I am going on a cruise in June and would like to know:?

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TINKERTOY ..... the 1 & only

In general tips are paid at the end of the cruise. When you cruise you will be asked to provide a gratuity for your cabin steward, waiter, assistant waiter, and head waiter. The cabin steward and waiter get $3.50 per person per day, the assistant waiter gets $1.75 per person per day. The head waiter gets $.75 per person per day.

That totals about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided FREE but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15 percent gratuity to each alcoholic drink and soft drink order. So drink tips are added to your bill automatically and you pay them as you go.

Any time you want you can add more tip to a drink tab when you sign it. In addition, you can if you want add more to the gratuities of any of the 4 person who get them. Just go to the purser's desk and make arrangement for more. Also, if you experience very poor service from any of these person you should go to the purser's desk and complain and if you want request that the gratuity you pay to them be reduced.

shhhhhhhhhhhimhiding

You didn't mention the cruise line you are going on. Carnival normally place a $10 per day/per person charge on your room account. That tip goes to the dining staff ( all of them from Lido deck to fine dining), room stewards. For the service you receive $10 is a bargain. RCL does it a little differently. You can choose whether to have it automatically included or give cash at the end of the trip. On the last night you will receive envelopes and vouchers (if you choose prepay) for you to distribute to the staff. Personally, I prefer the way Carnival does it, I don't have to track down the people and I know it is still getting to them

Knitter357

I agree with Tinkertoy and would like to add that it's customary to give a few dollars to the Maitre D' if you eat in the main dining room. An envelope will be provided. I always like to leave extra tips for those servers who really go above and beyond. One trip, I had a cocktail waitor in the club I went to every night who knew my drink preferences and card # after the first night and magically appeared every time I needed a new drink. Another trip, our room steward was exceptionally polite and arranged everything perfectly for us.

Also, always fill out your comment cards and be specific with names. That's how the staff get bonuses and recognition.

luludoodie

Don't worry.

You will be informed very discreetly exactly what is expected. Some will add automatically $10/per person/per day to your on-board tab and some have envelopes at the pursers desk!

If you look in the small print of your cruise lines web-page you will probably find it explained!

Barkley Hound

Due to the fact that many cruise lines are now offering anytime dining as an alternative you may have different waiters for every meal. They simplify matters by adding a recommended tip to your shipboard account. Princess adds $10.50 ($11.00 for suite/mini suite) per person per day. At the end of the cruise you can ask to have it removed or changed. I have been told that if you give cash directly to the staff they must turn it into the pool. They only get to keep any amount over the minimum recommendation.

There will also be a 15% tip added to any bar drinks including soft drinks. If you go for a souvenir glass with a drink the added charge also includes 15%. Special soda and coffee cards also have a 15% tip added.

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Florida Girl

Most cruise lines automatically add tips to your daily bill. Go on the website for the cruise line you are taking and it will have the exact amount. Usually around $10 per day per person for the wait staff and the same for the cabin staff. No need to give more unless you feel the need.

tom

The cruise line gives suggestions. They usually give you several envelopes with your room steward and waiter's names on them to leave in the room at the end. I used to leave $1 for each meal consumed by my wife or me for the waiter. Bartenders and cocktail staff are tipped at the time of service.

What really chaps me about cruise ships is they charge drinks as if you are at a fancy cocktail lounge but they are buying the booze duty free for consumption offshore. They are really making a high profit off that.

snailysnal

the one we went on, they give you envelopes for the tips. Dont dont actually leave them in your rooms or on the table at dinner.

Bill in Kansas

On Carnival they add $10 per day/ per guest to cover your tips

You can increase the amount if you desire

mooby67

My wife and I tend to be generous tippers and have found it to be very rewarding on cruises. Most cruise lines charge a daily gratuity fee, but don't count on that getting into the hands of the staff that helps you most. In fact, the gratuity that is automatically added to your bar/restaurant tabs, as well as, additional tips you may write in, aren't always given to the person(s) you think it should.

As an example, my wife and I were on an NCL cruise and found a bartender we really liked early in the cruise (something I think you should do on every cruise if you plan to have drinks regularly throughout the cruise). By the end of the cruise, she confided in us that the cruise was short staffed and she was actually a bar server, but had been covering the bartending duties during our cruise. As such, the regular bartender was tending another bar on the ship and actually received tips from his bar, as well as the bar we frequented. That's not to say she didn't receive any of the tips. She still received a portion of the tips from that bar that is shared equally between the servers there.

After that experience, when we choose to tip additional gratuities, we always use cash, so that the person giving us great service can pocket it.

My suggestions for who to tip, when and how much are as follows (keep in mind, we're generous tippers, but have never failed to get great service):

Room steward(s): $10 daily, $20 when you make special requests. (Speaking of special requests, I would suggest that you ask them to provide you with a foam eggcrate mattress pad. It makes the beds much more comfortable.)

Waitstaff: $5 for breakfast and lunch, $10 - $20 for dinner.

Bartender: $1 per drink or $20 if you're hanging out in the bar for a few hours.

Cocktail servers: $1-$2 per drink.

Concierge: $10-$20 per request depending on difficulty of your requests.

Spa staff (stylist, massage therapists, accupunturist, etc.): $10-$20 additional gratuity for exceptional service

Excursion guides: $5-$20 depending on length of excursion and how much enjoyment your received.

Anyone else on the cruise that goes out of their way to help you and add to your enjoyment.

Whatever you do, don't wait to the end of the cruise to tip. You'll receive better service throughout your cruise if you start tipping early on.

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