Gratuities

[Akkers]

When are gratuities payable? Is it when you use a service of do gratuities become payble as soon as you step onto the ship for everyone?

[Ourusualbeach]

14 minutes ago, Akkers said:

When are gratuities payable? Is it when you use a service of do gratuities become payable as soon as you step onto the ship for everyone?

You can prepay your gratuities with final payment or the gratuity is charged to your on board account on a daily basis and you settle your account at the end of the cruise.

[brillohead]

41 minutes ago, Akkers said:

When are gratuities payable? Is it when you use a service of do gratuities become payble as soon as you step onto the ship for everyone?

Daily auto-gratuities are charged to your room folio daily and payable at the end of the cruise.  Can also be paid in advance of the cruise with your final payment.  (If you live in certain markets, the auto-grat was built into the cost of your cruise ahead of time.)

The 18% service charge/gratuity that is charged for spa treatments, drinks, etc., is added to your room folio at the time of purchase, and payable at the end of the cruise.

[Akkers]

Sorry, just confused. What is it for? If you were to just sit and do nothing all trip, do you still have to ay? If so, then why dont they include it in the fare price?

 

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, Akkers said:

Sorry, just confused. What is it for? If you were to just sit and do nothing all trip, do you still have to ay? If so, then why dont they include it in the fare price?

 

It is for your cabin stewards, dining staff and other employees.  They add it on extra so they can advertise a lower price.

[brillohead]

2 minutes ago, Akkers said:

Sorry, just confused. What is it for? If you were to just sit and do nothing all trip, do you still have to ay? If so, then why dont they include it in the fare price?

 

The auto-grat daily charge goes to the food servers and housekeeping staff.  It's the way that salary/wages have been allocated for sea-going servants/staff for ages and ages.  

Unless you intend to never eat or bathe or sleep for the entire trip, chances are that you will be utilizing that staff in some way.

There are some people who say that you CAN remove the charge from your account at Guest Services, and while that may be legal, it isn't ethical, IMO.  If you can afford to cruise, you can afford to pay for the service you receive.  

 

 

[Joseph2017China]

23 minutes ago, Akkers said:

Sorry, just confused. What is it for? If you were to just sit and do nothing all trip, do you still have to ay? If so, then why dont they include it in the fare price?

 

Some areas of the world will give you an all inclusive price of an item (taxes/VAT) included in price.  Yes, it makes it easier, but unfortunitely, it is not the case many other areas.  

 

On a ship, your cruise fare, taxes, and port charges are separate items.  When booking, you can also include you daily tips, which covers all service personal, except individual drinks or spas.  So, although it is separate line items on your invoice, it is included, if you pay for it up front.  Some people don't like paying for it up front, but that is a choice.

 

So, book and select prepay everything, see the final price, and you are good to go. 

[Akkers]

Being in the UK we are so use to seeing one price. So all this confuses me.

I guess if everyone WILL use a service then it should be included in the main fare. I see why they do it to bring down base price but it makes it vey confusing to some people.

When I go on other holidays I pay one price to the travel agent and everything is included (airport taxes, city taxes, hotel taxes, transfers, breakfast, dinner etc). I pay that one price and I am at peace, can take the holiday in harmony not having to worry about all sorts of extras cropping up.

[brillohead]

1 minute ago, Akkers said:

Being in the UK we are so use to seeing one price. So all this confuses me.

I guess if everyone WILL use a service then it should be included in the main fare. I see why they do it to bring down base price but it makes it vey confusing to some people.

When I go on other holidays I pay one price to the travel agent and everything is included (airport taxes, city taxes, hotel taxes, transfers, breakfast, dinner etc). I pay that one price and I am at peace, can take the holiday in harmony not having to worry about all sorts of extras cropping up.

It doesn't need to cause you all this angst.  Tell your travel agent that you want to include the gratuities in your fare (if it's not already included) and then don't think about it again.

 

[Rusty_lock]

2 hours ago, Akkers said:

Sorry, just confused. What is it for? If you were to just sit and do nothing all trip, do you still have to ay? If so, then why dont they include it in the fare price?

 

You must be a very unusual traveler.  I have never met someone doesn't eat in the restaurants or have their room serviced for a week.  

[LB_NJ]

4 minutes ago, Akkers said:

Being in the UK we are so use to seeing one price. So all this confuses me.

I guess if everyone WILL use a service then it should be included in the main fare. I see why they do it to bring down base price but it makes it vey confusing to some people.

When I go on other holidays I pay one price to the travel agent and everything is included (airport taxes, city taxes, hotel taxes, transfers, breakfast, dinner etc). I pay that one price and I am at peace, can take the holiday in harmony not having to worry about all sorts of extras cropping up.

 

It is a marketing scam to lower the base price.  Like a lot of hotels in the US are adding a large "resort" fee to the price but not advertising it, makes the price look lower in search engines.

 

Since gratuities are always added I just figure it in to the cost of the trip.

[Akkers]

8 minutes ago, Rusty_lock said:

You must be a very unusual traveler.  I have never met someone doesn't eat in the restaurants or have their room serviced for a week.  

 

I do eat in restaurants and have room cleaned. But what I am saying is that everyone is bound to use these services so why not include them in the base price. As others have said above that tyey do this to lower the base price to get customers and then hit them with these 'extras' which are not really extras but mandatory fees in effect.

I do believe that some cruise lines have all inclusive packages where gratituties, drinks and wi-fi are included in teh base price.

[smplybcause]

A few do include it, but besides the luxury lines it's only a few that always have it included and not just a promo (I can only think of celebrity and virgin) and it's a relatively new thing. I think around a year for celebrity. 

[Rusty_lock]

7 minutes ago, Akkers said:

 

I do eat in restaurants and have room cleaned. But what I am saying is that everyone is bound to use these services so why not include them in the base price. As others have said above that tyey do this to lower the base price to get customers and then hit them with these 'extras' which are not really extras but mandatory fees in effect.

I do believe that some cruise lines have all inclusive packages where gratituties, drinks and wi-fi are included in teh base price.

 

Oh, you implied that it was a possible scenario that you wouldn't in this post...

 

2 hours ago, Akkers said:

Sorry, just confused. What is it for? If you were to just sit and do nothing all trip, do you still have to ay? If so, then why dont they include it in the fare price?

 

Also, nothing is mandatory.  If you feel the staff is unworthy of your gratuity you can go to GS and have it removed.

 

 

[orville99]

We must be getting back to normal...it's been a long time since we've had a tipping thread💲🛳️😷

[BekkaW]

26 minutes ago, Akkers said:

Being in the UK we are so use to seeing one price. So all this confuses me.

I guess if everyone WILL use a service then it should be included in the main fare. I see why they do it to bring down base price but it makes it vey confusing to some people.

When I go on other holidays I pay one price to the travel agent and everything is included (airport taxes, city taxes, hotel taxes, transfers, breakfast, dinner etc). I pay that one price and I am at peace, can take the holiday in harmony not having to worry about all sorts of extras cropping up.

Cruise ships are fundamentally run on the American model, which is that certain staff receive a lot of their wages through gratuities. All of the major/mass market cruise lines run this way. It sounds like the best thing for you may be to ask your travel agent to include gratuities for you, that way they are pre paid and you don’t have to worry about it. 

 

 

 

 

[Sunshine3601]

21 minutes ago, Akkers said:

 

I do eat in restaurants and have room cleaned. But what I am saying is that everyone is bound to use these services so why not include them in the base price. As others have said above that tyey do this to lower the base price to get customers and then hit them with these 'extras' which are not really extras but mandatory fees in effect.

I do believe that some cruise lines have all inclusive packages where gratituties, drinks and wi-fi are included in teh base price.

Then when you book your cruise simply pre pay the daily gratuity fee and it will show your final invoice.  Fee is $14.50 USD pp for non suite cabins.

[OSUZorba]

1 hour ago, Akkers said:

Being in the UK we are so use to seeing one price. So all this confuses me.

I guess if everyone WILL use a service then it should be included in the main fare. I see why they do it to bring down base price but it makes it vey confusing to some people.

When I go on other holidays I pay one price to the travel agent and everything is included (airport taxes, city taxes, hotel taxes, transfers, breakfast, dinner etc). I pay that one price and I am at peace, can take the holiday in harmony not having to worry about all sorts of extras cropping up.

I don't like tipping culture in the US. So I always do prepaid tips and just count it as part of the fair. My TA knows to include tips without me even asking.

 

Then onboard I almost always tip my waiters and stateroom attendant a little more. I look at the onboard tip as for above and beyond service, while the prepaid tips are for the basic service.

 

The real problem is that the US allows companies to advertise prices that don't include required fees. Hotels are much worse than cruises.

[Ozark_Kid]

One advantage of not prepaying is that you can use any OBC acquired toward the gratuities. 

[molly361]

I've missed a good tipping thread😇

[D4]

It can be different for group cruises on Royal.  We go on a group cruise which can only be booked through that group. (It is a large group, not a full charter.)  The group charges everyone for gratuities with their cruise fare.  
 

The group has its own cancellation policies.  If you cancel, gratuities and port taxes/fees are NOT refundable.  We have to insure those costs in order to maintain our preexisting health condition waiver.

 

When we book cruises through Royal, we don’t have to insure those extra costs because they would automatically be refunded if we cancelled.

[grandgeezer]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

The auto-grat daily charge goes to the food servers and housekeeping staff.  It's the way that salary/wages have been allocated for sea-going servants/staff for ages and ages.  

Unless you intend to never eat or bathe or sleep for the entire trip, chances are that you will be utilizing that staff in some way.

There are some people who say that you CAN remove the charge from your account at Guest Services, and while that may be legal, it isn't ethical, IMO.  If you can afford to cruise, you can afford to pay for the service you receive.  

 

 

The problem is being told how much, and in most cases, prepaying not knowing the level of service you might receive. There is all kinds of talk about giving extra but none about reducing or removing them if the service isn’t up to your standard. Calling you by name or being jovial is not a reason to give extra, in my book.

For the record, we have never reduced or eliminated the gratuities but it’s been a long time since we’ve given extra. We are low maintenance and don’t ask for anything extra, besides, in most cases they haven’t got the time do to cutbacks. That’s between the crew and management, not my problem.

[brillohead]

5 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

The problem is being told how much, and in most cases, prepaying not knowing the level of service you might receive.

If you ever get service so bad that you would want to remove or reduce your gratuities, you should DEFINITELY be going up the ladder to the Housekeeping Supervisor or Head Waiter, or even the Hotel Director or Food and Beverage Director.

 

 

[LB_NJ]

31 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

One advantage of not prepaying is that you can use any OBC acquired toward the gratuities. 

 

It really should be included in the cruise price since it really is part of the crew's salary.  I am waiting for the cruise line to NOT include meals as a way of showing a lower price.

 

FYI, some of the lines that include other things (eg, non-alcoholic beverages, wifi) don't include gratuities. Annoying.

 

I also don't prepay because I would rather have the money in my possession in case something goes wrong (eg, cruise gets cancelled, they sell the ship, I cancel, etc.). This is in addition to the OBC reason.

[Ourusualbeach]

23 minutes ago, D4 said:

It can be different for group cruises on Royal.  We go on a group cruise which can only be booked through that group. (It is a large group, not a full charter.)  The group charges everyone for gratuities with their cruise fare.  
 

The group has its own cancellation policies.  If you cancel, gratuities and port taxes/fees are NOT refundable.  We have to insure those costs in order to maintain our preexisting health condition waiver.

 

When we book cruises through Royal, we don’t have to insure those extra costs because they would automatically be refunded if we cancelled.

Just so that others reading this are clear that the group cruise you described even though not a full ship charter is still a contracted group and as you said you have to book through that group in order to participate.  Those are quite different than the groups that many travel agents offer. Those that book through travel agents into group rates still enjoy the benefits of a refundable deposit and that they would have port fees and taxes as well as gratuities (if they chose to prepay them) refunded in the event that they cancel after final payment