Are we just too tight on tips?

There is probably no other topic on cruising by beginners and seasoned cruisers alike that is more discussed than tips. What to tip, who to tip, when to tip and of course the big one….HOW to tip.

There are 4 main ways to ‘pay your dues’ on a cruise.

1. Pre-paid gratuities – offered by most, but not all cruise lines.  A set amount, paid with the balance of your cruise. This is often a favourite for those who like to budget and know that their spending money is their spending money.
2. Automatic tipping. This is an amount added by the cruise line to your onboard account which is then settled at the end of the cruise along with anything else you purchased on board. Unless of course you choose to remove them (ill explain more in a moment on that).
3. Envelopes – almost a thing of the past, but at the end of the cruise you would pop a sum of money into each envelope and either leave in your stateroom or personally hand to your chosen receiver(s).
4. Tipi as you go as I call it, where you would personally hand the tip to the member of staff at the time, ie after your meal or after being served a drink.

Many of us  prefer to tip as they go and take satisfaction in knowing that they have looked after their favourite bar tender, waiter and cabin steward (or not in some cases) but then there are the others who like the idea of leaving that to the cruise line. They are happy to pay what is suggested via their onboard account and are relieved they don’t have the ‘how much is enough?’ conundrum to deal with every time they feel they should show their gratitude.

But what if you don’t want to tip personally and don’t want to pre-pay but don’t want to pay the amount added to your onboard account? Or you may not want to tip at all. Remember, tips are NOT compulsory. The amount charged to the onboard account is merely a suggested amount. If you feel it too much, ask for it to be decreased to a sum of your choosing. You can of course increase the amount or remove it all together if you so wish.

Its a funny old subject, we all have different opinions on the subject and there isn’t a one size fits all solution. Id love to have your thoughts on tips. How do you pay yours?