Tipping on a Cruise Ship The Ultimate Guide to Cruise Gratuities
Table Of Content
The onboard entertainers are paid to make your cruise more enjoyable, and they expect no additional compensation beyond your applause. They should also consider that gratuities are pooled across several groups, so that deficiencies in one particular area may not warrant the complete elimination or significant reduction of the gratuities. Even if you prepay for your shore excursions directly through the cruise line, it’s customary to tip your tour guides and drivers in cash after each excursion. Cruise lines just have contracts with their preferred shore excursion companies—the guides and drivers aren’t employees of the line. For other cruise lines, you’ll be able to adjust your autogratuities at the Passenger Services desk. I’ll explain everything you need to know about cruise gratuities—from who you should tip, how much you should tip, and who you should never tip on a cruise ship.
Cruise Gratuities for Special Services
Cruise line employees work long hours with minimal time off, and they often go above and beyond to make your trip special. These hardworking individuals go above and beyond to make your cruise memorable, and tipping is a way to show appreciation for their efforts. The goal of these systems is to create a fair and equitable distribution of gratuities among the entire crew, recognizing the collective effort that goes into making your cruise enjoyable. It is important to know that there are some crew members who you do not tip.
How to Pack for a Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise
The extra cost of the automatic gratuity charges can be a shock to first-time cruisers. And, unlike the typical service fee or resort fee found at a land resort, they are not per room. We’ve been on cruises where we’ve witnessed the typical tipping behavior, leaving a dollar or two per drink or per round for a bartender. Most importantly, when you spend money for anything on most cruises, there is generally an automatic gratuity added to the bill. First and foremost, if you’re feeling generous and want to leave an extra tip for a service, don’t accidentally double-tip! Beyond that, don’t feel pressured or obligated for additional tipping.
Another Carnival-Owned Cruise Line Increasing Service Charges - Cruise Hive
Another Carnival-Owned Cruise Line Increasing Service Charges.
Posted: Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Should you bring extra cash for tips?
As stated above, many cruise lines charge the daily gratuities prior to your tip, so they are added to the cost of your cruise. Others allow you to defer paying the daily gratuities until the last day of the cruise, and those will accrue each day on your account. You can see them on your stateroom’s TV where your daily account balance is available for viewing. Whether you opt for pre-paying cruise gratuities, having them added to your charges during the voyage or passing out tips along the way, bring small bills (lots of them!). Waiting in line to exchange large denominations at guest services can be a hassle.
The practice of tipping is controversial, even in the United States where paying tips is part of the culture. In some service industries where wages are substandard, customers are expected to pay a gratuity, typically 15 to 20% of the bill, to augment the workers’ low hourly wages. It’s customary to tip at the end of your cruise, either by leaving cash in an envelope in your room or adding it to your bill. However, if someone goes above and beyond during your trip (such as a particularly helpful stateroom steward), feel free to give them extra.
Royal Caribbean raises key fee (and passengers don't like it) - TheStreet
Royal Caribbean raises key fee (and passengers don't like it).
Posted: Wed, 01 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Here are our thoughts on extra tipping for cruise ship bartenders:
You can do so by going to guest services and making the request. If you choose to pay tips in cash, there are usually some envelopes available at the guest service desk. When paying the automatic daily gratuities, cruise lines tell us this amount gets divided by your cabin attendant, waiter and other dining staff.
Important Things To Know About Cruising
It’s also a good idea to tip your spa attendant separately if they go above and beyond to make your spa experience memorable. These services may include laundry workers, dishwashers, galley attendants, and below-deck positions. It’s important to note that many low-level crew members rely heavily on gratuities as they are usually paid lower wages than other industries. Look no further than the Norwegian Joy’s Spa, where you can be spoiled and pampered from head to toe.
In the past, the process used to be that the cruise line would put envelopes in your room on the last day of the cruise. Passengers would then put cash in the envelope for the crew members. These days, the gratuities are set daily amounts paid by each passenger. Instead of one passenger paying a lot and another paying hardly anything, these set amounts ensure that everyone pays the same. For instance, in recent years, Norwegian often ran Free at Sea promotions that included free crew tips in addition to free shipboard Wi-Fi and a free drinks package. The line hasn't been doing that as much lately, but these offers often come back at times when brands need to drum up more business.
Can I opt out of paying gratuities or have them adjusted?
While we only interact with certain people in particular positions, they represent dozens of others who work hard at their jobs. Conversely, some guests who are familiar with and follow the tipping guidelines, prefer to hand out cash-filled envelopes to crew members. Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian automatically add a room service delivery fee. Costa Cruises applies a fee of €11 euro per passenger, per night for all travelers aged 15 and over.
In fact, there are a couple of instances where paying additional gratuity is recommended or automatic. We’ve seen instances of multiple increases in a year and other times when rates won’t change for a year or two. Just like the price of anything else, you should expect over time for these rates to continue to rise slowly but surely. Typical increases are around $1 per person, per day and seem to happen about once a year. When you book your cruise, you’ll be given the opportunity to prepay the gratuities.
Here are seven times you shouldn't tip (even if you feel slightly obliged). Any amount is fine and will be appreciated by the hard-working crew. Piano bar regulars know that a cash tip will increase the chances of the pianist choosing and performing your song request. The cruise line calls this “Crew Appreciation” which is the most appropriate across all cruise lines.
The porters will assist with your luggage and it’s customary to tip for their service. Windstar Cruises daily gratuities are $12.00 per person, per day for all cabin types. In this post, I’ll be going through the cruise tipping policies by cruise line and answer some of the most common questions people have about gratuities on a cruise. If you’re new to cruising, you might be wondering who to tip on a cruise, how much to tip, and exactly how onboard gratuities work.
Should you choose to, for a seven-night cruise, consider tipping about $2 to $3 per person, per day. When you order a drink in a bar, restaurant or lounge on a cruise ship, it's typical for the cruise line to include a 15% to 20% gratuity on your bill, so that $6 beer may actually cost you $7.20. In for-a-fee specialty dining restaurants, you might see a spot on your bill (if you get one) to add a tip. Tips are either covered by the autogratuities or there’s a service fee tacked on, so you don’t need to tip again. Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool. Every cruise line has different policies regarding tipping, so be sure to research before you embark on your journey.
Norwegian Cruise Line has onboard service charge will is charged automatically for guests 3 and up, and distributed among staff that serve you in various ways. Rather than reducing the amount payed, they point out on their website that they will work to resolve any service issues experienced. Princess Cruises will automatically charge a crew incentive of $14.50 per person, per day for guests in inside ocean view and balcony cabins. The gratuity is $15.50 per person, per day for guests in mini-suites and $16.50 per person, per day for guests in suites.
These are all common questions for someone looking into booking a cruise for the first time. Without doing the proper research, you may be shocked when you receive your statement at the end of your vacation. This is a personal decision and I’m not sure if there’s a tipping etiquette for it.
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. Lately, we are seeing this practice not just with the luxury lines but also with premium operators like Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.
Comments
Post a Comment