Celebrity set to increase Gratuities

This week Celebrity Cruises announced they will be increasing the cost of their on board Gratuities.

It’s not a huge increase approx 55 cents per person per night but it is the second increase they’ve had in a year so it’s starting to add up.

The increase will come in to play on the 14th June for all sailings departing after 1st July.

$13.50 per day, per guest in Standard staterooms
$14.00 per day, per guest in Concierge Class & AquaClass® staterooms
$17.00 per day, per guest in Suite Class

Guests still have the option to pre-pay their gratuities at the time of booking if they prefer.

If you don’t take up this option then the gratuities will be added to your on board account on a daily basis. However you are free to make adjustments to the amount or remove completely if you prefer to tip staff on a one to one basis.

Tipping is always a hot topic of conversation with cruisers and as a nation we Brits are not used to it so I find it causes a lot of unnecessary confusion for passengers.

For example a few weeks back  I booked some passengers on board the Celebrity Eclipse. Naturally at the time I asked if they would like to pre pay their tips and I was surprised by his answer.”Yes Caroline we always pre pay our Gratuities and we always make sure we pay them when we get on board”  After probing a bit deeper I found out that this couple didn’t realise that a share of their pre paid gratuities went to their cabin steward and waiters automatically. So for their last few cruises they had in affect been paying double!

I really wish all cruiselines would just incorporate the cost of Gratuities in to the cruise fare. As we know many of the staff on board ships are from poor countries and are often away from their families for long periods of time and rely heavily on tips and I can’t help but feel that if people don’t tip at all then these are the people who suffer not the cruiselines.

Including them in the cruise cost would make life a lot easier and would mean a fair wage for those on board and I’m sure like me, most people would still tip extra if they receive great service so surely it would be a win win situation!