"Our crew work as a team and, therefore, service charges are aggregated among all eligible crew members," a NCL spokesperson said. For example, Norwegian Cruise Line has said their automatic gratuities are shared by behind-the-scenes support staff such as table bussers and maitre d’s.
However, the number of crew members that participate ranges widely within the industry. This is why most cruise lines today pool the tips to reward more positions. The problem? The average passenger does not come into contact with all the crew members that can positively impact their vacation many key players are located behind the scenes.
Passengers could increase or decrease the amount at the front desk, or even have the charge removed entirely and provide tips in cash to the crew members they personally selected.īut even still, this cash-in-hand practice often left key service staff empty-handed. So, in the 1990s, cruise lines began adding these amounts to the checkout bill, a practice that became known as the auto-gratuity. Obviously, not all guests were on board with the program and even more crew members got stiffed. Believe it or not, passengers used to have to pay tips at the end of their cruise – in cash. While many years ago cruise vacations were promoted as a relatively all-inclusive product - one price pays all - tips have long been customary for service in the mainstream cruise industry. Reading some of the comments you'd think tipping was a new or quickly evolving practice – except that it's not. Tipping is a common subject on Cruise Critic's community boards, often sparking passionate debates. Why do cruise lines charge auto-gratuities? Luxury cruise lines build gratuities into the overall fare, so neither staff nor guests have to think twice about them. Guests can also opt to write-in additional tips as desired. These are on top of any prepaid tips, and are non changeable. Related: Can You Remove Prepaid Gratuities On a Cruise? Should You?Īcross most lines, an additional 18% gratuity is added to food and beverage purchases, and up to 20% can be automatically added to spa treatments. While no gratuity is mandatory, it’s true that it’s pretty much par for the course – and they can add up quickly, depending on the length of your cruise and how deeply you indulge on your cruise. Passengers staying in suites will usually pay a bit extra per day, per person.įor convenience, many cruise lines now encourage guests to opt-into prepaid tips, where a lump sum covering all the suggested gratuities for the duration of the cruise are added to your final bill, or even paid for at the time of booking. Just how important are tips to your cruise ship service crew? Are automatic gratuities added to your cruise folio or fare just a convenient way for cruise lines to dodge paying decent wages, or are they a convenient solution for passengers to make sure they’re showing their appreciation to the staff? What are the cruise industry tipping standards?įor a seven-night cruise on the major lines, the "auto-gratuity" currently has a wide range starting under $20 a day, per person, up to over $100 a day, per person. Most cruises offer the one-and-done option of prepaid gratuities, but if you still find yourself wondering just how tip compensation works on a cruise, you’ve come to the right place. If you find yourself scratching your head a bit when it comes to how much you should tip on your cruise, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
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