They cheerfully attend to your requests, tidying your home away from home from the moment you leave in the morning to the last turn-down before bed. This should provide enough money for transportation, food, and small souvenirs in port. The industry should pay fair wages so that our tips are in fact tips and not wages. 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. Each passenger is charged for these tips, including kids. Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool. Our last few cruises on Celebrity and Princess, we actually had lots of interaction from the Maitred and we did appreciate the work they did. I ALWAYS tip extra to the outstanding employees on every cruise I have ever taken. If youre booked with Celebritys Always Included, the gratuities are included. Tips on Cruise Ship Tipping - Who and How Much to Tip! There are instances of passengers who prefer not to tip, usually either because they disagree with tipping on principle or they've experienced unsatisfactory service. Now if someone goes over and above a little extra is due. .WONDER OF THE SEAS. Your link has been automatically embedded. $15.99 per person per day for guests in suites. In addition, weve included a list of daily gratuities per cruise line and who else you may wish to tip. I also tip constantly while on the cruise. Best Cafe at Sea? - Royal Caribbean Cruise Cafe @ Two70 Princess: $14.50 per person, per day ($15.50 for mini-suite guests and $16.50 for suite guests). I purchased the package pre-cruise for $76, this equates to just over $25 per day. I do think its a very personal choice, but we can talk about this in a future video for sure! 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. In addition to the automatic daily gratuities, a tip or service fee of 15-20% is added to drinks and/or drink packages as well as spa services on a cruise. This is an excellent article, which really clearly explains all the issues around tipping. 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. But you should know, that the ship's service staff don't make a salary - your tips are their wages. In their case "tipping" doesn't mean "extra" - it means "salary". Some cruise lines allow you to use your cruise card to deposit money in the casino. Viking Ocean: $15.00 per person, per day Virgin Voyages: includes gratuities in the fare. We rarely do the parties anymore. The practice of tipping is controversial, even in the United States where paying tips is part of the culture. You can always add extra for exceptional service, though! These cruise line employees are highly compensated, and offering a tip isnt necessary. Love this! A couple should budget about $200 in gratuities for a 7 day cruise. Im Carrie Ann, the writer behind Should Be Cruising. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. Theres no need to add an extra tip for each drink. Now, with automatic gratuities, the process is much simpler and you dont need to carry all that cash. Related: Whats included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare. Manage Settings A kind word or a drawing costs nothing and is always appreciated. Rather than reducing the amount payed, they point out on their website that they will work to resolve any service issues experienced. Its important to note that, especially on the luxury lines, tipping is not expected. Please share on Facebook or PIN to your favorite Pinterest board (share buttons at the top). You may want to give them a tip per drink or a larger tip at the end or even the beginning of your cruise. You dont need to write a noveljust a few sentences about how the crew member made your cruise even better will do. Plus, for a limited time, its $10 off. How Much Should You Tip Crew Members - Cruise Hive MTD and ate in MDR 5 nights. Note that paying in cash does not necessarily circumvent the pooling system -- attendants are officially required to turn in any cash gratuities to put toward the pool. On top of that, there's an 18% gratuity fee. Afrikaans; Alemannisch; ; ; Azrbaycanca; ; Banjar; ; () Royal Caribbean Gratuities,Tipping Policy,Tips | CruiseMapper Or you can plan ahead and take enough cash in the correct currency to cover any tips you might want to pay. 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. One exception is the piano player in the loungemost accept tips for song requests or if you enjoyed their music. Knowing how much cash to bring on a cruise can help you plan your vacation budget and avoid pesky ATM fees along the way. Life Well Cruised Ultimate Cruise Planner, YouTube at Life Well Cruised (Vlogs and cruise tips). The average daily gratuity on a cruise is $14-15 USD per person - approximately $30 per day, per couple in a cabin. You might want to reward your cabin steward, favorite bartender or MDR server, or any other crew member you think did a great job. Check out the latest web stories from Should Be Cruising! Here's how it works on Royal Caribbean: 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. W. You can do so by going to guest services and making the request. Additionally, shouldbecruising.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes receive a commission from purchases made through our links. There is no charge for children under 3 years of age. Some vendors may process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interest, which you can object to by managing your options below. Alaska is such a beautiful destination. Keep in mind that cruise crew members live in tight quarters, so small (and edible) gifts are preferred. I also tipped my wait staff very generously in the main dining room and specialty restaurants, as well as my drink waiters! I wouldn't worry about giving "too little" extra, since you are already paying the auto gratuity. Clear editor. I believe this to be true, too. I almost alwaysgive my dining staff a bit extra, my kids generally have some special requests that take extra time and effort for the wait staff. All rights reserved. Hi All, I just wanted to share something with new cruisers (and old if they do not know this). Most cruisers wouldnt dream of removing the automatic gratuities. What I can say, on a personal level, is that we have found that the majority of cabin stewards, waiters, assistant waiters and ship staff have given us amazing service. So why dont cruise lines just increase the price of fares, and pay their crew a living wage with a decent hourly rate? Hi All, Im Ilana. 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). We usually do the prepaid tipping and also give some extra at the end of our cruises. If your kids have had a great time and youve appreciated the service, a few extra dollars are surely appreciated. (For line by line information, read more about cruise line tipping policies.). 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. How Much Does a Caribbean Cruise Cost? Please check MSCs website for details. Many passengers rave long after their hoilday is over about the service of stewards who go above and beyond. Credit: Royal Caribbean Show-Stopping Entertainment That was the only time I didn't give an additional cash tip to the wait staff. Cruise Ship Tipping and Prepaid Gratuities: Should I Tip More? Once you book your cruise, there are some things you'll need to do in advance to prepare. I go into more detail about this topic in this post:Can You Refuse to Pay Gratuities on a Cruise? Tips are either covered by the autogratuities or theres a service fee tacked on, so you dont need to tip again. Keep a few dollars handy to tip the cruise porters on embarkation day. This is a convenient option for cruise passengers that dont want to think about extra charges once onboard. If you wait to the end to tip, then the servers wont know and you possibly missed out of knowing how wonderful the cabin steward or others could be. Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. According to RCI's website, of the 2016-updated gratuities (US$13.50), nearly US$8.30 goes to dining / culinary services; suite attendants receive US$6,85; stateroom attendants get US$3,85, and housekeeping service staff - US$1.35. However, there are a few common practices and guidelines. (Learn more about when and when not to pay auto-gratuities.). It would be so helpful if I could print just the blog to read at random timescar trip, etc. What do you think about the custom of tipping on a cruise ship? Windstar Cruises daily gratuities are $12.00 per person, per day for all cabin types. Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. 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. Cruisers would have to tip each of their service personnel (the cabin steward, restaurant servers, bartenders, etc.) $10-20 at the end of the cruise is a nice gratuity for their service. We are a middle class, retirement age couple (63 and 62) who are not retired with no plans to in the near future. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Tipping wait staff extra - how much? - Cruise Critic Community flipped into Ren de Lambert. After 23 Royal Caribbean Cruises, What I've Learned About Tipping How much do you tip on a cruise ship? Insight on gratuities when sailing.