zeusy14, to answer your questions re Costa, they do NOT include tips. I have copied the following from Costa website

It would appear that Costa are changing the fact that you can modify the amount as if you read their website, for cruises up to 30/11/06 a sentence at the bottom advises you can modify this service charge, however with effect from 1/12/06 it looks like you now no longer have that option!

** Edit to remove text which may be subject to copyright. Please feel free to post a link instead. luci HT Mod **

thanks for the reply sugarbabe, i would rather tip the crew who i think has given good service and not be forced into it, so costa is off my list then, thanks again.

Thanks to all for responses re Celebrity tipping etc. and for warning from Legless regarding refurbished Century!!

We go on Island Star in a couple of weeks, "basic" tips are included in original price but will advise of any pressure to tip in addition to this.

MY recent info for an upcoming NCL cruise has the auto tipping as $10 per adult and $5 per child(3-12) nothing under 3 and that the service charge is fixed and not adjustable.

This is also reflected in the new wording in the current brochures.

It also says that a "suggested" 15% is added to other onboard services like the bar which does hint that this could be removed.(not that I have ever tried or wanted to)

Now I thought there were clear pricing rules for holidays these days with fairly strict rules on what is allowed to be added(eg: fuel surcharges) does anyone have pointers to these rules.

What a good point to make. It has never crossed my mind in all the cruises we have been on to remove the 15% for drinks. To be honest I haven't a clue. Shame on me. A Yorkshire man as well. Anyone know if you can?

Legless

ON the drinks 15% I would definately not remove before the end of the cruise, even then you may need to consider if you want to travel on the line again in the near term, bar staff will remember, you especialy if you stand out like I do, and they do move around the ships.

On ballance I think the guys/gals do a grand job so don't begrudge them a good living(which it is on busy cruises) just think the cruise lines should put more reasonable prices on the drinks in the first place.

Reflecting on all the comments re tipping, the price we pay is still under our control even at stated or suggested gratuity levels. The secret is to get the cruise at a good discount, making the gratuity payment less of an issue. There are some amazing deals out there if you can be flexible with holiday dates.

Getting great deals has nothing to do with tipping. We should all try and get good deals but tipping is to do with good service. You could say if you get your cruise at a terrific price then you are happy to give good tips even if you get poor service. I don't agree with that policy but there again we all think differently

Legless

While gratuities are 'supposed' to be discretionary, a recent experience on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas proved to me that indeed they are not really! When booking the cruise my frinds and I (separate cabins) were asked if we wished to pay 'tips' up front and we all declined. We were then asked again at the embarkation desk and once again we declined. We then got a note from the pursers office requesting that we contact them to have the tips put on our shipboard account (during the first week of sailing) We ignored this because it wasn't what we wanted. At the beginning of the second week, we got another note from the purser, and this time the tone was less than friendly. On this occasion, if we did not wish to have the tips deducted from our 'on board' accounts, we HAD TO sign the letter and return it personally to the pursers desk(otherwise they would add the gratuities to our seapass)!!!! By this time we felt quite threatened by the whole thing. The whole thing completely got our backs up because of course the implication was there that we weren't going to give tips!! This couldn't have been further from the truth. We had planned beforehand to take sterling to tip the staff and at a slightly better rate than they actually suggested. I started to feel drat it, no one will get anything, but I couldb't do that to the staff!!! Wouldn't you just know though that the 'envelopes' arrived in our cabins 2 nights before disembarking - naturally we all filled them AND we also tipped the bar staff where 15% had already been added to the bills for service. The reason for doing this is because we are not completely convinced that the share out from on board accounts is 100 to the staff!

hi all... for those members of h.t. old enough,saga include all tips in their cruise prices,read this in the saga magazine yesterday.
regards.................john-doe......

I must admit that I would prefer tips to be included, then tipping would be absolutely discretionary rather than seem obligatory. I quite fancy a Saga cruise but tend to find them quite pricey!

hi ..magsy.. ..sorry pet you need to be over fifty years to qualify.
that eliminates you i am afraid.
regards.........john-doe...........

Wow, thank you kindly my new best friend Johndoe!!! (I do however qualify for Saga!) Perhaps I am not looking in the right places but I never see and 'special' prices for their cruises!

Hi All, Recently returned from Cruise with Sapphire Princess to Osaka, Nagasaki, Vladivostock, Pusan, Shanghi, Dalian and Beijing. Had the gratuities of $10 a day removed at start of cruise and informed Pursor that we had no problems with any staff-members. We left tips with Waiters and Room Boys. Could not fault the Sapphire at all, absolutely excellent. We did not drink much at the Bars. Teas and Coffee were always available. Iced water given free from Bar Staff, also served at Dinner. Juices served at Breakfast.
Magsy...If I had been "Hassled" for tips like you were, I would not have given anything.
Yours Aye,
Jopa.

Wow Jopa,
That sounds like a wonderful trip and it also sounds as if you enjoyed it too! One of these days I will spread my wings and go further afield!

I felt like digging my heels in about tipping but the company was to blame for the hassling, not the staff. I will however think twice before cruising with that company again, that's for certain!

Hi Magsy. Yes it was a wonderful trip. Many Thanks to all from the Forum who gave me their hints and tips.
Don't wait to "Spread your Wings" Magsy, Time catches up with us all.
If you have the health and strength to travel...do it.
I am only home a couple of weeks and have already organised a week in Latvia in March. Costing...£35 for flights and £70 for twin room in Hostel.
As long as the cheap flights keep going...So will Jopa!!!

I'm with you Jopa, go for it while you can! There are no pockets in shrouds!

Thanks Jopa for comments re princess cruises. We did something similar to you on the Holland America Noordam and had no problems whatsoever with purser or guest relations.

We are considering Princess, as well as HA, in Baltic for next June and found your cruise review for the Saphire extremely helpful. Based on your comments it sounds like P are very similar to HA.

More power to "good deals" and long may they continue!!

Hi Hamrag, Hope you get a good deal with Princess next year.
I posted a review in Cruise Critics that you might like to see...re Sapphire.
I still can't get over how big a ship she is. Loads of places we still never got a chance to find!
Never once got the feeling that Staff were "Itching" for gratuities, even on the last day aboard.
Spoke to one of the Scottish Waiters and he said that he was happy with his Wages!
We actually had one of the Entertainment Staff give us a free bottle of Champagne as we had (in his words) "Brought a Breath of Fresh Air" to the Singles...Meet and Mingle