Following this week's debate about tipping on ships, as one who has been over 3,500 days on over 40 different ships on almost all the major cruise lines, I have tipped heaps and feel compelled to speak on this colourful subject!

My first cruises were in the late 1980's aboard Royal Viking Line ships on grand cruises, world cruises and Christmas cruises in this region. The crew were generally Western European with Scandinavian stewardesses and waiters predominately from Western and Southern Europe. The recommended tips were fairly much the same US Dollar figure as most cruise lines today, so in real terms it was of course much more than today. Most Royal Viking passengers were multi-millionaires, so of course many went way beyond the recommendations. I can cite three examples of RVL waiters who went on to become senior cruise line executives and more who sent their tips home and became financially free at a relatively early age. Today however, most cruise lines employ crew of low-cost nationalities, many of whom are working 7 day weeks, long hours on long contracts for US$1,000 per month if they are lucky. Naturally this subject is of great interest to them.

There has long been an argument that this business model of low wages expected to be supplemented by tips from passengers is outdated. The cruise lines will usually counter that consumers want low fares and that this must therefore be maintained.

Another argument has centred around the customs of passengers native to countries such as Australia and New Zealand who have moved away from a tipping culture, mostly due to workplace agreements and laws regarding wages and conditions for workers, thereby giving rise to an assumption that those providing service are not in need of greater reward. Indeed, many Australians have travelled overseas, initially blissfully unaware that conditions are often different for workers abroad, but soon we learn!

I too learned that lesson on my first Royal Viking Line cruise - not because I didn't tip, but because I did not think that the shortfall I offered would cause such offence. Better to give them my last US Dollars than none at all, right? WRONG ! Lucky me, I subsequently heard of incidents like offending passengers' baggage mysteriously disappearing over the railing on disembarkation eve. This is somewhat understandable, as it is often the dining room waiters who must collect the suitcases from outside cabin doors that night, just as they will be delivering them for the embarking passengers the following afternoon. Like some laxatives slipped into your tea at the last breakfast? Then just don't tip 'me ! (the Christmas cruises from Hong Kong and Singapore to Sydney were very popular with Australians, but of course not all came prepared, so this instantly became a hot topic onboard and saw the introduction of tips being included in packages in the Australian market).

Whatever the system in place, we need to ensure that our fellow Australians are aware of the realities they will face when they are aboard their chosen vessel. It is up to ourselves and the cruise lines to work together to ensure that there are no misunderstandings or awkward moments. And there have been many systems!

In the 1990's, Crystal Cruises introduced a handy system for those of us who are not in the habit of carrying wads of US cash. They accepted your credit card and gave you redeemable vouchers that you could give to your waiters and stewardess.

Also during the 90's Cunard Line (that's CUEnard, not KOOnard) introduced the system they retain to this day where all passengers are charged a daily service charge to their account. So we went to our waiters and stewardess and said "hey make sure they give you your tips, they've been charged to our account" to which they would sigh and say "oh well, it's all pooled, it is distributed amongst all of us". The other problem was that passengers were able to visit the Purser's Office and have the charges altered or removed which explains why there is always a massively long queue there within 2 days of cruise end!

Again in the 90's, Holland America Line touted their curiously named "Tipping Not Required" policy. How so when the subject of recommended tipping took up a large chunk of the Cruise Director's disembarkation lecture, and the waiters and bar waiters were especially friendly during the final 24 hours - even the ones you'd never seen!

Holland America has now adopted the Cunard policy.

Luxury operators such as Azamara Club Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises and The World amongst others insist that gratuities are included in your fare. Once upon a time (back in the early to mid-90's), it was instant dismissal for a Seabourn crew member to accept cash, so it became popular to buy these wonderful waiters and stewardesses gifts instead for making us feel like royalty. Aboard The World, the crew have always been relatively well paid and it is somewhat discouraged for residents to tip them individually so as not to encourage favouritism.

My issues with the recent debate concerning the pre-pay system operated by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises - well meaning as it may be - are:
1. It has caused confusion in the marketplace with some agents - including the RCCL owned Cruise 1st - removing the service charge when advertising and quoting, creating another "apples and pears" situation, just as we have with US agents who quote neither gratuities nor taxes, where the Aussie agent must do. and

2. I have clients who recently sailed with RCI in the Med and found that they were by far in the minority of those who had pre-paid (see Cunard system) and therefore have asked to opt-out in the future. I believe that a system of asking Australians to pre-pay but not other nationalities is wrong. Despite the lesson we will all learn the first time we sail, it should never be assumed that Australians never tip when they travel, nor should it be assumed that those of nationalities that have a tipping culture necessarily keep tipping once they step outside their own borders!

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