Thread: Tipping Policy details on Some of the Major Cruise Lines

Tipping Policies on Some of the Major Cruise Lines



Carnival Cruise Lines Tipping Policy UPDATED to reflect 12/1/2011 changes For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $11.50 per guest, per day as follows(our recommended guideline effective voyages departing December 1, 2011 and onward):

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  $ 3.70 - Per Day Stateroom Services
  $ 5.80 - Per Day Dining Room Services
  $ 2.00 - Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to kitchen, entertainment, guest services and other hotel staff members.
  For Cruises-To-Nowhere, gratuities of $11.50 per guest, per day must be prepaid.
  Our Staff is totally committed to exceed your expectations in every way possible. If you are not satisfied with the service you receive, we encourage you to contact the Guest Services desk while onboard. This will allow us to address your concerns in a timely and appropriate fashion. At your discretion, you may adjust the gratuities at any time while onboard. Gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.
  For beverage purchases, fifteen percent of the bill is automatically added to the Sail & Sign charge. Room Service staff may be tipped as service is rendered.
  NOTE: BARBADOS CRUISES
  All gratuities are pre-paid and automatically added during the booking process for Barbados itineraries.
  *Gratuities do not apply to guests less than 2 years of age.

.Celebrity Cruises Tipping Policy (scroll down to gratuities for a breakdown of amounts) For your convenience, we will automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard Seapass account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion: $11.50 per person per day for guests in staterooms ($12.00 per person per day for guests in Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms and $15.00 per person per day for guests in Suites)..

Crystal Cruises Tipping Policy Because tipping is a personal matter, Crystal Cruises does not include gratuities in the cruise fares. Suggested guidelines for stateroom and dining service gratuities are as follows: stewardess, $5 per guest, per day (single travelers, $6 per day); senior waiter, $5 per guest, per day; waiter, $3 per guest, per day; butler (Penthouse decks), $5 per guest, per day.

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  Tips for the matre d', headwaiter, assistant stewardess and night Room Service personnel are at your discretion. Gratuities may be prepaid or charged to your shipboard account.
  For our specialty restaurants, Prego, Silk Road and The Sushi Bar, we suggest $7 per guest, per dinner. A 15% gratuity for all bar drinks and wines is added to your bar check automatically. We suggest a 15% gratuity for Crystal Spa & Salon services.

.Cunard Line - adds $11 to $13 per day service charge per passenger, depending on the class .


.Holland America Line Tipping PolicyHotel Service Charge Our crew works very hard to make sure that every aspect of your cruise meets the highest standards. This includes those crew members who serve you directly, such as Dining Room wait staff and the stewards who service your stateroom each day. There are also many others who support their efforts whom you may never meet, such as galley and laundry staff. To ensure that the efforts of all of our crew members are recognized and rewarded, a daily Hotel Service Charge is automatically added to each guest’s shipboard account. The daily Hotel Service Charge for suites is US$12.00 per guest per day, and US$11.50 per guest per day for other staterooms. (The charges are subject to change without notice)If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of each segment and/or voyage. The Hotel Service Charge is paid to Holland America Line crew members, and represents an important part of their compensation. A 15% Bar Service Charge is automatically added to bar charges and Dining Room wine purchases. In terminals, airports, ports of call and on shore excursions, we suggest that you extend gratuities consistent with customary local practices. .

Norwegian Cruise Line Service Charge and Gratuity Policy (this takes you to the general FAQs scroll down to tipping) What about Tipping?

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  Guests should not feel obliged to offer a gratuity for good service. However, all of our staff are encouraged to "go the extra mile," and so they are permitted to accept cash gratuities entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members for exceptional or outstanding service. In other words, there is genuinely no need to tip but you should feel free to do so if you have a desire to acknowledge particular individuals.
  Also, certain staff positions provide service on an individual basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. For example, for guests purchasing bar drinks the recommended gratuity is 15 percent. For guests purchasing spa treatments the recommended gratuity is 18 percent. Similarly, for guests using concierge and butler services, we recommend they consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered.
• What's the service charge?
• The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports.
• How much is the charge?Onboard Service Charges are additional. A charge of $12 per person per day will automatically be added to your onboard account.
• Are service charges across the board for all guests? All guests 3 years or older.
• How do I prepay my service charges?Contact your travel professional and request that it be added to your cruise reservation. If you have not made final payment this will be included in your final payment amount or if final payment has already been made we will require full payment at the time it is added.
• At what point in the booking process can the prepaid charges be added?They can be added at anytime up to 24 hours prior to sailing.
• Why would I prepay my service charges?The convenience of pre-paying the service charges allows you to plan your budget prior to your cruise giving you additional freedom while on board.
• If I cancel my cruise are the service charges refundable?Yes! The service charges are 100% refundable.
• If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board? Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board reception desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

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Oceania Cruises Tipping Policy How much you choose to tip is a personal matter and completely at your discretion. For your convenience, gratuities of $12.50 per guest, per day are automatically added to your shipboard account. An additional $4.00 per guest, per day will be added for guests occupying Penthouse, Vista or Owner's Suites where Butler Service is provided. Naturally, guests may adjust gratuities while onboard the vessel at their sole discretion.
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Princess Cruises Tipping Guidelines During your cruise, you will meet staff throughout the ship who provide you with excellent service. Many more crew support those who serve you directly. To save you the worry of who to tip and how much, Princess makes it easier for you to reward excellent service by automatically adding a discretionary Hotel and Dining charge of $11 USD for suites and mini-suites and $10.50 USD for all other staterooms per person per day (including children) to your shipboard account on a daily basis. This charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others. Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.Casino dealers and Lotus Spa personnel do not share in the Hotel and Dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services.
A 15% charge is automatically added to your bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff.
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Royal Caribbean International Tipping Policy So that you can thank those who have made your cruise vacation better than you could have imagined, we've developed these gratuity guidelines:
Suite attendant:$5.75 USDa day per guest
Stateroom attendant:$3.50 USDa day per guest
Dining Room Waiter:$3.50 USDa day per guest
Assistant Waiter:$2.00 USDa day per guest
Headwaiter:$.75 USDa day per guest
Note: These gratuities apply to guests of all ages.
Gratuities for other service personnel are at your discretion. A 15% gratuity will automatically be added to your bar bill or wine check when you are served.
Notice to Guests: Gratuities may be shared with other crew members depending on the particular service requirement.
Envelopes for gratuities will be provided in your stateroom on the last night of the cruise. Gratuities may be paid in the following ways:
Pre paid by having them added to your reservation by your booking agent.Added to your onboard SeaPass account.Paid in cash at the end of the cruise

Cruise West -onboard gratuities are neither required nor expected
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises -Tipping is not obligatory on board. Acknowledgement of particularly good service is at the discretion of each guest.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises - onboard gratuities are neither required nor expected
Seabourn Cruises - onboard gratuities are neither required nor expected
Silversea Cruises - onboard gratuities are neither required nor expected

So many ask about this! Very good information! Thank You!

HAL is now at 11 dollars per day..per person

Originally Posted by JoeyandDavid

HAL is now at 11 dollars per day..per person

And I just copied and pasted that from the HAL web site today! I went back and it does say $11 now. I will fix it.
Thanks for pointing that out, Joey.

Everything above was copied and pasted from the cruise line web sites this morning.

Yes -- HAL is now at $11 per person -- has been for a couple of years.

What HAL doesn't tell you -- if you decide to remove part or all of the Hotel Service Charge, any tips you give to anyone personally must be turned in by that crew member or he will be fired. Once you sign the form, the front office notifies the supervisor in each department/section. They in turn inform the workers under them the names of the people who have removed the Service Charge. And they are on an honor system to turn in those tips from people who have removed the Hotel Service Charge.

So - if you remove the Hotel Service Charge -- any monies you tip to your cabin stewards and dining room staff go into a pool and is divided among everyone.

This ruling does not apply to those who work in the bar area as the 15% gratuity is automatically added on.

Here is a site that will automatically calculate how much your tips will be on the major cruise lines.
Cruise Tip Calculator - Your automated guide to Cruise Tips

The calculator site is interesting. Thanks for sharing Char

Originally Posted by GreatEscapes

The calculator site is interesting. Thanks for sharing Char

You're welcome, Mike. It is a good resource and you can input number of days, number of passengers etc.

Originally Posted by Krazy Kruizers

Yes -- HAL is now at $11 per person -- has been for a couple of years.

What HAL doesn't tell you -- if you decide to remove part or all of the Hotel Service Charge, any tips you give to anyone personally must be turned in by that crew member or he will be fired. Once you sign the form, the front office notifies the supervisor in each department/section. They in turn inform the workers under them the names of the people who have removed the Service Charge. And they are on an honor system to turn in those tips from people who have removed the Hotel Service Charge.

So - if you remove the Hotel Service Charge -- any monies you tip to your cabin stewards and dining room staff go into a pool and is divided among everyone.

This ruling does not apply to those who work in the bar area as the 15% gratuity is automatically added on.

This is how Princess does it too. So taking off the autotip with the idea of paying a crew member directly doesn't have the desired effect.