Royal just raised gratuities will Celebrity follow.

[LB_NJ]

Royal just raised gratuities to $16 for lower cabins and gave existing bookings the option to pay the existing rate..

 

Do you think Celebrity will follow?

[Denny01]

Yup. 

 

Den

[alyssamma]

What's the hi/low on number of forums this question will be posted on?

 

I guess any time any line does anything every other thread needs to get the will "insert line" do this too.

 

Has X raised gratuities before? Yep. Will they do it again? Yep. Prices go up...it's what happens.

[canderson]

Of course, since the vast majority are likely getting the AI package, it's just a + and - wash, but you know it's part of those fares, too!

 

[DirtyDawg]

50 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

Royal just raised gratuities to $16 for lower cabins and gave existing bookings the option to pay the existing rate..

 

Do you think Celebrity will follow?

Will the sun come up tomorrow? You bet your sweet bippy it will! So will X.

[dlh015]

Of course they will...

 

But I'm wondering if I can take a picture of a 10 dollar bill and use that as payment...

[NutsAboutGolf]

It's inevitable it will go up again and again and again and again, etc...

[grandgeezer]

2 hours ago, canderson said:

Of course, since the vast majority are likely getting the AI package, it's just a + and - wash, but you know it's part of those fares, too!

 

I doubt very seriously that a vast majority are getting the AI package. If that was true, why would the even offer the cruise only rate? That would go against their policy of squeezing every penny out of their passengers.

[Denny01]

12 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

I doubt very seriously that a vast majority are getting the AI package. If that was true, why would the even offer the cruise only rate? That would go against their policy of squeezing every penny out of their passengers.

I’ve been on a few Celebrity cruises and somehow came off the cruise with a ‘few pennies’ left. That is part of our personal decision-making of what we pay out for. If someone decides a few bucks increase in gratuities is somehow not legit, dont book, cancel, whatever. 

 

I got called out for making a joke about the complaints about candy bar prices, so i Won’t crack a joke here. If X decides to increase gratuities, or specialty dining, or SRs or tours or candy bars or whatever…..make your call….and take a look at all the other costs that have risen in the vacation business, and everywhere else.

 

Den 

[read2learn]

3 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Royal just raised gratuities to $16 for lower cabins and gave existing bookings the option to pay the existing rate..

 

Do you think Celebrity will follow?

Posted on the website now.  

• $15.50USD per person, per day for Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms
• $16.00USD per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms
• $19.00USD per person, per day for guests of The Retreat.

[Cruise Junky]

$41.49 a day Canadian sure adds up.  They deserve it but it’s always factored into land trip cruise calculations for us.  Check mark in the land trip column for this one.  

[jelayne]

Just now, Cruise Junky said:

$41.49 a day Canadian sure adds up.  They deserve it but it’s always factored into land trip cruise calculations for us.  Check mark in the land trip column for this one.  

There are tips involved in every land trip we have taken.  Tips for hotel maid & bellman, tips in restaurants, tips for tour guides, tips for baggage handlers at airport.  

[Cruise Junky]

2 minutes ago, jelayne said:

There are tips involved in every land trip we have taken.  Tips for hotel maid & bellman, tips in restaurants, tips for tour guides, tips for baggage handlers at airport.  

Depends where you go.  We’ve done australia three times and tipping is not much. We’re currently looking at an extended NZ and AU trip. Tipping is not prevalent in either country.  
 

We leave next week for a month in Hawaii. We have a condo so will only be tipping if we go out at night.  I understand specialty restaurants at Celebrity also now add in 18%?   Not everywhere in the world has the US tipping culture. 

[dlh015]

54 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

I’ve been on a few Celebrity cruises and somehow came off the cruise with a ‘few pennies’ left. That is part of our personal decision-making of what we pay out for. If someone decides a few bucks increase in gratuities is somehow not legit, dont book, cancel, whatever. 

 

I got called out for making a joke about the complaints about candy bar prices, so i Won’t crack a joke here. If X decides to increase gratuities, or specialty dining, or SRs or tours or candy bars or whatever…..make your call….and take a look at all the other costs that have risen in the vacation business, and everywhere else.

 

Den 

", so i Won’t crack a joke here. "

 

I hear that...tough crowd sometimes...lol...I should be happy...my poor attempt at humor was a non-starter...

[dlh015]

53 minutes ago, read2learn said:

Posted on the website now.  

• $15.50USD per person, per day for Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms
• $16.00USD per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms
• $19.00USD per person, per day for guests of The Retreat.

And it's been that way since Jan. 2020 according to this article:

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Celebrity-Cruises-Is-Raising-Daily-Gratuity-Charges

 

ETA: And Princess is 14.50, 15.50, and 16.50 for their comparable staterooms...

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by dlh015

[PTC DAWG]

45 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

Depends where you go.  We’ve done australia three times and tipping is not much. We’re currently looking at an extended NZ and AU trip. Tipping is not prevalent in either country.  
 

We leave next week for a month in Hawaii. We have a condo so will only be tipping if we go out at night.  I understand specialty restaurants at Celebrity also now add in 18%?   Not everywhere in the world has the US tipping culture. 

If you can afford to fly all over the world, a little tip isn’t the end of the world. When in Rome…  

Edited August 24, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[dlh015]

"We leave next week for a month in Hawaii."

 

Well, we know where that tip money went...

[Cruise Junky]

5 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

"We leave next week for a month in Hawaii."

 

Well, we know where that tip money went...

Lol…nice one!   We actually cancelled a celebrity 18 day cruise to do this instead. The month in Hawaii was cheaper than a 1A balcony 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Cruise Junky]

13 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

If you can afford to fly all over the world, a little tip isn’t the end of the world. When in Rome…  

I didn’t say it was the end of the world. I said it was a tick in the land trip column.  

[dlh015]

"The month in Hawaii was cheaper than a 1A balcony "

 

And that's saying something considering how prices have gone up in Hawaii. We pretty much go every year but not since the pandemic. Last week I was checking out a few of the condos we usually stay at and let's just say we had a case of sticker shock for sure (nowadays we usually go to Maui, west side).

 

Have fun...this is a good time of the year for Hawaii...(well, usually...)

 

 

[Cruise Junky]

2 minutes ago, dlh015 said:

"The month in Hawaii was cheaper than a 1A balcony "

 

And that's saying something considering how prices have gone up in Hawaii. We pretty much go every year but not since the pandemic. Last week I was checking out a few of the condos we usually stay at and let's just say we had a case of sticker shock for sure (nowadays we usually go to Maui, west side).

 

Have fun...this is a good time of the year for Hawaii...(well, usually...)

 

 

Luckily we have a guy we’ve rented from for over 10 years but I hear you. Prices are nuts.  By the time I get back it might not have been cheaper than a 1A 😂

[upwarduk]

4 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Depends where you go.  We’ve done australia three times and tipping is not much. We’re currently looking at an extended NZ and AU trip. Tipping is not prevalent in either country.  

This is why AI was originally started, as tips were added to the Cruise fare in Australia. That way, you couldn’t go to Guest Relations and remove the daily tips, which were added to your bill.

Edited August 24, 2022 by upwarduk

[waggie]

I logged on to book a non alcoholic drink package yesterday for May 23 and the price had increased from the day before. 

[chemmo]

5 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Depends where you go.  We’ve done australia three times and tipping is not much. We’re currently looking at an extended NZ and AU trip. Tipping is not prevalent in either country.  
 

We leave next week for a month in Hawaii. We have a condo so will only be tipping if we go out at night.  I understand specialty restaurants at Celebrity also now add in 18%?   Not everywhere in the world has the US tipping culture. 

Not everywhere in the world has the US tipping culture but many places simply charge more in the first place! So the steak meal you have in the US is cheaper on the menu but then add on the tip and the steak meal has actually cost what your ‘more expensive to start with’ but no tip Aussie steak meal has cost.

 

Swings and roundabouts…

 

Smoke and mirrors…everything we buy is going up, companies we are buying from are trying to use a bit of magic to ‘hide’ increasing costs. Is it just here in the UK that packs of six cakes have become packs of five or is it a worldwide phenomenon? Just don’t get me started on the size of mars bars!

 

Increasing cruise line charge, increase gratuities, making more things extra payment…All that matters at the end of the day is that bottom line. Either you are happy with it or choose not to pay…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by chemmo

[the penguins]

35 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

This is why AI was originally started, as tips were added to the Cruise fare in Australia. That way, you couldn’t go to Guest Relations and remove the daily tips, which were added to your bill.

Even when AI was compolsary you could still have the tips reduced. Fortunately those days are gone and we now have the choice. Tips being added (marketed as not required) in Australia and NZ started way before the short lived AI pricing elsewhere.