Angry cruise passengers blast major line over surprise daily gratuity hike

Passengers of Celebrity Cruises are pushing back after the cruise line raised its automatic gratuity charges with little notice, with some guests threatening to remove their payment of the fees altogether and tip crew members in cash instead.

As of July 29, guests who do not prepay the gratuities will automatically pay between $19.50 and $24.50 per person, per day, depending on their stateroom category, according to the Celebrity Cruises gratuity policy on the company's website.

The increase raises the daily gratuity by $1.50 per person across every stateroom category, according to reports.

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Under the new rates, guests staying in Inside, Ocean View and Veranda staterooms will pay $19.50 per person, per day.

Concierge Class and AquaClass guests will pay $20.50, while those staying in The Retreat will pay $24.50, the policy states.

The gratuity program is part of crew compensation and reflects industry standards, while guests frequently credit crew members with making their vacations memorable, a spokesperson from Miami-based Royal Caribbean Group — of which Celebrity Cruises is part — told Fox News Digital.

The cruise line also automatically adds a 20% gratuity to purchases including beverages, beverage packages, specialty dining, room service, minibar items and spa and salon services, according to the policy.

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While many passengers said they support the idea of tipping crew members, they criticized the timing of the announcement, saying they were notified on the same day the higher rates took effect.

"Today is July 29. Nice bit of lead time," one Reddit user wrote about what happened. "I might have paid in advance for the savings ... but this sucks."

"Not 'We're raising gratuities in a week, you can pay the current rate until then.' It's RIGHT NOW," another user wrote.

Several passengers said the cruise line should simply build gratuities into the advertised fare, rather than charging them separately.

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"At this point, they just need to include gratuities in their fare like the luxury lines do," one Reddit user wrote.

Several guests said they planned to opt out of the automatic gratuities and instead hand cash directly to crew members, saying they wanted to ensure the money reached the employees who served them.

"I've started removing them and spending the exact same amount or more in direct tips," one passenger wrote. 

"At least then I know what I'm paying is going directly to the workers."

Not all reactions were negative, however.

"My stateroom attendants have always been great. I don't mind the gratuity going up," one Reddit user wrote. 

"Celebrity could have rolled this out more thoughtfully, though."