Question from First Time cruisers on tips

[2017ish]

We have a 3 week cruise to Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica next month. We've never overnighted on a boat this size (over 100 passengers)

How does tipping work on cruise ships (if at all)? We are familiar with liveaboard diveboats, but seemingly the "rules" would be different for a ship of this size. And the thought of tipping based on the cost of the cruise is daunting...

(This might be addressed in the final documents from the cruise company, but we are departing home well before we arrive at the ship. Thus, the official guidance will likely arrive after we leave the US.)

 

[PaunchyPirate]

We have a 3 week cruise to Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica next month. We've never overnighted on a boat this size (over 100 passengers)

How does tipping work on cruise ships (if at all)? We are familiar with liveaboard diveboats, but seemingly the "rules" would be different for a ship of this size. And the thought of tipping based on the cost of the cruise is daunting...

(This might be addressed in the final documents from the cruise company, but we are departing home well before we arrive at the ship. Thus, the official guidance will likely arrive after we leave the US.)

Are you familiar with cruisecritic.com? It’s a forum just like this for cruisers.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/

They have forums specific to your cruise line, where you can likely find an existing thread on the topic or ask it.

Your answer will likely depend on your cruise line and their policies. Most cruise lines now will auto add a daily amount that covers “suggested” tips. If they offer this, it is frowned upon to ask for it to be refunded so you can tip in person. You can usually pre-pay that prior to departure. You can also freely add to that at the time of service if desired. It is not required however.

Some passengers from some countries may have tips included in the price of the fare. And this is true for some cruise lines.

So you’ll need to look into it further here by providing more info or by going to cruise critic or by going to the cruise line and asking there. Cruise line websites usually have this info in a support FAQ.

 

[Lewis Clark]

Are you familiar with cruisecritic.com? It’s a forum just like this for cruisers.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/

+1 for cruisecritic.com

It's a fabulous resource for all things cruising. We have found most of the information posted to be highly credible over the years.

There will often be a roll call message board for your sailing. Gives you a chance to connect with others who will sail with you ahead of time.

 

[2017ish]

Thanks to both of you! I looked at cruisecritic first, but didn't see the forums. Using Lewis Clark's link, I see that they don't have a forum devoted to "Polar Latitudes," which is the tiny operator that we are booked with.

In any event, I'll post over there on first time cruisers and likely get an answer! (Although PaunchyPirate's suggested tip thing is interesting and would take care of it.)

 

[Sunset]

OP - I looked and found your answer on Polar Latitudes site itself:

https://polar-latitudes.com/faq/

Lots of good info that should be read as it includes info you need for the cruise including:

"
SHOULD I TIP THE SHIP STAFF?

Any tipping is at your discretion and entirely optional. Should you choose to tip, the standard amount for recognition of service is USD $14 per person per day. This can be added to your shipboard account and paid by credit card – you do not need to tip in cash. The gratuity is divided among the front of house hotel team, and cabin and dining room stewards. Other crew members are compensated for gratuities in salary.

The Expedition Team does not solicit gratuities and we encourage passengers to be generous with the hotel team first. If you personally wish to leave a thank you for the team you may do so at reception and the amount is completely at your discretion.

"

 

[Scuba]

We have a 3 week cruise to Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica next month. We've never overnighted on a boat this size (over 100 passengers)



How does tipping work on cruise ships (if at all)? We are familiar with liveaboard diveboats, but seemingly the "rules" would be different for a ship of this size. And the thought of tipping based on the cost of the cruise is daunting...



(This might be addressed in the final documents from the cruise company, but we are departing home well before we arrive at the ship. Thus, the official guidance will likely arrive after we leave the US.)

Off topic, but how much do you usually tip on liveaboard dive boats? It’s been 7 years since we’ve done a liveaboard but we will be doing one in January in the Great Barrier Reef.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Off topic, but how much do you usually tip on liveaboard dive boats? It’s been 7 years since we’ve done a liveaboard but we will be doing one in January in the Great Barrier Reef.

As a divemaster I suggest somewhere around 175% of what you paid for the boat ride. We schlepped your gear and showed you the cool stuff. All the captain and boat crew did was give us a ride to work.

(removing tounge from cheek)

ETA: Since I gave a joking answer I figured it would be good to come back and offer something actually helpful. I usually tip a divemaster about $5 a dive on a small boat. So for a 2-tank boat dive with 2 people, $20, about 10%. I will tell you that many/most people don't tip on dive boats. I have never been on a liveaboard and I expect it is different there. Since there are not a fixed number of dives either, I would suggest 10-20% of the cost of your trip per person. And it would certainly depend on whether a specific crew member went out of their way to help you. As new divers there is plenty of opportunity for this. It's their job to be helpful but if they make a special effort to take you under their wing I would suggest recognizing it. Honestly, I never did it for a living and did not expect tips. It is not customary to tip instructors, especially if they are acting as instructors. But if they just happen to have an instructor rating but are working as a divemaster, I would tip. There is a forum called scubaboard.com you might ask your questions on but there are many divemasters so most of the suggest you get will probably be 25-30% lol.

 

[DrRoy]

On Royal Caribbean and Viking, most tips are handled through your onboard account as a daily charge. Exceptions to that includes drinks, which you would pay the server.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

OP, it looks like your question was answered above, however, just in case you have future questions... on Cruise Critic, it looks like most questions for this type of cruise are being posted in the "Antarctica" forum or the "Eco and Expedition Cruising" forum. I saw a few posts regarding Polar Latitudes in each of these.

I would ask future questions in those forums rather than the "First Time Cruiser" forum. You'll likely get a better response.

Enjoy your GREAT expedition!

 

[Sunset]

On Royal Caribbean and Viking, most tips are handled through your onboard account as a daily charge. Exceptions to that includes drinks, which you would pay the server.

Tips on most ships are included in the 20% charge added to drinks at the bar, or in the drink package. So a person has already paid it.
This is a common mistake new cruisers make, tipping for a drink, effectively making a 20% + 20% = 40% tip !

 

[2017ish]

Off topic, but how much do you usually tip on liveaboard dive boats? It’s been 7 years since we’ve done a liveaboard but we will be doing one in January in the Great Barrier Reef.

We tend to be around 10%, which is a ton--but that is our top end. We will and have gone down from there. (As you know, it is always a topic of discussion and angst among the divers on the boat.) For GBR, you may have a majority of non-USA fellow guests; given that we tend to be the only real tippers, that can impact the calculations....

Does your dive shop run a lot of trips? Maybe check with them as to what the practice is that they see.

Also, if you are an Undercurrent subscriber, the topic has been discussed many times over the years. The latest is in the Sept and November 2019 issues, which have EXTENSIVE discussion of this topic. Consensus is that the situation sucks and that there is no consensus on how to deal with it.

 

[2017ish]

And thanks to all for the responses. A couple of people sent me private messages on this, and I responded with an appropriate face palm for not thinking of looking at the cruise line's website! (we booked on a different boat in Feb of 2019, and I hadn't even seen a picture of this boat until this morning. )

 

[SecondAttempt]

We tend to be around 10%, which is a ton--but that is our top end. We will and have gone down from there. (As you know, it is always a topic of discussion and angst among the divers on the boat.) For GBR, you may have a majority of non-USA fellow guests; given that we tend to be the only real tippers, that can impact the calculations....

Does your dive shop run a lot of trips? Maybe check with them as to what the practice is that they see.

Also, if you are an Undercurrent subscriber, the topic has been discussed many times over the years. The latest is in the Sept and November 2019 issues, which have EXTENSIVE discussion of this topic. Consensus is that the situation sucks and that there is no consensus on how to deal with it.

I think your 10% is reasonable. I have not read the article you mentioned but I would just observe that one of the things that makes the question so difficult with scuba diving is that the culture can be very different in different countries, and even different regions. In warm tropical waters it's about having fun but in French Polynesia you will be chastised if you use too much air because they have turned diving into a who-can-use-the-least-air challenge. Australia is super safety-focused. Oahu is much different than the Big Island or Maui in the sense that there are a lot more new divers on their honeymoon there. I was on a dive in Oahu one time when I had to rescue a Japanese woman and 2 other divers had to be treated for DCS after making uncontrolled rapid ascents. Everyone was basically fine in the end but it was a crazy morning.

As a divemaster you learn to watch people on the boat. It's not just for amusement. Sometimes you see people doing strange stuff so you want to know what to expect. Strange behavior can indicate nervousness or other potential problems. But I tend to notice if people are putting money in the tip jar and most don't. And the idle chatter they have with you on the way out is partly friendliness but also sizing you up.

When it comes to tipping, the diving I did in French Polynesia they did not expect it because most of the clientele were Europeans where tipping is unusual. Usually there was not even an opportunity beyond handing cash directly to crew. I worked a relatively large boat (~50 people) several days in a foreign country when i was training and a fairly high level government official occasionally dove with us and brought armed security. He always made a point of tipping each crew member personally about $20 each and thanked us for putting up with the inconvenience he created.