Luxury world cruises are offered in a variety of different packages nowadays. If you do not opt for an all inclusive package then you just might be tipping various personnel on the cruise. The matter of tipping does not have to be a source of consternation and anxiety.
Generally you should plan to tip your steward three dollars per person and plan to do it every day. Your waitress or waiter should also be tipped three dollars. Remember to tip the bus boy as well, that is usually about half of what you would tip the wait staff. Often times however, the wait staff tips out the bussing staff from the tips they accumulate.
On most luxury world cruise ships (http://www.amttravel.com/cruise lines/luxury world cruises.html) you are not required to tip the maître d or the dining room captain unless you have requested something special like bring a birthday cake or hire tableside musicians. In this case a tip of between five and ten dollars is the usual.
You also should tip wine stewards and bartenders fifteen percent of your bill. Cruise lines that do this automatically are Costa, Carnival, Norwegian, Holland America, Cunard, and Princess. Norweigian charges ten dollars per day per guest to cover services in different dining rooms.
Before you tip you should always check the bottom of your bill to see if you haven’t already been charged the gratuity. Some cruise lines automatically add fifteen or twenty percent to your bill. You should also tip about that much for salon or spa treatments that you might enjoy.
Sometimes you will be given a placard by the cruise line in the ship’s profile package you are handed when you buy your ticket from the travel agent. This provides exact guidelines for tipping on any around the world ship (http://www.amttravel.com/cruise lines/world cruises.html). These guidelines will be repeated onboard by your ship’s cruise director.
Gratuities are placed in your envelopes and left in your cabin in some cases. If you are on a cruise that is ten days or less in length then you might not have to tip any of the staff until the end of cruise. If you are on a longer voyage tipping weekly may be the norm.
When in doubt be sure to get out your wallet and tip the person a little something. This is just good public relations as you will be onboard with these people for weeks and sometimes even months on end.
Some of the cruise lines do not require you to tip at all because their employees are very highly paid. The cruise lines that do not require you to tip their staff are the Regent, the Radisson, Seven Seas, Sea Dream, Silversea Cruise Line (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEcF4t A92c), Seabourn, and the Yacht Club. Of course the price of these cruises is often a little pricier because the tips must be absorbed into the total cost of the trip.
Of course if you choose luxury world cruises as all inclusive packages then tipping is never a concern. However there are some cases in which you might want to tip on top of the automated tipping scheme. This would be if the steward, maid, waitress, or cabin boy did you an extra special favor like arrange a private party or did an exceptional number of difficult errands for you.
Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in travel, leisure, and luxury world cruise ships. To find an around the world ship on Silversea Cruise Line, please visit http://www.amttravel.com/.
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