NCL raises gratuity

[Matt]

Starting on April 1, guests staying in a balcony cabin category or below will see an increase from $15.50 per person, per day to $16.00, a three percent increase.

The Haven and Suite guests will see an eight percent hike from $18.50 per person, per day to $20.00.

Source: https://cruiseradio.net/norwegian-cruise-line-hikes-daily-gratuities-effective-april-1/

[smokeybandit]

Any idea the last time they raised rates?

 

Royal last raised theirs in what, 2017?

[Matt]

Royal last raised them at the end of 2017, effective early 2018: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/12/22/royal-caribbean-raise-gratuity-amount-guests

If memory serves me correctly, it used to be an annual thing for a while.

[sammy79]

I’m surprised they haven’t raised it already with inflation running rampant. 

[Mike.s]

Good reason to pre pay them, I assume if you've already paid them and they raise the rate you're locked in at the old rate, or is that just wishful thinking?

[HeWhoWaits]

3 hours ago, Mike.s said:

Good reason to pre pay them, I assume if you've already paid them and they raise the rate you're locked in at the old rate, or is that just wishful thinking?

We had requested pre-paid gratuities for a 2018 cruise prior to the increase. Our invoice had the old price for gratuities, even after we repriced the cruise while the higher gratuities were in force.

YMMV

[Matt]

3 hours ago, Mike.s said:

I assume if you've already paid them and they raise the rate you're locked in at the old rate, or is that just wishful thinking?

Yes, if you pre pay it locks in the rate.

[silenttuba]

Personally, if they decided to bump gratuities from $14.50 to $15 (similar to what NCL has done), I wouldn’t have a problem with it. No one wants to pay more, but if anything is going to go up, I’d rather it be the money that goes directly to the crew than anything else. 

[loki007]

i don't have a huge problem with this. We were just on independence and the stories from the staff about how long they went without a paycheck are really sad. Remember most of the crew are from nations who didn't bail out the average citizen. I left a little more at bars, restaurants, and my stateroom attendant than past pre-covid sailings. 

[SolariumSnoozer]

Last time Royal raised gratuities they provided you an opportunity to prepay them before you sailed and lock in the lower rate.  If you didn't prepay, you paid the new rate on board.   Here is the letter I received from Royal in December 2017:

We are excited to welcome you onboard for your upcoming Royal Caribbean vacation!

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.

Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: an 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar service beverages, spa services, room service and mini bar items, and will be itemized on your receipt.

To pre-pay your gratuities, please log onto www.RoyalCaribbean.com, contact your travel agent, or call 1-866-562-7625. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard.

Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International