Gratuities Are Going Up Again, Effective 11.11.2023

[eem0924]

I am cruising on Wonder from 11/5-11/12.

 

I have not prepaid gratuities.  

 

Will I have 6 days at old rate and 1 day at new rate?

 

 

[bretts173]

2 minutes ago, skittl1321 said:

 

Does the crew actually get them? I was really surprised when the NCL cabin steward told me that his pay doesn't change at all if guests pay their service charge; and the only thing that matters to him is cash. (Granted- NCL's is a service charge, not a gratuity; but I'm distrusting that the staff get them at all...)

I've always paid them, but it is just a generally shady thing on how they are handled. 

So the hundreds of thousands of cruise ship employees over the last how many ever years have not been receiving their tips and no-one has spoken up about it?

 

The world is full of conspiracies.

[skittl1321]

4 minutes ago, bretts173 said:

So the hundreds of thousands of cruise ship employees over the last how many ever years have not been receiving their tips and no-one has spoken up about it?

 

The world is full of conspiracies.

Do you know they are getting all of them?  Or is their share of the pool docked based on any sort of 'demerits' or the like?     Will their pay go up when the gratuities go up?   Seems like now that they have more rooms than ever before, they should really be raking in the money.

[vacationlover_mn]

Weird thing- we have 3 upcoming cruises, with prepaid grats, and didn’t get the email?

[cruiselvr04]

Just FYI.

 

I had 2 cruises close to final payment that were booked when the gratuity was still 14.50 pp per day.  They were honored and I paid them all today. It sounds like no grandfathering after Nov 11, 2023.  

[cmich068]

22 minutes ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Weird thing- we have 3 upcoming cruises, with prepaid grats, and didn’t get the email?

 

I suspect the email was specifically targeted at people who haven't prepaid.

 

If you've already prepaid then the change doesn't affect you at all, you're already locked in at the old rates.

Edited November 1, 2023 by cmich068

[The Sunset Glow]

36 minutes ago, cmich068 said:

 

I suspect the email was specifically targeted at people who haven't prepaid.

 

If you've already prepaid then the change doesn't affect you at all, you're already locked in at the old rates.

 

I have not prepaid for my May 2024 cruise and I have not received an email. 

Edited November 1, 2023 by The Sunset Glow

[tottenhamfc]

29 minutes ago, cmich068 said:

 

I suspect the email was specifically targeted at people who haven't prepaid.

 

If you've already prepaid then the change doesn't affect you at all, you're already locked in at the old rates.

The awkward thing is that the price increase doesn't affect the people that remove the tips. If you prepay you cannot remove them but if you dont prepay they can raise them to 30 bucks a day and it may as well be 0. This system is wrong period.

[firefly333]

37 minutes ago, cmich068 said:

 

I suspect the email was specifically targeted at people who haven't prepaid.

 

If you've already prepaid then the change doesn't affect you at all, you're already locked in at the old rates.

I havent prepaid and didnt get the email. 10 booked, 3 in a row very soon. 

 

But I did get a sale price during Halloween for crown and anchor member. I should have taken a picture. Arent we all C & A members? Made me feel special. 

[ONECRUISER]

23 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

I guess several of you didn't quite understand my post.  I guess I didn't wrote clearly enough.

 

First, I have no problem with peiople who really want to tip bar servers more than the 18% always added.  But you don't have to carry around a bunch iof singles--you can just add an extra tip to the receipt when you sign for it.

 

I have been cruising since the 80s.  The cruise lines often tell you it's a "cashless" system.  You don't have to carry cash or credit cards or your wallet around the ship.  Everything is on an account.

 

I have often seen people writing on these boards that they give their bar waiter a dollar bill for each "free" (voucher) drink because they think it will get them better service.  I donb't think you need to bribe your server--the service, usually quite good, will be the same either way.  I give my Diamond Club waiters an extra tip last night of the cruise in recognition of OVERALL great service--not in hoping that tipping every time will get me something better.

 

I KNOW that the cruise line accounts for the voucher drinks in the gratuity system and adds money to the pot B?ECAUSE I personally know several cruise line executives who have flat out told me this.  If voucher or Diamond Club or Celebrity Elite lounge or unlimited package drinks weren't included in the formula, no one would want to work those assignments and service would be worse, not better.  The formula is complicated, but those servers ARE taken care of and the drinks served ARE accounted for.  They won't turn down extra tips, but they are really not being stiffed whe those drinks are merekly signed for.

Though Cash is King. Even Decades ago when I Managed a Bar/Rest, can guarantee my Waitresses enjoyed the Singles over added amount on the Tab. It made a difference in how much they Claimed in their Tip's total

[nelblu]

1 hour ago, marci22 said:

Lots of people complaining about the increase but also lots of people running to call RC and prepay their tips!  All those execs high-fiving each other in the break room around now.

They haven't got the moneys yet.  The add of grats is to the invoice and paid in the future when due.

No major impact as I would go with the daily auto grats anyway.  For instance, I have an 11 niter on Explorer sailing in January '25 and called my TA to add the grats to the invoice.  Payment is not due until approximately 90 days from sail. 

 

Ps.  Also protected against any future increases.🤣

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, nelblu said:

They haven't got the moneys yet.  The add of grats is to the invoice and paid in the future when due.

No major impact as I would go with the daily auto grats anyway.  For instance, I have an 11 niter on Explorer sailing in January '25 and called my TA to add the grats to the invoice.  Payment is not due until approximately 90 days from sail. 

 

Ps.  Also protected against any future increases.🤣

That is if you are paying grats. Many on here are not

[livingonthebeach]

When the drinks were unlimited in the Diamond Lounge during Happy Hour, (not sure that there was a system in place to add tips to the pot for each drink -- don't see how it could have been done), I always gave $1 or $2 as a tip, now that it's a voucher system, I continue to do so. I have to think the waiters would prefer cash versus an added tip on the check. 

[MommaBear55]

I've always left on the auto grats, and used to tip more. Now, with the increase in service charge and decrease in service, I only tip for our D+ drinks and if our cabin attendant actually fulfills the very few extra requests we have.

[travelberlin]

I have always prepaid gratuities and I will continue to do so. I do not intend to opt out of them. Gratuities are for me OK and my contribution to the crew salaries. I do not tip per drink or at the beginning of the cruise. I tipp additionally my cabin attendant or a waiter or barman at the end of the cruise if I am satisfied with their services. Besides giving them my tip, I praise them for their work and I thank them very much for their service.

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, tottenhamfc said:

Ah but that is to direct face to face people. What about the ones behind the scenes that may work much harder than the ones you see. Dishwashers, washroom attendants, cooks, etc etc. Those are who the grats are intended for. That is why I suggested a split model

of half for all and half your choice

How were all those people paid before autogratuities were invented?

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

Are we not going to see you in February?

That is the winter cruise... payed it off yesterday. I'm coming.🙂

[yogimax]

1 hour ago, tottenhamfc said:

That is if you are paying grats. Many on here are not

My guess is that the total not paying is overstated.  At least I sure hope so since those of us who do pay are making up the difference.

[Ocean Boy]

6 hours ago, tottenhamfc said:

And why so? Guest services told me 10% and on here some believe that it is a lot higher.

An appropriate response from Guest Services would have been why do you care and none if your business.

[jenncren]

2 hours ago, eem0924 said:

I am cruising on Wonder from 11/5-11/12.

 

I have not prepaid gratuities.  

 

Will I have 6 days at old rate and 1 day at new rate?

 

 

That’s my question, too. I leave 11/10, come back 11/13. 

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

An appropriate response from Guest Services would have been why do you care and none if your business.

Not really Ocean Boy. Transparency is welcome anytime. In fact he offered the info before I had a chance. My question was to clarify if tips can be removed for any reason and up until what point in time. As stated I would prefer to tip half and half and that was my question.

[tottenhamfc]

11 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

How were all those people paid before autogratuities were invented?

Auto grats have been around as long as I can remember. Why dont you ask guest services? Oh maybe they will say its none of your business.

[kirtihk]

1 hour ago, tottenhamfc said:

The awkward thing is that the price increase doesn't affect the people that remove the tips. If you prepay you cannot remove them but if you dont prepay they can raise them to 30 bucks a day and it may as well be 0. This system is wrong period.

That’s always was that way for the majority of airlines: you cannot adjust or remove pre-paid gratuities, but you can do that for gratuities applied per-day basis on- board (you will see daily gratuity charge per person on you on-board account) - at the end of the cruise you may go to the service desk and remove those charges and pay by cash to whoever you want from the group of workers who topically getgratuitues (as in old days).

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, kirtihk said:

That’s always was that way for the majority of airlines: you cannot adjust or remove pre-paid gratuities, but you can do that for gratuities applied per-day basis on- board (you will see daily gratuity charge per person on you on-board account) - at the end of the cruise you may go to the service desk and remove those charges and pay by cash to whoever you want from the group of workers who topically getgratuitues (as in old days).

Airlines? Had no clue there was tipping on airlines.

[time4u2go]

20 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

How were all those people paid before autogratuities were invented?

Great question.