Fantastic, you have decided to go on a cruise. Then you read somewhere or someone tells you that you have to tip or pay gratuities. In most cases, yes that is very true, there is facility for giving crew tips. So you need to budget for gratuities. Giving a tip is a sign of appreciation for the service received, it is not mandatory. If you are not familiar with tipping here is some guide on how to tip, how much to tip, when to tip, and who do you tip.
A gratuity is more than a bonus, the base wages for crew is very low compared to wages so comparable jobs in the west. Most crew are dependent on gratuity for a large portion of their income. This is a situation where the cruise line passes on the cost of crew to the passengers directly. In Australia, gratuities are usually in the price of your fare. Read the details of your booking. Some cruise lines adds a fee per person on your on-board account each day. By adopting this method the gratuity is distributed among all crew, those you see and those in the background that keep the ship running. If you wish you can choose to withhold that method of gratuity, this is not a strategy that I recommend. As I indicated above, crew rely on gratuity as a substantial part of their income, if you do remove the automatic gratuity, you would want to be prepared to pay each crew member personally and handsomely. Tip early, Tip big
With the move to anytime dining moving away from traditional set dining with the same servers, giving a gratuity has become challenging. By the cruise line adding a set amount to your account each day that can be distributed around the crew. A gratuity is added to most alcoholic beverages, spa or salon services.
How to tip
Any method of tipping will be gratefully appreciated. The traditional cash-in-envelope method works just as well as a handshake with cash. The automatic gratuity method works equally as well. I always travel with a large amount of small US, Australian or Euro for additional direct tipping.
When to tip
Automated tipping or pre-paid tipping takes away the uncertainty about tipping. There are some services that cannot be prepaid such as spa and salon services, those services include a gratuity when you sign for them. Automated gratuity can be increased or decreased if you wish at the Pursers office or Guest Services. For outstanding service, either tip at the time or tip on the last evening. Leaving it to the morning of disembarkation can be difficult to find the specific crew member.
If you want to you can tip an additional amount at the beginning or during your cruise. Especially to someone like your cabin steward if you request additional services or are particularly messy and they are having to work harder to keep your stateroom tidy. A handshake gratuity to a bar tender at the beginning of the cruise could be the start of a beautiful friendship. I don’t know how true it is to tip a Maître d’ for personalised service in a dining room, maybe someone can try it and give me some feedback.
Third party service providers such as baggage handlers or tour guides should be tipped at the time of service.
Who to tip and how much to tip.
Using the automated gratuity method you tip up to $20 depending on the cruise line. You can choose to pay more for exceptional service, deserving crew and favours.
Stateroom attendants and Butlers
Automatic gratuity plus $10-15 per person at the end of each week of the cruise for a stateroom attendant and $25-35 per person for a week.
Room service steward
$1-3 a visit depending on the size of the order.
Bartender
Automatic gratuity for each drink is 1% or about $1, you can choose to give an additional $10 at the beginning of cruise and $20 at the end of a cruise.
Wine Sommeliers
Automatic gratuity for each drink is 1% or about $1, you can choose to give an additional $10-15 at the end of a cruise.
Maître D’ and Head Waiters
Usually you do not tip a Maître D’, though you can if you want a table upgrade or a special service. The Head Waiter tip comes out of the automatic gratuity calculation, though you can give $5-10 at the end of a cruise.
Dining Room Wait Staff
Automatic gratuity plus $10-20 per person at the end of each week of the cruise.
Entertainment crew or Kids’ Club crew
No tip is necessary. If they have provided exceptional service a small tip would be acceptable.
Casino Dealers
If you are on a winning streak, reward your dealer a percentage of your winnings.
Spa and Salon Services
Additional 15-18% gratuity is added to you bill. This amount can be adjusted according to the service received.
Officers
Officers are financially well compensated, do not tip the captain or ship’s officers. Thank them personally or write them a note.
Baggage Handlers or Stevedores
Typically tip $1-2 per bag
Third party shore excursion guide
Offer whatever you feel comfortable, often it will be shared between the guide and the driver. So giving around $5 for a half day tour or up to $10 for a full day tour can be reasonable.
There you have a brief overview about the concept of gratuities and tipping. I see a lot on social media and chat rooms about removing automatic gratuities. If this is you, maybe cruising is not the holiday format for you. I will go out on a limb and say if you can’t afford to tip then you can’t afford to cruise.
Ready to tip, well pack your bag, you are ready to cruise.
