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Cruise ship gratuities are important because they play a vital role in the livelihood of the crew members who rely on these tips as a significant portion of their income. First, any time that you buy a drink from the bar, you will be charged an extra tip, usually 18%-20% of the menu price, depending on the cruise line. On the cruise line side, that money gets cut up to be distributed. The tips are spread out between the room steward, dining staff, and others that have customer-facing positions. That said, cruise lines are quiet on exactly how the charges are distributed. For most people, the service they receive on a cruise is outstanding.
Alternatives to Automatically Added Gratuities
The gratuities go to staff that provide passenger-facing services. That means people like the room steward who cleans your cabin and the dining staff. It’s important to note that some cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival also offer drinks packages that include gratuities for bar staff. Make sure to check the details of your drinks package to see if gratuities are included.
What else can you do to show the crew your appreciation?
Please note that gratuities are charged in US dollars for Caribbean, US and Canada cruises. Cunard‘s daily gratuities are set at $11.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. The cost is $13.50 per person, per day for guests in Grill Class suites. On Costa Cruises, service charges of $12.50 per person, per day are charged for cruises departing from the US. Cruises in Europe, World cruises and those departing from a non-US Caribbean port charge 10 Euros per person, per day.
On Which Cruise Lines Can You Remove Gratuities?
It'll be one less thing on your final bill at the end of the cruise. These arguments emphasize the need for transparency in the inclusive cost of the cruise fare and a fair wage structure for the crew members. The quality of service you receive during your cruise can also influence the gratuity amount you choose to give. If you feel that the service exceeded your expectations, you may consider giving a higher gratuity as a token of appreciation. Conversely, if you experience any issues or concerns with the service, it is advisable to address them with the appropriate personnel instead of adjusting the gratuity amount. The length and type of your cruise can also influence the gratuity amounts.
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→ They want to control how they tip and ensure the stars get the majority of their generosity. Some cruisers get personal joy and satisfaction of rewarding good service face to face. Others also like to ensure that the crew members who stood out the most are rewarded more handsomely than others. Instead of judging one another or criticizing the cruise lines, I think it’s important to know more about tipping and why the cruise lines have this practice in the first place.
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By charging gratuities, cruise lines can recognize the hard work of the crew and ensure that they are rewarded for their efforts over and above their standard rate of pay. In most cases, cruise gratuities are automatically added to your onboard account, so you don’t have to worry about carrying cash or calculating tips. Many cruise passengers from Britain and a few European countries where tipping isn’t a common practice, prefer to have the automatically-added tips removed from their account. Roughly speaking, you can expect to pay anywhere from $11.50 – $20.00 per passenger per day for onboard gratuities. As mentioned, cruise lines automatically add gratuities to your onboard account. Don’t pre-pay gratuities and if there’s an increase, you’ll pay a bit more at the end of your cruise.
Should You Tip the Room Service Delivery Person?
Cruise gratuities are tips that are automatically charged by the cruise line and go to the crew. Still, some people do leave a little extra for crew members who go above and beyond. How much to tip extra on a cruise is entirely up to you because it is in no way required. The big advantage to paying cruise tips in advance is that you lock in the current rate.
If you want to get the daily cruise tipping fees out of the way before your cruise and avoid last-night sticker shock, I always suggest that you pre-pay gratuities. The cruise line will assess your fee each day, then they’ll charge your credit card on file at the end of the cruise. What do you think about cruise line gratuities and service onboard? The fact is, the tips that crew get from passengers make up a good part of their wage. 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.
How to Cancel Cruise Gratuities: Step-by-Step Process
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. Those hard-working crew members behind the scenes that you never see will get a small piece of the pie, too. This way, you’re ready to personally hand it to the room service delivery person. If you’re a solo traveler and only have one large bag to check, a $5 tip is appropriate. If your shore excursion includes lunch, you generally don’t have to leave a tip—the tour company takes care of the lunch bill. When you’re on a cruise, you shouldn’t tip the captain or the officers.
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. Your article has done a lot to change my philosophy and increase my understanding of why there is this charge and what the implications of reducing it might be. 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. 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.
If you’re paying for a family, it could be a very costly added expense. Automatic gratuities, also called autogratuities or autograts, is the cruise term for the system most cruise lines now use to simplify tipping for passengers. Something to note is that although daily gratuities aren’t charged, there may be a service fee or tip added to certain services onboard. 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.
This flexibility can be advantageous if you find exceptional service or if you encounter any issues that warrant adjustments. However, it is important to manage your onboard spending responsibly to ensure that you have sufficient funds to cover the gratuities at the end of your cruise. Prepaid gratuities also provide peace of mind, knowing that the crew members will receive their due appreciation regardless of your onboard spending habits. Different cruise lines have varying recommendations for gratuity amounts. For example, some cruise lines may suggest a per person per day gratuity amount between $12 to $15, while others may recommend gratuities in the range of $15 to $18.
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