Gratuities for Children

[DocLC]

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

You can go to Guest Services and have it reduced or removed. I won't go into the details about why you should/shouldn't as I think that's been covered already in this thread.

 

I do agree that it should be included in the fare, but so should luggage if you're flying on an airplane in my opinion. In the old days, the gratuities were paid in cash by the guest at the end of the cruise; there was no auto charge.

[paulfamilyadventure]

Thank you everyone for providing great insight and for doing it in a way that is not insulting or condescending to others. Impressive.

 

Here's why I believe it is a hot button issue.

 

1. Even though kids are probably more work - they usually don't have to pay when they are accompanied with a full paying adult. Usually kids can eat free, stay free, and even sometimes play free.

 

2. The word "gratuity" is contradictory to the word "required". If it is required, it should be listed as an additional "required service surcharge" and paid at the time of making the reservation. Like a tax. Paying something that sounds optional, but is required at the end of the cruise puts you right back into the reality of going back to the real world - it just steals the relaxation out of an all inclusive vacation.

 

I think it is just bad business to structure fees in controversial or confusing way... I think it hurts the image and integrity of the company. Kinda like "Resort" fees that have infiltrated resorts in Orlando and Vegas. It's confusing, sounds optional, and is usually tacked on to the bill at the end of your stay. I've found myself avoiding these places and paying a little more for places that are truly inclusive.

[packercruising]

First of all, be assured that your gratuities do not include paid beverages. Those are included in the price of the drink. I think the casino is the same way. We never go to the casino, so we are in the same boat (so to speak) if our gratuities go for that. Secondly, you cabin steward has to clean and prepare for 4 people, regardless of their age. I have seen 10 year olds eat on the ship and am not sure I agree that they eat less than adults. :)

 

My hope and feeling is, that once you are on the ship, and see all the services they do provide, you will have no more qualms about paying the gratuity. These servers work hard to provide for their families and go for months without seeing them.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise!

[Rjh8842]

I live in an area that is a huge tourist destination in the U.S. and some of the best paid people around are servers. Some easily making six figures. Of course those servers would never advertise this because they want the patrons leaving huge tips. So I have to wonder how much are these cruise employees really making. They have free room and board. So all these "tips" are just adding up in the bank. On my last cruise our server told us that with only 2 years under her belt she was about to buy a house in full.

I have know problem with leaving a nice tip for great service. But should you really be leaving huge tips because you think the server needs the money?

[DocLC]

I live in an area that is a huge tourist destination in the U.S. and some of the best paid people around are servers. Some easily making six figures. Of course those servers would never advertise this because they want the patrons leaving huge tips. So I have to wonder how much are these cruise employees really making. They have free room and board. So all these "tips" are just adding up in the bank. On my last cruise our server told us that with only 2 years under her belt she was about to buy a house in full.

I have know problem with leaving a nice tip for great service. But should you really be leaving huge tips because you think the server needs the money?

The vast majority of their pay is gratuities. I've seen estimates that the pay on some lines may be as low as $50 per week, although the actual amount is unknown. Also, keep in mind that these server you're referring to was likely making good money in comparison to other jobs available in the country he or she was from. You also need you consider the fact that they may have expenses back at home (e.g., a house or a family) that needs to be paid even though their expenses are paid onboard.

 

I don't envy there long hours the crew members work. Often times when I asked if they were able to get off these ship when I was onboard a couple of weeks ago, many said they opted to sleep instead because they were tired.

[RCVoyager]

I took my daughter on her first cruise when she was 3.  On the first night, the MDR server asked her what her favorite food was.  She said 'strawberries'.  He asked her if she would eat a bowl of strawberries every night.  She said 'yes'.  He asked us if we minded if he brought her a bowl of strawberries every night.  We said 'yes'.  And so, even though strawberries never appeared on the menu during the course of the week, the server went out of his way to provide them to my daughter.  This is an example of a child eating much less than an adult, but actually being much, much more service intensive.  This was November of 2000 on Celebrity in a time before 'automatic gratuities'.  We tipped extra because of this attention to detail.

 

Here is another example.  My nephew is now an adult, and a truly fine person.  When he was a kid, he was both very picky and extremely messy when he ate.  So here again is an example of a kid who ate much less than an adult, but was also much more service intensive.  

 

I don't think my family is that much different than any of your's.  Kids require more service, clean up, and waste much more than adults.  I think we should actually tip more for a kid than an adult... assuming the kid gets really nice service.

 

Just my opinion.

[MikeK]

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!

Very well put!  I agree 100%

[Sweety]

Talking with the staff and crew is like reading a book and/or watching a movie. I love talking with them. They can give you tips on ports, ships and life. I have had the best discussions about books with the staff. I am an educator and sometimes we talk about their children. So I believe in tipping. They go out of their way to make sure you have the time of your life,

[DocLC]

Talking with the staff and crew is like reading a book and/or watching a movie. I love talking with them. They can give you tips on ports, ships and life. I have had the best discussions about books with the staff. I am an educator and sometimes we talk about their children. So I believe in tipping. They go out of their way to make sure you have the time of your life,

They're also a good resource on deciding where to cruise next.  The primary reason we ended up on a Baltics cruise was because of how highly the crew talked about the Baltic ports and what there was to do there.

[packercruising]

Just remember that your children are on the ship and are having service given to them. If you remove the gratuities, you are removing part of the wages for the people providing that service, many of whom have children of their own to provide for.