Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises Announced a Revision to Their Gratuity Programs Today.
Cruise guests on Royal Caribbean International ships sailing on or after July 1 will be asked to pay up to $1.70 per person, per day more for crew tips. The new amount will be $12.95 (up from $12) for standard cabin cruisers and $15.95 (up from $14.25) for passengers in suites.
Passengers with existing bookings can pre-pay their gratuities before June 1 to lock in the current rate. After June 1, pre-paid gratuities will be charged at the new, higher amount.
In a similar move, the new recommended gratuities for Celebrity Cruises will increase on sailings July 1 and later to be:
- $12.95 per day per guest in standard staterooms
- $13.45 per day per guest in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms
- $16.45 per day per guest in Suite Class
For guests’ convenience, Celebrity automatically adds gratuities to guests’ onboard SeaPass account on a daily basis, although guests are free to change the amount at their discretion at the ship’s Guest Relations office.
The new Celebrity gratuity guidelines are increasing from the current amounts:
- $12 per person per day in staterooms
- $12.50 per person per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms
- $15.50 per person per day in suites
Celebrity guests who prepay their gratuities prior to June 1, 2015 can still do so based on the current, lower guideline amounts.
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity say the adjustment will help recognize the exceptional work that the cruise lines’ staff and crew do to deliver unforgettable vacations.
We say this is a trend. Norwegian Cruise Line raised its daily service charge early this year.
As cruise lines continue to offer value-added promotions such as complimentary drink packages, free Wi-Fi, and healthy shipboard credits, there is also a trend towards adding guests’ cost once onboard.
Carnival Cruise Lines and NCL have both started charging for room service in some cases.
The value-added promotions, such as free drinks, may cut into crew members’ tips, which may in turn be forcing the new for higher gratuities.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in comments below.
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