the appearance of a lower list price. It is not, however, a reward for high quality personal services. 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

48 minutes ago, El Abuelo said:

It is not, however, a reward for high quality personal services.  

Who says so? 🤔

Gratuities are optional! 👍

[nelblu]

Here we go again with the grats discussion.  Maybe you can get your jollies by the following article regarding Frontier Airlines.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/other/frontier-airlines-is-asking-passengers-to-tip-flight-attendants/ar-BBRXIUL

[S.A.M.J.R.]

20 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

Based on the information from Royal's website, why would one assume it does not?  It is certainly not clear.  

Because I know it costs more to go to a specialty restaurant.  If I choose not to partake of something that costs more, I'm going to assume my cruise fare (or at least the gratuity portion) isn't going to those events.  If you don't get a drink package and order a drink, should you not tip because part of the cabin gratuity goes to bar workers?

 

Why would you assume the gratuity based on your cruise fare covers specialty restaurants?  

[papaflamingo]

Honestly, who gets what gratuity money is between the employee and the employer.  It's a part of the cruise cost, has been forever.  Add or don't at your discretion, but who really cares how they divide up the money?  Does it really matter? 

[Joseph2017China]

8 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

Honestly, who gets what gratuity money is between the employee and the employer.  It's a part of the cruise cost, has been forever.  Add or don't at your discretion, but who really cares how they divide up the money?  Does it really matter? 

I agree....I don't care.  I prepay everything.  My drinks have already been tipped.  Specialty restaurants say tip is included.  Therefore I tipped, and as always, once it leaves my hand, I don't care how it is handled. 

[bowler15547]

If they would stop calling it a gratuity and simply say service charge, it will be a non-issue. 

[shipshape sam]

What a great concept.  Need to get employees more money, increase/start a gratuity.  

 

[brillohead]

23 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Perhaps all of this explains why, on our last cruise, there were so many empty tables in the specialty restaurants when we walked by and the specialty dining staff were stationed outside the Foodjammer every day and circulating in the MDR every evening trying to sell specialty dining.

 

 

I think the empty tables in the specialty restaurants are not at all to do with tipping and everything to do with the fact that they've been priced way out of line with what you receive.  

For really snobby foodie-types, the MDR might not be acceptable, but for the vast majority of people on a mainstream cruise line, the MDR's offerings are more than adequate.  If I can get a decent meal for "free" (included in my cruise fare), I'm not going to want to spend another $50/person on dinner.

The MDR on RCI might not be "the height of luxury" but then again, the cruise fare on RCI doesn't suggest that it will be.  If you want/need/expect five-star cuisine and service, you go on a luxury line and pay five times as much (and gratuities will also be included in your cruise fare on that type of cruise line).  

If your typical meal at home is either something you cooked yourself after a hard day at work (and then you have to clean up afterward) or a chain restaurant, then the MDR on RCI is going to be absolutely acceptable.  And the majority of cruisers on RCI are people who fit into that demographic.

And for the love of all that is holy in this world and the next, can we stop complaining about gratuities already?

[mrpayroll]

11 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

 

I think the empty tables in the specialty restaurants are not at all to do with tipping and everything to do with the fact that they've been priced way out of line with what you receive.  

For really snobby foodie-types, the MDR might not be acceptable, but for the vast majority of people on a mainstream cruise line, the MDR's offerings are more than adequate.  If I can get a decent meal for "free" (included in my cruise fare), I'm not going to want to spend another $50/person on dinner.

The MDR on RCI might not be "the height of luxury" but then again, the cruise fare on RCI doesn't suggest that it will be.  If you want/need/expect five-star cuisine and service, you go on a luxury line and pay five times as much (and gratuities will also be included in your cruise fare on that type of cruise line).  

If your typical meal at home is either something you cooked yourself after a hard day at work (and then you have to clean up afterward) or a chain restaurant, then the MDR on RCI is going to be absolutely acceptable.  And the majority of cruisers on RCI are people who fit into that demographic.

And for the love of all that is holy in this world and the next, can we stop complaining about gratuities already?

Well said...…,

[steveru621]

Drinks on Adventure now list an 18% 'Service Charge'.  It is no longer called a gratuity.

[HBE4]

 

I'm no Word Smith but when I think of "Gratuity", I'm thinking the money goes to the workers where as "Service Charge", I'm thinking the money goes to Royal corporate coffers.

 

Am I being naive?

[Clarea]

7 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'm no Word Smith but when I think of "Gratuity", I'm thinking the money goes to the workers where as "Service Charge", I'm thinking the money goes to Royal corporate coffers.

 

Am I being naive?

 

Yes.

[steveru621]

15 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'm no Word Smith but when I think of "Gratuity", I'm thinking the money goes to the workers where as "Service Charge", I'm thinking the money goes to Royal corporate coffers.

 

 

Doesn't really matter to me what they call it.  If they add a charge to a drink, that's a gratuity.  It's up to the bar service people to argue with RCI over who gets what.  Because unless they perform some extraordinary service that's all they are going to get.

[gsb]

Just like the ridiculous resort fees in Las Vegas. Higher in many cases than the base hotel cost.