Benefits and Disadvantages of prepaying gratuities?

[WackyWayne]

I generally do not pre-pay. Our most recent cruise we had a good amount of OBC, but the Princess web site would not let me use that to pre-pay grats.

 

Once we got onboard, on day 3 of 14, I went to the front desk and asked for all my gratuities to be paid right now, in one lump sum. They gladly complied with my request. I do that to keep my statement simpler to read and to avoid the daily gratuity charges. This allows me to see what our remaining OBC balance is much more clearly as I don't have to keep track of what part of our daily balance is allocated to a declining gratuity "obligation". In other words, get the expected stuff off the balance as quick is possible to see how much "fun" money you have left to do discretionary things with.

[charlie murphy]

The interest you are missing on a 7 day cruise may be as high as 2 cents.

This is the first time I have ever seen someone REALLY give their 2 cents worth!

[darstamp]

First of all, I think refusing to pay the daily gratuity is never justifiable. I have been on many cruises and it's true that you receive service from many crew members, not just those you see. I like to prepay the gratuity because I like to spread out the cost of the trip instead of facing it all at the end. I also pre-book excursions for the same reason. When I order a drink, it has a gratuity added on so I never feel it's necessary to tip the bartenders and waiters over top of that. I prefer anytime dining but on the few occasions when I have had the same wait staff in the dining room for the whole cruise, I have given them a small tip at the end of the cruise if I felt they gave good service. I always tip the room steward, sometimes on a daily basis and sometimes at the end of the cruise but I feel the $5 per person per day that is recommended by Cruise Critic is excessive. On a 10 day cruise I would probably leave $25.00 and my roommate would do the same. US Funds, of course.

 

I know this thread isn't about tipping in general but I was shocked to see on my last cruise that many people on the excursions I took did not tip the driver and the tour guide.

[downsmead]

Yes I am from the Uk. Great point about the rate being fixed when you book. How can I find out what ‘my rate’ would be?

Alternatively on your cruise personaliser it tells you how much it costs to prepay your tips in GBP. If you are in a non-suite cabin then the dollar cost is $13.50 per guest per night, you can then do the calculations.

Occasionally the cruise lines lag behind forex in updating their conversion factors and in the past we have bought a OBC and got quite a few more dollars in comparison to what we would have got here in the uk when changing up sterling for dollars. At the moment, there is not really much difference. The benefit by prepaying is that you will be charged in sterling and so no currency conversion fees.

[RMMariner]

We prepay ours. Just makes it easier to budget the trip. Also, not to dive into the tip/no tip argument, but comparing not leaving a tip at a Motel 6 to not tipping on a cruise is just not reasonable. If you ate an equivalent restaurant at home, your tip would end up being more just for dinner.

[dougypk]

Are pre-paid gratuities refundable if you can't make the cruise?

[Shugerx2]

If one has OBC why can't this be used for gratuities?

[caribill]

Are pre-paid gratuities refundable if you can't make the cruise?

 

Yes, if you cancel the cruise.

[Lucky TGO]

If one has OBC why can't this be used for gratuities?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. OBC most certainly can be used for gratuities. I do it all the time.

30 cruises with Princess.

Tony

[satxdiver]

It has been awhile since we have had a gratuity thread on here so next is the chair hog thread. Personally I don't like to pay any bills before they are due as the money looks a lot nicer in my account and not theirs. Therefore I don't prepay gratuities and sometimes use OBC to pay part of them if I have not used it on excursions or the DW has gone on a shopping spree. I would love to see the word gratuity stricken from the books and label it what it really is a service charge. Finally only a low-life would even consider canceling the gratuity.

[claudiniusmaximus]

The advantages for me in prepaying is for budgeting purposes. So one month I book and pay for the excursions, another I prepay grats, another I prepay internet, another I prepay drinks package etc.

 

If I don’t manage to prepay it all it’s not the end of the world but for the sake of keeping an eye on my budget I find it easier than paying for all the above at the end of the cruise in one go (it could easily cost almost as much as the cruise itself).

 

For us, cruises are a big ticket, expensive holiday so carefully managing the outgoings as and when we can afford them is much better for us than having to pay in one go at the end.

 

(I suppose we could put the money aside each month in a separate account but there always seems to be some household expense or another competing for my holiday money so just easier for us to have it in Princess’ account rather than mine)

 

 

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[Host CJSKIDS]

Never would prepay a gratuity if you prepay it no longer meets the definition of gratuity. Always remove the daily service fees and tip those who I feel have earned a tip.

 

How could anyone prepay sine it is gratuity from the Princess information: "the amount of the gratuities is up to your own decision. Many passengers, however, ask for some recommendations." and "our crew members will provide you with excellent service, but many of them will remain invisible. In order to do justice to all our crew members who care for your well-being, a discretionary gratuity...." Again Princess clearly says discretionary so no one could really know what is correct until after services have been provided.

 

That quote is not what is on the US version of Princess.com. When you go to the gratuity section, you do not find "the amount is up to your own decision or many ask for recommendations" . Of course one always has the right to make changes to this once on board the ship at passenger services. But whatever cash you give is supposed to be reported if the auto gratuity has been removed, therefore it will still be shared.

 

This is from Princess. Here is the link of the page and here is what it states.

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/experience.jsp

 

During your cruise, regardless of which Princess ship you choose, you will meet staff who provide you with excellent service. Crew members often rotate to different vessels within the Princess fleet which helps to maintain our high standards on every ship. These dedicated workers reflect our philosophy that all crew on all ships are but one family who share in our success.

To simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary gratuity of $15.50 per guest for suites, $14.50 per guest for mini-suites and club class, and $13.50 per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms. This gratuity will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including all waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, and housekeeping staff across the fleet.

For your convenience, this gratuity can be pre-paid online via Cruise Personalizer. Alternatively, you may call us at 1-855-500-7690 and reference Special Services item number 0591. Pre-payment is available up to 2 days prior to departure.

A 15% gratuity is added to bar charges, dining room wine accounts, and Lotus Spa® services. This is shared amongst the beverage staff, their support staff and Lotus Spa® personnel.

Casino dealers and youth staff do not share in these gratuities. We know you will find these services onboard exemplary.

Please note gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Host CJSKIDS

[Expat Cruise]

That quote is not what is on the US version of Princess.com. When you go to the gratuity section, you do not find "the amount is up to your own decision" . Of course one always has the right to make changes to this once on board the ship at passenger services. But whatever cash you give is supposed to be reported if the auto gratuity has been removed, therefore it will still be shared.

 

This is from Princess. Here is the link of the page and here is what it states.

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/onboard/experience.jsp

 

During your cruise, regardless of which Princess ship you choose, you will meet staff who provide you with excellent service. Crew members often rotate to different vessels within the Princess fleet which helps to maintain our high standards on every ship. These dedicated workers reflect our philosophy that all crew on all ships are but one family who share in our success.

To simplify the tipping process for our guests, a discretionary gratuity of $15.50 per guest for suites, $14.50 per guest for mini-suites and club class, and $13.50 per guest for interior, oceanview, and balcony staterooms. This gratuity will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including all waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, and housekeeping staff across the fleet.

For your convenience, this gratuity can be pre-paid online via Cruise Personalizer. Alternatively, you may call us at 1-855-500-7690 and reference Special Services item number 0591. Pre-payment is available up to 2 days prior to departure.

A 15% gratuity is added to bar charges, dining room wine accounts, and Lotus Spa® services. This is shared amongst the beverage staff, their support staff and Lotus Spa® personnel.

Casino dealers and youth staff do not share in these gratuities. We know you will find these services onboard exemplary.

Please note gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.

 

Really it still says: "a discretionary gratuity of $15.50 ...." which means exactly the same thing, princess is always changing websites terms.

It also now says: "Please note gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship."

 

It is discretionary you can remove it and they cannot question you about your choice.

 

But these notices are on the website, the only thing they can enforce is the legal cruise contract, which is very quite on this subject.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Really it still says: "a discretionary gratuity of $15.50 ...." which means exactly the same thing, princess is always changing websites terms.

It also now says: "Please note gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship."

 

It is discretionary you can remove it and they cannot question you about your choice.

 

But these notices are on the website, the only thing they can enforce is the legal cruise contract, which is very quite on this subject.

 

It is discretionary and you do have the absolute right to remove the auto gratuity as I had stated in my post. However, they are aware that you removed that and whatever cash you give as a tip then gets pooled. Crew members do not get to keep the cash tips if that auto-gratuity is taken away.

 

Back to the topic at hand......

 

Prepaying the gratuity is great if you wish to budget or if you would prefer a smaller bill at the end. For someone who doesn't have a large credit limit or is using a debit card, it may be useful. As others have said, they do it for currency issues.

[satxdiver]

IMO anyone who decides to remove the few benjamin's gratuity is a low-life and probably also stiffs the waiters in restaurants who all work hard to serve us. I wonder how they would feel if the situation was reversed and they were the ones not getting the gratuity remembering that their pay is low and they work 24x7.

 

I remember the days when we were given envelopes for gratuity for each crew member that directly served us. I welcomed the much simpler all inclusive gratuity.

[dfields1814]

If you prepay with a Princess credit card you will get points. Now you pre pay excursions that adds points. If you RSVP a speciality dinner or two and a soda card, etc etc. all these points add up. May not be enough for the cruise coming but you keep adding points for a future cruise.

[Lynniepoo]

IMO anyone who decides to remove the few benjamin's gratuity is a low-life and probably also stiffs the waiters in restaurants who all work hard to serve us. I wonder how they would feel if the situation was reversed and they were the ones not getting the gratuity remembering that their pay is low and they work 24x7.

 

I remember the days when we were given envelopes for gratuity for each crew member that directly served us. I welcomed the much simpler all inclusive gratuity.

 

I don't completely agree. Yes, cruise staff work really hard for long hours. For that reason, we choose to leave the auto-tip on and our cash tips (on top of the auto) are based on quality of service.

 

That said (and I'm ready for the flames!) I understand why people choose to do otherwise. I think that staff know what they are signing up for and what is required of them, and should try to meet those expectations (UNLESS the person is a complete wackadoodle who expects their steward (or any staff member) to be at their service with unreasonable expectations and stiff a tip if they don't get it. That is inexcusable).

[Thrak]

Up until our most recent cruise our OBC has always gone completely toward the gratuities. We haven't had enough to have any left over. Our most recent cruise was different in that we had $800 in OBC and the gratuities were only $378. Most unusual for us. I put a $200 on my card in the casino and managed to turn it into $150. (Yep, that's how gambling works for me. :rolleyes:) The last day I cashed out in the casino and we ended up with a final bill of $14.89 and $150 in my pocket. To top things off we had booked our return airfare using "miles" plus a whopping $11.20. We took a move over on one of the flights and received $800 in airline credit. (Supposed to receive another $400 via email but not holding my breath.) So... $150 "profit" on the cruise and at least $800 "profit" on the flights. Most unusual for us but a very pleasant change to be sure. :D

[Lynniepoo]

Up until our most recent cruise our OBC has always gone completely toward the gratuities. We haven't had enough to have any left over. Our most recent cruise was different in that we had $800 in OBC and the gratuities were only $378. Most unusual for us. I put a $200 on my card in the casino and managed to turn it into $150. (Yep, that's how gambling works for me. :rolleyes:) The last day I cashed out in the casino and we ended up with a final bill of $14.89 and $150 in my pocket. To top things off we had booked our return airfare using "miles" plus a whopping $11.20. We took a move over on one of the flights and received $800 in airline credit. (Supposed to receive another $400 via email but not holding my breath.) So... $150 "profit" on the cruise and at least $800 "profit" on the flights. Most unusual for us but a very pleasant change to be sure. :D

 

Masterful! Nicely done.:)

[Feebarn]

Also from the UK - we worked out today we would be paying approx £10 more for our Sept trip if we pre payed gratuities at the rate that Princess was requesting versus allowing it to be charged to our Credit Card onboard. Sometimes in the past it has worked in out favour to prepay - I think to the tune of £30 once. To be honest, i prefer to get it paid and out of the way so there isn't a big bill to come at the end of the hols!

[Go-Bucks!]

I always have lots of OBC that I use to pay gratuities. Less out of my pocket! ;)

[Toofarfromthesea]

It has been awhile since we have had a gratuity thread on here so next is the chair hog thread. Personally I don't like to pay any bills before they are due as the money looks a lot nicer in my account and not theirs. Therefore I don't prepay gratuities and sometimes use OBC to pay part of them if I have not used it on excursions or the DW has gone on a shopping spree. I would love to see the word gratuity stricken from the books and label it what it really is a service charge. Finally only a low-life would even consider canceling the gratuity.

 

Yup, and the only thing worse is the folks who come on here trying to convince other people to do likewise. Because principles, or some such nonsense. Taking it to The Man by screwing over third world people working their butts off to give us a good vacation.

[majortom10]

Unfortunately we dont get very large amounts of OBC on our Princess cruises when booked in the UK as you seem to get in the US or at least I never have. Also there is a culture difference between US and UK regarding tips because the minimum wage is higher in the UK than in the US so staff do not really expect tips as the norm, except for perhaps London and major tourist cities, any they do receive is a bonus.

[caribill]

If you prepay with a Princess credit card you will get points. Now you pre pay excursions that adds points. If you RSVP a speciality dinner or two and a soda card, etc etc. all these points add up. May not be enough for the cruise coming but you keep adding points for a future cruise.

 

And if instead of pre-paying you have these items posted on your on-board account which you pay with our Princess credit card you get the same points. Only advantage to paying in advance is if you wanted to use those points for OBC on that cruise.

[caribill]

Many people do not like to have a big bill at the end of the cruise, so they pay as much as they can before the cruise starts.

 

Cruise lines encourage this because they have found psychologically that people who have paid for those things in advance will usually then spend more $$$ on the ship knowing that the big items have been taken care of pre-cruise. Thus overall spending is higher as these are $$$ that would not have been spent if the pre-cruise purchases had not been made.