Table Of Content
Once reviewed and approved with guest services, payment is completed with a credit card before you depart the ship on the final day. While most non-alcoholic beverages are included in your cruise fare, alcoholic drinks cost extra. Most premium drink packages include unlimited alcohol (or a 15-drink limit over 24 hours). If you purchase a beverage package, you must pre-pay the gratuity amount for the package’s total. When tipping on a cruise ship, bartenders and baristas are an important part of your vacation experience. Carnival Cruise Line, for example, charges an 18 percent gratuity for drinks – any additional tip is appreciated.
Are predetermined tipping amounts calculated in U.S. dollars?
Gratuities on a Royal Caribbean cruise are priced per day, but the amount owed depends on your stateroom category. 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. If your shore excursion includes lunch, you generally don’t have to leave a tip—the tour company takes care of the lunch bill. On the flip side, passengers have less control over where their money goes with autogratuities.
Specialty Restaurant Waiters
Lately, we are seeing this practice not just with the luxury lines but also with premium operators like Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. Most allow you to adjust the amount given to each crew member – increasing or decreasing – based on your experience with them. 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. Having several small bills is very handy, especially for early morning breakfast delivery. $2.00 to $5.00 is appropriate, depending on the food or how many meals ordered.
Do All Crew Members Receive A Portion Of The Daily 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. During your cruise vacation, you’ll probably receive services from other people who aren’t cruise line employees—but you might not realize it! Near the end of your cruise, you’ll probably receive some comment cards in your stateroom that you can use to leave feedback about a member of the crew. You don’t need to write a novel—just a few sentences about how the crew member made your cruise even better will do.
Carnival Cruise Line makes a clear statement on 'mandatory' tips - TheStreet
Carnival Cruise Line makes a clear statement on 'mandatory' tips.
Posted: Sat, 26 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
For this example, the amounts listed below are for standard (non-suite) staterooms, may vary by a dollar or so and subject to change every couple of years. If you opt for a specialty restaurant, the tip isn’t usually included. It’s customary to tip the waiters generously at specialty restaurants.
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
For Europeans, it is more of a gesture of simple “thanks” no matter how small the amount is. Remember, while additional cruise tipping is always appreciated, it’s never expected—consider it for moments when the service truly goes above and beyond. Find below a comprehensive list of cruise lines that have regulations regarding automatic tipping. If you agree to the automatic gratuities, the people who tend to you the most—your housekeeping and dining teams—get the largest share. It is worth noting that some cruise lines have a culture of tipping, while others prefer not to tip at all.
How Can I Know How Much I Will Be Charged in Tips?
Cruise tipping is discretionary and there is the option to increase or reduce the amount based on your personal experience. To recognize particularly outstanding service from a crew member whom you feel should be individually rewarded, a discretionary cash tip in addition to auto-tipping should suffice. Because the cost of the service is already factored into the price of the trip per person, several luxury cruise companies have instituted a no-tipping policy.
Recently we were asked this by a fellow passenger – so let’s elaborate :
So stateroom attendants, dining room and bar staff, and spa attendants are taken care of, but who else should be tipped separately? Onboard casino staff are not part of the larger tip pool, so passengers should tip as they play, in cash or chips. Many cruise lines also suggest tipping separately for room service deliveries, a few dollars per person. As most tips are cashless, just sign the receipt and add your tip amount on the line provided.
In fact, there are a couple of instances where paying additional gratuity is recommended or automatic. For example, Carnival does not charge tips for kids under two years old. Norwegian Cruise Lines doesn’t charge gratuities for kids under three. However, for the most part you can expect that every passenger on your trip will see a charge.
Note that the amount should be tabulated for each individual in your party—don’t try to tip once per couple or group. The amount you should tip can be affected by several factors, including the duration and type of cruise line you’re sailing with – be it mass market, premium, or luxury. 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.
Giving those folks gratuities would be like tipping your doctor or lawyer. There is no gratuity required but, again, you can offer a cash tip if staff members went out of their way to make your kiddo’s sailing extra special. But don’t assume that gratuities are part of every prepaid package. 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. The crew member may have had extenuating circumstances outside their control that affected their performance or the service they could deliver.
In North America, most cruise terminal porters are longshoremen. At some North American ports, you’ll see signs stating that the porters do not accept tips. On embarkation day of my very first cruise, a porter came up to my taxi and whisked my luggage away, seconds after I got out of the car.
She firmly believes that life is short and we must make the most of it, so always say yes to dessert. These amounts are merely suggestions based on common practices and the quality of service you might experience. The cost of a Windstar Cruise for one day is $13.50 per person.
Not only will it improve your cruise experience, but you’re also allowing the cruise ship staff the opportunity to make things right. Celebrity Cruises isn’t a luxury cruise line, however it is a top premium cruise line that markets itself as “modern luxury”. When booking a Celebrity cruise, tips are included in their Always Included program.
It is important to know that there are some crew members who you do not tip. In general, withholding tips is only recommended if there was no effort towards good service. Remember, crew members are not paid the same as in the US and rely on tips for their livelihood. It’s also a good idea to tip your spa attendant separately if they go above and beyond to make your spa experience memorable. The amount you should tip varies depending on the cruise line and its specific policies. As a general rule of thumb, 15-20% of the total cost of your spa treatments is considered appropriate.
If you have a major issue, however, you can change your gratuity amount accordingly. You can still hand out cash to individual members of the staff that you appreciate, although it’s not required. A couple traveling together will see about $30-$40 per day in gratuities, or about $200+ over the course of a week-long cruise. If you’ve never cruised, then there is no doubt that these questions and more might be floating through your head.
No comments:
Post a Comment