Tipping

[mara/molly]

We are going on a Princess cruise and have our tips prepaid. Should we giving additional tips while on the cruise?

[wheezedr]

All depends on you and if you believe that a certain crew member went above and beyond to provide service.  Then you can certainly tip him/her.  

[NantahalaCruiser]

There have been hundreds of threads on tipping. And on each thread you will see a wide spectrum of responses:

 

from - I do not believe in tipping, the cruise line should pay them a decent wage, I always ask to have my automatic gratuities removed

 

to - I always give my room steward a fifty on embarkation day to make sure I get excellent service and then reward him at the end of the cruise with another fifty (over and above the auto gratuities)

 

Let your heart be your guide.

[Elaine5715]

30 minutes ago, mara/molly said:

We are going on a Princess cruise and have our tips prepaid. Should we giving additional tips while on the cruise?

Your prepaid tips will cover everyone except if you order room service

[SantaFeFan]

With prepaid tips you are covered while on the ship except for optional services such as room service and spa treatments. On some of our cruises we have tipped extra because we felt we received service that was over and above what we felt was expected, and on others we did not. We have never, however, removed or reduced the tips for the simple reason that we have never had bad service on any cruise we have ever taken. 

 

You will be fine as is, and tip extra if you feel appreciative and generous. 

[cb at sea]

Those tips you've prepaid cover the cabin attendant, waiters, ass't waiters and head waiter (and many "behind the scenes folks)...you are covered for those workers.  If you order a drink, or buy a drink package, the "tip" is added to the cost of either the drink, or package.  Again...you're covered.

 

There really are no others on the ship that require tipping.  You will want to tip baggage handlers ($1-2 per bag), and ashore, cabs, possibly excursion guides (depending on your enjoyment factor)....For spa treatments, make sure a tip hasn't been added to the tab (sometimes they do it automatically) before tipping additionally!

 

The prepaid tips cover those who are supposed to be tipped.

[pacruise804]

On 2/16/2019 at 11:12 PM, mara/molly said:

We are going on a Princess cruise and have our tips prepaid. Should we giving additional tips while on the cruise?

 

Before boarding it is customary, but not required, to tip luggage handlers.  Common ranges are $1/bag up to $10/couple.  We generally give $5 for 2 large bags (total) for my husband and I.

 

On board gratuities will be added to any bar or spa purchases.  Some people tip above these amounts, but the 18% is sufficient for many.  Room service delivery generally does not have a tip charged and is not part of the tip pool, so $2-5 depending on the size of the order is appropriate.  Specialty dining may or may not be included - there should be clear language about it in your booking.  This is often above average service which you may want to tip extra for.

 

In most ports it is customary to tip drivers and tour guides (not a Princess tender though if a tender port).  The amounts can vary greatly on this, but we usually give $2-5 to drivers/ship captains and $10-20 to tour guides.  You would also likely tip if you ate a meal off the ship at a full service restaurant.

 

At debarkation you might tip the luggage handler again if they help expedite you.

 

A good rule of thought is additional gratuities should never be expected, but always appreciated.  Also, a staff member who impresses you could also be aided by a comment card with their name, service area, and how they excelled.  This could even mean more than a one time cash tip because it could affect time off and promotions.

[OCruisers]

On 2/16/2019 at 11:12 PM, mara/molly said:

We are going on a Princess cruise and have our tips prepaid. Should we giving additional tips while on the cruise?

 

To answer your question:

We love the auto tips to be sure we tip everyone who should be tipped BUT we always tip extra depending.

That's ON THE SHIP.

When doing things in ports you'll need tipping money.