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How You Should Tip
It is customary to tip cabin stewards and butlers, dining room waiters, assistant waiters and head waiters on the last night of the cruise. Alas, I have been present when tablemates have not shown up that night to avoid giving tips. I have answered waiters' anxious queries about the whereabouts of shipboard acquaintances and seen their chagrin..... (read full article)
When You Should Tip
The cabin steward and butler, the dining room waiters, and assistant and head waiter are tipped on the last night of the cruise. But there are exceptions to this rule. If you plan to do a lot of entertaining in your cabin, or if there is an infant or someone who is ill in your party, you will require extra service from your cabin steward. It is a good idea to give him/her a portion of his/her tip at the beginning of the cruise. You will be surprised how obliging that will make him/her... (read full article)
Whom to Tip and How Much
For the following guidelines, I am going to assume that there is a service charge added to the daily account, usually between $10 and $12 per person, per day—and that passengers will pay it and not opt out. These, then, are pourboires for exemplary service. Looking at it another way, I always try to tip roughly 10 percent of the cost of my cabin, which includes the service charge—and so I typically budget at least $15 to 20 per person, per day, on top of the service charge... (read full article)
