Should You Tip on a Cruise!? CRUISE TIPPING EXPLAINED

Are you wondering how tipping works on a cruise? Cruise gratuities are not only controversial, but cruise ship tipping can be downright confusing! In this video you'll find out about automatic gratuities, prepaid gratuities, as well as who to tip on a cruise. A must watch first timers & avid cruisers!

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ABOUT ME
Hi! I'm Ilana! I live in Montreal, Canada with my husband Frank. We can often be found dreaming about and planning future cruises, ideally to hot and sunny destinations! I believe in having fun, being kind and that you are never too old, or too young, to live the life of your dreams!

Please note that I do not sell cruises on Life Well Cruised. This and all other videos are for entertainment purposes only. I share my own opinions, personal experiences and information with other cruise travelers, which I hope can be helpful. Please contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for advice and any information specific to your booking.
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Photos and Videos courtesy of:
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Music Credit: Surf Time by Lux-Inspira

[cherylw]

I absolutely do not mind paying tips, especially on a cruise ... the service has always been superb. My issue though, is that the employer shouldn't be putting their employees wages on their customers shoulders. They all need to be paid a living wage, and tips is an extra incentive that they shouldn't have to sweat over.

[carmelaesposito]

I always thought that a "gratuity" is something extra that the customer gives to a person or persons for exceptional service or going out of their way to make sure the guest has a pleasant experience. With this in mind, I never figured out why there is money added to your bill for say the head waiter or others that you have no contact with. You "may" see this person once during the week on lobster night where he or she tries to assist with opening your lobster. I have no issue tipping my wait staff and room steward. These folks really do a great job. However, lets say I walk up to the bar and order a beer. The bartender turns around, reaches into the cooler, pulls out a beer, opens it and bingo, there is an 18% "gratuity" added to your drink. If I choose to tip this person, that's my decision, however these are not "gratuities" but rather added charges that the guest is forced to pay. It should be the customers decision who he or she tips and how much, not the cruise line.

[andydarling]

This issue was confusing to me as you can prepay gratuities (I did), but then when it comes to food and drinks, they also add a service fee regardless of whether or not you prepaid, so it’s almost like why pay beforehand? Aren’t you just paying gratuity twice then? Maybe the multi-billion dollar cruise ship companies should lower their multi-million dollar CEO pay and bonuses, and pay their workers excellently. I would be more inclined to go with a company where I know the employees are treated properly, vs the company basically depending on the public to subsidize them.

[venomlily]

I personally think the cruise lines should pay their workers better, PERIOD . Then, gratuities would be a thing of the past or at least, it would be to the discretion of the individual who and how much to tip .

[pauldegregorio]

From New England. Tipping is deeply ingrained in my culture and am planning on tipping generously on my upcoming cruise despite paying upfront “service charge”. If I’m lucky enough to take a sweet cruise vacation I can plan to allocate some of my good fortune to the folks that actually do the heavy lifting to make it happen. My choice.

[eleanor]

We always prepay gratuities plus we get small envelopes at guest services for additional tips, especially for the room steward and dining room staff who work tirelessly to make our stay memorable. Thanks for sharing.😎

[qdhelck]

I'm Aussie so tipping culture is very foreign to us. We've most recently sailed with RCI and gratuities are included in the booking price on all sailings from Australia, which I actually like - you know your costs upfront. We also prepaid when we sailed out of the US. We did still choose to tip extra for our waitstaff and cabin steward. Our kids have special dietary requirements and the waitstaff have always been outstanding in looking after us.

[Leimomiaz]

I just got back from a 7 night cruise on Carnival. I included prepaid gratuities but also included an extra $1 for each drink that I had and gave my room attendant $25 on day 1 and another $25 on the last night. The crew was exceptional and attentive and they really appreciate it!

[christieboe]

I am one of those that believe that we should not be made to feel it is our responsibility to pay a persons wages. This should be the employers responsibility. I tip a person because of the service I recieve. I will not let myself think that it is my responsibility. I was in customer service and worked to the best of my ability to please my customers They tipped me accordingly. It is sad that we should have to feel that we are responsible for paying a persons wages when the employer is not feeling that way.

[llkj]

Interestingly MSC cruise line actively DISCOURAGES cash tipping over and above the daily onboard account charge.

[heathanderson]

I always prepay gratuities. Also, I've found that tipping your waitstaff at your favorite Hangouts on the ship gets you better service. I find one and give him or her $20 to start out, they keep drinks coming and remember your name. I have even encountered a waiter from a different ship that's switched ships that remembered me. With our room Steward I always tip $50 on the first day. That usually gets you very good service and you get little animals made out of your towels. We also leave candy for them. Then I give another $50 on the last day. Handed directly to them.

[Simplepinoy]

We just got back from our NCL cruise. Man the staff were so kind and friendly. I mean each and every person I meet just went above and beyond. They deserve that tip and extra! 😊

[suewolf]

I just came off a cruise today. I prepaid the gratuities. I also left additional funds for the cabin steward. I asked her for additional things on the first day and everything was done for me quickly. Plus the items that I asked her to do daily were completed. I also left an additional tip for the three Waiters in the main dining room. My extended family's been in the restaurant business, and in the catering business for a long time. My daughter is a pastry chef in New Orleans. I know how underpaid the wait staff is paid on many cruise ships. I don't feel obligated to tip above the gratuities, but if I asked for special services I certainly will leave an additional tip.

[bryanwhite]

I like the daily charge to my account for gratuities so I’m not constantly handling out cash to people. I tip the baggage handlers and at the end of the cruise I leave a tip for the cabin steward in my stateroom. And that’s it . 😎

[k_Kingdom_Living]

Any tip being automatically added to your bill ia just smoke and mirrors. If you are running a business, you should not expect your customers to pay your employees. Tipping is optional based on exceptional service AFTER services have been rendered. Am I the only person that knows what is happening here?

[sharyncreswell]

In Australia we have government rules ensuring minimum wages are paid and tips are not mandatory or customary. I think others governments should follw this to protect their citizens from being ripped off.

[garysteinhagen]

I would prefer that the tips are added to the cruise fare

[ashleymcallister]

I removed my gratuities on our Royal Caribbean cruise. I was really surprised that my 2 & 3 year old were charged the same amount as an adult. I started doing research, and lots of employees have said their salary includes tips… So it’s not really a tip, it’s money that goes to Royal Caribbean to pay their employees. And a lot of these “behind the scenes” employees that see this money are actually the upper management that receive this money as a bonus.

I brought cash to tip our server and room stewards. I’m by no means saying not to tip.

A peeve of mine is when people say “don’t remove it they work hard.” Well first of all, I paid for my cruise and that should pay for their salary. It’s not my responsibility to pay for a service I’ve already paid for. And to say they work hard, GOOD it’s their job! I work hard too. I don’t need a pat on my back for doing my job and neither should they. I think it’s comments like that that create the shaming.

[donnaryan]

My husband and I always add the gratuities when booking our cruise. I also make sure to take along Thank You notes and add a couple of dollars into them along with our first names. I try to always have a couple with me throughout the day and give them to crew members who I feel have gone above or beyond what they had to do. This could be any crew member not just wait staff. We always leave a thank you note for our cabin steward at the end of our cruise with $10-$15 in it. I feel everyone needs to feel they are appreciated for the work they do.
Consider this a Thank You Note: Thank you LLana for your cruise information videos, They are appreciated. 🙂❤

[sharonscain]

I was once on a cruise and had dinner every night with a lady on the cruise. Her husband worked for the cruise industry. She told us the staff were well paid and should not be tipped.