Automatic tip addition to account

[longterm]

We're finishing our Grand European tomorrow morning, and although this is the Viking Ocean forum, I assume that the same policy applies on ocean cruises and wanted to mention this.

 

I've always understood that using Viking's prepaid gratuities option was totally optional. We intended all along to pay the prepaid gratuities, but I hadn't gotten around to adding it. This morning, it appeared on our account without our having asked for it, but a lot more than I remember it being. The fee was 280 euros for each of us, which amounted to about $600 for the trip.

 

Two things:

 

1. Wasn't this fee significantly lower just a few years ago?

2. Rather than automatically applying it per person, it should NOT appear on my account unless I expressly ask for it. We always tip our room steward and also others we particularly like on the cruise; we did this already this morning for our room steward and a couple of waiters, including the breakfast chef.

 

Now, I'm a generous tipper, and always want to show my appreciation to the staff, but I would have preferred to ASK to have gratuities added, rather than Viking automatically charging us for it. 

 

Our next Viking cruise is an ocean cruise on the British Isles Explorer; I'll be sure to address this beforehand, but I don't remember this happening on our previous Viking cruises--but perhaps I just didn't notice, or I had already signed up for it so wasn't surprised when it showed on our account before the end of the cruise.

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

For US customers Viking Ocean has always added the gratuity to your bill. I haven’t been on a river cruise for a few years but you use to add the amount you wanted to give. It sounds like they have standardized their tipping policy across all their products. The tip amount is shown in MVJ under “before you leave” so you can prepay, if desired.

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[MikeyB]

For at least since Viking restarted after Covid, the gratuities are auto added to your bill. 

I have taken  4 rivers since the restart.  A couple of days before the cruise ends during the debarkation talk, the cruise director will explain this.

Gratuities are $20 per now.  If you prepay on MVJ.  If you wait in Europe it's 20 euros.  So the exchange rate makes it more expensive.

You should have asked about this onboard so it wouldn't have diminished your trip.

[TayanaLorna]

In 2018 on our first Viking Ocean the sugggested gratuity was $15.00 pp.  It was automatically added however we would receive notice in MVJ.  The notice was something like - check your on board account and advise Guest Services if there are any changes/errors as the credit card you registered on board will be charged on X date.  On our 2023 VO cruise, the suggested gratuity rose to $17.00 pp with the same type of notice.

[CDR2001]

On our July cruise, we were advised that the standard gratuity amount would be added a day prior to disembarking. Guests could adjust the amount up or down (or eliminate it) by stopping at guest services before that date. I’m onboard Saturn now, I’ll ask and post what I learn. 

[Selion]

You can always go to Guest Services and ask them to remove the automatic gratuities.

[CCWineLover]

$17 pp per day on Viking Ocean.  So that's $476 for a 2 week typical ocean cruise.

 

Note:  it is always all spelled out on MyVikingJourney documents for all cruises what the policy is.

[Peregrina651]

7 hours ago, MikeyB said:

For at least since Viking restarted after Covid, the gratuities are auto added to your bill. 

I have taken  4 rivers since the restart. 

Gratuities are $20 per now.  If you prepay on MVJ.  If you wait in Europe it's 20 euros.  So the exchange rate makes it more expensive.

You should have asked about this onboard so it wouldn't have diminished your trip.

 

Rivers and Oceans have different policies.  The onboard currency for all Viking Oceans ships is US dollars.  The onboard currency on Viking Rivers varies depending on the itinerary.  In the EU it is euro. In Egypt  it is Egyptian pounds, etc.

 

Gratuities are included in the fare in AUS, UK & NZ; you don't have to worry about any of this.  US & CA, listen up.

 

1.  Gratuity is calculated on nights not days.  15 days/14 nights.

2.  The current rate on VO is $17US per person per night. Times 14 nights per person is $238US ($276 for two people). The tip pool covers the entire hotel staff, not just waiters and stewards. 

3. We can pre-pay before leaving home or we can let Viking add the amount to our onboard account automatically.  Those who wish to opt out of the scheme or to adjust the amount must do so at Guest Services once they board.  Why an opt out system? Because in practice fewer guests opt out.

 

The only folks who have to do some heavy duty math are the Canadians, who, with the fluctuating exchange rates between USD and CAD may save some money by pre-paying in Canadian$$ vs paying in USD once on board -- and neighbors to the north, you are on your own for this one cuz it is beyond my mathematical skill set.

[-Lew-]

21 hours ago, MikeyB said:

Gratuities are $20 per now.  If you prepay on MVJ.  If you wait in Europe it's 20 euros.  So the exchange rate makes it more expensive.

 

We're on the Sky cruising the Med and were charged $17US per night for gratuities for the first segment of the cruise.  Billing is done in US dollars.

[CDNPolar]

If I am not mistaken, the prepaid option - for Canadians anyway - is cheaper than letting them add to the bill on the ship.

 

I chose not to do the prepaid on our most recent Passage to Eastern Europe and I am going to dig out my final invoice to confirm, BUT, the prepaid option was $20 CAD per person per night, but we were charged on board, 20 Euros per person per night which is almost $29 CAD per person when calculating the exchange.  

 

We do pay the gratuities and do not ask for reduction, so I am going to look at this further and probably prepay before MVJ shuts you out prior to the cruise.

 

Off topic, but this is the same for excursions and silver spirits.  If we add to our bill before departure, then it is in CAD and if we add on the ship then it is in USD or Euros that will significantly increase our cost from prepaying.

Edited October 19, 2023 by CDNPolar

[downsmead]

2 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

We're on the Sky cruising the Med and were charged $17US per night for gratuities for the first segment of the cruise.  Billing is done in US dollars.

It differs between Ocean and River cruises.

[Mike07]

15 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Rivers and Oceans have different policies.  The onboard currency for all Viking Oceans ships is US dollars.  The onboard currency on Viking Rivers varies depending on the itinerary.  In the EU it is euro. In Egypt  it is Egyptian pounds, etc.

 

Gratuities are included in the fare in AUS, UK & NZ; you don't have to worry about any of this.  US & CA, listen up.

 

1.  Gratuity is calculated on nights not days.  15 days/14 nights.

2.  The current rate on VO is $17US per person per night. Times 14 nights per person is $238US ($276 for two people). The tip pool covers the entire hotel staff, not just waiters and stewards. 

3. We can pre-pay before leaving home or we can let Viking add the amount to our onboard account automatically.  Those who wish to opt out of the scheme or to adjust the amount must do so at Guest Services once they board.  Why an opt out system? Because in practice fewer guests opt out.

 

The only folks who have to do some heavy duty math are the Canadians, who, with the fluctuating exchange rates between USD and CAD may save some money by pre-paying in Canadian$$ vs paying in USD once on board -- and neighbors to the north, you are on your own for this one cuz it is beyond my mathematical skill set.

 

 

Do the expedition ships follow the VO policy?

[CurlerRob]

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Off topic, but this is the same for excursions and silver spirits.  If we add to our bill before departure, then it is in CAD and if we add on the ship then it is in USD or Euros that will significantly increase our cost from prepaying.

 

Although pre-paid gratuities, excursions and SSBP on VO (no river experience) are quoted in CAD for Canadian clients prior to departure, there is a CAD/USD exchange rate applied to those prices. In my experience, it is typically a bit better than I have been able to get myself, so I have chosen to prepay in the past. (And one has to do so for excursions to secure them). 🍺🥌

[longterm]

21 hours ago, Selion said:

You can always go to Guest Services and ask them to remove the automatic gratuities.

I did go to Guest Services and removed one of the two charges, because we'd already given tips to quite a few of the staff. If our program director told us it'd be added the day before debarkation, I missed it.

 

At any rate, my opinion is that this prepaid gratuity fee should never be put on someone's bill without express permission or request. It felt inappropriate to me.

 

As an interesting side note: my brother is on this cruise with us. He left an excursion and found himself without any tip money for the guide, but went over to her to thank her and to apologize that he didn't have anything to tip her. When he looked down, her hand was cupped to receive cash. 🙂

 

 

[Breckski]

There was a recent thread that discussed nickel & diming, and tipping was discussed.

 

I'm assuming the overwhelming majority of people do not dispute the tip charge with a smaller % of folks using a hybrid method of tipping like the OP.

 

In any event, I feel Viking should do like other premium/luxury lines and include the tip in the fare for a couple of reasons:  1) Everyone is already tipping, just simplify things thus removing the potential for hard feelings; 2) More of a premium/luxury feel as I hate the tipping reminders Viking does (even though the OP seems to have missed those🤭)

 

Some may say why not include everything in the fare: drinks, all excursions, airfare, etc.  But those items have different costs for each passenger so that would be a bit more complicated business discussion.  The tipping is standardized unless you object.  

[longterm]

15 minutes ago, mwike said:

There was a recent thread that discussed nickel & diming, and tipping was discussed.

 

I'm assuming the overwhelming majority of people do not dispute the tip charge with a smaller % of folks using a hybrid method of tipping like the OP.

 

In any event, I feel Viking should do like other premium/luxury lines and include the tip in the fare for a couple of reasons:  1) Everyone is already tipping, just simplify things thus removing the potential for hard feelings; 2) More of a premium/luxury feel as I hate the tipping reminders Viking does (even though the OP seems to have missed those🤭)

 

Some may say why not include everything in the fare: drinks, all excursions, airfare, etc.  But those items have different costs for each passenger so that would be a bit more complicated business discussion.  The tipping is standardized unless you object.  

Yes, tipping has been discussed ad nauseam for sure... 🙂

 

We're big tippers as a rule; the 20 euros per day per guest isn't exorbitant at all. Viking *could* choose to up their employees' pay by a few cents per hour and do away with the prepaid gratuities option. I would be in favor of that plan, but it comes down to saving Viking some money.

 

Here's how I would do it if I were Viking: in the Viking Daily a few days before end of cruise, tell all pax that the prepaid gratuity can be added before the last day. If it's not chosen, it doesn't go on the bill. 

I can attest that there was a steady line of people talking to guest services after seeing their final bills, and I suspect not a few were asking about the gratuities.

 

I saw a guy give a tour guide one euro. Wow. What a miser.

[Selion]

I see automatic gratuities as part of the cruising costs.  I still tip extra; maybe not as generously as the OP.  Given that, I'd like to see Viking include tips in their cruise fares.  A few hundred bucks more in the cruise fares won't make or break a potential cruiser's desire to book a $10k cruise.

 

That said, I don't see automatic gratuities going away on lines like Carnival or MSC.  There are always people who think the crew didn't bend backwards, literally, to make their cruise as great as it is.

[MikeyB]

5 hours ago, longterm said:

I did go to Guest Services and removed one of the two charges, because we'd already given tips to quite a few of the staff. If our program director told us it'd be added the day before debarkation, I missed it.

5 hours ago, longterm said:

 

 

I saw a guy give a tour guide one euro. Wow. What a miser.

 

This is "priceless".

You removed half the auto gratuities after a port talk that mentioned the gratuities and you still express shock about it.

And then you criticize someone giving a euro by calling them cheap.

But it's good to know that you are "big tippers".

[CDNPolar]

My happy place is inside a Numbers (Apple) or Excel spreadsheet and I budget every trip we book, and often before the booking is made.

 

My spreadsheet has every possible charge and cost that we have incurred over the years of travelling.

 

I see the gratuity added at the end of the cruise as part of the cost, so it is part of the budgeting process.

 

Whether Viking hide it in the total price or not, we budget for it and accept it as part of the cost.

 

As many have said before, if you can afford 10K per person after cruise fare, airfare, excursions, and whatever... then a few hundred per person for the gratuities should not be a concern.

 

Oh, and we tip directly to specific people on board too that show us exceptional service.

[Peregrina651]

On 10/19/2023 at 1:13 PM, Selion said:

Given that, I'd like to see Viking include tips in their cruise fares.

 

Another vote for tips included as part of the fare, as is already done in the AUS/NZ/UK markets.

[KBs mum]

58 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Another vote for tips included as part of the fare, as is already done in the AUS/NZ/UK markets.

The main reason the tips are included in those markets are that those are (largely) non tipping cultures. If Viking added a random amount as tips after quotation and  final payment there would be words had. Not sure of the laws in AU and NZ but that is not allowed under English law. Apparently the cruise lines that did UK and AU cruises during covid, making the gratuities optional, got a bit of a shock when not many added it

[duquephart]

It's not prepaid if you're already on the cruise.

[duquephart]

On 10/18/2023 at 4:57 AM, longterm said:

We're finishing our Grand European tomorrow morning, and although this is the Viking Ocean forum, I assume that the same policy applies on ocean cruises and wanted to mention this.

 

I've always understood that using Viking's prepaid gratuities option was totally optional. We intended all along to pay the prepaid gratuities, but I hadn't gotten around to adding it. This morning, it appeared on our account without our having asked for it, but a lot more than I remember it being. The fee was 280 euros for each of us, which amounted to about $600 for the trip.

 

Two things:

 

1. Wasn't this fee significantly lower just a few years ago?

2. Rather than automatically applying it per person, it should NOT appear on my account unless I expressly ask for it. We always tip our room steward and also others we particularly like on the cruise; we did this already this morning for our room steward and a couple of waiters, including the breakfast chef.

 

Now, I'm a generous tipper, and always want to show my appreciation to the staff, but I would have preferred to ASK to have gratuities added, rather than Viking automatically charging us for it. 

 

Our next Viking cruise is an ocean cruise on the British Isles Explorer; I'll be sure to address this beforehand, but I don't remember this happening on our previous Viking cruises--but perhaps I just didn't notice, or I had already signed up for it so wasn't surprised when it showed on our account before the end of the cruise.

 

 

 

Prepaid gratuities do not appear on your final account since you have already, well, paid them.

[duquephart]

On 10/19/2023 at 9:18 AM, longterm said:

I did go to Guest Services and removed one of the two charges, because we'd already given tips to quite a few of the staff. If our program director told us it'd be added the day before debarkation, I missed it.

 

At any rate, my opinion is that this prepaid gratuity fee should never be put on someone's bill without express permission or request. It felt inappropriate to me.

 

As an interesting side note: my brother is on this cruise with us. He left an excursion and found himself without any tip money for the guide, but went over to her to thank her and to apologize that he didn't have anything to tip her. When he looked down, her hand was cupped to receive cash. 🙂

 

 

 

Are you confusing prepaid with automatic. If you do not prepay "gratuities" they will automatically be added to your onboard account.

[duquephart]

On 10/19/2023 at 10:11 AM, longterm said:

Yes, tipping has been discussed ad nauseam for sure... 🙂

 

We're big tippers as a rule; the 20 euros per day per guest isn't exorbitant at all. Viking *could* choose to up their employees' pay by a few cents per hour and do away with the prepaid gratuities option. I would be in favor of that plan, but it comes down to saving Viking some money.

 

Here's how I would do it if I were Viking: in the Viking Daily a few days before end of cruise, tell all pax that the prepaid gratuity can be added before the last day. If it's not chosen, it doesn't go on the bill. 

I can attest that there was a steady line of people talking to guest services after seeing their final bills, and I suspect not a few were asking about the gratuities.

 

I saw a guy give a tour guide one euro. Wow. What a miser.

 Again ----- you need to replace prepaid with automatic.