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Tipping..and tipping again?


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I have been unsure about how this works so far and want to get it straight before my first RC cruise....  I was just watching a youtube Vlog of a young couple who just went on Harmony.  They were telling all of their experiences and things as it was their first cruise too.   They prepaid for their gratuities (which I already have done as well, and I am sure most people do), and they said that midweek, they had decided to leave a few dollars extra one or two nights... because their room attendant had been extra nice... but then they were confused because at the end of the cruise , the room attendant left them a tip envelope .   They were confused by it, and didnt know exactly what to do... they  said they went ahead and left more... but left kind of confused about it all...and now I am a little confused too....  I mean I understand that you can always leave extra tips , but it seems a little awkward that they would leave you an envelope 'expecting' a tip, when you have already prepaid.....   Thanks for any words of advice here!

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The pre-paid or per-diem gratuities are split among all of the cabin staff and wait staff, including staff who work in the Windjammer and cleanup staff who work on your deck but don't necessarily do anything directly with your cabin. Everyone is given those white envelopes toward the end of the cruise so that you can leave an extra tip directly for your cabin attendant and/or waiter and assistant waiter (though each should get their own envelope, and ideally hand-delivered though you can simply write their name and job title on each envelope and leave them all in the room; they will find their way to their intended recipients eventually.

Some here (myself included) consider the automatic gratuities to really be a part of the crew's salary that Royal just foists off onto us, given it's mandatory. As such, whatever you give in the white envelope(s) could be considered the real gratuity, especially since it does indeed go directly and entirely to the designated individual instead of a pool split by all the crew members.

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Gratuity is frequently discussed topic.  They have made it more confusing than it needs to be.  

The bottom line you don't have to tip any more above paying the daily service charge.  

Any bar bills include 18% service charge even if you bought a drink package.  You are welcome to tip above that if so inclined but you don't need to.  

If any crew did anything special that really made your vacation over the top you might decide to give that person something more.

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2 hours ago, kittysoul said:

I have been unsure about how this works so far and want to get it straight before my first RC cruise....  I was just watching a youtube Vlog of a young couple who just went on Harmony.  They were telling all of their experiences and things as it was their first cruise too.   They prepaid for their gratuities (which I already have done as well, and I am sure most people do), and they said that midweek, they had decided to leave a few dollars extra one or two nights... because their room attendant had been extra nice... but then they were confused because at the end of the cruise , the room attendant left them a tip envelope .   They were confused by it, and didnt know exactly what to do... they  said they went ahead and left more... but left kind of confused about it all...and now I am a little confused too....  I mean I understand that you can always leave extra tips , but it seems a little awkward that they would leave you an envelope 'expecting' a tip, when you have already prepaid.....   Thanks for any words of advice here!

I have mentioned it before, but we assume that good service is worth a 20% gratuity.  (I read just today that Celebrity is increasing their default rate to 20%.) So we start our cruise figuring we will add at least 2% for our wait staff and stateroom attendant.  According to RCI, the 18% gratuity is divided so that about 40% goes to the stateroom attendant and 60% goes to the wait staff (the waiters receive more than the waiter assistants).  (Based on the RCI formula, the food is valued at $45-$50 per person per day, but many vacationers consume more than that).  We give the extra $$ at the end of the week in the provided envelopes.  When it comes to purchasing drinks, I generally follow the European custom of rounding up knowing that 18% is already factored in.  I don't think I'm being generous, nor cheap; I'm just trying to be fair when I receive good service.

The Diamond Lounge is a whole different ballgame as the drinks aren't purchased, so the wait staff needs to be recognized in cash, as I have observed.  Some folks tip along the way, others at the end, and the custom is different in Australia/NZ.  I've only been on a few cruises at the Diamond level, so I invite comments from the more experienced cruisers.

Everyone has a different approach to tipping -- I am just sharing what I have done up to now.

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41 minutes ago, twangster said:

The bottom line you don't have to tip any more above paying the daily service charge.  

 

What do you mean "above paying the daily service charge"?  Will we be charged for daily cleaning?  That isn't included in our cruise fare (with added gratuities)? 

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4 minutes ago, Lovestotravel said:

What do you mean "above paying the daily service charge"?  Will we be charged for daily cleaning?  That isn't included in our cruise fare (with added gratuities)? 

The 18% that folks normally pre-pay is the service charge.  if you don't prepay, it will be billed daily unless you go to Guest Services and make other arrangements.  I always prepay.  Pre-paying is helpful when you book many months in advance because the daily gratuity will undoubtedly go up....

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2 minutes ago, ChessE4 said:

The 18% that folks normally pre-pay is the service charge.  if you don't prepay, it will be billed daily unless you go to Guest Services and make other arrangements.  I always prepay.  Pre-paying is helpful when you book many months in advance because the daily gratuity will undoubtedly go up....

OK, so good to know.  We do plan to pre-pay.  Thanks for clearing that up!

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