Royal Caribbean's drink packages include: Deluxe Beverage Package Refreshment Package (No alcohol) Classic Soda Package Cruises in Europe, World cruises and those departing from a non-US Caribbean port charge 10 Euros per person, per day. For many cruise passengers, bars play a pretty large role in their experiences. As a cruise passenger, you want to be aware and set your budget expectations to include these amounts for the cruise ship staff. Had same two waiters 4 of those nights. But you should know, that the ship's service staff don't make a salary - your tips are their wages. Royal Caribbean Cruise Holiday Deals 2020 & 2021 - Cruise Nation www.cruisenation.com. a $200 gratuity on top of my prepaid gratuities. Thats a funny thing that weve experienced in the past as well. Most cruise ships have ATMs, and some have currency exchanges on board. In some service industries where wages are substandard, customers are expected to pay a gratuity, typically 15 to 20% of the bill, to augment the workers low hourly wages. Come join my Facebook Cruise Community Thanks for reading and Happy Cruising!! Which family cruise can you book for $2000? I also tip constantly while on the cruise. The cost is $13.50 per person, per day for guests in Grill Class suites. Treasure Coast of Florida. They will seldom steer you wrong. This fee ranges anywhere from $12.50 to upward of $20 per person, per day, depending on the cruise line -- usually on the higher end if you're staying in a suite. By proceeding, you agree to Cruise Critics. To avoid currency confusion, especially if youre traveling to multiple countries on one cruise, we recommend using a credit or debit card to make purchases in port whenever possible. A better solution is to have a discreet word with the crew members supervisor about your concerns. Carnivals daily gratuities are $13.99 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins. There are instances of passengers who prefer not to tip, usually either because they disagree with tipping on principle or they've experienced unsatisfactory service. The cruise where fun means everything. In fact, I think most would agree that cruise line staff make a huge difference in the cruise experience. Who else should you tip on a cruise ship? Posted March 5, 2007. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Keep in mind that cruise crew members live in tight quarters, so small (and edible) gifts are preferred. I don't actually agree with th. Here are some other people you should tip during your cruise. Cruises in Europe are charged in Euros. Your link has been automatically embedded. Although cash isnt required for onboard purchases, there are a few scenarios where youll want to have cash available. I believe that often the bartenders will pool their tips b/c there are so many working the crowd but I think it's an individual choice on their parts as to how they handle this. While each cruise line is different, many include alcoholic drinks, soda and specialty coffee, gratuities, specialty dining and some shore excursions. Many cruisers opt to give extra cash tips to crew members who made their vacation that much more enjoyable. Some cruise lines employ a sommelier or wine steward in the main dining rooms, who isnt included in the tipping pool. I ALWAYS tip extra to the outstanding employees on every cruise I have ever taken. If you want to adjust the amount, go to the reception desk. Between January 2, 2018, and Sept 7, 2022, RCI's daily (per passenger) crew gratuities were US$14,50 (standard staterooms) and US$17,50 (Grand Suites+). Whether $2 to a bartender, $20 to your waiter, or $50 to your stateroom attendant, its common to tip crew members extra for excellent service. See details here: Ultimate Cruise Planner -Whats Included, What to Pack for a Caribbean Cruise (with packing list), 7 Cruises to Avoid and What to Do Instead, Cruise Line Stocks Shareholder Benefits for Cruisers (FREE onboard credit). A The automatic service gratuity is $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Happy cruising :). Thanks so much for your input on this. Tipping extra is not necessary, and theres no right or wrong amount to give a crew member. The automatic service gratuity is $14.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Junior Suites and below, or $17.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Grand Suites and above, applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Princess: $14.50 per person, per day ($15.50 for mini-suite guests and $16.50 for suite guests). How much? Tipped crew make the majority of their income from gratuities! | Royal Caribbean Blog www.royalcaribbeanblog.com. Robinson said mainstream cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line charge gratuities on a per person, per day basis. Hi All, I just wanted to share something with new cruisers (and old if they do not know this). Many ships also have an abundance of kids' activities including kids clubs that . (Admit it: You tend to miss those nightly pillow chocolates and towel animals after you get home.) Unless they are below average and that has happened only one time. Why taking a weekend cruise is a great escape, 11 of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean, How to get to Royal Caribbean's cruise terminals and how much parking will cost, Top 16 things on a Royal Caribbean cruise everyone needs to do at least once. Just did 8 nights on Voyager. Porters: $1-5 per bag Room service delivery: $2-4 per tray If not, 15-20% of the bill (excluding any products that you buy) is customary. This practice can eat into the regular wages and livelihood of hardworking crew and is not advised. Weve been on 4 cruises with our 5th. Because plasma accounts for approximately 90% of total fluid volume, drinking plenty of water after receiving a transplant is beneficial to your body. Can You Refuse to Pay Gratuities on a Cruise? Manage Settings There is a lot to know before you even step foot on a Royal Caribbean Cruise. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Every stateroom has a room service menu. 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. There was only one cruise where my sons special request was denied. Ren de Lambert. Most mainstream cruise lines have their headquarters in the US. The gratuities on Oceania Cruises are $16.00 per person, per day for most staterooms and $23.00 per person, per day for guests in suites. $15.99 per person per day for guests in suites. If you feel that you want to tip above and beyond the cruise tipping guidelines, go for it. Carnival cruise gratuities are automatically added to onboard accounts for those in all rooms. Some people are retired or on a fixed income, some are well off, some have to save for years for a cruise. Im Carrie Ann, the writer behind Should Be Cruising. Its unlikely to do any good by this point. Royal Caribbean Royal Caribbean charges a $7.95 service fee and room service is available 24-hours a day. ROYAL CARIBBEAN BIGGEST SHIP. Cruising can be such a relaxing vacation as well as so much fun. Congrats on reaching Diamond :) Happy cruising! This fee ranges anywhere from $12.50 to upward of $20 per person, per day, depending on the cruise line -- usually on the higher end if you're staying in a suite. For both of us, we usually tip between $30-$50 for head waiter, and slightly less for assistant waiter and then even slightly less for the drink waiter (as we are non-drinkers but still want to. It's all on the room service menu. It really made my day! If you want to avoid any ATM charges, though, you can theoretically take money out via the casino. By If youre going on a cruise, you can expect daily gratuities to be charged automatically to your onboard account. If you go on a tour or shore excursion, its nice to tip the driver or shore excursion staff if youve appreciated their service. A As of September 7 th, 2022, the automatic service gratuity of $16.00 USD per person, per day for guests in non-suites staterooms, or $18.50 USD per person, per day for guests in Suites, will be applied to each guest's SeaPass account on a daily basis. Typically, this is associated with your credit card which youll be prompted to set up when you complete your online check in. Between May 1, 2016, and Jan 2, 2018, passengers on RCI boats paid US$13,50 (increased from US$12,95) for standard cabins and US$16,50 (increased from US$15.95) for upper-tier suites. Some cruise lines point out that you may wish to tip the kids club staff. Outdoor Activities If outdoor fun is your thing, the Carnival Dream offers a near endless array of ways to fill both day and night with fun. What do you think about cruise line gratuities and service onboard? They cheerfully attend to your requests, tidying your home away from home from the moment you leave in the morning to the last turn-down before bed. The amount is very personal. Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. The onboard price of this package varies from $63 to $89 a day, plus an 18% gratuity. How Much Does A Cruise Cost? In the wake of the increase, a family of four in a . Similarly, in the main dining room, we tip our waiter around $6 to $8 per day for the two of us, averaging around $50 for a 7-night cruise. But the sticker price of their fares tends to scare off many budget-minded travelers. While most people know it for being a cruise destination, shadowing the coastline to see the glaciers, there is so much On luxury cruise lines, such as Azamara, Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Tauck World Discovery and Uniworld, gratuities are already included in the cost of the cruise, and additional tipping is not expected. Cruise gratuities are divided among your cruise cabin steward, waiters and other crew members who work as support behind the scenes. raahc and lovecruising!!! I just arrived on board for our 6th cruise, after my 5th cruise just 2 months ago. If you found this helpful, please dont keep it to yourself ;-). Once you book your cruise, there are some things you'll need to do in advance to prepare. How it works: Gratuities are automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. Most mainstream cruise lines bill passengers between $12 and $15 per person, per day for. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. While planning a, The weekend is the perfect time to take a short break, so why not go on a cruise too? I love sharing my best cruise tips with you, along with reviews of cruise destinations, shore excursions, cruise ships and cruise lines. Let me know in the comments below! In addition, a portion of the tips are given to those who work behind the scenes or may serve you in different areas of the ship. In North America, most cruise terminal porters are longshoremen. Those can range from about $15 to upwards of $20 for each . For example, Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com) recently increased its tip recommendations and now suggests $3.75 per day for your main waiter, $5 per day for the cabin housekeeping staff, $2.15 per day for the assistant waiter, and $0.75 per day for the head waiter. Typical extra tips may be $15-20 per passenger for a seven-day cruise paid to the cabin steward for exceptional work, or an extra $10-20 per passenger to a waiter who offered spectacular dining. Critics of this system (which has evolved in the last several decades from strictly cash-based gratuities) say that under this tip pooling arrangement, cabin attendants and wait staff aren't getting recognized for exemplary work the same as they were in the old days. As much as some people opt to remove gratuities on their account, some give extra. The gratuity is $15.50 per person, per day for guests in mini-suites and $16.50 per person, per day for guests in suites. Each passenger is charged for these tips, including kids. Something you will need cash for on a Royal Caribbean cruise are any extra tips you give to crew members. You might want to reward your cabin steward, favorite bartender or MDR server, or any other crew member you think did a great job. Get expert advice, insider tips and more. Youll likely get much better service by doing that instead of just removing the tip! Cruise lines typically flag their ships in countries with lax employment laws. I generally tip extra, mostly because I come from a customer service back round and know how hard these people work, compared to their pay. They have the insider tips to match so that you can make the most of everything that'll be at your fingertips. They might feel that it gives them more control over tipping, rewarding the crew based on their level of service. Cruising in 2022: Why Onboard Tipping is More Important Than Ever, Cabin Stewardess on Princess Cruises (Photo: Princess Cruises), A Cash Tip Which is Common on Cruises (Photo: elwynn/Shutterstock). A cruise only rate may be available on select cruises, which would not include gratuities. In-suite parties are a huge amount of work for the Genie and room attendants. Learn how your comment data is processed. Your glowing review can help a hardworking crew member earn a promotion or raise. You can always add extra for exceptional service, though! This is a review of RCI-Royal Caribbean International's gratuities (paid for the crew services), tipping policy and tips (per day/reduced/removed). The industry should pay fair wages so that our tips are in fact tips and not wages. Please check MSCs website for details. Any chance of that? Tipping on a cruise ship can be a confusing endeavor, especially for those sailing for the first time. This is an excellent article, which really clearly explains all the issues around tipping. This is for a good reason as it ensures that proper. They are always pleasant and willing to do whatever they can for you. Often cruise lines provide additional envelopes to tuck a little extra cash at the end of the cruise just for this purpose. This includes drinks at the bar or cafe, spa services and salon visits. With all of your meals and the fun activities on the ship, easily accessible and planned, you won't have to do much work once you are on vacation. I go into more detail about this topic in this post:Can You Refuse to Pay Gratuities on a Cruise? So they follow this model with many of their crew members who perform services for passengers. However, cruisers dont always see all of the crew who work behind the scenes for them, like the kitchen and laundry workers. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Tips are either covered by the autogratuities or theres a service fee tacked on, so you dont need to tip again. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Some things are free, other items are fee-based. Ive been surprisedor I probably should say I had forgottenhow many hands have been extended for a tip on these shore excursions. Crew members work really hard and make the difference between an ok and a memorable cruise vacation. cabin (not suite) recommended amount would be $39 pp times two equals $78 for a 4 night cruise. For more info, please read myDisclosure Policy. There are also usually comment cards available at the purser's desk or online for additional recognition -- or post a review on Cruise Critic. While not obligatory, there are some of the workers you may want to recognize with a tip when cruising. You may want to give a small tip to the person who delivers your room service order. There is no service charge applied for children under 2 years of age. The amount is based on the service received of course. What else can you do to show the crew your appreciation? Rather than reducing the amount payed, they point out on their website that they will work to resolve any service issues experienced. Do you have a favorite bartender? If you choose to pay tips in cash, there are usually some envelopes available at the guest service desk. About $1-2 (or the equivalent in local currency) per bag is fine. If you feel that you wish to give an extra amount to anyone who you feel has done a great job, they will be appreciative. If mainstream cruise lines decided to abolish tipping and pay all crew members a reasonable rate per hour, they would have to significantly raise the cost of cruise fares. You may want to give them a tip per drink or a larger tip at the end or even the beginning of your cruise. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. Until fairly recently, cruise passengers customarily tipped only in cash, in person. One notable exception is Norwegian Cruise Line. Gave them US 5 each three nights and US 10 each last night. This is a personal decision and Im not sure if theres a tipping etiquette for it. Celebrity Cruises now includes daily gratuities in its Always Included cruise fare. If you feel you would like to give more that is fine and I am sure they will appreciate anything you decide to tip beyond the daily gratuity. Ive got you covered! Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Although gratuities arent mandatory, and in most cases you can go to guest services and have the amount adjusted, most cruise lines do tend to discourage it. How much to tip waiter and his assistant? How much shouldwe tip? Royal Caribbeans daily automatic gratuities are set at $14.50 per person, per day for guests in standard cabins and $17.50 per person, per day for guests in suites. What Is a Cabin Steward on a Cruise Ship? How much tip receive in cruise royal caribbean? But if your excursions include free time where you eat lunch on your own, its a good idea to research the local tipping customs in the countries youll be visiting before your cruise. frequentfloaters.com - That Guy. All rights reserved. In addition, weve included a list of daily gratuities per cruise line and who else you may wish to tip. Prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted and cruise line gratuities may be referred to a daily service charge or crew incentive. Either way, expect to spend about $15-20 per day. I put together a 47 page printable cruise travel planner that has everything you need as you plan and get ready for your cruise. April 16, 2019 in Royal Caribbean Dining. Look for a link at the bottom of this page or in our privacy policy where you can withdraw consent. Required fields are marked *. 1. Your article has done a lot to change my philosophy and increase my understanding of why there is this charge and what the implications of reducing it might be. Want to give something beyond cash? You cant choose how much each crew member gets. Something to note is that although daily gratuities arent charged, there may be a service fee or tip added to certain services onboard. Additionally, shouldbecruising.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes receive a commission from purchases made through our links. If your shore excursion includes lunch, you generally dont have to leave a tipthe tour company takes care of the lunch bill. Should you tip extra on a cruise? There are some exceptions. Ill definitely look into it and see how I can best do that on this site. If sailing in a reg. Tips are added automatically to the onboard account (SeaPass) on a daily basis. Passengers sometimes plan in advance to bring small gifts to leave with their cabin stewards, either at the beginning or end of the cruise. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and leave a comment! Given the high level of service, passengers often wonder how much they should plan to tip their cabin steward, especially when they go above and beyond. Today is day 10 of a 12 day cruise on grandeur. You can do so by going to guest services and making the request. Some cruise lines allow you to use your cruise card to deposit money in the casino. Having worked in the service industry, if people want to extra tip, then doing it at the beginning is the way to go. W. Whether in Mexico, St. Maarten, Italy, or Vanuatu, having cash is recommended. There are 2 adults and 1 child in the room, if this. There is no charge for children under 3 years of age. If you wait to the end to tip, then the servers wont know and you possibly missed out of knowing how wonderful the cabin steward or others could be. According to Royal Caribbean, the last increase put the company "in line with its competitors in the industry and recognize the exceptional work that Royal Caribbean's staff and crew does to deliver unforgettable vacations every day.". 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. Cruise Line Gratuities: What's the Point? Tipping on a cruise ship isnt mandatory, but it is customary, and many crew members rely on tips as a large part of their income. For example, you might give the guide $5 to $10 for a half-day excursion or $10 to $20 for a full-day tour. Our last few cruises on Celebrity and Princess, we actually had lots of interaction from the Maitred and we did appreciate the work they did. Near the end of your cruise, youll probably receive some comment cards in your stateroom that you can use to leave feedback about a member of the crew. However, most cruisers do tip them for their service. Lets just say from the expression on the drivers face that he was not happy with that amount. The only exception is for passengers with prepaid gratuities (they won't be charged daily). Prior to your cruise, youll connect your onboard account with a credit or debit card, and all payments will be charged to that card at the end of the cruise. Sometimes a shoddy tip was more insulting than no tip at all. Later I learned that the porters outside of the cruise terminal are not cruise line employees at all! Your previous content has been restored. I had prepaid my gratuities, and I assumed the porter was a cruise line employee, so I didnt tip him. It was just the two of us. Ive been cruising for over 15 years, and the practice of tipping on a cruise has certainly evolved. There is no charge for children under 2 years of age. Iwas a waitress for yearslong ago and far away. Just remember that a cash tip goes to your server, and a charged tip gets added to the tip pool. Often, these crew members are part of the tip pool, and they lose part of their expected income each time a passenger removes autogratuities. That was the only time I didn't give an additional cash tip to the wait staff. What you cant do is adjust or remove automatic gratuities for a specific crew member. I have a video on my YouTube channel about this and people have commented amounts they give so his could be helpful (just check YouTube and search cruise gratuities Life Well Cruised). How much are automatic gratuities on a cruise? A couple should budget about $200 in gratuities for a 7 day cruise. They often work 7-10 months at a time and 12-14 hours per day for seven days straight before having a half or even a whole day off. I prefer waiting to see how the service is before deciding on an extra tip, but thats just my preference. ~ janet Depending on your cruise ship, you may be able to use the Royal . With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Children under 4 are not charged. The tipping culture in North America and on cruise ships is flawed, but (as you mentioned) reducing or eliminating tips only hurts the hardworking crew and their families - and does nothing to change the system. Princess Cruises also has the Princess Plus fare, which includes gratuities or the crew incentive, Medallion Net wifi and Princess premium beverage package. A former flight attendant, she now prefers cruise ships over airplanes and spends several months each year cruising and exploring cruise ports. While you pay daily gratuities before your cruise ($16 per person, per day in most staterooms), many cruisers like to give something extra. However ,usually you can have at least 2 cabin stewards. How Much Should I Tip My Room Steward on a Cruise? Tips on Cruise Ship Tipping - Who and How Much to Tip! Cruisers would have to tip each of their service personnel (the cabin steward, restaurant servers, bartenders, etc.) Some cruisers swear by tipping at the beginning of the cruise to ensure excellent service. Your email address will not be published. Gratuities or a service charge are added onto some onboard services. Is it the 15 day or the 7 day from Honolulu? Your personal data will be processed and information from your device (cookies, unique identifiers, and other device data) may be stored by, accessed by and shared with third party vendors, or used specifically by this site or app. Heres a video which answers many questions that you may have about cruise gratuities and tipping on a cruise ship. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Don't be Held Back on Arrival Royal Caribbean requires you to do an online check-in, at least three days before your published sail date. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The finishings are top notch, and the bathroom, in particular, is well-designed with a separate water closet. 1 1 Quote Cindi Members 12 Author Posted April 16, 2019 The amount you tip is up to youI generally give about $5 per person per day to my stateroom steward. IMPORTANT: Since September 7, 2022, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise ship passengers pay USD 16 pp per day in tips (service charge for staterooms Junior Suites and below). The only charges that should appear on my final tab are any extras I decided to add on during the voyage. You dont need to write a noveljust a few sentences about how the crew member made your cruise even better will do. Do you need to tip at the spa on a cruise? I'm sure the crew appreciated your extra tips - they all work so hard! will be more appreciated than something they would have to store. Cruise lines just have contracts with their preferred shore excursion companiesthe guides and drivers arent employees of the line. Id give a much larger tip to a knowledgeable tour guide who led us on an intensive nine-hour experience compared to a guide who did a basic three-hour city walking tour. Should Be Cruising is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Celebrity Cruises is Royal Caribbean's sister brand that provides a slightly more upscale, refined experience onboard. Pricing varies based on the ship, sail dates, and itinerary. On disembarkation day, you probably wont find your fave crew members in their usual spots! Follow me on Facebook at Life Well Cruised, Follow me onYouTube at Life Well Cruised (Vlogs and cruise tips), Follow me on Pinterest at Life Well Cruised, Follow me on Instagram at Life Well Cruised. Most US lines that base ships in the UK over the summer -- Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, for example -- offer automated gratuity options that charge a standard daily gratuity fee to the credit card you've placed on file for each day of your cruise. Tip amount: Gratuities amount to $13.50 per person per day (including children 3 and older) in standard rooms and $15.50 per person in suites. Viking Cruises gratuities are $15.00 per person, per day for all staterooms. Having small bills handy is helpful if you plan to tip crew members throughout your sailing. Display as a link instead, You can just hand over folded cash, or use the tip envelopes youll find in your stateroom or at Passenger Services. Tips are of course a personal decision. Note that we are Australian, so therefore not inclined to tip unless the service warrants it. Still confused .

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