Tipping on Alaska Cruise

Hi,

I will be on Summit early August and was wondering what is available regarding tipping. On the cruise portion, can I simply add all tips to the various employees on my cruise bill? I know you can on other lines. Also, how is tipping handled regarding the post cruise tour? Can you use credit cards for meals on the Wilderness express rail line? Thanks for any and all replies!

Host Dan

Dan,

Yes you can put all the required tips on your shipboard account as long as you put at least the minimum for each. You are also welcome to add more as you wish.

And yes, you can use a credit card on the Wilderness Express. However, you are also expected to tip the tour guide and the driver who are on the land portion and that must be in cash.

You're the week before us!! Have fun!!

When I was on the Infinity a few weeks ago, if I thought that particular staff deserved more than the minimum tips, I handed these people additional cash with thank-you messages on the last evening. Otherwise, they got what is indicated on my shipboard account.

Donald.

If put all the tips on the shipboard account does it mean that the staff will learn about my tipping not before the end of the cruise?

Usually I give tips in cash every three or four days so the staff knows how much I tip them. The disadvantage of this strategy is that I am needing a lot of cash. Is is possible by using the shipboard account that the staff learn early about my tipping?

If put all the tips on the shipboard account does it mean that the staff will learn about my tipping not before the end of the cruise?

 

Usually I give tips in cash every three or four days so the staff knows how much I tip them. The disadvantage of this strategy is that I am needing a lot of cash. Is is possible by using the shipboard account that the staff learn early about my tipping?

FWIW, I've been told by serveral people on two Celebrity ships that a list of tips put on shipboard accounts is posted in the crew quarters.

We couldn't get any confirmation that those who served us had actually received the tips before cruise's end -- and we also missed the closure of that last night, shaking hands, thanking them for a job well done, and handing over the envelopes -- certainly you can thank them WITHOUT the envelope being part of it, but it just didn't feel good so we decided to return to "the old way." But to the point -- on our very recent Mercury cruise, the tip-charging was offered; there was a deadline for notifying guest relations (or whomever) what you wanted to charge.

TR

Mercury AK 6/07

Galaxy PC 4/06

Mercury AK 8/05

Millennium EC 12/04

Mercury CA-MX 4/04

Infinity AK 8/03

Century WC 3/03

Century EC 9/02

When I was on the Infinity a few weeks ago, if I thought that particular staff deserved more than the minimum tips, I handed these people additional cash with thank-you messages on the last evening. Otherwise, they got what is indicated on my shipboard account.

 

Donald.

Leaving this Sunday on Infinity. Did you have the tips put on your shipboard account? I believe I read somewhere along the line that tips are not automatically added to your account as is the practice on most other lines these days.

Leaving this Sunday on Infinity. Did you have the tips put on your shipboard account? I believe I read somewhere along the line that tips are not automatically added to your account as is the practice on most other lines these days.

Celebrity does not automatically add tips to your shipboard account. However, during the cruise you will be given the option of putting tips on your shipboard account. The only condition is that you have to give at least the suggested minimum tip to each person listed on the form. You can give more than the suggested minimum but not less.

Paulam, DaveFr has answered your question for me.

You can write in additional tips on the tipping form, but I prefer to hand over the additional tips in cash to whomever deserved it, on the final evening, along with the acknowledgment cards which have been printed for each person being tipped (you will be provided with these).

Donald.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I really appreciate all the replies. Now..hmmm... what in the heck do I pack?? lol ;)

Host Dan

Host Dan, have a wonderful time on the cruise.

Bon Voyage!!

Keith

Thanks Keith!! :)

Host Dan

We couldn't get any confirmation that those who served us had actually received the tips before cruise's end -- and we also missed the closure of that last night, shaking hands, thanking them for a job well done, and handing over the envelopes -- certainly you can thank them WITHOUT the envelope being part of it, but it just didn't feel good so we decided to return to "the old way." But to the point -- on our very recent Mercury cruise, the tip-charging was offered; there was a deadline for notifying guest relations (or whomever) what you wanted to charge.

 

TR

Mercury AK 6/07

Galaxy PC 4/06

Mercury AK 8/05

Millennium EC 12/04

Mercury CA-MX 4/04

Infinity AK 8/03

Century WC 3/03

Century EC 9/02

In Jan on our Mercury cruise our seward told us they do like it charged to the accounts as this way it is automatically put into their own bank accounts & that their families can get monies from those accounts..course we also paid over in cash for a few of them--we called it shore money that they could use if they go ashore.

I was in a category 2A cabin but a CC stateroom gratuity card was left in our stateroom. The difference was $3.50 a day for a regular stateroom attendent vs. $4.00 for a CC attendent. I don't know if this was left intentionally or by mistake. :confused: Makes me wonder because there is no cc rooms on the vista deck. Anyways I went to Guest Services and got the correct card.

Kind of off topic, but I wish Celebrity would give vouchers for us to hand out to waiters, stewards, etc for those of us who opt to go with pre-tipping (like they do on RCL). They do know in advance that we have pre-tipped, but it's nice to hand them something on the last day (or in some cases, we like to have an envelope for extra tips). I know we were running around scrounging for envelopes.

Celebrity has auto-tipping, but you will need to fill out an auto tipping form and submit it before the deadline.

We forgot to submit the form before noon on the day of Icy Straight Point port (we didn't get back to the ship until 2pm) and they refused to accept the form. The personnel at the customer service desk said someone from accounting took all the forms and they won't be coming back. I knew it was my fault to forget to submit the form, but I thought 6pm on a port day would be a better deadline.

I fail to understand this inflexibilty since one can buy things on the ship and charge to the room account up until midnight prior to disembarkation. I was peeved enough at Celebrity about this to want to tip less than suggested amount, but I thought it would just hurt the people serving us, so I tipped their suggested amount.

Anyways, after we realized we couldn't tip using our credit card via our shipboard account, we had to scramble for cash to put in the 5 envelopes (Assistant Maitre D', Waiter, Waiter's assistant, Room Steward and his assistant, and the Assistant Head Housekeeping) given to each stateroom. One envelope for Assistant Head Housekeeping was kind of strange because we have never met him or her. But our cabin steward stapled this envelope with his envelope, so I felt obligated to tip this person too.

So my advise is if you don't want to bother with cash tipping on the Celebrity cruises (and pay the tipping on the credit card), remember to turn in the tipping form prior to their deadline. You can cash tip extra if you feel you got much more service from one person.

Leaving this Sunday on Infinity. Did you have the tips put on your shipboard account? I believe I read somewhere along the line that tips are not automatically added to your account as is the practice on most other lines these days.

Remember to turn in this form to the customer service desk on the 3F before their specified deadline (for our July 1 Infinity sailing, it was noon on the day of the Icy Straight Point port of call) for turning in these forms, otherwise, you'll have to pay tips in cash. They will not accept the tipping form past the deadline and they are very strict with this deadline.

We've used the prepaid tipping on 2 cruises, both this past winter and spring, on the Galaxy and Constellation. On both we received envelopes and voucher forms to pass out - although I got the impression the voucher forms we're not necessary - just something to pass out if we really wanted to pass something out.

We've used the prepaid tipping on 2 cruises, both this past winter and spring, on the Galaxy and Constellation. On both we received envelopes and voucher forms to pass out - although I got the impression the voucher forms we're not necessary - just something to pass out if we really wanted to pass something out.

The voucher form is not a necessity, but just a warm fuzzy so that both you and the staff are sure of what is going on. I was favorably surprised to be told by my waiter that they get the full amount [no deduction for the 3% or whatever credit card company charge], but that they do not get the actual money for a couple of weeks until the company has gotten paid by the credit card company.

How much do we tip the tour guide and bus driver on the land portion of our tour?

Thanks for help.... we leave in two days for Fairbanks...yeah!

Bernie and Mike

Bernie and Mike,

$3.00 a day for guide and $2.00 for driver is suggested. Have a great cruise.

Appreciate the advice on tipping... $5 / day / person = $60 ... that's "do-able" Getting closer and closer.... limo will be here in under 19 hours..... but who is counting ?!?!

Bernie