Did I miss something--gratuities

[gregjm]

I just got back from the 1/26/09 sailing of the Century. We had a great time and will write a review in the next few days.

 

One thing that surprised me is the how they handled gratuities. I'm used to being given the OPTION of prepaying gratuitites or doing it the old fashioned way----envelopes for the room stewards, butler, asst., room steward, waiters, etc, etc.

 

Towards the end of the cruise I called guest relations and asked when I would be receiving envelopes. I was told that they "automatically charge" every guest for gratuities unless you go to guest relations and sign a form informing them that you do not wish them prepaid.

 

I was on Solstice last month and Infinity a few months ago and we were given the choice of prepayment. The assumption was that you would do tips with envelopes. Now, the policy seems to have reversed.

 

I'm old fashioned. I think tips are something earned, not expected.

 

There was much confusion on this topic---many passengers were expressing the same confusion. Guest relations staff had a variety of explanations from "it's a new policy" to "we have always done it this way" (wrong), to "we always do this with European guests, but not Americans" (disgraceful comment)

 

Anyways, did I miss something? was there an announcement of a change in X policy??

 

Greg

[texancruzer]

As posted on another thread....we just booked our May 4th Solstice cruise last week (surprise b'day present from dh) and we were given the OPTION to prepay our tips. Not mandatory - but an option at booking.

[dkjretired]

I just got back from the 1/26/09 sailing of the Century. We had a great time and will write a review in the next few days.

 

One thing that surprised me is the how they handled gratuities. I'm used to being given the OPTION of prepaying gratuitites or doing it the old fashioned way----envelopes for the room stewards, butler, asst., room steward, waiters, etc, etc.

 

Towards the end of the cruise I called guest relations and asked when I would be receiving envelopes. I was told that they "automatically charge" every guest for gratuities unless you go to guest relations and sign a form informing them that you do not wish them prepaid.

 

I was on Solstice last month and Infinity a few months ago and we were given the choice of prepayment. The assumption was that you would do tips with envelopes. Now, the policy seems to have reversed.

 

I'm old fashioned. I think tips are something earned, not expected.

 

There was much confusion on this topic---many passengers were expressing the same confusion. Guest relations staff had a variety of explanations from "it's a new policy" to "we have always done it this way" (wrong), to "we always do this with European guests, but not Americans" (disgraceful comment)

 

Anyways, did I miss something? was there an announcement of a change in X policy??

 

Greg

 

Fairly new policy on the part of Celebrity... Here's a thread about it...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=902301

[sandravb79]

the automatic added tips are mentioned in the FAQs on the Celebrity webpage

[wolfshadow]

Yes, this is a new policy and it was all over the boards last month. It has raised a lot of ruckus with many people. I always prepay anyhow but then give a little extra at the end for an extra good job. These workers get paid hardly anything from the cruise line, they count on our tips for their wages. If they were getting paid regular wages for their job then maybe I would feel like you, but I know that the staff I have been involved with appreciated knowing they already have their tips waiting for them and the experienced of them know they can earn more with their kind and helpful attention. JMHO! :)

[gregjm]

Thanks for the replies. Not to be cynical, but how do we know that all of the prepaid tips go to those intended? Does X take a cut of the tips? I always give more than the recommended amount, especially for those that provide exceptional service. Interesting that this comes about the time of the fuel supplement being eliminated :rolleyes:

 

I like the "OPTION" of prepaying---not the option of not prepaying tips.

 

While they may have put the info on the FAQ's on the website last month or there was discussion on the boards, that doesn't excuse the fact that there was no information given at embarkation and no explanation in the Celebrity Daily. Bad form, at the very least.

[FinelyCruising]

Well, for a long time X has not been too good at behaving in a sophisticated manner.:(

 

I think in the very near future with this new agenda, there will be those who will be able to report if these new implemtations are 100% in the interest of the staff that has been traditionally identified by our cash tips.

[JoyFrances]

We just off the Summit yesterday and about half way through the cruise, I checked our account on the cabin tv and discovered a charge of $12 per person per day had been added to our account. I went to guest relations and demanded that it be taken off. It was removed. I did not sign any forms.

 

I was given a schedule of suggested gratuities and it included gratuities for the following: waiter, asst waiter, asst maitre'd, stateroom attendant and something called "other staff". I have no idea what other staff means. On the last night, I gave tips to our waiter, asst waiter, asst maitre'd and stateroom attendant and left nothing for other staff.

 

I was always taught that a TIP means "to insure promptness" that is, it is an incentive to a service provider to provide a good service. If the provider automatically receives the TIP then the whole concept of incentive is removed.

 

I also agree with the previous posting that there is no guaranty that the service provider is receiving the gratuity when it is automatically charged to the customer's account.

 

I am also of the opinion that if enough people complain about this new policy then the cruise line might consider changing it.

 

Peter

Joy's DH

[Ontario Cruiser]

FYI,

Both Princess and Holland America do the same thing. At least they did the times we have been on their ships.

Ontario Cruiser

[LolaLemon]

I was always taught that a TIP means "to insure promptness"

 

 

Hi Peter,

 

Well, this is a common theory that I happen to disagree with for an obvious reason.

 

First off, the word insure (with an i) only refers to insurance (to guarantee against loss or harm). The word ensure (with an e) is the word you would look for in this instance (to secure/guarantee, to make certain).

So, that blows that out of the water...

 

However, here is an interesting explanation of the origin of the word tip(s).

 

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/tip.asp

[Terre]

I keep reading about this on the X boards...is this new to X? Carnival and Princess have been doing this for several years now and I thought every line was doing it this way. We will give our cabin stewards and waiters extra on the last night if they have been exceptional.

[jackdiamond]

Most of the lines have already adopted this procedure. We enjoy the convenience of said procedure; and, we are happy that it might dissuade the endeavors of a certain element who are cheapskates.

[CanWeGoYet?]

 

I also agree with the previous posting that there is no guaranty that the service provider is receiving the gratuity when it is automatically charged to the customer's account.

 

Unless I'm mistaken, if you bypass the automatic gratuity charges and tip in cash now, the staff receiving the tips are supposed to turn them into a pool and will actually receive LESS than with the automatically charged tips.

[FiggyWig]

Can someone tell me - If you have chosen to pre-pay as we have with our forthcoming cruise i.e. Tips are included within the total cost of our holiday and will be paid in full when paying the balance.

 

Other than perhaps paying a little extra to individuals ad-hoc, are we to expect any further charges with this new gratuities scheme ?

[The_Big_M]

Other than perhaps paying a little extra to individuals ad-hoc, are we to expect any further charges with this new gratuities scheme ?

 

Not aside from the current extra opportunities for tips, e.g. specialty restaurants, drinks purchases.

[CathyCruises]

Well, they automatically add 15% to your bar bill, again with an 'opportunity' to add more if you wish. But you don't have to think about that one, it's printed on your receipt.

 

Some people think the $30 charge for the specialty restaurants includes the tip, the website says it does, but some feel that the staff only gets a small percentage of the $30/pp and choose to leave more. If you get a spa treatment there is another tipping 'opportunity', if you hit a winning streak in the casino the dealer would appreciate a tip, etc etc.

 

IMO, the best way to handle this is to find a TA who includes pre-paid gratuities! That makes it really easy!

 

Cathy

[agabbymama]

Just my two cents

 

My first cruise on Carnival, I was a little surprised that the gratuity was expected per passenger, not per cabin. Myself and my 16 year old daughter shared a cabin, so the gratuity should have been doubled. Then on HAL in '99, I knew the tip would be doubled for my husband and myself.

Both of these cruises was cash tips in evelopes provided, and you even still paid cash on the ship. It had not gone to the cashless system.

 

NCL and RCCI in 2004 both did the automatic gratuity to your on-board account, and the present cashless system was in place. I was pleasantly surprised, that I no longer had to hassle with having a certain number of 20's, 10's, 5's or 1's, and that it was all included on my on-board account.

 

Then in 2006 I went on Celebrity and they charged the automatic gratuity to our on-board account, then gave us an envelope the last night with vouchers in it, and we added cash to those we wanted to give extra to.

 

In 2007 HAL added the service charge to our on-board account, and Princess in 2008 added hotel service charge to our on-board account. No longer calling it a gratuity.

 

Everyone knows you are going to be paying $10.50, $11 or $12.00 per day in gratuities pp depending on which line and cabin category you are in, so what difference does it make if it's added to your on-board account or not, unless you plan to skip out on that fee. Whether it's called gratuities, service charge, or hotel service charge, it is a charge you are expected to make, not truly a TIP. A lot of posters think it should just be added to the cost of the cruise, but to me, it is, when it is automatically charged to your on-board account.

 

The same as the 15% gratuity on bar tabs. I don't usually drink anything but sodas, and you can add to that tip, but you can't remove that 15% gratuity. I think too many people were stiffing the staff, so the cruiselines instituted the automatic charge, and have to keep it separate from the actual cruise fare for tax reporting purposes. For taxes, the gratuities or service charges would be against the staff, whereas the cruise fare is against the cruiseline.

[Jewells78]

Just my two cents

 

 

 

 

not truly a TIP. A lot of posters think it should just be added to the cost of the cruise, but to me, it is, when it is automatically charged to your on-board account.

 

The same as the 15% gratuity on bar tabs. I don't usually drink anything but sodas, and you can add to that tip, but you can't remove that 15% gratuity. I think too many people were stiffing the staff, so the cruiselines instituted the automatic charge, and have to keep it separate from the actual cruise fare for tax reporting purposes. For taxes, the gratuities or service charges would be against the staff, whereas the cruise fare is against the cruiseline.

 

Amen the bottom line.

[FinelyCruising]

The same as the 15% gratuity on bar tabs. I don't usually drink anything but sodas, and you can add to that tip, but you can't remove that 15% gratuity. I think too many people were stiffing the staff, so the cruiselines instituted the automatic charge, and have to keep it separate from the actual cruise fare for tax reporting purposes. For taxes, the gratuities or service charges would be against the staff, whereas the cruise fare is against the cruiseline.

 

Tips are not revenue for the cruiseline. In fact, there may be a need to better record employee income, just like here in the US, tips must be reported to your employer. While there are still cash tips that potentially go unreported, in many venues tips are on credit cards and are easliy distinguished by a firm as they are easily accounted and already documented.

 

I think there is a more complex business issue than we fully understand.

[Jewells78]

Tips are not revenue for the cruiseline. In fact, there may be a need to better record employee income, just like here in the US, tips must be reported to your employer. While there are still cash tips that potentially go unreported, in many venues tips are on credit cards and are easliy distinguished by a firm as they are easily accounted and already documented.

 

I think there is a more complex business issue than we fully understand.

 

I totally agree with this also.

I think the prepaid tips are just a way to make sure everybody tips.

We all know that there are just some people who are just shysters when it come to tipping, I have a good friend who is like that, (her only fault LOL)

[willysgrandma]

Celebrity started this effective Jan. 15. TA's were sent a letter about it.

 

This letter came from Dondra Ritzenthaler. I emailed and asked if the auto tip could be removed, she told me yes at the Desk. I also asked who the

Alternative Service personnel were and even SHE didn't know - she thought it was for alternate dining. But, that can't be, as the service fee you pay in Alternate Dining is supposed to go to the tip.

 

 

Dear Travel Partners,

Happy New Year! All of us at Celebrity look forward to another exciting year of growth and success with you, and to continuously sharing information about new programs,products and services as they emerge.

Today, I’m writing to inform you of a new gratuity policy, similar to that of most other lines. For our guests’ convenience, effective for every sailing beginning on or after January 15,2009, gratuities will be automatically applied to our guests’ SeaPass account on a daily basis. This avoids the need for our guests to visit an ATM for cash prior to the end of the cruise,and averts any need to take time away from their spectacular cruise vacation to calculate out the amounts due each of our extraordinary staff.

Please note that this new policy does not apply to Celebrity Xpedition, nor did our former approach to gratuities, as gratuities have been included with that product since its inception.

Please also note that all groups with existing prepaid gratuities will remain at the current rate, including all new, individual reservations applied to existing groups. However, prepaid gratuities at the new rate will be applied

to all new groups created as of January 15,2009.

Below is the new gratuity structure, which we will communicate to our guests through both guest documents and our web site. We also will inform them that these amounts can be adjusted at their discretion.

Restaurant Service Per Person, Per Day

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

Stateroom Service

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50

($4.00 for ConciergeClass/AquaClass)

Alternative Service

Other Service Personnel $1.25

The above amounts total $11.50 per person, per day for guests in staterooms; $12.00 per person, per day for guests in Concierge Class or Aqua Class accommodations; and $15.00 per person, per day for guests in suites.

[gregjm]

Then in 2006 I went on Celebrity and they charged the automatic gratuity to our on-board account, then gave us an envelope the last night with vouchers in it, and we added cash to those we wanted to give extra to.

 

I liked the envelopes with the vouchers that you could add to. There is something nice about the gesture of handing those who have provided good service the envelope and thanking them for their hard work (with either voucher or the voucher and a little extra)

[Buellwinkle]

What if I never, ever step foot in the MDR? Then I would be auto tipping 3 people (waiter, assistant and management staff) for something they never did for me and not for any help I got in the buffet, no? Personally, I can't stand the MDR. TA asked me to pick a dining time and I said I won't because I will not be told when to eat and how to dress, and whom to sit with, to me, that's prison dinning and don't understand why some people think that's a good thing but then, they probably don't understand me.

 

To do for 1st day on cruise, remove auto tipping from charges.

[cinlo]

Can someone tell me - If you have chosen to pre-pay as we have with our forthcoming cruise i.e. Tips are included within the total cost of our holiday and will be paid in full when paying the balance.

 

Other than perhaps paying a little extra to individuals ad-hoc, are we to expect any further charges with this new gratuities scheme ?

 

Hello, figgywig,

I was concerned about the same thing you've asked, as we did pre-pay our tips when we signed up for our recent cruise on Century leaving Jan. 26th, 2009. We had pre-paid tips BEFORE the new policy came out, so our pre-pay was actually about $10 LESS than the new policy.

During our cruise, I checked the interactive TV to see our daily charges, and the tips were not listed, so we went to guest relations to ask. They assured us that our pre-pay was active. On the last night, there was a card thanking us for pre-payment as an indication that the cruiseline knew we had done so. The tips never showed up on our daily account, and the cruiseline just accepted our pre-pay amount, and did not charge us the extra $10 we would have owed.

The tip envelopes were not handed out as in the past. If you had wanted to tip extra, you could ask for envelopes at guest relations, or bring along some thank-you cards from home. We did not find any decrease in customer service among the wait staff or room stewards; if anything we thought the service was even better than our December cruise on Solstice!

I find the pre-payment of tips to be quite convenient.

[texancruzer]

I think to clarify again: Correct me if I am wrong :)

 

Prepay tips: this happens when you book your cruise. Gives you the option to include it in your payments and is paid in full when your cruise is.

 

Autopay tips: this is done when you get on board and is posted to your "account" each day (I think ?)

 

The only difference is when you pay it.

 

I like to have as much paid for in advance as I can. If I choose to tip more I will bring envelopes and some extra dinero :D