Gratuities Increase!!!!

[Tiger0613]

23 minutes ago, Bevv said:

Thank You.

So each day housekeeping gets an extra $0.30 or $1.30, dining gets an extra $0.49, and alternative services gets an extra $0.25.

Edited October 18, 2018 by Tiger0613

[Bevv]

2 minutes ago, Tiger0613 said:

Thank You.

So each day housekeeping gets an extra $0.30 or $1.30, dining gets an extra $0.49, and alternative services gets and extra $0.25.

 I did not have the old data.  Thanks for that breakdown of the change.

[Cruiser_1977]

15 minutes ago, katscrapfever said:

It is certainly for you to decide. However, you may not "see" some of the folks that benefit from the DSC. Which means if you are only tipping the ones you "see", some staff are missing out on the extra money.

aren't the gratuities automatically charged to your sail and sign card?  i prefer to tip in person as we've done in the past.  it should be optional instead of automatic, in my opinion.  we do tip generously. don't get me wrong, we know the help works hard and diligently.  but we've requested the gratuities be taken  'off' the credit card so that 'we' control whom and what is given.  

 

[ScreenSwoons]

So if I prepaid and want to increase to new amount, what should I do? I know I can tip housekeeping and waitstaff directly, but not alternative services.

[Bevv]

1 minute ago, ScreenSwoons said:

So if I prepaid and want to increase to new amount, what should I do? I know I can tip housekeeping and waitstaff directly, but not alternative services.

 

You can adjust your gratuities UP at Guest Services once on the ship.  If you sail after 12/1, you can remove your tips then and add them again to give the then rate.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, katscrapfever said:

aren't the gratuities automatically charged to your sail and sign card?  i prefer to tip in person as we've done in the past.  it should be optional instead of automatic, in my opinion.  we do tip generously. don't get me wrong, we know the help works hard and diligently.  but we've requested the gratuities be taken  'off' the credit card so that 'we' control whom and what is given.  

 

It is always a team effort. If you only tip those you see and think deserve a tip, you are stiffing the rest of the team that makes the good service you see possible.

[ScreenSwoons]

17 minutes ago, Bevv said:

 

You can adjust your gratuities UP at Guest Services once on the ship.  If you sail after 12/1, you can remove your tips then and add them again to give the then rate.

Thanks!

[sfaaa]

Not surprised and no issue with the increase. Most mass market cruise lines are already charging $13.50 pp or higher. 

[CruisinCrow]

That's not bad.  Now they are the same as NCL and still less than Royal Caribbean.

Edited October 18, 2018 by CruisinCrow

[Jeni99]

Please do not kill me for asking, and I do prepay... but just wondering why the Suites gratuity is so much higher.. I stayed in the Grand Suite on Sensation in April and the Grand suite coming up on the Magic in March... but I know on the Sensation I did not receive any higher service, the Suite was not that much larger at all... and not sure why first time ever our room was never cleaned even before lunch (and yes we asked for service twice a day.) And since the regular cabins went up a dollar and suites two dollars per person I am just wondering if anyone knows. And again I am not saying not deserved just why I pay more for a suite in tips? 

[SwordBlazer Cruising]

Go take a spin on JH Facebook page and look at the uproar. It is quite amusing. 

 

[bury me at sea]

23 minutes ago, SwordBlazer Cruising said:

Go take a spin on JH Facebook page and look at the uproar. It is quite amusing. 

 

Are people complaining about this increase?  I think currently Carnival's daily rate is one of the lowest among the mass market lines.

[grandmarnnurse]

7 hours ago, jimgpayne said:

 

As long as they are gratuities; they can never be mandatory. By their very definition, they are optional. If they make them mandatory, then they will have to classify them as some kind of housekeeping fee. Which then means that Carnival must declare them as income and pay taxes on them. Right now, as gratuities, Carnival doesn't pay taxes on them - only the receiver does (or may, depending on the tax jurisdiction).

Can they call it “Service Charges” rather than gratuities, and make it mandatory?

[SwordBlazer Cruising]

40 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

Are people complaining about this increase?  I think currently Carnival's daily rate is one of the lowest among the mass market lines.

Yes!

 

[GMRPHRN]

I always budget this into the price of the cruise, pre-pay and don't think of it again. IMO it shouldn't be optional.  I always add a little extra to steward and dining and the amount usually depends on what I have left in cash.  I know that I am not skimping anyone since they have the prepaid already. That said I will probably pre-pay my February cruise before Dec 1 but then wait and pay my Sept 2019 cruise tips after that trip.  The amount of increase is small enough for me not to notice too much, but then I am not paying for 3, 4 or more people either.

[bury me at sea]

I have already paid our April cruise in full, including pre-paid grats.  I added pre-paid grats to my 2020 cruise when I booked it.  I don't know if that counts as paying for it, but I'm not worrying about it either way.

[riclop]

Thanks for the info.

[Johnny60]

Worth every penny and it won't alter the extra I leave at the end of the cruise.

[Moviela]

I have no quibble with an 8% increase in suggested tip for a regular room, but I am wondering what, if any, the crew are receiving in their pay. I just don't want to see the company protect their budget by simply increasing the gratuity paid by passengers. 

[NWACruiser]

If our service was good, then we tip each member of the dining crew, cabin steward, and any other crew members that went out of their way to make our cruise nice.  We always do this on the last night of the cruise.  Sure it is an additional expense, but, the crew really appreciates it.

[PhillyFan33579]

12 hours ago, katscrapfever said:

aren't the gratuities automatically charged to your sail and sign card?  i prefer to tip in person as we've done in the past.  it should be optional instead of automatic, in my opinion.  we do tip generously. don't get me wrong, we know the help works hard and diligently.  but we've requested the gratuities be taken  'off' the credit card so that 'we' control whom and what is given.  

 

This is just my opinion, but if you can’t afford the gratuities, you can’t afford the cruise. There are a lot of hard workers behind the scenes who you screw over when you remove gratuities from your account. You are wrong thinking you tip generously when you remove tips from people you never see, but who work hard behind the scenes to make sure your cruise goes well. 

[sparks1093]

6 hours ago, Moviela said:

I have no quibble with an 8% increase in suggested tip for a regular room, but I am wondering what, if any, the crew are receiving in their pay. I just don't want to see the company protect their budget by simply increasing the gratuity paid by passengers. 

As I understand it all of the tips get distributed to the crew and I've seen nothing (at least concerning CCL) that would suggest otherwise. The crew knows what the passengers are paying and I'm sure there would be very loud objections if they weren't getting it.

[grandmarnnurse]

11 hours ago, bury me at sea said:

I have already paid our April cruise in full, including pre-paid grats.  I added pre-paid grats to my 2020 cruise when I booked it.  I don't know if that counts as paying for it, but I'm not worrying about it either way.

Same here. 2019 cruise paid in full with gratuities, and 2020 cruise booked with gratuities, but still paying on it. I hope it keeps the old rate on the booked, but not paid in full, Cruise. But if not, it’s no big deal. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

I have no issue with the increase.  Frankly, even with the auto-grats I feel a little guilty not tipping the rest of the staff as well as I could.  So this eases that guilt a wee bit.

[katscrapfever]

12 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

This is just my opinion, but if you can’t afford the gratuities, you can’t afford the cruise. There are a lot of hard workers behind the scenes who you screw over when you remove gratuities from your account. You are wrong thinking you tip generously when you remove tips from people you never see, but who work hard behind the scenes to make sure your cruise goes well.