On Board Gratuities

[KaDarr]

Forgive me if this has been covered...

We will be on the Viking BIE on September 2. I am trying to decide whether to just pay for the gratuities in advance or bring Euros to leave for those most important. I really want to give the room steward a generous tip and I'm afraid if I just pay for the gratuities in advance of sailing, they won't really get as much as they deserve. I see on my MVJ that the prepaid gratuity is divided among the entire cruise staff. What if I don't even interact with some of the staff, i.e. the specialty restaurant waitstaff? (I don't intend to make reservations). MVJ doesn't give the option of how much to prepay, just $238 per person. Can I prepay a lower amount while we are on board and leave thank you notes with cash to those that we really most appreciated (bartenders, room steward, etc)?

 

[LindaS272]

Yes, to your last question. And you can even decline gratuities at guest services when onboard. We pay the suggested gratuities and give a generous amount to our cabin stewards. Prepayment isn’t usually recommended as it can be difficult to get the payment back if you cancel or the cruise is cancelled.

[Mich3554]

Just because you do not interact with some of the staff does not mean that they don’t work to make your cruise enjoyable.  You can choose decline gratuities, if you want though.  
We choose to pay the gratuity (not prepay…..as non refundable OBC that you may receive is good for this), and tip those who make our vacation special more.  

[KaDarr]

@LindaS272 Thank you 😁

[philw1776]

People who wash your dishes and people who  launder your sheets, the deck crew and many, many others that you do not interact with receive much appreciated money from the gratuities charge.
Do not pay this gratuities charge in advance as if cruise is cancelled or shortened it's a mess to claw it back. And your onboard credit can be use to pay some or all of it.

[Clay Clayton]

While it won’t help you on this cruise, if you decide you’re going on another Viking cruise I would suggest looking for a travel agent who offers the max Viking allowable onboard credit. This is enough to pay the suggested gratuities and leaves a little leftover for you!  

[deec]

Where do those gratuities really go?  the never ending question... wish I knew that they were really distributed to the crew on the ship that I am traveling on...

Edited June 3, 2023 by deec

[lackcreativity]

We have never prepaid gratuities, but have thought about doing it. Thanks for the heads up about extra effort needed to get it refunded in the event of unexpected cancellation.

 

I'd like to picture all the crew on board getting a little envelope of cash at the end of each cruise, but even if it goes into Viking's coffers and then is used to pay their salaries, I would not decline to pay.  Since I have only sailed with Viking I can't say for sure, but I bet the Viking crew is the hardest working and most pleasant on the seas!

[zalusky]

Just because you don't see the people and you don't get a smile or name acknowledgement does not mean they are not working hard.

 

Don't discriminate by only giving to a room steward, waiter, or a favorite bartender.

[duquephart]

5 minutes ago, zalusky said:

Just because you don't see the people and you don't get a smile or name acknowledgement does not mean they are not working hard.

 

Don't discriminate by only giving to a room steward, waiter, or a favorite bartender.

 

I believe it's fairly common, at least for Americans, to tip favorite stewards, bartenders and waiters in addition to the expected "gratuities", however paid, without regard for where they go.

[Moonlion]

4 hours ago, deec said:

Where do those gratuities really go?  the never ending question... wish I knew that they were really distributed to the crew on the ship that I am traveling on...

deec, I have also read all the "gratuity" threads and was very tempted to reduce the amount of our expected, fixed gratuities (instead, use some of it to tip staff we directly interacted with).  However, in the end, the service and crew were so outstanding on our cruise that we paid the full fixed amount and gave some crew who made our vacation special an extra cash tip.  I do hope that our fixed gratuities directly benefited the crew in some way.  

[duquephart]

1 minute ago, Moonlion said:

deec, I have also read all the "gratuity" threads and was very tempted to reduce the amount of our expected, fixed gratuities (instead, use some of it to tip staff we directly interacted with).  However, in the end, the service and crew were so outstanding on our cruise that we paid the full fixed amount and gave some crew who made our vacation special an extra cash tip.  I do hope that our fixed gratuities directly benefited the crew in some way.  

 

Spoken like a true American 😊.

[Moonlion]

2 minutes ago, duquephart said:

 

Spoken like a true American 😊.

Ha, ha... my three daughters who all worked as restaurant servers in their college years, routinely chastise me because I only tip 18% for decent but not over-the-top service. 

[CCWineLover]

Ahh - the hot topic of the week comes back for a second round - tipping.

Saw an interesting article on the whole culture and trend of tipping (upwards) that might be of interest to both sides of the debate.  Note:  the initial title of the article is a bit misleading, so keep reading.

 

https://www.fodors.com/news/travel-tips/should-you-get-on-board-with-on-board-tipping

 

[duquephart]

Not so sure tipping per se was the hot topic so much as what Viking calls "gratuities" and what they really are.

[CCWineLover]

It is IMHO, still "related" to the "gratuities" issue, as people, mostly Americans, are indeed led by the guilt issue.   We can agree to disagree if you wish.

[duquephart]

6 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

It is IMHO, still "related" to the "gratuities" issue, as people, mostly Americans, are indeed led by the guilt issue.   We can agree to disagree if you wish.

 

Related - yes. Hot topic - no.

[Squawkman]

19 hours ago, deec said:

Where do those gratuities really go?  the never ending question... wish I knew that they were really distributed to the crew on the ship that I am traveling on...

From the Viking website:

“This charge will be shared among the onboard staff who helped support and provide your cruise experience, including the waitstaff, stateroom stewards, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others. Please note this charge excludes bar gratuity; a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine and deck service tabs. Should you wish to make changes to the gratuity amounts or pay in cash, stop by Guest Services at any time. You may also wish to tip your local excursion guides and/or drivers; we suggest doing so in cash at the end of each tour. For your convenience, you can pre-purchase gratuities at our standard recommended rate in My Viking Journey. This charge will be shared among the onboard staff who helped support and provide for your cruise experience, including your Program Director, waitstaff, stateroom stewards, galley staff, nautical staff and others.”
 

That should answer your question. 

[ericosmith]

16 hours ago, Squawkman said:

a 15% gratuity is automatically added to bar, beverage, wine and deck service tabs.

Which has me totally confused as looking at the Living Room beverage menu it states "All prices include gratuity" on every page.

[Squawkman]

3 hours ago, ericosmith said:

Which has me totally confused as looking at the Living Room beverage menu it states "All prices include gratuity" on every page.

The gratuity charge doesn’t include bar staff as their tips are included in the purchase price of individual drinks and/or the Silver Spirits drink package.

[ericosmith]

6 hours ago, Squawkman said:

The gratuity charge doesn’t include bar staff as their tips are included in the purchase price of individual drinks and/or the Silver Spirits drink package.

That much I understood.  My question was whether a $9.50 drink was $9.50 or $10.93 as it would be on some other lines?

 

[dd57]

$9.50

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, ericosmith said:

That much I understood.  My question was whether a $9.50 drink was $9.50 or $10.93 as it would be on some other lines?

 

 

"tips are included in the purchase price"