Gratuities Going Up $1 Per Day Effective May 21, 2019

[oskidunker]

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What difference should it make if someone got free gratuities? How do you know that they didn’t pay more for their cruise than you did? I’ve seen a lot of so called “deals” through the years from Princess offering various things like sip and sail and free gratuities s, et cet, but my experience has been that most of the time the cruise fare has been grossly inflated to adjust for those freebies. 

 

I have never ever taken either of those package deals because sooner or later I get a better rate, especially since I only drink bottles of wine

[chamima]

30 minutes ago, Travelingfreckles said:

I also asked a few crew members on my recent cruise. Each one said they got to keep it and didn't need to turn it in.  I handed them substantial cash, no envelope. How would princess know they received this money? Is it an honor system? I guess I'm just trying to figure out how princess would know someone received the "extra $". And in case you're wondering, no I didn't remove gratuities 🙂  

 

 

We do similarly to you but our room steward and dining room waiter (we eat traditional) know our cabin number. When we tip someone like the Sommelier on Celebrity , who has multiple tables, they always ask our cabin number.

I've assured them that we left the gratuities on our account but that's when I found out about the "turn it in, get it back " system.

[Colo Cruiser]

16 minutes ago, 4cats4me said:

 

What difference should it make if someone got free gratuities? How do you know that they didn’t pay more for their cruise than you did? I’ve seen a lot of so called “deals” through the years from Princess offering various things like sip and sail and free gratuities s, et cet, but my experience has been that most of the time the cruise fare has been grossly inflated to adjust for those freebies. Sometimes the promos are actually a very good deal, too.

 

 Sounds to me like you’re just looking for an excuse not to  tip.  

 

I hope that Princess goes to a system of mandatory gratuities in the future to deal with parsimonious people.  

 

Hitting the nail on the head!

Also how does the poster know whether the person with free grats may even tip above and beyond that as well.

 

The stories of justification are laughable........

[Scottygirl1]

As someone from a "non tipping" country/culture I look at it this way... I consider the auto-gratuity as part of my cruise fare and because I have willingly opted to cruise then I also will pay the gratuity.  When I look at any cruise I factor in the gratuity as part of the entire cruise package.  Bring on my cruise... three weeks and counting until we fly out!!

[Aus Traveller]

38 minutes ago, Scottygirl1 said:

As someone from a "non tipping" country/culture I look at it this way... I consider the auto-gratuity as part of my cruise fare and because I have willingly opted to cruise then I also will pay the gratuity.  When I look at any cruise I factor in the gratuity as part of the entire cruise package. 

Agreed. However, I prefer the system where tips are included.

[TrixiePixie]

I’ve never traveled with children just wondering do they pay gratuities

[GUT2407]

1 minute ago, TrixiePixie said:

I’ve never traveled with children just wondering do they pay gratuities

Yep.

[TrixiePixie]

That’s what I thought thanks

[joe d]

I don't see how Princess should be able to increase the price after we have booked the cruise.  The increase should only apply to new bookings.

[majortom10]

15 hours ago, compozer said:

I know several people who love to organize excursions and they keep a list of people like you.  When someone asks to join their excursion, they look over the list and do not allow those people to be part of their excursion.   LOVE IT!!

 

So childish but I am not in the group of Americans that think they should tip anything that moves. No doubt it makes you feel superior and greater than thou.

[pms4104]

7 minutes ago, joe d said:

I don't see how Princess should be able to increase the price after we have booked the cruise.  The increase should only apply to new bookings.

Yes, Princess can.  Read the passage contract.

[majortom10]

15 hours ago, MissP22 said:

OK.

But what do you think is a fair amount? 

Certainly something between £0 and £280. 

I will remove my gratuities at reception like I do on any cruise line and give tips for exceptional service which is what tips are all about and not just for doing their job. If staff have to rely on tips for wages which I personally think is a Carnival plc brainwash so that they can pay poor wages and make extortionate profits and give themselves at senior management level obscene annual wages. I have never stayed at a hotel where gratuities/tips are automatically added to your bill like they do on cruise lines and have never left a tip for £300 for a 14nt stay for a couple. Tipping/gratuities are a throwback to the past and in this day and age companies whether they be cruise lines/hotels/restaurants should pay the staff decent wages and not have to rely on them to get a decent wage.

[Griller]

On ‎4‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 2:43 PM, compozer said:

You are correct, we are subsidizing the people who go down the last morning and take the tips off.   Have you noticed the long lines??     I remember being down there one time when a vocal person from here who said it was terrible to take them off, was at the desk asking to have her tips removed.    It is time everyone pays their share.          And then,  there are the people who love anytime dining because they can get a different waiter every night and never have to tip them.                       We like to get to know the staff and they go above and beyond so I am happy to reward them but it is starting to really add up especially since we do long cruises most of the time.    Extra's at Sabitini's for breakfast, club class, room steward,  room service several times a day,  the bar and now it will be $33 a day.   

 

Maybe we should all start asking to have them taken off.  That would get their attention.      

Thanks for the suggestion, as it meets with your approval then it must be OK, I will take them off starting on the next cruise.

[terrydtx]

OMG, I can not believe so many on this thread are complaining about an additional $7pp increase on gratuities for a 7 day cruise. If you can afford the cruise you surely can afford an extra $7 a week, if not just have one less drink while on the cruise.

[majortom10]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

And Resort fees are not included in hotel room charges in the US and most foreign countries.

 

Having the cruise line collect gratuities and pay to crew members  rather than include them in the cruise fare is a benefit for most workers on the ship because they do not have to pay income taxes on gratuities depending on the tax policy of their home countries. 

Do you honestly believe that all the tips collected either by auto gratuities or given in cash is distributed by the cruise line. I am sorry but I believe that some is kept back for administration costs and other costs incurred by the cruise line. I think the wool is being pulled over the eyes of most cruisers and  all cruise lines not just Princess. P&O have just introduced "no auto gratuities" across the fleet and no doubt they might increase prices somewhere to cover them but it is a far more better way of doing it and everybody pays then. 

[majortom10]

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

OMG, I can not believe so many on this thread are complaining about an additional $7pp increase on gratuities for a 7 day cruise. If you can afford the cruise you surely can afford an extra $7 a week, if not just have one less drink while on the cruise.

It isnt just a $7pp increase though it makes it a total of $203 for a cple on 7nt cruise and in my eyes at equivalent of £160 approx it is too high especially has they have increased 3% on every drink you purchase.

[terrydtx]

14 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

It isnt just a $7pp increase though it makes it a total of $203 for a cple on 7nt cruise and in my eyes at equivalent of £160 approx it is too high especially has they have increased 3% on every drink you purchase.

This thread is about the $1 increase in auto gratuities, or $14 per couple on a 7nt cruise, the other $189 is already the current auto gratuity. If the cruise fare was increased by $7 or $203pp would you still be complaining?  If you can't afford the increase then go cruise with P&O where the cost is already built in or stay home. All of the hard working crew members who share in the auto gratuities and  make your cruise vacation something special are worth the $203 per week.

 

I personally believe that CCL should make the auto gratuity or HSC s mandatory and not allow any reductions. I know too many on CC who even brag about withholding all auto gratuities just because they do not believe in any tipping. If you go to a 4 or 5 star resort and refuse to pay the resort fee addon you will be denied checking in and asked to leave the property.

Edited April 28, 2019 by terrydtx

[c-boy]

23 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

OMG, I can not believe so many on this thread are complaining about an additional $7pp increase on gratuities for a 7 day cruise. If you can afford the cruise you surely can afford an extra $7 a week, if not just have one less drink while on the cruise.

a total misunderstanding ... I'm certain of it.

[waltd]

18 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Do you honestly believe that all the tips collected either by auto gratuities or given in cash is distributed by the cruise line. I am sorry but I believe that some is kept back for administration costs and other costs incurred by the cruise line. I think the wool is being pulled over the eyes of most cruisers and  all cruise lines not just Princess. P&O have just introduced "no auto gratuities" across the fleet and no doubt they might increase prices somewhere to cover them but it is a far more better way of doing it and everybody pays then. 

Once again please supply us with proof that tips are kept back for administration costs.   If not just a lot of flapping gums.     You agree that European Cruise Lines like P & O have a higher cost but do not charge for gratuities but you still insist on cruising with Princess    Yes of course you do as you know you can have the best of both worlds.   You have figured out how to not pay for gratuities and lower you cruise fare.  You are not kidding anyone.    Same old story just another thread. 

[springfire]

I see so many people on here getting upset about the way people choose to tip, but Princess has given cruisers these options.   Let us not forget that Princess registers their cruise ships under foreign flags so they can have lower standard of working conditions for the crew.  The crew is deprived some basic rights, including proper pay and working conditions because of this.  Princess continues to raise gratuities but doesn't say where the money is going.   Makes me think that Princess will contribute less to the crews pay so they can increase profit and get gratuites to pay for more of the crews  pay.  I am with the group that would like to see gratuities included in the fare upfront.  I don't mind tipping my cabin steward or waiter because we get to know them.  Tipping people we don't know, they should be paid by Princess.    

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I personally believe that CCL should make the auto gratuity or HSC s mandatory and not allow any reductions. I know too many on CC who even brag about withholding all auto gratuities just because they do not believe in any tipping. If you go to a 4 or 5 star resort and refuse to pay the resort fee addon you will be denied checking in and asked to leave the property.

I don't change the standard gratuity but then again I never considered Princess as being equivalent to a 5 star resort either.

The day they include the gratuities in the basic cruise fare is when I'll be considering other cruise lines a little more closely.  

[Colo Cruiser]

31 minutes ago, springfire said:

I will be happy to enlighten you.  The regulations that apply to ships are determined by the country where they are registered.  Since the ship is not registered in the U.S., it is not governed by United States maritime law, with regard to crew wages and rights.  Cruise ships use flags from nations like the Bahama's, Panama, and Liberia so they can take full advantage of the lack of employment rights for the crew, such as pay, hours they can work and right to form a union..  

I am still not enlightened. That was a rather broad ambiguous statement.

I would still like to know what basic rights and working conditions are being denied for the crew by Princess?

[terrydtx]

I remember on our first cruises back in the 1990's when all gratuities had to be paid in cash directly to the waiters, MDR Matre'd and room stewards in individual envelopes. The last day of the cruise was spent trying to find the cash to pay to everyone. I also remember how the MDR would be half full the last night just so people didn't have to face their servers and hand over the envelopes.

 

The auto HSC gratuity  charged to your ship board account was a great idea and innovation. Of course, now you see the long lines the last day at the guest services desk as passengers are trying to reduce or remove the auto charges. I have even seen posts from CC members bragging about how they always have the HSC taken off their accounts whether the services on the ship where good or bad because they just do not like any kind of tipping.  I remember one poster who claimed they always cleaned their own cabin and made up their beds  so they didn't need any service from the room stewards. They also claimed they ate all their meals in the buffets so they were never served by servers and this justified why they should  not pay any gratuities to any crew members. NCL has a policy of only allowing you to reduce or remove the auto charges in writing after the cruise is over, they also require a very good reason and names of offending crew members that you believe should not receive a gratuity from you. I would like to see all cruise lines make the auto gratuity charges mandatory for the above reasons.

[oskidunker]

Good idea. 

[oskidunker]

I have noticed that a few of the Princess cruise ships, maybe three or four, are registered in  United Kingdom The rest in Bermuda. I wonder why they are not all registered in Liberia. 

 

https://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Princess-Cruises-Fleet-Overview.html

Edited April 28, 2019 by oskidunker