If you can be sure of one thing on a cruise holiday, it’s the amazing level of service you’ll receive from the ship’s dedicated crew. Working tirelessly to ensure every guest is warmly accommodated, cruise crews are some of the hardest workers in the travel sector and are fully deserving of an occasional tip or two. However, when it comes to paying pre-assigned, automatic gratuities on top of the total price of their cruise, some guests can understandably feel a little uneasy — largely because they’re concerned the money won’t find its way to those who merit reward.
To give you an idea of how much you’re likely to pay in gratuities when travelling with different cruise lines, we’ll take a look at the tipping policies of some of Australia’s most popular tour operators.
| Tipping Policy | Price Per Person, Per Day | Payment Method | Extra Charges | ||
| Azamara Club Cruises | Gratuity fee included in cruise fare | Gratuity fee included in cruise fare | N/A | Additional 18% gratuity charge for spa treatments | |
| Carnival Cruise Line | $12.00 | $12.00 | Automatically added to Sail & Sign Account | Additional 15% gratuity charge on beverages | |
| Celebrity Cruises | $11.50 Standard
$12.00 Concierge Class $15.00 Suite Guests |
$11.50 Standard
$12.00 Concierge Class $15.00 Suite Guests |
Automatically added to SeaPass Account | None | |
| Cunard | $11.50 Standard
$13.50 Princess Grill & Queens Suites |
$11.50 Standard
$13.50 Princess Grill & Queens Suites |
Automatically added to onboard account | Additional 15% gratuity charge on drinks and salon purchases | |
| Holland America Line | $11.50 Standard
$12.00 Suite guests
|
$11.50 Standard
$12.00 Suite guests
|
Automatically added to onboard account | Additional 15% gratuity charge on drinks and salon purchases | |
| MSC Cruises | Varies by specific itinerary | Varies by specific itinerary | Automatically added to onboard account | Additional 15% gratuity charge on drinks and salon purchases | |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | $12.95 $14.95
Suite Guests
|
$12.95 $14.95
Suite Guests
|
Automatically added to onboard account | Additional 18% gratuity charge on drinks and salon purchases | |
| P&O Australia | $7.50 | $7.50 | Automatically added to onboard account | None | |
| Princess Cruises | $11.50 $12.00 Suite Guests | $11.50 $12.00 Suite Guests | Automatically added to onboard account | Additional 15% gratuity charge on drinks and salon purchases | |
| Royal Caribbean International | $12.95 $15.95 Suite Guests | $12.95 $15.95 Suite Guests | Automatically added to onboard account | Additional 18% gratuity charge on beverages | |
Should you have any further questions regarding gratuities, or any other question for that matter, please do not hesitate to contact the Cruise1st team on 1300 857 345.
Image sourced via Flickr Creative Commons. Credit: Princess Cruises.
