Any advantage to pre-paying gratuities?

[jayoldschool]

Took the non-included fare for my next voyage. Is there any advantage to pre-paying the grats before sailing, or should I just let them be charged to my account?

[prmssk]

The only time there is an actual advantage is if you hear gratuities are going to go up. Prepaying locks in the current rate but that is something you can do at any point before sailing. 
 

Otherwise, it’s just a matter of cash flow what works best for your finances and whether you get peace of mind from having as much prepaid up front as possible. 

[gold1953]

If you have OBC then it will help pay the grats if you leave them on your account

[Jim_Iain]

The only real advantage I would say would be if you want to lock in the rate (if a change is about to happen) or if PPD Tips are on sale during a promotion.    To be honest I don't know if they ever put them on sale as I always have them included -

[RD64]

… or … as on HAL - they offer a much better rate of exchange on the Canadian dollar for prepayment.

[zgscl]

Unless you lock in a lower rate, it is personal preference and whatever works best for you. Some people like to walk onboard knowing their trip is fully paid for and there will be no costs to pay. Others like to wait to spread their payments out or defer expenses as long as possible. 

[adolfo2]

I don't like seeing daily his/hers gratuities posted to on-board account as it masks/obscures all the other charges.

 

[awhcruiser]

I prepaid before the rate went up.

[jayoldschool]

35 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

I prepaid before the rate went up.

When are they going up?

[firegal2539]

I prepay for all the reasons listed. I don't want the tips going up and having to pay more when the cruise rolls around. I like knowing that when I board my ship I don't owe a penny, everything is paid for and they won't touch my OBC. I use my OBC for the casino and I don't like the money messed with. Candie

[aml3679]

We like to pay prior to cruising, then we do not to have to think about it.

[Andrewgary]

I like to prepay as much as I can so I don't have to look at a huge bill at he . I know it's psychological but hey, there you have it. 

[Baggy178]

Why does it matter if the rate goes up or if people pre-pay or not ?

Gratuities are entirely voluntary and you're not obliged to pay whatever the cruise line indicates.

It's a matter of your own personal choice.

Paying gratuities in advance of receiving service that may be bad seems bizarre to us - try getting a refund if things are not to your liking ...

Edited September 4, 2023 by Baggy178

[miched]

Pay it as you go.  There is no advantage.  Why give your money to X in advance?    It is like giving them a free loan.   Chances are it may be on your next CC bill instead of the current one that is full of other travel expenses.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Bobsgonecoastal]

On 9/3/2023 at 3:11 PM, jayoldschool said:

Took the non-included fare for my next voyage. Is there any advantage to pre-paying the grats before sailing, or should I just let them be charged to my account?

I've often wondered why they don't discount prepaid gratuities.  Maybe the majority of passengers just like to have them paid in advance.  It would certainly be an incentive.

[Winemaker_1]

4 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

Gratuities are entirely voluntary and you're not obliged to pay whatever the cruise line indicates.

It's a matter of your own personal choice.

I don't think so.  Cruise lines that include tips in your cruise fare (Silversea, Regent, Azamara, etc.) don't give you an option to remove it.  And even Celebrity automatically adds the (now) $23/pp/pd to you bill, if you don't prepay.  It sounds like you need to go to Guest Services on the ship to opt out of tips.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

18 minutes ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

I've often wondered why they don't discount prepaid gratuities.  Maybe the majority of passengers just like to have them paid in advance.  It would certainly be an incentive.

I guess you can look at it as a discount if they go up before your cruise but you've prepaid so the previous rate was locked in.

[horseymike]

10 hours ago, jayoldschool said:

When are they going up?

On a regular basis.

[Baggy178]

7 hours ago, Winemaker_1 said:

I don't think so.  Cruise lines that include tips in your cruise fare (Silversea, Regent, Azamara, etc.) don't give you an option to remove it.  And even Celebrity automatically adds the (now) $23/pp/pd to you bill, if you don't prepay.  It sounds like you need to go to Guest Services on the ship to opt out of tips.

 

Scoring a discounted cruise negates the included gratuities as does converting OBC to gratuities and tipping for exceptional service which is what we do. A quick visit to Guest Services sorts everything.

[dadofjessie]

On 9/4/2023 at 10:39 AM, aml3679 said:

We like to pay prior to cruising, then we do not to have to think about it.

Agreed!

[RenieRaider]

We like to pay in advance, so we don't have to deal with it and we know the Staff people are getting it.

BUT, we also choose to, give as we go, to those staff people who we feel we want to give a little extra.

If we have Special Requests for our Stateroom Attendant, we may choose to leave a little something extra at the end of the week.

[Duanerice1]

Other than to take advantage of currency exchange there is no benefit to pay ahead.  People might want to but there isn't any benefit.  I'll pay after my cruise, not before.  And I usually have enough OBC to cover it so that's always a plus.

 

enjoy

[awhcruiser]

On 9/4/2023 at 9:50 AM, jayoldschool said:

When are they going up?

Effective July 11, 2023, the automatic gratuity rate for all stateroom categories will increase: $18.00 USD per person, per day for inside, ocean view, and veranda staterooms, increasing from $17.50.Jul 5, 2023

[miched]

It is ironic that there are  comments  being concerned about making sure that the staff gets paid but then there are those that want to pay in advance because the gratuities are increasing??????

Pay in advance so you don’t have to pay as much to the staff because of the increase. 
 

I am sure everyone will compensate them extra.🙄
 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅