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One perk of pre-paying gratuities is that if you pre-pay and the rate later increases, you aren’t charged the higher rate. We’ve seen instances of multiple increases in a year and other times when rates won’t change for a year or two. Just like the price of anything else, you should expect over time for these rates to continue to rise slowly but surely.
Cruise Gratuities – Guide to Tipping on a Cruise Ship
While there typically is a separate gratuity for beverages, tipping these employees around $1-2 per drink is appreciated. If you’ve been left scratching your head wondering about the ins and outs of tipping on a cruise ship, we’ve got you covered with a comprehensive list of what to expect. Welcome to High Seas Cruising, your resource for exploring the exciting world of cruise ship travel. We provide expert advice, insightful reviews, and comprehensive guides to help seasoned and novice cruisers create their ideal sea journeys.
Step 2 – Gratuities Will be Added to Your Onboard Account Daily
Guests from the US booking an MSC cruise still have gratuities added on automatically, and this difference is reflected in the cruise fares. Some cruise lines will advertise pre-paid gratuities as a promotional offer meaning that you don’t have to pay for gratuities later as they are already included in the cruise fare. For some passengers, this rate will make a lot of sense but you’ll want to do the math. You’ll want to compare the extra amount you’ll pay for the All Included fare, but then back out the cost of the items included, such as the gratuities. Earlier, the All Included rate was mentioned for trips aboard Celebrity.
MSC Cruises
And, unlike the typical service fee or resort fee found at a land resort, they are not per room. Guests sailing on Windstar Cruises should expect to pay cruise gratuities as well. This hotel service charge is $16 per passenger, per day and is automatically added to each guest’s onboard account. There is an additional 20% gratuity for all spa and salon services. There is also a 20% service charge on all beverage purchases and all specialty restaurant dining and entertainment based dining. Further, cruises to Hawaii also have a 4.275% service tax applied.
If you pre-paid your gratuities, you’ll see a zero balance for this charge on your final bill. If you didn’t pre-pay, the gratuity charges will be added to your total balance. In most cases, cruise gratuities are automatically added to your onboard account, so you don’t have to worry about carrying cash or calculating tips. Some onboard services aren’t subject to automatically-included gratuities.
Prepaid Gratuities vs. Onboard Tipping
While gratuities are seen as “expected”, additional cash tipping is optional. Cruise ships are like small cities, and the crew members work tirelessly to ensure that you have a great vacation. Also, if you pre-pay your gratuities, and should the cruise line raise the cruise tip amount before you sail, you are “grandfathered-in” at the previous lower rate.
Our Top 23 Sofia Travel Tips
Costa Cruises applies a fee of €11 euro per passenger, per night for all travelers aged 15 and over. Children aged 4 to 14 are charged €5.50 per passenger, per night. We break down situations when passengers might or might not remove automatic gratuities. Do you feel guilty about not offering gratuities on an all-inclusive cruise ship? From information on gratuities added to spa and bar bills to the crew members you should never tip, here's everything you need to know about tipping on a cruise in one handy guide. Cruise lines split the gratuity charge amongst the hardworking crew members, including servers, stateroom attendants, and the entertainment staff.
PERX Discounts for AFA Members - Cruise from $49 (plus taxes & gratuities) - Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
PERX Discounts for AFA Members - Cruise from $49 (plus taxes & gratuities).
Posted: Fri, 15 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
40,000 people receive my best cruise tips, insights and guides every week. There is no need for you to pay extra and go to a speciality restaurant at all – the food in the ship’s main dining rooms is normally very good. Diane’s experience is very common, especially on some of the larger American cruise lines. Removing gratuities isn’t an option on Costa Cruises and all guests must pay them.
Now you know more about gratuities on cruises!
That is to keep an eye on your cruise planner and email for special promotions. While cruise gratuities can be modified or removed, we never recommend that cruisers do so. This is such a small and well-deserved token of appreciation to all the hard-working crew onboard the ship.
If this will be your first time in Bulgaria, check out our Bulgaria Trip Planning guide. WiFi in Sofia is generally stellar, some of the fastest in Europe (I honestly find it better than Romania outside of Bucharest). My home internet, which is the cheapest option, is usually 45 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload, but sometimes it’s even faster. You need to send a text with your license plate number via SMS to the number listed. It’ll be either a Blue Zone number (1302) which costs 2 leva per hour with a max time of two hours or a Green Zone number (1303) which costs 1 leva per hour with a max time of four hours. If your bus or tram has one of those fancy automatic ticket printers, you can use that too.
By charging a set gratuity amount, cruise lines can ensure that all crew members are compensated fairly and consistently. This helps to create a positive work environment and encourages crew members to provide excellent service. This could be confusing and time-consuming, especially for first-time cruisers. And from my own experience, I could see there were more than a few people who tried to avoid paying gratuities completely if they did not want to pay them.
The baggage handlers who take your bags upon arrival at the port don't typically work for the cruise line and therefore won't share in the onboard tip pool. Consider treating them as you would a bellman at a hotel -- a customary $1 or $2 per bag will do. When your cruise concludes, if the port workers aid in getting your bags to your car or a taxi, the same amount would be courteous. Room service stewards should be tipped on the spot, as should non-cruise workers like in-port baggage handlers or tour operators on shore excursions.
It is essential to be mindful of cultural differences when it comes to gratuity practices. While tipping is generally expected and appreciated in many Western countries, it may not be the norm in certain cultures. Familiarize yourself with the customs and traditions of your chosen cruise destination to ensure that you adhere to the appropriate gratuity practices. If you go on a tour or shore excursion, it’s nice to tip the driver or shore excursion staff if you’ve appreciated their service. Keep a few dollars handy to tip the cruise porters on embarkation day.
You can usually pre-pay your gratuities by selecting that option when booking your cruise online. Or you can call the cruise line’s customer service department or your travel agent. Overall, while it may seem like an additional expense that is added to your cruise, cruise gratuities are an important part of the cruise experience. For example, Carnival does not charge tips for kids under two years old. Norwegian Cruise Lines doesn’t charge gratuities for kids under three. However, for the most part you can expect that every passenger on your trip will see a charge.
The service charge is an integral part of the cruise and therefore the amount cannot be altered. On the majority of cruise lines, guests are asked to attach a credit card to their cruise account to pay for onboard purchases. Celebrity charge a daily service charge, as well as gratuities on every drink, spa treatment and speciality meal. Second, as mentioned you can wait until you are on the ship to pay the gratuity. In that case, they will be charged to your onboard account, and paid with the payment method on file at the end of the cruise. Today, it’s all done automatically through your onboard account.
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