Tipping is one of most controversial payment system in cruise industry. Endless debates are being made in whole shipping community about this issue. Some people consider it unfair to crew but on the other hand sometimes amount of tips collected trough period considerably beats fixed salary.

All cruise lines have different tipping policies. No surprise that new cruisers are often confused. Who to tip? When? How much? Etc...

Well tips are part of expenses that are usually not included in price. Before booking a cruise it is good idea to get informed, among the other things, what is tipping policy.  

On thing is important to know here is that no tip is ever required. Guests will never suffer any consequences or penalty if they decide not to give tips.

But still tipping system seems to work well for the crew and majority of passengers gladly pass envelopes at the end of the cruise. Why is that?

Most of the dinning room staff has very low or should I say symbolic salary, about 50 -100$ per month. That’s really peanuts money, don’t you think? Why would anyone work 12 or so hours a day for that kind of money? Reason for that is that cruise lines and their employees rely on tipping system. Thanks to that system at the end of the month earnings of each crew member in this system will go way much than their basic fixed salary.

Why waiters and busboys don’t have normal fixed salary rather than depend of gratuities? This way cruise lines ensure that dinning room staff performance will be maximized. Those crewmembers provide most personalized part of whole ship service and it is so important that they make best possible impression on passengers. Dinning room service is most important part of experience and usually waiters are crewmembers that make biggest interaction with guests.  
So it clears how it works here:
I, waiter, will make my best to make my guest satisfied because: happier he is, bigger tips for me.
On the other side if I fail, no tips. Nobody gives tips to lousy waiter.

Somebody said once: Tips are fuel that keeps service flying sky high.

As I mentioned before, tips are not required and there always one small percent of people who doesn’t tip for their own reasons.  Those people are just a part of equation. For crew they are occupational hazard.

As the ex-waiter I remember one particular case many years ago. On a 7-day cruise we had whole ship booked by some organized groups from one European country. Those are very nice people and it was real pleasure to serve them. Only problem was: In their country there is no tipping tradition. At the end of the cruise they thanks us on service, shake our hands politely and just left the ship. No tips at all. And what can we do? Nothing. What the cruise line did? Nothing. On week of hard work is lost and that’s all. I don’t have to say that atmosphere in crew bar was very sad those few days.
Fortunately new morning comes; new cruise and tips were back on next cruises.

Who to tip? It is usually to tip cabin stewards and butlers, dining room stewards, busboys and waiters and head waiters on the last night of the cruise. Envelopes can be found in each cabin or at the pursers desk where also all information’s are available. Find out proposed tip rates for each member so you can calculate and prepare exact amount.
If you wish to do a lot of entertaining in your cabin, or if there is an infant or someone who require an special attention in your family, you will require some extra service from your cabin steward. It is a real good idea to give him/her a portion of his/her tip at the beginning of the cruise. It will definitely make him or her obliging.

Some passengers skip out on dinner in the dining room on the final night of their cruise to avoid tipping. Again this is legally allowed but it is a really ugly gesture. If you prefer to have dinner elsewhere that evening, do so, but stop for one minute by the dining room to reward the service of the wait staff.

Recently, some cruise companies made moves from traditional tipping for two reasons. First, as cruising as become more globally popular, cruise lines recognized that many guests from certain countries were not accustomed to tipping. So the lines add a service charge to cruise fare price.
Second potential problem is multiple dining room choices on new mega-ships so passengers may have different wait staff each day. That makes a quite confusing situation when it comes to tipping. Solution is again to include service in price.

Whatever future changes brings to this system it is important to understand that tipping is not simple substitute for saying “Thank you”, it is a gesture of appreciation of all those warm attention provided by ship crew which makes your vacation unforgettable.

Below is current tipping guidelines from some companies:

Carnival Cruise Lines: "Tipping is at your discretion. As a guideline, Carnival recommends the following: Cabin Steward-$3 per guest, per day, Waiter-$3 per guest per day, Busboy-$1.50 per guest per day. For your convenience, a 15% gratuity will be automatically added to your bar bill! Tipping your Maitre D' and Head Waiter is at your discretion."

Celebrity Cruises: "Celebrity suggests the following guidelines: Dining Room Personnel: Waiter, $3.0 per person per day; Busboy, $1.50 per person per day. Restaurant, per person per cruise: Manager, $7.50, 10- or 11-night cruise; $9.00, 13-night cruise; $12.00 17-night or longer cruise. Stateroom Service: Butler, $3.00 per person per day (suites only); Steward, $3.00 per person per day. Chief Housekeeper, per person, per cruise: $5.00, 10- or 11-night cruise; $6.00, 13-night cruise; $7.50, 15-night cruise; $8.50, 17-night or longer cruise.

Crystal Cruises: "As a guideline, we suggest the following: Room stewardess-$3.50 per person, per day; Waiter-$3.50 per person, per day; Assistant waiter--$2 per person, per day. Tips to the Maitre d', Headwaiter, Butler, Assistant Stewardess and night snack personnel are at your discretion. For Salon or Spa personnel, we recommend a 15% gratuity. A 15% gratuity for all bar drinks, sodas, and wines by the glass, will be added to the bill automatically. For Prego, Kyoto and Jade Garden [reservation-only restaurants on board], we recommend a gratuity of $5 per guest, per dinner."

Cunard Lines: "Gratuities for cabin stewards and waiters are included in all full and segment cruise fares. While on board, passengers may tip the maitre d', section captains, deck stewards and night stewards for exceptional service. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar and wine purchases and beauty salon services."

Holland America Line: "Our 'tipping not required' policy ensures that the professional and gracious service you receive on our ships is truly sincere, and that we are dedicated to providing you the most relaxed cruise vacation, not simply performing service in return for tips. You are free, however, to extend monetary gratuities if you wish; it's entirely up to you. (Company policy prohibits us from suggesting amounts.)"

Norwegian Cruise Line: "The following guidelines are recommended for tipping on cruise. Waiter and Cabin Steward: $3.00 each per person per night. Maitre d' and Busboy: $1.50 each per person per night. These gratuities are usually paid at the last day of the cruise. A 15% gratuity is already included in bar tabs and in beauty salon and sauna costs. Other staff may be tipped as services are provided."

Princess Cruises automatically adds $10 per person per day, regardless of age, to your onboard account. If you have young children, you are invited to adjust the amount based on the amount of service your child required.

Royal Caribbean gives passengers the option of adding tips to their onboard charge accounts. If you don't choose this, the default option is cash. The line recommends a total of $10.50 per person per day, broken down accordingly: Waiter, $3.50; Assistant waiter, $2; Assistant Maitre'd, $0.75; Cabin attendant, $3.50; Assistant chief housekeeper, $0.75. For children, under 12, the two lines recommend you tip half of the adult amounts.

Silversea Cruise Lines: Gratuities for cabin stewards/stewardesses and waiters are included in all full and segment cruise fares.

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