When is tipping expected, and exactly how are tips handled on cruise vacations? These are legitimate questions passengers face today, because cruise line policies have changed over the past few years. In the earlier days of cruising, gratuities were extended at the end of the cruise via cash only, with suggested amounts given per staff member per day. Usually this covered waiter and assistant, as well as the cabin steward or stewardess. Gratuities were considered an essential element of staff members wages. Rather than tipping after each meal, on the last evening of the cruise, tip envelopes were put in passengers' staterooms to be used that evening. One company that did not recommend gratuities amounts back in the 1980s and early 1990s was Holland America Line gratuities could be extended if the service was exceptional.
NCL Simplifies the Gratuity System
In 2000 Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) launched Freestyle Cruising. Part of this program simplified the gratuity system by automatically adding a $10 per person per day charge, which could be adjusted by the guest, to the onboard account. Other cruise lines have followed NCLs lead, but policies and amounts vary.
Gratuities on the Shipboard Account
NCL now calls gratuities service fees. If a problem occurs during the cruise, NCL asks that guests bring this to their immediate attention. According to Heather Krasnow, Public Relations Manager, We ask that guests come to us with a problem if there is one, so that we have the opportunity to fix the problem rather than just adjusting the service charges at the end of the week. If we do not know about the problem, we can not fix it. In addition, the service fee cannot be prepaid in advance; NCLs thought is the service fee is charged to the shipboard account because it is adjustable. The service fee does go towards funding the crews salaries.
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, operated separately but both owned by Royal Caribbean International, follow a more traditional route by giving guidelines for gratuities. Gratuity suggestions (perperson, per day) include $3.50 for the waiter, $2.00 for the assistant waiter, $.75 for the assistant maitre d, $3.50 for the stateroom attendant, and $.75 for the assistant chief housekeeper. For suites there is an extra $3.00 for the butler and for concierge class, an extra $4.00. Groups are able to prepay these gratuities.
Costa Cruises also gives suggested gratuity guidelines and these amounts, automatically added to the shipboard account, can be adjusted by the guest. The suggested guidelines per person, per day include $3.00 for the waiter, $1.50 for the waiters assistant, $1.00 for the head waiter, and $3.00 for the steward. Costa also allows groups to prepay gratuities.
Like some of its counterparts, Carnival Cruise Lines has also adopted the $10.00 per person per day gratuity charge, which can be adjusted at the Pursers Desk. The maitre d is not included in this, and can be tipped at the guests discretion. The company advises onboard staff which guests have prepaid gratuities.
According to James Henwood, Vice President of Sales, MSC Cruises now has a $12.00 per person per day suggested gratuity for its Caribbean season itineraries. Gratuities can be prepaid for both individual and group cruise bookings. When MSC Cruises returns to its Mediterranean season in 2006, however, tipping policies will revert to multiple suggested amounts.
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