When did the gratituites increase?

[livingonthebeach]

The problem some people have is that there is no way of knowing exactly where the gratuities go and how it's broken down. Like some others, I bring lots of cash and tip generously.  I do have a problem with RCI charging me daily for something that is far from being transparent.  

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

The problem some people have is that there is no way of knowing exactly where the gratuities go and how it's broken down. Like some others, I bring lots of cash and tip generously.  I do have a problem with RCI charging me daily for something that is far from being transparent.  

When are service fees ever transparent? Not excusing it, but cruise lines aren't alone in the practice. 

[livingonthebeach]

5 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

When are service fees ever transparent? Not excusing it, but cruise lines aren't alone in the practice. 

 

I have to believe that when I go to any restaurant and tip my waiter/waitress it goes directly to them and not to the owner to be divided by some unknown formula to contribute to the busboys' and dishwashers' salaries. 

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

I have to believe that when I go to any restaurant and tip my waiter/waitress it goes directly to them and not to the owner to be divided by some unknown formula to contribute to the busboys' and dishwashers' salaries. 

Many restaurants pool tips, and some give a cut to the back of the house 

Edited July 30, 2022 by smokeybandit

[CruisingHogFan]

I also don’t under the logic about being transparent about where the tips go. Do you question the overall cruise cost and where that money goes? Want to see the actual fuel invoice, how much each entertainer makes, lobster costs, etc to make sure you aren’t being cheated out of money?? It’s just all the cost of the vacation and shouldn’t matter.  We have had great and not so great cruises but not once did it cross my mind to remove gratuities or tip extra cash to some that we had direct service from. 

 

Some of y’all are just ridiculous in trying to justify in your head not having to pay gratuities!

[ALKID]

8 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

I also don’t under the logic about being transparent about where the tips go. Do you question the overall cruise cost and where that money goes? Want to see the actual fuel invoice, how much each entertainer makes, lobster costs, etc to make sure you aren’t being cheated out of money?? It’s just all the cost of the vacation and shouldn’t matter.  We have had great and not so great cruises but not once did it cross my mind to remove gratuities or tip extra cash to some that we had direct service from. 

 

Some of y’all are just ridiculous in trying to justify in your head not having to pay gratuities!

 

8 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

I also don’t under the logic about being transparent about where the tips go. Do you question the overall cruise cost and where that money goes? Want to see the actual fuel invoice, how much each entertainer makes, lobster costs, etc to make sure you aren’t being cheated out of money?? It’s just all the cost of the vacation and shouldn’t matter.  We have had great and not so great cruises but not once did it cross my mind to remove gratuities or tip extra cash to some that we had direct service from. 

 

Some of y’all are just ridiculous in trying to justify in your head not having to pay gratuities!

It’s optional, like a donation to the company to pay its crew.  You have every right to question how your donation is being spent.  There’s a reason they are not transparent and make it optional, i am guessing so thats their excuse when someone finally catches up with their perceived  fraudulent behavior

[livingonthebeach]

16 minutes ago, CruisingHogFan said:

I also don’t under the logic about being transparent about where the tips go. Do you question the overall cruise cost and where that money goes? Want to see the actual fuel invoice, how much each entertainer makes, lobster costs, etc to make sure you aren’t being cheated out of money?? It’s just all the cost of the vacation and shouldn’t matter.  We have had great and not so great cruises but not once did it cross my mind to remove gratuities or tip extra cash to some that we had direct service from. 

 

Some of y’all are just ridiculous in trying to justify in your head not having to pay gratuities!

 

Tips in our society have always been optional.  In some countries in Europe tips are included and in Japan you don't tip at all. I really don't care what RCI spends on their costs to do business and what they charge me for my overall cruise but when they tack on some phantom tip charge that I don't know where it goes, I would rather pay generous cash to those that provide service directly to me, YMMV.

[BND]

58 minutes ago, flamingos said:

I'd have to see something more conclusive than that.

Chris Wong did a video about his pay (he's an asst casino host).  He stated his pay can vary depending on tips.

[vjmatty]

23 hours ago, flamingos said:

 

Rushing to pre-pay to save yourselves such a small amount is, in my opinion, a bit silly.

 

It's not for everyone.

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, BND said:

Chris Wong did a video about his pay (he's an asst casino host).  He stated his pay can vary depending on tips.

 

Direct or indirect tips? Did he mention that part? 

[BND]

1 minute ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Direct or indirect tips? Did he mention that part? 

He mentioned his actual paycheck can vary.  

 

[livingonthebeach]

8 minutes ago, BND said:

He mentioned his actual paycheck can vary.  

 

 

Thanks for sharing this. Now we know that the tips are not spread out shipwise -- only commissioned employees get tips. Interesting that he says that employees on American cruises get more tips than on Asian, European or Australian cruises. The US is has more of a tip culture and those tips are usually more in cash. 

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

When are service fees ever transparent? Not excusing it, but cruise lines aren't alone in the practice. 

When they start calling it a service fee, I will agree with you 100%

[karl_nj]

22 minutes ago, BND said:

Chris Wong did a video about his pay (he's an asst casino host).  He stated his pay can vary depending on tips.

but those would be actual tips, where passengers give him cash. His position is not included in the service fee. 

[karl_nj]

1 hour ago, CruisingHogFan said:

It’s just all the cost of the vacation and shouldn’t matter.  We have had great and not so great cruises but not once did it cross my mind to remove gratuities or tip extra cash to some that we had direct service from. 

 

Some of y’all are just ridiculous in trying to justify in your head not having to pay gratuities!

 

In the future you may want to consider tipping a bit above the base service charge if your room steward or wait staff does a great job.  The base service charge is really just part of their salary, and not really an extra tip/bonus.

 

Since, as you know, it’s embarrassing as a society and if you really can’t afford to tip maybe you shouldn’t be going on a vacation to begin with and save your money.

 

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

I have to believe that when I go to any restaurant and tip my waiter/waitress it goes directly to them and not to the owner to be divided by some unknown formula to contribute to the busboys' and dishwashers' salaries. 

Actually in many of the better restaurants it is divided. I worked in one and the practice is common. A portion of drinks ordered I was forced to tip the bar, even if the patron didnt tip me. And I also had to tip or give a percentage of the tab to the bus boys. 

 

Just because your waiter in a restaurant doesnt tell you doesn't mean he keeps the whole tip. 

[livingonthebeach]

4 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Actually in many of the better restaurants it is divided. I worked in one and the practice is common. A portion of drinks ordered I was forced to tip the bar, even if the patron didnt tip me. And I also had to tip or give a percentage of the tab to the bus boys. 

 

Just because your waiter in a restaurant doesnt tell you doesn't mean he keeps the whole tip. 

 

Understood, that was your experience but that's not how it works everywhere else. I also worked in a restaurant and know that not all of them operate the same way. 

[neverbeenhere]

Tipping thread— they are always nice reading. 
 

only thing I know for sure is if the cruise line explained exactly where every dollar of gratuity was distributed, the same people would be calling foul.  Tip or don’t- I don’t care what you actually I, but please stop bragging about it. 
 

 

[karl_nj]

2 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Tipping thread— they are always nice reading. 
 

only thing I know for sure is if the cruise line explained exactly where every dollar of gratuity was distributed, the same people would be calling foul.  Tip or don’t- I don’t care what you actually I, but please stop bragging about it. 
 

 

I don’t feel it’s unreasonable to know what things will cost ahead of time. It’s nice to know how much I’ll be charged for parking. It’s good to know what drinks or specialty dining is going to cost. It would be nice to know what the service charge is going to be on my cruise in two weeks. 

[livingonthebeach]

8 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Tipping thread— they are always nice reading. 
 

only thing I know for sure is if the cruise line explained exactly where every dollar of gratuity was distributed, the same people would be calling foul.  Tip or don’t- I don’t care what you actually I, but please stop bragging about it. 

 

Agreed. But why don't just include whatever tip (and tips are optional), in the cruise fare then we wouldn't be having this conversation would we? Not bragging but since we live in a tip culture and cash is king aren't we doing what we usually do? Really?

Edited July 30, 2022 by livingonthebeach

[Seville2Cabo]

4 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Agreed. But why don't just include whatever tip (and tips are optional), in the cruise fare then we wouldn't be having this conversation would we? Not bragging but since we live in a tip culture and cash is king aren't we doing what we usually do? Really?

Just curious. Have you paid resort fee at hotels?  Hard to avoid in Las Vegas and many resort areas. Do you know where it goes?

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Seville2Cabo said:

Just curious. Have you paid resort fee at hotels?  Hard to avoid in Las Vegas and many resort areas. Do you know where it goes?

 

Yes I definitely have --- I live in a tourist resort area and there are many "junk" fees added and no idea where they go and certainly abusive but they are usually just a few dollars and not the fees that RCI charges on a daily basis. 

[Seville2Cabo]

1 minute ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Yes I definitely have --- I live in a tourist resort area and there are many "junk" fees added and no idea where they go and certainly abusive but they are usually just a few dollars and not the fees that RCI charges on a daily basis. 

Most resorts fees are much higher than Royal charges. 

[vjmatty]

49 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Actually in many of the better restaurants it is divided. I worked in one and the practice is common. A portion of drinks ordered I was forced to tip the bar, even if the patron didnt tip me. And I also had to tip or give a percentage of the tab to the bus boys. 

 

Just because your waiter in a restaurant doesnt tell you doesn't mean he keeps the whole tip. 

 

This used to drive me nuts, back when I bartended and waited tables during law school and the tipping culture had kind of a creepy element to it.... the restaurant owner even told me I should take off my wedding ring at work to get more tips.  Back then, sexual harassment of female wait staff by customers was acceptable and expected, and you had to play along or you didn't get a decent tip.  The one waiting tables was the one dealing with this creepy interaction yet had to share tips with those who were shielded from it.  I am hoping the culture has changed since then, and if not, it is a good argument for just paying a reasonable wage and eliminating the tip system.

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, Seville2Cabo said:

Most resorts fees are much higher than Royal charges. 

 

I would never patronize those places. Sorry that you did.