Gratuities

Having just come back from a Royal Caribbean, we chose not to pre pays the gratuities and to give who we felt had given us good service! the problem was everyone did and felt like getting the cheque book out to hand over as every member of staff was amazing and deserved a bit but where do you stop, you give the normal cabin steward his assistance and staff at your local bar ! Waiting staff in the restaurant, but what about the staff you don’t see what do they get the gratuities if you pre pay! How is this handed out is the solution include the tips in the cost of the cruise what do you think! Talking to people on board it amazes me that some people don’t give anything!!! I just couldn’t do that these staff members are a credit and work so hard for 9 months to cater and look after us. Maybe go down the likes of river cruises and include them I love listening to people and what they think who and where it should go and other people just annoy me when they say it’s their job!!!! What do you think?

Clients do get confused as each Cruise line is different some you can pre pay like the likes of Royal and Celebrity and then you have them added to your bill like Princess and P&O.

My last Cruise I went on was P&O and was so funny to sit and watch all the Brits lining up at the reception desk asking them to be removed from their account.

I think us Brits are not used to the culture like our American friends as they hand out dollar bills for everything as that is the way of life.

Cultural or not, gratuities have always been a headache for cruise lines as first they have to justify them and then find ways to make sure people pay them (in the past Royal Caribbean International has admitted crew were unhappy working on Independence of the Seas cruises from the UK as the mainly British passengers didn’t pay their tips).

I read the other day that Carnival Cruises had posted passengers names that had asked for the tips to be removed the American named this as the spit – list!

The staff that work on these lines work so hard and long hours and they deserve every penny they get and more, maybe if they increased their wages and included them it would suit everyone.