New to cruising

[andyleeds]

Hi, we have never been on a cruise before but have booked to go on the Emerald Princess for a 7 day Iberia cruise on the 3rd May,

We will be in a balcony cabin on Aloha deck midship. My main question is will I need Dollars on board or is everything paid for by credit card at the end of the cruise? Also I know there is a daily gratuity charge per person, but do you still tip, for example waiters in the restaurants, bar staff when you get a drink. We are really excited and are sure it will be the first of many cruises.

[Pam in CA]

Hi, we have never been on a cruise before but have booked to go on the Emerald Princess for a 7 day Iberia cruise on the 3rd May,

We will be in a balcony cabin on Aloha deck midship. My main question is will I need Dollars on board or is everything paid for by credit card at the end of the cruise? Also I know there is a daily gratuity charge per person, but do you still tip, for example waiters in the restaurants, bar staff when you get a drink. We are really excited and are sure it will be the first of many cruises.

Your shipboard account/folio will be charged in US$.

 

Any purchased drinks or sodas are automatically charged 15% gratuity.

 

Your "auto-tip" or daily gratuity/hotel service charge is charged to your account each night. Your folio is charged to your credit card at the end of the cruise although a hold is placed nightly to make sure the credit is there to pay the balance due. If you're using a debit card, be aware that some banks don't release the hold for several days which can reduce your available money significantly.

 

At the end of the cruise, you can tip your waitstaff and/or cabin steward extra if you wish and/or have received exceptional service. If you leave the auto-tip on, you do not have to tip extra.

 

It's custom to tip room service a $1-2 and there's a $3 service charge for pizza delivery.

 

Unlike some other cruise lines, Princess allows onboard credits (OBC) to be combined so if you are receiving OBC from your travel agent (TA) and perhaps shareholder credit, they are added up. If you are military or ex-military, you can also request OBC.

[peety3]

I can't think of a thing you'd need bucks for aboard. Everything goes on your room key. Just be ready for sticker shock at the end of the cruise! ;)

[vantec]

Hi, we have never been on a cruise before but have booked to go on the Emerald Princess for a 7 day Iberia cruise on the 3rd May,

We will be in a balcony cabin on Aloha deck midship. My main question is will I need Dollars on board or is everything paid for by credit card at the end of the cruise? Also I know there is a daily gratuity charge per person, but do you still tip, for example waiters in the restaurants, bar staff when you get a drink. We are really excited and are sure it will be the first of many cruises.

 

I will try to answer some of your questions: we always take some cash, dollar bills and a couple bigger bills, we use the dollars to tip for room service. At one time I'd use them for the washing machines and dryers, I don't know if they still accept cash, since we are Elite and laundry is a benefit. Once in awhile I do tip extra for wait staff; you should know that a gratuity is automatically added to your drink order, so an extra tip is not necessary. We have been on over 20 cruises, and all but two times we did tip our cabin steward extra - there is lots of discussion on how much the "extra" should be, for us it has been between $20 and $50, and that is in cash (using the bigger bills). I also tell our cabin steward that the automatic daily gratuity remains and the cash is additional for them. I read that it is helpful if you put the cash in an envelope, putting your name and cabin number on the outside, but I have not done that, it does sound like a good idea. You also might need cash if you take excursions, we normally tip the guide and the bus driver. Any ship board charges will be settled to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

[Happy2cruise]

Hope you enjoy your cruise and that it will be the first of many:). The Emerald is a beautiful ship. We have been on her three times and will be on her again in January.

[OCruisers]

Pam and others have explained things perfectly.

 

Just saying ... Welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

 

Also, we have cruised on Emerald and she is an absolutely wonderful ship so expect to have a GREAT time. :D

 

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[Host Jazzbeau]

You won't need dollars for anything onboard with Princess. Tipping is also typically [no pun intended, but I always accept them gratefully...] done through your shipboard account, which is paid by your credit card.

 

If you want to tip in cash, I'm sure the staff will be just as happy to receive pounds, euros or dollars. They go all over, so they can spend it as appropriate.

 

Enjoy your cruise -- it sounds like a great itinerary!

[Pam in CA]

If you want to tip in cash, I'm sure the staff will be just as happy to receive pounds, euros or dollars. They go all over, so they can spend it as appropriate.

I disagree with this. While Princess ships sail all over the world, if you tip in £ in the Caribbean, for instance, the recipient may not be near a country that accepts £ for months, if ever. Same for €. If you're on a British Isles cruise, then tip in either $, € or £. If you're on a Med cruise, tip in $ or €. If you're cruising in Asia or the Pacific, tip in $. If you're on a trans-Atlantic, tip in $ or the major currency the ship is sailing to. And don't tip in $2 bills or Susan B Anthony $1 coins. While they are legal tender, they are not accepted in many places. No reason to make it more difficult for the tip recipient.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I disagree with this. While Princess ships sail all over the world, if you tip in £ in the Caribbean, for instance, the recipient may not be near a country that accepts £ for months, if ever. Same for €. If you're on a British Isles cruise, then tip in either $, € or £. If you're on a Med cruise, tip in $ or €. If you're cruising in Asia or the Pacific, tip in $. If you're on a trans-Atlantic, tip in $ or the major currency the ship is sailing to. And don't tip in $2 bills or Susan B Anthony $1 coins. While they are legal tender, they are not accepted in many places. No reason to make it more difficult for the tip recipient.

 

OP is from England and is sailing to Spain.

[CRUZER2012]

I would only add a couple things:

 

1. Using a debit card for the onboard account can be a problem. I used my debit card and had problems with my onboard account. For whatever reason the daily hold of funds could not be made on my account. Fortunately, I came prepared and was able to put USD on my shipboard account. Apparently credit is better than cash.

 

2. There are rules for extra tipping. Rules for extra tipping "seem" to differ based on the ship. It appears that the extra tip goes to the tipping pool and not to the individual if the passenger giving the tip is not on auto-tip.

[Pam in CA]

2. There are rules for extra tipping. Rules for extra tipping "seem" to differ based on the ship. It appears that the extra tip goes to the tipping pool and not to the individual if the passenger giving the tip is not on auto-tip.

If the auto-tip is left on, extra tips are reported and the recipient gets to keep it. There's confusion about this because the extra tip is technically turned in until it's verified that the passenger left the auto-tip on. It's then returned to the recipient.

 

If the auto-tip is removed, anything you tip individually goes into the tipping pool.

[caribill]

As this is your first cruise, you may want to download the Princess "Cruise Answer Book" which will answr many of your questions as well as questions you did not know you had.

 

You can find this (at least on the USA web site) at https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/brochureRequest.page and look for Cruise Answer Book

 

Since the onboard account will be in US $ and you are not from the USA, most people suggest that at the end of the cruise let your credit card company do the conversion into your currency. If you let Princess do it, the conversion rate will be poor and there will be an additional service charge.

 

Also, join the Cruise Critic roll call for your cruise at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1856222

This gives you the opportunity to meet online with others on your cruise before the cruise. They can help answer questions you may have and once on board can be a valuable source of information.

 

When on the ship, each day there will be a daily list of activities in your cabin in what Princess calls the "Patter". Read it carefully so you can seek out the activities and entertainment that you think you would enjoy.

 

By the way, if you have any question at all, do not hestitate to ask it, either on this forum or on your roll call. And once on board if you have any question be sure to get the answer from the staff or fellow cruisers. You do not want at the end of the cruise to say "I would have done that if I had only known about it."

Edited December 13, 2013 by caribill

[Ren1216]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and have a wonderful first cruise :)

[andyleeds]

I would just like to thank everyone for their helpful replies, I'm sure I will think of more questions as the cruise gets nearer.

[Gunner22aa]

We always take a bunch of ones with us for cash tipping. You can tip extra on your bar bill at the bar if you wish and it will go on your account. Every bartender I have met, and that's a few has told me any extra you tip above the automatic 15% on your card goes to the tip pool. Any tip you give in cash to a particular bartender stays with them personally. I tip for good service and prefer to see the money go directly to the individual that provided that service. If you run low on ones the pursers desk can normally break larger bills for you. The bar staff will do it as well because they know they are likely to see the money again.

[skynight]

You should take a look at the cruise critic "Princess Roll Call" site. There you will find fellow passengers that will be on your voyage. It is very helpful. Go the the Princess Roll Call thread, select Emerald Princess, then select your May 3rd voyage. Here is the direct link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1856222

[CRUZER2012]

If the auto-tip is left on, extra tips are reported and the recipient gets to keep it. There's confusion about this because the extra tip is technically turned in until it's verified that the passenger left the auto-tip on. It's then returned to the recipient.

 

If the auto-tip is removed, anything you tip individually goes into the tipping pool.

 

Right. That is my understanding as well. To make it easier to verify, it makes sense to put your name and cabin number on the envelope.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I can't think of a thing you'd need bucks for aboard. Everything goes on your room key. Just be ready for sticker shock at the end of the cruise! ;)

 

I can. We always take a stack of dollar bills to tip room service - those nice folk who bring my morning coffee.

[sandyoftheseas]

The only thing you will need cash for is the horse racing if they have it on your sailing it is one of my favorite things to do so I always take cash for it. I think it is about $2-3US per bet and they have usually 6-7 races.