Carnival increasing gratuity rates and prices of onboard services

[Megan_Strick]

1 hour ago, Matco said:

Just got the same email. Glad we pre-paid gratuities and have already purchased our drink packages for our June sailing  

I pre-paid my grats too. That's means ours won't go up? Either way its only a few bucks so its not that big of a deal to me

[Laurab23]

9 minutes ago, RobertL88 said:

Exactly my thought. I'll probably pre purchase Cheers, and that's about it, I think.

Same here. I have 2 14 day cruises booked so that is a pretty good difference in amount.

 

Laura

[Lee Cruiser]

1 hour ago, pc_load_letter said:

I don't mind the gratuities increasing. The drink package would be a tough one though. I'd rather a temporary fuel surcharge frankly.

I'm with you on the gratuities.  However, I completely disagree on the fuel surcharge.  That would be applying the cost to everyone with no way to avoid it.  Many of us don't purchase either of the drink packages, so the increased cost of alcohol and sodas should be passed on to those who do.  I purchase the internet package, but if the cost goes up too much, then I will simply stop purchasing it.

[Eli_6]

The raise for tips is certainly deserved, but my question is this:  Did they raise them over Covid or right before? Because I feel like that pre-Covid I have usually paid in the neighborhood of about about $10-12 per day.  I definitely don't recall tips being $400 for a 7 day cruise (for my family of four) before Covid. 

[Eli_6]

1 hour ago, scoobysnacks70 said:

So does this mean that the actual prices of individual drinks would be going up as well?

I wonder about this, too.  

[Eli_6]

And, also, this makes me wonder if Steakhouse, spa, etc. will go up...

 

The grats don't bother me, but if EVERYTHING goes up by 20 percent??? 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Eli_6

[skridge]

I will not be cheap and prepay gratuities to avoid paying the people who work so hard to make sure I have a great vacation.  I wish they would stop letting cheap people be cheap and make it so that you are not able to remove gratuities.  Just call it a service charge and move on.  

[AtSeaWithChris]

Pizza purchase in the app went to $6 from $5 on the March 5th Mardi Gras sailing vs the Halloween cruise. Wings went from $5 to $7 in the same period.

[scoobysnacks70]

4 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

I wonder about this, too.  

We were on the fence about getting drinks package on our upcoming 8 day since we basically have 4 days at sea.  Now that it's going up $150 w/gratuity we may go ahead and bite the bullet and get it to save that money.  As for the steakhouse all I keep hearing is that it's not that great and now they are raising the price.  I understand why--the price of food for everyone has went up!  Hopefully the quality will get better.

[Aplmac]

Sooner or later everything is going to go UP.

 

It's unavoidable,

and it'll get passed on to the ultimate consumer.
Me and You.

 

No need to sweat this, it's unavoidable. It's coming.

[Eli_6]

14 minutes ago, skridge said:

I will not be cheap and prepay gratuities to avoid paying the people who work so hard to make sure I have a great vacation.  I wish they would stop letting cheap people be cheap and make it so that you are not able to remove gratuities.  Just call it a service charge and move on.  

That's the real problem.  

[Eli_6]

I just went online and purchased steak house for all of my upcoming cruises with my OBC just in case the prices go up.  I suspect they will.  

[avenger71]

1 hour ago, txcruiser1234 said:

Cheers pricing (current and post May 1) from Carnival FAQs:

 

Our CHEERS! beverage program includes a great variety of non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a wide selection of high quality brand-name spirits and wines by the glass.  

 

Before your cruise:  $51.95 USD, per person, per day plus 18% service charge, for cruises 5 days and longer, including Europe and transatlantic cruises (to/from the US and Europe); $54.95 USD, per person, per day plus 18% service charge for 3 day and 4 day cruises. CHEERS! can be purchased at www.carnival.com/Funshops or by contacting The Fun Shops department at 800-522-7648, Monday - Sunday, 9:00am - 9:00pm ET. Cut-off for pre-purchase online is 11:59pm ET, the evening prior to the cruise departure. Although we are not able to process the Carnival Gift Card for Fun Shop orders by telephone, you may use a Carnival Gift Card when purchasing CHEERS! online.

 

On board your cruise:  $56.95 USD, per person, per day plus 18% service charge, for cruises 5 days and longer, including eastbound transatlantic (the US to Europe); $59.95 USD, per person, per day plus 18% service charge for 3 day and 4 day cruises. $51.95 USD per person, per day plus 18% service charge, for Europe and westbound transatlantic cruises (Europe to the US).  CHEERS! can be purchased at a bar on board.

 

Effective May 1, 2022, the pre-cruise price will be $59.95 USD, per person, per day plus 18% service charge and the onboard price will be $64.95 per person, per day plus 18% service charge for all cruise departures.

Wonder if it will still be the lousy 15 drink per day limit, still, also?  I was just on RCL and there wasn't a limit on the amount of drinks you can buy.  I prefer to cruise Carnival, though, but wish they didn't have that limit, it stinks!

[phoneman69]

21 minutes ago, skridge said:

I will not be cheap and prepay gratuities to avoid paying the people who work so hard to make sure I have a great vacation.  I wish they would stop letting cheap people be cheap and make it so that you are not able to remove gratuities.  Just call it a service charge and move on.  

I sure understand your position and a 51 cent increase in gratuities is not unreasonable at all. They do work hard for me to enjoy my cruise. You can't take away the option of someone to make a correction on their gratuities though. Some people are just CHEAP and don't feel good unless they get to feel like there screwing someone. We all know the type. I have even shared a table on a cruise with a couple who bitched about everything and said they where leaving Zero for gratuities. The look on there faces when on the last night my wife and i passed envelope's to the wait staff was PriceLess.

[CarolSW]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Looks like Internet will be going to $21.25/day if not purchased in advance, or approx $15.94 (14.45) if purchased in advance.

I am fine with the gratuities increase.

Not happy about this one however.

I was very disappointed in my “premium” internet package on my 2 post-restart cruises on Carnival so far.  Connection was really spotty and slow, like I would have expected years ago, not in ‘21-‘22. 
It was highway robbery at $14+ a day.  Now I feel like they are holding the internet hostage.  
UGH. 
I need an internet hack LOL.

 

PS - I know the replies will be “don’t use the internet then - it’s a cruise!  Enjoy THAT!”  and  “cruiselines want you out and about spending $$$, NOT with your nose in your device”.  I also know these are all totally “first world” problems in an increasingly dangerous bigger world.   I remind myself of that with every petty annoyance that crops up on a daily basis in my life! 

Edited April 4, 2022 by CarolSW

[cruisingguy007]

2 minutes ago, CarolSW said:

I am fine with the gratuities increase.

Not happy about this one however.

I was very disappointed in my “premium” internet package on my 2 post-restart cruises on Carnival so far.  Connection was really spotty and slow, like I would have expected years ago, not in ‘21-‘22. 
It was highway robbery at $14+ a day.  Now I feel like they are holding the internet hostage.  
UGH. 
I need an internet hack LOL.

 

There is a hack but it costs too

 

https://satellitephonestore.com/ 

[skridge]

6 minutes ago, phoneman69 said:

I sure understand your position and a 51 cent increase in gratuities is not unreasonable at all. They do work hard for me to enjoy my cruise. You can't take away the option of someone to make a correction on their gratuities though. Some people are just CHEAP and don't feel good unless they get to feel like there screwing someone. We all know the type. I have even shared a table on a cruise with a couple who bitched about everything and said they where leaving Zero for gratuities. The look on there faces when on the last night my wife and i passed envelope's to the wait staff was PriceLess.

I have sat by the pool with someone who actively campaigned for me to remove my gratuities.  I think there are enough of these types of people on a cruise to warrant a change in the ability of people to be able to remove gratuities.  

[audcc77]

7 minutes ago, CarolSW said:

I was very disappointed in my “premium” internet package on my 2 post-restart cruises on Carnival so far.  Connection was really spotty and slow, like I would have expected years ago, not in ‘21-‘22. 
It was highway robbery at $14+ a day.  Now I feel like they are holding the internet hostage.  
UGH

Agreed.  I have asked for a refund at the end of the last few cruises on Sunshine.  An increase is laughable.  Now they’re jacking the price?  
I sorta understand the increase in other things, but the internet ?

 

That’s crazy talk.
 

If it doesn’t work more than 50 percent of the time then I’m asking for a refund again.  

[cruisingguy007]

Just now, skridge said:

I have sat by the pool with someone who actively campaigned for me to remove my gratuities.  I think there are enough of these types of people on a cruise to warrant a change in the ability of people to be able to remove gratuities.  

 

They are also getting a cheaper cruise than everyone else, more so if they don't spend any money on board. Pretty much a hundred dollar discount per person. 

[dbkruzr]

We cruised on MG and Magic in late 2021 and had Cheers we're mainly beer and wine drinkers I believe on those cruises drafts were under $7.00 and the wine was $8.50. Just off Elation Saturday had Cheers but noticed drafts were $7.50 and wine $10.00. A can of the Parched Pig beer was $9.95 had a couple bloody mary's but didn't notice how much they were.

[imacruiser99]

Folks,

Do you think Carnival is immune to all the price increases we are seeing in our day to day lives?   I am hoping that 51 cent a day increase in gratuities are going to the crew who work their fingers to bone so that you can enjoy your cruise.  Drink prices are going up everywhere because the grain to make the booze is going up, the hops to make the beer is going up, WE ARE IN AN INFLATIONARY PERIOD.  Everywhere you go, prices are rising.  Just spent over $15.00 for 3 lbs of "cheap" hamburger.  

 

Suck it up, if you do not like the price increases, you have several options.

1) do not buy the internet package and actually have a vacation

2) stick with the freebies and enjoy then even more since it is probably the same food in the upcharge location

3) pay the price increases and shut up.

[Matco]

So with the new increase of Cheers the pre purchase price was $51.95 and is now going up to $59.95 so that means the total with the added 18% gratuity is $429.10pp or $858.20 per cabin for a 7 day trip at the current rates, at $59.95 a day it goes up to $495.18pp or $990.36 per cabin which is an $132.16 difference overall up 14.29% or 18.88 per cabin per day which is only $9.44pp per day. So the breakeven before was about 5 drinks per day its now 6. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Matco

[cruisingguy007]

2 minutes ago, Matco said:

So with the new increase of Cheers the pre purchase price was $51.95 and is now going up to $59.95 so that means the total with the added 18% gratuity is $429.10pp or $858.20 per cabin for a 7 day trip at the current rates, at $59.95 a day it goes up to $495.18pp or $990.36 per cabin which is an $132.16 difference overall. Or 18.88 per cabin per day which is only $9.44pp per day. So the breakeven before was about 5 drinks per day its now 6. The total price change with gratuity is up 14.29%

 

Don't forget to factor additional tips into the equation: $1/$2 per drink, multiplied by how ever many drinks you consume daily and then multiplied by seven.  

Edited April 4, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[Matco]

1 minute ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Don't forget to factor additional tips into the equation: $1/$2 per drink, multiplied by how ever many drinks you consume daily and then multiplied by seven.  

That's up to the person after the fact, I was only basing the price off the required amount needed to purchase Cheers.

[Yankeegirl49]

18 minutes ago, Matco said:

So with the new increase of Cheers the pre purchase price was $51.95 and is now going up to $59.95 so that means the total with the added 18% gratuity is $429.10pp or $858.20 per cabin for a 7 day trip at the current rates, at $59.95 a day it goes up to $495.18pp or $990.36 per cabin which is an $132.16 difference overall up 14.29% or 18.88 per cabin per day which is only $9.44pp per day. So the breakeven before was about 5 drinks per day its now 6. 

Unless they are also raising the prices of the individual drinks.