Friday, April 12, 2024

Tipping on a cruise ship: what you should and shouldn't do

cruise tipping

Check with the cruise line for specifics during your initial research. That said, if you want to, you can often adjust the charges (either up or down) while you're on board by visiting the guest relations desk. If you are adjusting a gratuity charge downward, expect to be asked about the reasons behind the adjustment. The guest relations staff will want to know if you've experienced particular service issues.

Who Does Not (typically) Get a Share of Cruise Tips

Ultimate Guide to Gratuities 2024 - Cruise Passenger

Ultimate Guide to Gratuities 2024.

Posted: Thu, 11 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

By giving tips to crew members individually, you may be taking potential gratuities away from other hard working crew members you don’t meet in person. Gratuities on a Royal Caribbean cruise are priced per day, but the amount owed depends on your stateroom category. You can also visit the casino cashier to break your larger bills. Bring envelopes (and thank you notes) from home in case the ship’s front desk doesn’t have any to give for tips. Bring a stack of small bills from home and keep separate from your other cash, to avoid the last night panic line at the Purser’s Desk. The top tier of crew recipients, however, are the waiters and stateroom attendants.

Should I Prepay the Gratuity Charges?

There are multiple golf course options in Rome for Costa Cruises guests. They can choose from five courses in Rome and also have the opportunity to play courses in other destinations like France and Spain. Costa Cruises has been a sponsor of the Ryder Cup for several years. Through this partnership, they offer golfers exclusive benefits such as access to multiple courses, priority embarkation, equipment storage, and more. For those looking for more golfing opportunities, the Eagle package offers access to four courses during the cruise, with similar exclusive amenities.

How Much to Tip Cabin Stewards and Butlers

Therefore, it’s not uncommon to see bartenders getting tipped frequently on a cruise. It’s also important to remember that gratuities included in prepaid packages are nonrefundable, so you won’t be able to modify tip amounts even if you get bad service during the cruise. It’s just important to remember that if you go this route, it's on you to opt out of the ship’s gratuities program by going to guest services at the beginning of your sailing. Note that because we didn’t opt for nonrefundable prepaid gratuities for the trip, we were free to visit guest services to change the amounts if we wanted to.

What are the per-day service fees for Carnival Cruises?

An 18% gratuity is automatically added to all specialty dining, bar bills and spa services. Carnival’s daily gratuities are $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. Most mainstream cruise lines will charge you about $14 to $15 per person per day for automatic gratuities. However, a few lines don’t add autogratuities for babies and toddlers under age two or three. See the above links for additional information on gratuities for your cruise line. It's also not advisable to request removal or reduction of the gratuities on principle.

How are tips divided among crew members?

Ultimate guide to tipping in every travel situation - WCVB Boston

Ultimate guide to tipping in every travel situation.

Posted: Fri, 27 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Some cruisers swear by tipping at the beginning of the cruise to ensure excellent service. I prefer waiting to see how the service is before deciding on an extra tip, but that’s just my preference. Automatic gratuities cover just about every tipped crew member on the ship. If you order room service, it’s customary to give the person that delivers your tray about $1-2 per meal. Cruise lines typically flag their ships in countries with lax employment laws.

Chocolate Journeys: A Sweet Adventure on Regal Princess

Cruise line tipping policies vary from one cruise company to another. Even though cruise gratuities technically aren’t mandatory, they are customary on most mainstream cruise lines. Bring up the topic of tips & tipping on a cruise ship and you’ll get a wide variety of recommendations and no shortage of opinions on both ends of the gratuity spectrum. For some people, even the mere mention of how much to tip on a cruise evokes panic and stress. Also, if you find that you’re unsatisfied with the service you’re getting, you can ask guest services to modify the amount you’re being charged each day.

How Many Rooms on a Cruise Ship

According to Disney Cruise Line, for instance, tipping applies to everyone—even infants. When you’re on a cruise, you shouldn’t tip the captain or the officers. These cruise line employees are highly compensated, and offering a tip isn’t necessary. Even if you try, they’ll likely graciously turn down your offer. It’s also a nice gesture to tip the maître d’ or head waiter in the main dining room, especially if they were helpful with special menus or seating arrangements.

Beyond leaving a cash tip for your cabin steward, or favorite server or bartender, some other small gestures will go a long way. You also shouldn’t tip the cruise director, the entertainment staff, or any independent entertainers like musical guests, comedians, or magicians. One exception is the piano player in the lounge—most accept tips for song requests or if you enjoyed their music.

We almost always recommend prepaying gratuities before your cruise begins. This allows you to pay off your cruise balance early, so that by the time you get onboard, you won’t have to worry about extra charges. If you elect not to pay gratuities in advance, a daily charge will appear on your SeaPass account every day of the cruise.

cruise tipping

Additionally, I will have early breakfast times, the choice of dinner time, reserved seating in the restaurant, and special onboard offers. After enjoying the luxury of first-class air transportation, the next aspect of the ultimate world cruise that truly adds convenience and peace of mind is the door-to-door luggage service. Imagine not having to worry about lugging heavy suitcases through airports or worrying about lost or damaged baggage. With this service, your luggage is handled with utmost care from the moment you leave your home until it reaches your stateroom onboard the cruise ship. With so many activities and venues to enjoy on a cruise ship, you will interact with a number of other crew members who will most likely not receive a portion of your automatic gratuity fee.

As I sit here, enjoying my drink, I can’t help but notice the attention to detail in every aspect of the bar. From the beautifully crafted cocktails to the stunning views of the ocean through the glass-paneled walkway, everything about the SeaView Bar is designed to create an unforgettable experience. Whether you’re in the mood for a relaxing evening sipping classy cocktails or ready to hit the dance floor, the Piazza nightlife offers an unforgettable experience in a vibrant and lively setting. The Piazza is bustling with energy as people gather to enjoy the night’s entertainment.

Cash is also a good option if you want to tip some workers extra for service that warrants it. If you’ve dined in mostly one spot every night of the cruise, you might want to give tips to especially attentive waitstaff on the last evening of the cruise. You should be able to find that info on the cruise line’s website. Below, we’ve linked to the web pages containing the prices and policies relating to service charges and gratuities for some of the most popular companies. Many cruisers opt to give extra cash tips to crew members who made their vacation that much more enjoyable. You might want to reward your cabin steward, favorite bartender or MDR server, or any other crew member you think did a great job.

For Europeans, it is more of a gesture of simple “thanks” no matter how small the amount is. So if you’re planning to go on a 7-day cruise, expect to give a total of between $112 and $161 per person in gratuities. Don’t forget to factor those charges into your overall vacation budget. To help you sort things out, the following guidelines will give you an idea of what to expect with tipping on cruises and provide some answers to frequently asked questions. This is an excellent article, which really clearly explains all the issues around tipping. In the UK, tips are completely discretionary and are only to reward service that goes above the normal expectations.

This converts to a daily range of about $7-$11, helpful for shorter / longer cruise calculations. Celebrity also has an all-inclusive program called “All Included rate” (formerly Always Included) where these fees are part of the rate. You’ll have an option at booking to go the all, or nearly all-inclusive rate or select a cruise-only booking where the above automatic tips are added. On some cruises, we ask for no service for several nights and sometimes never see the steward. I believe we are doing as much or more than financially rewarding them by not asking for anything at all.

Most lines charge $16 at the moment, but it steadily rises each year. No matter the language, they all end up being the same thing — a set daily charge to passengers that’s passed on to the crew. If you’re a first-time cruiser, then there’s little doubt that you have questions about gratuities and tipping on your cruise. Cruise Radio prioritizes well-balanced cruise news coverage and accurate reporting, paired with ship reviews and tips. If you’re dissatisfied with the service, it’s always best to speak with the management before deciding not to leave a tip.

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