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Are you planning a cruise in 2023?
These three popular cruise lines have big changes coming in 2023, including price increases and service changes.
Cruises have been making a comeback after being hit hard in 2020. More travelers than ever before are booking cruises, drawn in by affordable prices and the promise of a hassle-free vacation.
There are cruise lines for every type of traveler, from families to adults to seniors to solo travelers.
And while it's true that cruises can be an affordable vacation, additional fees for everything from soda to alcohol to WiFi can quickly add up.
Here are three cruise lines with major changes coming in 2023 that may impact your vacation:
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian has announced an increase in gratuities for all sailings beginning January 1, 2023.
Previously, guests in most cabins paid $16 a day per cabin for gratuity charges.
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Now, gratuities have increased to $20 a day for most cabins, with guests in suites paying $25 a day (up from $20 a day.)
Although gratuities are optional, they are automatically added to every cabin's final bill unless you opt out at Guest Services.
Gratuities are split amongst the crew on the ship including your housekeeping staff and waitstaff in the dining rooms. These tips show appreciation for the hardworking crew members who help make your vacation as enjoyable as possible.
This price increase for gratuities is the second increase in eight months.
According to CruiseHive, this price increase comes days after another change: Norwegian added a $4.95 service charge to continental breakfast room service deliveries.
Previously, ordering a continental breakfast to your cabin was free, but now guests will have to pay a small charge to enjoy breakfast in bed or on their cabin's balcony.
Princess Cruises
Another cruise line with changes coming in 2023 is Princess Cruises.
Similar to Norwegian, Princess is also raising the cost of onboard gratuities. An increase of $1.50 per day per cabin will go into effect on December 13, which means that guests will now be paying between $16 and 18 a day depending on their cabin type.
The reason for this increase is to keep up with the impact of inflation, which has skyrocketed over the past year.
All gratuities are split amongst the hardworking crew who keep your cabin clean and serve you at mealtimes, so this change may not bother guests as much as another change on Princess ships: an increase in the cost of onboard WiFi.
Currently, WiFi is $9.99 a day on Princess ships. However, beginning on February 20, that price will jump up to $15 a day.
Over the course of a 7-day cruise, that's an additional $35 just to stay connected.
Royal Caribbean Line
Finally, Royal Caribbean has implemented a new service change on one of its largest ships.
According to CruiseHive, Royal Caribbean shared the following message with guests sailing on their Quantum of the Seas cruise ship: “In an effort to be more sustainable and to align with global hospitality trends, we will be adjusting our stateroom services to 1 time per day.”
This is a big break from the rest of the cruise industry: cruises are well-known for offering twice-a-day stateroom service so your cabin is freshened up in the morning and again in the evening.
Now, thanks to this unpopular change, guests will have to choose whether they want to receive housekeeping in the morning or the evening.
Although this change has been limited to Quantum of the Seas so far, it may be rolled out to other ships in 2023.
This change comes after Royal Caribbean increased its onboard gratuities in September, with daily gratuity costs jumping by $1 to $1.50 depending on cabin type.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Robert Purton
Thursday 15th of December 2022
You blokes are funny!! You write this stuff about price increases as if costs for pretty much all consumables are never going to go up!! Why are shipping companies different to any other business? Answer: THEY AREN'T!!!!