On a cruise, About how much money do I need to take for Tips?

Show all answers

sorcha

Usually it's already added on, or they automatically charge you at the end of the cruise. The only reason to bring cash is if you think your waiter/waitress staff did an exceptional job and you want to give them more. Tips are added onto the total when you buy a drink by the pool, etc. Your cruise line should have the tip breakdown for you, and then you can inflate or decrease it as you see fit. Have fun!

kittikatti69

Tipping on a cruise is much easier than tipping in a fancy hotel or resort. Basically, your cash is no good on the boat. At least on Royal Caribbean... they give you a card that allows you access on and off the boat (along with ID in some cases) and also doubles as a "room card" where anything you buy is basically "charged to your room". On the last day of the cruise, they'll deliver a statement to your room that itemizes any charges. At that point you can go to the customer service desk and pay cash if you like, or they'll just charge to the credit card you provided. I believe that if you DO opt to pay cash (they'll make you decide at the beginning of the cruise), you have to give them a certain amount up front as a deposit... which you'd get back any that you don't spend. If you provide a credit card, no deposit is needed. Oh... the statement you get also lists "suggested" tip amounts for certain staff persons (waiter, room attendant, etc). But my point is... you don't have to hand out dollar bills on a daily basis... it's all done at once when the trip is over.

One other thing... if the cruise is going to take you out of US waters (for instance we went to Mexico), you might want to let your bank know (if you're using a credit or debit card) so they don't freeze your account when they see "weird" activity. Mine was fine, but my mom's account was frozen (same bank too, which seemed odd). Phone calls from the ship are INSANELY priced... so it's really easier to give them a "heads up" beforehand.

The only things you'll have to pay for other than alcohol and tips is any excursions you take that haven't been paid for previously (you can leave the boat free and peruse areas on your own, but they often charge for "tours" and activities), any souvenir items, etc., any food/drinks OFF the boat... that's about it. Of course if you do massages etc. in the spa or anything, you'd have to pay for that.

Have fun!

tbugs

Some cruise lines require automatic tipping that will be added onto your onboard charges. This is definitely NOT a good thing. The staff automatically gets their tips and do not work as hard for you.

Most cruise lines still leave it up to each passenger. The suggested amounts are $3.50 per day per person for your cabin steward, $3.50 per day per person for your waiter, $2 for the busboy and a few others that you may or may not want to tip and do not have to do so.

Basically, if you get extra good service, tip a little extra. Tip a little less if you get mediocre service.

Shore excursions are extra, soda is extra, gambling is extra, computer time is extra, phone calls are a lot extra.

Ask your travel agent and they will give you a complete breakdown of what to take.

coolliz2444

You have to tip the waiter, asst. waiter, maiter d, a few other people in the dining room, chief housekeeper, the housekeeper, and among a few other people but I would bring extra because you want to tip them more thast just an option but I think its nice for them to get as much as they can because their a long ways from home for like 8 months and they need the money for their families back home but I would say $400?? Give or take you would have to do the calculations for the actual rates but it varies depending on what cruise line it is.

dandanthecranman

Well there is the main tipping, which is set at $10 a day per person, which you can lower or raise, but they prefer you do not lower it. Other things you have to buy are things from the gift shop, photos, anything in the spa and pop you have to pay for.
Also if they have a cafe, with special coffees, chai lattes etc you have to pay for those.

owenlax17

Tipping on cruises has completely changed in recent years. Whereas in the past, you used to have to bring travellers checks or physical cash, cruise lines have dramatically moved towards electronic billing. Basically, when you check in for your cruise you'll be given a cruise-card which doubles as an expense card for your cruise and is tied to a credit card you supply at check in. On the night before last of your cruise on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess (and I think now Carnival, Holland America Line, Costa and NCL) you will be able to bill the suggested tipping amount to your credit card in exchange for little cards which you then physically hand to the employees. On Celebrity at least the tipping amount isn't flexible (they advise that if you want to tip less, bring your own cash or get it from the ship's bank; if you want to tip more, however, you can add that to the electronic tipping).

If you're a die-hard "must give cash personally" person, which is totally okay (some folks are uncomfortable with idea of just handing a card to someone and hoping they actually get the money they deserve), I'd suggest taking at most 500 dollars in cash (though don't freak out, that number's not just for tipping!) As mentioned earlier, tipping is generally expected to be about 10 to 15 dollars (depending on cruise line) per person per day. If you're travelling with a family of four, aim to spend 40-60 dollars per day on tips. For a 7 night cruise that works out to anywere from 280 to 420 bucks, give or take 20. If someone really does something outstanding, reward them a little (remember, a lot of these folks survive on tips). Our waiter on a recent Celebrity cruise was amazing enough that we tipped him double the suggested amount, in part because I'm a picky eater and he pretty much wound up bringing me one of every dish on the menu every night until I found one I liked. Our cabin attendant also helped us move rooms to a better one (which he recommended and we confirmed) midship, since my mum gets very seasick (we were originally at the very back). So he got a couple bucks extra thrown his way as well. Remember though, you don't have to reward poor service, and sometimes the only way to get a crew member to rectify his or her behavior is to hit their wallets.

In terms of other expenses, you may have to pay a per-head surcharge to eat at specialty restaurants (such as Palo on Disney Cruise Lines, Sabatini's on Princess etc...) which offer a different fare than the main dining room. Also bring some spare cash for incidentals, such as photos you like, sunscreen you might forget, a disposible camera, or any other souvenier which really catches your eye. Also, remember cruises can sometimes (not always) be great duty-free bargains. If you really want that bottle of Grey Goose tax free, be prepared to pay for it.

Have fun on your cruise!

DAVE

the rule is ten dollars per person per day so if you take a seven day cruise that would be $70

Prakash

You may try the site: www.sptravel4u.biz
You will find all information to it.
Good luck.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: