Med Cruise and tipping.....

DJT75

Ah well sod em then. Don't prepay anything, don't tip as you go either & just make a service donation at the end of your holiday.

Or are we saying every time you buy a drink or meal on your account a tip is added, if you don't prepay?
That would add up & need to be reviewed at the end of the trip.

Tom1986

The tips are added daily. So say $12 per person per day. Not per meal or anything like that, just a lump sum.

A lot of line ALSO charge gratuities on each drink, though, so bear that in mind too. Something like 18% per drink (so drink cost   18%).

Although, if you have a drinks package, I've never had the gratuity applied to any drinks, all seems to be 'part of the package'. It all gets very confusing!

Sometimes it's best to just enjoy your cruise, then last but one day have a look at what you've spent, how it's worked out, and assess if the tips seem a fair amount for what you've done and what service you've received. The service WILL be great (whether it's $12 per person per day for 2 kids will be personal opinion of course).

Hpi_matrix

Sorry to sound like a tight mingebag but what is all this tipping about? Do the staff not get paid? What if I went on a cruise and didn't tip at all? Would I get a sub-par service?

supahyp

Tipping is basically to pay the staff , who like American waiting staff are paid a token wage , and rely on tips .
The fact is the most cruise lines are American , for whom tipping is second nature . They as a general rule tip well and often. The headline cruise price is often low as they save on staff costs , knowing they will have their staff wages paid by tips .
Overcapacity on fleets has led to more and more cruise lines going to other parts of the world were tipping is not the norm , and only given to reward exceptional service . Hence the advent of the automatic gratuity .
I have been a frequent cruiser for the last 20 plus years , and i always leave the gratuity on as I work out the cost for the five of us and add it to the total I expect to pay for the holiday . I also tip extra to the room service chaps if they have delivered a large order , or been extra quick .
I understand how tipping works and do not begrudge paying it . I have been on holidays where the ship is full of yanks and they tip everyone , all the time . This definately leads to a happier vibe amongst the staff on the ship . I have also been on cruises were there is a large line of passenger queing at passenger services on the first day to have their automatic gratuity removed on the first day .Talking to staff it appears Aussies and europeans are the tightest when it comes to tipping .
You will not be singled out for crap treatment if you don't tip AKAIK .
There are some ships were tipping is not required , but these are the ultra premium lines , who sail on smaller ships with fewer passengers .

lurcher

How did you get on with the cruise booyaka ? , how did the tips thing end up ? , we have just booked for next year and its $23 per day for couple .

Davemazo

I've been on seven cruises with Cunard, Fred Olsen, Princess and Carnival, and apart from the first one I've always cancelled the tips from my account without any problem, usually on the second or third day of the cruise. I always though leave tips in an envelope for the waiters and room service.

I think $12 to $15 per person per day is a bit much plus the up to 18% service charge on drinks.