Monday, April 1, 2024

Complete Guide to Cruise Line Gratuities

cruise tip

First of all, if you’re feeling a little confused, don’t worry — you aren’t alone. In fact, we can’t think of a place where gratuities are handled the same way as they are on a cruise ship. To be on the safe side, the cruise lines follow federal law — which means that marijuana is illegal to bring on board. If you really need some of the green to relax on your cruise, you’ll have to wait until you arrive in port. No, the walls of your cabin aren’t paper thin, but sounds can travel between rooms. Keep this in mind if you decide to engage in “activities” in your cabin.

Many hotels near the port will offer free (or discounted) cruise parking and/or shuttles to the ship

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You can save your money and instead use that for excursions in non-private ports where it’s not near as easy and cheap to spend the day unless you book a tour. Are you the type or person that likes to get on and off the ship first? With thousands of people trying to do the same thing, there are massive traffic jams for people waiting to either embark or disembark. If you break a rule, they will usually just ask you to stop doing it.

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If that’s the case — and you decide you want to change the amount you are charged for tips — then you can do that. Gratuity charges are typically not mandatory and can be adjusted. To do so, simply head down to Guest Services on the ship to tell them that you want to change your tip amounts. No matter the language, they all end up being the same thing — a set daily charge to passengers that’s passed on to the crew.

Get your picture taken; it’s free and you pay only if you want it.

Every cabin will come with an in-room safe, which you should use whenever you leave the room. It’s perfect for storing extra cash, electronics, passports and more. When you’re packing, it’s a great idea to bring an assortment of medicines for general issues.

In other words, don’t buy the hype that you have to buy right now or miss out. If you want to experience these attractions, wait until later in your cruise. The first day or two will have everyone waiting in line to get in. Instead, if you just wait until the initial rush has died down, you can join the fun without having to wait in a line. If you are sailing from ports on the East Coast to the Western Caribbean, there’s a possibility you could find yourself in the middle of a refugee crisis.

Should you tip in the specialty dining restaurants?

She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea. By giving tips to crew members individually, you may be taking potential gratuities away from other hard working crew members you don’t meet in person. Cruise Radio prioritizes well-balanced cruise news coverage and accurate reporting, paired with ship reviews and tips.

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Your dedicated server for the duration of your cruise vacation. Some people will leave nothing extra while I’ve witnessed passengers give a server $100+ at the end of a cruise. When there is an assistant server, I’ll usually give them a bit as well. If the service is just average, I’ll sometimes leave nothing extra. 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. 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.

In Caribbean cruise ports American dollars are widely accepted (and often preferred). That’s a huge help for cruise passengers who don’t have to worry about having different currencies as they go from port to port. Credit cards are also accepted in many places, but we suggest cash for most transactions. Not surprisingly, many people opt to pay for the cruise line’s wi-fi service, even though it is pricey. If you do decide to purchase, then you’ll find that there are tiers of service.

Show up later to boarding to get on the ship fastest

cruise tip

If you booked with Royal Caribbean directly, your best bet is to call or access your account online to prepay gratuities. If you elect not to pay gratuities in advance, a daily charge will appear on your SeaPass account every day of the cruise. If you are on a 3-night cruise, for example, and don’t pay gratuities in advance, you will see a $16 (or $18.50) charge on your account each day of the sailing. While automatic gratuity charges may be convenient for some passengers, others prefer alternative tipping onboard.

However, you cannot remove the automatic 18% tip on drinks, specialty dining and so on. However, for the majority of mass market cruise lines the gratuities are extra charges on the price of your cruise. These can be a surprise to some people, especially first-time passengers. In fact, the staff will love that you want to give them more money. If you want to pay extra, we suggest simply handing cash directly to the people you want to recognize for their service. This happens regularly for passengers feeling generous or thankful for the staff’s work during their trip.

If you’re new to cruising, or it’s been a while since your last cruise, it’s important to know about cruise tipping guidelines before you sail. Tipping on a cruise ship isn’t mandatory, but it is customary, and many crew members rely on tips as a large part of their income. One alternative tipping strategy is to prepay your gratuities before departing on your cruise. This can help you budget for additional costs and ensure that all crew members receive their fair share of tips.

Sometimes it’s worth it just to relax for an hour and let the rush die down. We’d suggest everyone download the app before your cruise to use onboard. It’s much faster to download over home wi-fi instead of using your cellular network or the ship’s Internet. From heading into port to what to do with your phone, we have important tips for you to know before you sail. Odds are that you won’t need the travel insurance you buy, but when you do, it’s a lifesaver. Travel insurance can cover a ton of different things, including if you get hurt or sick on your trip.

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