Gratuities Are Going Up Again, Effective 11.11.2023

[nelblu]

17 hours ago, cruise20233 said:

First thing I do when I get on the ship is I call guest services and remove the gratuities

Really, do you actually get through.🤣

[HBE4]

2 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Why 20%? The typical percentage used to be 15%. I've always wondered why it went up. 

 

I  always thought it was 15% for breakfast/lunch and 20% for dinner as dinner involved more work.  Then again, dinner is more expensive so the same 15% will still be a bigger tip.

 

 

1 hour ago, Rob-Bob said:

I always tried to figure out why bringing me a $40 steak was worth an $8 tip while bringing me a $12 burger was worth a $2.40 tip.  Same steps, same smile.

 

Oh well. 

 

1 hour ago, Rob-Bob said:

What if my example is the same restaurant? 

 

Using my example above, dinner in theory involves more work.  Take a 24/7 diner.  For breakfast, you get your pancakes and coffee & maybe a refill and your done. Same for lunch, you get your hamburger & soda and a maybe a refill & you're out the door . For dinner, you'll get your steak and a couple of drinks but maybe a soup/salad & water before and dessert & coffee afterwards and the table needs to be cleaning between courses. More work/more steps.

 

Now, I say "in theory" since breakfast/lunch times are more hectic and the staff has to hustle more  (and get tipped less) than they do at dinner time when things seem to proceed at a more relaxed pace.

 

IMHO & just my observations.

[nelblu]

16 hours ago, cruise20233 said:

For those who constantly have to scream that they're great tippers ninety nine point nine percent of the time they're not good tippers. Money speaks wealth whispers

Conversely, then those that say that they tip directly to the individuals providing the service aren't really tipping.  They are screamers as you commented.  Simply human nature.

Edited November 5, 2023 by nelblu

[Scottdalfonso]

3 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Why 20%? The typical percentage used to be 15%. I've always wondered why it went up. 

Cost of living... it's been at least 18 percent for a long time. Prices go up, so do tipping amounts. 

[time4u2go]

2 minutes ago, Scottdalfonso said:

Cost of living... it's been at least 18 percent for a long time. Prices go up, so do tipping amounts. 

But since the tip is a percentage of the items being purchased, the tip automatically goes up as those items go up in price.  Seems like it's double dipping for the tipping percentage to go up while the items it's based on also are going up in price.

[time4u2go]

35 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

It doesn't since the menu prices will be going up as well so the 10% tip will be going up as well.

Exactly.  Some don't seem to understand this.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

And before that, 10% was a good tip. If wages go up with inflation, why does a tip percentage need to double? 

You mean the service you get now isn't twice as good as what you used to get?😇

[not-enough-cruising]

44 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

But since the tip is a percentage of the items being purchased, the tip automatically goes up as those items go up in price.  Seems like it's double dipping for the tipping percentage to go up while the items it's based on also are going up in price.

 

42 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

Exactly.  Some don't seem to understand this.

Exactly

 

Common sense isn't so common.

 

Further proof, many people will just shell out money arbitrarily because a false narrative has been created by industry. (See cruise line auto gratuity)

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said:

Tips at a restaurant or bar should start at 20% when you walk in the door- 

Says who?

[Ocean Boy]

8 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

 

Exactly

 

Common sense isn't so common.

 

Further proof, many people will just shell out money arbitrarily because a false narrative has been created by industry. (See cruise line auto gratuity)

And the people who buy into this "system" consider those who don't to be the problem. One could easily make the opposite argument that those who do buy in are the problem. The cruise lines charge you automatically, they cut back service, they increase the automatic charge at will and all because they find that they can get away with it... period.

[not-enough-cruising]

26 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

And the people who buy into this "system" consider those who don't to be the problem. One could easily make the opposite argument that those who do buy in are the problem. The cruise lines charge you automatically, they cut back service, they increase the automatic charge at will and all because they find that they can get away with it... period.

AMEN

[Wolf 8]

I respect that we must each measure our own generosity.  Personally, I pay the daily gratuity fee and at the end give cash tips to staff who were good to us.  But I also have selfish motives.

 

I've heard that crew may learn en-route which cabins removed their gratuities. I ask, "Would I really want to offend someone who will be alone with my toothbrush day after day?

[tottenhamfc]

1 minute ago, Wolf 8 said:

I respect that we must each measure our own generosity.  Personally, I pay the daily gratuity fee and at the end give cash tips to staff who were good to us.  But I also have selfish motives.

 

I've heard that crew may learn en-route which cabins removed their gratuities. I ask, "Would I really want to offend someone who will be alone with my toothbrush day after day?

They would be foolish as they probably would get more than normal if tips were removed. If I removed tips I would give them way more.

[not-enough-cruising]

2 minutes ago, Wolf 8 said:

I respect that we must each measure our own generosity.  Personally, I pay the daily gratuity fee and at the end give cash tips to staff who were good to us.  But I also have selfish motives.

 

I've heard that crew may learn en-route which cabins removed their gratuities. I ask, "Would I really want to offend someone who will be alone with my toothbrush day after day?

Silly argument 

[scooby1]

I’ve just come of P&O Iona only the second cruise not on RCI, it was great that there were no tips not gratuities nothing, it was even something they promoted. RCI it can feel a bit much sometimes order a drink where is my tip, it’s just a coke that took 20 seconds why do you need a tip.

 

Anyway, I asked our waiter if he had worked on any other cruise ships and he said yes worked on a lot of US cruise ships and many RCI. I asked why work on P&O and not there and do you mind me asking do you get more on any that others. 
 

He said you can get paid more overall on US cruise companies but it’s much harder, they really flog you and it’s a tough environment. But he worked on P&O as the money was only slightly less but a lot easier, he said it was great on the other us companies if you are younger and keen but he said those days had gone and it wasn’t worth it to him. 

[time4u2go]

24 minutes ago, Wolf 8 said:

I respect that we must each measure our own generosity.  Personally, I pay the daily gratuity fee and at the end give cash tips to staff who were good to us.  But I also have selfish motives.

 

I've heard that crew may learn en-route which cabins removed their gratuities. I ask, "Would I really want to offend someone who will be alone with my toothbrush day after day?

Simple solution: Wait until the end of the cruise to remove the gratuities. 

[Tree_skier]

6 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

 

 

Further proof, many people will just shell out money arbitrarily because a false narrative has been created by industry. (See cruise line auto gratuity)

This is what I tell my wife on Valentines day...

[ReneeFLL]

On 11/4/2023 at 7:45 PM, cruise20233 said:

Grab a drink or unpack my suitcase if it’s at my door u?

Interesting, you just joined yesterday and all 8 posts are on this tipping thread. 🤔

[ReneeFLL]

4 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

This is what I tell my wife on Valentines day...

That one is a little harder for Mike to do since it’s our anniversary. 😆 

 

[Realrunner]

14 hours ago, karl_nj said:

 

I think you bring up a lot of good points, though I do want to mention that little kids do sail for "cheaper" with KSF, because once that kid hits age 13 the parent pays all of the extra costs you mention, plus whatever 3rd/4th passenger fare royal is charging for that sailing.

 

Sometimes cheaper to buy a 2nd room, if there are any connecting rooms still available (though often those cost 'extra' also)

 

Transparency in pricing is an issue in many industries in the US (the whole "resort fee" nonsense in hotels comes to mind) but I do wish that companies stopped with this nonsense. It would be wonderful if we should just see the price, with all taxes, fees, and service charges included. I was visiting Paris earlier this year, and it was so refreshing to go to a restaurant and have the price on the menu actually end up being the price you charged.  Service and VAT was included in the price. Crazy concept.

 

Transparency is what you get in the UK as what you see is what you pay, no this tax and that tax which unfortunately is what you get in America $50 then $20 of add on’s

[DawnontheRiviera]

On 10/31/2023 at 3:21 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

I did not pay the old rate, I surely will not be paying the new rate.

Reading some of these responses makes me sad. $18 a day is still reasonable and fair. To the hundreds of service workers on every ship who work 12 plus hours a day, SEVEN days a week, for 6-8 month contracts (Be honest, how many of you would do that?). The workers who are in the shared tipping pool get paid an average of $600 a month for 360 hours. And the share about doubles that. Does anyone really feel they have to withhold those distributed gratuities from these hard working people? 

[PhillyFan33579]

This thread does a good job of identifying cruisers who routinely screw hard working crew members. Just my opinion, but if you can’t afford the gratuities you can’t afford the cruise. 

[Realrunner]

9 minutes ago, DawnontheRiviera said:

Reading some of these responses makes me sad. $18 a day is still reasonable and fair. To the hundreds of service workers on every ship who work 12 plus hours a day, SEVEN days a week, for 6-8 month contracts (Be honest, how many of you would do that?). The workers who are in the shared tipping pool get paid an average of $600 a month for 360 hours. And the share about doubles that. Does anyone really feel they have to withhold those distributed gratuities from these hard working people? 

We are all hard working people and it’s down to the company to pay them a fair wage. So the company is pulling on your heart felt strings to help pay their wages when it’s their responsibility.

[Realrunner]

10 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

This thread does a good job of identifying cruisers who routinely screw hard working crew members. Just my opinion, but if you can’t afford the gratuities you can’t afford the cruise. 

I don’t screw crew members and I’m hard working and can afford several cruises, I’m just not doing what the company should be doing paying them a fair wage.  

[PhillyFan33579]

2 minutes ago, Realrunner said:

We are all hard working people and it’s down to the company to pay them a fair wage. So the company is pulling on your heart felt strings to help pay their wages when it’s their responsibility.

I do not know anybody who works over 100 hours a week, every week, for 6-9 months like crew members on a ship work (I will concede that I am in my late 50s and retired like most of my friends). The cruise industry (for ships sailing from US ports) is simply using the same tip based model that is used by a lot of businesses in the service industry in the US. Paying gratuities to crew members is no different than tipping servers and bartenders at restaurants/bars in the US. I would never screw over crew members on a ship just like I would never screw over a server or bartender on land.