I heard that tipping on Princess is now mandatory. Is this true? How does everyone feel about this? I feel that one shouldn't be forced to tip. Tipping should depend on the individual not the cruiseline. If they do a good job, by all means, reward them, but if one isn't satisfied, the tip should be reduced. Has anyone had to dispute this tipping procedure during your trip?

Hi Jane,<BR><BR>Very simple process to reduce your tip by going to the information office.<BR><BR>Keep in mind that the wait-staff that cleans the mess the passengers make at the buffets and the deck parties are the same ones that work in the dining room. So be fair.<BR><BR>Paul

The wait staff's tips are added automatically, but you can have them reduced if you protest. I think Princess went to this method, in part, due to Personal Choice dining. You will likely have many different waiters over the course of your cruise. And like Paul said, they have to work virtually all the meal periods including buffets. Your room steward's tip is still at your descretion, but they will give you very specific guidelines on the amount.

In December, it was $6.50 per person per day to cover all of the wait staff and the room steward was at your discretion. However, I believe (I may be mistaken) that they are now including the steward's tip in the auto gratuity also and it is $10 per person per day. Can anyone that's sailed Princess recently confirm? You can adjust the gratuity at the purser's desk if you wish (up or down) or have it removed and tip in cash as before. But if you choose personal choice dining, you will likely have different waiters everyday.

I can confirm that the Pacific Princess does not follow the same procedure as the rest of the Princess line.<BR><BR>As of my Bermuda cruise in June 2002, tipping is still at your discretion though they give you guidelines of "industry standards" and provide envelopes near the purser's desk.

Yes, Princess now adds $10 per person per day to your room charge, includes gratuity for room stewards, waiter and assistant waiter. This can be adjusted, either up or down, by paying a visit to the Purser. It was done because of personal choice dining, and most all cruise ships now have the exact same policy

The Royal Princess is also exempt from the automatic tipping procedure. It is because there isn't the Personal Choice Dining program available as there is on the larger ships.

Not true about the Royal anymore. Just returned from the Aug. 10 sailing and the 10 dollar a day auto tip is in effect. It shows up as $6.50 for the dining room and $3.50 for room steward. Not that we minded...service was superb.

Sailed the Dawn to Alaska. For our family of 2 kids and 2 adults in a quad outside room plaza deck, they tried to charge us $14.00/day ($3.50 pp) for the room steward, and $26.00/day for the waiters,etc.($6.50 pp). My husband wasn't aware of this auto tipping when he viewed out account midweek, and I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He went to complain to the purser, and was politely told no problem we will remove this charge, and had him sign our name on the bottom of a long list of others who too had complained about this policy.

So what did you and your husband do? You didn't tip anything?

Why not just make it (Free choice)Just like choice of seating when booking cruise?? We personaly won't go on a ship that charges up front for tips before service is rendered! Why should you be forced to go to purser to "adjust" your tips? <BR>BILL

To Jenny- of course we left a tip-similar to the amount one would tip if eating in a similar restaurant for 7 evenings, and similar to amount left for a hotel maid for 7 days. Why would I tip for the buffet where we only ate a late breakfast ea. day and had to line up for a fried egg or omelette where only 1 cook was making it even though there was always a long line-up? But I certainly didn't leave $280 US (equiv. to $450 Canadian) after paying thousands of $$ for this cruise! Other than all that, we loved the Alaska cruise and highly recommend it.

X-That's an "interesting" approach. There were 4 of you, so what did you actually tip the dining room team and room steward in US$? Maybe we can all justify saving a few bucks on our cruise by stiffing the help.

We did not "stiff" them Y, and if the cruise company would pay their employees better wages then we wouldn't feel forced to compensate them with huge tips esp. after paying the company ridiculous prices to go on a cruise. The whole tipping issue is pathetic.

Pathetic is appropriate

and further think how much those cruise cpys are making in revenue: 2000 passengers paying an av. of +_$2000 each per week multiplied by the # of wks/yr. Take 1/2 a yr= 10 million. You'd think they would pay the staff better.

I don't think the cruise lines have any business adding on a daily mandatory amount to your bill for gratuities for the crew. I do believe in tipping for good service, however it should be left up to my discretion as to whom I want to tip and how much. I have also seen this policy at some of the more luxurious expensive resorts and do not like it or feel it is appropriate.

I guess we're still waiting to hear what the Canadian family of 4 tipped in their Alaska cruise. And If you think tipping is "pathetic" maybe you should stay home, pop a couple of beers and not expect people to be serving you .

One should not complain about tipping after they had a wonderful time on their cruise. <BR><BR>The tipping policy is written in the brochure. <BR><BR>If you do not approve of the policy then you should not sail.<BR><BR>You have no reason to complain after the fact.<BR><BR>Paul

Paul, I agree 100% with your comment. Tipping is really nothing else that part of the price of the cruise and an important part of the comprensation of the crew. Up to now it was done on an "honor system". Unfortunately, as cruising becomes more and more targeted for the masses, these people are now rebelling and not tipping. I'm not surprised that the cruise lines had to adopt an automatic tipping charge because if not you would have some people trying to circumvent the system. This is why I don't cruise in lines like Princess or RCI anymore. A lot of the people that take these cruises act like hicks.