Pay upfront, but still bring cash: What travelers need to know about tipping on a cruise
When Chelsy De Avila took a Caribbean cruise in 2019, one part of her bill caught her off guard: gratuities. The cruise line, Royal Caribbean International, had spelled out its automatic gratuity policy, but De Avila had only taken a cruise once before as a teenager and was surprised by the total at the end of her seven-day trip.
While she was pleased with the service, the Utah-based 28-year-old told USA TODAY, “If you don’t expect it, then yeah, it’s going to hurt.”
Some travelers new to cruising may be taken aback by how those charges can add up. "I think people are surprised sometimes by their overall bill at the end," Becky Robinson, a travel adviser with Departure Lounge, told USA TODAY.
Here is what passengers need to know about tipping on a cruise.
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How much do tips cost on cruises?
Robinson said mainstream cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line charge gratuities on a per person, per day basis. Those can range from about $15 to upwards of $20 for each passenger depending on the cruise line and cabin type, she said, which they automatically add to your bill.
Lesley Sawhook, co-owner of the travel agency Exclusive Travel Partners, said passengers can ask their travel agent how much those will cost, if they are working with one, or check with the cruise line. She also noted that if passengers prepay a drinks package on a major mainstream cruise line, the line will also charge upfront for the tips associated with the service of those drinks.
Those tips cover employees including main dining room servers and room stewards.
Be sure to check your cruise line's specific policies. In addition to its daily "crew appreciation" charge, Holland America, for instance, also adds an 18% "service charge" to purchases of drink packages, drinks, dining, private events and "other elected products, services or amenities" that aren't included in the cruise fare, per its website.
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Think about gratuities before you sail
Travelers can start by determining whether or not gratuities are included. Bruce Powell, CEO and lead travel adviser at BWP Travel, said they can do so by looking at the Frequently Asked Questions section of the cruise line's website.
Sawhook said many luxury lines automatically include tips, while other lines such as Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line offer many promotions and packages that bundle gratuities with fares.
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Guests can also prepay gratuities before their trip, Sawhook said, which 75% of her clients prefer to do. Travelers can adjust the gratuity amount they are charged before the end of their trip, though they cannot adjust them down if they prepay, she said.
"These people work so hard, I always encourage my clients, if you're going to adjust it in any way, please adjust it up," she said.
Tipping etiquette on board
While not required, Robinson said many travelers give "a little something extra to their favorite bartender or their favorite waiter or the room steward."
Sawhook said she always tips the employees delivering in-room dining, as well as "a good tour guide" on an excursion. She said it is also customary to tip the porters handling bags when passengers get on and off the ship, who she said are usually contracted through the cruise line and do not get any portion of the tips charged on board.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How much do you tip on a cruise ship? Insight on gratuities when sailing.
