Tipping while on cruise tour

[travgurl]

Going on the cruise tour next summer in Alaska. Please advise on tipping. We begin in Fairbanks and end in Vancouver. I know that while on the land we will have to tip at certain places, but what about once we are on board the ship? Thanks

[sapper1]

There will be a hotel service charge added to your bill daily to cover tips. It is $11.50 pp for regular cabins and $12.00 pp for suites. Bar charges include a 15% gratuity.

If you wish to reward exceptional service you may tip the person extra at the end of the cruise, but this is at your discretion.

[GeriatricNurse]

Going on the cruise tour next summer in Alaska. Please advise on tipping. We begin in Fairbanks and end in Vancouver. I know that while on the land we will have to tip at certain places, but what about once we are on board the ship? Thanks

 

Really? :confused: Who says so? :confused:

[agabbymama]

In your paperwork from HAL, it is recommended that you tip per day to your coach driver and tour guide (if one is assigned to your coach). And possibly when you eat on the land tour portion, you might want to leave a tip to your server. Other than that, I don't think there was any tipping on the 8 day land portion of our cruisetour.

 

And as sapper1 states, the Daily Service Charge will be automatically added on your shipboard account. Unless you order from room service, it's nice to leave a $1 or two.

 

I usually get $50 in one dollar bills just for tipping.

[sapper1]

Really? :confused: Who says so? :confused:

 

Common decency says so.

[bert425]

Here's what we (my Partner and I) did on our Noordam 11/3/14 cruise:

 

We tipped Excursion operators (Tour Guide/Bus Driver):

$5 each (so $10 total) if it was just an OK tour.

$10 each (so $20 total) if it was a good tour.

$20 each (so $40 total) if it was an exceptional tour (which we had twice).

 

We tipped baggage guys/shuttle service guys, $1 for each bag (so $3-$4 each).

 

We tipped room service delivery guys $2-$3 for drop off of meal.

 

We tipped Dining attendant (and water/coffee guy. . we checked and they shared tips), $5/day for great service, so at the end of the cruise, we gave them $50 from each of us (total $100).

 

Stateroom attendant was not as good as dining, tho they DID try, so we tipped $2.50/ day for a total of $50 from both of us at the end of the cruise.

 

 

these were on top of the "hotel" charges.

 

not everyone did tip -- I know for sure, my Father did not tip some of the folks that we did. . . but at least they get the service charges automatically.

Edited November 15, 2014 by bert425

[catl331]

Really? :confused: Who says so? :confused:

My guess is that you've never worked a service job with a low base pay rate because tips commonly constitute the major part of the wage.

[solocanadian]

Common decency says so.

Hear, Hear, Sapper.;)

[RJ2002]

Going on the cruise tour next summer in Alaska. Please advise on tipping. We begin in Fairbanks and end in Vancouver. I know that while on the land we will have to tip at certain places, but what about once we are on board the ship? Thanks

 

Once on board, a daily Hotel Service Charge will be assessed to your onboard account to cover gratuities for folks like your room steward, dining servers, etc. If you order drinks, a 15% service charge is assessed. It is up to you if you choose to leave additional tips over and above what HAL is already collecting. We will generally do this at the conclusion of the cruise if we receive outstanding service, which is not uncommon on HAL. :)

[ithaca gal]

Really? :confused: Who says so? :confused:

 

Decent folks say so. Yes, Really!

[take us away]

In addition to Bert's list, we also tip the laundry delivery person $2 when he brings the laundry back and we usually tip the bar stewards at the end of the cruise. DH does not drink, I drink now and again but they keep the sodas coming as needed.

 

Crew do not make much money and are usually supporting a family back home. We do believe that extra tipping over the hotel charge is the least we can do for the usually exceptional service.

Edited November 16, 2014 by take us away

[CowPrincess]

In addition to Bert's list, we also tip the laundry delivery person $2 when he brings the laundry back and we usually tip the bar stewards at the end of the cruise. DH does not drink, I drink now and again but they keep the sodas coming as needed.

 

Crew do not make much money and are usually supporting a family back home. We do believe that extra tipping over the hotel charge is the least we can do for the usually exceptional service.

 

We are never around, it seems, when the laundry and/or dry cleaning comes back to the cabin, so we have started sending an envelope to them with a thank you note and some cash.