Cruise tourists should familiarize themselves with the rules regarding service charges and gratuities before they set sail. These can vary by shipping company and can cause confusion or even annoyance if not addressed in advance.
This is the usual tip amount on cruises
For most major international cruise lines such as Carnival, Celebrity, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America and Norwegian, it is common practice to automatically charge service charges to the onboard account, says cruise expert Franz Neumeier. These typically ranged from $16 to $20 per person per day, and sometimes more for suites.
This service charge is an integral part of the crew income of these ships, whose basic salary is low. If desired, you can leave an extra tip for the cabin crew, but according to the expert this is not expected.
Who the cruise If you book through a German travel agency and therefore in accordance with German travel law, service charges may be added to your booking. Ship In theory, you can write it off again from your onboard account. If the fee couldn’t be waived, it should be included in the price of the trip from the beginning, Neumeier explains. However, he adds that the chargeback is extremely unfair to the crew. “It can’t do anything for the whole system.”
For other shipping companies, including German market leader Aida Cruises and Tui Cruises’ “Mein Schiff” fleet, service charges are already included in the price of the trip, according to Neumeier.
And then there are suppliers in the high-price segment like Hapag Lloyd Cruises that don’t charge explicit service fees. But it’s still good manners, especially in the luxury sector, to give good service with a tip at the end of the trip, says Neumeier. Even if it’s not formulated, this is what guests expect, according to the operator of the specialized blog “cruisetricks.de”, which provides a detailed overview of the rules on tips and service fees of individual shipping companies.
Automatic Tips on Drinks and Massages on Cruises
Separate from all that are the service charges that are added to drinks at the bar or treatments in the ship’s spa with international cruise lines. They are often not on the menu or in the brochure, so you may be surprised when you look at the bill. “The cocktail is $11.80 instead of $10,” Neumeier explains. But then you have to pay for it, and that’s not up for debate.