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Carnival Cruise Line is to raise its daily gratuity rates on board its cruise ships which are set to sail from 1 May.
However, the company did state that anyone who has booked a cruise already or is set to book a cruise between now – and up to 1 May – can avoid having to pay the increased rate if they prepay for all gratuities before the end of this month (April).
Passengers who book a cruise with Carnival Cruises from May 1 onwards, however, will be required to pay the new rate – which is set out below.
What Will Carnival Cruise’s New Gratuity Rate Be From 1 May?
Carnival Cruises is set to increase its gratuity rates as per the following:
- Standard staterooms will be $14.50 per guest, per day – which is a $0.51 cent increase from the previous rate of $13.99
- Suite rooms will be $16.50 per guest, per day – which is a $0.51 cent increase from the previous rate of $15.99.
Carnival Cruises are also set to increase the prices for a number of its onboard services, including:
- Drink packages
- WiFi packages
- Speciality dining
And, as is the case with the gratuity rate increase, passengers are able to ‘lock in’ the current rates for the above if they prepay for these items before 1 May.
How Can You ‘Lock In’ Carnival Cruise’s Current Gratuity Rates?
Passengers who have booked their cruise with Carnival Cruises already can prepay – and ‘lock in’ – the current gratuity rates and prices for drink packages, onboard WiFi and speciality dining by accessing the ‘My Cruise Manager’ section on their Carnival Cruise Line online account.
Why Are Carnival Cruises Increasing Their Gratuity Rates?
In a letter that was sent out to passengers that have booked a trip with Carnival Cruises, the company justified the increased gratuity rate with the following statement:
“Our shipboard team members work hard to provide exceptional and friendly service, so we hope you will agree that this slight increase is well deserved.”
Carnival Cruise Line is not the only company to increase their gratuity prices – with Norwegian Cruise Line having done the same just a few weeks back.
The new gratuity rates for Norwegian Cruise Line cruises – which came into effect from 1 April – are:
- Balcony cabin / lower staterooms are $16 per guest, per day – which is a $0.50 cent increase from the previous rate of $15.50
- Suite staterooms are $20 per guest, per day – which is a $1.50 cent increase from the previous rate of $18.50.
Other Recent News From Carnival Cruises
The news that Carnival Cruises is set to increase their gratuity rates from 1 May is not the only announcement to come out of the Florida-based company, with the cruise line recently announcing the roll out of their VeriFLY app.
The application is set to make passenger boarding a much easier process.
Just a few days ago (4 April) Carnival Cruises also announced that in the week – from 28 March through to 3 April – they saw a huge ‘double-digit’ increase in bookings for their cruises.
And, this will come as great news for the cruise line – which now has 22 of its 23 ships back sailing with guests – following the ongoing suspension of its services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CDC Recently Removed All Travel Advisories For Cruises
Just last week we reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had removed all of its travel advisories for cruise ship travel – which comes as a huge boost for cruise line companies looking to attract customers during the cruise season.
Read more:
Travel Insurance That Covers Covid-19 For 2022
Oceania Cruises Adds Cabins For Solo Travelers, Expands Eco-Friendly Tours
Read More:
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Michael Zullo
Saturday 9th of April 2022
No surprise but thanks for the info. Pre-paid and automatically adding gratuities to you bill is easy for the majority of folks who cruise. I guess they don't mind it because they are looking forward to a fantastic cruise that should automatically come with outstanding service from the housekeepers to the bartender. However, what happens when some service falls below the 4-Star gold standard? You've already paid for gratuities. So, maybe some cew and staff get a little lazy. And, what about all the crew and staff you never see or use their service - like maybe you don't use the laundry service to have a dress or slacks pressed? What about the Stewards Captain and his assistant for housekeeping - you don't see them but they get a cut of you cabin's housekeeping steward and his/her assistant. It may be a better idea to reject the automatic gratuity added to you bill and not pre-pay for gratuities. I like the 'old fashion' way for tipping. Hand cash to all who provided you excellent service and those who did some extra personal service for you.
AyL
Wednesday 6th of April 2022
not a good move for an industry hemoragghing money desperate for travelers to come back
Atlas
Wednesday 6th of April 2022
Cruise gratuities are a joke. What is a gratuity? Shouldn't it be based on my personal experience of the individual's service to me? If not, then it's just a fee or should be baked in the base price. Call it what it is.
L J
Wednesday 6th of April 2022
@Atlas, You're right. So-called ''gratuities'' are not part of the cruise price and are therefore purely voluntary. Just decline to have them added to your account on board. We always do. We tip generously if we have good service - and often this amounts to more than we'd have paid in ''gratuities'' that are added in this dishonest way by the cruise lines. Simply decline. That's all you have to do.