Tipping on a Cruise Begins Before SailawayIf you plan to drop off your larger pieces of luggage, be prepared to give the portside luggage handler a $2- $5 tip per bag. The amount can depend upon size, weight and amount of luggage.
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Tipping on a Cruise Begins Before SailawaySavvy cruisers know that gratuities begin before you board your ship. Why? If you plan to drop off your larger pieces of luggage, be prepared to give the portside luggage handler a $2- $5 tip per bag. The amount can depend upon size, weight and amount of luggage.
There aren't any hard-and-fast guidelines for this type of tip since it's contingent on your experience, but $25 to $40 on behalf of a couple roughly works out to an extra $2 to $3 per person, per day, for a seven-night cruise.
In general, plan on giving $16–$23 in gratuities per day for each passenger. Note that the amount should be tabulated for each individual in your party—don't try to tip once per couple or group. So if you're planning to go on a 7-day cruise, expect to give a total of between $112 and $161 per person in gratuities.
Because they are charged on a daily basis, you do not have to worry about tipping each crew member yourself. Many passengers, however, still like to leave extra tips for their stateroom attendant and dining room waiters at the end of the cruise.
For bartenders and housekeepers, you may also want to offer a generous tip at the beginning of the cruise (again, $20 or more, depending on your needs) to ensure great service while on board. As for daily housekeeping gratuity, $2 to $5 per person per day is a good rule of thumb.
Add a few extra dollars for luggage. PORTER If you are storing bags with the hotel porters before or after your stay, tip a few dollars per bag when you leave them and when you retrieve them, to thank everyone who helped you.
When you book a cruise, you also agree to tip the crew. Most cruise lines add a daily gratuity or service charge to your fare, either prepaid in advance of your sailing or once you are on board. They add auto-gratuities to many onboard purchases.
If you want to manage your budget more effectively, it's a good idea to prepay your gratuities for your Princess cruise. The only time you would be better off waiting is if you want to use any onboard credit towards the gratuity amount.
When airport porters help you check your bags curbside, you should tip $2 for the first bag and $1 for each additional bag; over-sized bags should be tipped at a rate of $2 per bag.
Senning recommends tipping bellhops $1 to $2 per bag, like baggage handlers. He suggests similar amounts for staff who deliver items upon request, like extra towels. For housekeepers, he suggests leaving $1 to $2 per guest, per day that housekeeping is provided, which may not be daily.
Tipping your stateroom steward on a cruise is customary and appreciated for their housekeeping, turndown, and other services. The standard tip for a stateroom steward is $3 to $5 per person per day, but you can tip more for exceptional service.
While the automatic service charges will cover their basic gratuities, it's generally considered good form to tip them a bit extra for a job well done, especially if you have made any special requests. Should you choose to, for a seven-night cruise, consider tipping about $2 to $3 per person, per day.
How much you tip on cruise excursions is entirely up to you, but a suggested starting price is $3 per person for a half-day tour and $6 per person for a full-day tour for the guide and $1 to $2 for the bus driver. You can, of course, increase that amount based on your experience on the excursion.
These gratuities are split between all crew members. The cruise line encourages passengers to check what the current daily service charge is at the time of their booking. Cruise directors and river guides do not share in the general gratuity, so passengers are encouraged to tip them directly as they see fit.
As mentioned above, not all members of the ship staff receive a share of the gratuities paid by passengers. Bartenders, main show entertainers and third-party shop employees are some of the more obvious ones, but they're not the only ones.
How much do non-salaried cruise ship employees earn? Gratuities usually come into play for service-oriented crew members who earn an hourly wage. The base wage is usually low -- sometimes as little as a few dollars a day, leaving tips to represent as much as 95 percent of their total take home pay.
No.Customers cannot refuse to pay automatic gratuity since the payment is a service charge. Tips are optional and freely given by customers, but charges on the receipt from the restaurant itself are mandatory fees. Not paying the automatic gratuity is the same as not paying for the food.