In what is becoming a disturbingly regular occurrence, another cruise line is raising its daily gratuity rate. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that when one line makes this move, the others will soon follow.
Norwegian’s New Daily Gratuity
Effective April 1, 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line will be making what they call a “nominal” adjustment to the daily service charge each passenger pays. The new rates will be as follows:
- On the majority of ships within the fleet, the charge for all
cabin categories except for suites and The Haven will go from $13.99 per day to $14.50 per person, per day. - On the majority of ships within the Norwegian fleet, the charge for guests staying in suites or The Haven will go from $16.99 per person, per day to $17.50 per person, per day.
- On the Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun all-inclusives, the charge for all cabin categories except suites will go from $18.99 per person per day to $19.99 per person per day.
- On the Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Sun all-inclusives, the charge for guests staying in suites will go from $21.99 per person, per day to $22.99 per person, per day.
“Norwegian’s discretionary daily service charge makes it easy for guests to provide gratuities to the onboard staff dedicated to delivery superior guest service throughout the cruise,” the line said in making this announcement.
When The Rate Was Last Increased
It was almost this exact same time last year that rates were last increased across Norwegian’s fleet. At that time, the gratuity fee for standard cabins across most of the fleet went from $13.50 per person per day to $13.99 per person per day.
READ MORE: The Ultimate Guide To Cruise Tipping
Cruise lines refer to the charge as “discretionary” because they generally do allow passengers the option of removing the tips by paying a visit to guest services. But in the past, the common response to hikes in the daily gratuities is to wonder why cruise lines don’t simply fold this charge into the total cost of the cruise to avoid the inevitable ruffled feathers each time an increase is announced.
What do you think of the latest gratuity hike?
