A recent Facebook exchange between a Carnival Cruise Line guest and John Heald, the cruise line’s brand ambassador, has reignited debate over the cruise line’s gratuity policies.
The controversy began when the passenger expressed frustration with the automatic gratuity charges on Carnival cruises, stating guests should retain the right to decide whether to tip and how much.
The passenger’s post was direct, stating, “If I feel occasionally that someone deserves a gratuity I will give it to them. If not, then I will not. It is our choice.”
The concern was raised in response to fears that Carnival might remove the option for passengers to adjust or remove these gratuities. “If you stop your customers having the right to remove all gratuities, then you would see an exodus like never before,” the passenger warned.
The post prompted Heald to respond that there are no plans to alter the current policy. He wrote, “I do not remember saying anything about this and before I continue, let me say to the people on cruise news blogs and websites that there are NO plans to change anything.”
Read Also: Carnival Cruise Gratuities – How Much and Why?
He then continued to acknowledge that some passengers remove their gratuities in order give cash tips directly to crew members, and some who do so in order not to tip at all.
“If they have a legitimate reason to give nothing, then, of course, they should not, but, well, it would be dishonest of me to say that it makes me sad to read this and to see people remove their gratuities and give the crew who have given their all nothing,” Heald wrote.
Understanding Carnival’s Tipping Policies
Tipping policies on cruise ships, particularly automatic gratuities, have long been a topic of debate among passengers.
These charges are typically applied daily, covering the services provided by various members of the onboard staff, including stateroom attendants, dining servers, and others working behind the scenes.
Carnival Cruise Line’s current tipping policy suggests a daily gratuity of $16 per person for standard staterooms and $18 per person for suite staterooms, and apply “regardless of the dining options selected, such as eating at the casual dining restaurant or open seat dining.”
Additionally, $18 service charges are automatically added to the bill for beverage purchases, as well as to the reservation fee for the Chef’s Table and Bonsai Teppanyaki.
Eighteen percent is also added to the a la carte fee at Bonsai Sushi, Emeril’s Bistro, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse | Brewhouse, and the Seafood Shack.
These gratuities can either be prepaid during booking or charged to the guest’s account toward the end of the cruise to “streamline the recognition process and ensure our crew will share in your generosity.”
Carnival specifies “100 percent of your gratuities are distributed to the crew who you interact with.”
While these charges aim to ensure that all crew members are fairly compensated for their work, passengers retain the option to adjust or remove them based on their satisfaction with the service received.
Heald, a staunch supporter of tipping on cruises, has posted frequently about gratuities on ships. In a poll conducted on his Facebook page, 77 percent of the 25,500 respondents have given a cash tip to crew members apart from waiters and stateroom stewards.
Another poll with 31,300 respondents reported 96 percent of passengers tip porters at embarkation.
