You can purchase the drink package online pre-cruise or once onboard during the first day (or two) of your trip. 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. There is a lot of included dining location so how do you know which ones to che. Youre welcome to use a credit or debit card to make purchases in ports of call whenever possible. There are also usually comment cards available at the purser's desk or online for additional recognition -- or post a review on Cruise Critic. Your article has done a lot to change my philosophy and increase my understanding of why there is this charge and what the implications of reducing it might be. I think it's more like when you go to a restaurant and they added the automatic service charge to the bill, but there is still a line for additional tipping. April 16, 2019 in Royal Caribbean Dining. Posted September 17, 2021. Children aged 2-11 will be charged $6.25 per day. Then (if your problem continues to bother you) contact the hotel manager. Upload or insert images from URL. The COST Series: Cruise Ship TIPPING | Who to tip on a cruise and how much | Royal Caribbean Tipping The Weekend Cruiser 8.96K subscribers Subscribe 588 Share 10K views 8 months ago. I love reading your blog and learning, but I dont often have time to sit down at the computer to read. 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. Royal Caribbean says it is raising its suggested crew gratuities by nearly $2 per passenger, per day. Tips on Cruise Ship Tipping - Who and How Much to Tip! The service charge on MSC Cruises is $12.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. The balcony is a good size with two chairs. Princess: $14.50 per person, per day ($15.50 for mini-suite guests and $16.50 for suite guests). However, cruisers dont always see all of the crew who work behind the scenes for them, like the kitchen and laundry workers. Read more: Should You Prepay Gratuities on a Cruise or Pay Onboard? If you are one to give your room attendant a little extra (on top of auto gratuities), how much do you typically give. People associate umbrella drinks and colorful tropical concoctions with cruising, and fancy-looking martinis have become a nighttime staple at sea. Related: Cruise Line. If you want to adjust the amount, go to the reception desk. No worries about "shoddy tips" since you have already paid the standard tip. Each person you tip gets their own envelope. Thats a funny thing that weve experienced in the past as well. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'shouldbecruising_com-leader-2','ezslot_15',606,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-shouldbecruising_com-leader-2-0');Since you cant remove the automatic tips for just that one crew member, removing or lowering your automatic gratuities hurts all the tipped employees. I'm so glad you found my post! The drink package works at all onboard bars, restaurants, and even Royal Caribbean's private island CocoCay. Some people are retired or on a fixed income, some are well off, some have to save for years for a cruise. Please check Costas website for details. The average daily gratuity on a cruise is $14-15 USD per person approximately $30 per day, per couple in a cabin. 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. December 8, 2010. You will get great service either way. (For line by line information, read more about cruise line tipping policies.). Its unlikely to do any good by this point. Royal Caribbean charges a gratuity of $16.00 per person, per day. 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%. 1 Royal Caribbean Travel Protection is an optional travel protection add-on to your cruise booking and is available through Royal Caribbean for residents in all states except New York. Get expert advice, insider tips and more. There is no charge for children under 2 years of age. 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. Youre right an 18% gratuity is added each time you purchase a drink. Celebrity Cruises isnt a luxury cruise line, however it is a top premium cruise line that markets itself as modern luxury. Note that we are Australian, so therefore not inclined to tip unless the service warrants it. Service charges for guests ages 4-14 are half of the adult rate. Our concern is that the cruise lines take advantage by paying lower wages and then guilting passengers into higher tips. And if the problem still remains unsolved - then adjust the tips. Since most cruise passengers follow the tipping guidelines, that amounts to an increase $13.30 . frequentfloaters.com - That Guy. So they follow this model with many of their crew members who perform services for passengers. Our Hawaiian cruise in April will be the first weve been on in 15 years, so, obviously, things have changed a lot. Most mainstream cruise lines bill passengers between $12 and $15 per person, per day for. 4 Ways to Tip Extra on a Non-Tipping Cruise Ship, What to Expect on a Cruise: Onboard Spending, Service on a Luxury Cruise: What to Expect. You might want to remove their tips as a punishment for poor service. ~ janet 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. This is a personal decision and Im not sure if theres a tipping etiquette for it. How much? Princess Cruises also has the Princess Plus fare, which includes gratuities or the crew incentive, Medallion Net wifi and Princess premium beverage package. Some cruise lines employ a sommelier or wine steward in the main dining rooms, who isnt included in the tipping pool. We usually do the prepaid tipping and also give some extra at the end of our cruises. Most cruise lines charge for children as well, although there are some exceptions for very young children on select cruise lines. US$13,50 (increased from US$12,95) for standard cabins and US$16,50 (increased from US$15.95) for upper-tier suites. The gratuity applies to individual guests of all ages and . Most cruise ships have ATMs, and some have currency exchanges on board. Cunards daily gratuities are set at $11.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. Today is day 10 of a 12 day cruise on grandeur. Cruising in 2022: Why Onboard Tipping is More Important Than Ever, Cabin Stewardess on Princess Cruises (Photo: Princess Cruises), A Cash Tip Which is Common on Cruises (Photo: elwynn/Shutterstock). 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Cruise Line Gratuities: What's the Point? In standard cabins, Carnival charges $14.50 per person, per day in tips. When you book your cruise, youll be charged your cruise fare, port fees and taxes. On a 7 day cruise we usually give $50 to the waiter and $30 to the asst. Just for comparison, by the old RCCL tipping guidelines, the Royal Caribbean suggested tips/gratuities were a total of USD 11,65 per day per passenger (respectively USD 13,90 for suite passengers) and also guests could pay onboard either in cash or via their shipboard account. I dont tend to tip in advance, so this is an interesting way of doing things. I believe since these are pooled between everybody, additional tipping should only be done if you feel somebody has gone above and beyond. 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). Viking Cruises gratuities are $15.00 per person, per day for all staterooms. $15.99 per person per day for guests in suites. The cruise industry has worked this way for a long time, although the automatic gratuities are only the last few years. If cruising from Australia to the South Pacific, Australian dollars are widely accepted. 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. In a survey of 850 cruisers, 71% stated that they took over $100 per person per day when cruising. Thanks for sharing your view on this. Passengers sometimes plan in advance to bring small gifts to leave with their cabin stewards, either at the beginning or end of the cruise. Thats up to you! The time when youll need the most cash on a cruise vacation is when youre in port. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Cruise lines just have contracts with their preferred shore excursion companiesthe guides and drivers arent employees of the line. 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.". There is a lot to know before you even step foot on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. will be more appreciated than something they would have to store. The new RCI tips per day are added to each guest's SeaPass card (shipboard account) automatically. 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). 1 1 Quote Cindi Members 12 Author Posted April 16, 2019 Pasted as rich text. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Now if someone goes over and above a little extra is due. Some things are free, other items are fee-based. Youll likely get much better service by doing that instead of just removing the tip! 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). Cruising can be such a relaxing vacation as well as so much fun. If you dont have a drink package, theyll add the price of each drink plus the service fee to your onboard tab. Please share on Facebook or PIN to your favorite Pinterest board (share buttons at the top). Whether $2 to a bartender, $20 to your waiter, or $50 to your stateroom attendant, its common to tip crew members extra for excellent service.