Prepaid Gratuities Non Refundable

[cle-guy]

So I read here al the time about how prepaid gratuities can't be refunded. I've been on cruses where passengers discuss this and are ticked off about the policy.

 

Question I have, is where in the does Celebrity make us aware of this little tidbit that we on CC all know about?

 

I have searched the website, and done several bookings and reservations, click on the various T&C links and nowhere I could see do I get any notation that once I choose Select dining and prepay gratuities, that I can not modify them.

 

I do read join the FAQ section of the website that gratuities can be modified at ones discretion:

At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations, in which case they will not automatically be added to your onboard SeaPass® account.

 

So someplace they must have to clearly stipulate that Select dining prepaid gratuities follow a different policy, right? Otherwise this published policy would have to apply?

 

Can anyone here point me to where on X website it lets us all know this?

[phoenix_dream]

I don't use Select Dining and was not aware of this policy (since I don't, I tend to skip over threads that discuss this I guess - for some reason this one caught my eye). That is a really poor policy. By their very nature, a gratuity is supposed to be optional. If not, it is not a gratuity it is a charge. :(

[cle-guy]

I don't use Select Dining and was not aware of this policy (since I don't, I tend to skip over threads that discuss this I guess - for some reason this one caught my eye). That is a really poor policy. By their very nature, a gratuity is supposed to be optional. If not, it is not a gratuity it is a charge. :(

 

Please, there are enough threads of this nature, so I'd like this one not to spin off the wheels and go down that old road about what word we call it, tip gratuity, service charge whatever. All are Synonyms of the same process.

 

Anyone wanting to discuss the nuances of these synonyms, please do so in this thread.

I'm really looking for where on the website or anywhere the policy is put out there.

[wv4891]

Take a look at this, it is from the Celebrity website. Look under Main Dining Arrangements, Celebrity Select Dining. Next to last sentence of the second paragraph. It does not totally answer your question but explains prepaid gratuities for Select Dining.

 

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/cruise-restaurants-main-dining

Edited March 20, 2015 by wv4891

[jelayne]

I can't find it either.

 

When I heard and read folks discussing pre-paid Gratuties being non-refundable I made the assumption they were talking about those pre-paid Gratuties offered as a promo by X or given by a TA. I didn't realize they were referring to those pre-paid by the passenger.

[C-Dragons]

X made prepaid gratuities mandatory to protect the wait staff in Select Dining from losing tips. If they are nonrefundable, there is a valid reason for it.

[dkjretired]

I can tell you that if you get on board and cancel the gratuities, they will cancel your Select dining and put you in traditonal dining. The gratuities will then be returned on the credit card you charged them to. I am passing this on from personal experience as it was done to me by Celebrity when we made a last minute change to Aqua.

 

Also, when discussing this, there are some who do not know what pre paid gratuities are so the conversation gets confusing.

[RocketMan275]

Cle,

 

Thanks for trying to clarify this subject. BTW, I've seen the claim that one cannot modify pre-paid gratuities on other boards, ie, RCI, Princess, etc. I've seen a few people say you can and others say you cannot.

 

Looking forward to a definitive answer.

[cle-guy]

I can tell you that if you get on board and cancel the gratuities, they will cancel your Select dining and put you in traditonal dining. The gratuities will then be returned on the credit card you charged them to. I am passing this on from personal experience as it was done to me by Celebrity when we made a last minute change to Aqua.

 

Also, when discussing this, there are some who do not know what pre paid gratuities are so the conversation gets confusing.

 

So would this mean

• one can cancel on board,
  
• get moved to Fixed Dining,
  
• get the refund to the credit card used to pay for them (i.e. not to the SeaPass account but refund direct to a credit card),
  
• come back later and get moved back to Select Dining and
  
• have the gratuities put back on the SeaPass account (for example, to use up OBC to pay them instead of prepaid with cash)?
  

 

You have the slight nuance of moving to BLU and out of Select dining which I would think would allow changes.

Edited March 20, 2015 by cle-guy

[dkjretired]

So would this mean

• one can cancel on board,
  
• get moved to Fixed Dining,
  
• get the refund to the credit card used to pay for them (i.e. not to the SeaPass account but refund direct to a credit card),
  
• come back later and get moved back to Select Dining and
  
• have the gratuities put back on the SeaPass account (for example, to use up OBC to pay them instead of prepaid with cash)?
  

 

You have the slight nuance of moving to BLU and out of Select dining which I would think would allow changes.

 

I would guess so, this was a couple years ago and seemed to me at the time to be kinda silly but that's the way it was. The only thing you need to add is the gratuities will then be placed on your account all at once and not daily. Seems an awful lot of trouble with the possibility that Select Dining might be full.

[drinkspackageexpert]

I don't understand why anyone would even consider removing them in the first place!! They work hard enough for them...those gratuities cover more than the wait staff or room stewards. Remember that please.

[GazW]

As an exercise in futility, I endeavoured to find such a policy. And failed.

 

However during the booking process there is a statement that alludes to a difference between gratuities pre-paid for Select Dining and ...er...not.

 

"While tipping is not mandatory (unless you have selected flexible dining)..."

 

Not sure if that's a definitive policy statement...

Edited March 20, 2015 by GazW

[cle-guy]

I don't understand why anyone would even consider removing them in the first place!! They work hard enough for them...those gratuities cover more than the wait staff or room stewards. Remember that please.

 

For many, it's because they want to use OBC to pay the grats, and not have to pay it prior to cruising with cash.

 

Again, point of this thread isn't about the custom of tipping. Instead go here.

[Azulann]

For many, it's because they want to use OBC to pay the grats, and not have to pay it prior to cruising with cash.

 

Again, point of this thread isn't about the custom of tipping. Instead go here.

 

If that is the case, then just select traditional dining pre-cruise. Once on board change to select dining. Use your OBC for gratuities.

 

Our story: six of us on the Century Panama Canal cruise. First night at traditional late seating, we saw that one person was sitting at our table for six , not part of our party. Turns out he had that table before and was on a back to back. Before we got to table we asked to be move because we wanted to eat just with our party of six.

No Problem ,was the answer. We were taken to the upper level and seated at a table for six in Select dining. We ate there every night, same table, same wait staff.

Our gratuities were taken from our sea pass account.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Azulann

[sptrout]

When I booked our Equinox cruise (directly with Celebrity) I specifically asked if my not required (but paid) prepaid gratuities were refunded if I had to cancel the cruise (so I could buy the correct level of travel insurance from another vendor). Celebrity's CSR said "no" that anything in the contract was not refundable if there is a last minute cancellation. This was surprising to me because 1) I did not have to pay in advance so I assumed that they were refundable like prepaid tours and many other things, and 2) we all know that with the exception of day/week of departure cancellations, they resell your previously booked cabin, then they will get a double set of gratuities (even if they have to take a big dive on the price of the cabin to sell it).

 

I agree with the OP that this is not spelled out at all on Celebrity's website, and frankly IMO, is wrong.

[cle-guy]

When I booked our Equinox cruise (directly with Celebrity) I specifically asked if my not required (but paid) prepaid gratuities were refunded if I had to cancel the cruise (so I could buy the correct level of travel insurance from another vendor). Celebrity's CSR said "no" that anything in the contract was not refundable if there is a last minute cancellation. This was surprising to me because

 

I'm fairly certain the CSR is 100% incorrect in that advice.

 

I believe if you cancel, they keep ONLY the cruise fare, they refund taxes/fees and any extras, including gratuities.

[helen haywood]

I had to cancel a Celebrity cruise just days before sailing. (Luckily I had insurance.) I was refunded the pre-paid gratuities along with the port fees and taxes.

[sptrout]

I'm fairly certain the CSR is 100% incorrect in that advice.

 

I believe if you cancel, they keep ONLY the cruise fare, they refund taxes/fees and any extras, including gratuities.

 

I thought that the CSR was nuts, but I did not have the time to argue with him or dig into it elsewhere; I just added a few more dollars to my insurance coverage, which cost next to nothing (or maybe it was nothing extra - don't remember now).

[dkjretired]

If that is the case, then just select traditional dining pre-cruise. Once on board change to select dining. Use your OBC for gratuities.

 

 

Correct, totally pointless exercise to choose select dining, no reason to do it as you would take the chance of not getting it once on board.

Edited March 20, 2015 by dkjretired

[miched]

What if you recieved prepaid gratuities thru the promo of All In? I don't think that Celebrity would allow anyone removing them as that would be adding more money to your reduce your cruise fare.

 

It would almost be the same as if they let you cancel the drink pack and receive SBC a for it.

 

There may be a code on the gratuites if you received them thru a promo indicating that they are non refundable but if you paid them in advance I think they can be removed according to their guidelines.

 

happy cruising 🌊🇺🇸🚢🌞

[cle-guy]

What if you recieved prepaid gratuities thru the promo of All In? I don't think that Celebrity would allow anyone removing them as that would be adding more money to your reduce your cruise fare.

 

It would almost be the same as if they let you cancel the drink pack and receive SBC a for it.

 

There may be a code on the gratuites if you received them thru a promo indicating that they are non refundable but if you paid them in advance I think they can be removed according to their guidelines.

 

happy cruising

 

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only talking about gratuities someone paid for out of pocket, not via any promotional offer.

 

In your instance, if one wanted them refunded, they would refund to the method of payment initially used, which would roll back to Celebrity's in house accounts, not passenger SeaPass account.. As dkjretired noted, in instances he's aware of refunds, they go to original method of payment, not to SeaPass account.

 

Promotionally offered perks come with their own set of guidelines and T&C's, those seem crystal clear and are spelled out as to not being able to be modified or changed etc.

Edited March 20, 2015 by cle-guy

[pcur]

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only talking about gratuities someone paid for out of pocket, not via any promotional offer.

 

But, perhaps the rest of us reading this thread would like to know about the ins and outs of promotional pre-paid tips. I also like to read about the nuances of tipping and other people's opinions without being forced to go to another (last count) two other threads.

 

Personally, I always book on board a ship and the obc I receive pretty much reimburses me for the prepaid tips. I cash out for a 5% fee in the casino, or use it for something else I would have paid for anyway. It's all in and out of the same pot. I prepay the tips, they give me the money for something else.

[dkjretired]

For the purposes of this thread, I'm only talking about gratuities someone paid for out of pocket, not via any promotional offer.

 

In your instance, if one wanted them refunded, they would refund to the method of payment initially used, which would roll back to Celebrity's in house accounts, not passenger SeaPass account.. As dkjretired noted, in instances he's aware of refunds, they go to original method of payment, not to SeaPass account.

 

Promotionally offered perks come with their own set of guidelines and T&C's, those seem crystal clear and are spelled out as to not being able to be modified or changed etc.

 

Once again mine was a special circumstance involving a transfer to Blu and I believe was just automatically done by the computer.

[TRAVELBABE1]

Correct, totally pointless exercise to choose select dining, no reason to do it as you would take the chance of not getting it once on board.

 

In the case of our cruise, which we booked 7 months out, both seatings were already full. The ONLY option was Select Dining and therefore pre-paid gratuities. I always read about Select being sold out but not the other way around! Was wondering whether they wanted more people than not on the Select Dining, precisely because the gratuities were charged in advance.

[cle-guy]

In the case of our cruise, which we booked 7 months out, both seatings were already full. The ONLY option was Select Dining and therefore pre-paid gratuities. I always read about Select being sold out but not the other way around! Was wondering whether they wanted more people than not on the Select Dining, precisely because the gratuities were charged in advance.

 

Select dining has far fewer seats than fixed dining.

 

It's not about revenue collection (pay them now or pay them later what's it really matter its the same in the end). It's about what people decide they want, every cruise has a different demographic, some want faces, some want select. Can also vary on port intensive cruises too, where select is a better option for many.