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However, a few lines don’t add autogratuities for babies and toddlers under age two or three. When tipping your waitstaff on a cruise ship, knowing whether your gratuity is included in your specialty dining package is important. In most cases, a standard gratuity fee will be automatically added to your bill for each specialty restaurant meal. When you book your cruise, you’ll be charged your cruise fare, port fees and taxes. You’ll want to factor in the cruise line gratuity charge, sometimes called on board service charges (Norwegian Cruise Line).
How Much to Tip Room Service on a Cruise
Casino dealers do not receive a cut of Cunard's automatic gratuities, so consider tipping deserving staff. An automatic 15% charge also applies to spa treatments and services as well as all bar bills. Meanwhile, cruise fares are often shown as dirt-cheap prices. They are often expressed as the rate for a single person (despite having to pay for double occupancy) and don’t include port fees or taxes. Having to add in gratuity costs to these advertised rates could make them less attractive to potential cruisers.
Authorities check the passenger list for warrants… and arrest them on the way back
Crew members work really hard and make the difference between an ok and a memorable cruise vacation. Since this is the current pay structure for most major cruise lines, removing tips really affects the cruise line workers. Carnival’s daily gratuities are $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins.
What else can you do to show the crew your appreciation?
It’s customary to tip the waiters generously at specialty restaurants. On the last night or on the morning of departure, I always give an extra tip to my room steward when I say goodbye. 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. Hopefully, these folks will then hand out cash to those who have worked hard for them during the cruise. The top tier of crew recipients, however, are the waiters and stateroom attendants. Next, are the assistant waiters and staterooms attendants.
In Miami you can take the Orange Line train from the airport over to the Coral Way Trolley, which drops at the port (directions here). In Seattle, the Link Light Rail lets out just blocks from Pier 66 (directions here). If you don’t want to pay for an expensive taxi or Uber, keep this in mind.
Anything extra on the ship — including drinks, wi-fi, gratuities, and more — costs extra. Now, the tide on this model is shifting though as more cruise lines offer all-inclusive deals. It’s not always the case, but sometimes you’ll run into discounts around the ship if you buy when the ship is in port. For instance, maybe it’s a spa session that has a slight discount if you book a service while the ship is docked. Or things like Royal Caribbean’s North Star observation pod are free when done while the ship is in port, but sees a charge if sailing.
For any additional tipping, the general rule of thumb is cash on the last day of the cruise (with exceptions, of course). Don't wait till the morning of disembarkation, though, when everybody is in a frenzied transition mode and it might be difficult to locate the staffer you're seeking. The concept of tipping is fairly American in a lot of ways. If you’re from another part of the world you might think tipping is unnecessary and strange, and perhaps it is.
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However, you might end up paying a similar total price on a mainstream line when you factor in gratuities, drink packages, shore excursions, and the like. It’s important to understand the tipping culture onboard. Most contemporary and premium cruise lines will automatically charge a daily gratuity to each passenger’s account for the crew’s service. In contrast, luxury cruise lines tend to take a more all-inclusive approach. Passengers can request to adjust the daily amount if they have not received satisfactory service by visiting guest services onboard.
If you agree to the automatic gratuities, the people who tend to you the most—your housekeeping and dining teams—get the largest share. 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. 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. I had prepaid my gratuities, and I assumed the porter was a cruise line employee, so I didn’t tip him. 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.
So while it’s technologically possible to stream a Netflix movie to your cabin, it may not be the best use of your time or money. Generally speaking, the entertainment staff is very well paid and on contract from an outside entertainment company. These talented folks don’t rely on tips and don’t expect any additional gratuities while performing on board. There are a few occasions, however, when we’ve observed passengers & guests tipping singers and musicians. This usually can be seen when there is live music in one of the bars. It’s not uncommon to see a passenger hand a musician singing solo a few dollars or even buy them a drink (depending on the rules of the cruise line).
A cruise only rate may be available on select cruises, which would not include gratuities. The gratuities on Oceania Cruises are $16.00 per person, per day for most staterooms and $23.00 per person, per day for guests in suites. Conversely, some guests who are familiar with and follow the tipping guidelines, prefer to hand out cash-filled envelopes to crew members. Passengers are at liberty to tip staff members personally if they wish to do so, and envelopes for this purpose are available at reception. All bar bill gratuities are included in the cost of the drink. We break down situations when passengers might or might not remove automatic gratuities.
You don’t have to take off belts… or shoes… or carry only 3 ounces of liquids. You’ll just have your bags x-rayed and walk through a metal detector (no full body scanners!). Getting through security usually takes no more than a minute or two.
Don’t forget to factor those charges into your overall vacation budget. 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. For this reason, I have always found being expected to pay tips, on an already expensive cruise, very irritating and have sometimes had them reduced at the service desk.
If something goes wrong when you're away from the ship, you'll want to get in contact with the cruise line right away. The extra cost of doing a few loads of laundry on a ship is a small price to pay for the freedom of not having to lug a giant suitcase around as you travel to and from your ship. Plus, you'll want to save room in your suitcase for all the little treasures you're going to find along the way. Most cruising these days is casual, and you really only need a few outfits to rotate through a voyage. Many ships have launderettes on cabin decks where you can run a load or two of laundry every few days.
Many smaller and higher-end cruise operators are folding tips and gratuities into their base fares. You do not need to tip the maitre d', as they are a ship's officer and paid accordingly. Wine ordered with meals will generally have a 15% service charge automatically applied. If the service has been exceptional, consider a tip of $10 to $15 at the end of your cruise. Bar service has an automatic gratuity applied on the check (usually 15%).
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