Please share on Facebook or PIN to your favorite Pinterest board (share buttons at the top). Get access to the best last minute hotel rates in the USA by becoming a registered member online today. Another drink package option for Royal Caribbean cruisers is the Classic Soda package, which includes fountain soda and refills at any venue, Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages and even a Coca-Cola souvenir cup. 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. ATMs usually charge a $5-6 fee per transaction. You can post now and register later. But many cruisers (including myself) choose to prepay to avoid a big charge at the end of the cruise. April 16, 2019 in Royal Caribbean Dining. In addition, weve included a list of daily gratuities per cruise line and who else you may wish to tip. If youre booked with Celebritys Always Included, the gratuities are included. Our goal has been to provide our readers with expansive coverage of all aspects of the Royal Caribbean experience. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! The staff learns real quick who tips extra, and who does not. In a survey of 850 cruisers, 71% stated that they took over $100 per person per day when cruising. Still confused . The finishings are top notch, and the bathroom, in particular, is well-designed with a separate water closet. I would imagine wed see prices increase overall if they did this, but perhaps it amounts to this anyway. Tips on Cruise Ship Tipping - Who and How Much to Tip! So they follow this model with many of their crew members who perform services for passengers. If you go on a tour or shore excursion, its nice to tip the driver or shore excursion staff if youve appreciated their service. Cruise line employees are extremely hard working, I agree, and they go above and beyond so often. Some cruise lines refer to these tips as a service charge. Please note that gratuities are charged in US dollars for Caribbean, US and Canada cruises. Critics of this system (which has evolved in the last several decades from strictly cash-based gratuities) say that under this tip pooling arrangement, cabin attendants and wait staff aren't getting recognized for exemplary work the same as they were in the old days. Im Carrie Ann, the writer behind Should Be Cruising. By The cruise line will assess your fee each day, then theyll charge your credit card on file at the end of the cruise. Tipping on a cruise ship can be a confusing endeavor, especially for those sailing for the first time. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_21',676,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-2-0');Tip: Want to avoid paying hefty ATM fees on the cruise ship to get cash for tips? However, extra tipping and being a jerk do not go hand in hand. Happy cruising :). I love reading your blog and learning, but I dont often have time to sit down at the computer to read. I dont think anyone will think youre rude for not tipping over and above this. The only exception is for passengers with prepaid gratuities (they won't be charged daily). Often, these crew members are part of the tip pool, and they lose part of their expected income each time a passenger removes autogratuities. Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been sailing at nearly 100% capacity for the past few months. Thanks! Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. cost cruise much does caribbean royal excursions treatments fees consider drinks spa government Continue with Recommended Cookies. Celebrity Cruises is Royal Caribbean's sister brand that provides a slightly more upscale, refined experience onboard. Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. Thats up to you! Between January 2, 2018, and Sept 7, 2022, RCI's daily (per passenger) crew gratuities were US$14,50 (standard staterooms) and US$17,50 (Grand Suites+). Bond with your snorkel guide? Royal Caribbean says it is raising its suggested crew gratuities by nearly $2 per passenger, per day. 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. Posted March 5, 2007. I don't actually agree with th. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Keep in mind that cruise crew members live in tight quarters, so small (and edible) gifts are preferred. Credit: whmuc.blogspot.com. Ive got you covered! They often work 7-10 months at a time and 12-14 hours per day for seven days straight before having a half or even a whole day off. Not based on what we "should" give, more on the fact that they provided very good service. When you book your cruise, youll be charged your cruise fare, port fees and taxes. Lets just say from the expression on the drivers face that he was not happy with that amount. Royal Caribbeans daily automatic gratuities are set at $14.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins and $17.50 per person, per day for guests in suites. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Cruise Line Gratuities: What's the Point? A former flight attendant, she now prefers cruise ships over airplanes and spends several months each year cruising and exploring cruise ports. What else can you do to show the crew your appreciation? Could you possibly make your articles printable? Royal Caribbean Cruises Tipping Policy As of September 7th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Automatic gratuities cover just about every tipped crew member on the ship. Beyond that, consider writing a heartfelt note of thanks or a drawing from your child (many have children they do not see for months at a time). Tipping on a cruise ship: The big picture. #1 Bring a bathing suit on embarkation day On embarkation day, the pools are open so be sure to pack a bathing suit in your carry-on luggage so that you can enjoy them with less crowds! You might want to reward your cabin steward, favorite bartender or MDR server, or any other crew member you think did a great job. Royal Caribbean: $14.50 per person, per day ($17.50 for guests in grand suites and above). Royal Caribbean raised the service fees on its ships in August by more than 10% to $16 per person per day for those staying in most cabins. cabin (not suite) recommended amount would be $39 pp times two equals $78 for a 4 night cruise. In the UK, tips are completely discretionary and are only to reward service that goes above the normal expectations. We have also taken a few of the ship's "backstage" tours and could see where the crew members reside, dine, kick back to relax, etc. If mainstream cruise lines decided to abolish tipping and pay all crew members a reasonable rate per hour, they would have to significantly raise the cost of cruise fares. The balcony is a good size with two chairs. You may also like: Do You Need to Bring Cash on a Cruise? Youll likely get much better service by doing that instead of just removing the tip! P.S. . Outdoor Activities If outdoor fun is your thing, the Carnival Dream offers a near endless array of ways to fill both day and night with fun. Clear editor. Service charges for guests ages 4-14 are half of the adult rate. Cruises in Europe are charged in Euros. If you're staying in a high-category suite, you may be expected to tip . What Is The Average Amount of Cash to Bring on a Cruise? For example, you might give the guide $5 to $10 for a half-day excursion or $10 to $20 for a full-day tour. Should Be Cruising is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. What do you think about the custom of tipping on a cruise ship? Travelers in suites are. You could also tip based on the length of the tour. Here are some daily automatic gratuity costs for several popular ocean cruise lines in USD (prices accurate as of summer 2021): Unlike with the deals you can get for prepaying for drink packages and some other add-ons, you wont get a discount for prepaying your automatic gratuities. A couple should budget about $200 in gratuities for a 7 day cruise. If you want to give an additional tip to your cabin steward (or two), Im sure its very appreciated. Please check Costas website for details. Just like with the Carnival's tipping policy, under the new Royal Caribbean tipping policy guests who believe they've been serviced poorly while onboard their "Of The Seas" ship has the right to ask Guest Services personnel to reduce or even to remove their automatic gratuities. Princess Cruises will automatically charge a crew incentive of $14.50 per person, per day for guests in inside ocean view and balcony cabins. Virgin Voyages does a lot of things differently than its mainstream peers. The cruise director will also remind passengers about how much and whom the cruise . Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool. Hi All, Im Ilana. Other cruisers, often people who remember cruising before autogratuities, prefer tipping crew in cash. This is a good question. Bar, spa and in-room dining for Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara have an 18 per cent gratuity charge. Near the end of your cruise, youll probably receive some comment cards in your stateroom that you can use to leave feedback about a member of the crew. Olsen Cruise Lines and Cruise & Maritime Voyages charge substantially less -- 7 per person per day; while Marella, Saga and P&O Cruises now include tips (MSC Cruises also includes tips for its UK-based ship, Preziosa). If you want to adjust the amount, go to the reception desk. Do you prefer to prepay your gratuitiesor to pay in cash? The tipping culture in North America and on cruise ships is flawed, but (as you mentioned) reducing or eliminating tips only hurts the hardworking crew and their families - and does nothing to change the system. If your shore excursion includes lunch, you generally dont have to leave a tipthe tour company takes care of the lunch bill. So our "big tip" on this subject is this - if you guys have a service staff problem, speak first with your cabin attendant. In this post, Ill be going through the cruise tipping policies by cruise line and answer some of the most common questions people have about gratuities on a cruise. Something you will need cash for on a Royal Caribbean cruise are any extra tips you give to crew members. Many luxury all-inclusive cruise lines include gratuities in their cruise fares, or have a tips neither expected nor required policy. For favorite bartenders or waitstaff, I give about $20 to each for a seven-day cruise. Learn how your comment data is processed. However, most cruisers do tip them for their service. 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. Related: Cruise Line. This amount varies by cruise line, however the average daily gratuity is $14-15 US per day, per passenger for a standard cabin and $17-18 a day for guests in suites. However, if you prefer to pay off your account and daily gratuities in cash, you can do so by going to guest services. Its unlikely to do any good by this point. We had the my time diningsame waiter and assistant every night. If you dont have a drink package, theyll add the price of each drink plus the service fee to your onboard tab. Below are just some of the people you may want to tip in this way, and some rough guidelines regarding how much - though know this is very subjective, and of course should be commensurate with the level of service that a given person provided. Cruise lines pay these workers very low wages for the long hours that they work each day, and expect that passengers will tip to increase the crew members earnings to a reasonable rate. Robinson said mainstream cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line charge gratuities on a per person, per day basis. I guess I was looking for some kind of scale like we have atrestaurants on land. Cruisers would have to tip each of their service personnel (the cabin steward, restaurant servers, bartenders, etc.) To avoid currency confusion, especially if youre traveling to multiple countries on one cruise, we recommend using a credit or debit card to make purchases in port whenever possible. A couple should budget about $200 in gratuities for a 7 day cruise. If you dont see the cards in your room, ask at the Passenger Services desk, or leave the feedback in your post-cruise survey. You can also adjust your gratuities up or down. Carnival cruise gratuities are automatically added to onboard accounts for those in all rooms. (Admit it: You tend to miss those nightly pillow chocolates and towel animals after you get home.) if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_13',603,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');Most mainstream cruise lines will charge you about $14 to $15 per person per day for automatic gratuities. It's always up to you to adjust the number of gratuities at any time while onboard the ship and your tips will be deemed undisputed. Im so glad youre enjoying my blog and find the posts helpful and appreciate the feedback. This should provide enough money for transportation, food, and small souvenirs in port. We usually do the prepaid tipping and also give some extra at the end of our cruises. Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. What do you think about cruise line gratuities and service onboard? I believe that often the bartenders will pool their tips b/c there are so many working the crowd but I think it's an individual choice on their parts as to how they handle this. Paste as plain text instead, If you transfer money to the slot machine and immediately cash out, you can take your cashout slip to the casino cage and receive the listed amount in cash. But I also feel like people will think Im rude for not doing so in reality tho, they are already being tipped 18%. All rights reserved. There are a couple of exceptions, though. How Much Does a Caribbean Cruise Cost? How Much Water Should I Drink Before Donating Plasma. On Costa Cruises, service charges of $12.50 per person, per day are charged for cruises departing from the US. Royal Caribbean offers three all-inclusive drink packages, a premium coffee package and a water package. Weve been on 4 cruises with our 5th. How to Pay: Paid in cruise fare at the time of purchase. Theres no need to add an extra tip for each drink. According to Royal Caribbean, the last increase put the company "in line with its competitors in the industry and recognize the exceptional work that Royal Caribbean's staff and crew does to deliver unforgettable vacations every day.". Whether in Mexico, St. Maarten, Italy, or Vanuatu, having cash is recommended. For guests staying in Grand Suites and above, the fee is $18.50 per person, per day. 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. First is the ATM. Sometimes it cannot be helped ! I was thinking of giving ours a $20 at the beginning, not sure if this is about the "norm", or if I should give a little more. You may also like: A Cruise Glossary: Cruise Terms You Should Know. You can also leave a small gift for your favorite crew member. I do think its a very personal choice, but we can talk about this in a future video for sure! 2% would be a shoddy tip, but it's fine for the "extra tip" line if that 2% was to bring the 18% service charge up to 20%. Your email address will not be published. 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. Of course, as always, its at your discretion. Gratuities or a service charge are added onto some onboard services. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_8',602,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');With the autograt system, many crew members who rarely received tips before now get a sharelike the laundry or kitchen staff on some cruise lines. Based on the amount of the bill. If you forgot to bring cash on your cruise, there are a few ways to get it once onboard. So glad this was helpful. Keep in mind, the venues are not always the same between Royal Caribbean ships, but each of my tips can. Cash is rarely required on a Royal Caribbean cruise, as all payments onboard are made via your SeaPass account. W. Cruise lines have implemented automatic gratuities, options to prepay gratuities and some popular cruise lines have begun including tips in your cruise fare. balyasny aum TRAVEL PROTECTION PROGRAM. Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. on board service charges (Norwegian Cruise Line). The fact is, the tips that crew get from passengers make up a good part of their wage. Technically your are not obliged to tip any more than the daily gratuities that have been charged to your room. On a cruise, most guests bring between $100-$120 in cash per day to be spent on transportation, tips, gifts, food, and shopping. Your glowing review can help a hardworking crew member earn a promotion or raise. We did prepaid gratuities, and then I also see that bar tabs will have the auto 18% added so I feel like it wont be necessary to leave an extra tip on the bar tab. Manage Settings However, a few lines dont add autogratuities for babies and toddlers under age two or three. What Is a Cabin Steward on a Cruise Ship? Some guests may bring $200 extra for gratuities whereas others may bring $50. Thanks for sharing your view on this. As I am sure you are aware each cruiser will have gratuities & tips added to their SeaPass account every day (unless you have paid these in advance with your booking). With a beverage package, youve already paid the service fee when you bought the package, so the tip is included. However, your cruise vacation expenses wont end there. In addition to this, an 18% gratuity is automatically added to all drinks, spa and salon services. Many cruisers opt to give extra cash tips to crew members who made their vacation that much more enjoyable. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_20',609,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-mobile-leaderboard-1-0');In for-a-fee specialty dining restaurants, you might see a spot on your bill (if you get one) to add a tip. (Want to get the most from your cabin steward? Given that most , all ? If not, just leave blank. So why dont cruise lines just increase the price of fares, and pay their crew a living wage with a decent hourly rate? Ren de Lambert. Before Your Royal Caribbean Cruise . Tips are added automatically to the onboard account (SeaPass) on a daily basis. Can You Refuse to Pay Gratuities on a Cruise? They did a really good job and I would like to tip them. If sailing in a reg. US$13,50 (increased from US$12,95) for standard cabins and US$16,50 (increased from US$15.95) for upper-tier suites. If you feel that you want to tip above and beyond the cruise tipping guidelines, go for it. However ,usually you can have at least 2 cabin stewards. Tips are of course a personal decision. However, you might end up paying a similar total price on a mainstream line when you factor in gratuities, drink packages, shore excursions, and the like. ), it, So youre planning a family cruise with a $2000 budget is it possible? Love this! Ill explain everything you need to know about cruise gratuitiesfrom who you should tip, how much you should tip, and who you should never tip on a cruise ship. We like to prepay gratuities when we make our final payment for our cruise, but this is optional. People associate umbrella drinks and colorful tropical concoctions with cruising, and fancy-looking martinis have become a nighttime staple at sea. There is a lot of included dining location so how do you know which ones to che. Some cruise lines refer to the gratuities as a crew incentive or a service fee, but essentially these are tips for crew members that are used to augment their low wages. Carrie Ann is the founder of Should Be Cruising and a lifelong travel fanatic. Disney cruises has a suggested daily gratuity charge of $13.50 per person, per day for all guests. Most cruisers wouldnt dream of removing the automatic gratuities. About $1-2 (or the equivalent in local currency) per bag is fine. You can purchase the drink package online pre-cruise or once onboard during the first day (or two) of your trip. The average daily gratuity on a cruise is $14-15 USD per person - approximately $30 per day, per couple in a cabin. Some cruise lines employ a sommelier or wine steward in the main dining rooms, who isnt included in the tipping pool. Or do you remove them altogether? Related: Whats included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare. Congrats on reaching Diamond :) Happy cruising! Either way, expect to spend about $15-20 per day. There aren't any hard-and-fast guidelines for this type of tip since it's contingent on your experience, but 25 to 40 on behalf of a couple roughly works out to an extra 2 to 3 per person, per day, for a seven-night cruise. You just cant help being extra nice or helpful when you know the people are going to be extra nice to you, ie the extra tips. It really made my day! Alaska is such a beautiful destination. Look for a link at the bottom of this page or in our privacy policy where you can withdraw consent. Let me know in the comments below! If your kids had a great time at the kids club on board, giving a tip at the end of the cruise to their favorite staff members is always appreciated. The drink package works at all onboard bars, restaurants, and even Royal Caribbean's private island CocoCay. If you go to any slot machine, youre able to transfer money to the game via your onboard account, which is connected to your credit or debit card. If you choose to pay tips in cash, there are usually some envelopes available at the guest service desk. You can just hand over folded cash, or use the tip envelopes youll find in your stateroom or at Passenger Services. We like to keep a few dollars handy for this purpose as we board our cruise ship. Thank you, Carrie Ann. There are different service charges for certain itineraries. 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. For example, Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com) recently increased its tip recommendations and now suggests $3.75 per day for your main waiter, $5 per day for the cabin housekeeping staff, $2.15 per day for the assistant waiter, and $0.75 per day for the head waiter. We sail Celebrity and opt to prepay gratuities. These kind, helpful, generous, employees work extremely hard to make sure guests like myself have a fabulous time, and since I do, the very least I can do is show my appreciation in a way that benefits them the most! I had prepaid my gratuities, and I assumed the porter was a cruise line employee, so I didnt tip him.

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