Vacation Cruising

Let the controversy begin. Tipping has become a hot topic among cruisers. Some cruise lines have pulled away from tipping, but they seem to have done so just enough to confuse the issue. Tipping is a traditional part of cruising and just like the restaurants you frequent at home, it is an important part of the income of those that will help you on your cruise.

The people that will be assisting you are in the service industry, and it is the passenger tips that will make up the largest percentage of their income. Some of these employees make as little as $25 a week, so they rely heavily on their tips and are willing to reward generous tipping with outstanding service.

Each cruise line will provide their own guide to tipping; in fact some even provide all the envelopes for you to pass them out in.

For some general guidelines to help you know who and how much to tip.

• Airport skycaps generally are rewarded $1.00 for each bag if they carry them.
• Porters at the loading area of the Cruise ship also look forward to $1.00 for each bag
• Cabin Stewards and Waiters $3.00/3.50 each per passenger, per day
• Servers or Busboys $1.50/2.50 per passenger, per day
• Maitre d’ $2.00 to 10.00 per passenger for the entire cruise depending on how helpful they have been.

Many bar and lounge tips are included on your bill at a standard 15% which you can generally adjust for poor or excellent service. Check your individual bills to see if a tip has already been included. You can expect to spend about $10-$15 a day in tips, so be sure to budget for that.

Often, cruise ships will automatically tack on tips to your on board account. It’s a good idea to ask for this to be removed and then take care of tipping yourself. Experienced cruisers say they like to have control over who gets what based on the service provided, etc.

Cruising offers a lot of experiences you won’t get anywhere else. Take advantage of them, but be mindful of what you spend. Unless you have a limitless amount of cash to spend, some general tips and tricks could help. Read on!