Avalon tipping, cash or credit?

I thought I had read on the boards that you could pay tips with credit card. However a member of our group did call TA who said it had to be paid in cash. Any thoughts on this

Sue

I expect different lines vary. We were able to add our tips to our cabin account, & pay on a credit card. This was good, as I had been saving cash for the tips, which I was then able to use on other things. We were on Viking. I think it would be a good idea to call the cruise company directly, as I think the credit card option was a fairly new one. TAs are not alwys 100% up to date IMO.

On most cruise ships one can tip the CREW using a credit card, but must tip the CRUISE DIRECTOR using cash. The CD is an independent contractor; does not work for the cruise line ans the crew does.

On both our Avalon cruises the CD accepted tips in cash or credit cards. You simply tell the CD how many Euros you want to tip, he/she scans your card, and everyone is happy. Even AMEX was accepted.

I believe the only cruise line we've used so far that insisted on cash only tips was Uniworld.

Bill

We were on Avalon in December and tipped by Amex for crew but cash for CD.

We were on Avalon Oct/Nov and they accepted either cash or credit card. If you used the credit card for the CD you had to do it with the CD, not at the front desk. Avalon is now offering prepaid gratuities as well.

On our Avalon cruise we found in the information book they sent us they told us what tips were expected by the CD and the Crew. To avoid any problems with the money exchange rate we put the right amount of eros in envelopes before we left the US.

Roger

Both cash and credit card work for both crew and CD. We are on an Avalon cruise now and just paid our tips with credit card.

In our Avalon cruise information, there are prepaid gratuity slips.

Doesn't this mean that the tips are already covered?

Or do we have to tip in addition to the prepaid tips?

Perhaps as part of your cruise fare you chose the prepaid gratuity option? This is relatively new.

In our Avalon cruise information, there are prepaid gratuity slips.

Doesn't this mean that the tips are already covered?

Or do we have to tip in addition to the prepaid tips?

Possibly because you are from Australia the tips are included in the fare.

Different Countries have different pricing some include the gratuities in the price of the cruise

Just check with your TA so you are not double tipping

We paid our crew tips via credit card on the Avalon Panorama. The cruise director tip was paid with cash but could have put it on our credit card.

In my Avalon docs is says tipping in cash preferred but credit cards accepted. It did not say what currency we should be tipping in. If tipping in cash do they present you with envelopes so you know who to tip, how much to tip?

They preferred Euros from Budapest to Prague. We tipped mainly in Euros, we did have some Hungarian money left which we added to our Cruise Director's tip as she was leaving the ship and she lives in Hungary, so we figured she could use it.

They preferred Euros from Budapest to Prague. We tipped mainly in Euros, we did have some Hungarian money left which we added to our Cruise Director's tip as she was leaving the ship and she lives in Hungary, so we figured she could use it.

Very good, thank you. That's a big help. Do they provide envelopes or should I bring some note cards? I really do not want to just hand over cash. :) Though I am sure they don't care!

Guidelines and envelopes are provided for tips. All tips go into a locked box. We used our credit card for crew tips and it was charged in euros. We gave cash in US dollars to the cruise director. Our guide in Budapest preferred US dollars.

Guidelines and envelopes are provided for tips. All tips go into a locked box. We used our credit card for crew tips and it was charged in euros. We gave cash in US dollars to the cruise director. Our guide in Budapest preferred US dollars.

Oh my so euros or possibly us dollars! ok, it looks like we need to be prepared for either. Thank you for your help.

There was a locked box at the reception for tips, they are distributed among the crew so you don't give them personally to anyone. Our guides did not want US dollars.....we were told Euros or the local currency in both Budapest and Prague. Our Cruise Director told us to tip the Avalon guides a few Euros. She specifically told us not to tip in US dollars as the locals then need to convert them to the local currency, and there is a charge to do that.

I did notice on the Avalon website that they are now offering prepaid gratuities as an option when you book your cruise. We just booked for next April (but through a TA who discounts), but I may just ask about that as it saves having to go to the ATM!!

Our private guide in Budapest requested US$. When I booked his tour I offered to pay in euros, dollars or Hungarian currency. He asked for US$. The US$ dollar is worth much more than the hungarian currency because Hungary is suffering from high inflation. We tipped the guides employed by Avalon in euros. The guidelines for tipping request euros or US dollars. We had extra dollars on us so we used those for the cruise director. If we had more euros then we would have used euros. You can't put the crew and the cruise director in the same tip as the cruise director works for a different company, therefore there are two envelopes...one for the staff and one for the cruise director.

That's funny about the US dollars. Our private guide in Prague wanted the Czech currency. We didn't hire one in Budapest.

The cruise director sure does well in tips....and is worth every penny in my opinion!!!

[i did notice on the Avalon website that they are now offering prepaid gratuities as an option when you book your cruise. We just booked for next April (but through a TA who discounts), but I may just ask about that as it saves having to go to the ATM!!

We just booked the Christmas Market for 2012 and were allowed to prepay gratuities at the time of booking. Very convenient. Of course, the guides and Cruise Director will be separate (I assume), so Euros will be needed, but not as much as if you had to tip everyone at the end of the trip.

B. Cole

Often TA's include tips. Ours did. The cruise line did not have a record of it. We did tip those individuals that were truly outstanding. We handed it to them individually. I never place tips in a communal box.

You can definitely tip both cruise & cruise director with credit card OR cash. We used cc for both when we cruised on Avalon last year.