Giving tips on a cruise ship has to be one of the most discussed topics about cruising. And the usual questions are: when to tip? how much? whom to tip? The questions baffle most travelers, but cruisers are particularly challenged since tips are handled differently than in hotels or restaurants. Here you may analyze tipping in general and tipping on cruise ships.

Tipping policies greatly vary amongst the cruise lines today, ranging from a required added service charge to no tipping at all. You should know the policy of the cruise line before you cruise so you can budget accordingly. While planning your cruise, ask your travel agent or the cruise line about the tipping policy. Usually the recommended tips, which run from about $10 to $15 per passenger per day, are published in the cruise brochure or on the cruise line Web page. In addition, the cruise director will also remind passengers (sometimes over and over) about how much and who the cruise line recommends you tip.

The majority of tips on cruise ships are really service charges, which is one of the reasons why cruise lines seem to be moving towards adding a flat fee to your onboard account rather than make the tip amount entirely optional. Cruisers-beginners need to realize that most cruise lines do not pay their service staff a living wage, and tips or service charges make up much of their compensation. To keep the advertised price down, passengers are expected to compensate the service staff through these added service charges or tips.

As a rule, all tips were given to the stewards and dining room staff on the last night of the cruise. Envelopes were passed out to the passengers who presented the cash tip to the steward in the cabin and handed it to the wait staff at dinner. A number of cruise ships still follow this policy, but others add a flat fee per day to your onboard account which may or may not be adjusted downwards, depending on the cruise line. In case the fee is required and cannot be adjusted downward, it is a true service charge, and is no different than a port charge. Nearly all cruise lines add the recommended service charge to your account, and you can adjust it if you think necessary.