Every crew member on a cruise ship – from the guest services staff to baggage handlers, housekeepers, and pool attendants – works diligently seven days a week to ensure every guest has a great vacation.
How much should these hard-working crew members be tipped for the excellent service they provide? The answer isn’t always straightforward and often depends on what type of cruise experience you’ve had.
My Cruise Tipping Totals
In general, I’ve had fairly good cruise experiences and tip the customary amount in recognition of the service I’ve received. On most cruises, this means the automatic gratuity – usually from $16-25 per person, per day – which is divided between the housekeeping team and the dining team.
In elite areas, such as MSC Cruises’ MSC Yacht Club or Norwegian Cruise Line’s The Haven, higher gratuity rates include the butler or concierge who provide extra services and more personalized attention to every guest.
If extra care has been given, such as the anniversary cruise where my husband and I received a pair of beautiful towel swans and a heart in our stateroom to celebrate the special day, I offer an extra tip on top of the automatic gratuity. This might be $20-60 (for the entire cruise) for the stateroom attendant and a similar amount for the dining team.
For one-off services, such as a bartender or spa masseuse, the standard 18% gratuity is automatically added to the tab. But as with other crew members, if excellent service is given, an extra tip is also given.
For example, my husband wanted to try a beer flight at Guy’s Pig & Anchor Brewhouse onboard Carnival Celebration. One of the brews he wanted to try wasn’t customarily part of the pre-determined flight, but the bartender swapped it out anyway. That warranted an extra $3 tip.
Similarly, when we wanted to dance to a special song from the piano player at the Schooner Bar onboard Independence of the Seas, that request (and some excellent musical talent) earned a $2 tip.
It is important to note that everyone’s tipping experiences will be different on different cruises and different cruise lines. But how can you sort out who to tip how much?
Automatic Gratuities – Who Is Paid What?
First of all, most cruise lines have an automatic gratuity policy with tips added to guests’ onboard accounts. If you agree with those gratuities and don’t want to tip above those amounts – and you do not have to, so don’t let anyone guilt you into doing otherwise – you don’t have to tip another penny.
Automatic tips are processed without any input, and it’s very convenient. But who gets what tip, and when?
Both pre-paid and onboard automatic gratuities offer extra compensation to the same crew members, those who have the most personal connections to guests. This includes the dining team and the housekeeping team, both lead or head positions as well as 2-3 assistants on each team.
The total of the gratuities – which may also be called “service charges” or “crew appreciation” – does not change, whether they are paid before or during the cruise.
All passengers’ gratuities are lumped into a common pool and divided among the applicable crew members according to published rates. Despite rumors and “I heard from a friend whose cousin-twice-removed is a travel agent who took a cruise and talked to a crew member who said” lines of communication, crew members do not know in advance who pays for gratuities, who might adjust gratuities, and who pays tips in cash.
What differs is when these gratuities are paid, and guests have control over that timing.
Pre-Paid Gratuities – When Are They Paid?
Pre-paid gratuities are included in the total of your cruise fare and will be paid off by your final payment date, long before you set sail. You have to select this option, as it is not generally the default choice.
While pre-paid gratuities do add an extra charge up front, they are convenient. You do not have to worry about extra tips once onboard the ship, and you don’t have to fret over higher-than-expected onboard charges.
This is a great option for easy travel budgeting. It is especially welcome if you might be concerned about whether or not your selected credit or debit card will have enough financial flexibility to cover all your onboard charges – drinks, souvenirs, shore tours, photos, etc.
Automatic Gratuities – Paid During the Cruise
If you do not select pre-payment for gratuities, the tips are added to your onboard account during your sailing. This may be done toward the end of the cruise or partway through the sailing. Some cruise lines may add each day’s gratuity individually, which can help you see how your account total changes throughout the cruise.
This is an easy way to pay tips onboard, but it can add up quickly for a longer cruise or larger family. Still, this is very convenient and a popular way to pay for tips without leaving anyone out.
Discretionary Gratuities – That Something Extra
Discretionary gratuities are extra tips you offer as-needed during the cruise, often in cash as services are rendered. This might be a thank you to a stateroom attendant, bartender, or casino dealer, over and above pre-paid or automatic tips. This is always up to you and you shouldn’t feel pressured to pay more.
Offering an extra cash tip is a great way to extend personal thanks to a hard-working crew member without visiting guest services or putting that money into the common tipping pool.
While different cruise lines may have different policies, Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed that extra cash tips offered to individual crew members do stay with those crew members.
There are many other crew members who might deserve extra tips on your cruise, depending on what tasks they perform and how much their work enhances your cruise experience.
Housekeeping Tips
While the housekeeping team is part of the automatic tipping pool, these are some of the hardest working crew members onboard and there are many ways they might deserve a little something extra.
Lose a button off a dress shirt before formal night and ask the cabin attendant where to get a needle and thread? They might take care of the sewing themselves – that definitely warrants an extra tip.
Feeling a bit of seasickness and prefer to stay in your stateroom? That cabin attendant who brings you green apples and bottled water definitely deserves a bit of extra acknowledgement.
We’ve tipped extra to our stateroom attendant for such extra services, as well as for providing a daily ice bucket, cleaning up excess sand after a beach day, or that time when we wanted a recommendation about which onboard show to see.
Dining Team Tips
Just as with the stateroom attendant, the dining team is part of the regular tipping pool. These servers, however, can do so much to make your mealtime experiences even more spectacular.
Have a picky eater in your family? That assistant waiter who has chicken tenders and fries ready to go and who brings chocolate chip cookies every evening for dessert would appreciate the extra tip for his efforts.
How about that bread service? If you love Royal Caribbean’s cheese rolls as much as I do, you’ll love a waiter who brings you extra to enjoy each evening (my waistline doesn’t love it quite as much, but I’m on vacation!). That special attention deserves an extra special tip.
And no cruise dinner is complete without a decadent dessert. Let your Carnival wait staff know just how you like your warm chocolate melting cake – for me, medium-melty with two scoops of vanilla ice cream – and they’ll be sure it arrives perfectly, every time. With that level of service, I make sure their extra tip arrives as well.
Room Service Tips
The crew members who deliver room service orders are not part of the general tipping pool. A tip of $1-5 is customary depending on the size of the order and how quickly it may be delivered. A little extra generosity is also appreciated if they take away any empty dishes that may be in your stateroom already.
If room service has a delivery fee, check the receipt carefully to note whether or not that fee covers any gratuity.
Bartending Tips
It is not generally necessary to tip bartenders or baristas, as an extra 15-18 percent gratuity is automatically added to bar tabs even for just a single drink. A tip of $2-3 for great service, however, such as replacing a spilled drink or remembering that special morning latte order, is always welcome.
Casino Tips
In the ship’s casino, dealers and croupiers are not part of the general tipping pool and no tips are required. It is customary, however, to offer a tip after a great winning streak, and the amount should be relative to one’s winnings.
If a server brings a free drink to a player while enjoying table games or slot machines, a $1-2 tip would be appreciated, but is not mandated.
Spa Service Tips
It is not necessary to tip spa personnel or fitness center staff, whether for free activities, such as a morning stretch class, or for paid services, like a hot stone massage.
A few extra dollars to recognize a job well done won’t be out of place, however, especially for individualized services such as hair styling or personal training.
Check receipts first, however, as these services may also have service charges or automatic gratuities already added to the totals.
Youth Staff Tips
Parents and grandparents who enjoy cruise vacations with their children and grandchildren do not typically need to tip youth counselors. If the children have special needs or preferences and the staff goes above and beyond to give these young cruisers a great time, however, an extra tip of $10-20 per child is appropriate for the duration of the cruise.
A few extra dollars’ tip for an evening babysitter is also acceptable, even if the service does require an extra charge.
These Aren’t Crew Members – But They Can Be Tipped Too!
Some extra tips may be paid to staff who aren’t actually part of the cruise ship’s crew or the cruise line’s shoreside team, but who nevertheless offer invaluable services to passengers.
For example, luggage porters who handle heavy bags before and after the cruise are typically tipped $1-2 per bag for their assistance, or as much as $5 per bag for very large, heavy, or awkward luggage.
The drivers and guides for shore tours are also independently employed and may accept tips. In general, $3-5 per guest for a shorter 3-4 hour tour or up to $20-25 for a 6-8 hour excursion for the guide is a proper amount, with an extra $5-10 for the driver.
Do Not Tip These Crew Members – Ever!
The one group of people who should never be tipped on a cruise are the officers – these professionals are well-paid for their rank, and an extra gratuity could be seen as patronizing, insulting, or embarrassing. This includes the ship’s master (captain), engineers, hotel director, and even the cruise director.
Read Also: How Much Does a Cruise Director Make?
Instead, a genuine word of thanks and praise for the vessel and her crew would be most welcome.
An exception is the maitre d’ of the dining room. If this officer granted a special favor, such as arranging for different seating or changing a dining time at short notice, a $10-20 tip is customary.
The exception to this exception can be if you visit the dining room on embarkation day at the stated time – usually a couple of hours in the afternoon – to ask about your table assignment. During that window, changes are common and no gratuity is necessary for a simple dining adjustment.
So, How Much Do You Tip – Total?
So, how much do all these tips add up to for a cruise budget?
For me and my husband, when it is just the two of us sailing on a 7-night cruise, we budget $50 per day for both the automatic gratuities and extra tips.
This adds up to $350 for our cruise tipping budget, which doesn’t count any tips for shore tours. In total for such a sailing if we are visiting exciting ports of call, we would plan for $500 in tips.
Exactly how much you ought to budget for tips will depend on the length of the cruise, how many people are sailing, the type of stateroom you book, and what extra services you enjoy.
Everyone will tip a different amount, and while there are guidelines, there are no exact right answers that suit everyone. Enjoy your cruise, and be sure to thank those who make it even more enjoyable!
