Tipping in advance. Opinions needed

[MalibooNewYork]

My daughter and I have signed up for a Viking river cruise in 2021. There is a your tips in advance option. It would be nice to have all expenses paid and not have to think about tips and if any crew member went above and beyond we would, of course, give extra. 

What are your thoughts about this? We really don't know what to do and appreciate your input.

Thank you

[Daisi]

We did this with Avalon, as we were able to pay in Canadian $$, instead of Euro's on the boat.  It was a lot easier, and when it came down to the last day, we gave those who gave us really good service (our room attendant, our regular server and drinks person) a little extra.  

 

Not sure how Viking does it, but Avalon gave you "coupons" to put in the envelopes that said we had pre-paid gratuities (it goes to the whole crew, not just those who deal with cruisers), and so we could just slip them in the boxes.  Yes, you are giving out the recommended amount, so you don' t have to worry about it at the end of the cruise, but you can also give those who you wish to thank more a discreet "handshake" to let them know you did appreciate all their care.

 

To tell the truth, for our cruise, everyone seemed to go above and beyond to make the trip enjoyable, so it was well deserved.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Daisi

[gnome12]

If Viking wants you to prepay your tips when you make final payment I would say no. 90 days before on most cruise lines doesn’t make a lot of difference, but paying them a year out seems unreasonable.

The currency issue is a gamble, but paying them in cash in Euros will cost you a fee in most cases. If you can put them on a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign currency fees that would be preferable.

When I had the choice I did it just because it was easy.


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[Host Jazzbeau]

If you have a Debit Card that doesn't charge ATM or Foreign Transaction Fees, paying in cash costs you the same as paying with a Credit Card that doesn't charge FTF – except that a good credit card will give you back ~2%.  We have a Schwab debit card and several credit cards that fit the bill.  The choice of payment time then becomes mainly a currency play:  will the USD-Euro rate be better or worse at the end of your cruise?

 

But as @gnome12 I wouldn't prepay tips more than 90 days before a cruise – and in the current situation I absolutely wouldn't pay anything more than the bare minimum until it was certain my cruise is going to sail!

[franski]

The "tips in advance" is relatively new in the river cruise world.  When we did our 1st river cruise - it was cash only...  in Euros.  We finally hit a cruise where we could pay by credit card, and then - pre-paying became an option.

 

We will usually pre-pay if we can.  As mentioned above, you can pay in your "home" currency, and it is one less thing to worry about at the end of the cruise.  

 

With Avalon, we could pre-pay up to about 30 days before sailing.  And, we can always top up if we feel someone went "above and beyond".

 

Fran

[sharkster77]

If I recall correctly from our Viking cruise last October, the option to pre-pay tips was also listed on the "My Viking Journey" website, where you can also book excursions.  I believe you could go on your website and pay the tips in advance any time.

 

Once cruise is over, you no longer have access to the website, so I can't go back and check, sorry.

[MalibooNewYork]

I appreciate all of you taking the time to reply. I called Viking and I can pay the tips close to the sailing date. They would like 30 days for processing but even that is flexible. We will pay in advance -- one less thing to think about.

I've only cruised on Viking but the favorable comments about Avalon have peaked my interest.

Thank you.