Tipping: bad for cows, good for cabin crew.
Disclaimer: In bars, you don’t talk about religion, sports, or politics. In cruise forums, it’s tipping — just don’t go there. This article is a little like Disney’s Bruno. We don’t want to talk about it, but we need to. Also, if you write us a nasty gram regarding this post, we might turn your quotes into t-shirts and post them on social media… You’ve been warned! =)
Cruise Tipping can be Confusing
It’s important to know when and how much to tip while on board to ensure you take proper care of the crew while enjoying the benefits of vacation. For expectation management, cruise lines typically add tips — also listed as gratuities or service charges — to your room tab at the end of your cruise in a per person, per day amount, with some exceptions.
We at CruiseAlly believe it’s important to go the extra mile — or dollar in this case — when considering this and the intense efforts required to operate cruise ships. CruiseAlly wants to elevate the entire cruising industry, and this is a very tangible way we, as a community, can improve the lives of dedicated cruise crews.
Want a very informative and interesting documentary about the inner workings of a mega cruise ship? Enjoy this feature on the MSC Seaside, available on Amazon Prime, The Secret Life of the Cruise.
Who Should Get Cruise Tips
Most commonly, cruisers tip their housekeeping staff and dining room servers. These are the most visible crew members to passengers. However, there are behind-the-scenes crew members who are also deserving of our monetary gratitude! Prepaid tips and/or those added to your cabin tab are divided among bartenders, waiters, laundry workers, maintenance personnel, and kitchen staff, all of which often go unnoticed by passengers but play a vital role in making sure everything runs smoothly onboard. Let’s keep the good food —ahem alcohol, excuse us — flowing.
More tipping, please!
Cruise Tipping Pre-Pay #thisistheway
Mando would certainly choose to prepay his tips. When tipping on cruise ships, there is no hard-and-fast rule, as every line implements different policies. Generally speaking, you can either prepay gratuities or have them added at the end of your cruise to your room tab. Prepaying tips allows passengers to budget and manage their expenses more easily as tips are already taken care of; thus, “this is the way” all of us at CruiseAlly tip on our Cruise vacations.
Mandatory Cruise Tipping
Bar services, specialty dining, spa services, and others are often billed with a “gratuity included” fee. In practice, this appears as a $10.00 drink with a 20% gratuity added, effectively costing you $12.00. It’s important for you to read the menu and understand how service charges are handled. When you sign for your service or menu item, you will likely find a line to add a tip. This does not replace the included tip amount. Rather, this is in addition to the included charge already on your bill.
Optional Cruise Tipping
You can actually remove the daily fees, observed as a per person, per day service fee, gratuity, or tip charge on your cabin tab. Bringing things back around to elevating the whole cruise industry, we generally opt to leave these fees in place. Additionally, we feel if a crew member goes above and beyond to make your vacation fabulous, don’t hesitate to show them some appreciation!
Tip Yanking 🙁
Remember this rhyme: “Tip yanking deserves a spanking!”
Some passengers opt to remove the prearranged tips if they feel slighted or underwhelmed by their overall experience. While removing these tips may seem like a good way to make sure you don’t pay for something you didn’t enjoy, remember the highlight reel of your trip and the workers who made it happen. If you still have a complaint, instead of reducing your tip total, it’s best to speak with the customer service desk and provide feedback immediately so the situation can be rectified. That way, everyone is happy and you are still able to show your appreciation for all of their hard work.
How do you handle tipping? Do you make it rain after every exquisite meal? (No making it hail — safety first!) We want to know! Please share your tips with us at marketing@cruiseally.com.
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