MSC Scrap Gratuities
Yes, you heard me correctly, MSC has announced earlier this week that they are scrapping their service charges, which is fantastic news.
From the 25th June, they are will be including the daily service charges as part of the cruise fare for any new bookings.
Gratuities will be at no extra cost to the customer and any bookings made after the 25th June will be subject to the new terms and conditions.
Antonio Paradiso, MSC‘s Managing Director UK & Ireland, stated: “The decision has been made in order to simplify the booking process and ensure the best possible onboard experience for our guests.”
For any guests that have already booked with MSC before the 25th June, regardless of departure date, normal booking conditions will apply and the gratuities will be applied to your invoice on board.
One thing to remember is that gratuities are not compulsory, you can amend the amount you wish to pay or you can actually opt out from paying them at all. All you need to do is, speak to the purser’s office and ask them to remove the service charge of your onboard account, then you can personally tip the staff that have given you an exceptional service. Your choice !!!
Well, it looks like MSC has followed suit from P&O who also announced that from May this year their gratuities would be included in the fare.
For me personally, I do think this is great news, knowing that there is one less thing to worry about, understandably yes you are still paying for gratuities but it will be included in the cruise fare, so less hassle
My only thought is, I hope they do not decide to up their prices to cover the service charges! Let’s hope not!
Other than that I think this is fantastic news, let’s just hope other cruise liners follow!
Time will only tell!
One Comment on “MSC Scrap Gratuities”
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My name is Michelle Fennelly and I have over 28 years of experience in the travel industry and cruising is my passion. I have worked for Cruise.co.uk for the last 6yrs which I absolutely love, before then I have worked for Air200 – Airtours / MyTravel – Tomas Cook. I…
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A very good article by Michelle on the subject of gratuities. Once major cruise lines like P&O and MSC ditch gratuities then it is only a question of time before other cruise lines follow suit. Having travelled on Holland America and Princess gratuities are automatically added and it is up to the passenger to request removal of these before embarkation. I have met passengers that are resentful of paying a high price for a cruise and then confronted with additional costs like gratuities which add a lot to the overall cost of the cruise holiday. The cost of drinks with added service charges and the cost of excursions add considerably to the overall cost of a cruise holiday. Another cost which is often not considered is the cost of visas!