Gratuity shouldn’t be added to tax and fees?

[Cruise2021]

Hello, 

 

i am booked on a cruise and just learned about the 14.50 per person per day auto gratuity. I’m asking you take and opinion o. How a flat rate gratuity exist ? Gratuity is based on costs accrued before taxes and fees. For easy numbers the tax and fees equate to roughly a little for than 40 percent of the total cost are taxes and fees, leaving 60 dollars of services. Am I thinking correctly that 18 percent or 20 percent should be based on pre tax and fees. On the flip side if your rate to cruise is very high and 14.50 is not enough to cover 18 percent of the costs before taxes and fees you should leave more. 

my total trip for two is costing roughly 700 for 6 nights - 40% taxes and fees equals 280 

700-280= 420 

20 percent of 420 is 84 dollars 

RC is auto adding 174 at 14.50 per two guests a day 

I find it incredibly wrong for me to have to wait at guest services to correct the amount that should be left 

 

[SpeedNoodles]

Gratuities are a per person/per day flat fee based on your stateroom type (in your case $14.50 is correct), not a percentage of the cost of your cruise.  Suites pay more per person per day than non-suites.  Other than that, they are the same whether you have an inside or a balcony, or what price you booked the cruise.  You're complicating it.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

[TXcruzer]

Don’t get hung up on the term “gratuity” consider it more of a “daily service fee”

[WAAAYTOOO]

45 minutes ago, TXcruzer said:

Don’t get hung up on the term “gratuity” consider it more of a “daily service fee”

Absolutely agree.  It is a fee, not an optional gratuity.  

[Pooch]

And it isn’t calculated like a tip you’d leave at a restaurant on land.  As pointed out earlier, it’s a flat fee regardless of what you paid for the cruise based on cabin type.

And the crew works incredibly hard for it.

Edited November 27, 2021 by Pooch

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

On 11/24/2021 at 4:38 AM, Cruise2021 said:

Hello, 

 

i am booked on a cruise and just learned about the 14.50 per person per day auto gratuity. I’m asking you take and opinion o. How a flat rate gratuity exist ? Gratuity is based on costs accrued before taxes and fees. For easy numbers the tax and fees equate to roughly a little for than 40 percent of the total cost are taxes and fees, leaving 60 dollars of services. Am I thinking correctly that 18 percent or 20 percent should be based on pre tax and fees. On the flip side if your rate to cruise is very high and 14.50 is not enough to cover 18 percent of the costs before taxes and fees you should leave more. 

my total trip for two is costing roughly 700 for 6 nights - 40% taxes and fees equals 280 

700-280= 420 

20 percent of 420 is 84 dollars 

RC is auto adding 174 at 14.50 per two guests a day 

I find it incredibly wrong for me to have to wait at guest services to correct the amount that should be left 

 

I am amazed at the very low cruise price you are paying!  Good for you…enjoy your cruise and don’t fixate on the $14.50 fee per person.  We all pay that for the service we will and do receive while cruising.  I pay more attention to the cruise fare than I do the fee so kudos to you for finding a very nice price.

[Todd-Winny]

Hi. Super new here.

If you sleep 8 hours a day, you are awake for 16 hours.

Assuming half the time you are being served is 8 hours

$14.50 divided by 8 is $1.81 per hour of service.

That's pretty darn cheap considering how many persons it took to provide the services you received and had available to you to receive.

[ChessE4]

On 11/24/2021 at 4:38 AM, Cruise2021 said:

Hello, 

 

i am booked on a cruise and just learned about the 14.50 per person per day auto gratuity. I’m asking you take and opinion o. How a flat rate gratuity exist ? Gratuity is based on costs accrued before taxes and fees.

 

In addition to what others have said, I have in the past computed the value of the meals we eat (for the proportion of the daily fee assigned to dining) and the value of the stateroom service (considering what I what tip a housekeeper in a nice hotel).  It turns out that the service/fee gratuity charged daily by Royal is very reasonable for the service provided. Back when the amount was $13.50 per day, I got a business card from Guest Services which spelled out how much went to dining staff, stateroom attendant, and others.  I haven't seen the exact breakout at the newer rate, but know the value of the food I eat (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, self-service coffees, etc.) is at least $60 per day.  At 15% gratuity, that is $9/day I would tip on land just for dining.  (However, we usually tip 18-20%.)  The stateroom attendant, in my book, does "double" what a typical hotel housekeeper would do.  Thus, in my analysis, the daily gratuity may be under what it should be.  I admit the daily charge may take a bit of thought to fully understand, but you will receive great service and virtually limitless food and beverage on your cruise.  Enjoy!!

[karl_nj]

On 11/24/2021 at 4:38 AM, Cruise2021 said:

 

I find it incredibly wrong for me to have to wait at guest services to correct the amount that should be left 

 

Obviously this means you should lower your tip to 15% to make up for this lack of service.