There’s no denying that gratuities are a part of cruising that’s here to stay, whether you choose to tip or not.
Whilst some of us may begrudge certain ways of dealing with gratuities (and the bravest of us may head to guest services to ask for these auto-tips to be removed from our accounts), it’s an undeniably good way to ensure that the hard-working staff are rewarded with extra cash in their pay packet.
Tipping isn’t a natural part of British culture like it is for our American cousins and due to the big difference in tipping prices, Cruise.co.uk have to be here to save any onboard embarrassment with our cheap-gratuity-guide!
Costa Cruises – €10 (£8.53) per person, per day
Costa says that they use this mandatory tipping charge to incentivize their staff members who perform hotel duties, making sure that the quality of service is always top-notch for guests.
These gratuities will automatically be added to your account so unless you have nerves of steel at Guest Services when requesting to remove them, they’re on your bill to stay.
However, at 10 euro per person per night, it’s one of the cheaper automatic service charges on the ocean waves!
Children between the ages of 4 and 14 pay 50% of the adult charge, while under 4’s are free.
Fred. Olsen – £5 per person, per day
The £5 daily tip that Fred Olsen requested is split down the middle for your cabin steward and waiter, so, per day, they each receive £2.50.
However, if they’re doing a splendid job and you wish to vary the amount (or, conversely, if they’re not up to scratch), you can alter this value as you see fit.
It’s automatically added to your guest account but we imagine Freds wouldn’t mind too much if you decided you’d prefer to tip the team members personally, instead.
Just contact trusty Guest Services and stock up on those traditional brown tipping envelopes!
P&O Cruises – Scrapped all together!
As a British line, P&O Cruises know full well that, as a nation, we don’t ‘do’ tipping like other parts of the world do – but they also know that we’re far too polite to grumble (and we love to grumble) about a charge that’s less than you’d pay for a beer at the bar.
And they announced in August 2018 their decision to cease charging a gratuity fee altogether from May 2019 onwards!
P&O Cruises commented, “We take huge pride in giving you a holiday that’s truly memorable and special and our team on board is committed to providing exceptional service during your time with us.”
MSC Cruises – Also scrapped altogether!
As of June 2019 MSC Cruises now include the daily service charge as part of the cruise fare!
Antonio Paradiso, MSC‘s Managing Director UK & Ireland, stated: “The decision has been made in order to simplify the booking process and ensure the best possible onboard experience for our guests.”
That was your official guide to the cheapest gratuities out there! Which is your favourite cruise line out of these?
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