Scootoir Posted May 22, 2019 #1 Share Posted May 22, 2019 (edited) I received a Cruise Critic email which lead to this article on tipping: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2077 The article ends with this quote: "While we'd very much like to see the look on the captain's face when you slip him $20 at the welcome party, cash-handshakes are not necessary. He will not linger in port or let you steer the ship. The Australian or British cruise director, whose hilarious morning briefings have you believing, once more, in laughter, should also never be the recipient of a tip." Is this correct? I'll be on my first ocean cruise next month and was surprised to read we don't tip the cruise director. Trying to figure out what being Australian or British has to do with it. Any insight will be appreciated. Edited May 22, 2019 by Scootoir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted May 22, 2019 #2 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Absolutely don't tip the Cruise Director. The person is a salaried employee and is not dependent on gratuities. If you enjoy what he/she does to enhance your cruise, speaking with him/her and thanking them is quite sufficient. And, probably appreciated, as well. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted May 22, 2019 #3 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Of course not! You don't tip the manager of a hotel, or the owner of a restaurant....you don't tip the UPPERS. Only the server-types. It is not necessary to tip everyone you come into contact with! The folks you should tip are your cabin attendant, waiters, ass't waiter and maybe the head waiter, if you ever see them and they do anything for you. Bartenders ADD tips to purchases, so you're covered there. On all mainstream lines nowadays, they add the tip to your bill daily, if you don't pre-pay it. That's all you need to do, tip-wise. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mom says Posted May 22, 2019 #4 Share Posted May 22, 2019 (edited) There is no requirement to tip anyone, aside from the automatic gratuities. One doesn't tip a ship's officer, or anyone in a supervisory position, with the possible exception of the Maitre d', if he goes out of his way to fulfil some special request. The Cruise Director is an officer. Their nationality is irrelevant- we've had a couple of very good Canadian and American CDs. I think that was just a (failed) attempt at humour. Edited May 22, 2019 by mom says Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scootoir Posted May 22, 2019 Author #5 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Good to know. Thank you for responding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taglovestocruise Posted May 22, 2019 #6 Share Posted May 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Scootoir said: Good to know. Thank you for responding. The cruise director is one of the highest paid on the ship. From our friends at Wiki. One of the top earning positions onboard is that of a cruise director, a position that can command as much as $80,000 per year! Although, the average cruise ship director salary is $50,000 annually. A typical contract is 4 months on 2 months off. This was from 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aplmac Posted May 22, 2019 #7 Share Posted May 22, 2019 I tried tipping a politician once....... D'you know he took the 20! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted May 23, 2019 #8 Share Posted May 23, 2019 No. never tipped a cruise director (or even thought about it). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted May 23, 2019 #9 Share Posted May 23, 2019 OK, thanks for the idea. I just can't resist. Next cruise I am definitely going to leave an envelope with a couple of bucks for the captain. 😀😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDawg Posted May 23, 2019 #10 Share Posted May 23, 2019 46 minutes ago, ldubs said: OK, thanks for the idea. I just can't resist. Next cruise I am definitely going to leave an envelope with a couple of bucks for the captain. 😀😀 I'm going to see The Rolling Stones in June. If Mick and the boys play well I'll be slipping each a $20. Those UK pensions aren't what they used to be.😭 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDawg Posted May 23, 2019 #11 Share Posted May 23, 2019 As for those Cruise Directors, the best thing you can give most of them is a good joke book. Most of them already have the bad ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted May 23, 2019 #12 Share Posted May 23, 2019 The average salary of a cruise director is about $53,000 in the USA. Now consider that the average Longshoreman, in the USA, makes more (many top $100,000). What does all this mean? I have no idea, but it is interesting. And just think, many of us tip a Longshoreman $5 to move our luggage 3 or 4 feet. But if I were to tell you that the average cruise ship passenger makes $48,000 a year (I truly just made this up) would you think that the Longshoreman and Cruise Director should both tip the passengers? After all, it is thanks to the passenger that both of these folks have their job! Hank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine5715 Posted May 23, 2019 #13 Share Posted May 23, 2019 6 hours ago, Scootoir said: I received a Cruise Critic email which lead to this article on tipping: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2077 The article ends with this quote: "While we'd very much like to see the look on the captain's face when you slip him $20 at the welcome party, cash-handshakes are not necessary. He will not linger in port or let you steer the ship. The Australian or British cruise director, whose hilarious morning briefings have you believing, once more, in laughter, should also never be the recipient of a tip." Is this correct? I'll be on my first ocean cruise next month and was surprised to read we don't tip the cruise director. Trying to figure out what being Australian or British has to do with it. Any insight will be appreciated. The joke is that the funniest Cruise Directors are Australian or British. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted May 23, 2019 #14 Share Posted May 23, 2019 I would never tip the captain or cruise director or anyone that is salaried. They make decent wages. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aplmac Posted May 23, 2019 #15 Share Posted May 23, 2019 Unbelievably crass subject matter! Makes me want to tip Warren Buffett and Jeff Bezos to show them how much extra money I have to splash around if you can dig that............... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capriccio Posted May 23, 2019 #16 Share Posted May 23, 2019 I agree with everyone's comments about tipping - or more accurately, not - tipping a cruise director on an ocean cruise. At least one river cruise line - Viking - provides guidance on how much to tip the program director. I think other non-inclusive river cruise lines do likewise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted May 23, 2019 #17 Share Posted May 23, 2019 16 hours ago, taglovestocruise said: The cruise director is one of the highest paid on the ship. From our friends at Wiki. One of the top earning positions onboard is that of a cruise director, a position that can command as much as $80,000 per year! Although, the average cruise ship director salary is $50,000 annually. A typical contract is 4 months on 2 months off. This was from 2015. 80k would be the top end of the scale, for a very senior CD. And just remember, if he/she were to wear their uniform, they would be a 3-stripe officer, and there are a good number above that rank, so to say a CD is a "top earner" is a bit disingenuous. In reality, given that most lines have an automatic Daily Service Charge, there is no need to tip anyone onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted May 23, 2019 #18 Share Posted May 23, 2019 39 minutes ago, chengkp75 said: 80k would be the top end of the scale, for a very senior CD. And just remember, if he/she were to wear their uniform, they would be a 3-stripe officer, and there are a good number above that rank, so to say a CD is a "top earner" is a bit disingenuous. In reality, given that most lines have an automatic Daily Service Charge, there is no need to tip anyone onboard. Are you saying we don't need to tip the chief engineer? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkacruiser Posted May 23, 2019 #19 Share Posted May 23, 2019 20 hours ago, DirtyDawg said: As for those Cruise Directors, the best thing you can give most of them is a good joke book. Most of them already have the bad ones! I got a chuckle out of your post. Memorable bad ones (because they were so frequently used by so many CDs): "Does this elevator go to the front of the ship?" "Please eat the Potato Salad in the Lido Restaurant..." (I forget the rest of the spiel, thankfully.) Haven't heard those for awhile!😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted May 23, 2019 #20 Share Posted May 23, 2019 On 5/23/2019 at 7:04 AM, Scootoir said: I received a Cruise Critic email which lead to this article on tipping: https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2077 The article ends with this quote: "While we'd very much like to see the look on the captain's face when you slip him $20 at the welcome party, cash-handshakes are not necessary. He will not linger in port or let you steer the ship. The Australian or British cruise director, whose hilarious morning briefings have you believing, once more, in laughter, should also never be the recipient of a tip." Is this correct? I'll be on my first ocean cruise next month and was surprised to read we don't tip the cruise director. Trying to figure out what being Australian or British has to do with it. Any insight will be appreciated. Australia and Britain do not have a tipping culture. Many do tip when travelling to countries that do have a tipping culture, but also many do not (for whatever their personal reason). The Auto Gratuities on any cruise are sufficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted May 23, 2019 #21 Share Posted May 23, 2019 19 hours ago, Elaine5715 said: The joke is that the funniest Cruise Directors are Australian or British. Definitely been the case in my experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfcu Posted May 24, 2019 #22 Share Posted May 24, 2019 I was always led to believe that the so-called "Art Director" was the highest earner on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach1213 Posted May 24, 2019 #23 Share Posted May 24, 2019 20 hours ago, ontheweb said: Are you saying we don't need to tip the chief engineer? Could explain why I got stopped at the door to the engine room, even when I just had a folded $20 in my palm. Seriously, this tipping thing is getting out of hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted May 24, 2019 #24 Share Posted May 24, 2019 7 hours ago, Zach1213 said: Could explain why I got stopped at the door to the engine room, even when I just had a folded $20 in my palm. Seriously, this tipping thing is getting out of hand. OK, I was the one who said "Are you saying we don't need to tip the chief engineer?" It was a playful comment quoting chengkp75 who is a chief engineer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach1213 Posted May 24, 2019 #25 Share Posted May 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, ontheweb said: OK, I was the one who said "Are you saying we don't need to tip the chief engineer?" It was a playful comment quoting chengkp75 who is a chief engineer. And mine was a playful go along for it...I swear, I rarely knock on the engine room with a $20 trying to tip someone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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