This was very helpful. We have tipped often. We once tipped someone who was in the breakfast and lunch dining areas just to keep things straight. When we arrived he would bring our drinks and remembered our names. We decided to give him $10 on our last day. We couldn't find him so we gave it to his supervisor. Do you know in about 20 minutes later he found us and thanked us to no end. There were tears in his eyes. We have more stories. Maybe next time.
That's so heartwarming to hear! It's always so evident how much the crew appreciates recognition for the incredible amount of effort they put in. We do our best to make sure they know we appreciate them being a part of some of the best memories we'll ever make. Thanks for sharing that sentiment!
You can opt out of the NCL service charge, you have to go to the customer service desk and tell them you don't want to auto tip, we tip in cash, so we make a point to tell them this so they don't assume we are just not tipping at all and we end up in custody upon disembarkation because some disgruntled crew member reports falsely that we have drugs in our cabin or something like this. Always wait to the last day to remove your auto tips! I called NCL just now to confirm you can still opt this way fyi. Also if for some reason they give you a hard time opting out then use your credit card dispute process when you get back to reverse them. You don't need to be a helpless victim in this.
Thanks for sharing. That's good to know and of course tipping in cash is always an option. You can also set aside that cash with guest services at the beginning of the cruise to be applied later to tips if you know thats the approach you want to take. Saves you from any crew skepticism about not tipping.
The tipping package is normally around $16.00 a day which will make $112.00 per person per week; that tipping is apparently divided between all the personel on the ship which is usually 1200 personnel; thereore, each of them will recieve from my crew appreciation $112.00 divided by 1200 personal equals approximately .10 cents for the whole week for every personnel, times 52 makes $4,85 for my cruise cabin per person for the whole creuise; On top of that, sometimes we have offers from cruise lines that eliminates the crew appreciation as a part of the offer; to sell a cruise; how can they eliminate something that is not theirs, but the personne's l. I strongly prefer tipping directly the personnel myself.
Wow excellent break down of where the money goes. We share the same perspective and always give some extra tips directly to the people who take care of us personally.
Excellent video! I was in the service industry myself for years and am a proud over-tipper, so breaking down the amounts the servers and crew attendants get daily from the amount you prepay was a little shocking to me. I knew I'd be leaving more at the end of the trip, but as I'll be going on my first cruise next month, I was a little confused as to how much was practical and how much was a good or bad tip to give. I've been looking for a video like this. I've seen many that discuss tipping, but it's always, "Give them a little extra on the last day..." but no mention ever of actual amounts. So I appreciate you breaking it down so succinctly and clearly and specific. What do you think about the practice of slipping your cabin attendant part of his total tip on the very first day? Queasy or cool? Oh, and how did you get in "Just the tip?" without at least a grin?? Brilliant.
I think giving the cabin stewards extra is totally up to your discretion! We've honestly never had a "bad" one so I'm not really sure it's necessary, but absolutely personal choice. No different than having the tip in your hand when you order a drink. Have a fabulous cruise and thanks for your kind words about the video!
If you don't tip the postman who delivers your mail to your door, then there is no reason you should tip the waiter who delivers food to your table. Service people are paid to do their job. The crew should remember it is the very patronage of the passengers keep them duly employed and should be appreciative. Tipping is an American culture, and they are imposing their view/value on others.
Average salary for a postal courier is about $50K per year, working 8 hour days. Average salary for a waiter on a cruise ship is about $32K, and it's pretty typical for them to work 10 or more hours per day. If they were paid a salary commensurate with their work ethic and quality of service, they'd be paid far more than the average postal courier, but they aren't. It's the business model of the cruise industry, not passenger preference.
I NEVER TIP people who I am not going to see again ! Never. No tip to bus drivers , guides , luggage assistance etc. And believe me - I am getting 100 % the same experience. And one more golden rule : 4 times 5 $ over the course of the cruise , is much more than 50 $ at the end of the trip. Enjoy , but do not overpay 😂
Who to tip and how much is absolutely up to individual discretion. Can't argue that if you've already received exceptional service from someone who you'll never see again, then tipping them at the end won't change your experience. We don't tip in order to get a better experience. We tip to reward exceptional service wherever we experience it. If nothing else, maybe it will encourage someone to keep putting in the extra effort for the next guest/passenger.
Any monetary gratitude you're willing to give service industry employees who are particularly deserving of it is going to be greatly appreciated. No doubt about that.
So, we're doing a different international cruise on a few weeks and I have been researching similarly for it. I'm seeing mixed advice, but for Europe it mostly recommends taking Euros.
I was a little salty about paying tips months before my trip (per person for room and drink package) I reserved my additional tips for anyone who went above and beyond without knowing whether I was pulling out cash or not. One of the bartenders had our drink choices waiting for us at the bar which was kind of funny because with our drink package that was how we also got bottles of water (we didn’t decline any drinks😆)
That is a rub for some, for sure. Being asked to pay tip before you've received any service isn't an idea method. I do think if you don't pay the base gratuities ahead of time they typically get added to your onboard account and your card on file just gets charged for them at the end of the cruise. So that may be a way to at least avoid paying the base gratuities until you've actually gotten the service.
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel I feel like I would be ok if they just said ‘service fee’, or something because I like to be in charge of tipping (VERY good if warranted, base expected for adequate, minimally for acceptable and well crap for crap service and/crap attitude)
So yes and no. For many cruiselines, it's like an "add-on" that isn't really an add-on because they'll charge your room at the end of the cruise if you opt out. If you really want to opt out, you'll have to go to customer service. But it's easiest to pay ahead of time and then prepare for any additional gratuity that you may want to give for exceptional service.
The tipping debate will still be raging 100 years after I'm dead. Tipping is the culture on cruise ships and that's just the way it is and I don't see it changing anytime soon. AND I have no problem with it; it's simply the cost of going on vacation. I'm former service industry (bartender/food server) so I probably I over-tip. I pre-paid the tips on Princess (7 days @ $17 a day) but I also tipped on top of that as a personal choice. I'm not here to advocate or argue for or against extra tips, or even mandatory tips; it was a personal decision that I feel paid off. I was amazed at how much goodwill five bucks got me. I will say that I like the fact that a cash tip handed to a crew member will go into THEIR pocket. And thank you for mentioning the porters at the pier/port; they deserve cash consideration. I do have a question and I would like your opinion; after every meal in whatever dining room I found myself (MDR, specialty, casual, whatever) I gave my server five bucks and their assistant five bucks. Is five bucks appropriate? Or is that patronizing and cheap? Thoughts? I have another cruise coming up in November. Thank you!
Excellent perspective on cruise tipping. Thanks for sharing! $5 for your server/assistant in the main dining room after your meal seems reasonable especially if you're not planning to give your cash tips as a lump sum to each individual who you feel deserves it on the last day. Especially since they're also already getting a portion of the base gratuities that are typically charged. Regardless of how you tip on your next cruise we hope you have the best time!
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel Thank you! I appreciate your input. I didn’t want to wait until the last night but rather wanted to spread it around all week. Because I dealt with so many awesome crew members. And for me it really paid off. I wildly over-tipped my room steward but that dude kicked a**!
Let's all remember a "tip" is optional and completely your choice. No corporation should be "suggesting"how much you should tip and automatically taking this money from you. This is no longer a "tip", this is an extra fee.Corporations running these cruise lines use this money to subsidize their extremely low wages they pay their crew. Tip who you want - when you want and TURN OFF the auto tips. Usually these corporate buffoons make you walk down to the customer service desk to do so. I suggest you wait until the last day of the cruise to do so and to read the rules for turning off automatic tips because each cruiseline has different absurd rules to turn off auto tips. I also suggest NEVER opting in to prepaying your tips because AGAIN it is a "tip" and you might get horrible service and then might find it especially hard to reverse the "tip" you pre-paid.
It's true that many of the crew members in tipped positions are compensated with a fairly low base pay. For now we help how we can with generous tips when they're deserved and encourage the same from others when it's feasible. Maybe someday we'll have enough sway to influence bigger changes like what you mentioned.
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel All you are doing now is enabling a disfunctional system. You are not going to have "sway" some time in the future. You have sway now by refusing to enable this bs.
I love cruising and I agree with you on your tipping. We always tip on every drink and at the end of our cruise. They do know what you want and you never ever wait if you tip well. Thanks for another video. I do follow you as a re-watch crew from New York!
Typical American attitude. "They don't make enough, you must tip". You know, it's called a "tip" and not a "salary" because it is a tip, and not a salary. It's sad that people get fooled into this mentality. Corporations shifted blame for underpaying their staff onto the costumer, so not so smart employees think it's an actual costumer to be blamed for their poor living. It has gotten so ridiculous that some handyman that comes to your home, gives you a bill with suggested tip on it. I shit you not. There is no longer tipping, it's entitled begging. Real joke. Some cruise lines like RCL has "mandatory" tip that you are slammed with on your last day... it is still a tip and you can make them take it off your bill but that is big "no no" and you will feel like you just stole a candy from the child by doing it. To be fair, they are pretty upfront about it and you should consider this as part of your total price, however they should be forced to include this "mandatory tip" into your initial price so people who missed fine print don't get screwed. This would make pricing more fair and honest while lack of possibility of "mandatory tip" withdrawal would benefit employees because it would no longer be a tip... but part of their salary that they are guarantee to get. Moral to the story is don't be a fool. Tip out of your kindness and not because you have to.
Absolutely agree that the staff and crew should just be paid a more livable salary in line with the exemplary work they do. In lieu of that happening, we're fortunate enough to be able to tip when we experience excellent service and will always encourage others to do the same when they can.
These practices tend to be influenced by the automatic gratuity standards of the industry and, of course, personal preference and ability. Your mileage may vary.
Is there a specific question you had or something that you feel we didn't address? Always happy to create something that addresses specific topics if it will help others get the most out of their travel. Otherwise, nothing shameful about encouraging generosity when it's well deserved!
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel The part about how tips should be viewed as a service charge was tip shaming. Consider making content where you are not speaking down to people and telling them what to do.
Hey there! ☺ I just stumbled upon your cruise review on YT! Your videos would be a perfect fit for our website! We’re all about showcasing honest video room reviews from real travelers like you. Our mission is to build a comprehensive collection of room tours from hotels around the globe! We recently started featuring cruise stateroom reviews, and we’d love to collaborate with you. We’re looking for quick 1-2 minute walkthrough tours, focusing on the room and any stunning views the room may have. If you’re interested, let’s chat! Can’t wait to hear from you! -Mari😎
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel I would love to provide you all the details but if I enter a website link YT will remove my comment. Is there an email I can send you all the details to?
This was very helpful. We have tipped often. We once tipped someone who was in the breakfast and lunch dining areas just to keep things straight. When we arrived he would bring our drinks and remembered our names. We decided to give him $10 on our last day. We couldn't find him so we gave it to his supervisor. Do you know in about 20 minutes later he found us and thanked us to no end. There were tears in his eyes. We have more stories. Maybe next time.
That's so heartwarming to hear! It's always so evident how much the crew appreciates recognition for the incredible amount of effort they put in. We do our best to make sure they know we appreciate them being a part of some of the best memories we'll ever make. Thanks for sharing that sentiment!
You can opt out of the NCL service charge, you have to go to the customer service desk and tell them you don't want to auto tip, we tip in cash, so we make a point to tell them this so they don't assume we are just not tipping at all and we end up in custody upon disembarkation because some disgruntled crew member reports falsely that we have drugs in our cabin or something like this. Always wait to the last day to remove your auto tips! I called NCL just now to confirm you can still opt this way fyi. Also if for some reason they give you a hard time opting out then use your credit card dispute process when you get back to reverse them. You don't need to be a helpless victim in this.
Thanks for sharing. That's good to know and of course tipping in cash is always an option. You can also set aside that cash with guest services at the beginning of the cruise to be applied later to tips if you know thats the approach you want to take. Saves you from any crew skepticism about not tipping.
i tip who i want, when i want
The tipping package is normally around $16.00 a day which will make $112.00 per person per week; that tipping is apparently divided between all the personel on the ship which is usually 1200 personnel; thereore, each of them will recieve from my crew appreciation $112.00 divided by 1200 personal equals approximately .10 cents for the whole week for every personnel, times 52 makes $4,85 for my cruise cabin per person for the whole creuise; On top of that, sometimes we have offers from cruise lines that eliminates the crew appreciation as a part of the offer; to sell a cruise; how can they eliminate something that is not theirs, but the personne's
l. I strongly prefer tipping directly the personnel myself.
Wow excellent break down of where the money goes. We share the same perspective and always give some extra tips directly to the people who take care of us personally.
Excellent video! I was in the service industry myself for years and am a proud over-tipper, so breaking down the amounts the servers and crew attendants get daily from the amount you prepay was a little shocking to me. I knew I'd be leaving more at the end of the trip, but as I'll be going on my first cruise next month, I was a little confused as to how much was practical and how much was a good or bad tip to give. I've been looking for a video like this. I've seen many that discuss tipping, but it's always, "Give them a little extra on the last day..." but no mention ever of actual amounts. So I appreciate you breaking it down so succinctly and clearly and specific.
What do you think about the practice of slipping your cabin attendant part of his total tip on the very first day? Queasy or cool?
Oh, and how did you get in "Just the tip?" without at least a grin?? Brilliant.
I think giving the cabin stewards extra is totally up to your discretion! We've honestly never had a "bad" one so I'm not really sure it's necessary, but absolutely personal choice. No different than having the tip in your hand when you order a drink. Have a fabulous cruise and thanks for your kind words about the video!
Thanks for the advice!!
Happy to help!
If you don't tip the postman who delivers your mail to your door, then there is no reason you should tip the waiter who delivers food to your table.
Service people are paid to do their job.
The crew should remember it is the very patronage of the passengers keep them duly employed and should be appreciative.
Tipping is an American culture, and they are imposing their view/value on others.
Average salary for a postal courier is about $50K per year, working 8 hour days. Average salary for a waiter on a cruise ship is about $32K, and it's pretty typical for them to work 10 or more hours per day. If they were paid a salary commensurate with their work ethic and quality of service, they'd be paid far more than the average postal courier, but they aren't. It's the business model of the cruise industry, not passenger preference.
@ThisHappyPlaceTravel then perhaps the cruise line should pay their crew better rather than expecting the passengers to make up the short falls.
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel 30 k$ in Indonesia 🇮🇩 ore Philippines 🇵🇭 are worth of more than 100 k$ in the 🇺🇸 ore in Europe .
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel then they should imagrate to the US and become a postman
I NEVER TIP people who I am not going to see again ! Never.
No tip to bus drivers , guides , luggage assistance etc.
And believe me - I am getting 100 % the same experience.
And one more golden rule :
4 times 5 $ over the course of the cruise , is much more than 50 $ at the end of the trip.
Enjoy , but do not overpay 😂
Who to tip and how much is absolutely up to individual discretion. Can't argue that if you've already received exceptional service from someone who you'll never see again, then tipping them at the end won't change your experience. We don't tip in order to get a better experience. We tip to reward exceptional service wherever we experience it. If nothing else, maybe it will encourage someone to keep putting in the extra effort for the next guest/passenger.
20 USD per week for butler / cabin Stewart . And sometimes 5 $ for ultra nice waiter. That’s all !
Any monetary gratitude you're willing to give service industry employees who are particularly deserving of it is going to be greatly appreciated. No doubt about that.
Thank You!
Super helpful! Thank you! Quick Question: is it best to bring euros for shore excursion tips? Or will dollars work? (Mediterranean cruise next week.)
So, we're doing a different international cruise on a few weeks and I have been researching similarly for it. I'm seeing mixed advice, but for Europe it mostly recommends taking Euros.
I was a little salty about paying tips months before my trip (per person for room and drink package) I reserved my additional tips for anyone who went above and beyond without knowing whether I was pulling out cash or not. One of the bartenders had our drink choices waiting for us at the bar which was kind of funny because with our drink package that was how we also got bottles of water (we didn’t decline any drinks😆)
That is a rub for some, for sure. Being asked to pay tip before you've received any service isn't an idea method. I do think if you don't pay the base gratuities ahead of time they typically get added to your onboard account and your card on file just gets charged for them at the end of the cruise. So that may be a way to at least avoid paying the base gratuities until you've actually gotten the service.
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel I feel like I would be ok if they just said ‘service fee’, or something because I like to be in charge of tipping (VERY good if warranted, base expected for adequate, minimally for acceptable and well crap for crap service and/crap attitude)
Well done onCele ritySummit now
Wonderful! Enjoy your cruise! 🚢
Isn't the tip included in the price on most cruises?
So yes and no. For many cruiselines, it's like an "add-on" that isn't really an add-on because they'll charge your room at the end of the cruise if you opt out. If you really want to opt out, you'll have to go to customer service. But it's easiest to pay ahead of time and then prepare for any additional gratuity that you may want to give for exceptional service.
The tipping debate will still be raging 100 years after I'm dead. Tipping is the culture on cruise ships and that's just the way it is and I don't see it changing anytime soon. AND I have no problem with it; it's simply the cost of going on vacation. I'm former service industry (bartender/food server) so I probably I over-tip. I pre-paid the tips on Princess (7 days @ $17 a day) but I also tipped on top of that as a personal choice. I'm not here to advocate or argue for or against extra tips, or even mandatory tips; it was a personal decision that I feel paid off. I was amazed at how much goodwill five bucks got me. I will say that I like the fact that a cash tip handed to a crew member will go into THEIR pocket. And thank you for mentioning the porters at the pier/port; they deserve cash consideration. I do have a question and I would like your opinion; after every meal in whatever dining room I found myself (MDR, specialty, casual, whatever) I gave my server five bucks and their assistant five bucks. Is five bucks appropriate? Or is that patronizing and cheap? Thoughts? I have another cruise coming up in November. Thank you!
Excellent perspective on cruise tipping. Thanks for sharing! $5 for your server/assistant in the main dining room after your meal seems reasonable especially if you're not planning to give your cash tips as a lump sum to each individual who you feel deserves it on the last day. Especially since they're also already getting a portion of the base gratuities that are typically charged. Regardless of how you tip on your next cruise we hope you have the best time!
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel Thank you! I appreciate your input. I didn’t want to wait until the last night but rather wanted to spread it around all week. Because I dealt with so many awesome crew members. And for me it really paid off. I wildly over-tipped my room steward but that dude kicked a**!
Let's all remember a "tip" is optional and completely your choice. No corporation should be "suggesting"how much you should tip and automatically taking this money from you. This is no longer a "tip", this is an extra fee.Corporations running these cruise lines use this money to subsidize their extremely low wages they pay their crew. Tip who you want - when you want and TURN OFF the auto tips. Usually these corporate buffoons make you walk down to the customer service desk to do so. I suggest you wait until the last day of the cruise to do so and to read the rules for turning off automatic tips because each cruiseline has different absurd rules to turn off auto tips. I also suggest NEVER opting in to prepaying your tips because AGAIN it is a "tip" and you might get horrible service and then might find it especially hard to reverse the "tip" you pre-paid.
A totally fair view.
How about doing a story shaming these companies for not paying these workers appropriately?
It's true that many of the crew members in tipped positions are compensated with a fairly low base pay. For now we help how we can with generous tips when they're deserved and encourage the same from others when it's feasible. Maybe someday we'll have enough sway to influence bigger changes like what you mentioned.
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel All you are doing now is enabling a disfunctional system. You are not going to have "sway" some time in the future. You have sway now by refusing to enable this bs.
I love cruising and I agree with you on your tipping. We always tip on every drink and at the end of our cruise. They do know what you want and you never ever wait if you tip well. Thanks for another video. I do follow you as a re-watch crew from New York!
Typical American attitude. "They don't make enough, you must tip". You know, it's called a "tip" and not a "salary" because it is a tip, and not a salary. It's sad that people get fooled into this mentality. Corporations shifted blame for underpaying their staff onto the costumer, so not so smart employees think it's an actual costumer to be blamed for their poor living. It has gotten so ridiculous that some handyman that comes to your home, gives you a bill with suggested tip on it. I shit you not. There is no longer tipping, it's entitled begging. Real joke. Some cruise lines like RCL has "mandatory" tip that you are slammed with on your last day... it is still a tip and you can make them take it off your bill but that is big "no no" and you will feel like you just stole a candy from the child by doing it. To be fair, they are pretty upfront about it and you should consider this as part of your total price, however they should be forced to include this "mandatory tip" into your initial price so people who missed fine print don't get screwed. This would make pricing more fair and honest while lack of possibility of "mandatory tip" withdrawal would benefit employees because it would no longer be a tip... but part of their salary that they are guarantee to get.
Moral to the story is don't be a fool. Tip out of your kindness and not because you have to.
Absolutely agree that the staff and crew should just be paid a more livable salary in line with the exemplary work they do. In lieu of that happening, we're fortunate enough to be able to tip when we experience excellent service and will always encourage others to do the same when they can.
I'm sorry, but you are full of it. Who are you to tell us what we should do?
These practices tend to be influenced by the automatic gratuity standards of the industry and, of course, personal preference and ability. Your mileage may vary.
By the way creators shoud "create", not do tip shaming content.
Is there a specific question you had or something that you feel we didn't address? Always happy to create something that addresses specific topics if it will help others get the most out of their travel. Otherwise, nothing shameful about encouraging generosity when it's well deserved!
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel The part about how tips should be viewed as a service charge was tip shaming. Consider making content where you are not speaking down to people and telling them what to do.
Hey there! ☺
I just stumbled upon your cruise review on YT! Your videos would be a perfect fit for our website!
We’re all about showcasing honest video room reviews from real travelers like you. Our mission is to build a comprehensive collection of room tours from hotels around the globe! We recently started featuring cruise stateroom reviews, and we’d love to collaborate with you.
We’re looking for quick 1-2 minute walkthrough tours, focusing on the room and any stunning views the room may have. If you’re interested, let’s chat! Can’t wait to hear from you!
-Mari😎
That sounds like a very helpful website! What is it called?
@@ThisHappyPlaceTravel I would love to provide you all the details but if I enter a website link YT will remove my comment. Is there an email I can send you all the details to?
@@mariaruiz4163 You can find our email address for business inquiries in our channel description!