By The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and stateroom categories. My husband is a non-drinker so the UDP is not worth it for us as we would both have to purchase it. Pre-paid gratuities means that we {Cruise Specialists} have negotiated a special offer for you and you are not expected nor will you be charged for tips. I do not know about pre paid gratuities, but with respect to the daily charge on Royal Caribbean we were told on Allure of the Seas that if one wants to remove the tips, it has to be done on the first day. Answer (1 of 2): How much are the gratuities on the Royal Caribbean? You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. If you want to forego that option, then you can pay it once on the ship with your onboard account. Copyright 19952022 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions, F97AEA45-0709-4B40-8932-FFED132839A3.jpeg. I don't tip for anything on board, unless it's room service, which tip is not included. A matter of personal preference for most people, nothing more nothing less. Prepaid CDN was $82.65 vs $84 US on the ship. . Thanks for a lot of quick responses. for example at chops or some other location. None other than you have paid it off in advance of your cruise so you go on the cruise ship with a zero balance as opposed to owing gratuities. I asked Royal Caribbean and am waiting to hear back. While a monetary tip is always appreciated, if you want to recognize great service by a Royal Caribbean crew member that will have a lasting effect on their career, fill out a WOW card. To learn more, check out our Disney Cruise Line tip calculator. Yep, pay it off with a card, then add grats and pay that off and make pre cruise purchases with a card, then use a third card for the on board account. Just called them up. Thanks for a lot of quick responses. Royal Caribbean is raising the amount that passengers will be charged each day for gratuities. They are a set amount per day per person which is added to your account at the end of the cruise. LauraS You wont have to worry about future currency fluctuations increasing the amount you end up paying. We always do anytime dining so always prepayas somebody else said its done paid for and one less expense we have when our vacation starts. If you choose to prepay your gratuities, you will be paying the cruise lines recommended daily gratuity rate. Started June 21, 2021, By Even crew members who receive an automatic gratuity can receive additional gratuities if you feel it is warranted. but it doesn't translate to an advantage which is what OP asked about. I hope I won't hear "That's between you and your TA". But does paying ahead of time affect the service youll receive onboard? The surcharge you pay to dine at a specialty restaurant aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise includes the tip. Without these being paid up front, IMHO your cruise should never be considered fully paid. 20102022Regal Sea Media LLC. I didn't make it out to be an advantage! Your cruise agent might offer to let you take care of everything with one payment now. FREE Beverage Package + FREE Gratuities + FREE Wi-Fi + Up to $1,700 Onboard Credit Royal Caribbean Cruise Deals With Royal Caribbean Cruise deals you won't just see the world, you'll explore it. Pre-paid gratuities are an option offered by most cruise lines that have automatic gratuities. Does it all pop up after you make final payment? How would the cabin steward know you werent going to pay on the ship account? Not all agents are informed equally. Another reason that makes sense to SOME people is not having that big bill at the end of the cruise. Or perhaps youll receive poor service and want to adjust for that. I am wondering what the advantage is of prepaying the gratuities rather than just having them charged to your onboard account and paying them with your credit card when you settle your account? I'm not going to ever have them removed so I might as well have it out of the way! Should I Prepay Gratuities on a Cruise? We've also pre-booked and paid all of our excursions. Think you just had a bad cabin steward or you were suffering from paranoia. For guests booked through travel advisors, their advisor may add pre-paid gratuities to the guests' booking prior to sailing*. I don't understand why people are so rude to each other on these boards. Taking a Viking river cruise? Tip confidently, worldwide. Where else do I leave a gratuity? How To Prepay Gratuities On Royal Caribbean Website How To Prepay Gratuities On Royal Caribbean Website Guests can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging into www.royalcaribbean.com before* their sailing. Correct, but if you prepay them you cannot refund them on to your Seapass Account as OBC. So that is the only way to do it - if needed. This amount covers not only your waiters, cabin steward, etc but also people behind the scenes who would otherwise never get tips. It is not a matter of being "fooled" so I don't get why you said that, but some people such as I just pay it up front with as part of their booking and it's done. Book an Oasis Class or Anthem of the Seas suite by February 28 and enjoy free pre-paid gratuities! I've just booked our first cruise with Royal Caribbean on symphony of the seas. Secondly, if you take a cruise where the tips are in a different currency from your own, you will lock in the current exchange rate. Only reasons that make any sense to me include exchange rate or some sort of discount. Yes! I tend to leave a few bucks in the windjammer. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging intoRoyal Caribbean's websitebefore thesailing. Are gratuities included in the Royal Caribbean beverage package cost? The daily gratuity amount isthe same for all passengers, regardless of age. In general is it better to prepay? Guests can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging into www.royalcaribbean.com before* their sailing. Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $14.50 per person, per day. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $17.50 per person, per day. As the name implies, this is up to you and not expected in all cases. Guests have the choice to pre-pay their gratuities before their cruise to help split up the cost of their cruise vacation. I tip everyone gladly so there is no issue there. Guests can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging into www.royalcaribbean.com before* their sailing. I'm 99% sure I ticked the box to prepay gratuities, but I can't see it listed on my invoice. I see you like to follow people around and make comments to what they post. But it should not impact service. This is my first cruise. $10-20 per person is customary in my part of the industry (Alaska whale watches), depending on the price and quality of your excursion. we intended to pay - we always do but this one specific time it was left off the booking somehow. It will also help to split up the payments if you plan on having a large bill at the end of the cruise. The auto gratuities includes a portion for dining servicesnot just MDR. Started June 21, 2021, By This is from the Royal Caribbean website: Q What is Royal Caribbean's service gratuities (tips) price and policy? crenntive, November 8, 2015 in Royal Caribbean International. As with most cruise lines, the gratuities on Carnival have increased in recent years. Copyright 19952022 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions, F97AEA45-0709-4B40-8932-FFED132839A3.jpeg. Some instances where a discretionary tip may be appropriate are for room service deliveries orluggage service by porters. For example, if you're booking a . I almost always pre-pay, but not for my upcoming cruises as it works out better for me to pay in U.S dollars onboard :). I thought so and also figured im sure this can be done but wanted to make sure, Just waiting for the discussion on grats/ tipping. The gratuity amount is added to what you purchase and indicated at the bottom of your receipt. If gratuities are not prepaid prior to sailing, they will be automatically added to the guests . I read just like you do and I was just making a comment stating my preference! Posted October 6. We have prepaid the gratuities on our next cruise however if we decide to for example not eat in the main dining room at all during the cruise is it possible to get refined all or part of our prepay to OBC or is it just gone for good at that point? Some people enjoy having everything paid for in advance. So you have the crew believing that all is fine and they're getting their gratuities during the cruise, then slap them in the face after the cruise. We prepaid ours after reading some of the threads. To sum it up, can I pay the gratuties and extras with a different card after final payment but before the cruise? Just like in restaurants and hotels, guests on many cruises are generally expected to leave tips for certain cruise staff members serving them. Maybe it is just us..but we start our relationship with our cabin steward and our wait/bar staff with big smiles (and why not -- we are starting a vacation FROM work or our daily activities), and seem to be met with wonderful service. with hardly any complaints about THEIR effort. It makes no difference if you prepay or not. We've pre-paid the DSC and I've also added $500 of OBC. Prepaid CDN was $82.65 vs $84 US on the ship. Remember, you havent yet received the service which you are tipping for now! The gratuities also are shared with all those that work in the Windjammer for all meals, not just dinner. Some people prefer to prepay gratuities because it ensures that the gratuities will be paid and they don't have to worry about it during their cruise. I have every intention on tipping the cabin attendant and other just don't want to tip the dining room staff and never use them. After 8 cruises, surely you would know how it worked, wouldn't you? (My wife wants what she wants!) Thanks! So leaving full trash cans is just shear laziness on their part. Planning a Carnival Cruise? I hope you reported the sub par service; I wouldn't tolerate that. :cool: 19952022, The Independent Traveler, Inc. What is the advantage of prepaying gratuities? Let's not forget that for those of us in the UK, pre paid gratuities are detailed on our invoices as 'On Board Service Charge', and this is just what it is, a charge for the services provided on board by the staff. Doesn't make anything cheaper, but some people feel better being fooled (LOL!). . We are NOT going to main dining room at all and no specialty dining either. First, if you want to take care of everything ahead of time, prepaying the gratuities allows you to do so. :confused: So you tip only the servers, not the behind the scenes people such as food preparers, cooks, dishwashers, etc, they are all working to serve you directly just as the servers are? Here is a list of the daily gratuities charged by major cruise lines (US dollars): Assuming you will still be eating somewhere on the ship, just leave the pre-paid tips in place and know that everyone is taken care of. It's the same amount if you prepay in advance. Royal Caribbean will sometimes dispense to guests at check-in special cards to write about why a particular crew member went above and beyond the kind of service you might expect. Would prefer paying onboard but was told prepaying being mandatory. . Guests can pre-pay gratuities by calling (UK) 0344 493 4005 / (Ireland) 1800 555 604 or logging into www.royalcaribbean.co.uk before* their sailing. I think he's asking a fair question based on how we dine off the ship. Prepaid gratuities. You can either prepay or be charged a daily rate per person based on the rate for your room (suites are higher) You do have the option of going to guest services onboard and have the tip charges removed. Giving him the information kindly, tincoll, that his gratuities are spread out among all eating establishment servers, I'm sure, would have sufficed. I don't like thinking about tipping and figuring out what to tip when I am cruising . My wife and I are going on Oasis of the Seas and we have an option to prepay gratuities before the sail date. We are on cruise to relax - dont need the stress of having to complain taking the edge off our cruise. ?Heh Heh!! Guests in suites will pay $18.50 per person, per day in gratuities. WOW cards can help elevate crew members when it comes time for promotions and help their careers in the long run. If you booked with a travel agent, simply let the travel agent know your preference and they can take care of the arrangements. You cant do that with prepaid gratuities. How? I eat in the buffet or MDR for breakfast and lunch, so again I'm being served, or my used plates etc are collected from my table. Powered by Invision Community. I have been on 1 cruise and I knew how the tips worked before I left home. The latest increase was in 2018 when gratuities went up by $1 per person, per day. A 18% gratuity is automatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases. New Dynamic Dining means we won't have the same dining room staff, so that relationship will not be the same as before. Taking a P&O cruise? :cool: That's your preference (A-OK!) If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, you can pre-pay gratuities by calling 866-562-7625 or logging into Royal Caribbean's website before the sailing. A For most sailings, beverage package gratuities of 18% are added at final checkout and not included in the initial cost. . I know you can either prepay your gratuities before you sail or you can have them added on your folio during your cruise. I'm not debating the automatic gratuities, but I am wondering what the advantage is of prepaying the gratuities rather than just having them charged to your onboard account and paying them with your credit card when you settle your account? You can generally change these by visiting the guest services desk to reward excellent service or to let your displeasure known for unsatisfactory service. Cruise line tipping policies generally fall into three different categories: (1). What does it mean to prepay gratuities on a cruise? If there is any leftover OBC, I'll either cash out at the casino last night of the cruise, or just wait for a cheque from NCL. LauraS OK. For example, Disney Cruise Line automatically charges tips at $13.50 per person per day with tips going to the stateroom host/hostess, dining room head server, dining room server, and dining room assistant server. A couple should budget about $200 in gratuities for a 7 day cruise. A guest can fill out the card, give it to the crew member and the crew member will then turn the card into their manager, which will in turn be placed on their permanent file. A: There is no definitive answer to this question. We have prepaid the gratuities on our next cruise however if we decide to for example not eat in the main dining room at all during the cruise is it possible to get refined all or part of our prepay to OBC or is it just gone for good at that point? 05 Nov: Checked my online acct with Royal Caribbean, which still shows "No" for Prepaid Gratuities. People wonder if its a better deal to pay ahead of time or worry that they might not receive the same level of service if they tip ahead of time. By Other than the convenience of having tips prepaid, we find little advantage for cruisers. Nowadays, cruise gratuities are added automatically to your cruise bill or even built into the cruise fare. I know you can either prepay your gratuities before you sail or you can have them added on your folio during your cruise. I fully trust my tips are being distributed fairly amongst staff and if they aren't, seriously that is a Royal problem, not my problem. These tips are a daily charge that goes to the crew members on the cruise ship who make your stay on board a memorable occasion. Its not like we are high maintenance either as we put towels ready to be switched out in a pile ready and pretty much make the bed ourselves and dont leave anything out. CC Help Jenn Agree! A. and don't forgetwhen paying with a Canadian cc on the ship, the cc may very well charge a commission and fee for foreign exchangeand the foreign exchange rate may not be very favourable compared to the Bank of Canada's rate. Here's the only Disney Cruise Line Tip Calculator you'll ever need. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952022 The Independent Traveler, Inc. So with two people sailing a seven-day cruise where the gratuity amount is $15 per person, per day, they will see a charge of $210. Room Service should be rewarded with a gratuity and in any other dining venue you are able to leave an additional gratuity if you desire. If I wanted to pay the cruise with one card, the gratuties/extras (like dinners, drink packages, etc) before the cruise with another card, and then have a different card connected to my on board folio, could I do that? Really? and you'll get free gratuities plus up to $125 in onboard credit, depending on your cabin category. Look dude! In the Diamond or Concierge lounge obviously during cocktail hour as I'm not even paying for the beverages in these venues, but I am being served. Harry-Azcrak 3 mo. No, prepaying gratuities doesnt negatively affect the service onboard. Most cruises I seem to have about $100 OBC so my final invoice is about $0.00 or a few dollars. I love the crew as a whole on every cruse and would never want to take anything away from any of them :) . If you booked with a travel agent, simply let the travel agent know your preference and they can take care of the arrangements. :cool: The tipped service people do not GET the tips in advancethey get them after the cruise is over..so pre-tipping shouldn't affect service at all! Those number are just made up, I don't know what they make. For the number of cruises you have been on according to your signature, you really have to ask that question! On 10/7/2022 at 11:04 AM, not-enough-cruising said: 19952022, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Mailbag: Why do I have to pay gratuities for my toddler? I have no problem tipping, but I also don't. Pre-Paid Gratuities Valid on the following cruise lines: Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Carnival Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, and Oceania Cruises. For any Canadians reading this thread there can be very good reasons to prepay your gratuities. Reasons not to prepay is that is something changes, you have to get YOUR MONEY back from them. For guests booked through travel advisors, their advisor may add pre-paid gratuities to the guests' booking prior to sailing*. It's easy to use, fast and free! We provide this guide to help you understand how gratuities work on the cruise, when you can expect to pay them and how much it is. Yep, like you said. This amount can be prepaid, meaning that you elect to pay it when you purchase your cruise. Just like it should be. Should you prepay gratuities for a Royal Caribbean cruise? While we still find the service in the dining room and from room stewards adequate, we have seen less enthusiastic service since the pre-paid gratuities were put into practice. You need to be a member in order to leave a comment. Royal Caribbean International raised its recommended daily gratuities by $1.50 per day for non-suite cabins and $1 for suites.. We are planning a Royal Caribbean cruise for next spring break in March out of Galveston and were wondering if we should pre-pay for gratuities and how gratuities would work if we didn't pre-pay for them. I had no idea that if grats are pre-paid they cannot be removed (not that I would ever remove them anyways). The most recent increase was from $13.99 per person, per day for most staterooms to the current $14.50. The gratuity amount is for the service you receive from the wait staff to serve your drink. 19952022, The Independent Traveler, Inc. I always tip room service and so on .My main focus was to divert the money that I could have to the people who serve us directly. That is a very good reason in my book to not pay something before it needs to be paid. thats a perk of it all in my eyes. I didn't get a drinks package. 39 minutes ago, aflyingbuttress said: . So I will never consider removing anything from my pre paid On Board Service Charge. Pre-paying gratuities is a simple process. :D. Just commented that it is possible to adjust also pre-paid gratuities. The bar service personnel still gets their 15% tips from each bar sale. Started August 27, 2021, By When you sail, gratuities are a fact of life. When you take a Royal Caribbean cruise, one of the costs to passengers are gratuities (tips) to crew members during your cruise. Started August 27, 2021, By CC Help Jenn So, please leave your prepaid gratuities as they are. Not sure why you would prepay the gratuities if your intent is to distribute out of your own pocket? To sailing, they pay the lower rate other on these boards see fit not only your, Also pre-booked and paid all of our excursions cruises departing on or after may 1, 2016, will Because we were not on the website with as part of their control but. 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