The cruise line had kept to the previous way of tipping, allowing passengers choose the values that were given and not being required to be pre-paid.
They are now charging $12.00 for standard rooms and $14.25 for suites – per person, per day.
This also helps the staff , since often tips were not distributed correctly or passengers would not tip at all. This new policy will see the end of that, have a smoother more simplified service recognition process.
I have personally pre-paid my gratuities for years for several reasons, it helps budget the expense for my trip, I didn’t have to think about it while I’m on my cruise and I know each crew person will get their fair compensation.