Newbie Tipping Question

scrappygirl · August 10, 2009

Are the tips automaticly put on our Sea Pass? Or do we have to check a box to do this? I want to avoid waiting in any lines during our trip.

My DH isn't to excited about prepaying for services he has not received yet. What if we prepay and receive bad service?

Any suggestions on the easiest way to play the tipping game, much appriciated.

sailingrose · August 10, 2009

If you are doing My Time Dining then you have to put the tips on your Sea Pass. It is mandatory but I've heard you can adjust it if the service was poor but I understand it's not an easy process. I've never had that issue.

If your doing regular dining you can choose to put the tips on your Sea Pass or you can tip the customary way in cash in an envelope that your cabin steward will provide you on the last evening. If you choose to put the tips on your sea pass RCI has a form you can drop at customer relations during your cruise.

Hope that helps.

Shaunna · August 10, 2009

We always pre-pay if possible. If they do bad then that's all they get. If they do good you can up it or on RC use the envelopes to add extra cash.

JohnG · August 11, 2009

Royal still allows you to tip in cash on the last night....or.....have it added to your shipboard account if you didn't prepay with your cruisefare. They place a letter on your bed during the cruise and ask you to indicate if you want it added to the shipboard account, and you just turn the letter in at the purser's desk.

DebbieandJerry · August 11, 2009

Read the papers that you will get every night. I remember getting a number of "notices" about tipping and what to do if you do not want automatic tipping.

FYI: We've only had one cruise where we didn't think the service deserved more than what was automatic so we left it at that. On all of the other cruises were the tips were "pre-paid", we always gave extra to those that went above and beyond.

boba · August 12, 2009

$10.50 a day isn't very much for all the services you get but I've heard you can adjust them down. I've never felt like it. :cool2:

JohnG · August 12, 2009

It is actually $9.75 per person per day currently.

DebbieandJerry · August 12, 2009

We've never adjusted down. Except for the one time, we have always given additional cash to those that have gone above and beyond. The one time exception, we just gave what the ship took out.

cruznchris · August 13, 2009

For us it was just a matter of going down to the pursers desk and having it removed. We did pay in cash a few times but now we prefer them just take it out. We also reduced it one time to an extremely bad room steward. So bad we had to ask for toilet paper and he told us he would see if he had any with a confused look on his face, it was the second day of the cruise. :angry:

scrappygirl · August 15, 2009

Thanks for all the responses. We are not trying to get out of tipping. We were not asked by the TA about adding tipping to our cruisefare. So I was confused as to how to go about it.