NEWS SPECIAL REPORT At-a-glance guide to gratuity rates
CRUISE LINE GRATUITY RATE PER ADULT PER NIGHT Azamara Club Cruises None
Carnival Cruise Line Celebrity Cruises Celestyal Cruises Crystal Cruises CMV
Cunard Disney Cruise Line $12.95 stateroom; $13.95 suite
$4.50 stateroom; $15 Concierge Class, AquaClass; $18 suite None None
£7 (£6 on 16 night-plus cruises) $11.50 to $13.50
$12 (three-night); $16 (four-night); $28 (seven-night)
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines £4 for passengers aged 12-plus Marella Cruises Hurtigruten
Holland America Line $13.50 stateroom; $15 suite MSC Cruises NCL
Oceania Cruises P&O Cruises
Princess Cruises
Regent Seven Seas Royal Caribbean Saga Cruises Seabourn Silversea
RIVER APT
A-Rosa
Avalon Waterways AmaWaterways
Emerald Waterways Riviera Travel Scenic Tauck
Uniworld Viking River Cruises All-inclusive, no onboard tipping policy
CHILDREN TOO? HOW PAID Not applicable
Aged 2-plus: Yes Yes
Not applicable Not applicable No
Yes Yes
Aged up to 11: No Not applicable
Coastal cruises: no tipping. All other cruises: $12 recommended No Yes
¤10 or $12.50 depending on region for passengers aged 12-plus ¤5 or $6.25 Included in fare (line says built-in rates are from $13.99-$16.99) Not applicable $16 stateroom; $23 penthouse suite £6 for passengers aged 12-plus
Yes
$13.50 stateroom; $14.50 mini suite; $15.50 suite None
$14.50 standard None None None
None
None; discretionary ¤10 recommended None
None; discretionary ¤5-¤10 recommended None None None
None; discretionary ¤3 director, ¤12 crew recommended
history of tipping in the way other cultures have,” says Harmer. “What a lot of passengers don’t realise is that if they do have issues, they should raise these on the ship so they can be dealt with, and if they’re not happy they can have [the gratuity] taken off.” Mike Hall, Cruise & Maritime
Voyages’ head of marketing, says: “The reason why gratuities are such an issue is because of that cultural difference. Americans will give a staff member $50, while here in the UK, a conversation about gratuities is one we do not want to have.”
Gratuity rates
Royal and Celebrity Cruises’ recent increases now mean passengers pay $14.50 a day in standard
Aged up to 11: No Yes
Not applicable Yes
Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
None; discretionary ¤3 manager and ¤12 crew recommended Not applicable None
Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable
“If a line is increasing its gratuity rate, it better make sure its service is impeccable”
accommodation, making it one of the highest in the sector. “Royal and Celebrity need to
be careful because it could put customers off,” the cruise agent added. “For a couple travelling on a 14-night cruise that’s an extra $400, so it needs to be better than a hotel which doesn’t have auto-gratuities.” The agent also warned that if
gratuities continued to rise on mainstream lines, luxury cruise brands, which more often than not include them in the price, would
12
travelweekly.co.uk 11 January 2018
become more appealing. By comparison, discretionary
gratuity fees for P&O Cruises, MSC Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, CMV and Carnival Cruise Line range from £4 to €13 per passenger per night and continue to be automatically added to onboard accounts. The majority of river cruise lines suggest a recommended amount to give crew at the end of their cruise. Last year, Norwegian Cruise
Line became the first mainstream line to incorporate gratuities, among a host of other ‘extras’, into its fares, when it rolled out its Premium All Inclusive concept. NCL’s Nick Wilkinson said:
“Premium All Inclusive has driven greater simplicity for
Included in fare
Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Included in fare Included in fare
Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Included in fare
Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Included in fare
Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Added to onboard account Included in fare
Added to onboard account Included in fare Included in fare Included in fare
Included in fare Included in fare Included in fare
Included in fare Included in fare
Included for European sailings Source: Figures supplied by cruise lines
agents having to explain and sell cruises, and greater confidence in consumers having to budget. “The biggest change since
introducing Premium All-Inclusive is double-digit growth we’ve seen in the long-tail of agents we’ve never worked with before, now selling Norwegian. They are comfortable selling us.” So could other mainstream lines
follow suit? Wilkinson added: “I think it’s very telling how many mainstream lines are using the term ‘all-inclusive’ in their wave campaigns as they recognise it appeals to agents and consumers. “But we are the only mainstream line offering a truly all-inclusive
product, including gratuities.” › Talk Back, page 15
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