sk8erguy1978

YES! I remember once staying in a suite, we needed ice, I called the Suite Concierge for the request. He responded: "right away sir, I'll have your Stateroom Attendant deliver it." I thanked him, hung up, and said to my wife ... "I feel like a jerk, I could have asked the Stateroom Attendant." ??

Thanks to you both! @SpeedNoodles  and @dodgestang ... I know i shouldnt listen to these people and i definitely would be better off to leave a group like that, you are very right.  and... 100 per day??  who are these freakin' people?? geez!

It's very subjective. You do what you think you should do. To me, as long as you pay your gratuities, anything above that is great.
 
I have a lot of issues with the way people speak to one another online and try to stay off most of the groups. There is discussion and disagreement which is fine but once shaming is involved I tend to check out. Also, I've been wrong myself and perceived comments the wrong way - it happened recently and I did nothing about it, only to have the person apologize to me personally in case that I was offended. I read the situation wrong and was glad my temper didn't get the best of me.

$50 is very generous.  Whoever said that the daily grats don’t get the room attendants doesn’t know what he** they’re talking about.  They most certainly do.  Ignore that forum. Someone is just trying to make themselves look like big spenders.  That kind are usually making up for some personal shortcoming.

I agree with @SpeedNoodles , leave that FB group. No one needs that nonsense. I find that this site is all I need for all things Royal Caribbean.
You're already paying a good bit amount of money for your vacation and whatever you want to pay above and beyond the standard gratuities is fine. There's no need to practically put yourself into debt just to tip people.
Quite frankly, There's no way to verify that the people saying they've paid $50-$100 PP/PD (YIKES!) is true!
 
 

If you do no more than the prepaid gratuities and the 18% billed on your charges, then you are doing exactly what is expected and nothing more is necessary.  
Unless they are an actual, current crew member, no one in that group can tell you what monies go where, anymore than they can tell you how it works at your local Red Lobster.  
Anything at all you leave is above and beyond, and people trying to one-up each other by throwing numbers around are just making noise.  You do what you do and consider it none of their business ?

Facebook is a poisonous enough place, just get out.
I do the automatic gratuity, and sometimes I'll tip more...sometimes I don't. I have had stewards go above and beyond and I did slip them a bit more ($3 to $4/day extra), and I have had ones who did the bare minimum and didn't deserve any extra. Now, if that money does or does not go to them is between them and their employer, it's not my fault or problem. 

I totally agree! We prepay our tips and add some to our room steward if he does a great job. That's what a tip is for...service.
 
That rumor has been going around forever. 

Personally, I think $50 for the Stateroom Attendant was very generous.  I wouldn't get discouraged just because there are some wealthy people who throw money around.  The myth that prepaid gratuities don't get to the Attendant is, well, just a myth.  For a normal non-suite room, the daily tips (per person) are broken out so that the dining room staff earn about $9 and the Stateroom Attendant about $5.50 daily.  

I agree 100%. This is how I operate on my cruises, and nothing wrong with that at all.

...AAAAAAALL of this.  Kudos to those that tip big....I just dont. But its because I dont ask a lot. I try to make service peoples jobs as EASY as possible. Me and my fam are very low maintenance and feel wrong for asking things of others. I figure God gave me two arms, two legs, and half a brain, so I can do most things myself...I prepay gratuities and will tip above that if service goes above and beyond.   

I cannot even tell you what I tip each cruise. I tip what I feel is appropriate. Don't think I've ever tipped more than $50. We are, very low key people, we don't ask for much and keep a tidy room. I'll admit, seeing the big tips people leave for a Genie freaks me out, because we would barely use the person, even less if we are cruising with friends not in a suite.

First off, I'd get off that FB group...who needs that sort of negativity in their life. ?
I tip on top of the auto-grat, but I do tip throughout the week anytime a staff member provides an exceptionally hospitable interaction. I keep a few 5s, 10s, and 20s handy and probably tip out an extra $100 to $125 weekly.
For a few examples, I'll pop a $20 on the first day to our cabin steward as I kindly ask for a corkscrew to open the wine I've brought onboard. If I ask a question about something and any crew member reacts with a tremendous spirit, I'll probably give them a $5 handshake on the spot. If I bring one of my wine bottles to dinner, I'll tip the waiter a $10 or $20 upfront to avoid the corkage fee while also benefiting them for creating a better dining experience. In addition to $5 handshakes throughout the week, I'll likely tip an addition $20 or so to the cabin steward at the end of the week as well, preferring to hand it to them directly. I've found that giving $$$ handshakes really greases the wheels to an amazing cruise experience.

Every cruise I have done some extra but nothing crazy.  I think a rating of 10 on the post cruise survey is also very valuable for them and to let them know how much you appreciated them and that you won't forget them on the survey is another way to show appreciation that they seem to be very happy about.
 

The only time I did not tip was because, honestly, I completely forgot. But, don't feel bad- tipping was a choice I made but not everyone does. Many people do not even tip because they prepay gratuities. $50-$100 total is extremely generous, but $50-$100 PER NIGHT reaches into outlandish territory (I'm not even sure if crew members could accept a tip this large, so I have a hard time believing that this person was being truthful)

thank you ALL.. I feel a LOT better now.......   ya'll are THE BEST!!

They do get the gratuity prepaid or paid daily, as I have discussed this with several room attendants.  I was also informed that they also get a list the night prior of our departure, those who have removed gratuity and who have paid up to date.

Ok, first, if you're reading a forum where people are shaming other people, leave that forum.  That's unnecessary.  We don't do that here. There's no reason for you to feel badly about a cruise like that. 
$50 is plenty because it truly is on top of what is expected.  If you WANT to leave more, that's fine - if you want to leave less, there's nothing wrong with that either.  I've left less, I've left more, depending on my particular room steward.  

Don't let it bother you.  Everyone tips their own way.  Tipping is included so anything you give is above and beyond.
Imagine how I feel/felt when I tipped my Genie $200 for a 9 night cruise with my family of 4 and then come back to see people saying they tip $50-$100/night/person to their Genie......I'm not going to tip $1800-$3600

We are on this cruise right now and frankly, I never saw anything from Royal that suggested that they would pay for food.  Hotel, yes...but nothing else.  Most of our food expenses are reflected in the hotel bill and we will submit all of it but I fully expect to be reimbursed for hotel only. I thought about making a claim against our travel insurance for anything not covered by Royal but it’s not really worth the hassle.  We’re only talking about a pittance. Just not worth it, IMO.  Frankly, they have been so generous with the cruise fare refund(s) that I don’t plan on making ANY waves about a few bucks worth of food.

As much as I love and appreciate my MEI agent, I do not expect her to monitor my cruise prices to see if they go down. When Royal introduces a new sale, she will check but other than that, it is really my responsibility to check prices. When I find what I think might be a reduction or if I have a question, she will check it out for me but I realize that it would be impossible for her to constantly check prices for all of my cruises. In all of these years and nearly 50 cruises, my MEI agent has never found a price reduction for me; conversely, I have found lots of them.
 
He is either lying to you straight up or he’s just too lazy to check on this for you.  Agents CAN determine if your category (even if it is sold out) has had a price reduction but it takes calls (sometimes multiple) and determination. Good thing you’re moving on from this one.
 
This is true.  It’s one of the few downsides to using an Agent.  If you get a bad one, you’re stuck unless you transfer the booking to a different Agent, and that is not an easy thing to do.

A travel agent / friend I used in the past (I am now using MEI not because of other agent, just wanted someone dedicated, so trying them out) tried to re-price and stated per Royal Caribbean, the re-price wasn't lucrative because I am bound by the port fees when booking, which brings the price higher.
I've been meaning to run this by my MEI agent. Thought I saw the price a few dollars less this weekend with cheaper port fees... However, I had an ADD moment and never went back to it LOL.

My pre-MEI travel agent was a turd about repricing, too.  I actually had a price drop and called her, but she said that I wasn't "eligible" for price readjustments (read: I've never heard of this and have NO idea how to do it). Such great service considering they charged me a $100 booking fee.

Unless you're a light packer you'll be lugging around your luggage until rooms open up (2pm or so). Porter service is technically free but a tip is STRONGLY recommended.
I tip about $5 for both of us. 2 large rollers & 1 thin cheap garment bag.

True story.
Friend (who just ordered a drink): what's he drinking that looks good.
Bartender: labadoozie.
Me: oh, that's yummy.
Friend: I'll take one.
Bartender: sorry, you cannot have two drinks at once.
Friend: okay, chugs drink. Can I have a labadoozie.
Bartender: Okay, coming right up.
So, no, they don't seem to have a time limit.