Gratuities to Increase

[Ma Bell]

Here's kind an off the wall question. If one has pre-paid grats either as a perk or from a TA, can those grats be canceled on board and the amount added to your seapass account? I do not plan to do this so don't get excited, but I was just wondering if this would be possible

 

No, you can't.

[JERSEYGIRL1983]

what press release??

 

Hence the "...." Vulcan!! :p

My question is based on the info we have so far.

 

So, assuming it is all true (the increase). Now re-read my question! lol

 

Am i "grandfathered in" so to speak?

 

Although, something is telling me until Celebrity actually does officially announce it, we won't really know the answer to that question. :eek:

[vulcan1971]

Hence the "...." Vulcan!! :p

 

My question is based on the info we have so far.

 

 

 

So, assuming it is all true (the increase). Now re-read my question! lol

 

 

 

Am i "grandfathered in" so to speak?

 

 

 

Although, something is telling me until Celebrity actually does officially announce it, we won't really know the answer to that question. :eek:

 

 

You have answered your own question. ;)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

[JERSEYGIRL1983]

Here's kind an off the wall question. If one has pre-paid grats either as a perk or from a TA, can those grats be canceled on board and the amount added to your seapass account? I do not plan to do this so don't get excited, but I was just wondering if this would be possible

 

That's actually a really good question. Im curious myself.

However, Im going to sit back and watch the vultures tear you up lol

No, seriously, I hope someone has the answer to it and doesn't give you too much grief!

[JERSEYGIRL1983]

You have answered your own question. ;)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

 

lol ok - fair enough, i'll wait Vulcan!

[K.T.B.]

Not sure what the new breakdown will be, but this is what I believe it was for $12.50:

 

Dining Service $7.00

Stateroom $4.00

Other: $1.50

[Ma Bell]

That's actually a really good question. Im curious myself.

However, Im going to sit back and watch the vultures tear you up lol

No, seriously, I hope someone has the answer to it and doesn't give you too much grief!

 

I already did...with no grief.

[SantaFeFan]

Passengers pay the salaries of these contract service workers -- that's the way it works. It's a different form of compensation plan compared to what we experience in the US, in Canada, in the UK, or in Europe. It's a different way to doing things.

 

Actually, in all businesses, it is the customers who pay the salary of the employees. Money for salaries comes from revenue. Revenue comes from the customers. The salaries are certainly not paid from the CEO's savings accounts.

 

Whether we pay those salaries through the cost of the product or through gratuities, it is still the customer/passenger who pays it.

 

For this simple reason I do not understand the resistance some people have to just paying the gratuities as requested. :confused::confused:

 

Bottom line - when people remove the gratuities and give less (which most likely they do), they are cheating the staff out of their salaries, just as if they had stolen the money out of the wallets of people with full salaries.

Edited May 14, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[Celebrity Cruises]

Hi all,

 

Please note that beginning June 1, 2015 for all sailings beginning on or after July 1, 2015, that gratuities will increase to the following:

 

• $12.95 per person, per day in standard staterooms
  
• $13.45 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms
  
• $16.45 per person, per day in Suite Class
  

If you have already prepaid your gratuities or have received them through a sales promotion, you will not incur any additional automatic daily gratuity charges.

 

For more information, please visit:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions#faq551

[chamima]

Hi all,

 

Please note that beginning June 1, 2015 for all sailings beginning on or after July 1, 2015, that gratuities will increase to the following:

 

• $12.95 per person, per day in standard staterooms
  
• $13.45 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms
  
• $16.45 per person, per day in Suite Class
  

If you have already prepaid your gratuities or have received them through a sales promotion, you will not incur any additional automatic daily gratuity charges.

 

For more information, please visit:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions#faq551

 

 

 

Thank you!

Finally something official.

Below is what the link above says:

How are gratuities handled onboard?

For your convenience, we automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

 

• $12 per person, per day in Suite Class

• $12.50 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms

• $15.50 per person, per day in Suite Class

 

** Please note that beginning June 1, 2015 for all sailings beginning on or after July 1, 2015, that gratuities will increase to the following:

 

• $12.95 per person, per day in standard staterooms

• $13.45 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms

• $16.45 per person, per day in Suite Class

 

Prepay your gratuities by May 31 to lock in the current rate before it adjusts by calling 1-800-647-2251, logging into your My Celebrity account, or by contacting your travel agent. As of June 1, any prepaid gratuities applied to your reservation will be at the new rates.

 

Please note that if you have already prepaid your gratuities or have received them through a sales promotion that you will not incur any additional automatic daily gratuity charges once onboard.

 

This gratuity is shared by your Dining & Culinary Services Staff, Stateroom Attendants, Other Housekeeping Services Personnel, as well as staff from other departments who work behind the scenes to enhance your cruise experience.

 

At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations, in which case they will not automatically be added to your onboard SeaPass® account.

 

An 18% gratuity will be automatically added to all beverages, mini bar purchases, spa and salon services. Additional gratuities may be added at your discretion

[photomikey]

For this simple reason I do not understand the resistance some people have to just paying the gratuities as requested. :confused::confused:

The customers also pay for the water in the toilets. People would be upset if there were a $1/day toilet fee on top of the price of the cruise. Having water in the toilets, having room stewards change sheets, having waiters deliver food - it's the cost of doing business. It should be a part of the bottom line price.

 

I am grateful for the room stewards cleaning my room. I am grateful for the waiters delivering my meals. I should tip them. I am grateful for water in the toilets. Should I not leave a few dollars behind for that also?

[kk99]

Celebrity Cruises,

Thank you for posting the link to Celebrity's webpage with the updated information.

[kelmac]

Actually, in all businesses, it is the customers who pay the salary of the employees. Money for salaries comes from revenue. Revenue comes from the customers. The salaries are certainly not paid from the CEO's savings accounts.

 

Whether we pay those salaries through the cost of the product or through gratuities, it is still the customer/passenger who pays it.

 

For this simple reason I do not understand the resistance some people have to just paying the gratuities as requested. :confused::confused:

 

Bottom line - when people remove the gratuities and give less (which most likely they do), they are cheating the staff out of their salaries, just as if they had stolen the money out of the wallets of people with full salaries.

 

Of course money for salaries comes from revenue! But that revenue source is fixed through the gratuity system and is off the books for tax purposes for the RCL corporation. If contract workers pay taxes, it's is between the individual and their home country. International waters, off shore ship registration,…, The system is convoluted for a reason. If we go all American, like NCL in Hawaii, the price jumps $300 -- $400 per person a week. I'm not saying that's a bad idea, but it would be more expensive.

 

And I agree 100% -- people should pay their gratuities and add cash to individuals they deem worthy.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[gcgold]

Of course money for salaries comes from revenue! But that revenue source is fixed through the gratuity system and is off the books for tax purposes for the RCL corporation. If contract workers pay taxes, it's is between the individual and their home country. International waters, off shore ship registration,…, The system is convoluted for a reason. If we go all American, like NCL in Hawaii, the price jumps $300 -- $400 per person a week. I'm not saying that's a bad idea, but it would be more expensive.

 

 

 

And I agree 100% -- people should pay their gratuities and add cash to individuals they deem worthy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Kel:)

 

 

Hi Kel

 

Sorry but bring a Brit this tipping / grats is a bit odd to us but I wouldn't wish for the hardworking guys to lose out. [emoji15]

 

so I generally go with auto tips and give some bar staff and cabin staff a bit more. In this case can the individuals keep it for themselves or do they have to pool them.

 

On one trip I had reason to experience appalling service from the (asst ?) Maitre D on the very 1st night. I removed the auto tips and gave wait staff and cabin guys envelopes containing more than the 'recommended' amount as I was told the Maitre D gets a small pp grat but from a lot more people. i didnt want him to get anything from me. If the same circumstance happened again and I did the same would that mean others are losing out - as I wouldnt want that.

 

Looking forward to our upcoming trip [emoji41]

[vulcan1971]

Hi all,

 

Please note that beginning June 1, 2015 for all sailings beginning on or after July 1, 2015, that gratuities will increase to the following:

 

• $12.95 per person, per day in standard staterooms
  
• $13.45 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms
  
• $16.45 per person, per day in Suite Class
  

If you have already prepaid your gratuities or have received them through a sales promotion, you will not incur any additional automatic daily gratuity charges.

 

For more information, please visit:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions#faq551

 

Dear Celebrity Cruises -

 

 

Based on the time of my earlier post of 9:18 AM (Eastern time zone) and your post around 12:00 PM, I see that you have managed to update the FAQ with the new gratuity increase information, which is great! :)

 

If only other items on the FAQ could be updated as quickly when errors/inconsistencies are brought to your attention.... but we will save that for other newly created threads for you to monitor and enjoy!! :D :eek: :p

[SantaFeFan]

On one trip I had reason to experience appalling service from the (asst ?) Maitre D on the very 1st night. I removed the auto tips and gave wait staff and cabin guys envelopes containing more than the 'recommended' amount as I was told the Maitre D gets a small pp grat but from a lot more people. i didnt want him to get anything from me. If the same circumstance happened again and I did the same would that mean others are losing out - as I wouldnt want that.

 

Unfortunately, since you removed your gratuities, any cash tips you gave had to be turned over to a supervisor so they could be disbursed appropriately. Your Maitre D still got a portion of your tips, whether or not you wanted him to. But I appreciate that you did not want anyone else to be shortchanged by your decision to remove auto tips.

 

The best course of action when receiving bad service is to report it when it happens and get it resolved immediately. That way a person doesn't suffer the bad service for the rest of the cruise.

Edited May 14, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[gcgold]

Unfortunately, since you removed your gratuities, any cash tips you gave had to be turned over to a supervisor so they could be disbursed appropriately. Your Maitre D still got a portion of your tips, whether or not you wanted him to. But I appreciate that you did not want anyone else to be shortchanged by your decision to remove auto tips.

 

The best course of action when receiving bad service is to report it when it happens and get it resolved immediately. That way a person doesn't suffer the bad service for the rest of the cruise.

 

 

Oh I did report him [emoji41]. he doesnt work for them now i believe[emoji12]

 

And I thought he wouldnt get my couple of $ [emoji32].

 

So now I look at it a bit like wetting oneself when wearing a dark suit [emoji15]

 

You get a nice warm feeling but nobody notices [emoji2][emoji13].

 

[emoji636][emoji574]️[emoji634][emoji482][emoji481][emoji484][emoji484][emoji485][emoji485]

[Celebrity Cruises]

Dear Celebrity Cruises -

 

 

Based on the time of my earlier post of 9:18 AM (Eastern time zone) and your post around 12:00 PM, I see that you have managed to update the FAQ with the new gratuity increase information, which is great! :)

 

If only other items on the FAQ could be updated as quickly when errors/inconsistencies are brought to your attention.... but we will save that for other newly created threads for you to monitor and enjoy!! :D :eek: :p

 

Thank you!

 

This time around was purely coincidence, but please feel free to always contact us at concerns@celebrity.com, and we'll be sure to alert the team in a timely manner.

[JERSEYGIRL1983]

Thank you!

 

This time around was purely coincidence, but please feel free to always contact us at concerns@celebrity.com, and we'll be sure to alert the team in a timely manner.

 

Hi Celebrity

 

Thank you for finally clearing the air here.

 

So my question is: Since we booked in February, are we grandfathered in with the original rates?

 

Is everyone who books before June 1st (but doesn't prepay their grats) grandfathered in to the original prepay of 12.00 pp?

[Celebrity Cruises]

Hi Celebrity

 

Thank you for finally clearing the air here.

 

So my question is: Since we booked in February, are we grandfathered in with the original rates?

 

Is everyone who books before June 1st (but doesn't prepay their grats) grandfathered in to the original prepay of 12.00 pp?

 

Hi there,

 

No, you would need to prepay your gratuities to take advantage.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Celebrity Cruise

Why doesn't Celebrity just include the gratuities in the price of the cruise, just like they include meals in the price ?

It would make pricing a little easier

I am happy I can prepay it , I would feel awkward to go around and give each person a tip

Edited May 14, 2015 by Airbalancer

[Gracie115]

Thanks for the "official" update...at 95cents per person per day that means it would have cost us an additional $30.40 for our 16 night TA on the Eclipse we just finished.......not a problem for us at all...staff was wonderful and deserving...we tip above that anyway but am glad they are getting it across the board so that those who don't tip extra will be participating too....the staff works so hard I don't begrudge them the little bit extra at all...

Edited May 14, 2015 by Gracie115

[kelmac]

Hi Kel

 

Sorry but bring a Brit this tipping / grats is a bit odd to us but I wouldn't wish for the hardworking guys to lose out. [emoji15]

 

so I generally go with auto tips and give some bar staff and cabin staff a bit more. In this case can the individuals keep it for themselves or do they have to pool them.

 

On one trip I had reason to experience appalling service from the (asst ?) Maitre D on the very 1st night. I removed the auto tips and gave wait staff and cabin guys envelopes containing more than the 'recommended' amount as I was told the Maitre D gets a small pp grat but from a lot more people. i didnt want him to get anything from me. If the same circumstance happened again and I did the same would that mean others are losing out - as I wouldnt want that.

 

Looking forward to our upcoming trip [emoji41]

 

Hi Chris,

 

Every once in a while I feel the need to "stir the pot" over here on the Celebrity boards. Too much free time!:)

 

I've never experienced bad service; I have been ignored a couple of times, but that happens everywhere!:roll eyes: Celebrity has these attention to detail cards you can fill out; 99% of them are for people doing a great job above the norm, but if you fill one out for a Maitre 'D thats gone a bit gobby

of sorts, that will get the attention of the senior management.

 

This whole tips thing does have some British roots, as at the turn of the century ocean liners would bring along boys (12 -- 16 years old) who would be the minions running around delivering messages, laundry…, all for a few extra coins from the passengers. But when it comes to tipping, the US takes the cake!

 

We leave in 16 days; heading east towards the Reflection. See you onboard!

 

Kel:D

[Suzegoescruisin]

These rates seem fair to me. It has been quite a few years since my last Celebrity cruise, but more than one cruise line is raising gratuities and service charges. I am especially happy that the gratuities are more for those in higher category staterooms and suites. The workers deserve the extra.

[chamima]

These rates seem fair to me. It has been quite a few years since my last Celebrity cruise, but more than one cruise line is raising gratuities and service charges. I am especially happy that the gratuities are more for those in higher category staterooms and suites. The workers deserve the extra.

 

 

Regarding this I just had a thought.

Suites are larger than any of the other cabins so I understand the higher gratuity.

But Concierge and Aqua class staterooms are EXACTLY the same size as standard cabins (at least on S class) so do stewards have fewer rooms to be responsible for, thus justifying the extra charge?

(And I do realize it's only .50 more but just wondered)

(On most lines higher category cabins are also larger but this isn't the case on Celebrity so I was just wondering.) :confused:

 

 

And, also, what's with the .95 and .45 - why not just round up to the next dollar????

Edited May 14, 2015 by chamima