Pre paid gratuities

[Rhysmorgan]

Hello again

 

First cruise ever on Sunday with celebrity and I'm left with one last concern

 

Do the staff know that I've prepaid my tips?

 

Shall I tip extra?

 

If I do will they know I've doubled up?

 

Any particular staff member who should be given a personal tip?

 

Thanks

 

Rhys

[wowzz]

The staff have no way of knowing one way or another, but on Celebrity autotips are in place, so the staff will assume that everyone is paying them.

If autotips are in place, we don't normally tip any extra, unless any member of staff really goes over and beyond the norm.  

[Nic6318]

Hi

 

Pictures have been shown on this site that on certain ships (unsure if it would be any specific company wide) of lists of people who have opted out of the regular daily gratuities charges. 

 

These pictures were taken of items on bulletin boards while passengers were on "behind the scenes" tours. 

 

This is why many of those people who do not want to pay the gratuities as the cruise lines request are more often waiting till the last night before they go to guest services to ask that the charges be removed. For me this would clearly indicate concern of some retaliation. No matter how much people insist they are not planning on stiffing the staff, doing it this way suggest otherwise. After all, they only made the changes to the way gratuities were given out because too many people were more than willing to take advantage of the staff in this way. Some cruise lines are making an effort to make it more difficult to opt out. Eventually the companies will figure out the best way, but in the meantime, those who are willing to make this the way they control their vacation spending will continue to do so.

 

For the OP, if you leave the prepaid gratuities in place and you give those staff members who have given you service that you feel warrants any additional amount, give it in cash while thanking them. That way you can be sure that they know it was from you. Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

hope this helps

[leaveitallbehind]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

The staff have no way of knowing one way or another, but on Celebrity autotips are in place, so the staff will assume that everyone is paying them.

If autotips are in place, we don't normally tip any extra, unless any member of staff really goes over and beyond the norm.  

Actually the staff is aware of passengers with either prepaid or daily auto paid gratuities as this is published internally.  They are also notified if they are removed from the auto pay method, which can only be done by request through guest services once on board.  It would then be expected that they be paid directly in cash.

 

To the OP, It is at one's discretion if you wish to add more and typically the best way to do this is to give it as cash in person to those who you feel deserve it.  You can just hand them the cash or typically an envelope for this will be left in your stateroom on the last day to facilitate this if desired, or you can request them at guest services. 

Edited August 20, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[SantaFeFan]

3 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Actually the staff is aware of passengers with either prepaid or daily auto paid gratuities as this is published internally.  They are also notified if they are removed from the auto pay method, which can only be done by request through guest services once on board.  It would then be expected that they be paid directly in cash.

 

To the OP, It is at one's discretion if you wish to add more and typically the best way to do this is to give it as cash in person to those who you feel deserve it.  You can just hand them the cash or typically an envelope for this will be left in your stateroom on the last day to facilitate this if desired, or you can request them at guest services. 

 

For Celebrity is has been reported that the staff knows, as leaveitallbehind describes. Simply leave the auto gratuities in place and if someone gives you better than expected service, reward them as you please. There is no set amount for such a reward. It is entirely at your discretion. 

 

Also note worthy is that on most cruise lines when you give cash tips the recipient will be required to turn those cash tips into accounting to be held until the cruise is over and the passenger accounts are reconciled. If you leave the auto tips in place they will have the amount of the cash tip transferred into their on board account in full. If you remove the auto tips, the cash tip will be distributed and shared among the appropriate staff, including support staff, as determined by the cruise line's internal policies. If a crew member does not abide by this policy and hides the cash tip, they are at risk of being disciplined and possibly terminated. 

 

So if you remove the auto tips to give cash tips to only those you want, it is a wasted effort since the tips must be turned in and distributed anyway, just as it would have been as auto tips. Better to just leave the auto tips in place and tip extra if you have certain individuals you want to reward with cash that they will be able to keep after the cruise is over.  

 

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by SantaFeFan

[davecttr]

4 hours ago, Nic6318 said:

Hi

 

Pictures have been shown on this site that on certain ships (unsure if it would be any specific company wide) of lists of people who have opted out of the regular daily gratuities charges. 

 

These pictures were taken of items on bulletin boards while passengers were on "behind the scenes" tours. 

 

This is why many of those people who do not want to pay the gratuities as the cruise lines request are more often waiting till the last night before they go to guest services to ask that the charges be removed. For me this would clearly indicate concern of some retaliation. No matter how much people insist they are not planning on stiffing the staff, doing it this way suggest otherwise. After all, they only made the changes to the way gratuities were given out because too many people were more than willing to take advantage of the staff in this way. Some cruise lines are making an effort to make it more difficult to opt out. Eventually the companies will figure out the best way, but in the meantime, those who are willing to make this the way they control their vacation spending will continue to do so.

 

For the OP, if you leave the prepaid gratuities in place and you give those staff members who have given you service that you feel warrants any additional amount, give it in cash while thanking them. That way you can be sure that they know it was from you. Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

hope this helps

P&O UK used to have daily gratuities added to your onboard account but the cancellation rate became so large that that they now don't have any gratuities. Effectively they are added to the fare although the company won't admit it. As they are not itemised on the bill you can't complain about the charge. That the way to go, include them in the fare and everybody has to pay. Same with drinks packages, include them in the fare and everybody pays.

[SantaFeFan]

5 minutes ago, davecttr said:

P&O UK used to have daily gratuities added to your onboard account but the cancellation rate became so large that that they now don't have any gratuities. Effectively they are added to the fare although the company won't admit it. As they are not itemised on the bill you can't complain about the charge. That the way to go, include them in the fare and everybody has to pay. Same with drinks packages, include them in the fare and everybody pays.

 

While I agree with you about including the gratuities, I don't agree with including the drink packages. Gratuities should be paid by all passengers because they all use the services of the staff who benefit from those gratuities. But not all passengers drink copious amounts of alcohol or fancy coffees. My wife doesn't drink alcohol and I only have one or two glasses of wine per day and don't drink coffee, so we prefer to spent the equivalent money on things we actually use. How would you like it if you were forced to now pay for something you may not use, such as spa treatments or excursions you weren't interested in? 

[leaveitallbehind]

As SantaFeFan indicates, I would not agree either to including a drink package in the fare.  That would be unfair to those who do not drink - or don't drink a lot - as most drink packages are based on about a 6 - 7 drink per day, every day, consumption at about a $10 per drink rate.  With port days included, that is a lot of coffee, tea, juice, soda, or water for non-alcohol drinking passengers to consume to get their money's worth out of that fare base charge.

Edited August 20, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[Cruiser_1977]

@Rhysmorgan:

Do the staff know that I've prepaid my tips? Maybe.

 

Shall I tip extra? If you would like.

 

If I do will they know I've doubled up? Maybe, see #1.

 

Any particular staff member who should be given a personal tip? Anyone you feel has given you service worthy of cash.

[leaveitallbehind]

6 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

@Rhysmorgan:

Do the staff know that I've prepaid my tips? Maybe.

If I do will they know I've doubled up? Maybe, see #1.

 

As mentioned with my first response, the answer to your comments above with Celebrity (which is the OP's cruise line in question) is yes, not maybe. 

 

A listing of all passengers who have prepaid their gratuities as well as those with daily autopay on board is published internally. If the autopay is increased that is known as well. 

Edited August 20, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[Cruiser_1977]

@leaveitallbehind May I ask how you know this for a fact? Do you work for Celebrity? I'm not being snarky, I am curious.

[leaveitallbehind]

15 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

@leaveitallbehind May I ask how you know this for a fact? Do you work for Celebrity? I'm not being snarky, I am curious.

 

No, I don't work for any cruise line.  Aside from being told this by senior ship staff members, lets just say I have ties to an industry that has direct knowledge of this.

 

It also is the case with RCI and most other mass market cruise lines that have this system of gratuity payment in place.

Edited August 20, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[navybankerteacher]

4 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

No, I don't work for any cruise line.  Aside from being told this by senior ship staff members, lets just say I have ties to an industry that has direct knowledge of this.

 

It also is the case with RCI and most other mass market cruise lines that have this system of gratuity payment in place.

The fact that most cruise lines require staff members who receive tips from passengers who have removed the auto-tip turn such tips into the pool indicates that staff must be aware of who removes them.

 

So, it is safe to assume that staff will believe you have left such tips in place if you do not remove them. Then, of course, if you give an additional tip to any who have made an extra effort for you, they will obviously know that.

[RocketMan275]

5 hours ago, JennyB1977 said:

@leaveitallbehind May I ask how you know this for a fact? Do you work for Celebrity? I'm not being snarky, I am curious.

A copy of the crew manual for at least one cruise line has been posted numerous time that includes the requirement to turn in tips received outside the auto gratuity process.

[TxCityKat]

15 hours ago, Rhysmorgan said:

... Any particular staff member who should be given a personal tip?...

 

Howdy Rhys!

 

Congratulations for going on your first two cruises! I feel you will find you love ❤️ cruising just as we all do here. Welcome to Cruise Critic! 👍

 

Since you are a first time cruiser, I feel it is important for you to know there are people you should tip that are not included in the pre-paid gratuities or any tip pool or do not work for the cruise lines. USA dollars are gladly accepted worldwide, so come stocked with singles, fives and tens.  💵💰

 

The baggage handlers who take your bags on arrival at the port work for the port, not the cruise line. They won't share in the pre-paid gratuities or any tip pool. Consider treating them as you would a bellman at a hotel -- a customary $1.00 or $2.00 per bag will do. When your cruise is over, if the port workers aid in getting your bags to your car or a taxi, the same amount would be courteous. 🛳️🏷️💼

 

While cruise lines generally don't charge for room service, though charges are becoming more common on some lines, it's customary to tip room service delivery staff $2.00 or $3.00 in cash each visit based on the size of your order. From my experience, they are usually in and out in a flash, especially during the morning coffee rush. Try to have the cash in hand so you will have a quick hand-off as they scoot out to make their next delivery. It is usually a different person each time so that is why you do not wait to give only one of them $ at the end of your cruise. ☕🍽️🥗🍰

 

If you book any shore tours/excursions through your cruise line or independently on your own, the guides and drivers work for the tour operator, not the cruise line. For a half-day tour/excursion, give the guide $2.00, or $4.00 up to $5.00 for a full-day. Consider giving more if there was any sort of special personalised service. And don't forget the driver with $1.00 for half-day tours/excursions and $2.00 for full day ones.  🚌🚕

 

And if you have a winning streak in the ship's casino, remember to tip your dealer as you would back on land. There is no standard for tiping dealers, so use your descretion based in relation to your winnings. ♠️🎲♥️♠️🎲♦️

 

Now the above figures are just a guide to what I do and are just suggestions for you. I'm a short, fat, old cat lady living on a fixed Social Security income. So for you or anyone reading this, please use amounts you feel are best for you and are what you can afford.

 

I sincerely hope this information will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Kat 🐱

[clo]

1 hour ago, TxCityKat said:

 

Howdy Rhys!

 

Congratulations for going on your first two cruises! I feel you will find you love ❤️ cruising just as we all do here. Welcome to Cruise Critic! 👍

 

Since you are a first time cruiser, I feel it is important for you to know there are people you should tip that are not included in the pre-paid gratuities or any tip pool or do not work for the cruise lines. USA dollars are gladly accepted worldwide, so come stocked with singles, fives and tens.  💵💰

 

The baggage handlers who take your bags on arrival at the port work for the port, not the cruise line. They won't share in the pre-paid gratuities or any tip pool. Consider treating them as you would a bellman at a hotel -- a customary $1.00 or $2.00 per bag will do. When your cruise is over, if the port workers aid in getting your bags to your car or a taxi, the same amount would be courteous. 🛳️🏷️💼

 

While cruise lines generally don't charge for room service, though charges are becoming more common on some lines, it's customary to tip room service delivery staff $2.00 or $3.00 in cash each visit based on the size of your order. From my experience, they are usually in and out in a flash, especially during the morning coffee rush. Try to have the cash in hand so you will have a quick hand-off as they scoot out to make their next delivery. It is usually a different person each time so that is why you do not wait to give only one of them $ at the end of your cruise. ☕🍽️🥗🍰

 

If you book any shore tours/excursions through your cruise line or independently on your own, the guides and drivers work for the tour operator, not the cruise line. For a half-day tour/excursion, give the guide $2.00, or $4.00 up to $5.00 for a full-day. Consider giving more if there was any sort of special personalised service. And don't forget the driver with $1.00 for half-day tours/excursions and $2.00 for full day ones.  🚌🚕

 

And if you have a winning streak in the ship's casino, remember to tip your dealer as you would back on land. There is no standard for tiping dealers, so use your descretion based in relation to your winnings. ♠️🎲♥️♠️🎲♦️

 

Now the above figures are just a guide to what I do and are just suggestions for you. I'm a short, fat, old cat lady living on a fixed Social Security income. So for you or anyone reading this, please use amounts you feel are best for you and are what you can afford.

 

I sincerely hope this information will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Kat 🐱

This is terrific info and not talked about often enough.  

PS: I'm not short and we have a dog 🙂