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This amount is typically charged to your credit card on file and covers various service personnel. If you prefer a more personal touch, you can give cash tips to staff members who go above and beyond. Passengers who want to adjust the amount of their cabin auto-gratuity in either direction can do so at the guest services desk. However, you cannot remove the automatic 18% tip on drinks, specialty dining and so on. Princess, for example, has added a Princess Plus plan as a booking option.
Gratuities aren’t always clear
The only charges that should appear on my final tab are any extras I decided to add on during the voyage. On the flip side, passengers have less control over where their money goes with autogratuities. Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.
Celebrity Cruises gratuities
If you receive exceptional service, additional tipping is always appreciated. For more clarity on typical amounts, checking a comprehensive guide can be helpful. Note that if you purchase a dining or beverage package, most cruise lines will charge you gratuities based on a percentage of the package price.
AmaWaterways gratuities
Aussies trim costs as gratuities soar on overseas trips - Latest Cruise News & Updates Cruise Passenger
Aussies trim costs as gratuities soar on overseas trips.
Posted: Fri, 17 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
We had a really nasty table mate who complained about everything the first night and was moved to other stations several times. I have no idea what his problem was, but both of our servers were wonderful. We've never given that much extra before, if we do tip extra it's usually $20 to $30. The assistant server chased us out into the hallway on the last night when we finished dinner, hugged us both and expressed his thanks with a very big smile.
Then they did a turn around and kept talking to every one about Ratings and the dining staff reminded us everyday of the last 3 days about giving them 10 stars in the rating. Viking Ocean Cruises tipping policy is to automatically add a daily “hotel and dining charge” to your bill. You can adjust this by heading to the Explorer’s Desk at any time. Unlike other cruise lines, you cannot adjust this onboard if you’re unhappy with the service or your cruise experience.
Children aged 4 to 14 are charged €5.50 per passenger, per night. In some cases, the amounts are slightly higher for passengers in suites or for those with butler service. At any time during the cruise, passengers can request adjustments – either up or down – to these automatic tips at their discretion. We break down situations when passengers might or might not remove automatic gratuities. The automatic tips are designed to adequately provide for whomever receives their cut of it.
Can You Prepay Cruise Ship Gratuities?
I’ve been cruising for over 15 years, and the practice of tipping on a cruise has certainly evolved. Cruise lines have implemented automatic gratuities, options to prepay gratuities and some popular cruise lines have begun including tips in your cruise fare. Cruise lines often prefer automatic gratuities, ensuring that tips are evenly distributed to the staff.
Some cruise ship spas, like those on NCL and Royal Caribbean, add on a service fee or gratuity, usually about 18%. Check your bill after your services to see if your tip is already included. If not, 15-20% of the bill (excluding any products that you buy) is customary.
When on a cruise excursion, it’s normal to tip the guide to thank them for their efforts in showing you around – this can vary from $5 per person up to $30 per person for longer tours. If your excursion has a coach or taxi, a tip of $1 per person is more in line with the average. But then, there are plenty of others who view the Main Dining Room staff as already having been tipped as part of the gratuities, and, therefore, won’t tip any more than they need to. Of course, some people choose not to tip any extra, and are still happy with the service they receive. While some travelers choose to tip per drink, we normally wait until the end of the cruise. If we see the same server in the main theater nightly, we might provide an additional $10 at the end of the trip.
Yup—and the range of your gratuity total depends on the stateroom category you’re staying in, too. Viking Cruises gratuities are $15.00 per person, per day for all staterooms. Envelopes are commonly used on the final day of the cruise to give these tips, allowing you to personally thank those who've made your trip memorable. By understanding these details, you can budget appropriately and ensure that your appreciation for the cruise staff is expressed in line with the expectations of each cruise line. In the ship’s casino, dealers and croupiers are not part of the general tipping pool and no tips are required. It is customary, however, to offer a tip after a great winning streak, and the amount should be relative to the winnings.
You’re usually free to reduce the automatic tip amount by visiting the guest services desk onboard. Now, there once was a time when you tipped crew members if they were especially helpful, stuffing cash in cruise tip envelopes. 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.
Normally, the service we receive in these venues is more personal and upscale, so we usually tip extra here as well, around 15 to 20 percent. We always provide additional gratuities to the crew members with whom we interact most on a ship. We feel that it is the least we can do to reward the excellent service provided. This is not to say that you NEED to tip more on a cruise though. If you add an additional tip or provide a specific server with cash that is above the charged service fee, this tip is not shared with the remaining staff.
If you’re cruising around Europe, Africa, Asia or Australasia, you may pay less in tips (or not at all), as locals from these countries are less likely to tip. However, some people disagree with paying a gratuity before they’ve received any service – so this is a matter of personal preference. Generally, where tips are expected, the rates are around the same as ocean cruises. Viking River Cruises recommends a standard daily gratuity rate. No tips are added automatically when you sail with UnCruise Adventures.
Often, these crew members are part of the tip pool, and they lose part of their expected income each time a passenger removes autogratuities. The cruise line will assess your fee each day, then they’ll charge your credit card on file at the end of the cruise. 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. We were charged $629 of Gratuties for 2 adults and 1 child on Royal Caribbean. This was a longer sailing - 11 nights; the food and service was very sub-par for the first 7 nights.
However, most cruise ships welcome an extra gratuity if a particular staff member exceeds your expectations; this is usually at your discretion. Gratuity charges on cruise ships range, depending on the cruise line and your type of accommodation (suites are pricier than rooms). A 15% tip is automatically added to bar, beverage and deck service tabs. The cruise line suggests you may also wish to give your local guides a cash tip at the end of each tour.
For many cruises that operate in the Australian market where tipping isn’t part of the culture, automatic gratuities aren’t added on to passenger bills. Most mainstream cruise lines have their headquarters in the US. So they follow this model with many of their crew members who perform services for passengers. Tipped crew on many cruise lines include housekeeping, dining, and laundry workers.
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