CCL Gratuities

[Kendall James-Vargas]

Do you know how Carnival Cruise Line divides up its gratuities to crew members? Guests who chose to alter or remove gratuities can do so in their Sail-and-Sign account. I don't know if crew members can see who removes the gratuities or not, but I don't think this is a fair system. I think all crew members should receive the tips they deserve. I'm surprised that CCL doesn't make gratuities mandatory! Many other cruise lines don't enforce tipping either, but I think that there are some guests who will intentionally opt out just to save a few bucks on their cruise experience. I'm also the type of cruise guest who enjoys cash tipping at the end of my cruise for crew members who provided me with a wonderful experience. The cruise experience is all made possible by the wonderful crew!

[KeithG]

@Kendall James-Vargas I really enjoy the crew members also, one of the highlights of the cruise is the crew members. On our last cruise were on board for quite a while so we became very familiar with their stories. It was great to hear how happy they were to be working for Carnival especially after the pandemic. Our head waiter Mike even hs his daughter working for Carnival now.

Carnival says the crew does not know which cabins removed gratuities. 

I think maybe there is a problem of definitiion, a gratuity or a tip is a voluntary payment for great service so making it mandatory defeats the purpose. We always do both the pre-paid and cash.  I think cruise lines ought to be more upfront, label the pre-paid gratuities as a service charge and lump it in with the advertised cruise fare. This way I know upfront what the cost will be. Then we can also tip for truly outstanding service, which honestly, I always receive. I realize this favors those who come into regular contact with the passengers such as cabin, dining room and bar staff but it can provide incentive to others to move up the chain. 

I prefer more upfront pricing which is sort of what you are getting at by making tips mandatory, I'm just saying change it to a sevice charge and include it in the advertised fare along with the port fees and taxes. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@KeithG I'm glad you feel the same way! I agree that many crew members became even more appreciative of their jobs and their ability to do them post-shutdown. I also enjoy pre-paying gratuities ahead of time! Pre-paid gives me a better idea of how to properly budget for my cruise vacation. I also don't like to have to think about it towards the end of my cruise as an after-the-fact expenditure. That's a very insightful idea! I would also prefer a pre-fixed service charge bundled into the port fees and taxes. I tend to see "great prices" and then by the end of submitting my booking I notice all of the additional fees end up costing double what the advertised price stated. It's can be dismaying after you log in all of your personal info and take the time to book to realize the price point was way beyond what you expected to spend. 

[KeithG]

@Kendall James-Vargas Agreed that's exactly what I go through, although I guess I am slightly more prepared after doing it enough. I see a fare, start clicking through all the booking info and pretty soon I am thinking, boy, that escalated quickly. When people ask me to help them book something they are often shocked by the added costs before you get to the options. It's almost comical.

[3Sisters]

Sometimes I do this same thing, I get close to booking a cruise itinerary, think "This escalated quickly," and then continue looking at other booking options. Oftentimes the cruise lines will email me things like, "Continue with your booking." That's when I laugh and think, "Not with those hidden fees." In my opinion, the extra fees have gone up. Beverage packages are definitely on the rise too. The cost of cruising is still worth it to me though! I'm not sure if I agree with CCL's pooled stateroom gratuity share, but I could always tip extra to my stateroom attendant if they do an exceptional job like they usually do. If they work extra hard, they deserve extra compensation!