Princess Cruises Increases Gratuities

[Colo Cruiser]

We just received this email from Princess regarding our February cruise on the Coral Princess, so 10/31 is the official date to prepay after all:

 

Dear Princess Guest:

 

To ensure our guest service on board remains among the best in the cruise industry, Princess Cruises has increased the daily gratuity charge for all voyages departing on or after January 1, 2016.

 

The new daily gratuity amounts are $13.95 USD per guest for mini-suites and suites, and $12.95 USD per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms (including children).

 

The gratuity rate increase is comparable to cruise industry standards and is Princess Cruises’ first increase since May 2011. The increase underlines our commitment toward our crew for the excellent service they provide our guests.

 

You have the opportunity to prepay your daily gratuities at the current rate through October 31, 2015. You may prepay through your Cruise Personalizer at

http://www.princess.com

under Payments and Credits, or contact us at 1-800-774-6237. Guests booked with promotions that include paid gratuities will not be affected by this rate increase.

 

Thank you for your attention to this notification. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Sincerly,

 

Princess Cruises

 

 

Thats strange, mine said $12. :(

[karabear15]

We just received this email from Princess regarding our February cruise on the Coral Princess, so 10/31 is the official date to prepay after all:

 

Dear Princess Guest:

 

To ensure our guest service on board remains among the best in the cruise industry, Princess Cruises has increased the daily gratuity charge for all voyages departing on or after January 1, 2016.

 

The new daily gratuity amounts are $13.95 USD per guest for mini-suites and suites, and $12.95 USD per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms (including children).

 

The gratuity rate increase is comparable to cruise industry standards and is Princess Cruises’ first increase since May 2011. The increase underlines our commitment toward our crew for the excellent service they provide our guests.

 

You have the opportunity to prepay your daily gratuities at the current rate through October 31, 2015. You may prepay through your Cruise Personalizer at

http://www.princess.com

under Payments and Credits, or contact us at 1-800-774-6237. Guests booked with promotions that include paid gratuities will not be affected by this rate increase.

 

Thank you for your attention to this notification. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Sincerly,

 

Princess Cruises

 

 

Literally just got this email as well! I guess everyone that was saying if you wanted to save a few bucks and prepay by tomorrow have a few more weeks.

[AZbeachboy]

We booked our January 3rd cruise with the gratuities paid for with the Princess deal, are they going to honor the deal and cover the full amount or will we have to pay the difference?

 

According to the email, those with deals that include paid gratuities will not be affected.

[Putterdude]

Yes, I think everyone who has a cruise booked after Jan 1 got the email. I prepaid our gratuities a week or so ago. The savings far outweighed any money I would earn by keeping the money elsewhere.

[Rhonbru]

I just like to know why so many are prepaying there gratuities Don't you like to see the workers get a raise :confused: Just curious.

 

Tony

 

I'll admit....I prepaid to save money, it is not our responsibility to give the workers a raise thats the cruise company's responsibility...I have always paid the hotel service charge....a lot of people who cruise save hard and are low paid workers too so you can't begrudge people from trying to save some money whatever way they can

[Redwing55]

I understand that money can be tight for a lot of people. What I don't get is the point of pre-paying to avoid the increase in tips. Honestly, the auto-tip adder may actual result in less tips than many of us might actually pay. Heck, since it's done automatically, I'll say heck with having the larger tip that I may give if I did it the old way on the ship.

 

So now they raise the auto amount a bit and some are rushing to pay it early to avoid the increase. I guess I'd just ask those that are doing so, to consider why they are tipping in the first place, sinceit might just be worth paying the new amount. Clearly, if one can't afford it, or think the old tip is enough.. or even too much, go ahead and pre-pay it. Or for that matter, if you want to budget it early so be it.

 

But again, this isn't like a fuel adder or a fare increase. This is going to the servers and the rest of the staff. So... vote your conscious.

[Woobstr112G]

Just got my email as well. Personally I don't have an issue regarding the increased gratuities.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Putterdude]

Honestly, the auto-tip adder may actual result in less tips than many of us might actually pay. Heck, since it's done automatically, I'll say heck with having the larger tip that I may give if I did it the old way on the ship.

 

 

I think you raise a very valid point and I could see people not tipping an extra amount to their cabin stewards and waiters. So the increase in the auto-tip amount could mean less money in their pockets.

[bUU]

Who knows why they went with the $.95 thing - like why not just make it what it essentially is - $13 and $14? Retail pricing tricks like this don't fool anyone.

What evidence do you have of that?

 

Perhaps you think the intent is to affect people's conscious understanding of the price. If so, then you've never understood the actual intent. Everything I've learned over thirty years in industry is that most people's subconscious perceptions are affected by what you're calling a "retail pricing trick". As such, it does have significant impact on purchasing behaviors, in the this case, I suspect, also on the manner by which passengers regard and interact with the auto-gratuity charge on their bill.

[Musky Ike]

Maybe it is $12.95 because $13 would be bad luck, like the infamous deck 13 :rolleyes:

[marco]

We're booked on the "Royal" end of Jan '16 and just today got the e-mail from Princess advising us of the increase.

[Who Knew]

There are some very good and interesting points made in this thread, and some I just don't understand at all, lol!

 

I think I have decided to prepay the gratuities for my 2016 Panama Canal cruise, but not to save the money...in fact if I prepay it will be after October 31. My only concern with prepaying was whether I would get the money back if I had to cancel the cruise...which I managed to find the answer to earlier in this thread.

 

At the end of this year I will be unemployed. Money will be a concern in some ways, but I have budgeted for the cruise so the extra $30 won't be a particular hardship, but it would be better if I could pay as much as possible while I still have an income. :o

[Thrak]

Pay now or pay later. It's a personal choice and I couldn't care less what people do in regard to this. Why do people seem to care so much what others do?

[rocker57]

Pay now or pay later. It's a personal choice and I couldn't care less what people do in regard to this. Why do people seem to care so much what others do?

 

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