Carnival Cruise Line has sent out a communication to guests on upcoming sailings that cruise gratuities will increase on departures on or after May 1, 2022. It is the first time the cruise line has raised the gratuity guidelines since December 1, 2018.
The amount the gratuity guideline is raised by is 51 cents per person per day. The raise will be a welcome break for the thousands of crew members that work hard every day to provide the excellent service they are known for.
Carnival Cruise Line Increases Gratuity Rate
Carnival Cruise Line’s Chief Operating Officer Neil Palomba announced in a letter to guests that gratuity rates onboard the Carnival cruise ships will be raised by 51 cents per person per day, effective from May 1, 2022.
Palomba said, “Effective with all cruises departing on or after May 1, 2022, we are making adjustments to our recommended onboard gratuity guidelines.”
For Standard Staterooms, the new rate will be $14.50 per person, per day and for Suites, the new gratuity rate will be $16.50 per person, per day.
The previous amounts were $13.99 per person per day for Standard Staterooms, and $15.99 per person, per day for suites. The gratuities are automatically added to the guest account if not pre-paid, ensuring crew members who might not always be as visible are equally well rewarded for their hard work.
Palomba continues to say, “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. Guests may pre-pay their gratuities at the current rates, and save on other onboard services, by accessing My Cruise Manager using the reserve now button below.“
Gratuities are assessed based on all guests onboard, except for children under two years. The gratuities apply regardless of the dining options selected.
At the same time, an additional 18% service charge is added for beverage purchases and the cover charge for Chef’s Table, Bonsai Teppanyaki and Bonsai Sushi.
Why Increase Gratuities?
Many guests will be wondering why the increase in tips is necessary at this time. The reasoning can be found in the recent economic turmoil that has been felt worldwide. Since December 1, 2018, the gratuity rate has remained the same; however, since then, inflation has devalued the salaries of those working onboard.
With that, since March 2020, thousands of crew members were forced to remain at home for months on end, living off their hard-earned savings. A slight increase of $0.51 goes a long way for the hardworking crew members onboard.
As Neil Palombo mentioned, guests can adjust their gratuity charge at guest services, making it more or less.
For ultimate comfort, the easiest way to deal with gratuities is to pre-pay everything before the start of the voyage, so there is no need to think about it afterward.
Carnival Cruise Line is not the first cruise line to raise the gratuities recently. On March 2, Norwegian Cruise Line announced the same, raising their gratuities to $16 and $20 per person per day.
Not Just Gratuities?
With costs rising for the cruise lines as well, Carnival is raising the prices for WIFI, beverages packages, and specialty dining.
In a message to travel advisors the cruise line said the following: “Although we’ve done our best to minimize the impact of rising costs, we will be implementing nominal changes to some of our onboard services while still providing your clients the best vacation value, on land or at sea. Please encourage your clients to reserve pre-cruise (on My Cruise Manager) before May 1 to save on these categories.“
Before the new pricing is introduced on May 1, guests can lock in beverage purchases and save up to 15% on the old price or 20% on the latest prices. Wifi savings can be 25% on the old pricing and 32% on the latest pricing. Guests also can save up to 20% on specialty dining prices.
