RyG's Cruise Guide
Please Like Us On Facebook!
  • Home
  • Cruise Tips
  • Cruise Resources
    • Cruise Schedules
    • Carnival Drydock Schedule
    • Carnival Cruise Director Schedule
    • Carnival Dive In Movies Schedule
    • Galveston Cruises
    • General Cruise Blog
    • Cruise Ship Webcams
    • Just For Fun
  • Carnival Cruise Food
  • My Cruise Reviews
  • Blog
  • Contact

Cruise Ship Tipping: The Crew To Tip and How Much To Give (2016)

1/2/2016

 
Carnival Dream Front of Ship
           Many crew members working on cruise ships rely on receiving tips as part of their income.  Some cruise lines have required tipping policies, but others allow each cruiser to leave tips as he or she wishes. There is no correct or incorrect way to tip a crew member because there are different methods people like to use for tipping. The goal of this is to share basic information about tipping for cruises and to help give suggestions on how much you should tip crew members based on the level of service recieved. 
            Do not forget to add tips into the cost of your vacation or into your cruise budget. The overall cost of your vacation should include the base price of your vacation, extras, and tips.


Tipping Suggestions For Your Cruise Vacation:
     I have created this suggestion guide to give you a basic idea about which crew members you should tip and for how much you should tip based on the level of service you feel you have received.  Please note, the way this set up is the better service you receive from a crew member will earn him or her a higher tip. In some areas you may want to tip higher for exceptional and great service, but in others you may want to lower tips because you feel the crew member did not to their job well. 

I.  Baggage Handlers
         These are people who take your luggage at the cruise terminal and bring it to be loaded onto the ship.  Baggage handlers are often not employees of the cruise line or of the cruise terminal.  In some places they rely solely on tips to make their money. 

I recommend tipping these people based on the number and size of the suitcases/bags you give them:
Small Bag: $3          Suitcase:  $5           Important Baggage or Medical Equipment Bags:  $6 - $10

Note:  Baggage handlers are usually never included in a cruise line's auto gratuity. If you choose to use your cruise line's auto gratuity, you should still tip baggage handlers separately because they are probably not included. I recommend giving your baggage handler cash before he or she takes your luggage away. 

II.  Stateroom Stewards & Stewardess
        These are the people who clean your room during your cruise vacation. On many cruise ships tips are supposed to be shared between head & assistant stewards. I recommend on deciding a total amount you want to tip your steward or stewardess team for the entire cruise vacation and then splitting that total amount to include something for all members of the team. Be careful not to leave a stateroom steward or assistant out that cleaned your room.
Tip Amount:
High Level of Service (Above & Beyond)       -     $4.50 - $6.00 per person per day
Excellent Service (Performed Duties Well)    -    $4.25 - 4.50 per person per day 
Average Level of Service                             -    $3.75 -  $4.25 per person per day 
Poor Service                                                -   $3.25 -  $3.75 per person per day 
Awful Poor Service                                      -   Consider Removing Tip or Giving Little

III. Dining Room Team
          These are the people that serve you in the main dining room. On some cruise ships you are assigned to a specific table with specific servers, but on other cruise ships you have flexible options that don't give you the same service staff each night. If you do not think you will have the same service staff each night, leave auto-gratuity on. Most cruise lines will give you the option to increase (or decrease) the auto-gratuity for certain staff, teams, or departments. 
Tip Amount:
Above & Beyond Exceptional Service            -       $7.50 -  9.00 per person per day
Excellent Service  (Performed Duties Well)   -       $6.00 -   7.50  per person per day
Average Service, But Still Good                    -       $5.00 -   6.00 per person per day
Poor Service                                               -       $3.50 -   $5.00 per person per day
Terrible Poor Service                                  -       Consider Removing Tip or Giving Little

            
            On some cruise ships you may have an option to eat at a specialty restaurant. Don't forget to leave a tip for these crew members too! 

IV.  Shore Excursions and In Port
Tour Bus Driver -  $5 - $10
Tour Guide -   $5 - $10

If the tour bus driver is also your tour guide I would give $10 - $15, assuming this person have you a safe quality tour. Sometimes shore excursions require tipping, but if not the amount you tip is up to you.   

V. Other People To Consider Tipping
These people are sometimes included in auto-gratuities and work hard during cruises. Consider giving these people a tip to show your appreciation for their hard work: 

Dining Room Maitre D' -   $5 - $8  
Entertainment Staff Member  -   $2-$5 
Kitchen Staff  -   $3-$4  per cruise 

Bar Staff -   15-25% off bar tab (note: this is sometimes included in price with some cruise lines) 
Laundry  -   $1-$3 per bag of laundry 
Any Crew Member (Not Already Mentioned)  Who Provided You With Excellent Service   -  Your Choice ($ 2 - 10) 
SPA Treatment Crew Member - $4 - $7, depending on service and quality of treatment
Room Service -   $2-$8   depending on size of order. For small orders give less and for larger orders give more.

        Some services require tipping and other crew positions may require tipping.  If a position was left off this blog post that does not mean that you should not tip the crew member.  Use this Tipping page as a general reference only.   Tipping will vary by cruise line, ship, and the individual service. If you plan on tipping crew members individually, do not leave tips on tables or counters. Hand your tip to that crew member in an envelope if possible. Tips that are left out could be stolen by a guest or another crew member.

        If you feel more comfortable leaving the auto-tips on, don't worry about any of the information on this page!  The cruise line will take care of the dividing out of the tips!! 


Comments are closed.

    RyG's Cruise Guide
    Blog 

    Like Us On Facebook
    For new and featured blog posts and articles please like us on Facebook! 

    Click Here For Our Profile

    Cruise Review & Pics! 
    Now Fully Posted:
    Carnival Breeze 4 Day 2022
    Click Here To View

    Quick Links:

    Carnival Cruise Directors
    Carnival Dry-Docks
    Carnival Cruise Food
    Carnival Bar Menus
    Carnival Movie Schedule
    My Cruise Reviews
    Galveston Cruise Guide
    Archives:
    2023 ARCHIVE
    It's not yet 2023!
    2022 ARCHIVE
    November 2022​
    ​October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    2021 ARCHIVE
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    2020 ARCHIVE
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    2019 ARCHIVE
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    2018 ARCHIVE
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    2017 ARCHIVE
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    2016 ARCHIVE
    ​December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    2015 ARCHIVE
    ​December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
Home        About Us        Contact Us        Privacy Policy & Disclaimer

www.embarkandaway.com     Thank you for visiting RyG's Cruise Guide!
RyG's Cruise Guide is not affiliated with any cruise line or travel organization. Any information is subject to change at any time given that the cruise industry is always changing. Due to the Covid pandemic, crew staffing shortages, and supply chain issues information could change without updates being made here. I always recommend checking with your cruise line for the latest information related to onboard amenities and Covid protocols. 

Connect With Us!