by Cindy Bertram

When is tipping expected, and exactly how are tips handled on cruise vacations? These are legitimate questions passengers face today,because cruise line policies have changed over the past few years. In the earlier days of cruising, gratuities were extended at the end of the cruise via cash only, with suggested amounts given per staff member per day. Usually this covered waiter and assistant, as well as the cabin steward or stewardess. Gratuities were considered an essential element of staff members' wages. Rather than tipping after each meal, on the last evening of the cruise, tip envelopes were put in passengers' staterooms to be used that evening. One company that did not recommend gratuities amounts back in the 1980s and early 1990s was Holland America.Line - gratuities could be extended if the service was exception.

NCL Simplifies the Gratuity System

In 2000 Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) launched "Freestyle Cruising." Part of this program simplified the gratuity system by automatically adding a $10 per person per day charge, which could be adjusted by the guest, to the onboard account. Other cruise lines lines per person, per day include $3.00 for the waiter, $1.50 for the waiter's assistant, $1.00 for the head waiter,and $3.00 for the steward. Costa also allows groups to prepay gratuities.Like some of its counterparts, Carnival Cruise Lines has also adopted the $10.00 per person per day gratuity charge, which can be adjusted at the Purser's Desk. The maitre d' is not included in this, and can be tipped at the guest's discretion. The company advises onboard staff which guests have prepaid gratuities.

Gratuities on the Shipboard Account

NCL now calls gratuities "service fees." If a problem occurs during the cruise, NCL asks that guests bring this to their immediate attention.According to Heather Krasnow,Public Relations Manager, "We ask that guests come to us with a problem if there is one, so that we have the opportunity to fix the problem rather than just adjusting the service charges at the end of the week. If we don't know about the problem, we can't fix it." In addition, the service fee cannot be prepaid in advance;NCL's thought is the service fee is charged to the shipboard account because it is adjustable.

Gratuities for Spa Services

Spa services' gratuities also vary. Costa Cruises builds the gratuity into the fee.The same holds true for Cunard Line,Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean.Cruise lines whose spa treatments do not automatically include the gratuity include Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises.

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