The post shares tips from 67 real cruisers and takes you through from embarkation to disembarkation. For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter. On cruise ships, gratuity charges are assessed at a flat rate, typically ranging from $14-18 per passenger, per day. Gratuities are included within the price of a cruise. Big-ship line Virgin Voyages also includes crew tips in its base prices. But what about the behind the scenes people that also share in the service charge? Please keep in mind that your gratuity doesn't just go to the people you personally interact with. November 23, 2018. Gave some credibility to the notion that all tips are turned in. Other passenger-facing crew members, such as casino croupiers, spa staff, and bartenders, may be offered gratuities individually, or automatic gratuities will be added to the charges when their services are used. This encourages the cruise line to under pitch the fare knowing theyre going to catch it up in gratuity charges. Cruises marketed and sold in Australia through local TA's are priced differently and gratuities are included in the price of the cruise. Money and Gratuities | Carnival Cruise Line Also the "gratuity" money that is addedonto their checks is going to be taxed, giving them even less money. Anyways is having the gratuity charges removed as simple as calling NCL? Can I remove prepaid gratuities on a cruise? - The Points Guy The truth of the matter is these tip movers or removers never planned on paying tips no matter what. 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. I trust them to take care of me and my family while we're on vacation, and they always have, so I trust their word on the service charge as well. Check here before booking an award fare. That calculation definitely puts it in perspective for me and now I am rethinking removing the gratuity charges. Can gratuities be removed? - Royal Caribbean Cruises Celestyal Cruises: Review and Daily Photo Diary 2019, MSC and Gratuities Your Guide on How Much You Can Expect to Pay. To use our mobile site, please enable JavaScript. 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. Cruise Ship Tipping and Prepaid Gratuities: Should I Tip More? 31 reviews. If gratuities were included in the fare, they may count as a different type of wage to employees, and therefore be subject to different tax rates or tax reporting requirements. NCL gratuities have risen as of January 1, 2023, previous daily gratuities were $16 ($23.28AUD) for staterooms, $18 for the Club Balcony Suite ($26.20AUD) and $20 ($29.1AUD) for The Haven and Suites. That calculation definitely puts it in perspective for me and now I am rethinking removing the gratuity charges. If you were to opt out then it means that the crew are scammed in their rightful wages which the cruiseline can then blame on the passengers for their not being renumerated for the work they. I have been scouring these message boards and finding lots of information! Is it the rate of the Country the H.O. Just wait until he sees just how hard they all work , long hours for low pay . This can be done when the cruise is initially booked or added on at any time prior to embarkation. MSC used to charge $12.50 per person per night which was pretty standard within the industry. Paying gratuities can help you in the following ways: It ensures fair distribution of fare to all the working staff members onboard. So,if this is true, then dropping the DSC then tipping separately may actually reduce the portion they get. Many Australia based cruise ships don't charge an automatic daily gratuity charge, however, this can vary by cruise line. It is also possible that different countries where cruise ships are registered, visit, or homeported have different laws related to how crew wages and gratuities may be taxed. My Twitter Moments Story, Titan Travel Italian Lakes and Azamara Greek Islands Cruise Review. When you cannot afford it as its an extra cost on your cruise. Forms of Payment We accept the following forms of payment as noted below. The average amount given to the assistant waiter per couple for a seven-day cruise averaged about 1/2 of the head . The staff in these situations dont rely directly on tips to get paid unlike how some staff in the USA do. Whether prepaid gratuities are worth it is up to you and how you budget for travel. Here are the reasons that I see most cruisers argue when you shouldnt pay. Perhaps it is the US marketing model rather than the US way of tipping. I thought it was extremely inappropriate. Does anyone have the Contract for housekeeping, or wage agreement? There are cruise lines which include gratuities, but they come with a higher fare (and may have a different demographic than you would prefer). Other people who make your experience a good one receive a cut of it and when you chose to remove the autogratuity, you are taking income away from them. You can prepay gratuities when you book or pay them as part of your onboard bill at the end of your sailing. Their all-inclusive cruise fare also includes specialty dining, drinks with meals, transfers, WiFi, and shuttle buses. If gratuities for an August 2023 sailing were prepaid in April 2022, rather than waiting to pay . It is not really a gratuity, its become an additional charge that is really part of your fare. The second approach, where cruise lines encourage or force you to pay gratuities, is much more common these days. Regent include all gratuities in the cruise fare. When we go out looking for cruises, we often look for great fares. is it the rate for the country the Ship is register in? We would prefer to tip with cash. The prepaid gratuities do not cover tips for bar service or spa treatments or gratuities for local guides and drivers who lead your excursions in port. In part, it is because gratuities are intended to be at guests discretion, and adding them as a separate charge still gives cruise passengers the option to adjust these tips however they would like. If you are on a 3-night cruise, for example, and don't pay gratuities in . Many ultra-luxury lines do build these into the overall fare. 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. If cruise lines did do this, the pros would include: At the same time, there are also potential problems with adding gratuities to cruise fares. So yeah, I absolutely can see where guests feel like there are times they don't want to tip. I honestly don't know, I'm just guessing! 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Philippines. Behind-the-scenes crew members would still receive gratuities as the overall wage pool would be divided among all tip-earning staff. Another reason for paying into the gratuities through the central process is nowadays cruisers tend not to eat in the same restaurants. If you're travelling as a family . This is one of the ways those who serve guests directly benefit. While paying daily gratuities is customary in the cruise industry, there are times when they aren't charged. Not permitting cruise passengers to adjust tips at their discretion, which could cause cultural conflicts and misunderstandings. It is more like the American marketing model. The Carnival Tipping Basics: When automatically charged to either your Sign and Sail account or to your invoice prior to boarding, the gratuity amount is at a recommended value of $12.95 per day . Note: Gratuities for crew including bar staff are included in the fare. You may not see a line item breakdown, but you are paying the compensation one way or the other. If you have prepaid gratuities during the cruise booking process, you cannot remove them on board. I grew up in Zimbabwe, but I have been based in London since 1987. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit, Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter. Crystal Cruises are similar to Azamara when it comes to gratuities. Then you could also pay extra in cash to individuals providing phenomenal service or who went beyond what you would normally and reasonably expect, and you want to acknowledge that. Hi Mary R ,I didnt say I was going to cancel my gratuities,I was asking fellow cruisers on their thoughts.I am not a cheap skate cruiser if thats what you are implying,far from it in fact but thats why I take part in this trip advisor site so I can chat with people who would like to give me advice.I would like to add though that I dont agree with (ta && ta.queueForLoad ? Most cruise lines set a gratuity between $12 and $20 per person or per day, and that also applies to children. Gratuities have become a fundamental part of crew wages. However, other luxury lines such as Silversea, Seabourn or Regent Seven Seas include their gratuities within the cruise fare, meaning any rises wont be as clear. It is important, however, to remember that crew members also receive other benefits such as room and board, even though their pay may be lower. And from the estimated calculations you just made, that is very little in tip money for a weeks worth of hard work. Presumably that is because so many cruisers are from the US. This causes much discussion because there are rumours that lists are put up telling the crew which cabins or people have asked for gratuities to be removed. With many lines changing their gratuities, heres a round-up of all the changes and other information to know. Gratuities are included on cruises with Azamara, Celestyal, Crystal Cruises, Marella, MSC, P&O, Regent Seven Seas, Saga, Silversea, and Virgin Voyages. 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. When reading on this topic on this board, it didn't specify which could be removed, people we're just speaking in generalities about gratuities. Source. One thing I've seen mentioned multiple times is that we have the option to remove the gratuity charges from our credit card that we made the reservation with. The gratuities are used to pay the crew a better wage, and its not really for improved service. The gratuities are automatically applied to every passengers final bill. Erica Silverstein is the senior cruise editor at TPG. Booking websites don't always announce those extra fees until you're asked if you want to prepay them in the final steps of the cruise booking process. We will likely still tip them cash even if we keep the gratuity charges, cause they deserve better. Tax differences depending on where a cruise ship is based could create a more complicated system for gratuity rates. In early 2022, the daily rates were $13.99 for guests in standard rooms and $15.99 for those in suites. I can remember a thread ( I think on Princess Board 6-8 months ago,if someone wants to do a search to prove me wrong) were someone brought up a similar topic. 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). I absolutely understand both sides of it. If a crew member goes above & beyond, by all means, reward them. 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. Ever wondered how the mainstream cruise lines compare? 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. A 20% gratuity is also added to all beverages, mini bar purchases and beverage packages. Their website shares how gratuities are distributed. Are you trying to remove the daily service charge or the 20% that is added to UBP/SDP promos? The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. oh brother you have opened a can of worms, be prepared for several hundred posts arguing whether tips /gratuities are the same andthe moraility of removing them, basically NCL tries to make it simple by acknowledging that with freestyle cruising you don't get same staff each night so appropriate tips at end doesn't work, just make it easy and leave DSC in place and you are sorted, Just leave DSCin place, and tip extra in cash.

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