Prepaying Gratuities on-line?

[Merion_Mom]

My email did not read that way. It says you can add them before you sail (meaning, instead of waiting until you board and having them add them each day), but on June 2nd, the price will increase.

 

You can add them before June 2nd and pay the lower rate all at once, you can add them on June 2nd or later and pay the higher rate all at once, or you can wait til you board and pay the higher rate a day at a time.

 

I called and added mine on the phone because they asked me about it when I called for a price drop. I wouldn’t worry about it if you miss it; it’s just $1 more a day per person.

 

 

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January

 

January

 

January

[Merion_Mom]

Here’s the email (pasted below). I see where it says “...we’d like to extend the opportunity to prepay before you sail at the current rate...” but I don’t believe they mean to say that you will be grandfathered at the lower rate.

 

The fact that they state the daily charges and also state that they go up on June 2nd, to me, means they are inviting you to prepay before you board, but warning you that the amount will increase on June 2nd. I could be wrong but that’s how I read it.

 

ROYAL’s EMAIL:

 

We are excited to welcome you onboard for your upcoming Royal Caribbean vacation!

 

As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of an update to our daily gratuity charges. As of January 2, 2018, Royal Caribbean will be increasing the automatic daily gratuity charge from $13.50 to $14.50 per guest, per day for regular staterooms and from $16.50 to $17.50 per guest, per day for suites. The daily gratuity is shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams.

 

We’d like to extend the opportunity to pre-pay your gratuities before your sail date at the current rate. If you’d like to pay onboard, your gratuity charge applied will be at the new rate.

 

Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: an 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar service beverages, spa services, room service and mini bar items, and will be itemized on your receipt.

 

To pre-pay your gratuities, please log onto www.RoyalCaribbean.com, contact your travel agent, or call 1-866-562-7625. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard.

 

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

 

 

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January

 

Hmmmm... well since your travel agent put that in writing, people will have an easy time making the argument that the agent needs to pay the difference if the lower dollar amount doesn’t populate in the system, but I wouldn’t trust being able to make that argument to Royal Caribbean.

 

If anyone is really that worried about the $1, I would add it before June 2nd. What’s the point in waiting and then hoping that Royal’s wording means you are grandfathered at the lower rate? I agree with you, I wouldn’t trust Royal on this one and I wouldn’t want to waste the time on the phone trying to make that argument.

 

 

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January

[ColoradoGurl]

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Yikes, thanks. I don’t know what I was thinking. They both start with J (and my cruise leaves in June, I think that’s where my head was at). I changed the ones I could, was too late for the other.

 

 

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[Merion_Mom]

Yikes, thanks. I don’t know what I was thinking. They both start with J (and my cruise leaves in June, I think that’s where my head was at). I changed the ones I could, was too late for the other.

 

 

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I live to serve. :D

[hardingk]

I'm unable to find where I can add them online and they are closed today. Can I call tomorrow to add them or is it too late? We sail end of March.

[fishtaco]

Hmmmm... well since your travel agent put that in writing, people will have an easy time making the argument that the agent needs to pay the difference if the lower dollar amount doesn’t populate in the system, but I wouldn’t trust being able to make that argument to Royal Caribbean.

 

If anyone is really that worried about the $1, I would add it before June 2nd. What’s the point in waiting and then hoping that Royal’s wording means you are grandfathered at the lower rate? I agree with you, I wouldn’t trust Royal on this one and I wouldn’t want to waste the time on the phone trying to make that argument.

 

 

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"Scare tactics" in wording from cruieline

 

With the tips going up I am sure as in past rises many will opt out or threaten to opt out in favor of cash tips, the small amount of increase is nothing but on principal many like the op may not want to pay extra they need not have paid so I believe RCI wants to secure as much pre paid asap.

 

Things die down after a while and cruisers accept the grat increase but as shown on cc in the past many will opt out in protest of the rise and cruiselines know this so they dangle a carrot!

 

How will the tips get distributed now? with the pre payers paying $1 a day less than all those who pay daily or missed the presumed deadline! I really dont think the cruiseline will cover the many thousands in grat shortfall for these cruises.

 

Just my opinion and I am frequantly wrong :)

[soremekun]

I'm unable to find where I can add them online and they are closed today. Can I call tomorrow to add them or is it too late? We sail end of March.

Page 2 of this thread will be helpful.

 

_______________________

Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

[hardingk]

Page 2 of this thread will be helpful.

 

_______________________

Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

 

I read page 2 and am still unclear of the answer. Looks like no one will know until tomorrow.

[ColoradoGurl]

"Scare tactics" in wording from cruieline

 

 

 

With the tips going up I am sure as in past rises many will opt out or threaten to opt out in favor of cash tips, the small amount of increase is nothing but on principal many like the op may not want to pay extra they need not have paid so I believe RCI wants to secure as much pre paid asap.

 

 

 

Things die down after a while and cruisers accept the grat increase but as shown on cc in the past many will opt out in protest of the rise and cruiselines know this so they dangle a carrot!

 

 

 

How will the tips get distributed now? with the pre payers paying $1 a day less than all those who pay daily or missed the presumed deadline! I really dont think the cruiseline will cover the many thousands in grat shortfall for these cruises.

 

 

 

Just my opinion and I am frequantly wrong :)

 

 

I wouldn’t be surprised, people do make a big fuss over $1 sometimes. The “pre-pay” option doesn’t really give Royal your money ahead of time though, they just add it to your bill, and it gets paid at final payment date, which means they’ll get it 90 days sooner, but that’s not really a big deal.

 

I don’t blame people for not wanting to pay more money when the option to pay less was there. But if it’s that big of a deal, why wait until the very last day? They sent that email to us a week ago. Procrastinators can’t be choosers and what not.

 

 

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[Snit13]

I called C&A to prepay for my January cruise. Are they closed too?

[soremekun]

I read page 2 and am still unclear of the answer. Looks like no one will know until tomorrow.

I take it the online steps didn't work either?

 

_______________________

Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

[hardingk]

I take it the online steps didn't work either?

 

_______________________

Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

 

There is no pre-pay gratuity option when I click on view. It just generates a document with all of the people sailing, information - address, C&A number, DOB etc. No options to change or do anything.

[Dina7]

The exact same thing happened to us with daily gratuities increasing $1.00 per night for a cruise we had booked on NCL. I know it's a different cruise line, but we received almost an identical letter offering us the opportunity to prepay the gratuities before sailing, at the old rate. We did this a few weeks before we sailed & were charged the old lower rate.

 

I don't think anybody should be upset if they don't prepay them by tomorrow. I understand it as if you pay them BEFORE sailing, you will be charged the original lower gratuity rate. That was the wording when NCL did it as well as RCI's wording now.

[soremekun]

There is no pre-pay gratuity option when I click on view. It just generates a document with all of the people sailing, information - address, C&A number, DOB etc. No options to change or do anything.

Please let us know how your experience goes tomorrow.

 

_______________________

Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

[hardingk]

Please let us know how your experience goes tomorrow.

 

_______________________

Carnival Paradise - August 2015 - 5 nights

Carnival Splendor - August 2016 - 6 nights

Carnival Magic - August 2017 - 8 nights

Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas - August 2018 - 7 nights (booked)

Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - August 2019 - 9 nights (booked)

 

I was able to add it at the old rate. They said it would be at the new rate, but when they added it on, it was the old rate.

[ChinaShrek]

 

How will the tips get distributed now? with the pre payers paying $1 a day less than all those who pay daily or missed the presumed deadline! I really dont think the cruiseline will cover the many thousands in grat shortfall for these cruises.

 

Just my opinion and I am frequantly wrong :)

 

Furthermore, I see know reason to pre-pay gratuities when I can go to Guest Services and adjust the amount I want to give for gratuities at any point in the cruise. I realize that this is not true for Australian passengers.