Gratuities on cruise ships have always been a bit peculiar.
Compared to the concept of casually leaving a tip for a restaurant waiter or hotel maid, the process of leaving similar compensation with crew members has ranged from formal delivery of envelopes to automatic charges.
So, let's try to make some sense of what to expect before and during a cruise.
We'll all agree that servers during our travels are deserving of some extra cash for their jobs well done, but the means in which to tip them onboard varies. Instead of a percentage of a bill going towards a single staff member as is typically the case for, say, a meal, cruise lines suggest daily fixed amounts.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Carnival's Gratuity Increase: Travel Agents React[/READMORE]
Back in the day, envelopes were delivered to your stateroom in which cash could be placed and delivered to frequented personnel, usually your wait staff and housekeeping staff. In fact, Disney Cruise Line is one of the few to still have this option.
However, now it's far more common for brands to add tips to your account automatically, divvying them up on your behalf. This way the staff across many different restaurants, not just the main dining room, are rewarded. Most mainstream lines subscribe to this approach with luxury lines being an exception.
Generally, higher-priced cruise companies will include gratuities in their total fares. Of course, the mainstream equivalent is simply prepaying for your tips, but some prefer the option of having them added per diem to the account so as to be able to adjust them up or down or remove them entirely at your sole discretion. It's very rare, but if you're ever dissatisfied with the service received, that is a choice you might feel inclined to make. Or you may wish to pay the staff even more for exceptional service, which is much more likely.
Rather than breaking down suggested gratuities by individual crew, most cruise lines now suggest a daily total amount based on the accommodations you're booked in with suites coming in higher to typically cover a butler. Such tips float around $11 to $17 per person, and recently companies have been boosting those numbers higher for added compensation.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Royal Caribbean International Raises Gratuities[/READMORE]
The debate whenever tips are raised is whether or not they should just be rolled in with the total cost of the cruise, but as bottom line pricing remains such a competitive edge for each brand, it's not likely to happen unless every cruise line agrees to pad their totals universally to set a fair playing field.
Additionally, service charges are often automatically tacked on to bar tabs and spa treatments as well. Those do apply a more traditional percentage in the ballpark of 15 percent. In some cases, spa treatments may bundle the charge in individual item pricing, which can explain the appearance of any initially high costs.
All this is to say that gratuities and service charges should factor into your traveling budget because your total daily cost will be higher than the cruise fare alone. Alternatively, luxury cruise lines include lots more to begin with if you'd prefer not to think about any additional fees once onboard.
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