First Time Cruising – Who to Tip

A tip is a voluntary and usually monetary expression of thanks. This is the first thing to understand. The second thing to be aware of is that most cruise lines do not pay the people who serve their passengers a set wage. Most service employees on a cruise will depend entirely upon the generosity of you, the passenger. In that stead, if you tip early and generously your cabin steward, who will most likely be the same person throughout your cruise, then you can be assured of exceptional service. Though shipboard employees are encouraged and trained to provide well for all of their passengers, it is only human nature to reward those who tip generously with a bit more attention than the cranky, old fuddy-duddy who doesn’t tip at all. But, many passengers will tip at the end of the cruise, which means that most service employees will provide the utmost in deft and courteous service throughout your cruise, banking on your fairness and appreciativeness.That said, things have changed over the last few years as more and more cruise lines are attracting passengers from different countries who have completely different “rules” on tipping. The French, for example, differentiate between the “unavoidable” cost of being waited upon and a tip as a way of thanking someone for exemplary service. The Japanese aren’t accustomed to tipping at all and Europeans are used to having a “service charge” added to their bills which is basically a tip for the employee taking care of someone, say at a first class hotel. This has resulted in a grave misunderstanding about the custom of tipping for U.S. cruise lines and therefore some lines have opted for adding a “service charge” or “automatic gratuity” in order to insure their employees receive the monies they depend upon.Dining has also changed drastically in the last few years. Shipboard dining used to be at assigned times at assigned tables with assigned personnel to wait on you for all three meals throughout your entire cruise. The busboys, table captains and stewards waited on and were tipped by the same people. This way of dining developed a rapport between the passengers and dining room employees. Now, with the advent of “Freestyle Cruising” and “Personal Choice Dining”, passengers are no longer tied to one particular team and may be served by more than a dozen stewards during the course of a voyage. Some cruise lines have also implemented “cashless’ cruising, which simply means that the service charge or gratuity has already been figured into the fare. Some lines still allow passengers to “opt out” of the service charge, as tips, by definition, are voluntary. Many passengers consider the service charges too high and prefer to tip by themselves, which saves them money in the long run.It is only fair to compensate employees for the work they do and also to allow passengers more freedom on their cruises. Not everyone likes to eat at the same time or will enjoy the same type of fare. The service charge is most likely here to stay and the majority of cruisers just consider it an unavoidable hidden cost that enables them to accept the generous service of shipboard employees without carrying additional cash or worrying about how much and when to tip. These service professionals are not kept aboard if they fail to meet or exceed exceptional standards for service. They deserve a gratuity; in fact, you should consider it a privilege to thank them monetarily for the service they have given for the duration of your cruise.So, make sure to gather this information in advance and be sure to add the estimated cost of gratuities or service charges that may be added to your shipboard account, to your cruise budget, prior to setting sail. Bon Voyage!