Should Children pay gratuities??

This has been a topic of conversation in the office this week. I would love to know what your thoughts are? Do you think children should pay the same amount of gratuities as adults.
Generally gratuities can cost between £7 per person per day up to £11 per person per day, so adding this together for a family of 2 adults and 2 children on a 2 week cruise it can cost anything between £392 and £616!! Should this amount just be accepted as part of the cruise cost?

Some people will say that they get the same service as adults, The cabin steward has to clean up after them. The waiter serves them food and the assistant waiter clears their dishes. So yes, children pay gratuities because they are using the services provided by the crew.

Others thoughts are slightly opposite to this and feel that maybe children should pay only half of the amount of gratuities or in some cases they do not pay gratuities for the children.

I know that when I went on a family cruise a few years ago with my husband and 2 children our cabin steward well and truly deserved a payment from the 4 of us, especially the fact he kept my daughters abundance of make up and clothes tidy at all times.

Of course some cruise lines promotions include pre paid gratuities and I think some people do not realise the value this is worth, especially when it comes to families. I think this is really important to point out to guests what the real value of gratuities are worth when they are included within a promotion.

Do you prefer to pre pay gratuities, have them automatically added to your ship board account, or wait until the end of the cruise to then pay who you think deserves them?

Would love to hear your comments on this……