Gratuities on cruise lines

[garymfreedman]

I thought gratuities were to thank a service provider for going the  extra miles, and doing a good job.. When it is mandatory, it does not seem like a gratuity.

Yet, cruise lines, not Virgin, are RAISING what passengers have to pay, in addition. So it is just another semi-hidden fee..

 

https://cruiseradio.net/cruise-line-raises-daily-gratuities-again/

[Biker19]

10 hours ago, garymfreedman said:

Yet, cruise lines, not Virgin, are RAISING what passengers have to pay, in addition.

Those other lines make it obvious what the grats are - Virgin buries it in the fare - they both will go up with inflation and cost of dong business.

[1025cruise]

The DSCs aren't mandatory. If you feel that the service isn't deserving, you can remove them. Virgin doesn't give that opportunity by including it in the fare.

 

 

[Nunagoras]

On one or another way yo'll pay it all, that is for sure. But at least on this one this is a HUGE golden buzzer for what Virgin is actually doing. When you visit their website, it is obvious that what you'll pay is really what you see as your total bill. Here in Portugal tips are only seen as a means of rounding to facilitate small hand money transactions. Imagine an EUR 9.85 bill: You're expected to drop EUR 10.00 EUR and that is it. No more, no less. Things here are priced with that in mind and it is up to the business to pay adequately their employees. Virgin is just doing that.

 

So now let me to return to the cruise experience: Today I was comparing those Virgin cruises quotes with what I would pay for example on MSC similar Mediterranean itinerary for an October 2021 sailing. Certainly baseline price for an MSC Inside for 3 guests with comparable service level was EUR 419.00 per guest. But now: Add EUR 200.00 for the port taxes, plus the EUR 70.00 gratuity charge; plus around EUR 150 for the non alcoholic drinks package, plus some EUR 150 for their three specialty dining package and their Cirque du Soleil show... And things will come pretty much similar to the USD 1325.00 Virgin is showing me to be as being the final per guest price! Unfortunately Virgin site doesn't show prices in EUR, but one can quite compare anyway. Viking is perhaps pricing themselves at just a little bit above the mainstream lines, at say Celebrity prices... But all of that is so relative these days!... Of course there are other things in consideration, general ship environment coming at mind right now (and at that front Virgin for me is a strong no at least for now), but if it was apples to apples considering the baseline account transparency, I would with no doubt to give them a try. While certainly little bit higher than what I am used to pay elsewhere, they don't seem to be "that" overly more expensive than the norm considering the inclusions they added to the cart and that this or the other way you'll pay wherever else...

 

Have a nice day!

Edited March 1, 2020 by Nunagoras

[Nunagoras]

14 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

The DSCs aren't mandatory. If you feel that the service isn't deserving, you can remove them. Virgin doesn't give that opportunity by including it in the fare.

 

 

Let us to have a break here: Whomever, in good standing, would remove any DSC from their account? Remember that those individuals to whom they are intended to be (whether the cruise lines are 100% honest on the way they distribute it with their workers is another subject not for today) are the very ones with a hard life on board to serve us!... It must to be an above the limits situation to take everyone of good standing to remove a DSC from their account!... Were I on one of those situations anywhere? Yes, I was. Let me to keep the details for myself, but even at that one I didn't remove the DSC, because the problem was between me and the involved cruise line. Not between me and those poor workers.

 

Have a nice day!...

[rbt001]

Over in some of the other cruise lines, there's the occasional hot topic of removing the "service charge".  And the arguments get heated and go on for pages.  I examined the fine print for NCL's explanation of those fees added.  Whether it was the "service charge" added per passenger per day to the room account, or the "gratuity service charge" added to beverages, or the "gratuity service charge" added to spa treatments, they were always careful to include "service charge" as part of the description even when they included the word gratuity.  Because as the OP stated, gratuities are optional.  When an amount is automatically added, it's a service charge. 

 

Furthermore, services charges, as they explained at NCL are NOT given to employees:  they are used to offset labor expense which includes incentive program payments when certain goals are reached.  

 

Essentially the service charge on other lines are labor subsidies, similar to how airlines tack on "fuel surcharges" to tickets.

 

So when cruisers "take off" the service charge they are NOT hurting the crew but instead other paying passengers.  Because when the line doesn't collect enough, they just raise the price.

 

So I am GLAD that with VV it's included in the fare and something everyone has to pay.  

[ano]

Most of the main cruise lines (not VV) have a name for gratuities. They call them crew salaries. If you don't pay the "voluntary" gratuity, the crew doesn't get paid.