Do I have to tip on cruise restaurants?

Generally speaking, mainstream, U.S.-based cruise lines automatically add gratuities of about $14 to $15 per person, per day, to your onboard bill. These tips are divided among the dining staff (waiters, assistant waiters and head waiters) and housekeeping staff (such as cabin attendants).

What happens if you don't tip on a cruise?

When you forego tipping on your cruise, you aren't hurting the corporation. You're just lowering the pool of funds that hard-working service employees share at the end of the journey. Automatically added gratuities take the confusion out of tipping on your cruise.

Are gratuities mandatory on cruises?

Cruise Lines That Allow You to Remove Gratuities:

Technically cruise lines cannot force you to pay gratuities, especially if you have a complaint or issue about the service you received on board. Gratuities on a cruise are not mandatory, but instead heavily suggested and added automatically.

Do you tip at restaurants on a cruise?

You're dining at the specialty restaurant.

Paying $30 for surf-and-turf at the for-fee restaurant usually means there's no need to tip on top. Gratuities are almost always included in that rate or, on some lines like MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, automatically added on top of your final bill.

How do you avoid gratuities on a cruise?

If you plan to remove tips from your onboard bill, you will need to plan in advance to bring enough cash for personal tipping, then wait in a potentially long line at the guest services desk to remove the auto-gratuities and chase down all the crew members you wish to thank on the last evening.

Cruise Tipping Explained

How much do you tip at the end of a cruise?

How much should I tip? Most cruise lines suggest tipping $10 to $12 per day per passenger (not per couple), regardless of age. For a seven-day cruise, this means each cruiser should budget at least $70 for gratuities, or $140 per cabin for two people.

How much should I tip my cabin steward on a cruise?

The room steward (or stewardess) is the person who cleans your cruise cabin and assists you with anything you might need while in your cabin. The industry standard for tipping the room steward is $3.50 per person per day, given on the last day of the cruise.

Is it better to prepay gratuity on a cruise?

If you want to make your life easier, and don't plan on removing or adjusting the gratuities on a cruise, it's better to prepay before you go. In our experience, prepaying gratuities does not negatively affect the service onboard.

How does tipping work on a cruise?

On some ships, many gratuities are automatically included. Most major cruise lines automatically add gratuities to your onboard account. The fee is usually between $12 and $15 per passenger, per day, and the cruise line then divvies up that money between all service-oriented crew.

Can you opt out of gratuities on Carnival Cruise?

Carnival says that passengers can adjust it, or remove it entirely, by visiting the Guest Services desk while onboard the cruise ship. You can read the Carnival tipping policy here.

Can you not pay gratuity?

Is Automatic Gratuity Legal? The short answer is that yes, automatic gratuity is legal. Laws instated by the IRS rule that automatic gratuity is a service charge, and there is no legislation that prohibits this practice. This being said, state laws may differ on if this charge is compulsory.

What happens if you don't prepay gratuities on Royal Caribbean?

If you do not opt to prepay gratuities, a daily charge will appear on your SeaPass account every day of the cruise for the daily gratuity rate per guest. The daily gratuities is in addition to the 18% gratuity automatically added to all beverages, mini bar items, and spa & salon purchases.

Are gratuities optional on Royal Caribbean?

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.

How much do you tip shore excursions?

Tip non-guide drivers roughly $2 per person in your party. You'll likely want to tip more for customized, private tours – consider 5 to 20% of the cost of the tour.

Is it worth it to pay for a balcony on a cruise?

On shorter sailings, where the amount of overall time you have on the cruise limited, you may find a balcony unnecessary since there is not much to enjoy it. However, if your cruise is 7-nights or longer, that provides significantly more time to relax and enjoy the private balcony area, especially on sea days.

What is the best deck to stay on a cruise?

The best deck on a cruise ship to avoid seasickness is the lowest passenger deck. This is because the top of a ship sways from side to side much more than the bottom. To avoid motion sickness, choose a cabin close to the waterline.

Which is the best balcony room on a cruise ship?

Rear-facing balcony cabins are among the best balcony cabins on any ship. Often, their balconies are bigger than balconies on side-facing cabins and they also feel quiet. There are far fewer balcony cabins at the back of a ship than on the sides of a ship, so you don't hear a lot of noise from your neighbors.

What does it mean to prepay gratuities on a cruise?

Just like in restaurants and hotels, guests on many cruises are generally expected to leave tips for certain cruise staff members serving them. Pre-paid gratuities means that we {Cruise Specialists} have negotiated a special offer for you and you are not expected nor will you be charged for tips.

How much do you tip housekeeping in cabin?

Among travelers, the chatter centered around what's an appropriate amount and who else to tip along the way. Marriott (MAR) didn't specify, but the American Hotel & Lodging Association suggests leaving housekeepers a tip of $1 to $5 per day.

How much money does a cruise ship waiter make?

A dining room waiter typically has more direct interaction with guests and valuable language skills, therefore making a reported $2,200 to $3,800 per month. A head waiter on a cruise ship will have a higher base pay than most and can make $2,600 to $4,800 per month.

What are the free drinks on Royal Caribbean?

Do cruises get cheaper closer to sailing date?

Cruise prices do not get cheaper closer to the sailing date in all cases. Cruise prices are usually the cheapest furthest from the sailing date when first launched or 60-90 days before the cruise sets sail. The prices of some cruises will decrease last minute but this doesn't always happen.

Do you have to pay for soda on Royal Caribbean?

The Classic Soda package is what was once called by many guests, "the soda card". It is unlimited soda and quite popular with kids. The price per night of the Classic Soda Package is $12.99 per guest (excluding gratuity).

Can you share drink packages on Royal Caribbean?

Royal Caribbean warns that guests who share a drink with someone who does not have a drink package can risk having their drink package benefits revoked with no refund. The package is intended for only the guest who buys the package.

How do you avoid gratuity?