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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. On cruise lines where gratuities are not included, you can monitor the charges on your shipboard bill either from the Front Desk or on your stateroom TV. 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. For instance, in recent years, Norwegian often ran Free at Sea promotions that included free crew tips in addition to free shipboard Wi-Fi and a free drinks package.
Viking River Cruises gratuities
These cruise gratuities are divided among stateroom attendants, dining staff, and other behind the scenes crew members in a proportion determined by the cruise line. Guests are usually charged automatically for these additional fees. 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. For example, Carnival does not charge tips for kids under two years old. Norwegian Cruise Lines doesn’t charge gratuities for kids under three.
Princess Cruise Live Blog (Day : One of My Most Memorable Port Days EVER
Prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted and cruise line gratuities may be referred to a daily service charge or crew incentive. Cruise line tipping policies vary from one cruise company to another. Even though cruise gratuities technically aren’t mandatory, they are customary on most mainstream cruise lines. Make sure you do your research and don’t just assume that “free drinks” offers a great saving.
Silversea Cruises
Tips can either be prepaid up to three days prior to the start of your Disney cruise or will be automatically charged to onboard accounts. To adjust the amount of your automatic tips or to tip independently, see the purser's office. However, an 18% service charge still applies to bar charges, dining room wine accounts, and Lotus Spa services. Currently, the gratuity is $16.50 per guest for suites and $15.50 per guest for mini-suites. A $14.50 cruise gratuity is charged for guests (including children) staying in all other staterooms. Other than that, your gratuity charges cover the housekeeping and dining staff.
Arguments against mandatory gratuities
Despite paying hundreds of dollars in tips on a cruise, you might be surprised that there are other places where you will see gratuity charges or are expected to tip. In general, we’d suggest not changing the amount charged by the cruise line. The staff on a cruise ship works extremely hard to make your vacation a pleasure and these gratuities make up a large part of their compensation.
Most lines charge $16 at the moment, but it steadily rises each year. Similarly, if you use room service or a cruise concierge, you may want to consider tipping those staff directly. Cruise ships are like small cities, and the crew members work tirelessly to ensure that you have a great vacation.
Step 1 – Select ‘No’ When Asked if You’d Like To Pre-pay
Some onboard services aren’t subject to automatically-included gratuities. Since these are people that you may interact with on a daily basis, it’s nice to add them to your gratuity list. The included tip amount varies by cruise line but is typically 15% to 20% of the bill.
Gratuties and tipping on a Cruise ship. A Guide to Extra Tips for Crew Members & Staff
Further, cruise lines often ask staff members to volunteer for delivery service. The difference might not be too bad if you’re sailing solo, but it could be costly if you’re paying for a group. I've been a solo traveler since I was 12 and it's been over 25 years since I set foot on an airplane. I've learned how to explore the world without flying, traveling only by river ships, ocean ships, road trips and of course, trains. The cruise line calls this “Crew Appreciation” which is the most appropriate across all cruise lines. Read the full automatic gratuity policy at the Royal Caribbean website.
Virgin Voyages includes gratuities in the cruise fare, but they call it a “Voyage Fare” instead of a gratuity. This means you won’t have to worry about tipping your crew members during your voyage. Gratuity charges are applied to your onboard account on a daily basis. This means that you don’t have to worry about remembering to tip your servers, housekeeping staff, or other crew members during your trip. Automatic gratuities are usually added to your onboard account and these fees can vary depending on the cruise line, the length of your trip, and the type of cabin you choose. If you leave the service charge on your room bill, you are not expected to leave additional cruise tips for your room attendant or waiters.
That means you should expect that every passenger sailing the cruise line will see the crew appreciation charge when sailing. So a family of four in a balcony cabin will see a charge of $64 ($16 x 4) each day. You might be wondering how you can get out of paying these cruise service charges.
Carnival-Owned Cruise Line Increases Gratuities for Guests - Cruise Hive
Carnival-Owned Cruise Line Increases Gratuities for Guests.
Posted: Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Carnival charges children 2 and older and Norwegian Cruise Line only charge for children over the age of 3. To remove the gratuities guests must head to the reception desk and ask to have them removed. Some people prefer to do this at the start of the cruise although it is usually easier to do later. Selecting no here doesn’t remove the gratuities, it just means that you don’t want to pay them early. By selecting no you are effectively delaying the gratuities until later.
There’s an additional 20% NCL service charge for all bar andbeverage purchases and specialty restaurant dining. An automatic 18% bar service charge is added for all Holland America drink packages, bar cocktails and dining room wine purchases. As with mainstream cruise lines, tips are automatically added to your onboard account when sailing with Mickey and his pals. The amount you should tip depends on the cruise line's standards but often ranges from $14 to $20 per person, per day.
But in recent years, it’s become common to see cruise tips added automatically to your bill. When cruising, understanding your automated gratuities and what they mean for crew members is key to respecting cruise tipping etiquette. Recognizing exceptional service with additional tips can be a personal and direct way to say "thank you" to those who've made your trip memorable. For both of these services, always check with your cruise line's tipping policy for guidance as policies vary. Your generosity helps acknowledge the dedicated service your family receives, ensuring a memorable experience for all.
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