Similarly, in the main dining room, we tip our waiter around $6 to $8 per day for the two of us, averaging around $50 for a 7-night cruise. Ive been cruising for over 15 years, and the practice of tipping on a cruise has certainly evolved. Hi All, I just wanted to share something with new cruisers (and old if they do not know this). Any chance of that? (Want to get the most from your cabin steward? How Much Does a Caribbean Cruise Cost? Tips are either covered by the autogratuities or theres a service fee tacked on, so you dont need to tip again. Can you remove or adjust autogratuities on a cruise? Keep a few dollars handy to tip the cruise porters on embarkation day. Thank you, Carrie Ann. Please check MSCs website for details. Are very professional, what should a tip look like at the end of a 10 day cruise? What Is a Cabin Steward on a Cruise Ship? If you havent notified your bank, they will usually send you a fraud alert or temporarily freeze your card. Additionally, shouldbecruising.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes receive a commission from purchases made through our links. $15.99 per person per day for guests in suites. While you pay daily gratuities before your cruise ($16 per person, per day in most staterooms), many cruisers like to give something extra. This is a review of RCI-Royal Caribbean International's gratuities (paid for the crew services), tipping policy and tips (per day/reduced/removed). The one excursion we had a fifty dollar bill and three ones at the end of the (short) trip. Princess Cruises also has the Princess Plus fare, which includes gratuities or the crew incentive, Medallion Net wifi and Princess premium beverage package. Weve been on 4 cruises with our 5th. Get access to the best last minute hotel rates in the USA by becoming a registered member online today. In the UK, tips are completely discretionary and are only to reward service that goes above the normal expectations. Although cash isnt required for onboard purchases, there are a few scenarios where youll want to have cash available. Other cruisers, often people who remember cruising before autogratuities, prefer tipping crew in cash. Hi Janet! Prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted and cruise line gratuities may be referred to a daily service charge or crew incentive. If you are one to give your room attendant a little extra (on top of auto gratuities), how much do you typically give. Here are some daily automatic gratuity costs for several popular ocean cruise lines in USD (prices accurate as of summer 2021): Unlike with the deals you can get for prepaying for drink packages and some other add-ons, you wont get a discount for prepaying your automatic gratuities. Some cruise lines refer to the gratuities as a crew incentive or a service fee, but essentially these are tips for crew members that are used to augment their low wages. If you choose to pay tips in cash, there are usually some envelopes available at the guest service desk. Don't be Held Back on Arrival Royal Caribbean requires you to do an online check-in, at least three days before your published sail date. Maybe your cabin attendant delivered when you made a special request, or you loved how your steward always sweetly arranged your children's stuffed animals before bed every night -- or maybe you just want to show a little extra appreciation in the universal language of money. However, there are a few common practices and guidelines. If your kids have had a great time and youve appreciated the service, a few extra dollars are surely appreciated. What Is The Average Amount of Cash to Bring on a Cruise? Either way, expect to spend about $15-20 per day. I believe this to be true, too. Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean charges a $7.95 service fee and room service is available 24-hours a day. Your previous content has been restored. Hi All, Im Ilana. Hi this was helpful, thank you. I was thinking of giving ours a $20 at the beginning, not sure if this is about the "norm", or if I should give a little more. Those can range from about $15 to upwards of $20 for each . i understand what you are saying.and I know we are paying roughly 15 dollars a day each as a tip already. Beyond that, consider writing a heartfelt note of thanks or a drawing from your child (many have children they do not see for months at a time). If you have a special in-room dining experience, like Ultimate Balcony Dining on Princess (which I highly recommend, by the way), its a nice gesture to add an extra cash tip for the servers who brought your meals up and made your dinner a special experience. How Much Does A Cruise Cost? If you dont see the cards in your room, ask at the Passenger Services desk, or leave the feedback in your post-cruise survey. During your cruise vacation, youll probably receive services from other people who arent cruise line employeesbut you might not realize it! ROYAL CARIBBEAN BIGGEST SHIP. The amount you tip is up to youI generally give about $5 per person per day to my stateroom steward. Learn how your comment data is processed. If you order room service, its customary to give the person that delivers your tray about $1-2 per meal. Your cruise in April sounds amazing! I think this depends on who it is and what their job is. The cruise director will also remind passengers about how much and whom the cruise . The automatic service gratuity is $14.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $17.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Even if you prepay for your shore excursions directly through the cruise line, its customary to tip your tour guides and drivers in cash after each excursion. On luxury cruise lines, such as Azamara, Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Tauck World Discovery and Uniworld, gratuities are already included in the cost of the cruise, and additional tipping is not expected. So why dont cruise lines just increase the price of fares, and pay their crew a living wage with a decent hourly rate? The industry should pay fair wages so that our tips are in fact tips and not wages. Some cruise lines point out that you may wish to tip the kids club staff. These feedback cards mean a lot and sometimes lead to a stellar crew member getting a raise or even a promotion! You can also leave a small gift for your favorite crew member. Holland Americas daily gratuity is $14.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins and $16.00 per person, per day for guests in suites. Here's a guide to help you navigate ways to show your appreciation for these hard workers. Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. on board service charges (Norwegian Cruise Line). You could also tip based on the length of the tour. separately, near the end of the cruise. Royal Caribbean: $14.50 per person, per day ($17.50 for guests in grand suites and above). When youre on a cruise, you shouldnt tip the captain or the officers. The best advice I can give Americans and Canadians, if they are tipping questions arise either on the ship or ashore, follow the lead of Aussies and ask their advice. Ill definitely look into it and see how I can best do that on this site. The balcony is a good size with two chairs. By Thanks! There are some exceptions. Something to note is that although daily gratuities arent charged, there may be a service fee or tip added to certain services onboard. Having the articles in a printable format is a really interesting idea. A As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Your glowing review can help a hardworking crew member earn a promotion or raise. Princess: $14.50 per person, per day ($15.50 for mini-suite guests and $16.50 for suite guests). They will seldom steer you wrong. I don't actually agree with th. Cash is rarely required on a Royal Caribbean cruise, as all payments onboard are made via your SeaPass account. And just like with the Carnival case, this will reflect directly on the ship's serving staff (cabin stewards, Room Service, and Main Dining Room wait staff, as well as kitchen, entertainment, passenger services and other hotel personnel). The only charges that should appear on my final tab are any extras I decided to add on during the voyage. How it works: Gratuities are automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. You can read more about me and about Should Be Cruising here. ATMs usually charge a $5-6 fee per transaction. Many ships also have an abundance of kids' activities including kids clubs that . Who else should you tip on a cruise ship? You just cant help being extra nice or helpful when you know the people are going to be extra nice to you, ie the extra tips. Posted March 5, 2007. For favorite bartenders or waitstaff, I give about $20 to each for a seven-day cruise. In this post, Ill be going through the cruise tipping policies by cruise line and answer some of the most common questions people have about gratuities on a cruise. Youll want to factor in the cruise line gratuity charge, sometimes called on board service charges (Norwegian Cruise Line). .WONDER OF THE SEAS. Im so glad youre enjoying my blog and find the posts helpful and appreciate the feedback. Cindi Thanks for sharing your view on this. One of these differences is that cruise gratuities are included. Your link has been automatically embedded. It really made my day! The COST Series: Cruise Ship TIPPING | Who to tip on a cruise and how much | Royal Caribbean Tipping The Weekend Cruiser 8.96K subscribers Subscribe 588 Share 10K views 8 months ago. Ill explain everything you need to know about cruise gratuitiesfrom who you should tip, how much you should tip, and who you should never tip on a cruise ship. #1 Bring a bathing suit on embarkation day On embarkation day, the pools are open so be sure to pack a bathing suit in your carry-on luggage so that you can enjoy them with less crowds! I'm so glad you found my post! We had the my time diningsame waiter and assistant every night. I love sharing my best cruise tips with you, along with reviews of cruise destinations, shore excursions, cruise ships and cruise lines. At the base level, one person can use the service, and the price rises as you add more logins. In reality, the cruise staff on board want you to be satisfied, so this is the time address a problem. It is best to drink 9 to 13 cups of water before donating money in the 24 hours preceding the event. Some cruisers swear by tipping at the beginning of the cruise to ensure excellent service. Between January 2, 2018, and Sept 7, 2022, RCI's daily (per passenger) crew gratuities were US$14,50 (standard staterooms) and US$17,50 (Grand Suites+). Please let me know in the comments below. You can raise them, lower them, or remove them altogether. It was just the two of us. Then (if your problem continues to bother you) contact the hotel manager. This should provide enough money for transportation, food, and small souvenirs in port. On NCL, passengers who dont want to pay autograts need to file a claim for reimbursement after the cruise. I had prepaid my gratuities, and I assumed the porter was a cruise line employee, so I didnt tip him. Our concern is that the cruise lines take advantage by paying lower wages and then guilting passengers into higher tips. Keep in mind, the venues are not always the same between Royal Caribbean ships, but each of my tips can. Royal Caribbeans daily automatic gratuities are set at $14.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins and $17.50 per person, per day for guests in suites. Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. Carrie Ann is the founder of Should Be Cruising and a lifelong travel fanatic. The amount is very personal. Should Be Cruising is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Most mainstream cruise lines bill passengers between $12 and $15 per person, per day for. Thanks so much for your input on this. Your email address will not be published. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. I agree with Kelli. Most mainstream cruise lines have their headquarters in the US. If youre new to cruising, or its been a while since your last cruise, its important to know about cruise tipping guidelines before you sail. Disclaimer: I may receive a small commission when you make a purchase from a link on this site, at no added charge to you. I think it's more like when you go to a restaurant and they added the automatic service charge to the bill, but there is still a line for additional tipping. I also tip constantly while on the cruise. Disney cruises has a suggested daily gratuity charge of $13.50 per person, per day for all guests. If you feel that you wish to give an extra amount to anyone who you feel has done a great job, they will be appreciative. There is no service charge applied for children under 2 years of age. For example, Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com) recently increased its tip recommendations and now suggests $3.75 per day for your main waiter, $5 per day for the cabin housekeeping staff, $2.15 per day for the assistant waiter, and $0.75 per day for the head waiter. Because plasma accounts for approximately 90% of total fluid volume, drinking plenty of water after receiving a transplant is beneficial to your body. Whether in Mexico, St. Maarten, Italy, or Vanuatu, having cash is recommended. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! So glad this was helpful. Later I learned that the porters outside of the cruise terminal are not cruise line employees at all! I go into more detail about this topic in this post:Can You Refuse to Pay Gratuities on a Cruise? On most cruise lines that collect automatic gratuities, youre able to remove or adjust the charges by visiting the passenger services desk. Typically, this is associated with your credit card which youll be prompted to set up when you complete your online check in. 1. Just did 8 nights on Voyager. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'shouldbecruising_com-leader-2','ezslot_15',606,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-leader-2-0');Since you cant remove the automatic tips for just that one crew member, removing or lowering your automatic gratuities hurts all the tipped employees. (Admit it: You tend to miss those nightly pillow chocolates and towel animals after you get home.) While most people know it for being a cruise destination, shadowing the coastline to see the glaciers, there is so much Do you prefer to prepay your gratuitiesor to pay in cash? Youll likely get much better service by doing that instead of just removing the tip! Based on the amount of the bill. I believe that often the bartenders will pool their tips b/c there are so many working the crowd but I think it's an individual choice on their parts as to how they handle this. The staff learns real quick who tips extra, and who does not. Lines with such charges include both of the two giants of the cruise business, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line, as well as Norwegian, MSC Cruises and Princess Cruises. #4. The new RCI tips per day are added to each guest's SeaPass card (shipboard account) automatically. So our "big tip" on this subject is this - if you guys have a service staff problem, speak first with your cabin attendant. Jan 6. At some North American ports, youll see signs stating that the porters do not accept tips. See details here: Ultimate Cruise Planner -Whats Included, What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise (with packing list), 7 Cruises to Avoid and What to Do Instead, Cruise Line Stocks Shareholder Benefits for Cruisers (FREE onboard credit). cruise. The rule of thumb is to tip the guide 10% to 20% of the tour cost, depending on how much you enjoyed the experience. 40 Ocean Quotes for Everyone Who Loves The Sea, 15 Delicious Foods in the Bahamas You Need to Try. Holland America Line, whose ships Noordam and Maasdam are regular visitors to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, has the same tipping policy aboard all its ships. Some cruise lines refer to these tips as a service charge. Bar, spa and in-room dining for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara have an 18 per cent gratuity charge. I put together a 47 page printable cruise travel planner that has everything you need as you plan and get ready for your cruise. How much are automatic gratuities on a cruise? Cruise gratuities are divided among your cruise cabin steward, waiters and other crew members who work as support behind the scenes. Or you can plan ahead and take enough cash in the correct currency to cover any tips you might want to pay. Carnivals daily gratuities are $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. As much as some people opt to remove gratuities on their account, some give extra. Required fields are marked *. It has one large sink with two faucets and a large shower with a tub. Cruise lines pay these workers very low wages for the long hours that they work each day, and expect that passengers will tip to increase the crew members earnings to a reasonable rate. Or do you remove them altogether? Upload or insert images from URL. There are different service charges for certain itineraries. The cruise line will assess your fee each day, then theyll charge your credit card on file at the end of the cruise. Royal Caribbean Cruises Tipping Policy As of September 7th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Although gratuities arent mandatory, and in most cases you can go to guest services and have the amount adjusted, most cruise lines do tend to discourage it. Travelers in suites are. flipped into Ren de Lambert. Should you prepay automatic gratuities? Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. Since this is the current pay structure for most major cruise lines, removing tips really affects the cruise line workers. Happy cruising :). Something you will need cash for on a Royal Caribbean cruise are any extra tips you give to crew members. This is for a good reason as it ensures that proper. Had same two waiters 4 of those nights. I give my room steward $5 at the very beginning of the cruise. New York state residents who wish to purchase the product may visit https://travelcruisecare.com to enroll directly with . If you buy a $5 souvenir with a $20 bill in Mexico, for example, youll receive change in Mexican pesos. Tips are of course a personal decision. 1 1 Quote Cindi Members 12 Author Posted April 16, 2019 Id give a much larger tip to a knowledgeable tour guide who led us on an intensive nine-hour experience compared to a guide who did a basic three-hour city walking tour. Tipping extra is not necessary, and theres no right or wrong amount to give a crew member. Do you tip above and beyond the automatic gratuities? Originally formed in 1988 by the Chandris Group in Greece, Celebrity Cruises was acquired by Royal Caribbean Group in 1997. Plus, youre never required to make any extra purchases in the first place if you take advantage of the complimentary options available on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Should You Prepay Gratuities on a Cruise or Pay Onboard? However, cruisers dont always see all of the crew who work behind the scenes for them, like the kitchen and laundry workers. A cruise only rate may be available on select cruises, which would not include gratuities. Here's how to get the most out of Royal Caribbean's Deluxe Beverage Package (or Prime Casino Royale free drinks in the casino). For more info, please read myDisclosure Policy. This is a personal decision and Im not sure if theres a tipping etiquette for it. You wont require cash for 99% of purchases on a cruise, whether specialty restaurants, cocktails, or souvenirs. Im an avid cruiser and have been giving out insider tips for more than 10 years! However, youll want to make sure youve notified your bank that you will be out of the country. They have the insider tips to match so that you can make the most of everything that'll be at your fingertips. a $200 gratuity on top of my prepaid gratuities. The thing that gets me so mad is we never were approached by the Maitred..except the last night when the extra tipping comes in. A The automatic service gratuity is $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. It would be so helpful if I could print just the blog to read at random timescar trip, etc. You can also adjust your gratuities up or down. Cruising in 2022: Why Onboard Tipping is More Important Than Ever, Cabin Stewardess on Princess Cruises (Photo: Princess Cruises), A Cash Tip Which is Common on Cruises (Photo: elwynn/Shutterstock).