Change in PPD gratuities cost after final payment.

[drb]

So I notice that the resident rate for our sailing (Summit 12/19/09) has gone down and I decide to call Celebrity customer service to see if I can get an OBC adjustment to cover the difference since we paid in full a month ago. In speaking with the customer service agent he says that our cruise is not paid in full but has balance of $7.00 remaining due. I explain that I have printed copies of our reservation showing they are paid in full. It turns out that they have changed the cost of pre-paid gratuities from $81 to $84 pp since our payment. Just to insure I could pick up the extra $158 OBC I gave him my CC and charged the extra seven bucks.

I really think the crew earns every penny of their gratuities and I often add to the pre-paid ones, but this is terribly sloppy work on Celebrity's part. I am going to have a wonderful cruise but somebody at X needs to get their "stuff" together.

[STEVE-O]

Last week, I paid off our upcoming cruise. TIPS were not included in the balance due. By any chance did you opt for Celebrity's version of "My Time Dining"...(Anytime dining?)

 

Steve-O

[Janet524]

Last week, I paid off our upcoming cruise. TIPS were not included in the balance due. By any chance did you opt for Celebrity's version of "My Time Dining"...(Anytime dining?)

 

Steve-O

 

Even if you're not doing My Time Dining, you can still pre-pay gratuities. We always pre-pay our gratuities just to have one less thing on our onboard tab. If you request pre-paid gratuities when you book the cruise, it does show up as a line item on the reservation confirmation and rolls into the total cost of the cruise as part of the balance due after you make your deposit.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

So I notice that the resident rate for our sailing (Summit 12/19/09) has gone down and I decide to call Celebrity customer service to see if I can get an OBC adjustment to cover the difference since we paid in full a month ago. In speaking with the customer service agent he says that our cruise is not paid in full but has balance of $7.00 remaining due. I explain that I have printed copies of our reservation showing they are paid in full. It turns out that they have changed the cost of pre-paid gratuities from $81 to $84 pp since our payment. Just to insure I could pick up the extra $158 OBC I gave him my CC and charged the extra seven bucks.

I really think the crew earns every penny of their gratuities and I often add to the pre-paid ones, but this is terribly sloppy work on Celebrity's part. I am going to have a wonderful cruise but somebody at X needs to get their "stuff" together.

 

That's a strange amount--$3/pp? I wonder if they didn't calculate it right in the first place.

 

You don't say how long your cruise is or what type of cabin you have, but since you know that information you can go to Celebrity's website and see what it says your gratuities should be. Then you can see whether they're right or wrong. Although I'm not sure it's worth all the trouble for what you say is only $7. Maybe just let it go and relax and enjoy your cruise.

[drb]

That's a strange amount--$3/pp? I wonder if they didn't calculate it right in the first place.

 

You don't say how long your cruise is or what type of cabin you have, but since you know that information you can go to Celebrity's website and see what it says your gratuities should be. Then you can see whether they're right or wrong. Although I'm not sure it's worth all the trouble for what you say is only $7. Maybe just let it go and relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

I apologize, it went from $80.50 to 84.00, or $3.50 pp., for a grand total of a whopping $7.00. (From $11.50 to $12.00 per day) As I hoped to make clear, it is not the amount of the charge but the fact that they have made a change in their charges after showing an account paid in full and the rather insistent customer service representative who tried to tell me that I must have "misprinted" my trip summary from their website.

I have been in customer service for a few more years than I care to remember clearly and I would never tell a customer a service in excess of a thousand dollars has been paid in full and then ask them for three dollars and fifty cents!

Happy Cruiser: You may rest assured that this will have absolutely no impact on my enjoyment of the trip as I am well aware that life is largely what I make it.

[sasset]

That's a strange amount--$3/pp? I wonder if they didn't calculate it right in the first place.

 

You don't say how long your cruise is or what type of cabin you have, but since you know that information you can go to Celebrity's website and see what it says your gratuities should be. Then you can see whether they're right or wrong. Although I'm not sure it's worth all the trouble for what you say is only $7. Maybe just let it go and relax and enjoy your cruise.

 

OK...I know I will be set on fire for this, BUT:

 

Let's say that Celebrity makes this same "mistake" on each cruise.

 

Celebrity has nine ships;

Average capacity 2000;

Let's say average cruise length is twelve days...that means each ship makes about thirty sailings a year;

 

So, so far we have 9x30=270 cruises with 543,000 passengers.

 

If they make this same $3.50 per person "mistake" on each cruise (so small that most people would just pay it) that adds up to $1,900,500 (one million, nine hundred thousand, five hundred). That's a nice sum.

 

I will just say this:

See if Celebrity would accept this from a customer: "It''s only $42. Is that such a big deal?"

 

Regards

[hajekfam]

I apologize, it went from $80.50 to 84.00, or $3.50 pp., for a grand total of a whopping $7.00. (From $11.50 to $12.00 per day) As I hoped to make clear, it is not the amount of the charge but the fact that they have made a change in their charges after showing an account paid in full and the rather insistent customer service representative who tried to tell me that I must have "misprinted" my trip summary from their website.

I have been in customer service for a few more years than I care to remember clearly and I would never tell a customer a service in excess of a thousand dollars has been paid in full and then ask them for three dollars and fifty cents!

Happy Cruiser: You may rest assured that this will have absolutely no impact on my enjoyment of the trip as I am well aware that life is largely what I make it.

 

What category cabin do you have? Did you originally book a regular cabin and were you upgraded or did you upgrade to a concierge class?

[dkjretired]

OK...I know I will be set on fire for this, BUT:

 

Let's say that Celebrity makes this same "mistake" on each cruise.

 

Celebrity has nine ships;

Average capacity 2000;

Let's say average cruise length is twelve days...that means each ship makes about thirty sailings a year;

 

So, so far we have 9x30=270 cruises with 543,000 passengers.

 

If they make this same $3.50 per person "mistake" on each cruise (so small that most people would just pay it) that adds up to $1,900,500 (one million, nine hundred thousand, five hundred). That's a nice sum.

 

I will just say this:

 

 

See if Celebrity would accept this from a customer: "It''s only $42. Is that such a big deal?"

 

Regards

 

It is obvious they are not doing this on a regular basis....Someone would have caught it before....

[drb]

What category cabin do you have? Did you originally book a regular cabin and were you upgraded or did you upgrade to a concierge class?

 

It is a concierge class cabin (Summit 7208) and has been since we booked. It must have been a glitch in their billing system. At any rate, it is 53 days away and I am ready to go and once again enjoy the Celebrity experience.

[Shirley and Les]

It is a concierge class cabin (Summit 7208) and has been since we booked. It must have been a glitch in their billing system. At any rate, it is 53 days away and I am ready to go and once again enjoy the Celebrity experience.

We just returned from a Millie cruise in a concierge class cabin. Celebrity changed the tipping structure to give the CC cabin attendant $4.00 pp per day instead of $3.50 pp for all other cabin categories. That probably is the cause for the $0.50 daily change.

 

They probably deserve more for bringing those canapes :( every afternoon at four. You can change it to a cheese and crackers platter by asking your cabin attendant.

[Ships R Great]

A tale from long ago. We were checking in (Miami, I think) and were asked to go down to the end to a specific desk. I thought, "Oh boy, we are getting upgraded!". Not so. They told me I owed-- I don't remember but it was less than $10. I had prepaid what the TA told me I should so I did not understand the extra charge but I paid it and was allowed to board. No upgrade that! But glitches happen every now and then. It wasn't worth the $ to argue but I have always wondered what the charge was.

[hajekfam]

It is a concierge class cabin (Summit 7208) and has been since we booked. It must have been a glitch in their billing system. At any rate, it is 53 days away and I am ready to go and once again enjoy the Celebrity experience.

 

Evidently they charged you the wrong rate for your gratuties and this was a correction. The rate for concierge class has always been 50 cents more per day than a regular cabin.

From Celebrity's website:

For your convenience, we will automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard Seapass account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion: $11.50 per person per day for guests in staterooms ($12.00 per person per day for guests in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms and $15.00 per person per day for guests in Suites). These service gratuities are based on the following recommended amounts:

 

Restaurant Service* Per Person Per Day

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

 

Stateroom Service* Per Person Per Day

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

 

Alternative Service*

Other Service Personnel $1.25

 

Beverage Service personnel are acknowledged with a 15% service charge which will be automatically added to the bill.

 

 

*Please note that gratuities may be shared with other crew members depending on the particular service requirement.

[Shirley and Les]

Evidently they charged you the wrong rate for your gratuties and this was a correction. The rate for concierge class has always been 50 cents more per day than a regular cabin.

From Celebrity's website:

I don't want to argue about this but the extra $0.50 is something new. Our CC attendant about 18 months ago didn't get an extra $ 0.50 according to the suggested tipping schedule at that time.

 

On the cruise we just completed, we asked for envelopes at the Guest Relations desk to cover extra tips for excellent service.

 

I am not sure about the response from other. Our Waiter said something like "You already tipped me." when we gave him the envelope with extra money. Our cabin attendant had already sent a "Thank You" note for the prepaid gratuity.

 

Personally, I was worried the prepaid tipping would degrade the service provided by dining room and cabin personnel. It did not. On our recent cruise, we had the best service ever.

[txsloth]

I don't want to argue about this but the extra $0.50 is something new.

 

You're right--this increase for CC is new. I'm not positive, but I'm fairly certain the $15/day for suites is also an increase.

[6502programmer]

Even if it is new, gratuities can be changed at pretty much any time, within reason. Similarly, port charges and taxes can be added or refunded, as well as fuel surcharges.

[DaveFr]

I don't want to argue about this but the extra $0.50 is something new. Our CC attendant about 18 months ago didn't get an extra $ 0.50 according to the suggested tipping schedule at that time.

 

You're right--this increase for CC is new. I'm not positive, but I'm fairly certain the $15/day for suites is also an increase.

I just looked at the pertinent Celebrity Today! for my transatlantic in November 2006. (I'm a pack rat. :D) The suggested gratuity for stateroom service was $3.50 per person per day. The suggested gratuity for concierge stateroom service was $4.00 per person per day. The total suggested daily gratuities were $10.50 pp for regular staterooms, $11.00 pp for concierge staterooms and $14.00 pp for suites. My memory is that the $0.50 difference was also in effect on my first Celebrity cruise in 2005.

 

Dave

[hajekfam]

I just looked at the pertinent Celebrity Today! for my transatlantic in November 2006. (I'm a pack rat. :D) The suggested gratuity for stateroom service was $3.50 per person per day. The suggested gratuity for concierge stateroom service was $4.00 per person per day. The total suggested daily gratuities were $10.50 pp for regular staterooms, $11.00 pp for concierge staterooms and $14.00 pp for suites. My memory is that the $0.50 difference was also in effect on my first Celebrity cruise in 2005.

 

Dave

 

Dave - I knew that the extra tip was in effect for quite a while now - according to the dailies, the extra 50 cents per day for concierge class was in effect for our November 2005 cruises.

 

During 2009 (I believe that it was when they went to auto tip as the default) Celebrity changed the allocation amounts and raised the tips by $1 per day in total which might be why people think this is new -

 

Todays figures from Celebrity's website:

Waiter $3.65

Assistant Waiter $2.10

Dining Room Management $1.00

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms)

Other Service Personnel $1.25

for a total of $11.50 per day - $12 for concierge and aqua class - $15 for suites

 

From Jan 2009 daily (on Century so there wasn't an Aquaclass):

Waiter $3.50

Assistant Waiter $2.00

Maitre D' $1.00

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class staterooms)

Asst Chief Housekeeper: $ ..50

for a total of $10.50 per day - $11 for Concierge class - $14 for suites

 

From Nov 2005 daily:

Waiter $3.50

Assistant Waiter $2.00

Restaurant Manager Maitre D' $ .75

Butler (Suites Only) $3.50

Stateroom Service $3.50 ($4.00 for Concierge Class staterooms)

Chief Housekeeper: $ .75

for a total of $10.50 per day - $11 for Concierge class - $14 for suites

[jameila]

Can anyone explain whether these grauitities are payable as a contractual obligation (be it before or after the crusie) or whether they are simply discretionary/customary. If the latter I do not understand how celebrity can insist on additional payment made by the original poster.

[Albert Ross]

I apologize, it went from $80.50 to 84.00, or $3.50 pp., for a grand total of a whopping $7.00. (From $11.50 to $12.00 per day)

If you bought the cruise with the grats at $80.50 that is what you pay. You simply ask the agent to get the grats adjusted back down to that sum. Problem over.

[dkjretired]

Can anyone explain whether these grauitities are payable as a contractual obligation (be it before or after the crusie) or whether they are simply discretionary/customary. If the latter I do not understand how celebrity can insist on additional payment made by the original poster.

 

The tips in the OPs case were pre paid volunterally and someone simply charged her the wrong amount.