River Cruise gratuity "by the day" Question

[mikemonster]

I'm getting ready to leave for our Vantage River Cruise in 2 days and will be going to get my pre-trip Euro's. I have been on Cruise ships before however this is the first river cruise and the thought came to me while reviewing "Gratuities"

 

Vantage suggests cash gratuities for Cruise Director and Ships crew separately which is ok, however it goes on to suggest:

 

• Vantage Cruise Director/City Host: €3-5 per person perday
  
• Ship Crew/Concierge: €12 per person per day
  

This got me wondering since we will only be "on the ship" for only "6" of the tours 14 days do we Tip Only For The Days We Are Actually ON-BOARD?

 

 

Your thoughts are appreciated

 

 

mike

[Mark_T]

Yes, you typically only tip those on the ship for the time you are with them.

 

With some cruiselines you may have a Cruise director/Guide with you for the entire trip both land and river, but that varies.

[CarolynFH]

I'm getting ready to leave for our Vantage River Cruise in 2 days and will be going to get my pre-trip Euro's. I have been on Cruise ships before however this is the first river cruise and the thought came to me while reviewing "Gratuities"

 

Vantage suggests cash gratuities for Cruise Director and Ships crew separately which is ok, however it goes on to suggest:

 

• Vantage Cruise Director/City Host: €3-5 per person perday
  
• Ship Crew/Concierge: €12 per person per day
  

This got me wondering since we will only be "on the ship" for only "6" of the tours 14 days do we Tip Only For The Days We Are Actually ON-BOARD?

 

 

Your thoughts are appreciated

 

 

mike

 

We cruised with Viking, but I believe you would only tip Cruise Director and crew for the days you're on the ship, not for days you're touring on land. Similarly, if there's a different person functioning as "City Host" you would tip that person for the day(s) you spent in that city. If Cruise Director and City Host are the same person, of course, you'd tip based on the number of days combined for those two functions.

[gnome12]

For the land portion you are probably tipping 3 people, Vantage’s host, the local guide and the driver. Does Vantage not have something in their documentation showing tipping amounts for the land portion?

 

 

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[mikemonster]

Thanks to those who replied as my thoughts were to "tip" for the days onboard but I wanted to hear from others on their views.

 

The subject of expected gratuity has always been one that has rubbed me the wrong way. My feeling has been that a gratuity was a spacial thanks for service "above" what would normally be expected. I tend to object to being told how much and to who I should be tipping. It seems that the cruise lines are using their customers to subsidize the low wages they pay their crew. I would much rather just have the "gratuity" included in the price of the cruise and have the cruise line pay their employees a better wage. We don't tip the airline flight attendants and ground crew or the pilots for that matter, why....because they are fairly compensated.

 

thanks again

[Mark_T]

There are of course lines that do include the gratuities, so you do have that option.

 

 

Otherwise we just add it into the cost when comparing prices between lines.

[cole]

For the land portion you are probably tipping 3 people, Vantage’s host, the local guide and the driver. Does Vantage not have something in their documentation showing tipping amounts for the land portion?

 

 

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Vantage has local tour guides' and drivers' tips included in the price of the cruise. Cruise director/host tips are not included.

Cole

[gnome12]

Vantage has local tour guides' and drivers' tips included in the price of the cruise. Cruise director/host tips are not included.

 

Cole

 

 

 

Then that is a help. When I was with AMA on the Mekong last year we had to tip all the various drivers we had (tuk-tuk, tri-shaw, ox cart and bus), as well as local guides. It was a pain.

 

This year, on Avalon on the Irrawaddy, all local guides and transportation on the cruise portion are included, so one less thing to worry about. However, they do state that doesn’t include the land extensions, so check your Vantage information carefully, to make sure you know which tips are included.

 

 

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[franski]

 

The subject of expected gratuity has always been one that has rubbed me the wrong way. My feeling has been that a gratuity was a spacial thanks for service "above" what would normally be expected. I tend to object to being told how much and to who I should be tipping.

 

At least they don't add the gratuities automatically to your end-of-trip tab - the way the big ships do.

 

The literature is always "suggested" gratuity - so you are able to decide at the end of the cruise if you feel the staff provided the experience you hoped for. And, it is ultimately up to you to decide how much to give, and to whom. If you want to have gratuities included, you can book with a number of lines (Scenic, Emerald, Uniworld) that include all gratuities. But, many people want a "cheaper price" - book outside the "all inclusive" lines - and then are not happy that they are encouraged/expected to pay gratuities on top of their "great sale".

 

There have only been one or two instances when we felt that the staff (usually it was the cruise director) did not "earn" the gratuity. Once was on Scenic - so money to be left anyway. In that circumstance, we expressed our feelings in evaluation form. The other time, we left less that suggested - and again were honest in the evaluation. Most times, we feel that the experience has met or exceeded out expectations - and happily paid the suggested amount.

 

We pre-pay our gratuities when we travel with Avalon - makes things easy.

 

Fran

[luv2travel90266]

My upcoming Uniworld Trip to the Mekong Delta isn't all inclusive. From Their documentation:

Vietnam & Cambodia: Cruise/Tour Manager: $8 to $10 USD per guest, per day (given on the last day of the cruise/tour before departure). Ship staff and crew: $8 to $10 USD per guest, per day, to be shared among all ship’s staff and crew (given on the last day of the cruise/tour before disembarking the ship). Tips and gratuities are included for local experts, drivers, local river guides, rickshaw drivers and boatmen during your trip.

 

Not the norm for Uniworld but have loved their product so continue to book. My experience is they have exceeded my expectations on all prior trips so have been happy to show my appreciation.

[gnome12]

All-inclusive on Uniworld is only in Europe. I’m not sure about the Douro.

 

 

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