Weird. Tips are usually added a the rate of ariund $10.00 per person per day per cabin so that figure is correct but I've never prepaid them. Its always added on to you ship board bill and thats done on a daily basis. How did you book this cruise?

Common policy to pay per diem tip not as common to have
to prepay it but pretty much the norm these days for most
ships before and after. Crystal Seabourn some other upscales
have no tipping policies but much higher entry prices.Consider
it a prepaid fee and pay it.I do not recall prepaying on any cruise I have been on. On one Princess cruise that had a problem was not charged at all so might check with your ship
line for specifics on policies.Odds are they will let you pay after if you squawk about it.

I would never pre-pay for tips. On every cruise I've taken I always received excellent service so I tipped accordingly, however if tips are pre-paid then you are tipping the same whether the service is good or bad. IMO it defeats the purpose, as a tip is a reward for good service.

I booked through a travel agent that i use all the time. I just e-mailed her to ask why. I dont mind tipping, however i just dont want to tip twice by pre paying and then having the cruise line ding me again. I cant imagine any service being that great!!!

From the Celebrity web site:

For your convenience, we will automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion: $11.50 per person per day for guests in staterooms ($12.00 per person per day for guests in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms and $15.00 per person per day for guests in Suites).

All mass market cruise lines add automatic tips to your bill, generally on the first day of the cruise. Some add it on a daily basis as the cruise progresses. Prepaying tips isn't neccessary but some people like to pay as much in advance and this way you have a smaller bill at the end of the cruise. We've done both and they both work fine.

Keep in mind that you will be charged additional tips for bar tabs. Also many people tip a small additional amount to their cabin steward or waiter if the service warrants it.

It's amazing how the industry has gotten away from tipping for good service to be it being a customary upfront charge.

There is so much controversy on this issue, but I personally feel it's just another charge they add on like all their other fees.

If they would just make it a part of the overall cruise charge and not an extra, I think most people would deal with it better. I would.

Just another reason why I prefer AI land vacations over cruising.

KVR: Don't you have to tip the bus driver and tour guide on land tours?

The staff on cruises make so little money that tipping was always pretty much mandatory. The auto tipping eliminates the need to stuff envelopes with tips on the last night of the cruise. Auto tipping has been around for pretty much the past 10 years and we like the convenience. The tip amount is pretty modest usually $10-$12 per day, we always add an additional tip for the cabin steward. Since we always do anytime dining we don't tip additional to the waiter since we have a different waiter each evening.

I read that part of the reason for auto tips besides convenience is that, sadly, many people would just not tip at all. They would skip the last night in the MDR just to avoid it.

Frank, if I'm reading this correctly KVR is talking about All Inclusive stays at a resort, not a tour.

jacketwatch, it is sad that some people don't tip at all. I usually go above the standard tip but that probably doesn't make a dent in all they lose for being stiffed.

It is sad folks would do that. Then of course there's an entirely different POV which says wages should be increased so as to make tipping unnecessary. Just ask an Aussie about this. On our last cruise in Oct. we had dinner on the ship w/ Sassafrass and our very own the dogster who is from Down Under. Well its their belief that wages should be higher to afford folks decent money so they don't have to rely on tips. There have been several intense discussions on cruise critic about this and a few here as well.

Frank, yes, I'm talking about the resort, not land tours. Even on a cruise you have to tip land tour operators when off the ship and in port.


"The staff on cruises make so little money that tipping was always pretty much mandatory."

My point exactly, just add the extra to the overall cost of the cruise and provide the staff with better earnings. Tipping should be for excelled service and given to the staff member that it is deserving. Not gathered and pooled amoung staff I have never even meet much less dealt with.

Tipping should never be mandoratoy and making cruise passengers tip beforehand because they don't pay their employees enough of a wage is not a good, valid reason. People shouldn't have to depend on tips to make a decent wage, and the industry should not make their patrons shell out excess money to meet thier empolyees wage earnings. The whole point of tipping someone in the first place has far out reached it's original purpose.

I do pay the auto charged mandatory tips when we cruise. I'm just saying I don't like it and the whole process should be changed. It's purpose is not the correct intent.

I called Celebrity cruise to ask why i was charged the $126 PP and they said they couldn’t say since i had booked through a travel agent and I would have to ask her. Ok folks, here is what my Travel agent said. Tell me if this makes sense.....

"The tips are charged upfront so they reflect on your account right away. I didn’t know they would show up until you go to the ship though. They don’t put them each day they put the total for the entire cruise. You can leave them as is and it will be charged to your card(s) or you can decline to pay that way and pay cash at the end to those you want to tip. I think you have to wait until the day or 2 before the end of the cruise to do it that way though"

Baloney. My tips always have shown up on the ship board acct. or in other words NOT on the bill before embarkation and they show up daily as a per diem charge. Tell that TA to get them taken off. They automatically go on your ship board acct. once you embark. BTW did the TA give you any gratuity such as an on board credit or free trip insurance?

I'm not a cruiser, but I've been hanging out on cruisecritic a bit recently reading the Costa threads, and saw some posts that said Australians were charged tips as part of their initial bill, not on board. Something to do with Oz law?

Aussies have to book thru agencies over there and they are charge more, a lot morethan us in the USA. Its not Oz law, its the cruise line policy.

thursday; that's with cruises from out of Oz. It takes into account the delicate sensitivities of Australians on this tipping matter. We think this obsession with giving your money away completely bizarre.

To state the obvious - when on a cruise or land excusion - you dont HAVE to tip at all. It's a choice, not an obligation.

If you look at the fine print, you can have a prepaid tip removed from your bill any time. I've met a number of people so incensed with shoddy service they did just that.

On a shore excursion, I'm amazed at people tipping the bus driver, for example. He gets paid to drive a bus. Quite how his service can be 'over and above' is beyond me. By not crashing, I suppose.

I've yet to meet a shore-excursion tour guide that I wasn't pleased to see the back of by the end of the day. Most of them I'd gladly pay money to be rid of, that's about it. It's for passengers like me that tour buses have a back door.

On board, we Aussies struggle with a system that underpays staff. I rather like the Azamara 'no-tipping' policy - and I don't. That's the deal the cruise line and I agreed on, I'm simply honoring my part of it.

Sorry guys, but I don't give a rat's doodle whether the staff is underpaid or overpaid - that's their business, not mine. I don't care whether they have a family of fourteen waiting children, a cowq and three dogs -thats their choice, not mine. I don't care whether they think I'm a mean-spirited curmudgeon - 'cos I'll never see them again. All I care about is whether the food, the surroundings and service are good. If all three pass the test, it's just possible that dogster will open his cobwebbed wallet and issue magnificence to the sobbing waiters.

On a cruise Mr. Dogster will tip when he damn well feels like it. Not because he's expected to. Not because he's asked to. Not because in America they tip everything that moves. Not because everyone else does - but because I choose to.

It seems that peer-group pressure drives this exchange - that and the particular employment conditions in the hospitality industry in the States. Well Dorothy, we ain't in Kansas anymore. This little Aussie blowfly never was, so please don't judge us based on some distant tribal custom you've allowed to prevail in your tiny neck of the woods. Actually, there are many more people in the world who think that tipping is about as dumb as you can get.

'Why give your money away?' they laugh, rolling their eyes, searching the horizon for another touring Yank... 'cos without Americans, this whole issue just wouldn't have infected tourist zones around the world.

Ahh, I feel much better now. I'll just pop out to dinner [I'm in Siem Reap]. I might even tip the waiter; maybe round out the bill to make me feel good...

Or I might not.

"I rather like the Azamara 'no-tipping' policy - and I don't. That's the deal the cruise line and I agreed on, I'm simply honoring my part of it."

Azamara also costs alot more upfront than the mass market lines.

You are going to pay one way or the other and Americans like a bargain, so the cruise lines offer an initial low price and than count on all the extras including tips. Just like the airlines now charge for luggage, food, better seats, headphones, etc.

As the ad says; "Pay me now or Pay me later!"

KVR: I don't consider a cruise and an all inclusive resort as comparable. With a cruise you can see the world, Europe, Asia, Panama Canal, Alaska, Hawaii, South America, etc. With an all inclusive resort you only see the swimming pool.

Dogster, I agree with a lot of what you have said. Tipping has become a staple instead of it's intended purpose to reward exceptional service. If it was ever not considered customary it would not hurt my feelings one bit.

Frank, I couldn't disagree with you more. I see so much more than a swimming pool on AI land vacations. You are more than welcome to view my travel site as proof. Another yet inaccurate preconcieved comment about AI vacations with no valid basis.

I do agree though that cruising and AI land vacation are not comparable. I'm not intersted in turning this thread in to AI haters vs. cruise lovers. They both have their good points and bad points, and I do both types of vacations.

dogster - couldn't agree more. One thing that really throws me is that when I moved to the US back in the 70s, the standard tip was 10%. It's since mysteriously increased to 15% and even 20% in the bigger cities. I can understand a price increasing, but a percentage???

"With a cruise you can see the world" - not unless you work hard at it. Otherwise, you can spend a few hours in a series of port cities, with hundreds, these days thousands, of fellow-cruisers. A place like Rhodes or Dubrovnik is quite different when the ships are in port. In fact, I'm starting to avoid popular cruise stops altogether. But when I get sufficiently decrepit I'll be on the ships myself, better than not traveling at all.

Thursday: Good point. I think KVR could comment on that as I'll bet some of those AI's have been in cruise ports.

Actually its what you make of it in terms of AI vs. a cruise. You can veg out on the beach but some choose to do that on the ship and don't get off in ports. If you do an AI in say Cancun you can do a ton of cultural things too such as trips to the Mayan ruins. Once while in Ocho Rios we hired a driver and had a full day getting to see places such as Port Antonio and Navy Island and also just getting to know the driver and learning how life is there. Its not easy!

As for tipping its like this. On the Connie Sassafras, her hubby, the dogster and us had dinner one night at Tuscany and the subject of tipping came up when the bill arrived. The dogster said we had better not talk about it as we just would not agree. Very cool. So you see the dogster is indeed wise. Reminds me of Mr. Miyaga. "Show me wax a floor."

I agree with everything dogster said as well.

He is, as jacket has noted, a very wise man. I know him well. Jacket is extremely fortunate that a brief moment in our dinner didn't turn out to be a tip-sy tirade. Dog loves a soapbox and, after a drink, is known to clamber onto tables to shout his wisdom to the world.

Frank: actually, by the time you factor in the additions, drinks, tips et al - my last cruise on Celebrity came out much more expensive than a comparitive length of time on Azamara.

thursday: so right. I visited Dubrovnik twice in November. There were five ships in town. I could scarcely see the city for the throng. We destroy everything we touch, turning the globe into Cruiseworld - the most vacuous kingdom of all. The only unscripted entertainment was waiting for yet another drunk Australian backpacker to hurl themselves to death off the walls. Luckily, there is a surfeit of drunk Australian backpackers in the world so a few less makes no difference.

KVR: I didn't know there was such a thing as an AI vacation. Clearly, I need to get out more.

D: So true. Well gotta hit the gym now. Last night Sue told me she lost her phone. Now she found it but somehow that morphed into her "needing" an upgrade. Huh? Just say yes. And this time buy extra insurance.

"You are more than welcome to view my travel site as proof. Another yet inaccurate preconcieved comment about AI vacations with no valid basis."

I checked your travel site and most of it seems to be the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, nothing wrong with that but just feeds into my stereotype of All Inclusives. You can do the same on a cruise but also in a matter of a week or two you can see world cities like Rome, Barcelona, Nice, Florence, Naples, or Dublin, London, Edinburgh, Stockholm, or Tokyo, Peking, Shanghai, etc. Maybe not in depth but destinations that you don't generally think of AI's for.

I'll take cruising, tips and all.

dogster: "actually, by the time you factor in the additions, drinks, tips et al - my last cruise on Celebrity came out much more expensive than a comparitive length of time on Azamara."

Than stick with the luxury lines, Crystal, Silverseas, Seaborne, etc. I like to pay for what I use, some people like to have 6, 7, 8 drinks a day others don't drink at all, some like gourmet meals, others are happy with basic foods, let each pay for what they enjoy, why bundle it all into the initial cost?

lol. I hadn't really thought of Azamara as a 'luxury line' - maybe for the errr... less sophisticated cruisers they entice on board with last minute cheapo rates...

'let each pay for what they enjoy...'

Rabelais would be proud of that statement. Ahhh, Frank - I suspect that, one way or another, we all do pay for what we enjoy...' but then, I'm talking life - not cruising.

Back on track - as Azamara ended up cheaper, I can't quite work out your angle. I'll sleep on it. Perhaps it will become clearer.

"I hadn't really thought of Azamara as a 'luxury line'"

Compared to the prices on NCL, Carnival, and RCCL definitely priced as luxury. Substantially higher than Holland, Celebrity and Princess. May not be the top luxury but wouldn't classify it as mass or even mid market, not at $3,000 per person for an inside cabin.

Frank you are right about my travel thus far. However, the point was that just because someone does an AI land vacation doesn't mean that they sit on the resort property the entire vacation and bask at the beach or pool. I'd rather spend a week exploring a specific Island than rushing around in a port of call with limited hours trying to see as much as I can. There are many people that stay on the ship during a port of call and don't explore the destination or find a restaurant and plopped down their alotted time, so that point is really mute.

Your stereo-typing of AI vacation is inaccurate. Have you ever done an AI vacation? I find it amusing that so many people want to talk down and give inaccuarte information about something they truly no nothing about in the first place.

"let each pay for what they enjoy, why bundle it all into the initial cost?"

As to this point, the bottom line is truly cost. It is more cost effective to mass produce than to single serve. As for me, AI land vacations are less expensive than a cruise with all the add ons. I have done both and compared the costs based on our needs. I'm not saying this is true for everyone, but has proven to be for me. Convenience is also another factor, but that is a personal decision to each person based on what their needs are.

Dogstar, yes you can experience AI vacations in Mexico and the Carribean. The total package will include airfare, hotel accomendations, food, drinks, alcohol beverages, tipping, entertainment (which is nothing compared to the entertainment on cruises) and some activities. Some very limited hotels will included off site tours and excursions of popular sites.

There are different levels of AI's and of course the more expensive the package the better the food options, drinks and accomendations will be.

I just got a responce from my TA. She states that i had to pre pay gratuitues since i optted to choose "anytime" dining. Does that make sense? Here are her words...

"Sorry I forgot you are on the ‘anytime’ dining plan. With that plan you have to pre pay the tips. But if you feel that you do not want to pay that amount you can go to the pursers desk and ask them to adjust the rate."

That's normal, travel4425. I'm not sure why, but I've had that, too.

You know, it occurs to me that all your questions would be answered by actually going into the cruise website and reading it. You might even find that you don't need a travel agent at all.

KVR: Never tried it and know it wouldn't be something we would enjoy. Seems like it works for you, can't argue with that.

Leave it Dogster to make this thread more intersting than it should be.

Tipping is a choice. It's your choice, peer pressure or not.
We were all taught to be "nice" (mostly taught that way), and "to be nice is to give", "better to give than to receive" yada yada ... and then there is this whole Karma thing, and then there is "pay it forward", help those in need, share your wealth, etc & etc, it is the society we live in these days.

In certain countries, a lot of the citizen are demanding their "entitlement" and that's what created the on-going European debt crisis. I should get off my soap box now.

I have gone on celebity's website and as it can asnwer some questions others it does not, or its just easier to ask then read 50 pages of fine print.

Gee Whiz ESCHEW, you need to come down from your political milk crate, this is just a forum about tipping for crying out loud, what are you running for prez?

I'd vote for Eschew.

We are all allowed to rant from time to time, travel44. I'm famous for it. You have to remember that it's only the lunatic fringe that find cruise forums entertaining. Have you ever been into cruisecritic.com? This is mild compared to the rabid moaning in there.

You think this is just a post about tipping. No-o-o-o. This is theatre. This is the very stuff of life.

Travel4425: It was one sentence. Hardly a campaign.

Anytime you chose "Anytime Dining" option you have to prepay. The reason is that you may/will have different waitstaff on any given night, depending on what time you show up and where you're seated. Or would you rather walk around the last evening looking for all the waiters/waitresses, busboys/girls and tip them individually?

You're still allowed to adjust the tips with the pursers desk on the last evening.

We have gotten anytime dining on our last few Carnival cruises, and have NEVER been required to prepay grats. Celebrity obviously has a different policy.

Dogster,

Your my mind of dude. If we were on the same cruise, I'dd buy you a beer. (and that is saying a lot as I am the cheapest bastard out there)

I have been on cruisecritc a little but not a lot. If it is how you say, maybe i should wait until i get back from my cruise in March to get on it!!

I have never prepaid. It's have always been added onboard. Be sure and check your invoice that they give you at the end of your cruise and make sure you're not charged again.

I LOVE dogster. I check the cruise forum on Fodors often... but haven't found this thread. (Found it thru Google.). Nonetheless will be waiting for more.

Aha... just figured it out. Search on Fodors isn't very good.

Yep. This place would not be the same without the dogster. I mean that in a good way of course.

Thanks for your vote Dogster. If I am ever eleected to any public political office, I will promise to give everyone a new car and a new 70" flat screen TV just to stimulate the economy. How do I intend to pay for all that? Just print more moeny. Wait! Has it been done already? Hmm ... copy cats!

I have enjoyed anytime dining ever since it was introduced. In my mind, it is the only way to go.

Funny thing is, I still get the same wait staff every day, if I so desire (my choice!) If you enjoyed the service that was provided on the first day, just ask to be seated at that server's section the next day, and the next.

If you don't like the server, get a different one the next day, and if you like the new one, ask for them the next day! You will never be stuck with a bad server like the fixed seatings. And you won't get stuck with "bad" table mates either.

So far, with all the cruises, we have managed to get the server we wanted, the section we wanted every time except only once, and that was a communication error. The matri'd thought a table by the window is what we had wanted but it ended up being in the wrong section ... We got our guy back the next day.

Any friend of Dogster is a friend of mine. Here's a present for Gwendolynn:

http://dogster5.wordpress.com/azamara-army-home/

True stories of Dog on the waves - now persona non grata on Azamara - if I ever get home {I'm in Cambodia right now] new, even more evil chapters will appear.

Heavens dogster, what did you get up to this time? I though Az was smothering you with "love".

They read the story above. It went viral onboard. lol lol lol.

The love-smothering vanished abruptly once they realised that Mr. Dogster cannot be shmoozed. I was excommunicated.

Oddly, only Showbiz Alex [my favorite character] took it in his stride, secretly delighted he had his own chapter...

Thanks, dogster.... but I've read all those already. Waiting for the next installment!

I refuse to take a cruise that requires tipping. The workers should be paid enough so tipping is not necessary. The cruise lines are making billions of dollars in profits and can afford to pay their workers more. The cruise lines can either eliminate tipping or they can afford to lose the $1200 cost they charge for an average cruise.

When this thread came up and I saw dogster's name I thought for a split second that dogster might still be here. Then I realized dogster's post is 6 months old.

RIP dear dogster.

Johnny_P, do you also refuse to go to a restauarnt that requires tipping as the workers should be paid enough so tipping is not necesary?

Johnny: where are you from? There are countries that don't tip and people from them are aghast about it, like Australia for example.

I am in Australia and I tip on cruises. I am sure JohnnyP is wrong. Cruise staff are not paid much.

MissGreen: Tipping in Oz is uncommon is my understanding. Is that so?

What will this forum be without Dogster? Truly missed!

Dogster is no longer with us

The original poster has closed his/her account. Celebrity does require pre-paid tips for MTD (my time dining) - or maybe the TA (travel agent) added the tips to increase the volume of her sales for more commissions?

Also, it's amazing how many people think if the tip a waiter in cash it will go in her/his pocket. They pull the minimum tips, so it doesn't matter if you give her cash, or let the cruise line charge your credit card. Only what you give above the required amount stays in the waiters' or room stewards' pocket.