Cons: You can't get a refund if you have prepaid gratuities. You can't use your onboard credit towards them if you prepaid.
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Cruise lines don't go out of their way to tell you this, but you are free to ask for gratuities to be removed from your account by visiting the customer service desk at any time during your cruise. You do not have to give a reason.
When you cancel the cruise: Full refunds are issued for cancellations made 76 or more nights before sailing for short cruises up to 5 days and 91 or more nights before the sail date on longer sailings. Inside those dates, cancellation fees will apply according to the timeframes found below.
Technically cruise lines cannot force you to pay gratuities, especially if you have a complaint or issue about the service you received on board. Gratuities on a cruise are not mandatory, but instead heavily suggested and added automatically.
Carnival gratuities are not optional, in that they are automatically added to your account. They can be removed, but only if you visit the Guest Services desk on the ship and ask them to take them off your account. Otherwise, you are expected to pay.
If you don't want the gratuities added to your Sign & sail account, why not pre-pay them instead? That way no one gets stiffed, and you can always pay an additional gratuity in cash to the staff members of your choice at the end of your cruise. Ta-Da!
New federal rules require a refund whenever a cruise that starts in the U.S. is cancelled or delayed at least three days. You can voluntarily agree to a credit. Otherwise, you get your money back.
And last year, a new federal rule went into effect that requires a cruise line to offer a full refund for a cruise that begins in the U.S. and is canceled or is delayed by at least three days. The law also makes cruise lines refund any prepaid fees.
For the fiscal year, Carnival forecasts an adjusted loss of 4-12 cents a share. Carnival guided fiscal 2023 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) between $4.1 billion to $4.2 billion, which includes a $125 million hit due to fuel prices.
Prepaid gratuities are refundable even in places which have different cancellation policies than the US. I always used to prepay them and would have had them refunded if I cancelled the cruise.
If you want to manage your budget more effectively, it's a good idea to prepay your gratuities for your Princess cruise. The only time you would be better off waiting is if you want to use any onboard credit towards the gratuity amount.
Is it cheaper to prepay cruise line gratuities? There is no cost savings to prepaying your gratuities on a cruise, except for the the times when a cruise line increases it's daily charge. This happens every year or two, but there is no set schedule.
Because gratuities are always optional, every guest has the ability to remove or adjust the automatic gratuities on their Sail-and-Sign accounts (pre-paid gratuities cannot be adjusted).
For most, prepaying gratuities is a great way to keep track of your overall cruise budget. If they're paid for and out of the way, you won't accidentally spend your gratuity money while onboard or in port or receive a large(r) bill at the end of the sailing.
59-30 days before departure: 50% of cruise or cruise tour price; 29-07 days before departure: 80% of cruise or cruise tour price; 6 days or less before departure: 100% of cruise or cruise tour price. Cancellation charges also apply to additional charges for upgrades, transfers and other pre-purchased services.
Changing Dates: If you need to change the dates of your cruise, the cruise line may be able to accommodate your request, depending on availability. However, there may be fees associated with changing the dates, especially if you are changing to a more expensive time of year.
Usually, you have to go through the Cruise line to do this. And if the ticket change involves someone not related to you, there will probably be a fee to the original ticket holder.
In most cases, refunds will post to the original form of payment about 7 to 10 days after they're fully processed. However, some refunds may take up to 30 days to post. Royal Caribbean International® doesn't control how long the refund process takes; your bank or financial institution determines the length of time.
Gratuities. Your credit can go towards tips if you haven't prepaid them before boarding. Tips generally cost $14.50 for each person daily for most rooms.