For the Record - RCCL does refund Gratuities

[invision]

They closed my original thread on Gratuities.  Just for the record RCCL does refund gratuities.  I finally got a refund a month later after the cruise when I figured out how they refund the gratuities.  Interesting point is if there is a travel agent involved they refund the gratuities to the travel agent via "RCCL Clearing House" so you have request the refund from the travel agent.  This response was based on many folks saying in the previous thread they have never held of any success in getting the gratuities refunded...

 

Thank you

 

M

Edited January 29, 2019 by invision
added link

[Jared2]

Are we talking about gratuities you initially pre-paid when you booked?

[PhoenixCruiser]

UGH, you must be oh so proud

[Milwaukee Eight]

Oh boy. 

[PopeyeDaSailor]

Edited January 29, 2019 by PopeyeDaSailor

[SamTimeDining]

9 hours ago, invision said:

They closed my original thread on Gratuities.  Just for the record RCCL does refund gratuities.  I finally got a refund a month later after the cruise when I figured out how they refund the gratuities.  Interesting point is if there is a travel agent involved they refund the gratuities to the travel agent via "RCCL Clearing House" so you have request the refund from the travel agent.  This response was based on many folks saying in the previous thread they have never held of any success in getting the gratuities refunded...

 

Thank you

 

M

 

I'll bite. So why months after your cruise did you feel the need to have your gratuities refunded?

[invision]

Well we asked to have the prepaid returned and gave the crew cash for their good service.  It was in the linked closed thread I posted.  Some folks thought that to get prepaid back was very difficult.  Anyway I posted that if others had this issue folks might check with travel agent and it may come have thru their clearing house for RCCL. Ours was in limbo for over a month. By the replies to this I can tell folks don’t really care.  Sorry to waste the bandwidth :-(

 

M

[HBE4]

12 minutes ago, invision said:

Well we asked to have the prepaid returned and gave the crew cash for their good service.  It was in the linked closed thread I posted.  Some folks thought that to get prepaid back was very difficult.  Anyway I posted that if others had this issue folks might check with travel agent and it may come have thru their clearing house for RCCL. Ours was in limbo for over a month. By the replies to this I can tell folks don’t really care.  Sorry to waste the bandwidth 😞

 

M

 

Any information is good information.  Even if others don't agree (personally, I prepay the gratuities) , it's nice to know options exist.

 

Thank you for the update.

[johnjen]

16 minutes ago, invision said:

Well we asked to have the prepaid returned and gave the crew cash for their good service.  It was in the linked closed thread I posted.  Some folks thought that to get prepaid back was very difficult.  Anyway I posted that if others had this issue folks might check with travel agent and it may come have thru their clearing house for RCCL. Ours was in limbo for over a month. By the replies to this I can tell folks don’t really care.  Sorry to waste the bandwidth 😞

 

M

Good stuff to know....let's say you get terrible service from someone you tip in advance. Luckily, so far, have not experienced it yet.

[proggieus]

33 minutes ago, johnjen said:

Good stuff to know....let's say you get terrible service from someone you tip in advance. Luckily, so far, have not experienced it yet.

yes, totally worth it to screw over the other 10-15 people who get tipped out of that pool.

 

Its not like they don't get paid enough anyways, Right?

[House Targaryen]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Merion_Mom]

6 minutes ago, House Targaryen said:

Thanks for the info!

 

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

[invision]

3 hours ago, proggieus said:

yes, totally worth it to screw over the other 10-15 people who get tipped out of that pool.

 

Its not like they don't get paid enough anyways, Right?

 

Everyone has a right to their opinion.  My opinion is I like to put cash in the hands of folks that make my cruise great and they get to keep the tip!!

 

M

[proggieus]

27 minutes ago, invision said:

 

Everyone has a right to their opinion.  My opinion is I like to put cash in the hands of folks that make my cruise great and they get to keep the tip!!

 

M

you are stiffing those that also make your cruise great that you will never see.

 

if you want to tip extra to those that you interact with,  great .

 

but if you cancel the autogtrats then you are a *****, thats my opinion.

 

 

I only wish that those that do your laundry or wash the dishes and glasses you will use could know that you will be stiffing them so that they could adjust their service level to match your cheapness

Edited January 29, 2019 by proggieus

[Colorado Babe]

48 minutes ago, invision said:

 

Everyone has a right to their opinion.  My opinion is I like to put cash in the hands of folks that make my cruise great and they get to keep the tip!!

 

M

I honestly see your point.  I think a lot of folks automatically assume your not tripping based on the way RC does their breakdown.  WE are not big eaters. We don't eat breakfast and rarely eat lunch on the ship unless it is a sea day.  The majority of our cruise is spent in the specialty restaurant's and we usually  tip anywhere from  $10-20 there every time we eat there.  There have been occasions when they've gotten more.   WE keep our tips on but feel like we are really over tipping for one night (lobster night) and maybe one or two lunches in the dining room.  I don't use the Windjammer because of cross contamination.  However, I may go in there for a piece of fruit or a tea bag.      

Edited January 30, 2019 by Colorado Babe

[taglovestocruise]

41 minutes ago, invision said:

 

Everyone has a right to their opinion.  My opinion is I like to put cash in the hands of folks that make my cruise great and they get to keep the tip!!

 

M

You are so wrong.  They must turn the tips into the pool. Only when you have prepaid tips and then tip extra do they get to keep them. so sad..

O

[proggieus]

1 minute ago, Colorado Babe said:

I honestly see your point.  I think a lot of folks automatically assume your not tripping based on the way RC does their breakdown.  WE are not big eaters. We don't eat breakfast and rarely eat lunch on the ship unless it is a sea day.  The majority of our cruise is spent in the specialty restaurant's and we always tip $10-20 there every time we eat there.  WE keep our tips on but feel like we are really over tipping for one night (lobster night) and maybe one or two lunches in the dining room.  I don't use the Windjammer because of cross contamination.  However, I may go in there for a piece of fruit or a tea bag.      

do you use the towels and sheets?

 

how about dishes, glasses and silverware?

 

do you enjoy having (relatively) clean glass in the elevators and railings

 

 

[Colorado Babe]

I forgot to mention, yes, there are other folks who get stiffed such as the Laundry folks who wash all your towels, sheets, etc if you don't keep the tips on.  And, other folks that I am not aware of.  I look at it this way, If I can afford to cruise, I can afford to tip whoever RC pays out with the tips we provide.  If we want to tip extra, we do. If you don't, then don't.  Just remember you think you might be doing a solid by handing someone cash but taking the tips off you are actually hurting  the pockets of many others.   

Edited January 30, 2019 by Colorado Babe

[Colorado Babe]

5 minutes ago, proggieus said:

do you use the towels and sheets?

 

how about dishes, glasses and silverware?

 

do you enjoy having (relatively) clean glass in the elevators and railings

 

 

I actually do and always keep my tips on my account and like I said, we tip extra as well.  

[proggieus]

Just now, Colorado Babe said:

I forgot to mention, yes, there are other folks who get stuffed such as the Laundry folks who wash all your towels, sheets, etc if you don't keep the tips on.  And, other folks that I am not aware of.  I look at it this way, If I can afford to cruise, I can afford to tip whoever RC pays out with the tips we provide.  If we want to tip extra, we do. If you don't, then don't.  Just remember you think you maybe doing a solid by handing someone cash but taking the tips off you are hurting many others.   

this is exactly my point-

 

to me there are only two reasons that somebody would remove the auto gratuities-

 

1. they cant afford them or are just plain cheap.

 

2. Their fragile ego needs to feel like a big shot while handing cash to somebody.

 

 

I leave the tips on the folio, i also will tip bartenders cash at the bars that i frequent, not every drink, maybe not even every day. but its probably about $20-$25 per bartender. I also leave a nice tip for the room steward in an envelope at disembarkation

 

 

[proggieus]

2 minutes ago, Colorado Babe said:

I actually do and always keep my tips on my account and like I said, we tip extra as well.  

i know, i was typing while you replied

[invision]

I will say this again.  I never have tipped any of the workers in the kitchen or laundry service in the nice restraunts or the 5 star hotels we stay in.  I give a generous tip to the waiter and the room attendant and if they pass some down that is fine.  That is just the way I give gratuities.  Subsidizing wages of workers not being paid enough by RCCL is not what a gratuity is about.

 

M

Edited January 30, 2019 by invision

[clean1owner]

13 minutes ago, proggieus said:

do you use the towels and sheets?

 

how about dishes, glasses and silverware?

 

do you enjoy having (relatively) clean glass in the elevators and railings

 

 

 

 

Nope

 

Nope

 

Nope

 

 

Looks like I have every reason in the world to cancel auto tips.  

 

Not my responsibility to subsidize the RCCL pay structure.

 

[dlwolf72]

If people are so upset with the poor employees let them lobby to have the cruse ships registered in the USA and maybe they will get paid better and not used as faceless servents.

[clean1owner]

14 hours ago, invision said:

They closed my original thread on Gratuities.  Just for the record RCCL does refund gratuities.  I finally got a refund a month later after the cruise when I figured out how they refund the gratuities.  Interesting point is if there is a travel agent involved they refund the gratuities to the travel agent via "RCCL Clearing House" so you have request the refund from the travel agent.  This response was based on many folks saying in the previous thread they have never held of any success in getting the gratuities refunded...

 

Thank you

 

M

Thank you for the info