Erosion of Captains Club Benefits: Dining Waitlist

[texkan]

As a relative newcomer to the Celebrity board, I'm somewhat confused on this whole gratuity issue.

 

With HAL, all passengers are charged a daily amount for gratuities. It is added to your bill daily, then paid at the conclusion of the cruise. OBC, if available, can be used to pay for the gratuities, in full or in part. A passenger's dining choice has no impact on the amount charged or the timing for payment.

 

From what I can gather reading this thread, Celebrity bills you at the time of your final payment if you choose select dining, but upon conclusion of the cruise if you choose set dining. Is this correct?

 

It appears from some posts that the reason for this is because one doesn't know which members of the staff will be serving select diners on a given night. So what? Is the gratuity money not shared equally among the dining staff (according to their level), whether they are serving the same or different people every night?

 

HAL also offers the option of not paying the suggested gratuities, leaving it to you to tip as you see fit during the course of the cruise. I don't know if many passengers choose this option, or if Celebrity has a similar "opt out" provision.

 

I don't advocate any particular method, but I would really like to get a better understanding of the Celebrity system for gratuities.

 

 

From Celebrity Site:

("How are gratuities handled onboard?

For your convenience, Celebrity Cruises can add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard Celebrity 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). These service gratuities are based on the following recommended amounts:

 

Restaurant Service* Per Person Per Day

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

Stateroom Service* Per Person Per Day

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

Alternative Service*

Other Service Personnel $1.25

 

Beverage Service personnel are acknowledged with a 15% service charge that will be automatically added to the bill. Additional gratuities may be added to the bill at your discretion.

 

*Please note that gratuities may be shared with other crewmembers depending on the particular service requirement.")

 

*****Select Dining***** pre-pay gratuities

 

*****Increase in Gratuities***** Read on the CC board that a slight increase in Gratuities the end of 4/13

[pete_coach]

Thank you for the advice.

 

But having cruised 30+ times I'm well-aware how the system works. ........

....

 

My beef is with Celebrity's policy that Select Diners are forced to pay gratuities up front. ........

 

If Celebrity wants a tip in advance of rendering service, I'll give them this one: "Change your policy because you're alienating good customers".:mad:

I have no idea where you have been or what lines you have been cruising on in the 30+ cruises but pre-paying gratuities has been the process since "select" dining was introduced. Their logic makes sense, you will have different servers every night so, this ensures all servers get at least, the minimum tip.

[Suzy Smith]

I have no idea where you have been or what lines you have been cruising on in the 30+ cruises but pre-paying gratuities has been the process since "select" dining was introduced. Their logic makes sense, you will have different servers every night so, this ensures all servers get at least, the minimum tip.

 

I can't see that there is any logic to paying in advance (although we always choose select dining now and therefore we do pay up front). It is true that you are likely to have different servers every night in select, but those servers are not going to get their tips until the end of your cruise. The gratuities you pay in advance are not paid out to the staff any earlier, Celebrity just gets the use of your money for a couple of months.

[jagoffee]

I was informed upon attempting to book my latest Celebrity cruise, in spite of my Elite status which entitles me to "Priority Waitlist Status for dining room seating"...

...there is in fact no waitlist. I'm forced to take Select dining. Period.

 

"And now we'll take your credit card since you must prepay your gratuities for Select dining".

 

Which benefit will be taken away next? :confused:

 

I would not think that anyone should be forced into Select Dining. I would have thought that one of the two traditional dining selection would have been available.

 

The fact that for some odd reason the cruise that you were considering did not have a dining waitlist is not really an erosion of Captain Club benefits. I am sure that you realize that it is not an indication of all Celebrity cruises thus is not really an erosion of benefits.

 

I suspect that their was just some temporary problem with the Celebrity site and you might find a different situation today. You did not really tell us the cruise that you were considering.

 

Good luck with your other vacation choice. I bet you will be back sometime in the future.

[Fouremco]

I have no idea where you have been or what lines you have been cruising on in the 30+ cruises but pre-paying gratuities has been the process since "select" dining was introduced. Their logic makes sense, you will have different servers every night so, this ensures all servers get at least, the minimum tip.

 

Pete, how does the tipping work? Other than those who might get slipped a cash gratuity, don't all servers get the same share of the gratuities, whether serving set time or select diners?

 

Also, are those servers responsible for select diners paid their gratuities in advance? If not, why would there be a requirement for those passengers to pay in advance?

 

Still trying to figure this all out... :confused:

 

[skandls]

There can be a large group booked. Sometimes all the people in the group will be booked for the same dinner seating. There maybe no available slots because of this. We were on a poker cruise (they do early seating) - when we boarded the line for the maître d was very long with 90 percent of the people asking for early seating. Because of the large group he could not accommodate very many of the requests.

 

Has anyone had prepaid grats removed when they board the ship?

[Bobocasey]

WE like select but because we are getting pre paid gratuities from our TA we are not allowed to choose select. We have to have traditional dining. The first few time we got prepaid gratuities from our TA we were allowed to have select dining but Celebrity will no longer allow this practice. I ask our TA could we just prepay our gratuities ourselves and take the gratuities from the TA as obc and she said NO. If we did it we would loose that perk from the TA>

 

WE have traveled recently on both Princess and HAL and NEITHER ONE OF THEM REQUIRE YOU TO PREPAY YOUR GRATUITIES FOR THEIR ANYTIME DINING>

[In_Steerage]

OP here.

 

I found a comparable Celebrity Alaska cruise where Select Dining wasn't the only game in town. Accordingly, we and the other couple we're traveling with were able to book it without being required to pony up gratuity money for stewards, Maitre'Ds, and waiters whom we won't even meet for another 5 months.

 

Sorry to offend those of you who feel you have no control and have yielded to the demands of those in the cruise industry whom set arbitrary rules for what should be discretionary spending.

 

We will evaluate the service we receive on our cruise. THEN we will dig into our wallets and tip accordingly while on board. :cool:

[texkan]

OP here.

 

I found a comparable Celebrity Alaska cruise where Select Dining wasn't the only game in town. Accordingly, we and the other couple we're traveling with were able to book it without being required to pony up gratuity money for stewards, Maitre'Ds, and waiters whom we won't even meet for another 5 months.

 

Sorry to offend those of you who feel you have no control and have yielded to the demands of those in the cruise industry whom set arbitrary rules for what should be discretionary spending.

 

We will evaluate the service we receive on our cruise. THEN we will dig into our wallets and tip accordingly while on board. :cool:

 

You are not sailing with Celebrity???? Please advise how you were able to book Select with no prepaid gratituity :confused:

[The_Big_M]

I believe they were mean they were able to book the cruise without choosing Select, rather than booking Select without prepaying gratuities.

[texkan]

OP here.

 

I found a comparable Celebrity Alaska cruise where Select Dining wasn't the only game in town. Accordingly, we and the other couple we're traveling with were able to book it without being required to pony up gratuity money for stewards, Maitre'Ds, and waiters whom we won't even meet for another 5 months.

 

Sorry to offend those of you who feel you have no control and have yielded to the demands of those in the cruise industry whom set arbitrary rules for what should be discretionary spending.

 

We will evaluate the service we receive on our cruise. THEN we will dig into our wallets and tip accordingly while on board. :cool:

 

Double post - sorry

[In_Steerage]

I believe they were mean they were able to book the cruise without choosing Select, rather than booking Select without prepaying gratuities.

 

Yep - you are correct. We booked a Celebrity cruise, traditional late seating dining, and we'll pay our tips on board. ;)

[texkan]

I don't have to cancel.

 

When I was informed of the circumstances, I decided not to book, along with the other couple we're traveling with.

 

Yes, I'm taking my money elsewhere.

 

So you have decided to sail with Celebrity? and were able to get Traditional Dining? Glad it worked out for you

[Ma Bell]

OP here.

 

I found a comparable Celebrity Alaska cruise where Select Dining wasn't the only game in town. Accordingly, we and the other couple we're traveling with were able to book it without being required to pony up gratuity money for stewards, Maitre'Ds, and waiters whom we won't even meet for another 5 months.

 

Sorry to offend those of you who feel you have no control and have yielded to the demands of those in the cruise industry whom set arbitrary rules for what should be discretionary spending.

 

We will evaluate the service we receive on our cruise. THEN we will dig into our wallets and tip accordingly while on board. :cool:

 

So I assume that means you will make the effort to stop the automatic gratuities for each day so you can decide who is worth tipping. Let me guess. I bet you will count the days you spend in the dining room to decide how much to tip and there will be no tips for the people you don't personally see.:rolleyes:

[Jenna109]

OP here.

 

I found a comparable Celebrity Alaska cruise where Select Dining wasn't the only game in town. Accordingly, we and the other couple we're traveling with were able to book it without being required to pony up gratuity money for stewards, Maitre'Ds, and waiters whom we won't even meet for another 5 months.

 

Sorry to offend those of you who feel you have no control and have yielded to the demands of those in the cruise industry whom set arbitrary rules for what should be discretionary spending.

 

We will evaluate the service we receive on our cruise. THEN we will dig into our wallets and tip accordingly while on board. :cool:

 

I understand how you feel but there are many people you will never see on the ship who work extremely hard to make your cruise run smoothly - how will you tip them? Also if you do not pay your daily gratuities then any tip you give must be handed in to the tipping pool.

We are trying Select dining for the first time on our cruise this week and to be honest found it easier just to pay with our final payment.

[spookwife]

the biggest beef people who dig their heels in over this subject seems to be the whole 'TIP" thing.

 

they are absolutely convinced that any 'tip' or 'gratutity' should NEVER be paid beforehand..

 

call it something else entirely, and nobody raises a fuss. they happily fork over the exact same amount of money at final payment.

 

those of us who automatically factor in gratuities ( and parking fees at the port, or taxi fares or whatever other unavoidable expense related to my vacation) into their budget don't seem to have this hang up about paying for services rendered up front.

 

why, some of us with traditional seating volunteer to pre pay! :eek:

 

yes, I understand completely some people's points of view WRT OBC and using that to pay for grats. and quite frankly, I agree with their assessment and desires to be allowed to do so. it's not something I personally require or want, as I said before as far as I am concerned its part of the total price and we prefer to use OBC for extras once on board like a few special drinks or a massage.

 

I will admit to one tiny little thing.. I sometimes think we OVER tip. by the time I get on board any money we bring is set aside for extras. I sometimes forget that the suggested tips are perfectly adequate for most levels of service you get but we are still conditioned like wittle sheep to slip a few bucks in the envelopes at the end of the week, even though technically, you have already given them what the line suggests you do.

 

the last couple times, we actually made a concerted effort to limit that last day 'extra'. instead of automatically putting $50 in an envelope for the dining team, we stuck to $20.

[jackdiamond]

If you are not happy with Celebrity's policies, & you think they are taking your money early just to help their cash flow, why don't you just cancel the cruise, assuming you are before final payment, & take your money elsewhere?

Very good advice.

[jackdiamond]

I don't have to cancel.

 

When I was informed of the circumstances, I decided not to book, along with the other couple we're traveling with.

 

Yes, I'm taking my money elsewhere.

It will probably make both you and Celebrity very happy.

[yvonneh]

 

FYI, never ever take what the first person tells you as truth when talking to X. It's not that they lie, it's that they don't know. Keep looking, keep asking. The amount of misinformation is astounding. If something seems "off" or not quite right... it probably isn't. LOL

 

 

This is so true. Call 10 different times, and get 10 different answers. Supervisors included, by the way. :rolleyes:

[richsea]

OP here.

 

I found a comparable Celebrity Alaska cruise where Select Dining wasn't the only game in town. Accordingly, we and the other couple we're traveling with were able to book it without being required to pony up gratuity money for stewards, Maitre'Ds, and waiters whom we won't even meet for another 5 months.

 

Sorry to offend those of you who feel you have no control and have yielded to the demands of those in the cruise industry whom set arbitrary rules for what should be discretionary spending.

 

We will evaluate the service we receive on our cruise. THEN we will dig into our wallets and tip accordingly while on board. :cool:

 

Where did you get the 5 month figure from?? You do not prepay the gratuities, tips, service charge for select dining until your FINAL PAYMENT, which is normally due 60 days prior to sailing. Or perhaps you were just trying to drive your point home?

[Chicago Boy]

I was informed upon attempting to book my latest Celebrity cruise, in spite of my Elite status which entitles me to "Priority Waitlist Status for dining room seating"...

...there is in fact no waitlist. I'm forced to take Select dining. Period.

 

"And now we'll take your credit card since you must prepay your gratuities for Select dining".

 

Which benefit will be taken away next? :confused:

 

 

I don't think anyone is taking a benefit away from you. You don't say which seating you are / were trying to book but I am going to assume you want first seating and that you booked your cruise later rather than earlier. If that is the case, then first seating is probably full or you would have been given a table. As you know, when booking Select Dining you pay your gratuities at the time of final payment. It is Celebrity's policy as well as other cruise lines to do this. They are just trying to ensure everyone gets tipped because most likey you won't have the same wait staff every night. Personally, I don't care for Select Dining and so we always choose the late seating AND we book our cruises well in advance. It's the best way to avoid your situation. Enjoy your cruise.

[tserface]

The question seems to be about why they have to tip 60 days in advance for Select dining (including the tips for the cabin attendant) and for Traditional dining they can charge to your room every day which is, effectively paid at the end of the cruise.

 

Some of us can't figure out why Select is different. The only thing I can think of is it is possible to stop or modify the daily tips for Traditional and they don't want you to be able to do that for Select. Perhaps the 60 day thing is just a convenience for them because they are collecting lots of money from you then anyway. Don't know. It is a curious difference. It's not a huge deal for me and it doesn't keep me from booking Select (we love it) And, as one poster commented, it may keep some others from doing Select which leaves more room for us :)

 

Doesn't stop me from being curious though. I think the whole gratuities thing on a cruise ship (all lines) is kind of shady. I fully believe in tipping and often tip a great deal for a wonderful experience, but forcing tips (like with drinks) takes some of the joy out of it. To me it's just like charging more for the drinks (or whatever). It's like saying, "Part of the cost of the drink goes to the server", but it's kind of robbing me of the chance to say thank you to the one doing an excellent job.

 

I know you can always tip "more", but I think the enforced payment thing kind of discourages that. For example, if you like to tip 20% it adds like $.30 to a drink and leaving $.30 more is kind of inconvenient and looks a little chintzy. If I'd left $1 for the drink it's way more convenient, it's still 17% and more than the forced amount. There's also the psychological thing (at least in my case) because I just figure it's already taken care of and they must know what they are doing... so no bother. I mostly end up feeling like I didn't tip, but know I did, but feel like I didn't, but ... then I get over it.

 

Maybe there are enough people that don't tip at all and that's the root of the problem. Don't know.

 

Tom

 

I don't think anyone is taking a benefit away from you. You don't say which seating you are / were trying to book but I am going to assume you want first seating and that you booked your cruise later rather than earlier. If that is the case, then first seating is probably full or you would have been given a table. As you know, when booking Select Dining you pay your gratuities at the time of final payment. It is Celebrity's policy as well as other cruise lines to do this. They are just trying to ensure everyone gets tipped because most likey you won't have the same wait staff every night. Personally, I don't care for Select Dining and so we always choose the late seating AND we book our cruises well in advance. It's the best way to avoid your situation. Enjoy your cruise.

[texkan]

The question seems to be about why they have to tip 60 days in advance for Select dining (including the tips for the cabin attendant) and for Traditional dining they can charge to your room every day which is, effectively paid at the end of the cruise.

 

Some of us can't figure out why Select is different. The only thing I can think of is it is possible to stop or modify the daily tips for Traditional and they don't want you to be able to do that for Select. Perhaps the 60 day thing is just a convenience for them because they are collecting lots of money from you then anyway. Don't know. It is a curious difference. It's not a huge deal for me and it doesn't keep me from booking Select (we love it) And, as one poster commented, it may keep some others from doing Select which leaves more room for us :)

 

Doesn't stop me from being curious though. I think the whole gratuities thing on a cruise ship (all lines) is kind of shady. I fully believe in tipping and often tip a great deal for a wonderful experience, but forcing tips (like with drinks) takes some of the joy out of it. To me it's just like charging more for the drinks (or whatever). It's like saying, "Part of the cost of the drink goes to the server", but it's kind of robbing me of the chance to say thank you to the one doing an excellent job.

 

I know you can always tip "more", but I think the enforced payment thing kind of discourages that. For example, if you like to tip 20% it adds like $.30 to a drink and leaving $.30 more is kind of inconvenient and looks a little chintzy. If I'd left $1 for the drink it's way more convenient, it's still 17% and more than the forced amount. There's also the psychological thing (at least in my case) because I just figure it's already taken care of and they must know what they are doing... so no bother. I mostly end up feeling like I didn't tip, but know I did, but feel like I didn't, but ... then I get over it.

 

Maybe there are enough people that don't tip at all and that's the root of the problem. Don't know.

 

Tom

 

Has anyone ask Celebrity "Why" prepaid gratitudes??? for Select Dining???

 

 

I have heard of some cruisers that do Not tip (in the days when we were not charged per day)

[Ma Bell]

Of course it's because of the non-tippers. It's much easier to skip out when you don't have the same servers every day.

[excitedofharpenden]

Of course it's because of the non-tippers. It's much easier to skip out when you don't have the same servers every day.

Do you think? Say it isn't so!;)

 

Phil