Table Of Content
- Don't tip twice for drinks and spa treatments
- Tipping on a Cruise Begins Before Sailaway
- Show up later to boarding to get on the ship fastest
- Thinking if you prepay gratuities you will get lower quality service
- Going too far from the ship
- How Much Cruise Lines Spend on Food (Less Than You Think?)
- Let yourself enjoy a full day at sea.
You can read up about them on online forums or just wait to be surprised. Celebrity also has an all-inclusive program called “All Included rate” (formerly Always Included) where these fees are part of the rate. You’ll have an option at booking to go the all, or nearly all-inclusive rate or select a cruise-only booking where the above automatic tips are added. Before we get into tipping etiquette when you go on a cruise vacation, it’s important to point out that attitudes on extra tipping are largely cultural and vary greatly. Americans have tipping engrained in their DNA whereas Europeans don’t consider tipping a requirement. For Europeans, it is more of a gesture of simple “thanks” no matter how small the amount is.
Don't tip twice for drinks and spa treatments
The full charge is calculated and then you can call the cruise line or pay via your online account up to two days before your trip. This means that once you sail the charge is already taken care of. Yes, buffets are fantastic because they offer a wide variety of popular foods, and it’s all-you-can-eat around the clock. But if you’re only eating at the buffets, you’re missing some of the best food on the cruise! The restaurants are designed to give you a full dining experience and offer regional or specialty cuisines that can’t be found on the buffet.
Tipping on a Cruise Begins Before Sailaway
I have been on Carnival Cruise Line's oldest and newest ships: Here are my top 11 tips - Cruise Blog
I have been on Carnival Cruise Line's oldest and newest ships: Here are my top 11 tips.
Posted: Tue, 26 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Below are the current gratuity rates for other mainstream cruise lines. Some first-time cruisers feel pressured to tip extra on top of these gratuity charges, so I want to make sure they know this is optional. A few points below will explain situations in which a tip is not essential. I know some cruisers that like to start their cruise by tipping right out of the gate. This is fine if you just want to pay forward your gratuity, but don’t do this if you’re motivation is to be treated like royalty.
Show up later to boarding to get on the ship fastest
You should be able to find that info on the cruise line’s website. Below, we’ve linked to the web pages containing the prices and policies relating to service charges and gratuities for some of the most popular companies. So if you’re planning to go on a 7-day cruise, expect to give a total of between $112 and $161 per person in gratuities.
Thinking if you prepay gratuities you will get lower quality service
With the guidelines for tipping varying from one cruise line to the next, you have to be aware of the requirements (if any) for your cruise. Officially, though, there are no hard, universal rules to follow when it comes to tipping. Everyone needs to review their cruise line recommendations or ask your cruise travel agent what the tipping policy is. It’s customary to tip your shore excursion tour leader, driver, and guides, so don’t forget to bring cash with you in port. Most passengers tip their guides between $5-10, but there is no right or wrong amount to tip on a shore excursion. Bartenders and baristas may not be as visible as other crew members, but they still play an important role in creating a fun atmosphere onboard.
Most, if not all, major cruise lines impose automatic gratuities now. These are in addition to the cruise fare, port taxes, and general taxes. These automatic gratuities or ‘service charges’ are split, in theory, among all service staff on the ship as well as behind-the-scenes staff. For your average cruise, expect to spend $15 per passenger per DAY. For a family of 4 on a seven-day vacation, this adds up to an extra $420 to the vacation cost. Holland America gratuities are automatically charged at $17 per person, per day for regular cabin passengers and $19 for suite passengers.
Sit on your balcony, if you have one, and just stare out at the ocean for a couple of hours. Once you know what ports you'll be visiting, research them as much as you can at travel sites such as The Points Guy. Here at TPG, we're starting to build out a series of home port and destination port guides for everywhere from PortMiami to Bora Bora. While we're on the topic of sundries, don't forget extra batteries for your camera if you are bringing one.
Go to Guest Services late at night or early in the morning to avoid lines
Drop a pack into your water to instantly make your favorite beverage for free. It’s also a good way to get the kids to drink something other than soda while on their vacation. Yes, even if you are headed to the tropics you should always pack a few items of warm clothing. Once the sun goes down in the evening, it can get chilly on a fast-moving cruise ship with the wind whipping around.
Be sure to mention to any cruise line employee why you are there if it’s a special occasion. There’s no guarantee, but it’s not unheard of to be surprised by a bottle of champagne and some strawberries in your cabin for free. The cruise lines know that a little perk like this doesn’t cost a lot but can make your loyal for life. That means you have to find somewhere to park your car while you’re gone. The cruise ports all have on-site parking, usually located within steps of the cruise ship. While it’s extremely convenient, you’ll pay for that convenience.
They can stretch forever in a repeating pattern of cabins, walls, and identical doors. While doors are numbered, it’s easy to pass by your room as everything blends together. Cruise cabins are fairly soundproof (though not perfect), but if there is noise in the hallway, it can come in through the door. Case in point is if it’s in the early morning hours and a group of people are coming back from the bar on the ship (we’ve personally had it happen!). Unfortunately, we live in a world where you have to be cautious with your valuables.
In for-a-fee specialty dining restaurants, you might see a spot on your bill (if you get one) to add a tip. Tips are either covered by the autogratuities or there’s a service fee tacked on, so you don’t need to tip again. You can always add extra for exceptional service, though! Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool.
Even at is best, the wi-fi on a cruise ship will be slower than you’re used to seeing at home. In our experience, the lower tiers can be almost unusable. This is one place where you don’t want to skimp if you’re buying.
When choosing a room on your first cruise, you might want to stay away from those near elevators and just above nightclubs and other late-night venues. Cabins just below the pool deck and near the anchor also can be problematic as well as cabins near casinos. There are ways to make calls and access the internet from ships without spending a boatload of money.
In addition, we’ve included a list of daily gratuities per cruise line and who else you may wish to tip. As a cruise passenger, you want to be aware and set your budget expectations to include these amounts for the cruise ship staff. The fact is, the tips that crew get from passengers make up a good part of their wage.
During your cruise you will have a cabin steward that tends to the cabin each day. They do things like clean the room, restock anything needed, and make the bed. But one tip is to ensure that if you leave the cabin you don’t have anything laying out that you wouldn’t want them to see. It’s macabre, but if you’re on a larger ship, then it likely has a morgue on board. Cruise ships are carrying thousands of people 365 days a year. It’s a law of averages that someone will eventually pass away while on the ship.
The head waiter may or may not receive a cut in the share. Having several small bills is very handy, especially for early morning breakfast delivery. $2.00 to $5.00 is appropriate, depending on the food or how many meals ordered.
No comments:
Post a Comment