Can You Refuse To Pay Gratuity On A Cruise?

On most cruise lines, you can refuse to pay or opt out of automatically charged gratuities, which can be adjusted to make them higher or lower. However, this can negatively affect the crew members who rely on tips from guests as a substantial part of their income. Royal Caribbean offers two options for paying gratuities: prepaying them at the time of booking or waiting to pay them as part of your onboard bill.

Cruise tipping is one of the most contentious issues we face, and it is important to understand when it is good to remove auto-gratuities and when to leave them on your bill. To opt-out of paying gratuities during your cruise, you can visit the Guest Services team onboard your ship. You have the option to remove gratuities from your account even after they have been paid.

Some cruise lines, usually luxury lines, include gratuities in the fare, but for most mass market cruises, you can expect to pay anywhere from 11.50-20.00 per passenger per day for onboard gratuities. You have the right to refuse this automatic gratuity charge and may compensate cruise staff on your own terms. However, you will need to notify the front desk of your desire.

In summary, gratuities are the primary income for housekeeping and waitstaff on most cruise lines. If you do not pay them, it is insulting to the staff who waited on you. You can refuse to pay gratuities on any cruise ship but must go to guest services at some point during the cruise to ask for a refund. Prepaid gratuities during the cruise booking process cannot be removed on board, as the cruise line has held your money for months.

What happens if you don’t tip on a cruise ship?

You will get a daily charge for the gratuities, and your CC will be charged automatically. You can go to Guest Services and have them removed if you are a selfish prick; but, the crew works their tails off to make sure YOUR cruise is enjoyable and memorable, don’t be an ass and not reward them for their hard work.

Can you refuse to pay gratuities?

Can You Refuse to Pay Automatic Gratuity?. No. Customers cannot refuse to pay automatic gratuity since the payment is a service charge. Tips are optional and freely given by customers, but charges on the receipt from the restaurant itself are mandatory fees. Not paying the automatic gratuity is the same as not paying for the food.

However, a recommended or suggested tip is not the same as an auto gratuity. With suggested tips, the percentage is merely a guideline, not a requirement. The customer may choose what tip amount they want to give their server, if any. Restaurants should clearly label suggested tips and automatic gratuities on the bill.

In 2012, the IRS stated that automatic gratuities would be classified as service charges beginning in January 2014. With this update from the IRS, automatic gratuities count toward employees’ regular paychecks and are taxed differently than traditional tips. Employers must also report charges as a wage on payroll reports, not as tips.

What is the truth about cruise gratuities?

Additional cruise ship tipping. Daily service charges are not the only cruise tips you will pay on board. Many cruise lines will tack an automatic gratuity charge onto the bill for extra-fee drinks, restaurant meals and spa treatments.

The included tip amount varies by cruise line but is typically 15% to 20% of the bill. Be warned that the receipt often includes a line for an additional gratuity, even when one is automatically added. This can trick many cruisers into tipping twice. Never feel pressured to add an extra tip when you’ve already paid one.

Note that if you purchase a dining or beverage package, most cruise lines will charge you gratuities based on a percentage of the package price. If you get one of these packages for free as a booking perk, as with Norwegian Cruise Line’s Free at Sea promotion, you might still be required to pay the gratuities on the free perk.

For example, Norwegian offers a complimentary Open Bar drinks package for travelers who book its Free at Sea promotion. The cost of that package is typically $109 per person, per day. The mandatory 20% gratuity comes out to nearly $22 per day. That means two people sharing a room on a seven-night cruise would pay $308 in tips for an otherwise free drinks package — on top of their daily service charge fees.

Do cruise gratuities actually go to staff?

Cruise lines say they pass the money collected from service charges to the shipboard crew. They say the money is shared not just with front-of-house crew, such as room attendants and waitstaff, but also with behind-the-scenes workers. In that sense, the current system is more equitable than the old system of cash tipping, which favored certain workers, lines say.

Still, some critics see the charges as a sneaky way for cruise lines to make their fares appear lower than they really are. In this line of thinking, lines with these charges are essentially breaking out a good chunk of onboard labor costs as a separate line item on your bill.

How service charges are levied. At most lines, you can pay your service charges before sailing (at the same time you pay your cruise fare). Alternatively, you can have the charges added to your room bill on board.

Can you cancel cruise gratuities?

If you have not prepaid gratuities and the service charges show up on your onboard bill, you can go to guest services before the sailing ends and request to have the amounts altered or removed. You’ll be asked to explain why you’re unhappy with the service you received.

However, even if your room steward was sloppy and your waiter was rude (extremely rare occurrences) or if you come from a non-tipping culture, please reconsider removing the automatic gratuity charges. The tips are not merely goodwill gestures; they’re a critical portion of crew members’ pay.

Refuse to pay, and these hardworking cruise employees have less to send home to their families. You don’t have to like the system, but given that it’s the one the cruise companies have chosen, I encourage you not to penalize the crew for it.

How can we avoid gratuities?

As a preemptive move, you can ask the restaurant if they’ll waive the mandatory gratuity. Why might they do that? Because you have a large party, and they might not be willing to risk losing your business, that’s why.

Can cruise lines force you to pay gratuities?

On Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival Cruise Line ships, passengers pay a daily “mandatory” gratuity. For every person in a cabin the cruise lines charge a set daily fee that is distributed to service workers.

Can you decline gratuity on Royal Caribbean?

Gratuities may be modified in the guest’s sole discretion by visiting the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation. Guests sailing in group reservations should check with their group leader or travel agent for additional details.

* Not applicable wherever expressly prohibited by law.

Can you opt out of paying gratuities on ncl?

Yes, you can choose not to pay your gratuities automatically. All you need to do, when making your booking, is request to pay on-board. Then when the gratuities are added to your on-board account, you can visit Guest Services during your voyage and request to pay cash gratuities instead.

Emma has more than seven years’ experience as a writer and has been in the travel industry for nearly five years. She loves learning about new places and cruise ships coming to market, as well as discovering fun and exciting activities to do while you sail. She has cruised with Princess Cruises, Cunard, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Avalon Waterways and Royal Caribbean and is looking to get something in her diary for 2024! Her favourite things to see on a ship include excellent entertainment, a delicious cocktail menu and extraordinary dining venues.

How do I opt out of gratuity on a cruise?

Yes, just go to the service desk and ask that gratuities not be charged to your account, as you are going to tip in cash. I usually do that as i do not trust the cruise line to give all the tips to the employees, and some employees I get no direct service from.

Can you remove gratuities on Royal Caribbean?

Gratuities may be modified in the guest’s sole discretion by visiting the Guest Relations desk onboard at any time prior to the morning of disembarkation. Guests sailing in group reservations should check with their group leader or travel agent for additional details.

* Not applicable wherever expressly prohibited by law.

Can I dispute a gratuity charge?

Having the other party acknowledge that there has been a mistake rather than requesting for a refund can make it easier to get the money back. From this experience, I believe there is nothing to lose when you do this. Even if this doesn’t work, you can always dispute the gratuity charge on your credit card.

I was buzzed when I got the receipt. The total was $900 and change. I looked at the suggested tip, put down 20%, took a picture of the bill, and left the restaurant paying over $1000 for a feast for 12.

The next morning, I woke up thinking about the bill. It felt off. I looked back at the photo that I had taken. And of course, there was the 20% gratuity included in the bill. That was when I realized I had paid 40% for tips.

At that moment, I started to feel awful about this mistake. Had I given the bill to someone else to look at it, we could have caught that included gratuity. But too late to turn back time.