A Beginners Guide To Cruise Gratuities

Understanding cruise gratuities commonly known as tipping can at first sound complicated, especially if it is the first time you have taken a cruise holiday. Priminarly you can break down cruise tipping into three areas, but you should check with your cruise operator before making a booking what the cruise lines policy is on gratuities.

An All-Inclusive Cruise with some Cruise lines also includes Cruise gratuities therefore any tipping is optional.

Service charges have become increasingly popular on board cruise lines, and in reality these charges are tips that have been incorporated into the daily costs of services on board. This makes is easier to budget whilst on vacation, and tipping is therefore down to you.

Some Cruise lines have introduced a Non-tipping policy, which means that none of the cruise staff expect to be tipped. These gratuities have been incorporated into the overall cost of your cruise.

It is important to remember that tipping is not compulsory, but if you feel that you have had exemplary service from a member of staff you can tip accordingly. On some Cruise ships envelopes are left in the cabin for gratuities, or you can ask the information centre if they supply them. A good idea is to bring small envelopes with you, write the name of the person the tip is intended for and hand it to them on the day of your departure.

As you will come across many numbers of staff on your Cruise ship it is difficult to know who you should and shouldn’t tip, but in general the staff you will come in contact with on a daily basis are Cabin Steward/Room Service Steward/Dining Room Stewards/Bartenders. If for instance you have a favourite bar and bar tender/ restaurant staff you can either tip them each time or more practically at the end of your cruise.

Cruise tips are an expression of gratitude for a service that you think has been done well, but under no circumstances feel pressured into tipping. A good rule of thumb if you wish to budget for tipping whilst on your cruise is between £5/£8 per day.

Shore excursions are another area where tipping can be confusing. In general the two people that you may wish to tip are the tour guide and the driver. A well informed and helpful tour guide can be tipped between £2/£4. The driver on average is tipped between £1/£2.

It is also helpful to inform staff that you have a daily contact with that you prefer to tip at the end of the cruise, therefore saving yourself the embarrassment of an expectant look.

Decide how much, when, and whom you wish to tip and then work accordingly to your daily cruise gratuity budget. Tipping is on most cruise lines an accepted practice, but make sure you fully understand.

By: Amanda Barnes

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About the Author of this post - Amanda Barnes is a regular guest author for Ideal Cruising, the UK’s premier independent cruise specialist.