Paying tips in advance

[Irish clare]

I am booked on a 7 night Spain / France and Italy cruise in September, when i was booking it i went for the Cruise only price as i felt it was better value as i will not need wifi as my mobile will work in Europe 

On the Celebrity portal i am able to purchase the drinks package in advance for the pre cruise discounted price but i am looking to pay for my tips in advance as well - as you can when you do the all inclusive - is this possible or will i now have tips added to each drink i puchase ?

Thanks in advance 

Clare 

[hrhdhd]

The drink package cost will include tips.

[Cruise till you drop]

7 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

The drink package cost will include tips.

But can you get drinks and tips without Wi-Fi ?

[thedriver23]

i think there is a misudertanding.

 

I believe you are talking about the daily tips of $17.50 per day rather than the tips associated with the drinks package.

 

the all included package is better value than just buying the drinks package - even with the wifi which you say you wont use.

 

Edited May 24, 2023 by thedriver23

[Cruise till you drop]

1 minute ago, thedriver23 said:

i think there is a misudertanding.

 

I believe you are talking about the daily tips of $17.50 per day rather than the grat

 

I assumed they were talking gratuities as they also brought up Wi-Fi and the system does tell you the drink package includes 18% tips

 

Perhaps the OP can clarify their question 

[cruisestitch]

Meanwhile, here is some clarifications that may help the OP.

 

celebrity offers a bundle package, called always included, or AI, which has three components. The first component is basic Wi-Fi. The second is gratuities for your state room attendant and dining room staff. The third is a drinks package, which includes gratuity on the drinks.  
 

Taking them one by one, the OP feels that the Wi-Fi won’t be necessary however, it should be noted that their mobile phone will work on land while in Europe but not on the ship.  So the wifi might, in fact, be useful.

 

the second component is the daily gratuity.  If not prepaid, this will be added to the shipboard account on a daily basis.  It covers housekeeping and dining staff.  It does not cover gratuities on beverages, nor gratuities on spa services.

 

the third component is a basic beverage package and it’s gratuities. It does not include the mini bar, nor alcohol ordered through room service.

 

If you do not have a beverage package and you buy your drinks one at a time, they will add a gratuity to the price of the drink or, if you are sailing out of Southampton, the gratuity will be included in the price of the bank. The total will come out the same either way.

 

As I read the OP question, she can see how to order a beverage package pre-cruise and would like to pay the daily gratuities cruise pre-cruise also.

 

but she seems to be confusing the beverage gratuities with the daily gratuities.

 

to reiterate for clarity, The daily gratuity charge does not cover gratuities on beverages.if you don’t have a beverage package you will pay a gratuity on each beverage you order.

[prmssk]

You might want to do the math on the cost of your cruise with the full price of the drink package.  The All Included price is a better value for anyone planning to buy the drink package even if you don't use the wifi.

 

As to your question, if you buy a drink package, it will add gratuities and so there won't be any additional gratuity on each drink.

 

If you are talking about the daily gratuities (which cover your room steward, dining staff, etc.), there is a way to pay that in advance in the cruise planner (under the details of your cruise) if you booked on your own or through your travel agent if you booked through one.

[WestLakeGirl]

2 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

But can you get drinks and tips without Wi-Fi ?

Yes, you can buy a beverage package separately from WIFI and the daily tips.  Or you can buy all three together for a reduced price

[robertsamsun]

If you don't drink much then you might find everything included expensive but if you have 5/6 drinks a day, that could include special coffee then you will find that overall you will be paying more, peace of mind I would ( and I do) go all in, be carful with the wifi if you don't have it set up correctly then be prepared to pay a big bill, I try not to use it at all when I am on board just in case I make a mistake, again I have done in the past.

[RichYak]

2 hours ago, Cruise till you drop said:

But can you get drinks and tips without Wi-Fi ?

Yes, but generally speaking, booking with the Always Included package is often cheaper than what you propose.

[terrydtx]

46 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Meanwhile, here is some clarifications that may help the OP.

 

celebrity offers a bundle package, called always included, or AI, which has three components. The first component is basic Wi-Fi. The second is gratuities for your state room attendant and dining room staff. The third is a drinks package, which includes gratuity on the drinks.  
 

Taking them one by one, the OP feels that the Wi-Fi won’t be necessary however, it should be noted that their mobile phone will work on land while in Europe but not on the ship.  So the wifi might, in fact, be useful.

 

the second component is the daily gratuity.  If not prepaid, this will be added to the shipboard account on a daily basis.  It covers housekeeping and dining staff.  It does not cover gratuities on beverages, nor gratuities on spa services.

 

the third component is a basic beverage package and it’s gratuities. It does not include the mini bar, nor alcohol ordered through room service.

 

If you do not have a beverage package and you buy your drinks one at a time, they will add a gratuity to the price of the drink or, if you are sailing out of Southampton, the gratuity will be included in the price of the bank. The total will come out the same either way.

 

As I read the OP question, she can see how to order a beverage package pre-cruise and would like to pay the daily gratuities cruise pre-cruise also.

 

but she seems to be confusing the beverage gratuities with the daily gratuities.

 

to reiterate for clarity, The daily gratuity charge does not cover gratuities on beverages.if you don’t have a beverage package you will pay a gratuity on each beverage you order.

This one of the best explanations of how AI works vs buying individual components,

[cruzzzinma]

There’s a Memorial Day sale underway for at least some cruises where drink packages are 50 % off so that might change the calculations on what is best.

[terrydtx]

The only reason I can see to pay the tips early is a hedge against an increase in the amount charged for a cruise booked more than a year out. Some may want to pay early to avoid an amount due after the cruise.

[cruisestitch]

I think there are other reasons to pre-pay gratuities. One is to have charges appear on your credit card in a cycle when you might not have a lot of other charges, or you’re trying to build up points on that card perhaps.

 

another might be to try to get ahead of currency conversion issues. If you’re betting that your currency will be stronger or weaker against the dollar, you might want to time your purchases accordingly.

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 hours ago, Irish clare said:

I am booked on a 7 night Spain / France and Italy cruise in September, when i was booking it i went for the Cruise only price as i felt it was better value as i will not need wifi as my mobile will work in Europe 

On the Celebrity portal i am able to purchase the drinks package in advance for the pre cruise discounted price but i am looking to pay for my tips in advance as well - as you can when you do the all inclusive - is this possible or will i now have tips added to each drink i puchase ?

Thanks in advance 

Clare 

 

Leads me to believe you're talking about drink package gratuities, simply add to your cart and don't worry, they WON'T forget to charge you for tips

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

44 minutes ago, cruzzzinma said:

There’s a Memorial Day sale underway for at least some cruises where drink packages are 50 % off so that might change the calculations on what is best.

 

Thanks, I have a lot of work to do...lol

[Irish clare]

thank you all for your help ... yes i was confusing the tips on the drinks package to the daily tips ... 

will keep an eye on the memorial day sale ... nothing showing yet on the site 

[terrydtx]

14 minutes ago, Irish clare said:

thank you all for your help ... yes i was confusing the tips on the drinks package to the daily tips ... 

will keep an eye on the memorial day sale ... nothing showing yet on the site 

This is the flash sale price showing for my Apex cruise in September.

Edited May 24, 2023 by terrydtx

[Irish clare]

Wow Terri am not seeing that , wish I was