Reading all the countless posts about tipping—whether to pre-pay, tip separately, have $18 a day added to your bill, or even spend hours removing gratuities to pay cash instead—how do you deal with it all?
In Australia, you pay for your cruise and drink package upfront, and that’s it. Once you’re on board, you don’t have to spend a single cent. Yes, I know it’s factored into the price, but who cares? It’s already paid for! By the time I’m on the ship, I don’t have to think about spending more or going over budget. I’m done spending the moment I step on board.
Sure, I spend money in ports, but as far as the cruise itself goes, there’s nothing else to think about. Pure relaxation.
Next year, we’re doing a Carnival Elite cruise from Sydney; it seems exciting and is completely free of charge. not need to be concerned about gratuity adding on more…
I pay in advance, so all I have to worry about once I’m on board is tipping the bartender. Every drink served has an 18% gratuity added to it. I was tipping on top of that at first, twenty percent, but now I’m thinking if I should only tip two percent, as I usually tip twenty percent.
It’s not that complicated lol just pre-pay the gratuity then you’re all set. Exactly the same in the end. If someone really goes above and beyond and impresses, you can always get cash from the casino/purser/atm to show them some extra appreciation if you really want to.
We always try to walk off with a $0 balance or a refund and have been pretty successful. Just don’t overthink it and enjoy
In America, bait and switch is acceptable. Because of this, sales taxes are not included in our price postings; as a result, our final pricing may differ by 5 to 15% depending on the goods, the state, and the municipality. Gratuities on cruises are just one more illustration of that. They only included the port fees and taxes during your checkout, up until three months ago. To showcase how affordable their prices were, they displayed excursions that were nearly thirty percent less than the total cost. However, it was all nonsense.
However, you don’t stand in line and take gratuities away. Not everyone who is part of the tip pool that the auto gratuities pay will be visible to you.
It’s not tense. Pay either early or late. It’s a burger of nothing. What do you think? Even though they aren’t broken out, you are still paying them.
Honestly, it all depends on your perspective on the world and your cruise line. I wholeheartedly concur that the all-inclusive price is more enjoyable than the a la carte pricing per item.
If you prefer an all-inclusive experience over an a la carte pricing, I certainly recommend princess cruises with the Plus or Premier packages.
A la carte may be less expensive for those who don’t drink or dine at the upscale aboard eateries.
No, it’s not at all stressful and is rather easy. Like everyone else, I also get gratuities added automatically each day, just like any other dinner upgrade I choose to take while on the cruise. What’s complicated is that everything gets added to the final bill, which is then automatically paid with my credit card on file.
Additionally, from the first to the last day of the trip, I will never carry more than my room key with me (unless I go to a port). For me, the ultimate freedom of cruising is having no money—nothing!
Since I’m English, I’ve only ever taken cruises from that country.
Every time we’ve had exceptional service from housekeeping or a specific bartender or restaurant staff, I’ve always left a gratuity at the end of the cruise. Naturally, I would never tip.
To be honest, in the US, gratuities are the same if you pay in advance. Although it’s not necessary and you won’t be requested to leave a larger tip, some people prefer to do so.
It is merely promotional material. To claim they are offering a lower price than their rival, they lower the ticket price and include “automatic gratuities”. Sadly, some travelers take advantage of this and cancel the gratuities, saying they will pay the staff directly or that they are doing so to prevent the cruise companies from extorting them.
We consider gratuities to be a component of the ticket price at the time of booking. That is all, aside from the porters and exceptional service.
Tipping is honestly not very complicated. You can absolutely just prepay in the checkout process and have it as part of the total bill and never think about it again. You can just also opt for those other things if you want.
I don’t bother. Prepay and don’t stress is best for me.
Yes, I know it’s factored into the price, but who cares? It’s already paid for! By the time I’m on the ship, I don’t have to think about spending more or going over budget. 
I’m done spending the moment I step on board.
