Going on a 7 day cruise how much should you tip?

Question

why do you pre-tip? i've heard between $200-$400, that seems alot for 7 days that is 1/3 the cost of the cruise itself. and who do give the money to.

Answer 1

I never ever pre-tip.  Mainly because I do not know if the stateroom attendant or waiters are good or not.

On our cruise last August, we tipped generously because all of our attendants were excellent, so we ended up tipping $5 per day.  We ended up giving our stateroom attendant and our two waiters a total of $20 for each attendant (M-F cruise).  That was actually better than the suggested tip guide on the cruise website.

Answer 2

Thats should all be taken care of with the tickets. I don't give a dime to anyone when I am at sea.

Answer 3

You pretip to show the staff that you recognize their efforts at guaranteeing you a good time on the cruise. It will also ensure that they spend a little extra time taking care of your needs.

I'm not sure about the amount.

I would guess that you would give the tip to the concierge, or whoever serves in that position on a cruise ship. If its a smaller boat or yacht, you might give it directly to the captain.

Just be clear that it is meant to be used as a tip.

Sounds like fun! Be sure to have a good time!

Answer 4

You are conveniently provided with envelopes and a tip card to help you calculate what to give each person when you get to your room.  I would estimate closer to $100-200 after all the damage is done.  Here’s a link to help: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art3...

Answer 5

We have been on 4 cruise. what they are doing now is as far as carnival is concerned is automatically taking it out for your waiter and the person who cleans your room at a rate of 10.00 a day per person per day. Any else you want to tip you can and amount is up to you.

Answer 6

On our last Carnival cruise, the tips were added to our bill the moment we stepped on-board.

A few of my guests opened cash Sign and Sail accounts and could not charge because the tips were already on the account and consumed the deposit.

Tips on Carnival are $10/per day/per person.

On Royal Caribbean, you get "tip envelopes" if you want to use cash.  That is the only way you can "adjust" the amount of the tip.  We had 2 cabins; 1 had great service and the other was terrible.  We did not want to tip the 2nd cabin's steward but were told if we were going to charge the tips to our credit card account, they were what they were.  No changes.  

Bar drinks include a 15% gratuity on the bill.

Tips go to the cabin steward, the waiter, the asst. waiter, optional head waiter.

Answer 7

Doesnt cruise put gratuity into things such as once you leave $30-50 will be added?????

Answer 8

Tipping is generally $10.00 per person, per day.

Usually this is taken care of at the end of the cruise, added to your final bill. You can adjust it if you think the staff does not deserve that amount.

Answer 9

I've only been on 2 cruises and have not heard about pre-tipping. You should receive an information packet from the cruise line (at least 2-3 weeks prior to setting sail), explaining most everything and, perhaps, information on tipping.  If you have not received such a packet contact either your travel agent (if booked through one) or the cruise line itself.

The 7 day cruise I went on was with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. We were advised about tipping 1-2 days before disembarking--a memo was sent to each cabin suggesting proper amounts. The crew including housekeeping staff, wait staff, etc. did an exceptional job. We chose to be very generous in that, most of these peoples' salaries come from tips and they work very hard.

$200-$400 is not unreasonable--there are many crew members involved--especially the wait staff--waiters (3 meals--if you choose), maitre d', wine steward, bus persons, etc. We had 2 people for housekeeping each day.

Hope that helps.

Enjoy your voyage; have a great time.

Answer 10

I recommend paying tips up front.  Yeah it may seem like alot, but keep in mind, they are at your beck and call for 7 days straight!!!  And in my experience, the service is great!  Plus, you don't have to carry money everywhere with you on the boat, you can just leave it in the in-room safe.  It's just so much more convenient this way.  I did it and loved it!!!

Someone asked earlier what cruise lines have the pre-tip option?  I have only been on Carnival, and I know they give you the pre-tip option because I chose it for my cruise!

Answer 11

I've been a travel agent for years now and I've never heard of pre-tipping... I'm curious to know what cruiseline you're going on? But anyway, gratuities are usually not included in the cruise price. The following is the "standard" for tipping on cruiseships and is based per person:

Dining Room Steward (Waiter):$3-4/dy per person

Busboy (Assistant Waiter): $2/dy per person

Cabin Steward(ess): $3-4/dy per person

Bartenders / Wine Steward(ess): 15% of beverage tab

I received this information from a CLIA (cruise lines international association) training class I took earlier this month.

Of course, you're under no obligation to pay gratuities if you don't really want to. Hope this helps!

Answer 12

They usually have a 'recommended tipping guide' in your stateroom.

But we tipped ($10 US) our 'floor attendant' when we arrived, to be certain we got a little extra attention and tipped the Bartenders as we went for the same reason.

Answer 13

If I'm not mistaken, Depending on what type of cruise...It's sometimes already included in the price of the cruise. It's probably best to ask a travel agent.

Answer 14

This will be in your cruise documents that will be sent to you before the cruise.

Some of the cruise lines automatically charge you $15 per day per person for tips and you do not have to do anything else - except if you have a complaint about one of the people and you want to reduce their tip.

Other cruise lines provide a tip envelope to you during the cruise.  The recommended tips are:  $3.50 per day per person for your cabin steward; $3.50 pdpp for your waiter, $2 pdpp for your assistant waiter; and some other minor ones.  Those are recommended tips.  You may tip more or less depending upon your service.

When you order drinks from the bar or in a lounge, the tip of 15% is automatically put on your bar tab which you sign after each drink.

So, the answer is tipping does add up.  This is the main basis of the pay for the personnel.  They work hard for their tips.  Tip them according to the level of service they provide.  Remember, if you would go to a nice restaurant, you would be tipping 20% of the total to the waiter.  The ship is more reasonable than that.

Answer 15

Most cruise lines bill your onboard account from $10 - $20 per person per day.  That is $70 - 140 per cruise.  I would check with your line.

Holland is $10 per person per day

Carnival is $20 per person per day

Princess is $20 per person per day

Bar taps add an additional 15% to all bar tabs.