What is the average cost for tipping on a 7-8 day cruise?
 

Hi My whole family ( Hubby 3 kids, Sister 2 kids, Mom Dad and Lil bro) are going on our first cruise together. Well second for my parents. :) In October on the Spirit ship. I keep reading about automatic tipping and want to make sure we bring enough money and some extra for great service! Luckily my Hubby's bonus check comes right before we leave so I think we'll have enough for everything, but my Sis is a single Mom and I don't want her to worry about it so I want to have enough for both of us. Can anyone remember. Also I just realized it will be hurricane season, will that be a problem? Will it rain allot? Any information would be appreciated! Thanks :D

It is $10 a day per person and that is automatic tipping. If I have someone that does a very good job I will give them an extra tip. Usually they do so I pretty much also give an extra tip.

Re: What is the average cost for tipping on a 7-8 day cruise
 

If you do the automatic tipping for 11 people on a 7 day cruise it comes to $770 total for everyone. $880 for a 8 day cruise. Keep in mind that is the minimum. If you get great service which we usually get we leave more. If we have our grandkids with up we make sure to tip the folks at Camp Carnival also. They are well worth every penny and then some. Your other concern was about sailing during hurricane season. My wife and I don't mind sailing during hurricane season because we don't care if the ports of call change. We don't even care if they have to skip a port. Missing a port or going to a different port than the one we were scheduled to go to is not enough to get upset about. We are so glad to be on the ship that we are going to have fun no matter what. The weather is one thing that you can't control. My recomendation is if you are worried about hurricanes make sure that you buy trip insurance. We always buy it no matter what time of the year we are sailing. Out of 10 cruises we have only had to use it once and we were so glad we had it.

Thanks for the replies. Wow that's a little shocking sine I thought having a $1000 spending money was going to be enough! This is going to be more expensive then I thought :-? Hopefully I can dig up some extra money. My Mom just surprised us with this a week ago, and for a free cruise it's turning a Lil spendy. Oh well it would be great to have some extra time to come up with more money, but beggars can't be choosers. :wink: Thanks for the info! It's nice to know ahead of time.

The biggest thing that will save you money is don't go overboard with the drinks. If you want to save money, try to cut down on the drinks. That is if you drink. :D

Something to think of, if you were charged the fuel surcharge you may have a refund in the form of OBC. This may cover some of your auto tips.

Doesn't the Spirit run out of California? If it's the cruise I'm thinking you are on a 8 day cruise leaving out of San Diego. I don't think hurricane season is as big of a deal in California. The ocean just won't look as clear. Let me know how this cruise is because I was thinking about this cruise in 2010.

When I cruised out of San Diego the embarkation was easy. Are you going to see the cliff divers in Acapulco, Mexico? I wonder how the whale watching is in your ports? We had really good Whale Watching in Cabo in February. According to this site the start migration in September. http://www.sdnhm.org/visit/whales.html

Whale Facts

* Gray whales spend the summer months in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, and then leave for the breeding lagoons along western Baja California and off southern Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico.
* They follow the longest migration route of any mammal on Earth, traveling nearly 20,000 km (13,000 miles) round trip.
* The southern migration begins in late September or early October. By December of most years, the first individuals pass along the California coast, with peak numbers passing by in early January.
* After their stay in the lagoons of Baja California, the whales begin their northward passage, starting in February and usually ending in late March to mid-April. The last whales to travel north are mothers with young.

Whale watching is great in Hawaii, especially in Dec, Jan and Feb. Bob

:D Thanks for the info. I don't think drinks will be a problem for me and my Hubby. We only drink occasionally and I hate paying alot for a Lil drink. I'm excited I hope we see the whales! Yes we are leaving from San Diego for the 8 night Mexican Riviera Cruise. I'll be sure to write a review when we get back. With pictures if you can post them in the threads. I've been debating on getting off the boat with so many kids, 6 that are 4- 11. My kids won't be a problem, but my Sis's kids and Lil bro tend to try and run off. So I'm a little worried about that.

The automatic tips are put on your sail and sign account. Are you using a credit card for that? If so, you won't need to have it in cash. You will also put any tours, gift shop items, spa appointments and alcohol on that card. Just FYI. I only carry enough cash to do an occasional bonus tip if someone reallly goes overboard (so to speak), and for buying small items in ports.
Re. hurricanes, you will be at the very tail end of the season. While it is possible to have one in October, the odds are pretty low. I live 5 blocks from the Gulf, so I have to pay attention to hurricane patterns! :o
Marty

I would take them off the ship so they can get the whole experience. There is so much to do in Mexico and it would be a shame for them to miss it. You don't have to stay out the whole time, you can go out only part of the time if you want to.

Thanks again you guys are so helpful I really appreciate it! :D

colorcrazie tanks for the info on the hurricanes that makes me feel better, I saw that you could opt out of automatic tips and give them yourselves in cash. I might do this because I don't use credit cards. :oops: I use to over spend and found I wouldn't do that if I paid in cash, so I only have a small cc now.

spencercoop thanks I think I will take them off, now I'm going to research what to do off the ship with kids. :D

You can do a sail and sign account with cash and include the tips in the money you put down. The TV screen in the cabin will show all your charges, you want to watch it carefully sometimes mistakes are made they can be corrected on board, but if you discover it after the cruise the fix will be harder.

Oh Ok I'm getting it! :D Thanks katlady, you're a great help! I never even looked at a cruise before, because I was sure we couldn't afford it. I'm a stay at home mom and my head is kinda spinning over all the extra costs. I'm also a little scared that after this cruise I'm going to want to start saving for the next :wink: . After reading others posts they look like they can be addicting. :D

you are looking approximately @$13.00 in tips per person per day (children included), so - 10 people is $130.00 per day

We were in Maui in April there were whales everywhere:)