Archive for category Cruise
Tipping on Cruise Holidays
Posted by in Cruise on October 14, 2011
Tipping Etiquette on Cruises
When taking that fabulous family cruise vacation, be sure to include cruise tips in your travel budget. When booking a cruise, for some reason many people just assume that gratuities for staff are included in the cruise price. Incorrect!
Tipping is not included and you should be prepared to pay a certain amount per day per person. I always include cruise tips when budgeting for my family cruise vacations. In the cruises my family and I have taken, the service has been exceptional on all the major cruise lines. The staff work very hard to ensure top quality service and deserve to be rewarded for this.
Just as you would tip a waiter or waitress for good service in a restaurant, you should offer the same gratitude to your servers on board ship. For most major cruise lines, cruise tips are now normally added to your shipboard account. It’s convenient and can be charged to your credit card without having to worry about having cash available for tipping at the end of your holiday.
Check out Carnival Cruise Lines’ website for an example of typical tipping policies which are pretty standard for most of the other cruise lines. Typically, $10 to $12 per day per guest is standard. This covers your Cabin services, dining and other onboard services. When you experience the service first hand, the cost is minimal per guest for all that’s included.
Wages are minimal for service staff and they do rely on cruise tipping in order to earn a little extra income to help support their families back home. They do their utmost best to keep you happy at all times.
As well, if you have received exceptional service worthy of reporting, do take the time and fill out a customer survey card or make a note of the person and the service received and leave it at the front desk onboard.
This is extremely helpful for the employee and they can eventually be rewarded with staff promotions and/or salary increases as a result of their hard work and being recognized.
If for any reason you are not happy with any staff service, immediately contact the front desk onboard ship and they will offer assistance right away. Should you not wish have your cruise tips automatically charged, you must contact the ‘pursuers’ office once you get onboard. Again, check with your selected cruise line for their individual cruise tip policies. Read the rest of this entry »
Cruise Planning – A Few Helpful Tips
Posted by in Cruise on August 14, 2011
Some helpful tips to make your cruise planning experience easy!
You’ve decided to take the leap and choose a cruise holiday. Congratulations, you won’t be disappointed! Now you may be thinking where do I go from here?
There are literally hundreds of cruises to choose from at any given time of the year. How can I possibly find one that’s right for us?
Here are few things we as a family consider in cruise planning:
• Where in the world do we want to cruise? This will greatly narrow down our choices.
• How much vacation time do we have available? What length of cruise will suit our budget?
• When do we want to travel? What dates are we available to leave?
• What port do we want to disembark from? Keep in mind travelling costs and time to your port of disembarkation.
• Which cruise line should we choose? Do they depart to our selected holiday destination and on dates we are able to travel? Do they offer the best value for our family? I personally look for all of the above!
Cruise Planning – Easy and Fun
Cruise planning can be fun, especially when the whole family is involved in the process. It builds excitement and anticipation toward the upcoming vacation. Get everyone involved and share ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.
Research is very important in planning any family holiday. The internet is an excellent research tool, if not the best resource for your cruise planning project. Be sure to visit individual cruise line websites for information on what they have to offer, or drop by a travel agency and pick up colourful literature on your selected destination.
Check Out Review Sites When Cruise Planning
Online reviews are also a key asset in research. Reputable review sites such as Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic are a good start. Get general reader feedback on cruise destinations, cruise lines, service, cleanliness and so on. This all helps in cruise planning and selecting the right cruise for you and your family.
Beware! Reviews are helpful but not something you should solely rely on. Everyone is very different in tastes and expectations. Review sites will give you a general idea and feel for what you may or may not expect. Read the rest of this entry »