For those that don't auto-gratuity, how do you distribute they money?

[HappyTexan44]

17 minutes ago, Hutcha said:

 

How are you tipping for your WJ meals? Handing a dollar to each server, at each station?

 

As a former waitress, if you worked at a place where you gave the bartender and busboy a portion of your tips, you'd be ok with me handing you $20 and saying "I want you to keep this for yourself, because I didn't interact with those other people?"

 

WJ is a bit of a sticking point and I am enough on the fence about this, that WJ might sway me to auto-grat.  

 

I am used to 15% of 15% of food bill going to the busboy, and 15% of 15% of the bar bill going to the bartender from my tips.   15% was the norm at the time. 

 

I can understand bartenders in a particular bar pooling their tips within the bar.   

 

My dismay was the idea of cash tips going into a giant ship-wide tip pool.   

 

 

[Incognito1]

On our cruise last month, we tipped in cash for each meal (except for poor service), the room steward, the coffee guy each morning, the water delivery, and the head waiter (for getting us good tables).  It worked out to a little more than auto-gratuities, but we got to decide where the $$ went.  (And I'm pretty certain it went into pockets rather than a pool.)

 

I didn't keep track, but guestimating that it broke down:

40% steward

40% waiters

10% coffee guy

10% everything else

Edited December 13, 2022 by Incognito1

[Morecruisesplz]

If you want great bar service, give the entire amount to him on day 1 of your cruise.

[Mikew0805]

24 minutes ago, davekathy said:

You mean I should be tipping the kitchen staff and not our waiters. 🤣

Really? You did read the part where I said the auto grats right? Do you know what is included in the auto grats? The wait staff. (It's possible I misunderstood what you are saying.)

 

My day feels much better now that I have PO'd a few people! 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Mikew0805

[Tulsacoker]

🍿🍿

 

Biker19 I brought extra if you ran out   

[poocher]

IMO, and in MHO only, the base wages of a land based wait staff is lowered in anticipation of the difference being covered by tips and, at least in the case of good/better restaurants, that tip is shared with the busboys.  This was the case back when my mother was a waitress at a higher end restaurant.  At a hotel, there is no presumption of tips and wages are not based on receiving them (although tipping the cleaning staff is pretty common).  On the ship, all parties who receive some of the auto-grats must have their wages adjusted for them.  The $3 allotted to the laundry staff (made up amount) is factored into their base pay.  If one were to remove that daily tip & only give to face to face staff, the laundry folks’ wages are reduced.  Now I’m not saying it’s our fault that the system is set up this way.  But since it is, are we not penalizing those stuck behind the scenes if we only tip those with whom we interact?

[Tree_skier]

After reading this thread I have changed my mind on tipping.  From now on I'm going to stand in the middle of the promenade, naked, and throw $1 and $5 bills in the air as high as I can and whoever picks them up gets to keep them.

[robmtx]

3 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

After reading this thread I have changed my mind on tipping.  From now on I'm going to stand in the middle of the promenade, naked, and throw $1 and $5 bills in the air as high as I can and whoever picks them up gets to keep them.

Darn we're going to be at sea the same time next month but different ships. I was going to be all over those $5 spots!

[robmtx]

I love that moment when fanatics get so worked up over this topic, that I can virtually see a vain in their forehead about to pop! It's their way or their way, and anyone who disagrees is a <inset negative noun here>

 

🍿INDEED 🍿

[Mikew0805]

I should have known better than to try to be funny. Even though my first and last sentence I thought was making it clear... clearly it just doesn't work on a message board. Again... 🤷‍♂️

[Tree_skier]

20 minutes ago, robmtx said:

I love that moment when fanatics get so worked up over this topic, that I can virtually see a vain in their forehead about to pop! It's their way or their way, and anyone who disagrees is a <inset negative noun here>

 

🍿INDEED 🍿

Having participated in a few over the years I have never seen someone acknowledge that their position has changed one iota after this discussion.  Most questions are asked with the the decision already made and they are just looking for validation of the decision.  Getting worked up over what anyone does or doesn't do in this regard has no utility whatsoever.  I will chime in if asked about what is customary to a specific situation that I may have direct experience in (ie. tipping cash when on the UDP, etc) but that is about it.  The OP had already decided no to participate in the auto-gratuity program.  The posts trying to convince them otherwise is just "tilting at windmills".

 

 

[HappyTexan44]

Well, as the OP, I can state that I am on the fence, leaning back toward auto-grat. if I can't think of a more fair way of handling the money.  (This isn't new news.   I previously said I was on the fence and the WJ tips might sway me back to auto-grat.)    Even then, my original question wasn't Should I manually had out the tips in cash, but basically the logistics for those that have done that.  
 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

Really? You did read the part where I said the auto grats right? Do you know what is included in the auto grats? The wait staff. (It's possible I misunderstood what you are saying.)

 

My day feels much better now that I have PO'd a few people! 

You didn't PO me! But obviously I did you and now we know you don't have a sense of humor. Big hint was...🤣

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

After reading this thread I have changed my mind on tipping.  From now on I'm going to stand in the middle of the promenade, naked, and throw $1 and $5 bills in the air as high as I can and whoever picks them up gets to keep them.

That is how I feel the current system works (sans nudity)

[Mikew0805]

33 minutes ago, davekathy said:

You didn't PO me! But obviously I did you and now we know you don't have a sense of humor. Big hint was...🤣

No, you didn't PO me, that is why I added the part "it's possible I misunderstood what you are saying..." because I really was not sure. Originally I thought you were saying that I implied you should not tip the wait staff, then after thinking about it, I went back and edited and added the misunderstood part. Clearly, I misunderstood and the 🤣 didn't help me out in that case. 

[Morecruisesplz]

2 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

After reading this thread I have changed my mind on tipping.  From now on I'm going to stand in the middle of the promenade, naked, and throw $1 and $5 bills in the air as high as I can and whoever picks them up gets to keep them.

Let us know when so we can be elsewhere. And, how many crew vs cruisers would pick it up? Flawed plan!

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

No, you didn't PO me, that is why I added the part "it's possible I misunderstood what you are saying..." because I really was not sure. Originally I thought you were saying that I implied you should not tip the wait staff, then after thinking about it, I went back and edited and added the misunderstood part. Clearly, I misunderstood and the 🤣 didn't help me out in that case. 

...✌️🍻

[tinykygal]

So, it has been nearly 3 years since we have cruised.  

Is anyone removing daily gratuities and paying cash?

I know there are so many comments as to the good/bad and ugly.

 

We chose to pay cash when a RCCL representative told me it was ok.  I never felt that we cheated anyone.  In fact, it is easy to spot laundry workers and hand them cash.  

[Morecruisesplz]

7 hours ago, tinykygal said:

So, it has been nearly 3 years since we have cruised.  

Is anyone removing daily gratuities and paying cash?

I know there are so many comments as to the good/bad and ugly.

 

We chose to pay cash when a RCCL representative told me it was ok.  I never felt that we cheated anyone.  In fact, it is easy to spot laundry workers and hand them cash.  

Many do. Read the threads for confirmation. 

[restasured]

On 12/7/2022 at 12:53 PM, HappyTexan44 said:

Note, I am not wanting to tip less money.   I am a former waitress, and am pro-tipping. 
  
But, it bugs me that people I might never see or have anything to do with might get some of the tip money.  
It also bugs me that there is the rumor that the company doesn't pass on all the tip money.   I know this has been a problem in restaurants.   Not one I worked in, but it has been sometimes a thing and I can totally see Royal corporate bean-counters doing that.  

 

First, I guess. would be that I have heard the same rumor for the past 40+ years of cruising.  And I can't confirm the rumor nor deny it, but, my tipping method is probably more generous than many people's.  I auto tip, give the cabin steward a $20 on day one and another $20 on the final day, before disembarking the next morning.  I tip $20 each extra to the MDR waiter and assistant waiter.  If I have had any special requests for the MDR Maitre'd I will them $10 or $20 depending on what the request was.  I don't typically use room service but when I do, for coffee in the morning, I give them $2.  I am not rich by any means but I figure if I can afford to take a cruise and can spend $10 - $12 a time or two or three a day for drinks that I can afford $100 - $150 extra for tips.  The people on the ships work long hours each day and much of the time it is on broken shifts, 4 hours on 4 hours off then 6 - 8 hours more that day.  So they deserve every penny they get as do the people you don't see on a daily basis.  People in the laundry, kitchens, cleaning crew, bathroom attendants, etc.  So please don't remove the auto tip and if you can and want to throw around a few more dollars.  State room attendants are totally surprise when I hand then a $20 on the first day, before the ship has even left the dock.  And you can bet they are very grateful for it.

[Morecruisesplz]

7 minutes ago, restasured said:

First, I guess. would be that I have heard the same rumor for the past 40+ years of cruising.  And I can't confirm the rumor nor deny it, but, my tipping method is probably more generous than many people's.  I auto tip, give the cabin steward a $20 on day one and another $20 on the final day, before disembarking the next morning.  I tip $20 each extra to the MDR waiter and assistant waiter.  If I have had any special requests for the MDR Maitre'd I will them $10 or $20 depending on what the request was.  I don't typically use room service but when I do, for coffee in the morning, I give them $2.  I am not rich by any means but I figure if I can afford to take a cruise and can spend $10 - $12 a time or two or three a day for drinks that I can afford $100 - $150 extra for tips.  The people on the ships work long hours each day and much of the time it is on broken shifts, 4 hours on 4 hours off then 6 - 8 hours more that day.  So they deserve every penny they get as do the people you don't see on a daily basis.  People in the laundry, kitchens, cleaning crew, bathroom attendants, etc.  So please don't remove the auto tip and if you can and want to throw around a few more dollars.  State room attendants are totally surprise when I hand then a $20 on the first day, before the ship has even left the dock.  And you can bet they are very grateful for it.

I think this is probably close to the norm for those who leave auto tips in place.