Can you lock in gratuities at current price?

[asalligo]

I suspect that this has been discussed, but I cannot find it. If I prepay gratuities now at 13.99 a person for my future cruise, is that price locked in or will they just be adjusted at time of sailing for the difference. I see on Carnivals website that it says gratuity amount can be adjusted up to sail date. I expect Carnival will up this amount before my 2023 cruise. 

[tm_aw_love]

Yes, when Carnival has bumped gratuities in the past, they did not adjust them for the people who had already pre-paid with their booking. 

[xDisconnections]

Do you think Carnival’s crew will be deserving of this increase or do you think the service you receive will not justify an additional dollar?

 

Many of these crew members have been out of work for months. 

[amilicia]

Have I missed something somewhere? Was there an announcement about gratuities being increased in the near future?  I usually prepay, so if they're going up I'd like to know so I can get them paid for my Nov. 2021 cruise.  Thanks.

[BlerkOne]

Perhaps a few years?

[asalligo]

2 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Do you think Carnival’s crew will be deserving of this increase or do you think the service you receive will not justify an additional dollar?

 

Many of these crew members have been out of work for months. 

I think Carnival should be paying their employees and not relying on the passengers for their employees salary and yes I also think that $14 per day per person which equates to $56 a day and $392 for the week for my family is already more than enough and I will certainly take the chance to save a few bucks by paying them early. I always prepay them and do not short the crew, but I will say again this is not a gratuity when expected and auto charged. A gratuity is something extra I give you on top of your salary for an exemplary job, I think it meant much more before it being charged to your account and they were hand delivered.   

[ProgRockCruiser]

40 minutes ago, asalligo said:

I think Carnival should be paying their employees and not relying on the passengers for their employees salary and yes I also think that $14 per day per person which equates to $56 a day and $392 for the week for my family is already more than enough and I will certainly take the chance to save a few bucks by paying them early. I always prepay them and do not short the crew, but I will say again this is not a gratuity when expected and auto charged. A gratuity is something extra I give you on top of your salary for an exemplary job, I think it meant much more before it being charged to your account and they were hand delivered.   

Well, we must be getting closer to cruising if we have returned to the discussions over gratuities (should I pre-pay?, I prefer to pay in person and in cash and remove them at CS, are they really grats if automatically charged?, Carnival should just increase salaries and include it in the price, etc).

 

If I wear a mask do I get a discount on grats?

 

😜

[Jamesatgsu]

43 minutes ago, asalligo said:

I think Carnival should be paying their employees and not relying on the passengers for their employees salary and yes I also think that $14 per day per person which equates to $56 a day and $392 for the week for my family is already more than enough and I will certainly take the chance to save a few bucks by paying them early. I always prepay them and do not short the crew, but I will say again this is not a gratuity when expected and auto charged. A gratuity is something extra I give you on top of your salary for an exemplary job, I think it meant much more before it being charged to your account and they were hand delivered.   

 

Most of us agree, but the model is what the model is, and for what the crew does, incredibly well deserved. Given what they've been through the last year with little end in sight, it just isn't the right place to be thinking about saving a few dollars right now.

[asalligo]

I do understand why they started auto charges for gratuities and they were right to do that if they want 13.99 per person. I paid $349 for my cruise for two people in March and right or wrong without another guide I would have confidently said a solid amount to tip would be twenty percent of my fare which would only have been $70, not the $139 I paid for the five day cruise. 

[Stick93]

Love a good gratuity thread - but we will all be much older and paying much more when cruising restarts. There will be more to discuss when it comes to money than auto gratuities. 

[RiotAct]

12 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Do you think Carnival’s crew will be deserving of this increase

For sure.  In addition to their manifold other duties, they’ll now have to play mask police.

[xDisconnections]

10 hours ago, asalligo said:

I think Carnival should be paying their employees and not relying on the passengers for their employees salary and yes I also think that $14 per day per person which equates to $56 a day and $392 for the week for my family is already more than enough and I will certainly take the chance to save a few bucks by paying them early. I always prepay them and do not short the crew, but I will say again this is not a gratuity when expected and auto charged. A gratuity is something extra I give you on top of your salary for an exemplary job, I think it meant much more before it being charged to your account and they were hand delivered.   

Then remove them and tip as you wish.

[xDisconnections]

8 hours ago, asalligo said:

I do understand why they started auto charges for gratuities and they were right to do that if they want 13.99 per person. I paid $349 for my cruise for two people in March and right or wrong without another guide I would have confidently said a solid amount to tip would be twenty percent of my fare which would only have been $70, not the $139 I paid for the five day cruise. 

Lol, why would you tip a percentage of your room rate for something that would spread through several departments? That just wouldn’t work and would be an accounting nightmare.

[Moviela]

It is an age old argument in the hospitality business that the company should pay more so the clients don't need to tip. This does not work for the company because they want the job to be done, and provide their guests with the finest service, and just paying more does not accomplish that goal. It does not work for the crew because they feel if they put in the extra work to make guest happy they should make more than the one next to them that is simply going through the motions. The answer to both sides is to make their position a tipped one.

 

On Carnival tips are automatic, but not mandatory. I have never had a reason to remove any automatic tip, and compensate individuals who go beyond what is expected for my comfort. 

 

As for the question of the day, I do believe prepaid gratuities are protected from any increase. If the policy should change, nothing stops you from visiting guest services to remove all or part of the increase you feel is unearned.  There is no need to give the clerk a reason, just the amount you wish removed from your folio. 

[pe4all]

Many countries pay their workers a "living wage" and you do not tip.  When we were in South Africa and Europe we did not realize this until a waiter actually returned our tip, explaining this.  We still tipped (cash) for good service, as we would anywhere.  We always pre-pay our grats on any cruise we go on, and still tip extra for laundry being picked up, drinks in casino, extra towels/blankets, and anything else extra we ask for.

[beerman2]

Trying to remember but isn't a prerequisite that the cruise be paid in full, then gratuity and other fees are grandfathered in?

 

Cruiselines usually give notice with gratuity increases, so everyone has time to pay.

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, pe4all said:

Many countries pay their workers a "living wage" and you do not tip.  When we were in South Africa and Europe we did not realize this until a waiter actually returned our tip, explaining this.  We still tipped (cash) for good service, as we would anywhere.  We always pre-pay our grats on any cruise we go on, and still tip extra for laundry being picked up, drinks in casino, extra towels/blankets, and anything else extra we ask for.

Tipping is world wide except  for a few Asian countries.  Other countries' customs vary, they may call it a "service charge" or you may just leave change but it is still a tip.  https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2008-11-11/etiquette-101-tipping-guide 

[scpirate]

On 2/9/2021 at 2:48 PM, ProgRockCruiser said:

Well, we must be getting closer to cruising if we have returned to the discussions over gratuities (should I pre-pay?, I prefer to pay in person and in cash and remove them at CS, are they really grats if automatically charged?, Carnival should just increase salaries and include it in the price, etc).

 

If I wear a mask do I get a discount on grats?

 

😜

You might .it just depends on how ugly you are.

[MsOne]

It only increases if you want it to since it is a suggestion, not a mandatory charge.