Cafedumonde Posted January 29, 2016 #1 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Just wondering if there is an advantage to including gratuities in original booking or should I opt out? Thanks to anyone who has any advice on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted January 29, 2016 #2 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Just wondering if there is an advantage to including gratuities in original booking or should I opt out? Thanks to anyone who has any advice on this. The advantage is that when you board the ship they are already paid, and your bill when you leave is less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffatsea Posted January 29, 2016 #3 Share Posted January 29, 2016 No advantage either way. Just a matter of preference for some folks. We don't like to pay bills before we need to do it so paying tips ahead of time when it is not necessary is just not something we would do. Others just like as may bills as possible out of the way as soon as possible. Take your pick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine5715 Posted January 29, 2016 #4 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Just wondering if there is an advantage to including gratuities in original booking or should I opt out? Thanks to anyone who has any advice on this. No advantage, I find it convenient to have my full costs upfront and never think of it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedispatcher Posted January 29, 2016 #5 Share Posted January 29, 2016 I like to have my trip paid for in advance so I don't have to think about it on the vacation. I know a lot of people who would rather pay at the end, though... So definitely personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopamanluva Posted January 29, 2016 #6 Share Posted January 29, 2016 No advantage, I find it convenient to have my full costs upfront and never think of it again. i agree. one less thing to worry about and budget for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtalum Posted January 29, 2016 #7 Share Posted January 29, 2016 No advantage. IMHO it's silly to pay before you have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7upp Posted January 29, 2016 #8 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Not saying I've done this, but if you prepay gratuities, you cannot adjust the number down if you receive poor service. Handling gratuities after on board gives you control over the purse strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Reid Posted January 29, 2016 #9 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Three reasons not to for me. I'll keep the money in my pocket for as long as possible. I firmly believe in paying on time; I see no advantage to getting it out of the way. Second, if you have a good amount of OBC, you would not be able to put it towards gratuities if you pay in advance. The cruise and taxes must be paid in advance. Paying gratuities with your other final charges actually spreads out the total cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliair Posted January 29, 2016 #10 Share Posted January 29, 2016 No advantage. IMHO it's silly to pay before you have to. I agree with this. I never understood the "worry" part. Either you have the money to pay or you don't. We bring cash with us and pay it off at customer service, no CC bill no worries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draco_m Posted January 29, 2016 #11 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Three reasons not to for me. I'll keep the money in my pocket for as long as possible. I firmly believe in paying on time; I see no advantage to getting it out of the way. Second, if you have a good amount of OBC, you would not be able to put it towards gratuities if you pay in advance. The cruise and taxes must be paid in advance. Paying gratuities with your other final charges actually spreads out the total cost. Listen to Natty on this! Especially reason #2. If there is *any* chance - even one in a hundred- that you will not use all your OBC (onboard credit) then you're want the OBC going toward your gratuity. Otherwise your OBC is simply forfeited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMSACE6 Posted January 29, 2016 #12 Share Posted January 29, 2016 We all have our preferences! I used to never prepay gratuities, and had them added to my on board sail and sign account, but given that i usually book my cruises a year or 10 months away from cruise date, I have started to prepay them, but only at final payment date. I dont see any reason to prepay them a year in advance...and again that is just me and my prefrence, yet I do like to get some charges out of the way before I board the ship, so now, I will prepay the gratuities when I make final payment. again, this just because it is the way I like to do it now, but to each their own, as long as it gets paid!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podna's Posted January 29, 2016 #13 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Not saying I've done this, but if you prepay gratuities, you cannot adjust the number down if you receive poor service. Handling gratuities after on board gives you control over the purse strings. As much as I disagree with adjusting gratuities down, you can still adjust if pre paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capo Capitan Posted January 29, 2016 #14 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Not saying I've done this, but if you prepay gratuities, you cannot adjust the number down if you receive poor service. Handling gratuities after on board gives you control over the purse strings. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capo Capitan Posted January 29, 2016 #15 Share Posted January 29, 2016 I don't understand why topics like this come up. You have to pay them, so who cares when? I owe the IRS $500. Who cares if I pay it today or wait until 4/15, I still have to pay it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Reid Posted January 29, 2016 #16 Share Posted January 29, 2016 (edited) I don't understand why topics like this come up. You have to pay them, so who cares when? I owe the IRS $500. Who cares if I pay it today or wait until 4/15, I still have to pay it. I don't see how caring what others do applies. OP asked for opinions from both sides and that's what has been given. Edited January 29, 2016 by natty bumppo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenjiRodney Posted January 29, 2016 #17 Share Posted January 29, 2016 One less thing to worry about. I also prepay any pre/post cruise hotels. Like as many as possible expenses out of the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftykitty Posted January 29, 2016 #18 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Being from Canada, I book a year in advance and paid as much off as I could while our $$ was still worth something :). Gratuities, excursions, pre/post hotels, bottomless bubbles for DH, everything that I could pay in advance got paid for a year ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeyluver Posted January 29, 2016 #19 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Being from Canada, I book a year in advance and paid as much off as I could while our $$ was still worth something :). Gratuities, excursions, pre/post hotels, bottomless bubbles for DH, everything that I could pay in advance got paid for a year ago. my thoughts exactly!! so glad I prepaid our gratuities and bought some obc before our $$ really tanked!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Geegitz Posted January 29, 2016 #20 Share Posted January 29, 2016 We always prepay. There is nothing that any team member could really do to have us reduce tips. They all work hard. Service would pretty much have to be totally non existent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Geegitz Posted January 29, 2016 #21 Share Posted January 29, 2016 We like having a zero balance when we walk onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bar1068 Posted January 29, 2016 #22 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Listen to Natty on this! Especially reason #2. If there is *any* chance - even one in a hundred- that you will not use all your OBC (onboard credit) then you're want the OBC going toward your gratuity. Otherwise your OBC is simply forfeited. Not necessarily. There is OBC that is refundable. There has been a multitude of "discussions" on here of how to get any or all of your S&S balance in cash before cruise end, for refundable and non-refundable OBC. Plus one could have enough OBC and still have a "balance" even after paying the "gratuities". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GabbyCooks Posted January 29, 2016 #23 Share Posted January 29, 2016 We like to pre pay as much as possible so we don't have to worry about it during the cruise. I always add gratuities at booking and pay it like it's part of the cruise fare. I honestly don't even notice a difference. I've never had OBC that wasn't used, lol, but if so you can easily get the cash for it from the casino or kiosk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare crewsweeper Posted January 29, 2016 #24 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Not saying I've done this, but if you prepay gratuities, you cannot adjust the number down if you receive poor service. Handling gratuities after on board gives you control over the purse strings. The % of prepaid tips to each area is relatively small. The crew on board that services you depends on these for their earnings, much of which is sent back to their families in their home countries. If you have really really poor service at a restaurant, the way to recognize that is to leave a tip that is significantly less than the recommended 15-20%. Leaving 0 tips just labels you as a cheapskate (and from a waitstaff perspective, maybe a demanding cheapskate:eek: ). Similarly, the way to recognize really poor service on board a cruise ship is to NOT give cabin stewards, MDR waiters, bartenders/waiters, maître d' s et.al. ANY ADDITIONAL TIPS! If you prepay, be sure your cruise documents indicate you have prepaid. Sometimes that doesn't get into the ship's accounting system and you could be charged tips again, which are more than the prepaid tips. The double billing will be removed or credited to your cc billing later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachbum53 Posted January 29, 2016 #25 Share Posted January 29, 2016 Three reasons not to for me. I'll keep the money in my pocket for as long as possible. I firmly believe in paying on time; I see no advantage to getting it out of the way. Second, if you have a good amount of OBC, you would not be able to put it towards gratuities if you pay in advance. The cruise and taxes must be paid in advance. Paying gratuities with your other final charges actually spreads out the total cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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