Is it lawful for riverbarge excursions to tell the customer that no tipping allowed?

Question

saying that the trip is all inclusive when in fact the waiters never recieve the 10% of tip that riverbarge promises

Answer 1

Depends on the law of the country that commissioned the ship.

Answer 2

They do the same sort of thing when you go to any all inclusive resort. They tell you the tips are included in the price.  Maybe the wages of the servers are higher to reflect the fact that they don't get individual tips.  It's not uncommon, and not unlawful.

Answer 3

Yes it's lawful.  Might not be ethical...but yes it's lawful.

Answer 4

Holland America Cruise Lines puts a little different spin on it - they state in their material and documents, "No tipping required".

We went on an HAL cruise on the Maasdam, and were puzzled as to etiquette and staff compensation.  We decided to tip as we do on other cruise lines.

We've also gone to all-inclusives in Punta Cana and Riviera Maya, which state that the price we paid "includes the tips".  We always give a couple of extra dollars to staff members that have done a good job for us.  

Most service industry personnel depend on tips for a good portion of their livelihood.  Nothing wrong with showing your appreciation for making your vacation experience a little nicer!

Your question, however, is, is it lawful?  The answer is yes!