Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Big-Ship Lines Home > Cruise Line Tipping Policies: Big-Ship Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines The Process:Carnival automatically adds a $10 per-person, per-day gratuity to onboard accounts.
Kids Too? The same amount applies to all passengers, regardless of age.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to all bar bills.
Alternatives: Passengers who want to adjust the amount of their gratuity in either direction or to tip independently can do so at the Purser's Office.
Celebrity Cruises (except Celebrity Xpedition) The Process:Celebrity Cruises has maintained the tradition of having passengers pass out envelopes to crewmembers on the last night of the cruise. The "suggested" gratuities are $3.50 per person, per day for your cabin and dining room steward, $2 for their assistants, and $0.50 for the assistant head housekeeper. There is also a $3.50 per-person, per-day suggested gratuity for your butler if you're in a suite.
Kids Too? Celebrity's guidelines apply to both adults and children.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to all bar bills.
Watch Out! The suggestion to tip the assistant head housekeeper is somewhat unusual.
Alternatives: Tips can be charged to your onboard account upon request.
Costa Cruises The Process: In Europe, 6 euros per person, per day are added automatically to each adult's onboard account. In the Caribbean, the amount is $8.50.
Kids Too? The standard amount for children is 3 euros per day in Europe or $4.50 in the Caribbean.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to all bar bills. Gratuities in the spa are at the passenger's discretion, but 15 percent is the recommended amount.
Alternatives: Passengers who wish to adjust the amount of their tips, or to tip independently, should contact the Guest Relations Manager.
Cunard Line The Process:Cunard charges $11 per person, per day to the shipboard account of passengers in Britannia accommodation (QM2). The amount is $13 for passengers in Grill Class accommodation.
Kids Too? The suggested amount is the same for both adults and children.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to all bar bills.
Alternatives: To adjust the amount of your automatic tips or to tip independently, see the Purser's Office.
Discovery World Cruises The Process: Discovery automatically adds $7.50 per day to each passenger's account, which is distributed among the crew.
Kids Too? This ship attracts few children, so there are no special guidelines for them.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to all bar and spa/beauty bills.
Alternatives: The automatic tips may be adjusted in either direction or eliminated at your request.
Disney Cruise Line The Process: While the Disney Cruise Line cruise experience isn't traditional, the tipping policy is. Tipping is at passengers' discretion, but Disney does provide suggested amounts. For three-night sailings, they suggest $11 for the dining room server, $8 for the assistant sever and $10.75 for the "stateroom host or hostess." On a four-night cruise, suggested amounts are $14.75 for the dining room server, $10.75 for the assistant server and $14.50 for the stateroom host/hostess. And on a seven-night cruise, budget $25.75 for the dining room server, $18.75 for the assistant server and $25.50 for the stateroom host/hostess. Finally, Disney also recommends tipping the dining room head server $3.75 for a three-night cruise, $3.75 for a four-night and $6.50 for a seven-night.
Kids Too? Disney uses the same guidelines for both adults and children.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to bar and room service bills. If you dine in the adults-only Palo alternative restaurant, you'll have a different server than in Disney's normal "rotational dining" scheme (passengers -- and their servers -- rotate among the ships' three dining rooms), so, in addition to the $5 per person dining fee, an additional gratuity is recommended.
Fred. Olsen Cruises The Process: While tipping is entirely discretionary, Fred. Olsen suggests 4 GBP per passenger, per day, half distributed to the cabin steward and half to the dining room steward at the end of the cruise.
Kids Too? An unspecified "small lump sum amount" is suggested for children.
Holland America Line The Process:Holland America, once known for an especially confusing tipping policy, now automatically charges $10 per day to each adult passenger's shipboard account. This amount is pooled among the service staff.
Kids Too? The standard gratuity is reduced to $5 per day for children under 12.
Extra Charges: An automatic 15 percent gratuity is added to bar and spa bills.
Alternatives: See the Front Desk if you wish to adjust your automatic gratuities, or to tip independently.
Island Cruises The Process: Basic tips are included in the cruise fare.
Alternatives: Passengers are welcome to show appreciation of special crewmembers by adding their own tips, though this is totally discretionary.
MSC Cruises The Process:MSC automatically charges $12 per day to each adult passenger's shipboard account. The amount is shared among the maitre d' and his assistants, your waiter and busboys, buffet staff, your stateroom attendant, room service attendants, and bellboys.
Kids Too? The automatic charge is reduced to $6 per day for children under 18 sharing their cabin with two adults.
Alternatives: To adjust the amount of your automatic gratuities or to tip independently, see the Guest Relations desk.
Norwegian Cruise Line (including NCL America) The Process: Each adult is automatically billed $10 per day to support an incentive program for the service staff.
Kids Too? Children between the ages of 3 and 12 are charged $5 per day. There is no charge for children under 3.
Extra Charges: A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to spa services, fitness classes and bar bills. NCL suggests that passengers who use concierge or butler service provide a gratuity "commensurate with the services rendered."
Watch Out! An automatic gratuity for fitness classes is unusual.
Alternatives: Tipping above and beyond the service charge is not necessary or expected; however, crew are permitted to accept cash tips from passengers who wish to acknowledge exceptional service.
Ocean Village Holidays The Process: Basic tips are included in the fare on this unconventional line.
Alternatives: Passengers are welcome to show appreciation of special crewmembers by adding their own tips, though this is totally discretionary.
P&O Cruises (except Oceana) The Process:P&O Cruises continues the traditional method of tipping by distributing envelopes to crewmembers at the end of the cruise. Recommended tips total 3.75 GBP per adult per day.
Kids Too? P&O does not recommend tipping for children under 12.
P&O Cruises (Oceana only) The Process: Because Oceana offers "freedom dining," the normal tip amount of 3.75 GBP per person per day is automatically added to each adult passenger's onboard account.
Kids Too? P&O does not recommend tipping for children under 12.
Alternatives: Automatic tips can be adjusted in either direction.
Princess Cruises The Process:Princess Cruises adds $10 per day to each passenger's account to cover hotel and dining service.
Kids Too? The $10 amount goes for children as well as adults.
Extra Charges: A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all bar bills.
Alternatives: You can adjust your automatic gratuities upward or downward, or eliminate them altogether, at the Purser's Office.
Royal Caribbean International The Process: Like its sister company, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean continues the traditional process of handing out gratuities to crewmembers on the last night of the cruise. They recommend $3.50 per person, per day to the dining room waiter and to the cabin steward; $2 per person, per day to the assistant waiter; and $0.75 per person, per day to the head waiter.
Kids Too? Guidelines are the same for all passengers regardless of age.
Extra Charges: A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to all bar bills.
Watch Out! Tipping the head waiter is somewhat unusual; we don't necessarily recommend it unless you receive exceptional service from him.
