Pre-paid Gratuities

[TXIT4]

I would love to see gratuities back in the "all inclusive" category.  Yes, that would increase the bottom line, but I prefer to know how much I am paying up front.  Plus, we can be more generous with our additional crew tips when the suggested amount is already rolled into the cost of our vacation.

 

[Laura Hodges Bethge]

During the booking process, you can always choose to add gratuities to your ticket purchase up front. This gives guests the flexibility to do what works best for them.

[thebutlerdidit]

This is a real sore spot with me. If gratuities are expected and are an integral part of crew compensation , I feel that they should be rolled into the base price of the cruise in whichever manner you prefer. 

[conquesodor]

Tipping is such a hotly debated topic, so I'm not going to try to change anyone's mind. I just don't understand the preference for all-inclusive pricing because one way or another you are paying the same amount for your cruise. I like the way things work currently because it gives us the choice of paying up front or later.

[mac_tlc]

To me, the real question is why didn't the cruise fare go down by the amount of the gratuities when Celebrity took them out of AI. It's easy enough to add them in before final payment.

 

mac_tlc

[JP350]

I think that giving guests the option to chose what works for them and their budget is  the best  way to cruise, as it keeps cruising available for a wide variety of people, but I've been tracking 3 cruises on X's website for potential bookings, and on all three when X took gratuities out of the all inclusive fair the price remained the same for 2 cruises, and actually increased on one (Beyond). It is a  sore spot for me that while guests are paying the same amount why are getting less value. 

Edited July 18 by JP350
grammar

[D. B.]

On 7/18/2024 at 12:18 PM, JP350 said:

I think that giving guests the option to chose what works for them and their budget is  the best  way to cruise, as it keeps cruising available for a wide variety of people, but I've been tracking 3 cruises on X's website for potential bookings, and on all three when X took gratuities out of the all inclusive fair the price remained the same for 2 cruises, and actually increased on one (Beyond). It is a  sore spot for me that while guests are paying the same amount why are getting less value. 

Because X figures taking out the Gratuities from the all included fare would not be a deal breaker?

They learned from the Airlines who started Charging for Bags and people got used to That and didn’t Stop flying.

[Cruise till you drop]

I would also like to see Gratuities rolled back into the all inclusive package however, I’m wondering if part of the logic is that employee gratuities are pure and not to be messed with.  What I mean is Cruise lines will discount the all inclusive package sometimes but they can’t really do that with monies destined for the crew.

 

So perhaps the only way to accomplish both package discounts and maintaining gratuities without deductions is to separate it into its own fee.

 

Just a hunch

[ggo85]

Mainstream lines could do what luxury lines do -- pay crew better wages so they don't have to depend on tips. And charge prices for the cruises that account for this.

 

Many crew on the luxury lines have worked the same line for years in a gratuities included environment.  They not only seem to manage; they seem to thrive. 

 

And why do you assume the entirety of your mandatory gratuities are going to the crew?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  You don't know.  

 

As someone above said, if X had LOWERED Retreat pricing while taking away free gratuities, that would at least be understandable.  Or if gratuities were at the passenger's discretion.  But they have increased prices and then added mandatory gratuities to your end-of cruise bill.  Oh, and taken away much of the OBC that you could use to pay for them.   

 

Ironically, I am MORE inclined to give extra tips when gratuities are included in the fare b/c I don't see a certain amount charged to me every single day.   For a suite passenger, you're talking up to $20/day pp -- for 2 people on a 10-night cruise, that's an extra $400.  Pure profit for X. Under the new X scenario, the only one that benefits is X.  

 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, ggo85 said:

 

Ironically, I am MORE inclined to give extra tips when gratuities are included in the fare b/c I don't see a certain amount charged to me every single day.   For a suite passenger, you're talking up to $20/day pp -- for 2 people on a 10-night cruise, that's an extra $400.  Pure profit for X. Under the new X scenario, the only one that benefits is X.  

 

 that means a person in an inside to Aqua are better tips %  than people  in suite.😉

as it is $18.50 a day pp so you could be paying an extra 20% on top of there base price 

Suite do not pay that high of a % 😁

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, ggo85 said:

  For a suite passenger, you're talking up to $20/day pp -- for 2 people on a 10-night cruise, that's an extra $400.  Pure profit for X. Under the new X scenario, the only one that benefits is X.  

 

Guest Services will gladly give you a breakdown on how the daily gratuities are distributed, I take it you don’t believe them. 

[ggo85]

5 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Guest Services will gladly give you a breakdown on how the daily gratuities are distributed, I take it you don’t believe them. 

I believe they are telling us what corporate said to tell us. 

Edited July 25 by ggo85

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Guest Services will gladly give you a breakdown on how the daily gratuities are distributed, I take it you don’t believe them. 

 

7 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

I believe they are telling us what corporate said to tell us. 

I wonder at times about some members being negative about Guest services , thinking they are always lying to them 

Is it because that is what they did in their job ?🤔

[bikerunner]

no ex hotel exec, members negative usually means, 98% they want more free things.  There were so many complaints I dismissed and had a hard time not laughing in the guest's face, ie,  guest complained directions told him to get off exit 15 on specific highway, guest got off exit 15 on same highway but in different state.  How the hell do you deal with that stupidity of people  

[ggo85]

I don't think Guest Services personnel are lying any more than I think gate agents at the airport are lying when they give inaccurate information.  I had a gate agent tell me the incoming plane was circling above the airport and going to land in 15 minutes.  In reality, the plane was still on the ground 90 minutes away (and actually didn't land for another 3 hours).  The gate agent was given bad info from the airline and was repeating what she was told.  She believed it to be true, but it was not true.  

 

Guest services on cruise ships are repeating what they've been told.  I have no doubt they believe it is accurate.  Whether X is being honest about tips . . . I'm less certain.  

 

I do believe passenger tips go to the crew in some measure but not necessarily exactly as described (for example, I would hope that a cabin steward whose cabins were 1/2 full on a cruise would not lose half their income . . . but maybe they do).  

 

I also wish mainstream lines would simply pay their crew better wages, include gratuities in the fare, and give passengers who want tip extra the option to do so.