Cruise ship gratuity

What Happens If You Don’t Pay Gratuities on Your Next Cruise Vacation?

Gratuities are a vital part of the cruise staff’s compensation. They allow guests to express gratitude for the hard work and outstanding service provided by the staff. Typically, cruise lines collect the gratuities and distribute them among cruise staff members as part of their overall compensation package, including bonuses and incentives.

How Much is Cruise Gratuity?

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Cruise gratuity ranges from $14 to $20 per person per day. Suite guests will be charged more than guests staying in regular staterooms. Note that the amount is per person per day and not per cabin.

Removing Gratuities

Cruise ship gratuity
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Most cruise lines automatically add gratuities to your cruise bill. However, guests can modify the amount or remove the gratuity.

How to Remove Gratuities

Cruise ship gratuity
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To remove gratuities, you need to go to the guest services desk. They can adjust your gratuity by either modifying the amount or completely removing it. 

Why Remove Gratuities?

Cruise ship waitstaff
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Some guests request that gratuities be removed completely because they prefer to personally give cash tips instead. Other times, gratuities are adjusted or removed because the guests have a valid complaint and are unhappy with the service or cruise experience. Check out I’ve Been on over 25 Cruises, Here are 17 Things I’ll Never Do on a Cruise

What Happens If Gratuities are Removed?

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Cruise staff rely on gratuities as a significant part of their compensation. If many guests remove gratuities, this will severely affect the gratuity pool, which in turn will affect the amount each staff member receives. Check out 11 Anti-Theft Cruise Tips that Every Cruiser Needs to Know

Reflects Poorly on Service

Cruise Ship Main dining room
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Removing gratuities without any specific reason can imply dissatisfaction with the service, even if that’s not the case. It may or may not directly affect the cruise staff members serving you- such as your cabin steward and waiters. Check out 25 Things People Forget to Pack for a Cruise

Feels Unethical

Cruise Ship Dining Room
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For some cruise passengers, completely removing cruise gratuities feels wrong and unethical, especially given the hard work and long hours the cruise staff members put in to make your cruise experience amazing. Check out What to Pack: Alaska cruise (free packing list)

Should You Remove Cruise Gratuities?

Cruise Ship Exterior
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Most cruise passengers pay the automatic gratuity amount to show their appreciation to the cruise staff. In fact, many passengers give extra cash tips to crew members who go above and beyond. Gratuities are a personal decision each cruise passenger has to make. Check out What to Pack: Caribbean cruise (free packing list)

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