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I don't understand "prepaid gratuities" on Celebrity Silhouette!

sparot5

By sparot5,
in Celebrity Cruises

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dkjretired

dkjretired

Posted
Posted
Agree Larry, I have seen the list of people who have removed tips tacked on a wall during a galley tour and also on a clip board on a room steward's cart. They know who have stiffed them:(

 

Yes, and do you remember the story a few months ago about the guy who had a traveling companion who removed all his tips and refused to tip. All his bags miraculously wound up in the water.

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paul17

paul17

Posted
Posted
Yes, and do you remember the story a few months ago about the guy who had a traveling companion who removed all his tips and refused to tip. All his bags miraculously wound up in the water.

 

Yes, it happens. You can get cold meal, they can spit in your meal, perhaps piss in your drinks.

It is kind of racketeering.

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Host Jazzbeau Great Review Rare

Host Jazzbeau

Posted
Posted
It infuriates me that I have had to prepay my gratuities for all my upcoming cruises that are over a year away, but there's nothing you can do about it. :confused:

 

You had to pay in full a year ahead? On Celebrity?

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brfan

brfan

Posted
Posted
It infuriates me that I have had to prepay my gratuities for all my upcoming cruises that are over a year away, but there's nothing you can do about it. :confused:

 

If you prepay tips they aren't paid until you pay your final payment, roughly 75 days out, not a year.

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blueboro

blueboro

Posted
Posted
Not true. Tips are prepaid, where forced to, at time of booking not at final payment. That could be two years a away.

 

Nope. As mentioned, tips are due at FINAL PAYMENT. We booked a cruise 18 months ago, just had final payment which included the tips at that time. Now maybe there are some travel agents who want to get your money early but not Celebrity.

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dkjretired

dkjretired

Posted
Posted
Nope. As mentioned, tips are due at FINAL PAYMENT. We booked a cruise 18 months ago, just had final payment which included the tips at that time. Now maybe there are some travel agents who want to get your money early but not Celebrity.

 

Have to disagree, if you choose Select you have to pay it when you set up your dining option and this was through Celebrity, not a TA.

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paul17

paul17

Posted
Posted
Have to disagree, if you choose Select you have to pay it when you set up your dining option and this was through Celebrity, not a TA.

In my Booking Confirmation through Celebrity it says:

 

be advised that you must prepay your gratuities. Please verify that your gratuities are on this invoice and paid when Final Payment is due.

 

Deposit of $500.00 is due by 17 FEB 2015,5:00 PM EST Final Payment is due by 07 SEP 2015, 5:00 PM EST

 

It is a fixed deposit. It doesn't say if prepaid gratuities are included or not.

I can be refunded in full 75 Days Prior to Sailing.

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yorkyred

yorkyred

Posted
Posted
Have to disagree, if you choose Select you have to pay it when you set up your dining option and this was through Celebrity, not a TA.

 

It's at final payment, we just cancelled pre final payment and were only charged the deposit

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dkjretired

dkjretired

Posted
Posted (edited)
It's at final payment, we just cancelled pre final payment and were only charged the deposit

 

That has not been my experience but maybe I never asked or pushed it. Just wasn't a big deal plus I got a free gratuities on my last couple of cruises.

Edited by dkjretired
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PoppyandNana

PoppyandNana

Posted
Posted
Have to disagree, if you choose Select you have to pay it when you set up your dining option and this was through Celebrity, not a TA.

 

Check your confirmation. It will show your fare, taxes and grats. However, at that moment in time only the $400 pp deposit (unless you are booking on board and only have to pay a $100 pp deposit) is actually posted to your credit card.

 

So, all this about paying tips in advance is not accurate. It's on your confirmation but not actually paid out of your pocket until final payment.

 

The larger question is why early and late dining are booked full on every Celebrity sailing through, it appears, 2016? I initially thought X was taking all these pre paid tips as float but is not the case.

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Missymo

Missymo

Posted
Posted

When I booked my last cruise a year out I had gotten prepaid gratuity and insurance listed. My deposit was only $500.00. No way gratuity and insurance were paid with deposit. Final payment 3 months out paid for them.

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PoppyandNana

PoppyandNana

Posted
Posted (edited)
It infuriates me that I have had to prepay my gratuities for all my upcoming cruises that are over a year away, but there's nothing you can do about it. :confused:

 

As I stated in a just written post you are kind of sort of prepaying tips but only in a narrow context. The grats charge appears on your confirmation along with your fare and taxes. HOWEVER, at that time the only money taken out of your pocket are the deposits.

 

Now, when you make final payment the grats charge is payable along with the remainder of your fare. Instead of having tips show up as a daily charge on your onboard account they are already "prepaid". So, tips are prepaid at time of booking but only as a journal entry on the debit side (left) side of the ledger. The credit (right side) reverses the debit when final payment is made.

Edited by PoppyandNana
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paul17

paul17

Posted
Posted
Yes, it was part of a promotion on my last two cruises, got free tips, free drink package and OBC. This was very common until a few weeks ago.

 

I am sorry for my English. It is not my native language. But the question was who pays gratuities to ship crew when you get free prepaid gratuities promo.

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I&J Cruisers

I&J Cruisers

Posted
Posted
Thanks for the responses. From what I am understanding for all of you is that if you choose "traditional", you do not have to pay upfront. If we are given "select" which is the same as "open", you have to prepay. I still do not understand the logic of not allowing an "open" seating passenger on a daily basis since the cruise company will be the one distributing the funds (and not me)....

 

 

There isn't much to understand. Cruise gratuities have become a service charge. If some staff member stands out as special during the cruise you tip that person accordingly. Most cruise lines are doing this today if you choose select dining or whatever the different lines call non traditional dining. I think they are all trying to eliminate traditional dining as an option. RCL has been converting to "dynamic dining" on some ships. I don't particularly like it but it is what it is. You go with the flow or you stop cruising.

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JaneStarr

JaneStarr

Posted
Posted
I am sorry for my English. It is not my native language. But the question was who pays gratuities to ship crew when you get free prepaid gratuities promo.

 

I understood what you were asking. It's Celebrity that pays the gratuities to crew when we chose that as a perk.

Jane

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paul17

paul17

Posted
Posted
I understood what you were asking. It's Celebrity that pays the gratuities to crew when we chose that as a perk.

Jane

So what happen if I dispute prepaid gratuities with Celebrity on "mediocre service" base (or with my credit card) after the cruise and get refund ? Crew already got paid gratuities, right ? I get something like a promo which is very common.

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Karynanne

Karynanne

Posted
Posted
So what happen if I dispute prepaid gratuities with Celebrity on "mediocre service" base (or with my credit card) after the cruise and get refund ? Crew already got paid gratuities, right ? I get something like a promo which is very common.

 

 

Do you think that Celebrity will give you compensation for "mediocre service"?

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