Field Notes · On Board
Tipping:
A Guide to Gratuities
Not a lecture. A set of rules I actually follow, and a reference table for the situations where you just want a number.
Gratuities generate more client questions than almost any other topic. Most people feel comfortable tipping at home. Put them on a cruise ship or at a resort in another country, and suddenly the math, the customs, and the obligations all feel uncertain.
This isn't about telling you what to do. It's about sharing the rules I follow and the numbers I use — with full acknowledgment that your practices may be more or less generous than mine, and that's entirely your call.
Tip for Exceptional Service, Not as an Obligation
A tip is recognition of service that exceeded reasonable expectations — not a fee you owe for showing up. When gratuities are already included or pre-paid, you are not required to leave additional cash every time you order a drink or sit down for a meal. You've already covered it. If a particular individual has gone noticeably beyond what was expected over the course of your stay, recognize that at the end. That's different from tipping reflexively at every transaction.
What Exceptional Actually Looks Like
At a bar or on the beach, bringing you the drink you ordered the way it's supposed to be made is the job. What's exceptional: having your preferred drink ready before you order it, or running to another bar on property to find your brand. That's worth recognizing.
At a restaurant, asking about allergies and knowing the menu are table stakes. Exceptional is a server who understands the ingredients well enough to make genuine recommendations based on what you've told them you like — or who brings the chef to your table because you expressed real curiosity about a dish. That level of engagement is rare and worth rewarding.
Respect No-Tipping Policies
If a cruise line or resort has a stated no-tipping policy, take them at their word. Sandals enforces theirs seriously enough that staff can be terminated for accepting additional gratuities — the exception being butlers, who are compensated through tips by design. I respect the policy and don't press cash on staff who could get in trouble for taking it.
The sad footnote: some properties that claim a no-tipping policy still employ staff who reserve their best efforts for guests who tip generously regardless. That doesn't mean you should feel obligated to play along. I don't, and neither do most international travelers, whose home countries have considerably more conservative tipping cultures than ours.
Understand How Cruise Auto-Gratuities Work
Most major cruise lines automatically add a daily per-person service charge to your onboard account — typically in the range of $16 to $25 depending on the line and cabin category. These charges have increased steadily in recent years and in most cases they are the primary compensation for crew members in guest-facing roles. They are not optional in the same way a cash tip is optional — removing them requires a trip to guest services and an explanation, and I don't do it.
Beverage purchases, specialty dining, spa, and salon services typically carry an additional 18–20% service charge added automatically. The math matters when you're budgeting a cruise. A family of four on a seven-night Royal Caribbean sailing, for instance, is looking at roughly $500 or more in automatic gratuities before any additional tips — and before the per-drink service charges on beverages.
If you've purchased a bar or dining package, gratuities are generally included in the package price. You are not expected to tip additionally on each transaction — the service charge has already been paid.
The luxury end of the market has moved in the other direction: lines like Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Seabourn, Azamara, and Virgin Voyages now include gratuities in their fares entirely. Oceania joined them in 2025. If tipping friction bothers you, this is one legitimate reason to consider a premium or luxury line. When we recommend a cruise, we'll walk you through exactly what the gratuity structure looks like so there are no surprises at disembarkation.
Our advice: if service falls below expectations, address it in the moment — not at the end of the cruise by reducing the gratuity. Don't suffer through substandard service and then penalize staff who may not even know there was a problem. Bring it up with the individual involved when it happens. If that doesn't resolve it, go to the Purser's desk. The ship's crew genuinely wants to maintain high standards, and the time to tell them they've fallen short is while they can still do something about it.
Tipping Is Personal. Keep It That Way.
What you tip — or don't — is a transaction between you and the person who served you. It is not a topic for group discussion at the pool bar. There is always someone who wants to make tipping a performance, shaming fellow guests for what they perceive as under-tipping or boasting about their own generosity. I don't engage with this. If someone brings it up, I change the subject. My tipping practices are nobody else's business, and neither are yours.
Know the Local Custom — and the Currency Math
Before you travel internationally, take five minutes to understand local tipping norms. Japan: don't tip, it can be considered rude. Much of Europe: rounding up or leaving 10% is standard; 20% American-style is unusual. The Caribbean: varies by island and by whether you're at an all-inclusive. Knowing what's customary keeps you from either offending someone or being conspicuously out of step.
If you're leaving U.S. dollars in a country that uses local currency, factor in the exchange cost. In many countries there's a real cost to exchanging dollars, and that cost often falls on the person you're tipping. If you plan to tip in USD, build in a little extra to account for it. Better yet, get a small amount of local currency specifically for gratuities — it's more useful to the recipient and requires no conversion math.
On a cruise ship, tip in the currency the ship uses as its monetary standard. For most cruises departing U.S. ports, that will be U.S. dollars. But not always — a foreign-flagged line like MSC may operate on the Euro as its onboard currency standard. Check before you stock your stateroom with cash for gratuities.
What I Actually Tip, by Situation
These are my personal practices. They may be more or less generous than yours, and that's fine. Use them as a starting point.
| Situation | My Approach |
|---|---|
| Airport courtesy shuttle | $5 if they handle bags, drop me close to check-in, and are pleasant. Nothing if they're acting like they're doing me a favor. |
| Cruise terminal baggage handler | $5–$10 depending on number and weight of bags. Longshoremen are union, well-compensated, and still expect a tip — the social pressure here is real. Unsolicited porters who grab your bags and wheel them ten steps: nothing. |
| Destination expediter | $20 if they genuinely skip me through immigration and customs. $5–$10 if they're going through the motions or I see others getting better service. The best expediters use personal relationships with immigration officials — that's worth recognizing. |
| Airport lounge staff | $1–$2 if there's a tip jar when ordering food or a drink. No jar, no tip — I take it as a signal that gratuities aren't expected. Nothing for table cleanup unless they've helped me with something specific. |
| Tour bus / shuttle driver | $5–$10 depending on distance. $10–$20 for a full-day driver who's helpful loading/unloading and drives safely. Nothing for a two-block transfer. |
| Tour guide | $5 per guide per day as a baseline; $10–$20 per day for a guide who is genuinely exceptional or on a long, complex itinerary. For cruise excursions where staff pool tips, $5–$10 to the lead person depending on the experience. |
| Spa services | 15–20% is customary. On cruise ships and at all-inclusives, spa is usually contracted out to operators who pay staff poorly and expect them to make it up through tips and product sales. I tell the therapist upfront: skip the sales pitch and I'll tip well. If I get the hard sell anyway, I don't tip. And I don't feel guilty. |
| Butler | $20 per butler per day as a starting point; up to $25–$30 for heavy use or above-and-beyond service. Butlers typically work in teams — I tip each separately. Set this money aside in your room safe before you leave home; don't treat it as an afterthought while packing to check out. Leave envelopes at the front desk for butlers not on duty on your departure day. |
| Housekeeping | $5–$10 per day if warranted. I keep my room tidy and reuse towels, so I rarely leave additional gratuities. Since housekeeping service was curtailed post-COVID and many properties still don't offer daily service, it's harder to rationalize leaving a tip for service you received once every three days. |
| Concierge | Nothing for a simple recommendation or directions. $20–$50 for scoring a hard reservation or sold-out tickets. If the concierge earns a commission on what they book for you, I don't tip additionally. |
| Cruise / resort bar and restaurant staff | When gratuities are pre-paid or included: nothing additional per transaction. If one or two individuals have delivered exceptional service throughout a multi-day stay, I give $10–$20 directly to them at the end — in person, with a word of genuine acknowledgment. I don't tip with the expectation of getting attentive service. I tip after I've received it. |
Tipping is not charity, and it's not a competition. It's a personal acknowledgment of service that exceeded what was expected. Follow a consistent set of principles, know what you're walking into at each destination, and you can travel without spending a single anxious moment wondering whether you tipped correctly. That's the whole point.