The reason for this is that it is deemed as deceptive pricing and illegal here. Their all inclusive cruise fare includes gratuities, drinks, laundry and shuttles when in port. On cruise ships, gratuity charges are assessed at a flat rate, typically ranging from $14-18 per passenger, per day. Here, we explore cruise prepaid gratuities and whether you should pay them or not. Not permitting cruise passengers to adjust tips at their discretion, which could cause cultural conflicts and misunderstandings. That calculation definitely puts it in perspective for me and now I am rethinking removing the gratuity charges. I agree and am always skeptical when someone asks how to remove gratuities so they can "give them out by hand". This extra fee covers the additional labor necessary to serve a large party, which means the staff involved cannot serve as many additional tables. Should You Prepay Gratuities on a Cruise or Pay Onboard? The staff in these situations dont rely directly on tips to get paid unlike how some staff in the USA do. Of course, it would always be passengers option to offer additional gratuities to individual crew members who stand out with extra service or extraordinary tasks, something many cruise travelers already do. However,a posterbrought up that they were told by a crewmember thatthe cruise staff had to turn in all tips they were given and this was an industry wide thing. Two thing's I rememberclearly from the show was that 80% of the population leaveshome to pursue work elsewhere and they do this year after year, rarely seeing their families. Gratuities have become a fundamental part of crew wages. It depends on your view around whether you believe that gratuity is part of your overall fare and by paying them all you are doing is making sure that the crew members who deal with you are getting a fair or better wage than they would if you dont pay the gratuity. Anthony Bourdain did a show on CNN called "Parts Unknown" and one of the shows was him in thePhilippines. Prior to this the charge was around 6 per person per day which was one of the lowest in the industry. Cruisers booking from the USA may still have to pay gratuities. Her work has appeared on Cruise Critic and in The Washington Post, Fodors and Lets Go travel guides. You can, of course, go to the Guest Services Desk and ask to either increase or decrease the amount of gratuities, but they are pushed through by the cruise line either by getting you to pay them upfront when you pay your final balance or by just adding them on to your on-board account and taking the money off your credit card at the end of the cruise. The trend is similar with premium lines, led by Oceania, whose gratuities are increasing by as much as $10 per day for certain suite classes. Should we pay the recommended gratuities? : r/Cruise - Reddit Tipping on a cruise ship: Everything you need to know As of October 17, 2022, Celebrity gratuities now stand at $17.50 ($25.45AUD) for inside, ocean view and veranda staterooms, $18 ($26.2AUD) for concierge class and Aquaclass staterooms and $21 ($30.6AUD) for those staying in The Retreat. These passengers may also prefer to keep credit card purchases minimized, and therefore prefer to pay tips in cash. Were going with P&O, but I couldnt see any information related to them in this article. Some lines give you the option to purchase an extra-inclusions package, which may cover gratuities. and if the price of the cruise along with ANY additional tips/service charges/gratuities are more than I am willing to pay for the cabin, then I just do not cruise. So,if this is true, then dropping the DSC then tipping separately may actually reduce the portion they get. However if they are based on guest load.. then I would happily pay them. See where I am going with this?? That tends to be more common on upmarket cruise lines. The problem I have with these compulsory gratuities is we have no idea how they are distributed. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). 9. Carnival Cruise Line Gratuities (Tipping) Explained We are very appreciative of those in the service industry and we'd rather put cash in their hand instead of NCL deciding how to divide up gratuity. Marella are a British all inclusive cruise line who include gratuities and drinks in their cruise fare. Q&A with James Rodriguez, President & CEO of Atlas Ocean Voyages, Q&A: Cruise Insurance with Steve Dasseos of the TripInsuranceStore.com - Summer Session '23. Refuse to pay, and these hardworking cruise employees have less to send home to their families. By not including the gratuities in the cruise fare the cruise line can make the base price of the cruise look much lower than it actually is. We'll be on the Pearl from Mar 6-10. When you order a drink in a bar, restaurant or lounge on a cruise ship, it's typical for the cruise line to include a 15% to 20% gratuity on your bill, so that $6 beer may actually cost you $7.20. Hello all, first time cruiser here! Do you auto pay them? On most cruise lines an automatic gratuity will be added to your onboard account to cover tips for the staff. Furthermore, the wages with which crew members support their families are often used in countries with different economies and standards of living than cruise travelers may realize. You shouldnt really pay extra for services from crew included in the pre-paid or auto-added gratuity This includes if you put your kids in the kids club or someone comes and fixes issues in your room. Why would you ever think of canceling the tips? Gratuities included is often sold as a perk or a benefit of booking with a certain cruise line. Shes covered the cruise industry for nearly 20 years and has sailed on more than 60 ships. I hear you as far as being skeptical about NCL keeping a small %. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. While there is no question that crew members are exceptionally hard-working and often go above and beyond to make every cruise special and memorable, how should those crew members be compensated? More transparent overall pricing for the entire cruise, without debates or misunderstandings about crew members pay rates. Cruise Ship Tipping/Gratuities: How Much is Too Much? - Cruise Radio Usually on a cruise line when you buy a drink or use the spa, youll find that a gratuity of about 18% is added. While paying daily gratuities is customary in the cruise industry, there are times when they aren't charged. Shorty6095, February 26, 2019 in Norwegian Cruise Line. Lines that now cover gratuities in their fares include Azamara, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Seabourn, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises and Virgin Voyages. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Philippines. This comes along with a series of other price hikes for Carnival, with wi-fi packages, specialty dining, and beverage packages also increasing in price. Securing a lesser cost. Saga ocean cruises include all tips/gratuities. fly_eagles_fly. When Cruise Ship Gratuities Are Not Charged. While you can find ways to avoid giving tips to the crew, you really shouldn't. https://www.ncl.com/faq. A gratuity is supposed to be, and its original definition is, a tip or a bonus that you give to somebody if theyve gone above the norm and given you exceptional service. You don't have to like the system, but given that it's the one the cruise companies have chosen, I encourage you not to penalize the crew for it. More mainstream cruise lines are starting to include them, with cruise lines like P&O Cruises and Marella Cruises in the UK including them within the overall fare. In April 2019 MSC decided to include their gratuities in the cruise fare for people booking from the UK and Ireland. When I started cruising decades ago tips were always given in cash at the end of the voyage. Then there's the amount of the latest price increase. Company policy .Additional charges: An 18% gratuity is added to bills for spa services. ta.queueForLoad : function(f, g){document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', f);})(function(){ta.trackEventOnPage('postLinkInline', 'impression', 'postLinks-114164546', '');}, 'log_autolink_impression');Cruises marketed and sold in Australia through local TA's are priced differently and gratuities are included in the price of the cruise. Because many guests, particularly new cruisers, may not be aware of whom to tip or what amounts are considered suitable, automatic gratuities are an easy way to acknowledge crew members service without awkwardness or unintentional mistakes. And I'll also add, since we didn't pursue it, I don't even know if it can been removed only from one person. Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), AmaWaterways Danube River Cruise. Cruising cheaply has allowed me to see more of the world than I ever thought possible and theres still so much more exploring to do! When it's time to settle your bill, the gratuity charge is paid for with the credit card on file. If youre travelling as a family, with two adults and two kids, you could be talking many hundreds added on to the cost of your holiday. P&O do have an option for fixed dining and many people will choose to tip their waiters on the last night as they have been waited on by the same people for the duration of the cruise. Their website shares how gratuities are distributed. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. I actually thought it was nice though my wife and I both agreed he way over stayed hus welcome and it was a bit awkward. So, if you're a couple, it can add between $150 and $300 for a seven-day cruise (around 150 to 250 and about the same in euros). Another gratuity option available through many major cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, and Norwegian Cruise Line, is for guests to pre-pay their gratuities. There is no way that you can reach all those that service you and depend on your tip without that daily charge . Find the right card for you. For a four day cruise, you are talking about either $14.50 per person, per day (ages 3 and up) OR, $17.50 pp/pd in any SUITE category SF - H1. The lump sum is added to passengers' onboard accounts, and can vary depending on the type of cabin in. It is the cruise companys responsibility to pay fair wages to their staff and using the line that if we take them off we are punishing the employee is unfair and a nasty attempt to guilt trip the cruiser. No large, unexpected charges would be added to guests accounts during the cruise, so there may be less confusion about onboard charges. Of course, you can take them off but all they may be doing is hiding the fact that your cruise is actually costing you much more money than you think its going to cost. Many major cruise lines automatically add gratuities to passengers accounts toward the end of the cruise as a convenience. Clearly not something almost any woman would we be ok with. Should I pay cruise gratuities in advance? - CruiseBooking.com If you have prepaid gratuities during the cruise booking process, you cannot remove them on board. It tends to be the cruise lines which are based in Europe which include gratuities in the fare. If you choose to not prepay, then either a daily amount will be charged to your account or it will be tacked on in full at the end of the cruise. Why has the topic of gratuities become so controversial? You won't accidentally spend that money before your cruise, leaving you less for fun activities once you're on vacation. TipsMSC Cruises does not recommend tipping individual members of staff. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. A survey of Cruise Passenger's Facebook group found confusion on whether gratuities are a compulsory charge or something that can be removed from bills. For me, it simply comes down to this: I take NCL at its word that the DSC goes towards the staff. Start with these stories: The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Celestyal cruises include all tips/gratuities within the cruise fare. Why would anyone want to steal food from the staffs mouth who work so hard 7 days a week at all hours to feed their families back home. MSC used to charge $12.50 per person per night which was pretty standard within the industry. Most cruise lines set a gratuity between $12 and $20 per person or per day, and that also applies to children. Carnival currently charges $16 per person per day for gratuities for standard staterooms. Prepaid gratuities on most non-luxury cruises range upwards of $20 per person, per day. Of course, you may decide you want to because someones giving you extra service, so it genuinely returns to what a gratuity was supposed to be. That said, more mainstream cruise lines than ever are including gratuities in the cruise fare. Tips For Travellers 2023. And from the estimated calculations you just made, that is very little in tip money for a weeks worth of hard work. Find out all you need to know from our professional Cruise Passenger team. And we would prefer to go the route of removing gratuities, if we are able to. Its worth noting that there are some cruise lines such as Virgin Voyages and Disney Cruises that are booked in USD even for Australian sailings, however, this does not mean youll be paying daily gratuities. And the rest, as they say, is history. That's a nice way to spin it to make it seem like I'm an ass for considering removing it. This thread will probably be no exception. You can see the daily amount added to your cruise charges in the Royal Caribbean app. How to prepay gratuities. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Save thousands with the best policies, The three days of the week when you can save 2% on airfares. Now it was uncomfortable and annoying but I still felt he .want well and was just socially inept. By the 4th day, he took my wife's arm and pulled her into the linen closest twice to tell her secrets. Source. For me I would be hard pressed to last to the next port. 3 main reasons you may want to prepay gratuities include convenience, the ability to plan your cruise budget as well as to lock in a lower price, should the cruise line increase gratuity rates. The cost is technically optional but highly recommended as gratuities go directly back to staff and crew. Paying your gratuities in advance keeps your onboard expenses lower. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. You just mention this on your next cruise and watchtheir faces light up. Are you trying to remove the daily service charge or the 20% that is added to UBP/SDP promos? Leave the tips in place, and then give a little something extra to your cabin steward, favourite waiter etc. Carnival Prepaid Gratuities - Should You do it Or Not? - Cruise Nonstop basis. Their all-inclusive cruise fare also includes specialty dining, drinks with meals, transfers, WiFi, and shuttle buses. I have the largest cruise vlogger channel currently on YouTube, with more than 3 million video views per month. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Depending on the cruise line, guests under 2 or 3 years of age may not be assessed gratuities. Why Gratuities Arent Always Part of Cruise Fares, Pros and Cons of Including Gratuities in Cruise Fares, passenger-facing and related crew members, Carnival Cruise Line to Increase Gratuities From May 2022, offering a more personal thank you, perhaps with a note, some cruise lines do include gratuities in cruise fares, Discuss this topic at our Cruise Boards >, Free daily cruise updates to your inbox >, Subscribe for daily cruise news on YouTube >, It's time to check today's cruise deals right here >, Norwegian Cruise Line Awards Top Educators With Free Sailings, Disney Cruise Line Advises on Protocols Still in Place, CLIA Clarifies No Amsterdam Cruise Ship Ban, Exciting Culinary Options for Celebrity Cruises Newest Vessel. If gratuities are automatically charged to guests accounts, why arent they simply included in the cruise fare? I definitely do not want to cut their wages even further, especially the people behind the scenes. The price of tips on cruises may occasionally increase. I also don't believe it has anything to do with the American tipping model as most Americans will tip on top of the mandatory gratuities. Cruise Gratuities: What You Need To Know - High Seas Cruising The second approach, where cruise lines encourage or force you to pay gratuities, is much more common these days. As with any financial decision, there are pros and cons to choosing prepaid gratuities versus adding them to your onboard bill. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Prepaid gratuities cover tips for housekeeping and dining room staff members waiters, room stewards, etc. My Twitter Moments Story, Titan Travel Italian Lakes and Azamara Greek Islands Cruise Review. Crystal Cruises are similar to Azamara when it comes to gratuities. Next this started multi accusations of "Fake News." Gratuities may also be called tips or bonuses, but whatever they are called, a gratuity is traditionally offered only for exceptional service, above and beyond what is customarily expected. Royal Caribbeans website reads that if you do not enjoy your service, you can modify the daily amount at your discretion via visiting guest services. Near Seattle, in a town you can't pronounce. Theory behind it is its considered part of their salary and included those behind the scenes.. Even if we aren't able to remove the gratuities from the credit card, we'll still tip with cash while on the ship because that is just how we are. Gratuities are included on cruises with Azamara, Celestyal, Crystal Cruises, Marella, MSC, P&O, Regent Seven Seas, Saga, Silversea, and Virgin Voyages. Did you not know and calculate the costs before you booked? I absolutely understand both sides of it. The view is what cruise lines do is they recruit crew from the Far East, like the Philippines, Indonesia and India, and pay them at a low rate and use gratuities to top up and give the crew members a fairer wage. Many premium and luxury lines, such as Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Silversea Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Azamara Cruises, include crew members tips in the base cruise fare, with no additional gratuity charges added to passengers accounts during the cruise. The more common approach is they are auto-added or youre asked to pay for them in advance. If guests pre-pay, they may have a slightly lower or discounted gratuity rate, or be able to lock in a specific gratuity rate before a planned increase in overall gratuities. Cruise lines wont tell you this, but I will. I do hope that things change to become more like European and Australian tipping culture, but I can't see much changing in my lifetime. The pooled funds are distributed throughout the year in the form of compensation, including bonuses, to crewmembers fleetwide who interact directly with guests and/or behind the scenes throughout every cruise, including those in the Bar, Dining, Entertainment, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Galley and Onboard Revenue areas.. I definitely did NOT want to open a can of worms. Guests who have pre-paid their tips will not see a daily charge during their cruise..
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