Gratuities

[CRUISEFAN0001]

1 hour ago, JoeFan said:

Do you tip the people who wash your towels and sheets when you go to a hotel? Do you tip the landscaper who mows the grass at a hotel? Do you tip the lifeguards at the pool at a hotel? 

 

What makes these a tipped position at sea? Is there some maritime law I am not aware of, or is it the cruise lines not paying their employees?

People can only justify their spending for tips to their own satisfaction.

 

Tips are intended as a token of appreciation for great service, usually experienced directly.

 

In the case of cruise ship staff,  there is simply no practical way passengers could/would/should see all the staff that supports their enjoyable and/or extraordinary work to make it a memorable experience. That doesn't mean they don't participate in the process. To resolve that, a common gratuity program was set up to support some form of "thanks" to the many/often unseen people who provide services resulting in a wonderful cruise.

 

Considering most onboard staff sacrifice being at sea many months (away from family, friends, events), get paid a low wage compared to most passengers, live in quarters onboard that most passengers would never accept as a paid cabin, and despite all that...sustain a friendly personality and smile as they perform their duties...often going beyond basic service...distributing a gratuity is a good thing. There is little doubt that simply "baking in" the gratuity into a cruise fare would eliminate the whole "what is fair or right to do" debates.

 

Those who play games (we've witnessed bold face lies/stories used at the customer service desk counters) to avoid paying the gratuity cheat the staff with that deplorable practice...and yet those same people often are proud of their cost-avoidance accomplishment. Perhaps Karma will come into play for those people.

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by CRUISEFAN0001

[not-enough-cruising]

14 minutes ago, pcur said:

 

Sarcasm aside, and in my mind, tips should go to the crew members that perform a service that DIRECTLY benefits me.  If I touch it, and someone made it possible for me to have it on the ship, then I do like that fact that they are being paid to do that.  This applies to non-salaried crew members.

 

I just wish they would make the tips mandatory, so we can all argue about something else!!  😉

There are no "non salaried" crew members.  Everyone gets paid per their contract.  There isn't anyone on the ship working for free and hoping that some gratuity trickles down to them.

[brillohead]

Royal should roll the gratuities into the fare, then advertise "FREE GRATUITIES FOR EVERYONE! -- NO DAILY SERVICE CHARGE EVER!"

People would think they're getting a "deal" with a "freebie" just like they think when there are perks like "free internet" or "free alcohol package" (that are also rolled into the cruise fare).

[JoeFan]

8 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

People can only justify their spending for tips to their own satisfaction.

 

Tips are intended as a token of appreciation for great service, usually experienced directly.

 

In the case of cruise ship staff,  there is simply no practical way passengers could/would/should see all the staff that supports their enjoyable and/or extraordinary work to make it a memorable experience. That doesn't mean they don't participate in the process. To resolve that, a common gratuity program was set up to support some form of "thanks" to the many/often unseen people who provide services resulting in a wonderful cruise.

 

Considering most onboard staff sacrifice being at sea many months (away from family, friends, events), get paid a low wage compared to most passengers, live in quarters onboard that most passengers would never accept as a paid cabin, and despite all that...sustain a friendly personality and smile as they perform their duties...often going beyond basic service...distributing a gratuity is a good thing. There is little doubt that simply "baking in" the gratuity into a cruise fare would eliminate the whole "what is fair or right to do" debates.

 

Those who play games (we've witnessed bold face lies/stories used at the customer service desk counters) to avoid paying the gratuity cheat the staff with that deplorable practice...and yet those same people often are proud of their cost-avoidance accomplishment. Perhaps Karma will come into play for those people.

 

 

 

 

We all work hard and sacrifice in our own way.

I am sure all of the people on a cruise ship are lovely people and work really hard. That is not at issue. What is at issue is that, I pay a cruise fare and that cruise fare should include basic services. Don't make me feel guilty about the guy who vacuums the floor is away from his family for months on end so I need to tip him or her because they made my cruise enjoyable. It's the cruise lines responsibility to pay that person, not mine. 

[JoeFan]

8 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Royal should roll the gratuities into the fare, then advertise "FREE GRATUITIES FOR EVERYONE! -- NO DAILY SERVICE CHARGE EVER!"

People would think they're getting a "deal" with a "freebie" just like they think when there are perks like "free internet" or "free alcohol package" (that are also rolled into the cruise fare).

 

Exactly.

[pcur]

22 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

There are no "non salaried" crew members.  Everyone gets paid per their contract.  There isn't anyone on the ship working for free and hoping that some gratuity trickles down to them.

 

l believe the administrative staff and the officers are salaried, to name a few categories.  Everyone might be hired on a contractual basis, but some are eligible for additional income from tips; others are not.

[KmomChicago]

It is a rather outdated practice and no longer fits modern ideas about value, fairness, and business in general.  I would think the cruise lines must constantly consider whether it would make sense to build it into the fare.  The problem is, they likely need to all do it at roughly the same time or the prices would appear skewed high compared to competing lines.

 

But here is a question - not rhetorical but actual - if your travel agency package includes prepaid gratuities, can  you remove them and get a cash refund? Of course I would not even if you could. And further I assume you can't do that. 

 

That might be the way it goes - more and more package "deals" with included gratuities as a way to wean us off the notion that it's optional; eventually getting to where included gratuities are universal.

[KmomChicago]

8 minutes ago, JoeFan said:

 

We all work hard and sacrifice in our own way.

I am sure all of the people on a cruise ship are lovely people and work really hard. That is not at issue. What is at issue is that, I pay a cruise fare and that cruise fare should include basic services. Don't make me feel guilty about the guy who vacuums the floor is away from his family for months on end so I need to tip him or her because they made my cruise enjoyable. It's the cruise lines responsibility to pay that person, not mine. 

 

I don't think we intend you make you feel guilty at all.  Just because I would feel guilty, doesn't mean you would.  I wouldn't wish my feelings on my worst enemy, if you really want to start getting into my issues.

[time4u2go]

44 minutes ago, Billy Baltic said:

 

But all they’ll get is a polarised debate on the rights and wrongs of tipping. If they want a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers then have a poll. Otherwise get out the popcorn and wait for the fireworks. 

I wasn't commenting on whether this was the right or wrong way to ask their question.  I was merely answering as to why the OP posted their question.

[little britain]

On my current cruise I have been informed that of the 18% drink tip, 12% goes to the barman and 6% to RCI. 

[kernow]

OP, if you are talking about cruises from Southampton, then sadly I think it is becoming the norm. Like you, we always pre pay but when we sailed on Indy in May I was shocked by how many passengers were openly saying they didn't pay. 

I wish RCL would include mandatory tips in the price for UK passengers like they do in Australia.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

40 minutes ago, JoeFan said:

 

We all work hard and sacrifice in our own way.

I am sure all of the people on a cruise ship are lovely people and work really hard. That is not at issue. What is at issue is that, I pay a cruise fare and that cruise fare should include basic services. Don't make me feel guilty about the guy who vacuums the floor is away from his family for months on end so I need to tip him or her because they made my cruise enjoyable. It's the cruise lines responsibility to pay that person, not mine. 

One way or another...you pay for what you get...no guilt involved.

 

Cruise fare should include basic services...and generally it does. Gratuities should be included but aren't - and that's not exclusive to Royal. So avoiding them or working hard to refuse to pay them reflects a personal opinion...nothing more.

 

This is how the service industry works. Low wages coupled with gratuities. How that combination is implemented may vary...but it doesn't reduce it's just value.

[Hoopster95]

2 hours ago, JoeFan said:

Is there some maritime law I am not aware of, or is it the cruise lines not paying their employees?

 

Correct... I suspect are not aware of a maritime law. Resident expert ChengP gave us a summary of this law many tipping threads ago. I have not seen him participate in these threads since, perhaps because he was berated/challenged for his knowledge.

 

Bottom line, the salaried portion of the contract is minimal. If the employees do not get the required "tips", RCL is contracted to top them up to a set amount for their wages. The "tip" we all pay as cruisers should be called "service-charges"....  they make part of the employees wages. They truly are not tips

 

1 hour ago, pcur said:

eventually RCCL will wake up and build the tips into the price of the cruise, so it's mandatory.  

 

 

This also... everyone's $599 cruise fares should actually be $799. No need for the $14.50 service charge per day added later and labeled as "tips" when they really are not

 

48 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Royal should roll the gratuities into the fare, then advertise "FREE GRATUITIES FOR EVERYONE! -- NO DAILY SERVICE CHARGE EVER!".

 

And this +1.

 

 

Perhaps I'm in the wrong camp here... perhaps we should all cancel our tips on every ship around the world. Maybe, just maybe, the cruise lines would change their policies pretty quick

Edited July 6, 2019 by Hoopster95

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Royal should roll the gratuities into the fare, then advertise "FREE GRATUITIES FOR EVERYONE! -- NO DAILY SERVICE CHARGE EVER!"

 

And as soon as they do that we will start reading threads about how these people work really hard and deserve an extra tip. And some will say... but it is included in the fare so I am not tipping. And someone else will accuse that person of being really cheap.....