Princess Cruises announced today that it will increase its daily gratuity charge on all voyages departing on or after January 1, 2016.
The new daily gratuity amounts for Princess cruise guests will be as follows:
• US$12.95 per guest per day for regular staterooms (interior, oceanview and balcony) — an increase of $1.45.
• US$13.95 per guest per day for mini-suites and suites — an increase of $1.95.
Guests who are currently booked for a Princess cruise that sails on January 1, 2016 or later can avoid the increase by prepaying their daily gratuities at the current gratuity amount through October 31, 2015.
“The gratuity rate increase is comparable to cruise industry standards and is Princess Cruises’ first increase since May 2011,” writes John Chernesky, Princess Cruises Vice President for North Sales.
Princess Cruises is following increases in gratuities by other cruise lines this year. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises increased gratuities on their ships effective July 1, 2015.
Earlier this year, Norwegian Cruise Line raised its daily service charge effective March 1, 2015. (Norwegian notably calls its gratuities a “Daily Service Charge,” and makes it difficult for guests to remove the charges even if they do not feel the service is appropriate.
Tipping is a very personal issue. Most regular cruisers will likely agree that shipboard personnel are some of the hardest working “service” workers you will encounter. We have never tried to remove daily gratuity charges from our cruise bill, and we often reward our favorite staffers with additional cash tips directly into their hands. But we do often wonder just how much of the daily “gratuity” or “service charge” amounts actually end up in the hands of the front line staff that serves us, rather than being siphoned off to others on-board who are not in guest-service areas and should truly be paid by a salary.
What do you think? Does an increase in gratuity charges have any impact on your cruise plans? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Check out these other posts on cruise lines:
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- “The Voice of the Ocean” is Coming to Princess Cruises
- A Look at the Sabatini’s Menu on Princess Cruises’ Star Princess
- Norwegian Cruise Line Introduces Free Premium Beverages on the Norwegian Sky
- Norwegian Cruise Line Adds Complimentary Asian Dining Venues
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