Gratuities Are Going Up Again, Effective 11.11.2023

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, bjlaac said:

As someone on the other side of your position I respectfully disagree with rolling tips into the fare as it no longer becomes gratuities that are earned.  For over 30 years we paid prepaid tips on cruise ship and always added extra too.  Its the constant increases year in and year out and the BS about tipping behind the scenes that have crossed the line.  I never bought into that concept but let it slide as the changes were often just 50 cents or so.

 

Just look at the previous info posted here, if minimum cruise wages are going up $8 per month ($658 to $666), that represents a 1.2% increase, yet the $2 increase in gratuities from $16 to $18 represents a 12.5% increase, where's the justification in that?

 

Its out of control and rolling up these fees into the fares just hide little tidbits of info like this. 

 

 

Fantastic observation on the correlation between the upcoming salary increase and the the new auto gratuity rate. 

[jean87510]

3 hours ago, icsys said:

 

By pre-paying gratuities it is effectively an 'all-in' price and therefore you have paid

more for the fare.

 

According to > this post <, and I have no reasons to doubt it, Royal are already charging enough to take care of their workers. if this was not the case then there would be no removable gratuities and instead they would apply a service charge which cannot be removed.

Good point.  

[jean87510]

11 hours ago, bretts173 said:

As long as your happy to more for your fare then I agree.

I would rather they just did this but then we wouldn't have endless threads on this subject.  And we would still have the tip shaming folks who again tip and tip and brag how much they tip and condemn everyone who just wants the service fee and that's it.  

[UNCFanatik]

18 hours ago, Wolf 8 said:

I also think folding gratuities into the fare is the best answer.  It weeds out the crowd who stiff the crew and that alone will enhance the onboard atmosphere for both crew and guests.  We would still have the power to report really bad service (and if it's not made right, go elsewhere next time) and, of course give cash tips for excellence.

 

No one is stiffing anyone. Daily Gratuities are optional. AND there are items that have MANDATORY gratuity tacked on that promote better service.

 

Again, get upset at the cruise lines for their pay structure and not at the guests that paid the advertised fare. 

 

Let Royal add to fare price and let the market sort it all out. But we know that Royal will never do this

[UNCFanatik]

17 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Better to say the people who don’t remove gratuities are helping give these people a better life. 

Better to say that people just paying the advertised fare regardless of removing gratuities or not are helping give these people a better life. 

[PhillyFan33579]

4 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

Better to say that people just paying the advertised fare regardless of removing gratuities or not are helping give these people a better life. 

People removing gratuities are literally taking money out of crew member’s pockets. Whether people like it or not, a significant portion of many crew members depend heavily on gratuities. Removing gratuities is directly lowering their paycheck, therefore they are not helping them have a better life. 

[cargopilot]

As cruisers, we complain about the gratuities going up but we pay for the ultimate dining experience with the extra charge plus 18%, when in fact we already paid for the dining room with the cruise fare because we are used to all those fancy high-priced restaurants at home.

[UNCFanatik]

Just now, PhillyFan33579 said:

People removing gratuities are literally taking money out of crew member’s pockets. Whether people like it or not, a significant portion of many crew members depend heavily on gratuities. Removing gratuities is directly lowering their paycheck, therefore they are not helping them have a better life. 

 

And what would happen if all the people that remove gratuities just stop cruising on Royal? Hiring freeze. Lay offs. Crew members life would be considerably worse by losing their job vs people removing gratuities. 

 

I remove my gratuities and will continue to do so. If I could remove the mandatory gratuity on drinks, even before service is delivered if purchased on cruise planner, I would remove those as well. 

 

And the crew members signed contracts agreeing to their wage. I am not responsible beyond what I pay for my cruise to supplement crew wages.

 

Again, ask why doesnt royal just change their fee structure and raise fares and remove any mention of gratuities? They should let the market sort it all out

 

So why wont they? Because they are afraid of losing business. And lost business have a negative effect on the crew

[UNCFanatik]

Just now, cargopilot said:

As cruisers, we complain about the gratuities going up but we pay for the ultimate dining experience with the extra charge plus 18%, when in fact we already paid for the dining room with the cruise fare because we are used to all those fancy high-priced restaurants at home.

 

Yup and thats a choice one can make. They can equally choose to remove daily auto-gratuities 

[Rob-Bob]

18 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

No one is stiffing anyone. Daily Gratuities are optional. AND there are items that have MANDATORY gratuity tacked on that promote better service.

 

Again, get upset at the cruise lines for their pay structure and not at the guests that paid the advertised fare. 

 

Let Royal add to fare price and let the market sort it all out. But we know that Royal will never do this

Interesting question: is it better to have a guest on board who removes the tips or have those guests not on board (do not cruise)?  Which is better for both/either the cruise line and crew members. I am not taking any side in the tipping debate, just wondering what the thoughts are?

[Morecruisesplz]

27 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

People removing gratuities are literally taking money out of crew member’s pockets. Whether people like it or not, a significant portion of many crew members depend heavily on gratuities. Removing gratuities is directly lowering their paycheck, therefore they are not helping them have a better life. 

Unless, the removers cash tip to each is much more than the $3 or $4 daily that they share with cruise line. Cash in their pockets is 100% theirs... no matter what anyone posts about "required to turn it in."

[Morecruisesplz]

46 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

No one is stiffing anyone

Sit a bar and watch all the voucher users walk away w/o tipping and you will see you are wrong.

[UNCFanatik]

23 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Sit a bar and watch all the voucher users walk away w/o tipping and you will see you are wrong.

 

and how did they get those vouchers? Diamond level? you dont think their loyalty deserves that reward? 

 

And why should the bars have mandatory gratuity? Someone handing me a beer should cost me 18% of that beer? 

[Morecruisesplz]

9 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

and how did they get those vouchers? Diamond level? you dont think their loyalty deserves that reward? 

 

And why should the bars have mandatory gratuity? Someone handing me a beer should cost me 18% of that beer? 

Zero % of zero = zero. No one is automatically getting 18% on a d+ voucher drink. Do they deserve a buck or two for handing you a beer, yes! Do you stiff bartenders at home also?

[UNCFanatik]

Just now, fredmdcruisers said:

Zero % of zero = zero. No one is automatically getting 18% on a d+ voucher drink. Do they deserve a buck or two for handing you a beer, yes! Do you stiff bartenders at home also?

 

I understand the vouchers completely. And the vouchers were earned as a reward. And you have no idea if these passengers also have drink packages on top of vouchers. Mandatory tip has already been paid. 

 

My bartenders back home dont charge me a mandatory 18% tip. 

 

 

[Morecruisesplz]

9 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

I understand the vouchers completely. And the vouchers were earned as a reward. And you have no idea if these passengers also have drink packages on top of vouchers. Mandatory tip has already been paid. 

 

My bartenders back home dont charge me a mandatory 18% tip. 

 

 

So, trying to understand your logic. Lets assume you win a contest to a free meal at your local restaurant. You go enjoy the meal, but you do not tip because it was a reward or something you won?

[UNCFanatik]

1 minute ago, fredmdcruisers said:

So, trying to understand your logic. Lets assume you win a contest to a free meal at your local restaurant. You go enjoy the meal, but you do not tip because it was a reward or something you won?

 

You really dont understand a reward that was EARNED through customer loyalty vs winning a random contest? False equivalency here.

 

Also, as I have said, you have no way of knowing what the person with the voucher is doing. They may have drink package for all you know and were charged the mandatory gratuity already. Why should they tip twice? 

 

 

[travelberlin]

16 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Zero % of zero = zero. No one is automatically getting 18% on a d+ voucher drink. Do they deserve a buck or two for handing you a beer, yes! Do you stiff bartenders at home also?

No. It is ridiculous to think someone deserves a tip for handing a beer or serving a glass of wine. Bartenders at home earn good wages with all benefits and are not waiting for people to pay them their wages via tipping. The problem is the cultural mentality surrounding tipping in USA, which allows employers to pass their responsibility to customers. But some of you seem to believe that you are doing everything right by perpetuating this culture. I have read that some people are tipping at self check counters or at robots 🤔

Edited November 7, 2023 by travelberlin

[travelberlin]

1 hour ago, Rob-Bob said:

Interesting question: is it better to have a guest on board who removes the tips or have those guests not on board (do not cruise)?  Which is better for both/either the cruise line and crew members. I am not taking any side in the tipping debate, just wondering what the thoughts are?

Ask the crew ….

[Morecruisesplz]

20 minutes ago, UNCFanatik said:

You really dont understand a reward that was EARNED through customer loyalty vs winning a random contest? False equivalency here.

I do understand the point you are trying to make. However, I do not agree that earning a reward through loyalty means that a server should forfeit a tip for serving you your reward. But we will have to agree to disagree on this one. Enjoy your cruises and your earned rewards! And thx for the conversation!

[mjkacmom]

35 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

No. It is ridiculous to think someone deserves a tip for handing a beer or serving a glass of wine. Bartenders at home earn good wages with all benefits and are not waiting for people to pay them their wages via tipping. The problem is the cultural mentality surrounding tipping in USA, which allows employers to pass their responsibility to customers. But some of you seem to believe that you are doing everything right by perpetuating this culture. I have read that some people are tipping at self check counters or at robots 🤔

My daughter is a bartender in Boston, she bartends to pay rent while she’s in grad school (and tuition alone is $60,000 a year). She works brutal shifts because of the tips, her salary is very small, walks home alone at 3 am. No one would do this work without tips.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

And what would happen if all the people that remove gratuities just stop cruising on Royal? Hiring freeze. Lay offs. Crew members life would be considerably worse by losing their job vs people removing gratuities. 

 

I remove my gratuities and will continue to do so. If I could remove the mandatory gratuity on drinks, even before service is delivered if purchased on cruise planner, I would remove those as well. 

 

And the crew members signed contracts agreeing to their wage. I am not responsible beyond what I pay for my cruise to supplement crew wages.

 

Again, ask why doesnt royal just change their fee structure and raise fares and remove any mention of gratuities? They should let the market sort it all out

 

So why wont they? Because they are afraid of losing business. And lost business have a negative effect on the crew

Also, when RCI cut back cabin service and increased the number of cabins per steward they effectively cut back the number of stewards that they need to hire. Why is no one up in arms about those people who now don't need to be hired at all? All I keep reading is people saying they are fine with once a day service. Come on folks, you need to stick up for those unemployed people. We need twice a day service so RCI will need to hire more help. It's time for all you once a day service proponents to step up and do your part to help these now unemployed former, and wanna be, crew members.

[Morecruisesplz]

9 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Also, when RCI cut back cabin service and increased the number of cabins per steward they effectively cut back the number of stewards that they need to hire. Why is no one up in arms about those people who now don't need to be hired at all? All I keep reading is people saying they are fine with once a day service. Come on folks, you need to stick up for those unemployed people. We need twice a day service so RCI will need to hire more help. It's time for all you once a day service proponents to step up and do your part to help these now unemployed former, and wanna be, crew members

Exactly!

[UNCFanatik]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Also, when RCI cut back cabin service and increased the number of cabins per steward they effectively cut back the number of stewards that they need to hire. Why is no one up in arms about those people who now don't need to be hired at all? All I keep reading is people saying they are fine with once a day service. Come on folks, you need to stick up for those unemployed people. We need twice a day service so RCI will need to hire more help. It's time for all you once a day service proponents to step up and do your part to help these now unemployed former, and wanna be, crew members.

 Well said. 

 

Of course we live in an upside down world when a company DECREASES service and INCREASES auto-gratuities at the same time. 

[Ocean Boy]

17 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

My daughter is a bartender in Boston, she bartends to pay rent while she’s in grad school (and tuition alone is $60,000 a year). She works brutal shifts because of the tips, her salary is very small, walks home alone at 3 am. No one would do this work without tips.

I guess if someone chooses to go to a school with a $60,000 a year tuition in a city with a very high cost of living and couldn't pay the bills by bartendering then they would have to fine another way to make ends meet.