Gratuities

[itscrackers25]

Do you pay for Gratuities on embarkment and disembarkment days ?

[QTPieRye]

You pay gratuities on the # of nights of the sailing.... 7 nights would be $11.50 x 7~ so technically, you pay for embarkation day, but not debarkation day.

[Megan_Strick]

They are added to your sail and sign card on the second or third day of sailing.

[itscrackers25]

They are added to your sail and sign card on the second or third day of sailing.

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we will be paying in cash for our sail and sign card.

so will we pay everything upfront ?

or whats the best way to go about this ?

all help appreciated as its our first cruise.

we are not big drinkers probably only 2 aday each if that.

[Megan_Strick]

I pay cash as well. I just put a few hundred on to begin with then keep checking on it. If you have money left over they will give you a refund check the last night.

 

 

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[cbMcruiser]

I pay cash as well. I just put a few hundred on to begin with then keep checking on it. If you have money left over they will give you a refund check the last night.

 

 

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And you can check from the television in your room, so it is pretty easy to keep up with the ongoing balance. And every once in a while you find a transaction that isn't yours!

 

We put $500 as we boarded on Sunday and were good until Wednesday (with Carnival excursions on all four stops), then we just added $200 and we were good till we departed.

 

It is so nice to walk off the ship without a bill!

[Rigger]

We put everything on the credit card but then go and pay it off with cash before they post it to the card. Usually I will pay it off twice during the trip, the last time being the last day before debarkation. This way I don't have a big credit card debt later.

[Sixtytwo]

If your S&S card is "backed" with cash rather than a credit card, you are required to put in a minimum amount when you check in at the terminal on sailing day. I believe this is ~$200 for a 7-day cruise. You will have to settle your account before being allowed to disembark at the end of the cruise. Gratuities will be automatically charged to your S&S account as well, so don't be surprised when you check your account balance! :D

[Earthworm Jim]

It is so nice to walk off the ship without a bill!

 

It really doesn't make any financial difference whether you pay it off on board and walk off the ship without a bill or you use that same amount of money to pay the credit card bill when it comes. It's the same number of dollars either way.

 

 

(Well, yes, in theory you'd get a month's worth of interest on the bill amount by paying it later, but in practice that amount of money would be so small it would be insignificant at today's interest rates.)

 

We put everything on the credit card but then go and pay it off with cash before they post it to the card. Usually I will pay it off twice during the trip, the last time being the last day before debarkation. This way I don't have a big credit card debt later.

 

What the advantage of doing that instead of paying the full amount once the bill comes? Perhaps it would matter if you are already carrying a unpaid credit card balance, so you'd have to pay interest on that amount?

[cruiseonthebrain]

We always pre-pay the auto tips. Then we tip cash on the first and last days to our steward, last day to waiters, and throughout the cruise to crewmembers.

[Turbo6ta]

Speaking of Gratuities .... Does the room service guy that brings the food to your room expect a tip like they do at a hotel?

 

If so, how much do you usually tip when he arrives with your food / drink order?

 

Thank's

[noblepa]

Speaking of Gratuities .... Does the room service guy that brings the food to your room expect a tip like they do at a hotel?

 

If so, how much do you usually tip when he arrives with your food / drink order?

 

Thank's

 

 

Yes, it is considered proper to tip the person who delivers your order. I usually tip $2-4, depending on the size of the order. You try lugging a big tray full of food from one end of the ship to the other, and probably up two or three flights of stairs, to boot!

[Rena921]

We always pre-pay the auto tips. Then we tip cash on the first and last days to our steward, last day to waiters, and throughout the cruise to crewmembers.

 

Ditto.

[LSUcajunmom]

If your S&S card is "backed" with cash rather than a credit card, you are required to put in a minimum amount when you check in at the terminal on sailing day. I believe this is ~$200 for a 7-day cruise. You will have to settle your account before being allowed to disembark at the end of the cruise. Gratuities will be automatically charged to your S&S account as well, so don't be surprised when you check your account balance! :D

 

I have always put cash on S&S card at beginning of cruise and there has never been a required amt. my last 7 day cruise I started w $100 and just went added as needed. I always pre pay my tips also so that I start w a $0 balance.

[kerovick]

What do you tip your room stewart at the begining?

[lalalang]

I'm still confused. We already pre-paid the gratuities, which was $11.50 per day per person. And I read that they automatically add a 15% gratutity to all drink orders. So we should be covered, right? Unless we want to tip above and beyond the 15%?

 

Am I missing something? Is the pre-paid gratuity considered enough to cover the waiters, room services deliveries, steward, etc?? And will they know that I pre-paid, or will they think I'm stiffing them?

 

Thanks!

[LSUcajunmom]

Room service staff is not considered in the pre paid gratuities, so they would need to be given a tip for individual service. Everybody has their opinion about paying extra to your room steward on embarkation. I always give an extra $20 to my room steward on the first day and let him know different requests that I might have for the cruise. Others will say this is not necessary, but it is my preference. I also tip extra to my favorite bar servers/waiters/waitress. It's just what I do, always have, always will.

[gelo7]

Speaking of Gratuities .... Does the room service guy that brings the food to your room expect a tip like they do at a hotel?

 

If so, how much do you usually tip when he arrives with your food / drink order?

 

Thank's

I tip a dollar per person in the cabin.

[BobbyD]

What do you tip your room stewart at the begining?

 

Nothing. That's what the gratuities for the week are for. Some feel that they will get better service by doing this but we are low maintenance cruisers and never ask for much except a full ice bucket! On the other hand, if the steward did something above and beyond the call of duty I would most certainly reward him or her.