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Gratuities for Children


metlcrash

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It's our 1st cruise coming up.  Are we really going to be charged $12.95 per day gratuity for our 10 year old and our 3 year old?  I have read where you can opt out of gratuities if you want.  Is it bad cruise ship etiquette to opt out of paying $26.00 per day gratuities for 2 young children?   

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It is expected that all passengers, regardless of age, pay the standard gratuity.  Some lines do not charge for infants, but it is typical across the industry to pay the same amount for those $3 and above.  Keep in mind that your children will receive the same caliber of service as the adults.  And at times, they receive more service in the restaurants and by the cabin attendant.

 

My son is 8, almost 9, and started cruising just before the age of 3.  We have always paid the gratuity charged by thde ship for him.

 

I do believe you can go to guest services to adjust the autogratuity if that is something you wish to do.

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I don't have kids, but I am on the fence on this one. On one hand, I get that the room attendant may need to make the extra bed up.....but other than that I am not sure what else would justify almost $200 in tips on a week cruise for kids.

 

Maybe the do pay extra attention to your kids during mealtimes...but if that's why they do it, then your tipping is really for the wrong reason.

 

I would rather they just include it in the fare if they expect it and want it from us. Only industry that I know that does this( I know some restaurants do as well but)

 

They are already charging your children the same as adults I think for the cruise, yet they eat and drink less during the week so they are already making more profit off them then adults.

 

 

But this a discussion that goes on and on.

 

If it was me, I would probably pay it for the first cruise and then decide if you personally think its justified for future cruises.

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As people in the service industry (especially at Disney), my wife and I can both say, unreservedly, that children are nearly always more time- and energy-consuming than adults. You may not think your children are, but trust me, they are. That's not to say anything bad about your children. They're children. That's the nature of a child, and, as a parent, you know how children can be. I have never met a truly bad child (only bad parents), but even an angel can be unruly or messy or whatever. Unless you, as the parent, are going to make sure there is no additional work caused by your children. If that's the case, then forego the gratuity. That's highly unlikely though.

The service fee (which is what it should be called, because it should not be optional) will be well-earned!

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They are already charging your children the same as adults I think for the cruise, yet they eat and drink less during the week so they are already making more profit off them then adults.

 

I don't think this is the case; my kids don't run up the bar bill, nor do they spend any time in the casino.  They do go to Adventure Ocean, which requires additional staff and is included in the cruise fare.

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I disagree.....

 

I was only referring to the cost of the cruise and the grats as that  is what the OP was asking about...the child's fare is the same as an adult..and they eat and drink less....that's a fact.

 

Its not extra staff for Adventure Ocean really...as your children don't need staff in the bar or casino for them....just like you don't need the staff from Adventure Ocean for yourself, they are there whether they are used or not. Just like the casino has the same amount of staff for each cruise, although on some cruises maybe more people use the casino than other cruises...so that balances out  if anything.

 

So on the base cost of the cruise they are making more profit off them.... I am not talking about the potential extra's you may or may not spend on board.

 

4 adults in a cabin would eat a lot more and drink a lot more(non-alcoholic I am talking about) then a cabin with 2 adults and 2 kids...and there is no guarantee that if instead of these 2 kids it was 2 extra adults they would drink or gamble which is where the cruise would make more money  I realize.

 

The auto grats are only based on the base cruise fare....

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Third and fourth passenger are usually less.  For our Baltics cruise in July, my son's fare (3rd berth) is only one-third of that of the first and second passenger.  However, I think this fare is specific to it being a third person, not that he's a child.  I haven't seen any "kid pricing" on Royal which is why we were sailing with NCL and Holland America initially as he was usually free or $99 and he was cheaper on Disney than Royal when he was really young.

 

bcarney raises a good point regarding onboard spending.  Revenue from children onboard is likely much less and onboard spending is one of the ways cruise lines supplement the costs of a cruise.  Also, keep in mind that whether the third or fourth berth is a child or an adult, the cruise line still needs to staff the ship the same and ultimately it is the service personnel who suffer if the gratuity is reduced or removed; it's not the cruise line.

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I was only referring to the cost of the cruise and the grats as that  is what the OP was asking about...the child's fare is the same as an adult..and they eat and drink less....that's a fact.

 

Its not extra staff for Adventure Ocean really...as your children don't need staff in the bar or casino for them....just like you don't need the staff from Adventure Ocean for yourself, they are there whether they are used or not. Just like the casino has the same amount of staff for each cruise, although on some cruises maybe more people use the casino than other cruises...so that balances out  if anything.

 

 

 

I do see your point.  Although, staffing a bar is a money maker for the cruise line; the only revenue opportunity in the Adventure Ocean is if you pay for after hours activities.  Thus, I'd say there's an additional cost to the cruise line as it is not being offset by revenue from the venue.

 

You are correct that most kids eat less.  Fortunately, my child eats off the adult menu as he has an adventurous pallet, so we get our money's worth.

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Royal's revenue, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with the income that the individual crew member is, or is not, receiving via gratuities. The question was about gratuities, no? And yes, you should still pay for service! Just remember, one of the ways in which companies, like Disney and Royal, keep the sticker price so low is by making everything a la carte, including service. They underpay their people (to the legal minimum - which I'm not sure even applies in Royal's case) with the understanding that the consumer will make up the difference. I have no problem with this system, by the way. I just have a problem with people stealing service (ie. being served and not paying for it). Never stiff a server, bartender, bellman, car attendant, baggage handler, etc. You're taking something for nothing.

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Wow! Gratuites are always such a hot button issue! (And, obviously, I'm biased as hell!)

Yes, gratuities and dress codes are probably the two biggest hot button issues.

 

I'll admit that I've become more generous and understanding as I've added more cruises to my repertoire.  For example, I never understood the automatic gratuity when I dined exclusively in the Windjammer on short cruises for dinner and didn't ever make it to the MDR.  While I did tip in the Windjammer at night, I later realized how the servers rotate through the Windjammer and that by leaving the auto gratuity in place I was making sure that everyone who provided service was receiving compensation and I wasn't penalizing the poor bloke in the MDR for choosing not to dine there.

 

You're also correct that the vast majority of the crew's salary comes from the gratuities/service fees.  The compensation received from any of the cruise lines is minimal.  This is also why I tend to tip additional even when on one of the drink packages.

 

P.S.  I love that you own up to your bias.  Looking forward to meeting you in March when I stroll by your bar. :)

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I'm the trouble maker that started this mess.  :-)  I want to thank everyone for their posts.  You have all given me allot to think about.  Heading into this cruise I had no idea all of the hundreds of dollars I was going to end up paying beyond the initial cost.  My only remotely similar vacation was to Riviera Maya to an all inclusive resort.  I have always comments on how I could have gotten there, stayed buzzed and eaten myself into oblivion without paying a singe cent extra.

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You better make sure you tip ;)

He doesn't have to, but his tip, or lack thereof, will be reflected in the amount of booze, of lack thereof, in his drinks! ;) :P Long live the free pour! (Royal uses jiggering, so there's no way they can short you. On second thought, I have seen a lighter jigger pour and an "oopsy!" jigger pour, as in "oops! I may have put too much booze in this guy's drink - the guy who tips me well.")

 

Yes, gratuities and dress codes are probably the two biggest hot button issues.

 

I'll admit that I've become more generous and understanding as I've added more cruises to my repertoire.  For example, I never understood the automatic gratuity when I dined exclusively in the Windjammer on short cruises for dinner and didn't ever make it to the MDR.  While I did tip in the Windjammer at night, I later realized how the servers rotate through the Windjammer and that by leaving the auto gratuity in place I was making sure that everyone who provided service was receiving compensation and I wasn't penalizing the poor bloke in the MDR for choosing not to dine there.

 

You're also correct that the vast majority of the crew's salary comes from the gratuities/service fees.  The compensation received from any of the cruise lines is minimal.  This is also why I tend to tip additional even when on one of the drink packages.

 

P.S.  I love that you own up to your bias.  Looking forward to meeting you in March when I stroll by your bar. :)

Of course I admit my bias. We all have biases based on our life experiences, but that does not mean we cannot strive to find the objective reality nevertheless.

 

And you're dead on about the Windjammer crew. The Queen was just reading an article about them today in fact. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes tip sharing going on that most folks have no idea about.

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The 2 adults purchased a drink package.  Are you guys telling me that in addition to the $12.95 each per day for the 4 of us that I should be tipping the bar tender just so I can get a decent drink?

(Here comes my "form letter" once again. "Insiders" will understand what I mean.)

 

;)

 

This is from a different post on these boards (http://www.royalcari...n-july/?p=11005), but instead of making you search, here are my thoughts....

 

B) 

 

First, my disclaimer: I am a bartender at Dockside Margaritas in Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I live on tips. So, admittedly, I am biased. That said, I can still present an objective argument as to why tips really are not included when you purchase the drink package. Yes, technically, they are. But, it is a set dollar amount regardless of how much you drink or do not drink.

 

For example, let's say that the total gratuity amount is $50 (it's not, but it's close to that - round numbers are just easier, obviously). Then let's say you get 10 drinks over the course of your cruise. Each bartender would get $5 per drink. But, you never would get just 10 drinks, because to break even on the drink package, you would need to drink 5-8 drinks per day (easy for this guy to do! not so easy for others). So now let's say now that you get 50 drinks. Each bartender would get $1 per drink. You see how their tip just dropped a lot? But still, you probably wouldn't get just 50 drinks, because then why buy the package? You didn't come out ahead and you should have just bought the drinks individually. BUT!!! It gets worse. They tip share! Not only do they tip share with the people at their specific bar - let's say R Bar - but they also split with other people at other bars - let's say the On Air Bar. The bars are grouped, so stronger bars will help support the staff at weaker ones. So when you give the bartender $1, you're really giving that bartender $1 divided by the amount of people sharing that $1. In the case of the R Bar and On Air folks, that's split at least 6 ways. So instead of the traditional 15-20% tip a tipped crew member should receive, they're receiving something like 2-3%. I don't know about you, but I think the service I receive from the Royal Caribbean crew is worth far more than 2-3%.

 

So what we do is leave a buck per drink on top of the "included gratuity" - in some cases two bucks for more difficult to make drinks, like mojitos,etc. At the R Bar, the bar we spent the most amount of time at, we ended up giving them a lot more than that. But, we weren't just paying for someone to put liquid in a cup. They provided such a unique experience that we felt the need to say thank you in a big way. Remember, if you do not do the drink package, you still have an included gratuity. We always round that up as well, again because they earn more than they're being given.

 

One contrary point. If the bartender isn't happy to see you, seems to begrudgingly pour the liquid in the cup, and doesn't seem to care if you are there or not, feel free to stiff the guy! Well, okay, maybe not stiff. He still lives on tips. So maybe just a bad tip. ;) Just because I'm in the industry, doesn't mean I don't recognize that there are horrible servers and bartenders out there.

 

Speaking of servers, you should also give them something more. Calculate the amount of money you would have to spend for any meal based on the prices you'd pay on land, and then consider how much of a tip you'd give your land-based server - 15-20%. Then consider how much you're giving your sea-based server. Then, don't be a curmudgeon! If you can afford to spend thousands on a cruise, find a few bucks for the service you're receiving. If you can't afford it, maybe you can't afford the cruise in the first place.

 

Finally, don't forget to tip something anytime someone goes above and beyond for you. If you're stateroom attendant does his job and nothing more, then he is already being tipped. But, if the deck patrol guy does something WOWing for you, give him a few. He probably doesn't get that often - you'll make his day! If he WOWed you, WOW him!!! Instant Karma!!!

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I'm the trouble maker that started this mess.  :-)  I want to thank everyone for their posts.  You have all given me allot to think about.  Heading into this cruise I had no idea all of the hundreds of dollars I was going to end up paying beyond the initial cost.  My only remotely similar vacation was to Riviera Maya to an all inclusive resort.  I have always comments on how I could have gotten there, stayed buzzed and eaten myself into oblivion without paying a singe cent extra.

I think this is one of the things that often catches new cruisers by surprise as it isn't often well explained by the cruise lines and travel agents don't always make it clear to their clients.  I choose to add it to the reservation simply so that I don't have to deal with it later.  Note, though, that outside of the gratuities, there is no requirement or expectation that you spend more on anything else.  You can do everything on your own in port, dine in the included restaurants, drink from the included beverages, etc.

 

Ultimately, tipping is a personal decision and only you can decide what to do.

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The 2 adults purchased a drink package.  Are you guys telling me that in addition to the $12.95 each per day for the 4 of us that I should be tipping the bar tender just so I can get a decent drink?

An automatic gratuity of 18% is added to all drink purchases onboard.  If you purchase any of the beverage packages, then the gratuity is included in the cost of the package.  No additional gratuity is required, although I have tipped additional for exceptional service (e.g., the server at the coffee bar starting my drink as he sees me approaching from across the centrum).  To me, any service above and beyond deserves recognition.  I don't tip additional every time, just here and there.

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Ultimately, tipping is a personal decision and only you can decide what to do.

Definitely disagree. Your CPA gets paid for preparing your taxes. Your MD gets paid for your examination. Your gardener gets paid for lawn care. These are all services and services have fees, just like products have fees. This isn't personal - this is business (say that in your mnd like a mob boss). You want a service, you pay for it. It's the graying out of this clear concept that's creating so much confusion. And, with America becoming more and more of a service-driven economy, we better figure out how this works quickly.

 

By the way, I knew and agreed with my current stance long before I worked in the industry. It came from my family, my friends, and my neighborhood. People just understood that someone was doing the serving and that someone ought to be compensated fairly.

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The 2 adults purchased a drink package.  Are you guys telling me that in addition to the $12.95 each per day for the 4 of us that I should be tipping the bar tender just so I can get a decent drink?

No, your package includes an 18% gratuity charge.  Each drink a RC bartender makes for you with the package, is a part of the gratuity pool they get.

 

Like anything, if you feel they deserve something more than that, you have that option.

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Scott,

 

While I agree with your stance on this issue, until the cruise lines make the fee permanent and/or include it in the base fare, it ultimately is a personal decision. Should someone remove the gratuities? No! Can they? Yes. Thus, it's a personal decision which I may or may not agree with depending on what decision you make. ;). See, I have my own biases, too. :)

 

Some cruise lines do not allow the gratuities to be removed, which I expect will become the norm moving forward.

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Scott,

 

While I agree with your stance on this issue, until the cruise lines make the fee permanent and/or include it in the base fare, it ultimately is a personal decision. Should someone remove the gratuities? No! Can they? Yes. Thus, it's a personal decision which I may or may not agree with depending on what decision you make. ;). See, I have my own biases, too. :)

 

Some cruise lines do not allow the gratuities to be removed, which I expect will become the norm moving forward.

Well, when you're gonna put it like that, bub! Fine! Matt didn't want this to devolve into a fistacuffs ballyhoo! Well, it's too late for civility! It's on! Bring it! ;)

 

Yes, on a technicality, you are obviously right. That is definitely true. There is still room for a decision to be made by the consumer - even if it's the WRONG decision. (Too far?)

 

If I had my say, the gratuities would be individualized and unalterable. Meaning, I buy a beer, the flat 18% "service fee" is included and goes directly to that crew member. Disney does that with parties over 6 and meal plans, for example. It's non-negotiable. The guest's recourse, which I agree they should have in the event they receive poor service, is to speak with a manager. The manager then has certain strategies he/she can use to assuage the guest. The server does not lose the money, but notations are made that go on the cast member's permanent record. Get enough of those and you're fired. That's how people are kept in line. Otherwise, the balance would swing too far in favor of the server, which would also be unfair.

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Do you remember when you said in today's periscope about some topic being too much to type? I don't even know where to begin on that disgusting, depraved, unfunny piece of trash! I could easily go point for point on that and destroy almost everything that imbecile said.

Instead, I'm going to go eat chips and guac, and dream of Sabor.

(You were just trying to egg me on! No dice, Señor Hochberg! No dice!)

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I just wish it was either included in the price if they want the money from everyone no matter what you use or how the service is, OR they should find a way to make it easier to differentiate between different ppl on the ship you want to tip for service

 

For example, when you eat out with your kids....yes you leave a tip, usually a percentage....so on the kids meals which are usually cheaper, its actually a smaller amount of tip your giving monetary wise. That's not a slight to the server...you are giving them a 10 or 15 or 20% tip based on the bill.

 

However on a cruise ship...we all have to tip the same amount...so for kids that actually eat less(in some cases) your giving the server the same tip as for yourself which eats a lot more. So my point is the "grats" are just an extra fee they add to everyone's bill and call it tips basically.

 

I don't like the system, nor do I think its fair nor does it encourage great service as they are all getting tips guaranteed  from every single person on the boat.

 

I pay them as I can't be bothered figuring out who should get what or deserves what...but I think if I had 2 kids with me..I would have a hard time tipping the same amount for them as I do for myself.....that's all. So I get the OP's question

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I remember............it's "Scooter".... to me. ;)  Howdy neighbor.

 

15 days and 7 hours till I start adding additional tips at the bar. 

Brilliance out of Tampa.  First, and can't wait.

 

Bought the drink package... What's the problem with slipping the bartender a couple

of bucks cash, instead of on the ticket as a tip?  I've done that before in places that "pool" tips.

 

Problem?

Love keeping up with you all. Thanks for the great information, from a newbie.

Rob-o

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Do you remember when you said in today's periscope about some topic being too much to type? I don't even know where to begin on that disgusting, depraved, unfunny piece of trash! I could easily go point for point on that and destroy almost everything that imbecile said.

 

Instead, I'm going to go eat chips and guac, and dream of Sabor.

 

(You were just trying to egg me on! No dice, Señor Hochberg! No dice!)

I'm surprised.  I thought you'd agree with the idea that employers should pay servers (like yourself) a normal wage instead of relying on people to tip (which is not consistent).  

 

I'm actually not trying to troll you or anything  :D

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In round numbers the gratuities per passenger are broken down to $8 per passenger per day for wait staff in restaurants and $4 per day for cabin attendants. All other services and products like drinks come with an addition gratuity paid (added to our bill) at the time of purchase. It seems to me that $8 tip split amongst the various wait staff over at least three meals is more than reasonable for child or adult. Likewise for the cleaning service.

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In round numbers the gratuities per passenger are broken down to $8 per passenger per day for wait staff in restaurants and $4 per day for cabin attendants. All other services and products like drinks come with an addition gratuity paid (added to our bill) at the time of purchase. It seems to me that $8 tip split amongst the various wait staff over at least three meals is more than reasonable for child or adult. Likewise for the cleaning service.

That's a very good point.  Although $12.95 per days does sound like a lot, if one was dining in a traditional restaurant one would definitely end up tipping more over the course of three meals.  It's also important to remember that the cabin steward cleans the room twice a day and may be more inconvenienced with children in the room as they can create quite a mess compared to adults, especially if you're doing more room service and the like.

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I was trying to stay quiet on the topic, but guess it's not going to happen... 

 

First off, tip your people, especially if you have kids.. These folks bend over backwards to make sure that you and your family are taken care of. I've cruised as a kid with my parents, on spring break with just friends, as an adult no kids, and now with my young children and I will tell you never once have I doubted tipping anyone. Frankly, I generally give my room attendant an extra $20 at a min every trip. Not because I have to, but because I see how hard they are working for me. 

 

I will by no means say that myself and my family are messy people, but when you have 4 people living in a 200 sqft space for 7-9 nights as we have done, things can get disastrous quickly. There are toys, clothes, diapers, bottles, clothes, toys, clothes, strollers... you get the point i think... The space gets pretty small, and pretty tight.. And every morning when we leave the room, we think about how we should clean it up before we grab breakfast, because as those of you know who have kids, standing in the way of a 2-4 yo and their breakfast can be a fatal mistake. But I will tell you this, that room is always impeccably clean when we get back to it.. Often times we find the kids toys are set up in little scenes, like Toy Story is coming to life in our room.

 

Another great example is things like diaper changes... Royal unfortunately does a TERRIBLE job with diaper changing stations in public restrooms throughout the ship.. Generally the only ones are up by the pool deck.. God forbid that the kid needs a new one during dinner service, you have to make the long haul back to the room to take care of it.. But I will tell you what.. I think i can count the amount of times on one hand that we've come back to the room to find a stinky diaper in there.. It's like they know that you've come in for that purpose and they sweep in and take care of getting it out.. I've always thought they had ninja skills in so many ways, this has always furthered that notion. 

 

And the dining staff, I could go on and on about how they are with the kids.. From making sure their drinks are there when the arrive, to having snacks on the table to the napkin art and the list goes on and on.. The majority of these people are their family behind, many with small kids of their own.. They so much enjoy taking care of the kids on board and will do just about anything.. One last side note, and I can go on and on and on and on about these little experiences, we've even had wait staff take our children on walks if they were done and not enjoying the sitting, just so we can enjoy our meal.. They take them for tours, yes my daughters have seen more kitchens on ships than most will ever see in their lives, and give them the attention so we can have an enjoyable experience... 

 

 

Tip the staff.. and hell, give a little bit extra at the beginning and see how wonderful of an experience you have.. Let them know you value their service, cause I'll tell you, if you get a bad egg it can turn your whole trip into a bust. 

 

And one last side, side note... Advice I always give people before they take their first trip... Talk to the staff.. Get to know them... They have some amazing stories and love to share!

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The 2 adults purchased a drink package.  Are you guys telling me that in addition to the $12.95 each per day for the 4 of us that I should be tipping the bar tender just so I can get a decent drink?

No, they have already added an extra 18% to the cost of your drink package ;) or to each drink purchased individually.so no need to tip them personally. Bartending and cocktail service are not included in the daily gratuity.

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Hi ​I'm new to this thread. We are a family of 2 adults and 4 young children cruising at end of January. My husband is a generous tipper but when it's a compulsory charge it angers him. Can we have the auto tipping cancelled and tip as we prefer at end of cruise. Seems unfair to have it forced on you before we even get 'served'. We are first timers and would appreciate the advice. Kids are 6, 8, 10 and 12 and we had to pay for two cabins to house the family so there was no discounts for us on this holiday. Thanks

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