Removing gratuities

Sorry to hear you are leaving the forum. There is always room for healthy debate. The problem with the written word is that the tone of the voice or any inflections cannot be heard and dialog is not instantaneous as it is in normal conversations. It is easy to misunderstand what someone is trying to convey. Please consider sticking around for a while.

Just to end this thread for me, it was never my intention to not tip or pay gratuities ...I was merely stating a fact that on my cruise sailing from Singapore to Sydney there is no automatic gratuities ...it is left to the individual passenger .. I have had this doubled checked...I am not saying one is right or wrong... At no time did I say I didn’t want to pay...and yes I will gladly tip... I am astounded by some harsh words and I will not bother with this forum again... Thank you to those who have given me some good honest advice....

I would never complain or use the “ I am from Australia” I was merely stating the norm in Australia...

i found your reply offensive...

I don’t think anyone should be chastised for asking a legitimate question about tipping on a cruise. For example, some folks view tipping in the same manner as dining in a restaurant. You don’t pay before you consume your meal so why tip before service is provided? I’m willing to bet that a vast majority of folks do not tip the housekeeper (each morning) who cleans the hotel room they used. Both these service providers are paid minimum wages and depend on tips as well. I’ve paid tips on my own and through automatic tipping. The only time my tips are prepaid is when my travel agent or the cruiseline pays as a perk for booking that specific cruise or when I cruise on luxury CruiseLine like Silversea. As a frequent cruiser, I prefer to personally tip my cabin steward, dining room staff, concierge and certain other staff. I’ve even tipped a cabin steward who did not service my cabin. It was his pleasing personality and accurate information that prompted me to do something special for him. Overall, my personal tips normally exceed the daily amount charged by the cruiseline. I don’t understand the negative reaction towards someone wanting to remove tips and recognize staff personally with the tip. Even certain staff officers do not like the automatic tipping. To remove the tips from your account, all you need to do is make the request personally at Guest Services. Depending on the ship, it’s done immediately while you’re standing there. Certain other ships will require you to fill out a form and sign it acknowledging the removal of the tips and remove the tips immediately from your account. You can have the tips removed at anytime—within reason. You will need to check your account to verify removal. To show good faith for removing your tip, strongly recommend tipping personally halfway through the cruise. It gives the staff spending money when they have a few hours off while in port. Trust me, they will remember you—especially while in port. Just my thoughts...

It is too bad that the cruise lines do not actually read and take to heart these posts. If they did they would roll the daily gratuity into the cost of the cruise lines and let people tip as they feel it is warranted. However since this is not how it is done these days it is best just for sanity and a lack of aggravation to pretend that the auto gratuities are a part of the cruise fee and ignore that they are there. That is the best reason and benefit with prepaying them. Out of sight ... out of mind.

If you remove the automatic gratuities, then any cash tips (other than at the bar) must be turned over by the receiver. In other words, if you remove the auto grats and tip your steward $20, then your steward must turn the $20 over to the purser. If you allow the auto grats to remain in place, the steward gets to keep the $20.

Everyone needs to remember if you remove the tips at the beginning of the cruise. The crew will find out and point you out and barely serve or pay attention to you....

On NCL they made a charge about a year ago that removal of the gratuity charges may only be done in writing to the NCL office AFTER the cruise. They can no longer be removed while on the cruise.