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A few extra dollars’ tip for an evening babysitter is also acceptable. Similarly, it is often acceptable to tip $1-3 when room service is delivered depending on the size of the order. Those tips are often lumped together into a single fee, generally $13-17 (USD) per passenger per day, that will be totaled and added to each passenger’s onboard account before the end of the cruise. A cruise gratuity guide on how much you should tip crew members at the end of your cruise vacation. Make sure you reward the hard-working crew and details on the automatic tipping.
Room Service and Cabin Stewards
So if you solicit a porter for help toting your luggage from a vehicle to the ship’s check-in area, express your appreciation with $1–$3 per bag, depending on its weight. Always make sure to review everything that’s included in the package—and what’s not—so you won’t get any unpleasant surprises. According to Disney Cruise Line, for instance, tipping applies to everyone—even infants. While money is universally appreciated, sometimes gifts or other non-monetary tokens also serve as thoughtful expressions of gratitude.
Are there cruises where you’re not expected to tip?
Here, you have the option to write on an additional tip amount, which will be charged to your onboard account. This way, you can use any onboard credit that you have accrued to pay for tips. While the amounts vary per cruise line, your stateroom attendant probably receives somewhere between $4 to $7 of the daily service charge. Some cruise lines also set aside some of the funds for other staff in hotel services. The exact amount is probably somewhere between $1 to $3 a day.
Cultural Differences in Tipping
When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Again, there’s no need to tip your porter, but bear in mind how much luggage they are carrying onto the ship. It’s a nice way to thank them for not having to drag your suitcases around with you all day. Each cruise line distributes the remaining funds slightly differently among the other crew. Like many in hospitality, part of these individuals’ income is dependent on receiving tips in addition to their salary.
How Much to Tip for Spa Services on a Cruise
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.
Tipping on a cruise ship: The big picture
I want to share everything I've learned and hope to make your next cruise vacation as enjoyable as possible. Room service on a cruise – Remember, it’s never required to tip, but usually people who make use of onboard room service leave a small tip of $1-$5 per delivery. Bar service has an automatic gratuity applied on the check (usually 15%).
Spa and Fitness Services
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. However, cruisers don’t always see all of the crew who work behind the scenes for them, like the kitchen and laundry workers.
Tipping policies for 18 popular cruise lines
Are you curious about a particular cruise line's tipping policy -- how much you'll pay and whether tips are automatically added to your onboard account? Do you want to brush up on your tipping etiquette, learning when it's appropriate to reward a particular crew member who's gone above and beyond for you? Or perhaps you've been underwhelmed by the service and need to find the least awkward way of reducing your tip from the standard amount. Cruise tipping etiquette generally includes automatic daily gratuities ranging from $14 to $18 per person, per day, covering service personnel like cabin stewards and dining staff. Additional tipping for exceptional service is optional and at the guest's discretion. For lines that do have them, service and gratuity charges are touted as a convenient alternative to the practice of cash tipping on cruise ships — something that once was common.
Typically, these policies outline the service charge or automatic gratuities that will be added to your account daily, covering services provided by staff like your room steward and dining team. Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. Many cruise lines will tack an automatic gratuity charge onto the bill for extra-fee drinks, restaurant meals and spa treatments. But with other packages, tips are only covered where specified. As a first-time cruiser, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with tipping etiquette onboard. The key personnel who will enhance your cruising experience typically include your room steward and dining staff.
Others see tipping as a way of ensuring they get served first, where possible – hence tipping a $20 bill upfront. One of the lower amounts I’ve seen, for those who want to tip extra, is $20 extra at the start of the cruise and then maybe a little more each night. CruisingNewb on the Royal Caribbean Blog forum suggests this was plenty to ensure proactive service.
But those amounts vary by ship, cruise line, stateroom, and other factors. Norwegian Cruise Line charges a daily service fee of $15.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins and $18.50 per person per day for guests in suites and The Haven. Gratuities are not added to spa bills, so passengers can tip at their discretion. Tipping policies vary by line, so be sure to check your cruise line's tipping policy before setting sail. Generally speaking, mainstream, U.S.-based cruise lines automatically add gratuities of about $14 to $15 per person, per day, to your onboard bill.
Similarly, if you're on a higher-end ship that lists gratuities as being included in the fare, that means just what it says. You don't have to tip on these cruises because the line is already paying gratuities to the staff on your behalf. Butlers are also used in suites on some other cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises and P&O Cruises. Royal Caribbean has ‘Royal Genies’ instead of butlers, and there is specific advice given that they are not included in typical cruise gratuities, so any tipping needs to be offered separately. Nowadays, more and more cruises offer flexible dining, so you will have a different team of waiters every night. When this is the case, people are less likely to tip waiters in cash as they probably won’t see them again during the cruise.
Royal Caribbean raises automatic gratuity rate, beginning in November - Royal Caribbean Blog
Royal Caribbean raises automatic gratuity rate, beginning in November.
Posted: Tue, 31 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Each cruise line has its own tipping policies; therefore, it's vital to research before your trip. Some lines include gratuities in your fare, while others will charge them to your account. Understanding these policies will help you manage your onboard expenses and ensure you're appropriately thanking those who make your cruise a memorable experience. To avoid surprises on your final bill, set aside a portion of your budget for gratuities.
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.
The cruise line lumps all tips into a common pool and divides them equally among crew members according to the published rates. I believe in tipping what someone is worth, not what is customary in their country. They travel away from their families for prolonged periods of time to earn more money than they are able to in their own countries. To tip less because of the economic status of their own country seems to be unfair.
Not only will it improve your cruise experience, but you’re also allowing the cruise ship staff the opportunity to make things right. Disney cruises has a suggested daily gratuity charge of $13.50 per person, per day for all guests. Prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted and cruise line gratuities may be referred to a daily service charge or crew incentive.
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