Orange Crush Posted December 27, 2017 Report Share Posted December 27, 2017 Does anyone have any idea of the amount or percentages of who gets what? I'm curious how many people are getting paid for face-to-face services vs how much of it goes to folks who are generally unseen like laundry, cooks, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted December 27, 2017 Report Share Posted December 27, 2017 There is a break down I know I have seen before...don't think it lists laundry and cooks but showed what goes to dining room/room attendant etc....I am sure someone here will have a link or copy of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason.H. Posted December 28, 2017 Report Share Posted December 28, 2017 Here's my question, in the past you could go to guest services on first day and opt out of the daily gratuities. I am in no way trying to get out of paying it, my wife and I tip generously but prefer to hand it to the staff in cash and in person (a lot of times at a higher rate than the preset amount). Any idea if this will still be the case?? We have a booked cruise for next september with two other couples. Steve L 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 As far as I know, this is still permitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted December 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 14 hours ago, Jason.H. said: I tip generously but prefer to hand it to the staff in cash and in person From what I understand from talking to some waiters, cabin attendants, etc. they prefer the prepaid gratuities for security reasons. Having a lot of cash at the end of a cruise presents a security problem sometimes. The prepaid gratuity automatically deposits the gratuity to their on board account and they can withdraw from it as they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 14 hours ago, Jason.H. said: Here's my question, in the past you could go to guest services on first day and opt out of the daily gratuities. I am in no way trying to get out of paying it, my wife and I tip generously but prefer to hand it to the staff in cash and in person (a lot of times at a higher rate than the preset amount). Any idea if this will still be the case?? We have a booked cruise for next september with two other couples. Yes, you need to go to Guest Services to make that happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 I'd be interested in seeing a crew contract and payment schedule. Do the crew actually get paid per person based on the stated breakdown on a per cruise basis or does it all go into the RC pot of money and crew are on a fixed price contract? If it's per person they must hate us solo cruisers. While I pay a 100% single supplement I only pay gratuity for one. The gratuity increases over the last few years are more than double the rate of inflation over same period. There must be cost overruns on the new ships being built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest toodle68 Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 1 hour ago, rjac said: From what I understand from talking to some waiters, cabin attendants, etc. they prefer the prepaid gratuities for security reasons. Having a lot of cash at the end of a cruise presents a security problem sometimes. The prepaid gratuity automatically deposits the gratuity to their on board account and they can withdraw from it as they want. Interesting.. I had not thought about that. What do they do with 10-20 envelopes of cash per cruise (assuming people tip a little). The one day they might be able to get to a bank is on the day they generally can not get off the ship.. and that assumes they have a US bank, which might not even be possible for foreign workers with an overseas address. That is a lot of cash to be carrying at the end of a 7 month contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 1 hour ago, toodle68 said: he one day they might be able to get to a bank is on the day they generally can not get off the ship.. and that assumes they have a US bank, which might not even be possible for foreign workers with an overseas address. That is a lot of cash to be carrying at the end of a 7 month contract. There are some solutions, first , yes a foreign can open a bank account in the US although not all the banks like to handle it , all you need is passport and sign on a W8/9 form, But as you said not sure they are allow to the US at all , so they can do several things : 1. Use services like MonyGram which you can find almost everywhere , they can just transfer to their families. 2. Deposit it to the bank account RC is deposit their pay checks (I guess it might be in the Bahamas). 3. Buy gold which is much easier to carry. 4. If RC allows it , deposit to their RC account. But not really sure what they are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 4 hours ago, rjac said: From what I understand from talking to some waiters, cabin attendants, etc. they prefer the prepaid gratuities for security reasons. Having a lot of cash at the end of a cruise presents a security problem sometimes. The prepaid gratuity automatically deposits the gratuity to their on board account and they can withdraw from it as they want. 3 hours ago, toodle68 said: Interesting.. I had not thought about that. What do they do with 10-20 envelopes of cash per cruise (assuming people tip a little). The one day they might be able to get to a bank is on the day they generally can not get off the ship.. and that assumes they have a US bank, which might not even be possible for foreign workers with an overseas address. That is a lot of cash to be carrying at the end of a 7 month contract. Hmm...all these cruises and that never once crossed my mind. That is a very interesting point and now I am wondering if you can go to guest services at the end of a cruise and add extra gratuities for a specific crew member instead of giving them cash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted December 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 2 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said: Hmm...all these cruises and that never once crossed my mind. That is a very interesting point and now I am wondering if you can go to guest services at the end of a cruise and add extra gratuities for a specific crew member instead of giving them cash? Sabrina, You can do that anytime during the cruise. At the end of a cruise there will be a lot of folks in the guest services line and each one will have a different problem they need to get resolved and that can take some time. It has been our experience that after a couple of days we know who the star performers are for us, ie, cabin attendant, waiter, etc. and who the not so star performers are. I usually hit the guest services desk about half way through the cruise and increase/decrease the gratuity accordingly. Just be sure you get crew members name correct! Oh yeah, forgot to mention before that at the end of the cruise, I always tell the cabin attendant, waiter, etc. that I have pre-paid their gratuity. That way they won't think I have stiffed them. Happy New Year! Lovetocruise2002 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenline627 Posted December 29, 2017 Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 So my understanding for my cruise in August as long as I pre-pay before final payment I will pay the old rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted December 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2017 7 minutes ago, greenline627 said: So my understanding for my cruise in August as long as I pre-pay before final payment I will pay the old rate. Yes, your understanding is correct! greenline627 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 I've now prepaid the four 2018 cruises I have booked. My MEI agent sent me an email a few days ago offering that as an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 4 minutes ago, twangster said: I've now prepaid the four 2018 cruises I have booked. My MEI agent sent me an email a few days ago offering that as an option. I've done the same. Prepaid all my gratuities through 2019. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen2 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Tips going up $2 per person per day. Only way to avoid increase is to prepay tips by January 2, 2018. Basic tips now will be $14.50 pp per day (Suites more). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enjoylife5 Posted December 31, 2017 Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 Is the only way to prepay gratuities over the phone? Can it be done online anywhere if we’ve already passed final payment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted December 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2017 2 hours ago, Allen2 said: Tips going up $2 per person per day. Only way to avoid increase is to prepay tips by January 2, 2018. Basic tips now will be $14.50 pp per day (Suites more). If you have booked a cruise BEFORE January 2nd, you are grandfathered in at the old gratuity rate of $13.50 per person per day. Any cruises booked AFTER January 2nd will have the $14.50 gratuity fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve L Posted January 1, 2018 Report Share Posted January 1, 2018 Hmm...all these cruises and that never once crossed my mind. That is a very interesting point and now I am wondering if you can go to guest services at the end of a cruise and add extra gratuities for a specific crew member instead of giving them cash? I did this on one of my recent cruises... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobNoxious Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2017/12/27/passengers-royal-caribbean-cruise-ships-pay-higher-gratuity-fees-2018/983679001/ discuss... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 1 hour ago, BobNoxious said: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2017/12/27/passengers-royal-caribbean-cruise-ships-pay-higher-gratuity-fees-2018/983679001/ discuss... Article has one factual error. It says you have to pre-pay before Jan 2 to lock in the old rate; the official email from Royal Caribbean specifically stated that you pre-pay any time until 3 days prior to sailing date for any cruise booked prior to Jan 2 and still get the old rate. Only cruises booked after Jan 2, or before then but not pre-paid, will be subject to the new rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted January 2, 2018 Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 The way it was explained to me, you had to pre-pay before 1/2/18 to get the old rate. Email from MEI travel on 12/26/17: Hello! Royal Caribbean will be raising its automatic daily gratuity amount that guests pay per night of their cruise beginning on January 2, 2018. Beginning January 2, guests will pay a $14.50 per guest, per night service charge in Standard staterooms, and $17.50 per guest, per night in Suites (current daily gratuity amounts are $13.50 and $16.50). If you have already prepaid your gratuities, you will be grandfathered into the current rates. Guests currently booked that have not yet added gratuities to their reservations may add them at the old rate up until January 1, 2018. The cost of the gratuities will be added to your final payment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted January 10, 2018 Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 This is a Celebrity breakdown..would think Royal would be pretty similar?img011.pdf Lovetocruise2002 and Orange Crush 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floski Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Okay, call me an idiot (not literally, rjac!), but how do I pay for my gratuities in advance? I can't find it anywhere on the website. Do I have to call? We sail next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 1 hour ago, Floski said: Okay, call me an idiot (not literally, rjac!), but how do I pay for my gratuities in advance? I can't find it anywhere on the website. Do I have to call? We sail next week! You do have to call (or ask your travel agent) to prepay gratuity. My understanding was you had to do this by Jan. 2, 2018 to secure the old rate. Floski 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 15 hours ago, twangster said: My understanding was you had to do this by Jan. 2, 2018 to secure the old rate. Nope, old rate is still honored as long as you booked before Jan 2 and pre-paid before sail date. Just did this on Thursday for my Freedom sailing in 75 days. twangster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetsTryThisPlace Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 Paid for mine for this year's cruise a couple days ago and was still old rate. Now I wish I had booked next years cruise before the change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Crush Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 I just pre-paid my gratuities yesterday for my upcoming March cruise on the Allure. Paid the old rate of $13.50 per person per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellcee Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 I added my gratuities when I booked last August but won't be paid in full until April for a July cruise - I must have been grandfathered in since the charges never changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 44 minutes ago, ellcee said: I added my gratuities when I booked last August but won't be paid in full until April for a July cruise - I must have been grandfathered in since the charges never changed. Yes, the gratuity will be part of your final payment at last year's rate. You are spared from the increase. ellcee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Murphy Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 We were informed by email that gratuities were going up..But this was after we had already booked our cruise...Seems like this should not be allowed if you are already booked.. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 minute ago, D Murphy said: We were informed by email that gratuities were going up..But this was after we had already booked our cruise...Seems like this should not be allowed if you are already booked.. Anyone? Did you book it before January 2018? If so, then you should still get the old rate. If not, then it's going up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 7 minutes ago, D Murphy said: We were informed by email that gratuities were going up..But this was after we had already booked our cruise...Seems like this should not be allowed if you are already booked.. Anyone? Welcome to the message boards! If you booked in 2017 you can call your travel agent or RC directly (if that is how you booked) and pre-pay gratuity at the old rate. If you wait until on-board, you will pay the new rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryCS62 Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 Just spoke with RCCL -- it was confirmed to me that as long as I prepaid 4 days before sailing, I would be paying the old rate -- I have a reminder in my calendar to do it about 12 days before, so I don't have to add something else to my credit card -- between booking with deposit in December & adding drink packages, spa services, excursions & finally paying it off over the last 2 months, my credit card needs a break!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neaxan Posted February 18, 2018 Report Share Posted February 18, 2018 Update for non-US cruisers: If you want to benefit from the old gratuity rates, talk to your local RCI subsidiary. If you are a German resident you have to pay the new gratuity rates even if you pay in advance. I know it isn't that much money but I get annoyed when companies aren't true to their word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted February 20, 2018 Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 Interesting tidbit - old rate applies for prepaid gratuities if you completely change a cruise that was booked before the new rate this year. Original cruise was for my wife and myself in October 2018 - changed to a trip for her and two friends in June 2019. Prepaid gratuities are listed at the old $13.50 rate for that 2019 trip (prepaid gratuities wasn't added to the booking until AFTER the change was made). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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