Gratuities Are Going Up Again, Effective 11.11.2023

[LHARTWICK]

5 minutes ago, PACrew said:

I am all for rewarding crew but with the increased ticket prices, plus now raised gratuity over the past 2 years, we are getting priced out. 

 

We booked a cruise with MSC to try it out. At 60% less, we will give it a whirl. 

We will cruise Royal again, just not a much. 

Agreed.  We love RCCL, but this is getting ridiculous.  

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

Getting into NJ is free but you have to pay a toll or a tax to leave!!!!

 

If you are passing through, we get you coming and going!!!!!!

 

🤣

I can't imagine how much money the GW bridge alone brings in daily.

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, love to cruise 2017 said:

sorry to disargee but we have two family crew members on Brillance at present and no there not for a min 63 hr work week and what there required to do...no not a living wage. 

Where do your family members live? I assure you, they are being paid a living wage as determined by that home county; otherwise they would not have signed the contract to work 

[Mick B]

Just so you can be aware,

My local TA has a offer on P&O at the moment for 14 nights Spain, Portugal and Canaries from Southampton in November 2025 for £809pp

 

Now, as I have said in another thread, if you don't drink or don't drink that much and are not bothered about being in a inside cabin and don't want to spend money or can't afford to spend money on extra dinning options, then that price is really great.

I am now waiting for RCI to issue their 2025 season which should be out later next week.

I am D+ so get 5 free drinks a day, but could probably survive with less, so I will be waiting to see what the price with RCI for a cruise of similar length and destinations is for 2025 and expect it to be much higher than the P&O one.

This may become my first cruise since 2012 with P&O and my first year none RCI if they don't come close with the price. I will take into consideration all the free perks I get, but if its silly price then forget it.

 

As for trying the tactic of only booking a cruise every other year, then I may suspect the cruise lines loyalty programs will start deducting points for a year where you don't cruise to prevent anyone wanting to progress further from doing that.

 

As it has been said on another thread, RCI should cut back on allowing ex partners of C&A members to keep their status if they only got it through their partner. Cutting back on the amount of Diamond and above members who have not actually sailed 80 plus nights would be one way to cut down on expenses and may cancel out the need to increase fares and taxes etc.

 

Mick.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Mick B

[Realrunner]

18 hours ago, gavvy said:

Even more for less. Yay 

I will be removing mine and paying those who give me good service.

Agree fully, 

when out in town you wouldn’t tip the waiter or waitress until you’ve had the meal and the service you’re expecting.

 

I shall be removing mine and tipping as I go around the ship for people that give me the special service.

[footzz]

1 minute ago, Realrunner said:

Agree fully, 

when out in town you wouldn’t tip the waiter or waitress until you’ve had the meal and the service you’re expecting.

 

I shall be removing mine and tipping as I go around the ship for people that give me the special service.

You got me to thinking; Did the bean counters crunch the numbers to include the additional cost of envelops when they initiated this gratuity increase? 

[pghflyer]

yeah def tired of increasing grats with decreasing service but I can't do anything about it.....I haven't received the letter yet, but the one posted in this thread reads like you can prepay the old rate up until sailing if you already have a booking.......which is EXACTLY how this worked on my Jewel sailing 2 months ago (I prepaid a few weeks before sailing and got an old rate that changed many months earlier)

[icsys]

Looks like Royal has discovered 'skimpflation' ...

 

... similar to 'shrinkflation' but skimping on service whilst cost is maintained... or, as in this case, increased.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by icsys

[Billy Baltic]

22 minutes ago, Mick B said:

I am now waiting for RCI to issue their 2025 season which should be out later next week.

Based on the schedule released for Indy, there is nothing to compete with that itinerary in 2025. 

[mjkacmom]

18 hours ago, yogimax said:

No explanation was offered.  As cusromers, we deserve to know why it was necessary.

My property taxes go up every year, no one is telling me why. 

[Ocean Boy]

33 minutes ago, footzz said:

You got me to thinking; Did the bean counters crunch the numbers to include the additional cost of envelops when they initiated this gratuity increase? 

No need, they have been giving out envelopes since they "invented" autogratuities to help coerce people into tipping even more... tip, tip, hooray!

[Ocean Boy]

24 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

My property taxes go up every year, no one is telling me why. 

You don't know how your town is spending your tax money?

[orville99]

18 hours ago, krusso80 said:

Has anyone called to verify if you need to prepay before Nov.11th to get the old rate? If you read the email carefully it seems to say that as long as you pre pay before your sailing date you get the old rate, wait to pay on board, the new rate. Am i not reading it right?

 

18 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

I’m paying a final tomorrow and planned to prepay tips anyway so I will ask.   By then maybe someone else will have an answer.

 

18 hours ago, orville99 said:

We will be doing the same tomorrow for our two November cruises, and I will ask as well since we have 18 booked between now and April 2025. I don't want to pony up that much cash up front unless I have no choice.

Just called the C&A Pinnacle desk this morning and took care of 12 upcoming cruises. We had 4 cruises that were past (or right on) the final payment date, so we just paid all of those off, and we had 8 down the road in 2024 that we just added the prepayment to the invoices. I really didn't get a clear answer to the "prepay before November 11" question, however. 

[tottenhamfc]

3 minutes ago, orville99 said:

 

 

Just called the C&A Pinnacle desk this morning and took care of 12 upcoming cruises. We had 4 cruises that were past (or right on) the final payment date, so we just paid all of those off, and we had 8 down the road in 2024 that we just added the prepayment to the invoices. I really didn't get a clear answer to the "prepay before November 11" question, however. 

You are in a different category than most on here. The question really is are RCL pushing the envelope and aggravating many of their clients? I always pay my grats and tip a little extra but I am changing my mind about the whole culture if tipping after the dialogue on here. 

[Jetdriver787]

4 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

You are in a different category than most on here. The question really is are RCL pushing the envelope and aggravating many of their clients? I always pay my grats and tip a little extra but I am changing my mind about the whole culture if tipping after the dialogue on here. 

Oh, they are “pushing the envelope,” that’s for sure! 🤣

[Realrunner]

17 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

No need, they have been giving out envelopes since they "invented" autogratuities to help coerce people into tipping even more... tip, tip, hooray!

I’m also going through the whole of March on a cruise in a suite not on RCL.

The cruise price is one and they say no need for gratuities, but I will hand out to those that have gone above the call of duty so I know what I’m doing with my bean counters.

Rcl’s bean counter goes in their favour when reducing the service and expecting guests to pay half the wages.

Again I don’t tip until I had the goods or service.

 

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, Jetdriver787 said:

Oh, they are “pushing the envelope,” that’s for sure! 🤣

Yep and all the additional cuts/changes that go along with it. I am torn between feeling grateful to be able to cruise and the obvious deterioration of services primarily in the dining room. 

[orville99]

12 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

You are in a different category than most on here. 

HUH????

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, orville99 said:

HUH????

Most dint have twelve cruises booked. You are far from the norm .

[pilot]

I was surprised when RCCL went to once a day cabin service all of the responses saying it was ok. People said they didn’t use clean towels every day or they didn’t need nightly turndown service. 
 

This change was nothing more than a reduction in service for the gratuities that we paid. 
 

Now the other shoe has dropped and they have increased the amount of gratuities by over 10%. 
 

Is everyone still ok with the reduction in service and the price increase?

[orville99]

Just now, tottenhamfc said:

Most dint have twelve cruises booked. You are far from the norm .

I don't have 12 cruises booked, I have 18 booked - and will be booking 8-10 more when we get on Serenade next week. I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like you.

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, pilot said:

I was surprised when RCCL went to once a day cabin service all of the responses saying it was ok. People said they didn’t use clean towels every day or they didn’t need nightly turndown service. 
 

This change was nothing more than a reduction in service for the gratuities that we paid. 
 

Now the other shoe has dropped and they have increased the amount of gratuities by over 10%. 
 

Is everyone still ok with the reduction in service and the price increase?

Absolutely not. What I am being cautious about is ensuring staff are properly compensated for the great work that they do.

[RoyalC]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

My property taxes go up every year, no one is telling me why. 

Look at your assessment letter- it tells you.

[orville99]

Just now, tottenhamfc said:

Absolutely not. What I am being cautious about is ensuring staff are properly compensated for the great work that they do.

Not your job...

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, orville99 said:

I don't have 12 cruises booked, I have 18 booked - and will be booking 8-10 more when we get on Serenade next week. I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like you.

You are bragging about something that is totally alien to most. It doesnt change the fact that you have money to burn willy nilly. If you agree with the model because you can afford it, that is not what the debate is about.