princevaliantus Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 NCL is raising their gratuities to $14.99 & $17.99, respectively. I wonder how long will RCCL take to raise their gratuities again and by how much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason12 Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 And P&O have scrapped theirs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 soon...wont be long......that's a guarantee.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCruisers Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 As a newbie, can you tell me if your rates are locked in from when you booked or do they go up by sail date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralqueen Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 7 minutes ago, NJCruisers said: As a newbie, can you tell me if your rates are locked in from when you booked or do they go up by sail date? From what I understand, your rate is locked if you choose to prepay gratuities, but not if you choose to wait until you are on board to pay. If you used a travel agent, just ask them to tack gratuities onto your invoice as you would like to prepay them. If you booked directly with Royal, I'd imagine you could call them to have them do it, but I don't have experience with that as I've always used a TA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCruisers Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 38 minutes ago, spiralqueen said: From what I understand, your rate is locked if you choose to prepay gratuities, but not if you choose to wait until you are on board to pay. If you used a travel agent, just ask them to tack gratuities onto your invoice as you would like to prepay them. If you booked directly with Royal, I'd imagine you could call them to have them do it, but I don't have experience with that as I've always used a TA. Thanks - I did book with a TA and have prepaid my gratuities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralqueen Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 1 minute ago, NJCruisers said: Thanks - I did book with a TA and have prepaid my gratuities. You should be all set then! Disclaimer: I don't have personal experience with this, but I'm almost positive I've either read about this situation or heard it on the podcast. NJCruisers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCruisers Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 I mean it's not like I'm going to cancel my cruise or anything if they go up but it's good to know ahead of time - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarvinS Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 I've booked directly with Royal Caribbean on the phone, and have easily been able to add prepaid gratuities to the reservation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolariumSnoozer Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 For those that are curious, the following is the email I received the last time RC raised gratuities: As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of an update to our daily gratuity charges. As of January 2, 2018, Royal Caribbean will be increasing the automatic daily gratuity charge from $13.50 to $14.50 per guest, per day for regular staterooms and from $16.50 to $17.50 per guest, per day for suites. The daily gratuity is shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams. We’d like to extend the opportunity to pre-pay your gratuities before your sail date at the current rate. If you’d like to pay onboard, your gratuity charge applied will be at the new rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DublinFC Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 I saw this posted on facebook today. I did not prepay my gratuities when I recently booked my cruise. Would it be a good idea to pay them now so I don't see the increase if it happens? I know its a small amount, but per person per day all adds up. Less money to spend on vacation, when its going towards vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny260 Posted March 15, 2019 Report Share Posted March 15, 2019 I would prepay, if you did it yourself you might have to call in, I always just tell MEI and they do it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancity Cruiser Posted March 16, 2019 Report Share Posted March 16, 2019 I personally enjoy the ease of prepaying gratuities, however, the premise of fixed gratuities is greatly flawed as the definition of a gratuity is 'something given voluntarily or beyond obligation'. I find it amusing that they chose to continue to use the term gratuity rather than call it a service charge or something like that. nanowerx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted March 16, 2019 Report Share Posted March 16, 2019 Just applied grats on my most recent booking, just in case. All bookings covered. Anything that is at risk going up in price, prepay and lock it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted March 16, 2019 Report Share Posted March 16, 2019 13 minutes ago, Vancity Cruiser said: I personally enjoy the ease of prepaying gratuities, however, the premise of fixed gratuities is greatly flawed as the definition of a gratuity is 'something given voluntarily or beyond obligation'. I find it amusing that they chose to continue to use the term gratuity rather than call it a service charge or something like that. I agree with you about the gratuities really being a service charge. If it is a true gratuity, it is optional. Anything required is a charge. Period. princevaliantus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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