Like any good restaurants or fine hotels & resorts, leaving a tip or gratuity for those who served you is always welcome.
On cruise ships it used to be almost mandatory and cumbersome, since they had to be given to the people who were assigned to your cabin and table. It used to have to be paid in cash only and little white envelopes were left in your cabin with how to calculate what you owed in tips.
If people ran out of cash, they used to have to go to the pursers office and stand in long lines the last night of your cruise. This always seemed to put a damper on the last night to me. Also there was always the overheard conversations that some people did not go to dinner the last night in the main dining room, so they would not have to pay.
Scuttle butt I say, and nobody else’s business but your own.
Now the cruise lines have streamlined their tipping policies and even made it so you could charge the gratuities to your cabin account. I like this idea soooo much better, for several different reasons.
Again, tipping is a personal evaluation of the service that you were provided. Like in almost every Emily Post etiquitte book there are suggestions made as to where you can start to thank someone for their valued service in your own estimate. The cruise lines do provide you for your convenience, a guideline as well. Which to me is very helpful since even after 14 cruises I still am forgetful as to where I should start. I have to look up every single year what the current guidelines are for my mail delivery, news paper and hair stylist.
If you recieved outstanding service, then reward the people who provided this service to you just like you would do at home.. slip a few bucks to the valet parking person and then you add a special reward of gratitude to the wait staff for making your dining experience wonderful at your favorite resturant. It is no different on a cruise ship.
Here’s a tip for you – If we could all be paid by our own employers every once in awhile for going the extra mile and really providing great custmer service, wouldn’t we all be allot happier at our jobs?
It is always nice to know you are appreciated for what you do for others and I am always grateful for when someone takes the time to make even my everyday chores easier or make my cruise vacation more memorable.
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