Royal just raised gratuities will Celebrity follow.

[Fly and Sail]

How much was it before for Aqua Class? When I try to add it in the Cruise Manager it now wants to charge me $16 but since I booked in May I will for sure insist on the original price.

[Realrunner]

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

[DirtyDawg]

55 minutes ago, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

And who supplies the money to RCL and the other cruise lines in order for them to pay those higher wages? We do - the guests. It all comes out of the same pockets. The only difference is the manner in which the cash is extracted. 😉

 

Technically, these days some of the extra cash needed to pay higher salaries would come from the bondholders since Royal is still bleeding cash, but bondholders only put up with that nonsense for a short period of time! 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by DirtyDawg

[Mark_K]

2 hours ago, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

A thorn by any other name … Princess calls it “crew appreciation”, Norwegian calls it “service charge”.  It really hasn’t been a gratuity since the cruise lines made it virtually mandatory.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

4 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

How much was it before for Aqua Class? When I try to add it in the Cruise Manager it now wants to charge me $16 but since I booked in May I will for sure insist on the original price.

It was $16 when you booked in May. Last time gratuities increased anyone booked was given an opportunity to prepay at the lower rate.

[Cruise Junky]

8 hours 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.

Yes, I realize that, I remember them doing it as most people were removing the tips.  I was however referring to Australia by land trip, not cruising.  

[Tyler414]

I currently have 2 Celebrity cruises booked and am buying pretty much anything I can now(specialty dinning, excursions...)with fuel prices, the last two years of losing money, the cruise company's are going to make it up somehow.  I was thinking of booking a Beyond pool cabana when it was $150 its now $250 I will be passing on that...

[PTC DAWG]

5 hours ago, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

Cruise industry has hardly ever used this model….when in Rome. 

[dlh015]

7 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

How much was it before for Aqua Class? When I try to add it in the Cruise Manager it now wants to charge me $16 but since I booked in May I will for sure insist on the original price.

Reposting...(it charged you that in May...)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 hours ago, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

 

Join the board of directors and see if you can get the board to approve removing the tipping model.

[NutsAboutGolf]

29 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Cruise industry has hardly ever used this model….when in Rome. 

 

Virgin Voyages does but many analysts think it's inevitable as a cost cutting measure they'll move to a tipping model.  We have to remember that not even Branson could stop Alaska Airlines from acquiring Virgin American Airlines.

[the penguins]

8 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Virgin Voyages does but many analysts think it's inevitable as a cost cutting measure they'll move to a tipping model.  We have to remember that not even Branson could stop Alaska Airlines from acquiring Virgin American Airlines.

Of the "main stream, mass market" P and O have no tips required. Of course anomalies remain even here because of the 2 Carnival owned cruise lines that pretend to British: Cunard adds tips and onboard prices are in 💲, P and O has no tips and onboard prices are in £'s. Just adds to the choice or the confusion.

As for Virgin most of its businesses are little more than branding/marketing excercies. Richard is wheeled out at various times usually on launch days, takes his % then quietly disapears. Think Virgin Trains in the UK. He still owns 51% of Virgin Atlantic but just 18% of his Space Company.

[Denny01]

6 hours ago, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

So you ignore any customs of a society/country/whatever because ‘That’s Not What You Do’ wherever you live? 

 

Do you refuse to take off your shoes in Japan, China, Morocco because you dont do that ‘back home’? 

Do you refuse to use your right hand in many Islamic countries because thats not an issue ‘back home’?

Do you insist wearing your shorts or a woman refuses to wear a head covering in a church/mosque because you dont do that ‘back home’?

 

Just a few obvious most all follow, just as 99% of Brit’s do, who are probably the most traveled population in the world and are Well Aware of how things are done outside the UK….unless of course it has to do with money, then a few use that as their excuse to rip off the staff…..got it.

 

And this isn’t a UK citizen issue. I know more than a few US citizens who come up with all kinds of excuses to rip off the staff in many venues.

 

den

Edited August 24, 2022 by Denny01

[Fly and Sail]

1 hour ago, dlh015 said:

Reposting...(it charged you that in May...)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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...

 

Even better, so nothing to worry about.

[the penguins]

6 hours ago, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

When you make a booking you accept all  the companies booking conditions you are not free to pick and choose the ones you like and reject the others. I have just looked looked at X 's tipping regulations and see that you can't remove the tips from AIl Included and Always Included rates or when booking Aqua or Suites from July 14 2022

[CHEZMARYLOU]

43 minutes ago, the penguins said:

I have just looked looked at X 's tipping regulations and see that you can't remove the tips from AIl Included and Always Included rates or when booking Aqua or Suites from July 14 2022

I just looked too and I don't read it that way. The Excluded Bookings refer to anyone not sailing with AI, not that they cannot be removed under AI.  Why you would even want to when you have AI makes no sense, Celebrity is not going to give you that $ back.

[JeanieC,Aston]

Hi

I have no problem if Celebrity raises the level of Gratuities knowing that the crew will get the benefit in higher wages.

 

Or am I being naive?

[mayleeman]

10 hours ago, Realrunner said:

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

Claiming the cruise line should pay differently is true...but who do you think withholding tips is going to affect? The company that sets the pay policy, or the individual employees who have no say about it? Acting on principle, if this can be called that, needs to be done with a view to what actually happens, not some major impact you imagine closing your wallet might have. 

[Denny01]

29 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

I have no problem if Celebrity raises the level of Gratuities knowing that the crew will get the benefit in higher wages.

 

Or am I being naive?

Nope.

 

But Im sure someone who looks for excuses to rip off the staff will come up with some made-up story of how it doesnt go to the staff……because they saw it on the internet!!

 

den

[LMaxwell]

Yes

[Denny01]

By the way, Carnival and Norwegian had already raised their’s a few months ago…..so RCL is following them and I guess Celebrity will follow them and Viking will follow them, and……

 

den

[Oceangoer2]

I'm not sure if this has been asked and answered.....I've booked and paid (via $$s) for specialty dining, which included 18% grats.  Will that stand as is or will we be charged extra % when we dine?  Normally DH will tip extra for fine service but usually no tab appears, so we won't know final charges and what % gratuities have already been paid other than what we paid in advance.

 

Order summary

Subtotal $244.64 Gratuities $44.00 Order total $288.64

Edited August 25, 2022 by Oceangoer2

[xxpinksaltxx]

I have no problem paying extra in tips (I'm Australian and it's not in our culture), but the staff on Celebrity have always gone above and beyond, they work ridiculously hard for not alot of money; many of them just hoping to provide a better life for their family at home. I'm always shocked to hear that some people remove the tips. 

 

I always make a conscious effort to ensure I have some USD in cash on hand to give our room stewards, waiters, bar tenders etc an extra bonus tip at the end of the cruise, and a thank you note. They are always so grateful, and I hope it brings a smile to their days when they are so far from their families. 

[Cruise till you drop]

On 8/23/2022 at 9:29 PM, 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.

Seems minimal to me and is going to people that work to make your cruise experience enjoyable.

[Cruise till you drop]

On 8/24/2022 at 5:04 AM, Realrunner said:

A tip or gratuity is something that you get for going above your normal expected job criteria.  I give to those that do this (handsomely) but I won’t pay gratuities before someone as done their job.

Perhaps Rcl and others ought to pay their staff more rather than move it onto their guests all the time.

 

i don’t think you’re getting the US model of compensating service oriented employees.  For example in a typical restaurant, the wait staff is getting about $2 per hour and the bulk of their comp is tips.  If the restaurants raised their wages, you would simply pay more for your meal (so ultimately you are paying more).

 

By having their comp in tips, they can earn more through higher level service.  But you can’t just pay them nothing for “doing their job” as they aren’t getting compensated for doing their job as no one is doing that kind of work for $2 per hour

 

I will say that my tipping for basic service is 12-15% and will tip 20-25% for exceptional service (my own rule)

 

PS - my example was for a restaurant server.  As for cruise ship service employees , I have no idea if they’re making a small wage per hour or if their compensation is totally made up in tips

Edited August 25, 2022 by Cruise till you drop