I'm so confused: Tip, Auto Tip, All inclusive...

[Kelcin]

I'll apologise in advance if these are stupid questions.

 

My cruise is booked and paid for. Being someone who always travels to all inclusive resorts, I of coursed asked the TA upon booking and learned that yes, all meals and beverages (except alcohol) are included in the price I paid.

 

So, how will I get a bill with 'auto-tipping' on it if I'm not paying for meals or beverages?

 

Obviously I know if I use spa services, bars, gift shops etc... I would pay so that's not what I'm asking about. It just seems that most 'auto-tipping' conversations are about the dining rooms.

 

And another question, when traveling 'all inclusive' on a 'cruise' does this mean any of the restuarants and/or cafes onboard? Drinks around the pool, (again talking non-alcohol, I know I would pay for alcohol)

 

And question number 3, why don't I find anything talk about 'Majesty of the Seas? Be honest, I can take it. lol

 

Thanks for your patience

[Iluvmypuggle]

Your travel agent said all meals and beverages (non-alcoholic) are included. Well this is true and untrue. On most cruises, all the meals in the main dining rooms, the buffets, poolside buffets and room service are included. On some cruiselines, there are specialty restaurants that charge an additional fee to dine there. For instance, NCL has many restaurants with fees from $10-$25/person. Carnival has a restaurant called The Supper Club (maybe $30/person). So yes, you can eat all week, day and night without paying anything additional, but a lot of cruiselines do have other options and should you choose to utilize those options, they require an additional fee.

 

Now some beverages are included and some are not. On all the cruises I've been on (primarily carnival & ncl), iced tea, water, coffee, tea and juices are included. Sodas are NOT included and you can either purchase individual sodas or you can buy a soda card at the beginning of the week. The cost of the soda card is usually $7-$8/day plus 15% gratuities. Also, there's usually some sort of cafe on most cruiselines where you can get fancy coffees, lattes, etc. and these are usually not included. Any beverage that you purchase with your room card, whether it be soda/wine/beer, etc. will have a 15% gratuity added onto that price.

 

Auto-tipping: This means that each day, your "tab" will be charged a certain amount gratuities for each person in your cabin. I'm not sure what cruiseline you're going on, but for instance, NCL charges $12 per person per day. So at the end of the week, that will be charged to your credit card. If you want to know how those gratuities get divided, you'd have to check with the cruiseline. Some cruiselines also allow you to pre-pay your gratuities.

 

Additional Tips: It's customary to tip if you order room service. It's also appreciated to tip staff that go above & beyond for you (room stewards, bar tenders), but these tips are at your discretion. Also, I'm not sure if most people tip additional at the specialty restaurants, but I always have.

 

Everything that you purchase on the ship, whether it be at a bar, your shore excursions or at the gift ship, etc. will be charged to your onboard account & then to the credit card that you gave the cruiseline when you checked-in. Same place your gratuities will go. At the end of the week, they'll give you a "receipt" to make sure all your charges are correct.

 

So overall, you can go the entire week without paying more for drinks and food, but just be aware that there are a lot of extras that you could spend money on so make sure to budget for it.

 

**EDIT: I just reread your post and if there are cruises that are literally all-inclusive (including sodas, etc), I guess I'm just not aware of them. And I am not familiar with majesty of the seas, so I cannot comment on that.

[househunter]

Your tips are not included in the price unless you pre-paid them. You can either choose the auto pay in which 9.75/pp will automatically be billed to your onboard account or you can pay them directly at the end of your cruise. This amount covers your room steward, waiter and assistant waiter. Sodas and alcoholic beverages are extra and will be billed with an automatic 15% tip to your account.

 

All specialty restaurants and drinks around the pool etc are at an addional cost.

[cb at sea]

Majesty is a smaller, older ship, but RCI keeps up on the maintenance very well.

Your "tips" are divided among your room attendant, waiter, ass't waiter and the Head waiter. For a JS or lower, the recommended tips are $9.75 per person per day. (The cruise brochure will give you the breakdown on who get what portion of that)

Most times, we end up tipping additional amounts to one or more of the folks who have served us...they just go out of their way to make you happy!

If you order room service (the food is included), you tip according to how much they have to carry---$1-2 for coffee and danish, $3-5 for a full meal. You will tip in cash for that--that's not added to your account.

 

You can also forgo the "auto-tip" and tip in cash at the end of the cruise. (The staff seems to appreciate cash ALOT!!!) You will get envelopes on the last evening to put your money in, and hand out to "your" folks!

 

If you only drink a soda once in awhile, then just buy soda by the can---you would have to drink about 4 cans a day to make the soda card worthwhile. That is an additional charge. The only drinks that are included are "water-based"---lemonade, tea, coffee, juice in the morning, milk, sometime, fruit punch.

 

You will have a lovely time, I'm sure!

[kitty9]

I think your travel agent has misled you a little bit. On Majesty of the Seas, you will have to pay for soda, bottled water and any juices you order in the bar, pool, dining room or lounge. The only beverages included are regular coffee (as opposed to specialty coffees that are an extra charge), hot and cold tea, tap water, lemonade, some juices at breakfast, lunch and dinner(orange juice, tomato juice, fruit punch as examples). Just about any beverage ordered at a bar or at the pool will have an extra charge.

[Grandiva]

Can't add anything to what has already been said. Previous posters said it well.

 

But, I can add Relax, it will be smooth sailing :p

 

HAVE A GREAT CRUISE

 

ENJOY