Prepayment of Gratuities

When I initially booked with my TA, I chose not to prepay gratuities as part of my cruise price.

 

Question is- can i prepay them after final payment is due but before my sail date, and how would I go about doing that?

 

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Your TA owns your booking, so you will just have to contact him or her and have them pay them. If you booked directly with Carnival or with a PVP, you would call them to do it for you.

And while folks are answering that question, please also answer the opposite question: once you say you want to prepay gratuities, can you reverse that decision (before final payment)? I'm thinking I might want to pay for them with OBC.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

And while folks are answering that question, please also answer the opposite question: once you say you want to prepay gratuities, can you reverse that decision (before final payment)? I'm thinking I might want to pay for them with OBC.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

 

Yes. Just call your TA or Carnival (as appropriate for your situation).

Thanks.

Thanks.

 

My current booking gives me the option to remove prepaid gratuities. Someone can correct me if Im wrong but I doubt it would be any different with you going through a travel agent. I have never booked through a TA so Im not sure. You may not even be able to get to this screen here.

 

Edited April 7, 2017 by ryano

Just curious is that the price for 7 days? Thanks

 

 

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My current booking gives me the option to remove prepaid gratuities. Someone can correct me if Im wrong but I doubt it would be any different with you going through a travel agent. I have never booked through a TA so Im not sure. You may not even be able to get to this screen here.

 

Actually, now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that. It's safe eh? It won't cause our fare to go up or lose our cabin eh?

And while folks are answering that question, please also answer the opposite question: once you say you want to prepay gratuities, can you reverse that decision (before final payment)? I'm thinking I might want to pay for them with OBC.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

 

 

You can pretty much pay gratuities anytime you want (before or after). Paying gratuities with onboard credit is a little tricky. You will not be allowed to do that unless you are actually onboard.

You can even cancel when onboard, I think. I was at the Guest Services desk when a couple came up to cancel gratuities. Not sure if they were prepaid, but they said they won enough in the casino to pay them. EM

So they don't swipe that money from us as part of a scheduled final payment?

if you do prepay, I would bring the receipt with you on the cruise just in case. I've never had a problem, but I can see how one can form and that receipt would be proof you paid.

So they don't swipe that money from us as part of a scheduled final payment?

 

Gratuities are either prepaid as a part of your booking (you will see a line item for them if this is so) or paid onboard using your S&S account. I'm not sure what you mean by "swiping" the money as part of a scheduled final payment. If you prepaid, then you pay before, if not, then you pay on the ship.

 

If you have them on your booking and remove them, then you don't pay for them until you are on the ship.

Actually, now that you mention it, I do remember seeing that. It's safe eh? It won't cause our fare to go up or lose our cabin eh?

So they don't swipe that money from us as part of a scheduled final payment?

 

WOW, you seem to think Carnival is out to cheat you :confused:

Why are you even booking a cruise with them ?

You can even cancel when onboard, I think. I was at the Guest Services desk when a couple came up to cancel gratuities. Not sure if they were prepaid, but they said they won enough in the casino to pay them. EM

 

If they won enough to pay them, then why cancel regardless? Sure they can split up their "winnings" and tip those they want, but the blanket gratuities are split between all crew.

 

 

I've never understood this logic. To me, when someone cancels pre-paid gratuities, it's like saying every worker on the ship doesn't deserve a tip.

WOW, you seem to think Carnival is out to cheat you :confused:

Not at all. I used the wrong word; I meant "sweep". I use the word "sweep" a lot when talking about moving money. My brokerage automatically sweeps cash from my brokerage account to my cash management account so it can earn interest. That's what I meant by sweep. On a certain day, I've told Carnival to sweep the balance due from my account. I was asking whether they'd sweep the entire amount or just what I have to pay at that time, i.e., the balance minus the prepaid gratuities. I know that trying to use OBC to pay for gratuities is already difficult enough (see the message prior to yours) so if I already paid them because of the scheduled payment, then using OBC for that will probably be impossible.

 

As it is, I think I'll remove the prepaid gratuities so it isn't an issue either way.

You can even cancel when onboard, I think. I was at the Guest Services desk when a couple came up to cancel gratuities. Not sure if they were prepaid, but they said they won enough in the casino to pay them. EM

 

 

Ha! More likely they'd *lost* big at the casino and needed more funds, or were trying to get off the ship with wiggle room on their credit card.

I know that trying to use OBC to pay for gratuities is already difficult enough (see the message prior to yours) so if I already paid them because of the scheduled payment, then using OBC for that will probably be impossible.

As it is, I think I'll remove the prepaid gratuities so it isn't an issue either way.

We never pre-pay our gratuties before the cruise. Once on board the ship any OBC is posted on your account. Gratututies and other things you charge are debited against the OBC amount until it's used up then your credit card is charged for any thing over the amount of your OBC. It's easy and automatic. Paying the credit card off when we get home means no interest charges. We've never done it but I understand that once on board you can also add cash or Carnival gift cards to your account which work much as the OBC would.

Thanks. I click the link and it didn't even ask me to confirm. :) I'm not sure what'll happen between now and final payment (perhaps transfer to a TA), but we'll see.

I have prepaid them and waited till I got onboard to pay them and for me I prefer to pay them ahead of time because I hate keeping up with how much $ is there and oh by the way did the grats clear? I use cash or gift cards. It's easier to know it's just taken care of!

You can pretty much pay gratuities anytime you want (before or after). Paying gratuities with onboard credit is a little tricky. You will not be allowed to do that unless you are actually onboard.

 

Nothing can be prepaid with OBC. OBC can only be used onboard....hence On Board Credit. ;)

I have a question. I usually always prepay for my gratuities. I have never done it after final payment. I like to prepay so I don't have to worry about later.

 

My question is: Can you prepay after final payment? I book through the Carnival website. I have already removed them but I wanted to add the later after the final payment is due.

 

Anyone have any insight???

if you do prepay, I would bring the receipt with you on the cruise just in case. I've never had a problem, but I can see how one can form and that receipt would be proof you paid.

Seconding this advice. I'd never had a problem either until the sailing I just got home from. Two cabins, purchased together, both prepaid gratuities. One cabin, smooth sailing [*rimshot*], but the other had the auto grat charged on the next to last day. I had a printout, so Guest Services was able to reverse them off without a problem, but it's really odd to me that it was only one cabin. I.e., if they were having a problem with prepay's "registering" in the system, I would have thought it would hit both cabins. Who knows?? #technology

Nothing can be prepaid with OBC. OBC can only be used onboard....hence On Board Credit. ;)

 

I totally agree with Nerd

 

Once you're aboard having OBC pay your gratuities is easy-peesy. :D

Your onboard account is a credit-debit sheet. OBC goes in and charges are deducted from that amount. When there's no more onboard credit then the overages will be debited to your credit card.

(unless you're handing some cash over at Guest Services which then acts the same way OBC works.)

Also, when we had a package where auto-grats were included the ship computer system pretty much worked the same way - credits and debits with a zero balance for gratuities.

Unlike some, and like others, we try to prepay as much of a trip in advance (including gratuities). Case in point, we just came home from a 7 night cruise and a 6 night after trip. I have $32 worth of "unplanned" charges due - tolls - that's it. That means coming home and not looking at the numbers afterward and wondering where it all came from.

 

Everyone has a different reason for doing what they do.