Gratuities

[flopnfly]

Question for those that know....

I noticed that some cruise lines give you the option to pre-pay your gratuities.  The one I looked at was $140 per cabin.

My question is, are you still expected to tip your maid etc or is this what you are prepaying?

[Bulldog]

WOW 140.00 and that mandatory ?

I would hope it covers everyone and their extended families 

[flopnfly]

My neighbours go on a cruise every year, and they say that they end up paying over $800 in gratuities, so I thought the $140 was way to cheap to be everyone included.

I think you probably get the envelopes at the end of your stay and you put in the "suggested" amount.

[Bulldog]

Again WOW, and you think 140.00 for everyone is too cheap ? I guess there is a reason I haven't taken a cruise  

On a 7 days cruise I would think 20.00 per days would be reasonable  

And I am thinking of taking one this fall 

[flopnfly]

The tips is partly why I've never taken a cruise before, but now I'm finding some really good deals out there for November.

Eastern Caribbean in November with balcony for $1200 including air.

I found this bar list for Carnival, and the drinks look reasonably priced. (click on the image to make it bigger)

[Bulldog]

That is a good deal  

I found this interesting;

Tipping on Cruise Ships
Tipping practices vary greatly amongst the cruise lines today, ranging from a required added service charge to no tipping at all. It is very important that you know the policy of the cruise line before you cruise so you can budget accordingly. When planning your cruise, check with your travel agent or the cruise line about the tipping policy. Often the recommended tips, which run from about $10 to $15 per passenger per day, are published in the cruise brochure or on the cruise line Web page. The cruise director will also remind passengers (sometimes over and over) about how much and who the cruise line recommends you tip.
Most tips on cruise ships are really service charges, which is one of the reasons why cruise lines seem to be moving towards adding a flat fee to your onboard account rather than make the tip amount entirely optional. New cruisers need to realize that most cruise lines do not pay their service staff a living wage, and tips or service charges make up much of their compensation. In order to keep the advertized price down, passengers are expected to subsize the service staff through these added service charges or tips.

All tips used to be given to the stewards and dining room staff on the last night of the cruise. Envelopes were passed out to the passengers and you presented the cash tip to the steward in the cabin and handed it to the wait staff at dinner. Some cruise ships still follow this policy, but others add a flat fee per day to your onboard account which may or may not be adjusted downwards, depending on the cruise line. If the fee is required and cannot be adjusted downward, it is a true service charge, and is no different than a port charge. Most cruise lines add the recommended service charge to your account, and you can adjust it if you think necessary. Personally, one of the things I love about cruising is the excellent service and wonderful attitude of the crew. I've never understood people who did not think the crew deserved at least the recommended service/tipping charge.

The last few years, cruise lines have moved away from traditional tipping for two reasons. First, as cruising as become more international, cruise lines recognized that many passengers from western Europe and the Far East were not accustomed to tipping. It was easier to just add a service charge to the bill (as is done in most hotels in Europe) than to educate the passengers. Second, many large cruise ships have added multiple alternative dining rooms and have moved away from fixed seating times and tables. Passengers have different wait staff each evening, which makes tipping more problematic. Adding a service charge to be split amongst all the wait staff is easier for all, although the top cabin stewards and dining staff probably make less than they used to since the service charge is split into more pieces.

Many cruisers wish that all cruise lines would adopt the "no tipping expected" polices of upscale lines such as Cruise West, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Silversea. However, it looks like the service charge concept is here to stay.

Below are links or information on the tipping policies at some of the major cruise lines.

Got to the bottom of this page ; http://cruises.about.com/od/tipsforfirsttimecruises/a/cruise_tipping_2.htm

[FredTracie]

the prepaid gratuities are an option on many cruise lines. When we cruised in the spring we paid the "mandatory" gratuities of $12 per day per person. (it had just gone up) That covers your room steward, all dinning staff etc. but does not include the bar staff who receive an automatic 15% added to every beverage purchased from the bar.
 It was really funny listening to people as they went to pay their onboard accounts, some almost passed out as they looked at their bar bills!! It is way to easy to just sign those bills to your cabin everyday!
  That is one definate advantage to an all inclusive resort!

[Bulldog]

Here is Carnival with a slight break down...

What is the tipping policy onboard?
 
Service Gratuities

For your convenience, we automatically charge the gratuities for dining and stateroom staff to your onboard Sail & Sign account. The total amount is $10.00 per guest, per day (our recommended guideline) as follows:

$ 3.50 Per Day Stateroom Services              

$ 5.50 Per Day Dining Room Services        

$ 1.00 Per Day Alternative Services: distributed to other kitchen and hotel service staff

For Cruises-To-Nowhere, gratuities of $10 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.

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. Tipping your Maître d’ is at your discretion, based upon the service you receive.

NOTE: BARBADOS CRUISES
All gratuities are pre-paid and automatically added during the booking process for Barbados itineraries.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

•Seabourn Cruises - onboard gratuities are neither required nor expected

•Silversea Cruises - onboard gratuities are neither required nor expected

[Bulldog]

Maybe a 7days November Cruise Trip 

[FredTracie]

  THE BEST WAY TO KEEP YOUR BAR BILL UNDER CONTROL!!


                 http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com/

[flopnfly]

I don't mind paying the $140 or $12 per day.  That is a reasonable amount to me.

I've found that some cruise lines have a prepaid soft drink charge of $5 per day for unlimited soft drinks.

I think I would opt for that and just pay for the occasional alcoholic beverage.

I've got another question about dining, but I'll put that in another thread.

[Bulldog]

Sounds good to me too Heather 

[Bulldog]

Heather where did you find that $1,200.00 deal ?

[Gambitt]

All this stuff Kills a cruise for me.  I would Never go anyplace where tipping is manditory.  A tip is a reward for good service, to be Earned, not expected.

[flopnfly]

Bob, I can't remember where I saw it because I had so many windows open.

Check redtagvacations, I know I was looking on there and I was also looking on tripcentral.ca