Tipping on Carnival

[Velvetwater]

In Australia Gratuities and tips for carnival parent company cruises have been included in the fare price for quite some time and it has worked out very well and there are no tax hikes or other hidden costs.

 

In fact many US cruisers who cruise Princess Australia are livid when they find out they are still paying out tips but other guests had them included.

 

People can and do still tip extra in cash but there are no surprise gratuity costs for first time cruisers especially family 4 pax cabins who can find themselves owing a fairly substantial sum on their S&S before they have spent a penny.

 

I beleive Carnival is "testing the water" in Australia and will eventually include Gratuities in the price of USA cruises because it works so well.

 

Cruise prices did not seem to raise dramatically because of the tips being included because prices still fluctuate due to demand and competition:)

 

I also know that people should read the T&C,s about Gratuities or listen to their T/A but simple truth is many first time cruisers are not happy about being hit with gratuities once they see the amount on the print out.

 

I am not trying to push any Tipping buttons but am sure the many cruisers in USA who already prefer pre paid grats would welcome the change:)

 

Completely agree with this.

 

UK/German lines are similar or the tip is very minimal.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

In Australia Gratuities and tips for carnival parent company cruises have been included in the fare price for quite some time and it has worked out very well and there are no tax hikes or other hidden costs.

 

In fact many US cruisers who cruise Princess Australia are livid when they find out they are still paying out tips but other guests had them included.

 

People can and do still tip extra in cash but there are no surprise gratuity costs for first time cruisers especially family 4 pax cabins who can find themselves owing a fairly substantial sum on their S&S before they have spent a penny.

 

I beleive Carnival is "testing the water" in Australia and will eventually include Gratuities in the price of USA cruises because it works so well.

 

Cruise prices did not seem to raise dramatically because of the tips being included because prices still fluctuate due to demand and competition:)

 

I also know that people should read the T&C,s about Gratuities or listen to their T/A but simple truth is many first time cruisers are not happy about being hit with gratuities once they see the amount on the print out.

 

I am not trying to push any Tipping buttons but am sure the many cruisers in USA who already prefer pre paid grats would welcome the change:)

 

I don't believe Carnival is testing any waters as far as including tips. Most cultures besdies the U.S. don't have tipping like we do here so they included the tips on ships that are based in other countries where U.S. pax are not their target pax.

 

There are some cruises in the U.S. in the off season that sell for around $349 starting price. Why? Because that's all the market will bear that time of the year.

 

If they raise the price higher to include the gratuities it looks more expensive and some decide they are not cruising at that price.

 

So the cruise line reduces the price to where they can get pax to book but now that the tips are included they are out $80.50 per pax for the week.

 

I realize it's the same price no matter which way you add it up but it's a psychological thing. Just as something priced at $99 seems a lot cheaper than $100 but it is only a dollar difference.

 

Bill

[megmno]

OP, I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but if you order room service you should also tip the waiter. Usually a couple of bucks is sufficient for an order (more if it's a big order).

[fishtaco]

I don't believe Carnival is testing any waters as far as including tips. Most cultures besdies the U.S. don't have tipping like we do here so they included the tips on ships that are based in other countries where U.S. pax are not their target pax.

 

There are some cruises in the U.S. in the off season that sell for around $349 starting price. Why? Because that's all the market will bear that time of the year.

 

If they raise the price higher to include the gratuities it looks more expensive and some decide they are not cruising at that price.

 

So the cruise line reduces the price to where they can get pax to book but now that the tips are included they are out $80.50 per pax for the week.

 

I realize it's the same price no matter which way you add it up but it's a psychological thing. Just as something priced at $99 seems a lot cheaper than $100 but it is only a dollar difference.

 

Bill

 

You may think this but carnival parented Australian cruise lines had the same tipping system as USA for many years and changed it just few years ago, most seasoned cruisers had no problem with onboard grats and last night MDR envelopes but as cruise prices plummeted to attract new cruisers so did the cruise tipping culture!

 

I am in full belief that many US cruisers no longer tip "Heavy" and that many also remove grats for what seems to be a good reason to them just like a few posts above, plus add to this the jubilation posts presented by those who scored a whopping $20 price drop OBC lol you believe they all pay full grats for all pax lol

 

Cruise prices did not go up here but then again it is rare to have less than a 7 night cruise most are over 10 nights so we will never see your $200 bargain basement three & four nighters.