Celebrity asking to prepay gratuities

[satchiesmom]

It doesn't matter to us. It's the same money, just at a different time. I'd prefer not to have it put on our shipboard account...I feel I have enough on there as it is.:(

 

 

Esther, I agree completely, it doesn't matter to us one way or the other. We don't care that we can't use our onboard credit for tips either - we find plenty of ways to use it other than tips :p, and it all adds up the same in the end.

[mardon]

UANDMEFOREVER - I don't know how often you have cruised on Celebrity but the service is no different whether you tip before or after. You will always get EXCELLENT SERVICE.

 

Select Dining. In the MDR you either eat at 6 or at 8:30 p.m. If you want to eat at 7 then you would choose Select Dining. You must tell the Matre D what time you want to eat each night and be there at that time. Select Dining was not set up to get guests to go back to the traditional dining. It was set up to accommodate those who might be out on excursions and don't want to rush back to be ready for 6:00 dinner. Also, there are alot of people who want to meet different people each dinner seating rather than sit at the same table each night with the same people. If that is the case, they choose Select Dining.

 

We just got back from a Bermuda cruise on the Summit. We met alot of couples who said they don't tip the staff because they don't bring dressup clothes and don't go to the MDR. They eat in the buffet area. They didn't feel that they should have to tip since the waiters were not waiting on them in the MDR. I had to tell them that those same waiters are waiting on them in the buffet area at breakfast and lunch.

 

When I read this thread about tipping, it made me sick. I had to walk away from the computer. The crew on all the ships work very hard, and long hours. Tip them for the great service they provide. $11.50 per day is not alot. If you went out to dinner in a restaurant at home and left the 15-20% tip on the one dinner meal, it would cost you that much so why is it when it comes to cruising, people complain about the tips.

 

Follow Celebrity's system or cruise on another cruiseline.

[lobster129]

UANDMEFOREVER -

When I read this thread about tipping, it made me sick. I had to walk away from the computer. The crew on all the ships work very hard, and long hours. Tip them for the great service they provide. $11.50 per day is not alot. If you went out to dinner in a restaurant at home and left the 15-20% tip on the one dinner meal, it would cost you that much so why is it when it comes to cruising, people complain about the tips.

 

Follow Celebrity's system or cruise on another cruiseline.

 

Mardon. Please don't be upset...I don't think people are not supporting tips for the well deserved staff. We always tip over and above the recommended amount. The real issue is that not everyone feels the tips need to be paid BEFORE you even set foot on the ship. I am fine with it added to my daily expense account while on the ship. I think we should have the OPTION about paying prior to embarkation. JMHO.

[CathyCruises]

I have the best idea of all! Find a TA who will prepay your gratuities for you!

[cruise kitty]

Irrespective as to the nomenclature, we love prepaid or auto gratuities, since it separates the stiffers from the reasonable cruisers.

 

I too, prefer prepaid gratuities, but I was unaware that it would provide the additional benefit of protection against zombies:D

[fleckle]

....... If you received an OBC for booking your cruise while on board a previous cruise or for the Stockholder's credit, I believe the credit evaporates when not used. On the other hand the OBC received from your TA is refundable. If your gratuities are prepaid, and you do not consume sufficient alcohol, gamble nor book excursions, you either have to withdraw your OBC from the casino at a 3% discount, or lose it.....

Exactly! Some family members expect to be receiving large non-refundable onboard credits on upcoming cruises. They are well aware that if they choose traditional dining at the time of booking, there is no problem using the onboard credit to pay their gratuities, but not if they choose Select dining. They don't necessarily like the policy, but they do understand that this is the way it currently works.

[lostinvegas]

I might be missing something entirely here but why not just put the tips on the price of the cruise and have done with it? no envelopes, no complaining about anyone getting stiffed, no problem.

 

Then if you want to give something extra while on the cruise for exceptional service you can.

 

Oh hold on a sec that seems like paying the staff normal wage and then actually tipping for good service, what a stupid idea that is......;)

[sportsmum]

For our upcoming cruise we wanted traditional dining but it was full. We had to take select dining and prepay the gratuities- fine by us (whatever :))

 

Traditional dining opened up and we were switched over. I have had a devil of a time finding those gratuities now. The TA says they are there and Celebrity says they are not.

 

Too much time spent searching for them at this point- I have an email from TA saying they are on our account and that's the best I can do (I think) at this point. Fingers crossed they show up as there are 4 of us (2 cabins) and that would really make the cruise more than expected.

 

AND NO!!!! If they don't show up we won't stiff the staff and will sort out upon return with TA.

[lostinvegas]

But you would not be "stiffing" the staff if Celebrity have got your money for the tips. Its them that would be stiffing the staff not you.

 

This is my whole problem with auto tipping? do the staff really see all the tips? years ago when I worked for a very large hotel chain the tips were collected up and were supposed to be shared by the waiting and bar staff, but management took most of them, we got sick of this so started keeping them but this we not fair on the people like the glass collectors and pot washers.

 

Again if the tips were part of the cruise price you would not have the above problem.

[We're The Groupnors]

Unfortunately this is no longer the case. If you received an OBC for booking your cruise while on board a previous cruise or for the Stockholder's credit, I believe the credit evaporates when not used. On the other hand the OBC received from your TA is refundable. If your gratuities are prepaid, and you do not consume sufficient alcohol, gamble nor book excursions, you either have to withdraw your OBC from the casino at a 3% discount, or lose it.

 

 

 

Is this policy new? When we were on the Summit in February 2010 our entire party had OBCs (not TA OBCs), and a number of us has money left at the end of the cruise. Celebrity happily refunded the unused balance to our credit cards.

[C 2 C]

Is this policy new? When we were on the Summit in February 2010 our entire party had OBCs (not TA OBCs)' date=' and a number of us has money left at the end of the cruise. Celebrity happily refunded the unused balance to our credit cards.[/quote']

 

It depends on how the OBC is recorded on your account.. I believe it is an OBR (refundable) and an OBN (non-refundable).

For months we had an ongoing conflict with Constellation as we cruised over an extended period. They charged all spending on board to our refundable credits repeatedly and at the end only part of our non-refundable credits were left. They would not give us our credit except by a withdrawal through the casino. It seems that they never received the update from Miami that OBN was to be depleted first. A friend finally brought Miami's policy with him in print to show that Constellation's policy was in error. This issue became important as price reductions in cruise pricing was refunded through OBC rather than a refund through the TA.

(Consistency in policy and opinions expressed by Celebrity staff is often lacking. I am sure people have had the same experience with many different companies; it's part of the three "Bs in corporate practice) "BBB"

[C 2 C]

Is this policy new? When we were on the Summit in February 2010 our entire party had OBCs (not TA OBCs)' date=' and a number of us has money left at the end of the cruise. Celebrity happily refunded the unused balance to our credit cards.[/quote']

 

It depends on how the OBC is recorded on your account.. I believe it is an OBR (refundable) and an OBN (non-refundable).

For months we had an ongoing conflict with Constellation as we cruised over an extended period. They charged all spending on board to our refundable credits repeatedly and at the end only part of our non-refundable credits were left. They would not give us our credit except by a withdrawal through the casino. It seems that they never received the update from Miami that OBN was to be depleted first. A friend finally brought Miami's policy with him in print to show that Constellation's policy was in error. This issue became important as price reductions in cruise pricing was refunded through OBC rather than a refund through the TA.

(Consistency in policy and opinions expressed by Celebrity staff is often lacking. I am sure people have had the same experience with many different companies; it's part of the three "Bs in corporate practice) "BBB"

[sportsmum]

lostinvegas -But you would not be "stiffing" the staff if Celebrity have got your money for the tips. Its them that would be stiffing the staff not you.

 

 

Yes, it would be!! Thank you! But, I am afraid that in the transaction and change in dining that the money for gratuities got buried in the 'cruise price'.

 

I certainly hope my husband understands that we MAY have to cruise again soon if the TA doesn't refund in cash and it is returned as a credit!:D

[mike35]

Just a few comments re this thread:

 

• Celebrity and RCI collect the gratuities for Select Dining upon final payment because they then get to use your money for 60 or more days. Sweet deal!
  
• None of Carnival's lower-end products (Carnival, Princess, Holland America) require this onerous pre-payment for personal choice dining.
  
• We just got off the Equinox, anytime dining, and the dining room was usually less than 3/4 full. We had wonderful service and were able to stay with the same wait staff throughout the cruise.
  
• The gratuities go not only to the wait staff and room stewards, but are also shared with the "behind the scenes" folks such as bus boys.
  

[derf5585]

The gratuities go not only to the wait staff and room stewards, but are also shared with the "behind the scenes" folks such as bus boys.

 

That is why at the end of the cruise when I fill out the review. I list the dishwashers, laundry personal, line handlers and so on for recognition

[hcat]

It doesn't make sense why the Select Dining should have to pre-pay. The only reason I can think of is that Celebrity is trying to discourage people from choosing that option. They probably prefer traditional dining but are trying to offer choices to be competive with other cruise lines. JMO.

 

they imposed it b/c they do not bill tips daily & staff were being stiffed on their tips...

 

I'd rather they not bill daily-one more thing to go wrong with the bill.

 

.by the time we step onboard almost everythng is taken care of-- tips, excursions, specialty restaurants...etc... by contrast we will be taking our first Princess cruise & we will expect a much larger bill after the cruise since nothing much is billed in advance..

[jg51]

I don't see the difference between Select and Traditional dinner arrangements in regards to prepaying tips. In both settings you receive service every night (does it really matter if it is the same group of people every night or not?), and in both settings you should tip. Why can't Select dinners have the tips added to their onboard account every day? [Emphasis added by jg51.] Does X fear Select dinners will more often remove those tips than Traditional dinners? ... I think this difference between Select and Traditional doesn't make sense and am still trying to figure out what is really X's reasoning on this. Call me cynical but I don't think X is trying to avoid people stiffing their staff. ... I wish X will just include tips on the fare of the cruise, or make everyone prepay gratuities regardless of dinner arrangement. Why aren't they? Because they don't want to increase their fares. ... Bottom line: either tips are prepaid/included for everybody (my choice), or they are added to the onboard account for everybody ...

Thank you, "dalitos." Yours are the most sensible, PERCEPTIVE comments on the whole thread. (And I ain't just saying that because I made the same comments in another thread, a few months ago!) I can see NO VALID REASON for forced pre-payment of gratuities by those choosing "Select Dining" ... EXCEPT that "X" wants to restrict the number of people using "Select Dining," and pre-payment will discourage many. The fact that there could be different waiters every night is irrelevant. Those various waiters will get their share, even if the gratuities are charged on a nightly basis.

.

[tuggers]

I always do late seating, traditional dining. They charge my account daily. At the end of the cruise I ask for envelopes and put the extra inside. I don't feel comfortable 'palming' bills. JMO, but that seems a little crass. Besides I like to put a short note in with the extra tip.

[dzcruisers]

Whether you prepay or auto tip, the money is put in a pot and distributed according to a scale set by X for each level of service. So either way I don't have to be concerned about tipping my own wait staff, it is done automatically through the system. So this is still no explanation. I gess the best explanation has to do with trying to limit the number of passengers choosing the Select dining. It seems to be the only one that makes any sense.

 

If you have a different wait staff each night in Select dining, how would you know who to tip? In traditional dining you get to know your wait staff and they you. Some feel an obligation because of that. If you want to use OBC then sign up for traditional and take your chances on switching to Select once onboard.

I personally like the prepaid gratuities. They are minimal amounts for the service we get in our cabin and all of the restaurant venues without the specialties. It's a convenience for me not to have to worry about having the correct change for each envelope and then finding the correct person to give it to on the last night. If there is someone who deserves extra we give them cash the last night. The staff is notified if someone removes their automatic tips and they are asked for an explanation.

I believe Select dining gets totally booked on most cruises.

[dforeigner]

they imposed it b/c they do not bill tips daily & staff were being stiffed on their tips...

 

I'd rather they not bill daily-one more thing to go wrong with the bill.

 

.by the time we step onboard almost everythng is taken care of-- tips, excursions, specialty restaurants...etc... by contrast we will be taking our first Princess cruise & we will expect a much larger bill after the cruise since nothing much is billed in advance..

 

You can calculate how much the "tip" charge will be depending on type of stateroom and number of passengers. Then purchase yourself an on board gift credit for an amount close to what the tips may end up being. This way, you will not need to worry about paying for it at the end of the cruise.

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/onboard_credit/Index.jsp

[Can'tstopcruising]

If you choose Traditional dining, you are charged daily for the gratuities.

 

If you choose Select dining, you prepay.

 

If this is correct, why can't the Select diners also be charged daily? It makes sense to me.

 

If you answer that the Traditional diners can remove their daily-charged gratuities and (for argument's sake) "stiff" the crew, then why should pax be allowed to "stiff" if they are traditional diners, but not if they are select diners?

[lvcruiser]

"Gratuities For your convenience, we will automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard Seapass account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion: $11.50 per person per day for guests in staterooms ($12.00 per person per day for guests in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms and $15.00 per person per day for guests in Suites)."

 

The above is what is on the Celebrity Website. So I guess this means that the money will be divided between: waiter, assistant waiter, steward.... who else?

 

We have always had great stewards... hope this continues since it seems that their tip is assured. Of course, we can always add or subtract.

 

You asked who else receives tips. I asked the same question today when I read the =X= website and found the terminology $1.25 per person per day to "other service personnel." I called my TA and had her call =X= to find out who was the "other service personnel." She was told that in addition to those listed, the wine or drink steward would be receiving gratuities. Sorry, but I have a problem with that since I don't drink wine and have never required the presence of a sommelier at my dining table. I have a problem being forced to pay this individual who will provide me with absolutely NO service because I am booked for Select Dining and will have no way of removing any or all of this charge due to the forced prepay. My wife and I have been workers in various guest service industries for decades and tip very generously because of that fact, so I have no problem with the amounts Celebrity uses for gratuities, usually adding to them for exemplary service. But for heaven's sake, don't make me pay for a service I will never receive. Forcing me to tip a wine steward is akin to forcing me to also tip the waiter at the table next to mine.

[dzcruisers]

You asked who else receives tips. I asked the same question today when I read the =X= website and found the terminology $1.25 per person per day to "other service personnel." I called my TA and had her call =X= to find out who was the "other service personnel." She was told that in addition to those listed, the wine or drink steward would be receiving gratuities. Sorry, but I have a problem with that since I don't drink wine and have never required the presence of a sommelier at my dining table. I have a problem being forced to pay this individual who will provide me with absolutely NO service because I am booked for Select Dining and will have no way of removing any or all of this charge due to the forced prepay. My wife and I have been workers in various guest service industries for decades and tip very generously because of that fact, so I have no problem with the amounts Celebrity uses for gratuities, usually adding to them for exemplary service. But for heaven's sake, don't make me pay for a service I will never receive. Forcing me to tip a wine steward is akin to forcing me to also tip the waiter at the table next to mine.

 

I think your TA is wrong. I remember reading that went to behind the scenes workers. Something like 12 cents of it goes to room service I believe, then other behind the scenes people.

It was all explained to me once but I've forgotten. The wine stewards and bar people get their own tips. They are not tipped from our daily minimum tips. Call X and ask. I think the person answering your TAs question heard who else gets tipped besides the everyday tips. A tip is added on for every drink.

[lvcruiser]

Dianne - Thank you for your response. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to find out my TA had been given incorrect information by a Celebrity CSR. In the same conversation, my TA was told that any OBC given by Celebrity is not refundable and cannot be used in the casino, but it is my understanding from many posters on these boards that OBC from a Celebrity promotion is nonrefundable, but if OBC is issued in response to an after final payment price drop, it is refundable. I have dealt with Celebrity for over a decade and really enjoy their product, but the customer service is quite lacking in the respect that no two CSR's are ever on the same page. I honestly don't think Celebrity keeps their CSR's trained and informed of new goings on to the extent they should.

 

However, if the information received about the wine steward is incorrect, then who gets the other $1.25 per day per person? It shouldn't be room service because 1) most people tip them independently per order if it is not their own cabin steward, and 2) on many occasions, at least for myself, the room service was delivered by my cabin steward, so he was tipped appropriately anyway. If it is going to staff such as dishwashers, that's just wrong because they are not delivering you a service for which you are responsible to tip. Their pay is part of doing business for the company. Think about it - when you go to a typical land based restaurant, do you tip anyone besides the food server? Maybe the asst. waiter (bus boy) for exemplary service, and maybe the maitre 'd at a five star facility. Both are individually covered by our grats. When you stay at a hotel, do you tip anyone besides the maid and room service? The hotel doesn't ask you to give a little extra for the people washing and folding the linen. So who are the "behind the scenes people" to which you refer? My question is rhetorical since you have already said you don't remember, but if anyone else knows, please respond.

 

John

[smoosh21]

It doesn't make sense why the Select Dining should have to pre-pay. The only reason I can think of is that Celebrity is trying to discourage people from choosing that option. They probably prefer traditional dining but are trying to offer choices to be competive with other cruise lines. JMO.

 

Or they just like the escrow. It does seem odd that they now want the money up front for the tips, rather than having them auto added to your shipboard account.

 

I am sure that it was a decision made the by the finance people and not the customer loyalty side of the house.