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Feeling Discouraged....


kittysoul

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9 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Yeah, I have no family, and they are far too big to bring to anyone else's house (we need a large yard with a 6' fence to contain them, lol). Kenneling doesn't work well for us for many reasons, one of which is that we feed raw, and kennels aren't equipped to handle that.

We always kennel our dogs, a majority of our friends are cat people, so with 3 terrier dogs (scottish terriers), they don't do well w/ felines, but our kennel has always been good at taking care of the dogs. They get play time, in/out kennel access all day, and daily cuddling time. We pay extra for this, but its worth it to us and we tip the staff, as well at the end of each of our stays.

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4 minutes ago, Srp431 said:

We always kennel our dogs, a majority of our friends are cat people, so with 3 terrier dogs (scottish terriers), they don't do well w/ felines, but our kennel has always been good at taking care of the dogs. They get play time, in/out kennel access all day, and daily cuddling time. We pay extra for this, but its worth it to us and we tip the staff, as well at the end of each of our stays.

That's awesome! We're both Minnesotans, too!  My other issue is that my two males are intact, and that creates issues for kennels as well (they can't be kenneled together).

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16 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Yeah, I have no family, and they are far too big to bring to anyone else's house (we need a large yard with a 6' fence to contain them, lol). Kenneling doesn't work well for us for many reasons, one of which is that we feed raw, and kennels aren't equipped to handle that.

We might look into just having someone stop by and check on them a couple of times a day.  We have doggie doors so they can go in and out to the backyard to do their business...The majority of their time is spent laying around and sleeping ? 

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4 minutes ago, Psycho and Barb said:

We might look into just having someone stop by and check on them a couple of times a day.  We have doggie doors so they can go in and out to the backyard to do their business...The majority of their time is spent laying around and sleeping ? 

The dog doors would need to be so big here that people could just come into the house - or coyotes, fox, raccoons, small ungulates, lol.

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I will say, for that our upcoming cruise where we were able to get the $18/day drink package - we'll be packing a bunch of $1's to bump up the tipping for the bartenders. The $15 gratuity we paid for the whole package - it just ain't gonna cover the amount of work our crew is going take! LOL

We tip about $10/day for the room steward if it's just us. If the 4 little piglets are with us - we bump it up some - because we know the level of care our room is going to take. $50 is a very generous tip for your room steward, and I am sure they were grateful. People claiming to do more are either lying or showing off. Do what you feel is right. 

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Totally understand the original poster's (@kittysoul) question and dilemma.  You are kind to show compassion and concern to make sure you are tipping appropriately.

Totally don't understand why ANYONE feels they have the right to browbeat others about tipping.  It's a personal decision based on each individual's experience on the ship and their own economics.   Maybe those people should mind their own business and let the rest of us enjoy our cruises!   

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On 2/14/2020 at 11:08 AM, kittysoul said:

I finished my first RC cruise last month... and have my next one coming up in May.  I was on the Facebook RC cruising pages (various ones) and it seems that the tipping questions always come up (as they do in here, I know too)...  people have made me feel nothing but horrible now...  After hanging out in these boards for months, i am still confused about the tipping stuff.... on Anthem last month, I paid my prepaid gratuities...and then put 50 dollars in an envelope and left for our cabin steward at the end.  I thought I had done right...and felt good about it... until today, I am in the Anthem of the Seas FB page, and all of these folks are in there shaming each other about what they leave... saying the prepaid gratuities dont even really get to your room steward, and so you must leave them at least 20 dollars per day extra... or at least 100 dollars at the end of the week.... it seems like no matter what you do, someone is always going to come along and shame you into feeling like it wasnt enough.   I just want to make sure I understand what the real norm is before my Harmony cruise in May.  Should I bump up my amount to 100 for the cabin steward..   I know, everyone should do what they can and think is right, but with so much conflicting information, i am overwhelmed with it all now.  

Don't listen to those jackasses, The room stewards get there tips and everybody else on the ship! You think they be working if they didn't get there money. I have been on 12 cruise and l have had a lot of great staff. What the f is wrong with people, they don't get there money. Let me ask you this if you worked at your job and you didn't get paid the first week you work there would you go back when the 2nd week started? If you did your a jackass! If that's a picture you have pretty eyes. Tip the way you feel is good for you!

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On 2/14/2020 at 11:08 AM, kittysoul said:

I finished my first RC cruise last month... and have my next one coming up in May.  I was on the Facebook RC cruising pages (various ones) and it seems that the tipping questions always come up (as they do in here, I know too)...  people have made me feel nothing but horrible now...  After hanging out in these boards for months, i am still confused about the tipping stuff.... on Anthem last month, I paid my prepaid gratuities...and then put 50 dollars in an envelope and left for our cabin steward at the end.  I thought I had done right...and felt good about it... until today, I am in the Anthem of the Seas FB page, and all of these folks are in there shaming each other about what they leave... saying the prepaid gratuities dont even really get to your room steward, and so you must leave them at least 20 dollars per day extra... or at least 100 dollars at the end of the week.... it seems like no matter what you do, someone is always going to come along and shame you into feeling like it wasnt enough.   I just want to make sure I understand what the real norm is before my Harmony cruise in May.  Should I bump up my amount to 100 for the cabin steward..   I know, everyone should do what they can and think is right, but with so much conflicting information, i am overwhelmed with it all now.  

What you did was perfect.  Don't listen to what others say.

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thanks everyone who lent an ear and some good words of wisdom... it was so much appreciated!  I saw this today on the Harmony Facebook Page...a  guy just posted this.... this is exactly the sort of post that I mean.... this guy just kills me... i mean, its like he could NOT WAIT to find a way to tell everyone that he tipped a thousand dollars on his cruise... (whether that be true or not...)..what an ass.....

"Public announcement: Just got off Harmony and overheard some things that concerned me a bit. Tipping is not a Chinese city. The daily gratuities are just a way for royal to tack on charges they really mean nothing for the staff. These people don’t see their families for 6-8 months, sometimes more, at a time and get paid shit. If they actually got paid, say by having a union, the cruise rates would be astronomical. Please consider that when it comes time to tip. I’m irritated by the daily gratuities as much as the next person, but it’s part of the cruise. I probably totaled about 1k in tips this last cruise but a lot if that was in the casino. Can’t tell you what is normal and what is not, just that even if it’s not amazing service I still remember what they’re giving up to try and make my cruise great and that makes it amazing every time."

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If this is true good for him that he can afford that type of tip...but he sounds like the type of person who tips well and expects a lot while he lets everyone know how much he tipped them. Maybe I’m just salty because I don’t like being told what to do by strangers. 
 

I want his job. I make a decent living and can’t imagine being able to give others 1k on any trip. My room steward gets an extra tip. Bartenders, depending on level of service may get extra. Anyone after that if they show over and above  service - for me it’s the coffee people. They seem to learn my name immediately and what I like so they deserve a few extra. I don’t care what anyone else does except when they take the grats away. I may judge them for this but, who am I? No one. Move on. Next. 

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"Tipping is not a Chinese city."

Annnnnd swing and a miss on humor. ?

If you're the kind of person who has to announce to a huge group of strangers how much you (supposedly, per you...) are giving to the staff, you're not being a good person -- you're tipping for you, no matter what you try to tell yourself.

And the tips were in the casino? Oh, look...yet another way to say "look at me -- I have oodles of money to throw around and make a spectacle of myself..." ?

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This is very unfortunate and most likely a lie. I don''t get the "tipping is not a Chinese city" joke. People who brag about how much they tip, are the ones who don't or barely tip.

A funny story, I worked my waitress gig this morning and we serve pizza and pasta. A party of 14 people came in, they couldn't count it was actually 19, screw the children they can eat of the floor?. The main guy was waving his card and saying "order what you want, its my sweeties big 14th birthday." Needless to say their bill was $410, he bragged about really taking care of the waitress because he was "that guy." He left $70, which is not even the standard 20%. The waitress has to share 25% of that with the busser and bartender plus taxes. They sat in her section her entire shift, which decreased her earning potential. The wife kept saying maybe we should go and he kept saying, she got taken care of.

When things like this happen it shows me truly that everyone has a different perception when it comes to tipping. I am sure he assumed "$70!!!! on one table she's rich." I am not saying she wasn't appreciative for the tip, more so annoyed that he didn't tip standard and stayed at her table for 4hrs.  This guy bragging could have been on a B2B, winning thousands of dollars at a time in the casino. There are so many factors in play and tipping is not one size fits all. I have no doubt that an extra $20-50 after a cruise is just as appreciated as the so-called $1000. We all tip what we can and shouldn't feel anything but joy when we hand it to the person.

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39 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

...

 Needless to say their bill was $410, he bragged about really taking care of the waitress because he was "that guy." He left $70, which is not even the standard 20%. ...

 

I have to admit I didn’t know that tipping standard now is 20% until I read your comment,  Thanks for the info. 

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I pretty much always tip at least 20% in restaurants - or a minimum $3 (like on a lunch ticket) - simply because I waited tables to get through college - and that is hard work, and I know that you're paying taxes on that tip, and that you have to share it with the bartender and busboys, and probably the hostess if you want your section sat frequently. - I also appreciate that if you're waiting tables, you need that few extra bucks more than I need to keep it. However, I think the actual 'standard' is still 15-20%. (And I won't lie. The maths are easier to calculate when it's 20% ? )

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On ‎2‎/‎15‎/‎2020 at 6:40 PM, Momof4crazytocruise said:

we'll be packing a bunch of $1's to bump up the tipping for the bartenders

Here's a tip (no pun intended). There's no need to actually take a bulky stack of $1 bills with you. Just take your larger bills into the casino and use the Cash Out/Bill Breaker machine. It's available for use even when the casino is closed.

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On 2/14/2020 at 11:08 AM, kittysoul said:

I finished my first RC cruise last month... and have my next one coming up in May.  I was on the Facebook RC cruising pages (various ones) and it seems that the tipping questions always come up (as they do in here, I know too)...  people have made me feel nothing but horrible now...  After hanging out in these boards for months, i am still confused about the tipping stuff.... on Anthem last month, I paid my prepaid gratuities...and then put 50 dollars in an envelope and left for our cabin steward at the end.  I thought I had done right...and felt good about it... until today, I am in the Anthem of the Seas FB page, and all of these folks are in there shaming each other about what they leave... saying the prepaid gratuities dont even really get to your room steward, and so you must leave them at least 20 dollars per day extra... or at least 100 dollars at the end of the week.... it seems like no matter what you do, someone is always going to come along and shame you into feeling like it wasnt enough.   I just want to make sure I understand what the real norm is before my Harmony cruise in May.  Should I bump up my amount to 100 for the cabin steward..   I know, everyone should do what they can and think is right, but with so much conflicting information, i am overwhelmed with it all now.  

Don't feel bad about what you did at all! That was a nice tip. You seem like a very conscientious person who left a thoughtful thank you for work well done. And I would suggest you to stop reading all of that crap. Its good to be informed of the world but too much social media is just too much social media. As someone once said "If they ain't paying your bills then pay them no mind"

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From my semi-retired hospitality perspective, you should feel quite comfortable leaving no additional gratuities while on a RCCL cruise (even though I personally tip a few extra $$ here and there for outstanding service encounters).

I spoke with several servers on our last cruise who were particularly amazing, and they all said that working for RCCL was an awesome employment opportunity compared to the meager opportunities available in their respective countries of origin (Philippines, Montenegro, etc.). It's easy to make the assumption that while WE might not want to work on a 6-month, no-days-off contract working for relatively less money than we could earn in our own countries, it doesn't mean that the job isn't a absolute godsend for those from third-world economies.

Happy Cruising!!! ?

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20 hours ago, kittysoul said:

thanks everyone who lent an ear and some good words of wisdom... it was so much appreciated!  I saw this today on the Harmony Facebook Page...a  guy just posted this.... this is exactly the sort of post that I mean.... this guy just kills me... i mean, its like he could NOT WAIT to find a way to tell everyone that he tipped a thousand dollars on his cruise... (whether that be true or not...)..what an ass.....

If you have to tell everybody what a big deal you are.....you're not.

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In my opinion, anyone that brags about how much they tip is really just tipping to make themselves feel better.  They really aren't doing it because they appreciate the hard work but rather to inflate their own ego.  While that's mutually beneficial to both parties, simply treating the crew like they are human beings goes a long way.

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34 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

In my opinion, anyone that brags about how much they tip is really just tipping to make themselves feel better.  

Would certain people tip the way they do if it was anonymous? Some people tip big, because it is a way to say "look at me! Look how cool I am!" opposed to thank you for your excellent service.

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23 minutes ago, FManke said:

Would certain people tip the way they do if it was anonymous? Some people tip big, because it is a way to say "look at me! Look how cool I am!" opposed to thank you for your excellent service.

I was always taught that your tipping SHOULD be anonymous/private. I hide my check from obvious view as im filling it out at restaurants, If im slipping cash to someone, i fold it up and do it as inconspicuous at possible, and its never a topic of conversation. The tip and giving has little (to nothing) to do with me.....its appreciation of what THEY have done. Talking about money, almost always, is tacky.....also....Matthew 6:4 and all.....

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