Why Pre-pay Gratuities

[rbslos18]

Can someone explain the advantage of pre-paying gratuities as opposed to just having it added to our shipboard account? Is there a savings by doing this? Or is it just a matter of convenience?

[basenji56]

1 minute ago, rbslos18 said:

Can someone explain the advantage of pre-paying gratuities as opposed to just having it added to our shipboard account? Is there a savings by doing this? Or is it just a matter of convenience?

I have never seen a reason to prepay gratuities.  Some people like to get off the ship with a zero balance and I guess that might be a reason.  But, you just prepaid so I don't quite get that.

 

[duquephart]

Convenience is most often mentioned. Odd that the absurdity of "prepaid gratuity" doesn't bother you.

[uktog]

In some countries the gratuities are automatically added to the booking price  and forms part of the holiday total account paid ahead of the cruise.  To be honest, as it is something that needs to be paid, I like this paying up front (I do it if gratuities are not included) not least because the currency conversion is already done for us as a result.

 

PS Never left a ship with a zero bill - that would never happen 🙂 🙂 

Edited November 19, 2021 by uktog

[eylarson]

If you prepay with e-check you get the discount.  That's why I do it.  

[Peregrina651]

Another reason for pre-paying is not having all of your travel and on-board expenses hit your credit card at the same time.

[bluemarble]

As a Viking newbie, I am planning to pre-pay our gratuities using our OBC so that we'll have a handle on how much OBC we will have remaining to spend once we are on board. Helps avoid the mental gymnastics of having to keep track of that as an outstanding expense if we don't pre-pay the gratuities. Hope that makes some sense.

[55Division]

We still have a balance from our vouchers. The vouchers can only be used before embarking so we will use them to prepay the gratuity.

[basenji56]

12 hours ago, 55Division said:

We still have a balance from our vouchers. The vouchers can only be used before embarking so we will use them to prepay the gratuity.

That definitely makes sense.  Very good reason.

 

[Heidi13]

If not included in the cruise, we pre-pay just prior to the cruise through our TA, so hopefully it increases her commission.

[Mich3554]

I am incredibly glad we did NOT pre pay gratuities.  We have received a lot of non refundable SBC on this cruise due to canceled ports.  Luckily gratuities will eat up a good chunk of it.  I still will have to use the shops and spa to finish it up, but am planning on having a zero balance when we step off the ship.  

[Clay Clayton]

Agree with Mich3554. We prepaid on our March 2020 cruise which ended up being cut short due to Lady Rona. We did this because the refundable shipboard credit from our Travel Agent (they offer the max Viking allows) showed up before the cruise. After we were turned around mid-Atlantic and dropped off back in Miami it took lots of emails and phone calls to get it refunded. Those who were being charged each day onboard (if you prepay gratuities don’t show up on the onboard account) didn’t have an issue as they were only charged for the days they were onboard. 
 

We also realized that it may be unwise to pay in advance if you end up purchasing a future cruise onboard. One of the perks for doing so is no -refundable shipboard credit for the current cruise.  So if you’ve prepaid everything then you end up having to find something to spend it on. Just an fyi-the binoculars in the room are a good way to spend $20 if you find yourself with a little leftover.

 

Anyway, we have decided that unless we have voucher funds which are going to disappear when we step onboard, we won’t be pre-paying anything in the future. 

[mc_reeve]

4 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

 

Anyway, we have decided that unless we have voucher funds which are going to disappear when we step onboard, we won’t be pre-paying anything in the future. 

 

Any reason to pay for the drinks package before boarding??  And since we are first time Viking cruisers this coming December - do you pay for the drinks package during check-in or someplace onboard if you don't pre-pay??  (We'll be using OBC regardless of whether we pre-pay or pay onboard for gratuities and the drinks package.)

 

Our first Viking cruise is coming up December 20 (but our third booking!) - and I have come to the conclusion that given all the uncertainties of even this third change to an Orion itinerary we booked (Asia next spring first (cancelled), then Hawaii (cancelled) - and now its Mexico), it just doesn't seem wise to do much of anything ahead of time unless required.  (We won't even know what excursions are available until after we board).  

[Clay Clayton]

4 minutes ago, mc_reeve said:

 

Any reason to pay for the drinks package before boarding??  And since we are first time Viking cruisers this coming December - do you pay for the drinks package during check-in or someplace onboard if you don't pre-pay??  (We'll be using OBC regardless of whether we pre-pay or pay onboard for gratuities and the drinks package.)

 

Our first Viking cruise is coming up December 20 (but our third booking!) - and I have come to the conclusion that given all the uncertainties of even this third change to an Orion itinerary we booked (Asia next spring first (cancelled), then Hawaii (cancelled) - and now its Mexico), it just doesn't seem wise to do much of anything ahead of time unless required.  (We won't even know what excursions are available until after we board).  

If you are from the US I don’t think there is any reason to prepay the Silver Spirits package. Some UK folks have said that they save a little bit due to the exchange rate. 
 

You can add the SS package at any bar onboard. Just tell the bartender you want it, and he will add it to your account. 
 

I agree with you, unless you have voucher funds that are going to disappear once you board, I think you’re wise to wait until you’re on the ship. 
 

Have a great cruise wherever you end up…may see you aboard in Mexico if they lower the price significantly. 

[JeriGail]

12 minutes ago, mc_reeve said:

Any reason to pay for the drinks package before boarding?? 

I've already pre-paid for silver spirits because of all of my voucher money.  It disappears when I board, so I needed to use it.  I won't be pre paying for gratuities though since I will have OBC to use for that.  I used some of the voucher money for excursions as well.

[RICHARDandSTEFAN]

We pre-paid our gratuities on our last Orion cruise this past October. However, the entire time I ordered anything while on board ie. drinks, food, etc. I felt like we were stiffing the crew. So we ended up giving additional small tips, which probably just defeated the point of pre-paying gratuities. The crew did take very exceptional care of us, so that was a plus. There is just no clear explanation of who receives the gratuities and how much. At least not that I have been able to find.

[Ontario/AZ]

On 11/19/2021 at 4:43 PM, eylarson said:

If you prepay with e-check you get the discount.  That's why I do it.  

I like getting 3.3% off and having the funds in Canadian dollars come out of my bank account.  But I am re-thnking this after reading everyone's replies!!

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Ontario/AZ
Adding content

[slewis7]

22 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Have a great cruise wherever you end up…may see you aboard in Mexico if they lower the price significantly. 

Selfishly, I hope they do not drop prices lower then what we paid for this cruise, but it would be lovely to see you and Mike onboard!

[uktog]

3 hours ago, RICHARDandSTEFAN said:

 I felt like we were stiffing the crew. 

This worries us as ours are prepaid as part of the standard UK package.  Are you saying the crew or your fellow guests made you uncomfortable.  I certainly do not want that onboard vibe!

Our previous experience is on a vessel where everyones gratuities are included (Azamara) so there is no awkwardness 

Edited November 22, 2021 by uktog

[Clay Clayton]

26 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

Selfishly, I hope they do not drop prices lower then what we paid for this cruise, but it would be lovely to see you and Mike onboard!

I suspect they won’t…just for the reason you state.  

[Clay Clayton]

3 hours ago, RICHARDandSTEFAN said:

We pre-paid our gratuities on our last Orion cruise this past October. However, the entire time I ordered anything while on board ie. drinks, food, etc. I felt like we were stiffing the crew. So we ended up giving additional small tips, which probably just defeated the point of pre-paying gratuities. The crew did take very exceptional care of us, so that was a plus. There is just no clear explanation of who receives the gratuities and how much. At least not that I have been able to find.

When you don’t prepay the service charge do you also give small tips as you go?  We don’t typically extra tip anyone other than our room steward. 
 

As far as how the service charge is divided up, that seems to be a closely guarded secret on all cruise lines.  I know that on NCL we had a server tell us NOT to add an additional gratuity on the recipt. If we did that she would get 1/800th of it as it went into the pot to be split.  Since then we always try to have some small bills in our pocket to hand to anyone who goes out of their way to help us. 

[duquephart]

I believe it's been established pretty clearly that "gratuities" do not go into a pile which is distributed based on some formula but rather deposited in the payroll account. Cruisers who think they are actually tipping the crew are mistaken. Just more marketing BS.

[RICHARDandSTEFAN]

29 minutes ago, uktog said:

This worries us as ours are prepaid as part of the standard UK package.  Are you saying the crew or your fellow guests made you uncomfortable.  I certainly do not want that onboard vibe!

Our previous experience is on a vessel where everyones gratuities are included (Azamara) so there is no awkwardness 

No. We are just used to tipping at the time of services rendered. Ordering a cocktail and then not needing to give a tip because we pre-paid gratuities just felt odd. Nothing that we can't get used to I'm sure.

[duquephart]

6 minutes ago, RICHARDandSTEFAN said:

No. We are just used to tipping at the time of services rendered. Ordering a cocktail and then not needing to give a tip because we pre-paid gratuities just felt odd. Nothing that we can't get used to I'm sure.

 

Gratuity is included in the drink price on Viking. Or so they say.

[KBs mum]

41 minutes ago, uktog said:

This worries us as ours are prepaid as part of the standard UK package.  Are you saying the crew or your fellow guests made you uncomfortable.  I certainly do not want that onboard vibe!

Our previous experience is on a vessel where everyones gratuities are included (Azamara) so there is no awkwardness 

Don't worry about it, only a few started waving cash around. The majority go for the suggested amount by account or pre payment. 

As the gratuities are included for us, the Aussies and Kiwis we don't feel any need to tip on board. 

It's a cultural thing, tipping is so embedded in US culture that not to do so seems wrong. Being British, for us it's unusual to tip. That said I would tip an individual (eg a fiver saying 'Thanks, have a drink on me' ) for going above and beyond, as I would in the UK