gcbranscome Posted February 14, 2017 #1 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Hi! I'm a 1st time cruiser and was wondering do most people pay gratuities before or after their cruise? Do you get treated differently if you pay it afterwards? Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted February 14, 2017 #2 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Hi! I'm a 1st time cruiser and was wondering do most people pay gratuities before or after their cruise? Do you get treated differently if you pay it afterwards? If you don't pay before the cruise, you are automatically charged daily for gratuities. Makes no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dixieva Posted February 14, 2017 #3 Share Posted February 14, 2017 It's much easier to pre-pay the tips. If we feel anyone goes above and beyond we will tip them extra in cash at the end of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted February 14, 2017 #4 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I do not understand why anyone would want to prepay, why give RCCL the money before you have too. RCCL charges you daily a flat fee for tips, amount depend if you have a suite or not, ( we also normally tip extra depending on service ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troykahack Posted February 14, 2017 #5 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I do not understand why anyone would want to prepay, why give RCCL the money before you have too. RCCL charges you daily a flat fee for tips, amount depend if you have a suite or not, ( we also normally tip extra depending on service ) Because it is prepaid.... that is the catch, prepaid.... nothing to worry about on the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nets33 Posted February 14, 2017 #6 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I do not understand why anyone would want to prepay, why give RCCL the money before you have too. RCCL charges you daily a flat fee for tips, amount depend if you have a suite or not, ( we also normally tip extra depending on service ) We find it easier to budget when we prepay and makes our final on-board bill less. Yes, we understand that they are getting our money before we use the service but it's not like you're going to make a lot of interest from your bank on ~$200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted February 14, 2017 #7 Share Posted February 14, 2017 We find it easier to budget when we prepay and makes our final on-board bill less. Yes, we understand that they are getting our money before we use the service but it's not like you're going to make a lot of interest from your bank on ~$200. To which I would add than for non-residents of the US, currency exchange is part of the issue. We bought $1,000 USD worth of OBC in 2015 at a conversion rate of $1.10 to cover our gratuities and other anticipated onboard expenses for a cruise next month. If I had waited to pay at the end of the cruise, even with a bit of strengthening of the Loonie over the past few weeks, I'd still be paying in the $1.35 range. That's $250 in my pocket for purchasing in advance, minus perhaps a couple of dollars in lost interest had I left it in the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsPete Posted February 14, 2017 #8 Share Posted February 14, 2017 It's much easier to pre-pay the tips. Take away the adjective "much", and I agree. Just go ahead and pay along with your cruise ticket. One less thing to consider onboard. I do not understand why anyone would want to prepay, why give RCCL the money before you have too. RCCL charges you daily a flat fee for tips, amount depend if you have a suite or not, ( we also normally tip extra depending on service ) Does it really make any difference? You're not going to earn more than a nickle of interest on the money. You're not likely to get bad service. Why not just take care of this small chore while you're paying the rest of the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troykahack Posted February 14, 2017 #9 Share Posted February 14, 2017 To which I would add than for non-residents of the US, currency exchange is part of the issue. We bought $1,000 USD worth of OBC in 2015 at a conversion rate of $1.10 to cover our gratuities and other anticipated onboard expenses for a cruise next month. If I had waited to pay at the end of the cruise, even with a bit of strengthening of the Loonie over the past few weeks, I'd still be paying in the $1.35 range. That's $250 in my pocket for purchasing in advance, minus perhaps a couple of dollars in lost interest had I left it in the bank. Interesting a different perspective and this post is not headed for deletion and locked. (I was interested in learning the CA perspective on the other Thread) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcbranscome Posted February 14, 2017 Author #10 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Thank you everyone! I went ahead paid the gratuities. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troykahack Posted February 14, 2017 #11 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Thank you everyone! I went ahead paid the gratuities. Sent from my iPad using Forums I think you will enjoy your cruise more with prepaid Grats. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsbreezer Posted February 14, 2017 #12 Share Posted February 14, 2017 We prepaid. Much easier knowing that it's taken care of and we don't have to budget that in on our cruise account. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TickledBlue Posted February 14, 2017 #13 Share Posted February 14, 2017 A reason to not prepay is to use OBC to cover the gratuities. I usually do this. We have auto pay for the credit card so this is easier for us since reduced (by the OBC) gratuities are easier to pay :) . Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Cruizers Posted February 14, 2017 #14 Share Posted February 14, 2017 We have pre paid because then it covered and don't have to deal with it at the end. We tip extra at the end to those we feel earned it. By pre paying then our On board charges are greatly reduced, the dollar amount is the same. As a posted said, we budget for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie1337 Posted February 15, 2017 #15 Share Posted February 15, 2017 We opted not to prepay. I'd rather not voluntarily give anyone my $$ interest free, no one does that for me! It'll just end up on the same credit card at the end of the trip as it would have if I'd paid it earlier so I don't really get the idea of convenience, gotta pay the bill online either way, but whatever makes everyone happiest :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted February 15, 2017 #16 Share Posted February 15, 2017 We opted not to prepay. I'd rather not voluntarily give anyone my $$ interest free, no one does that for me! It'll just end up on the same credit card at the end of the trip as it would have if I'd paid it earlier so I don't really get the idea of convenience, gotta pay the bill online either way, but whatever makes everyone happiest :) Given your experience (Really Ridiculous thread), I can't say that I blame you, but there are definitely financial benefits to be considered by Canadians and other non-US passengers willing to speculate on currency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie1337 Posted February 15, 2017 #17 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Given your experience (Really Ridiculous thread), I can't say that I blame you, but there are definitely financial benefits to be considered by Canadians and other non-US passengers willing to speculate on currency. True, but ultimately no one can be sure what's going to happen and it's gambling either way :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted February 15, 2017 #18 Share Posted February 15, 2017 True, but ultimately no one can be sure what's going to happen and it's gambling either way :) No tipped employee GETS the tips BEFORE the cruise is over. Everyone is treated the same! No worries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie1337 Posted February 15, 2017 #19 Share Posted February 15, 2017 No tipped employee GETS the tips BEFORE the cruise is over. Everyone is treated the same! No worries! I mean it's gambling with respect to whether the Canadian dollar will rise or fall :) EDIT: Whoops, I think maybe you just accidentally quoted my text and were replying to OP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lordnlkon Posted February 15, 2017 #20 Share Posted February 15, 2017 We never prepay but then again we don't really budget or pay much attention to our final bill for the cruise account. It's all setup on the same card for auto pay. I can see how others would like to have it prepaid though. It won't make a difference in your cruise experience, just more a personal choice and what you are comfortable with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A2Mich Posted February 15, 2017 #21 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Unless things have changed, I was under the impression that in order to book MTD, you had to prepay gratuites. So if wanting to book MTD, I believe the booking has the gratuities automatically added onto the total. At least, that's how our current booking is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkCruiser24 Posted February 15, 2017 #22 Share Posted February 15, 2017 I always pre pay my gratuities. However I also brig along extra cash for awesome service! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaman11 Posted February 15, 2017 #23 Share Posted February 15, 2017 you could not prepay and then go to the front desk and have your gratuity removed. some like to pay in envelopes at the end of the cruise themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkertwo Posted February 15, 2017 #24 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Heres my thought for what its worth. My booking is in Canadian dollars so I have my tips set to pre-pay in Canadian dollars. It comes to $222.66 for the two of us, grand total. I don't have to make a final payment till what, 90 days? Lets say 90 just for a number. So in a high rate savings account I might make a whopping 1%. If I take that $222.66 and multiply it by the 1%, divide that by 365 (number of days in the year) and multiply by 90 (number of days I will not make any interest) I will lose a grand total of........55 cents. And that's assuming I make 1% which none of my accounts do. To have my tips pre-paid is worth .55 to me just to have it all done and over with. Its accounted for and I'm not going to have to give it a second thought on my cruise. Now that's JMO and not everyones way of thinking. I just don't understand the argument of 'I'm giving my money to someone and not getting anything for it'. I suppose if your putting your final payment on a credit card it would be a bit different but that is not something we do. Even then your not losing a ton of money in a 90 day period. Should be paid one way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BekkaW Posted February 15, 2017 #25 Share Posted February 15, 2017 Unless things have changed, I was under the impression that in order to book MTD, you had to prepay gratuites. So if wanting to book MTD, I believe the booking has the gratuities automatically added onto the total. At least, that's how our current booking is. That did change some time ago. You can pre-pay if you want, but no longer required. If you call RCI you can have them removed from your account and pay onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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