Doc Holiday: Do I really have to tip on a cruise ship?

Tipping culture is one of the most perplexing parts of travel for Aussies. Is it necessary to tip on a cruise, and do you have to stick to the suggested amount? Doc Holiday has the answer.

Escape's Doc Holiday, Dilvin Yasa, answers your travel-related questions.

Do all cruise lines expect you to pay their daily gratuity or can you opt out and pay what you think is a reasonable amount?

The good news about those eye-watering gratuities automatically added to your bill daily is that they are not mandatory, but merely a suggested rate.

Most passengers tend to pay it – sometimes in advance – or they book with a cruise line which is either all-inclusive or has scrapped their daily gratuity charge altogether.

If you book with a cruise line where a $20-$30 charge (on average) is applied, you still have the right to adjust the charges as you like. All you have to do is visit the guest relations desk once you’re on board and let them know.

Just be prepared to answer a few questions about why you’re making those adjustments. You’ll also need to check your account regularly to ensure those adjustments have been made according to your wishes so it’s a good idea to do this at the beginning of cruise (things are far easier to fix while you’re still on board).

Australia may not have much of a tipping culture, but it’s still important to recognise good service on board – particularly since cruise passengers in these cases are essentially supplementing the wages of employees from developing countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia who are earning minimum wage.

Tip well when a staff member goes above and beyond, and watch this space: cruise lines are increasingly scrapping daily gratuities charges by rolling them into their fares.

Gratuities - and butler service - are included on Silversea Cruises.

Do any ships departing Brisbane or Sydney bound for the South Pacific or around Australia offer any dialysis services on board?

If you look at Cruise Dialysis and Dialysis at Sea, you’ll notice there are plenty of sailings offering haemodialysis on board (via a quick walk to the dialysis unit). Unfortunately, these are available around Europe and northern America but there is nothing closer to home.

Cruise lines such as Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Cunard welcome guests who require peritoneal dialysis since it can be performed by the patient or by a trained person the guest is travelling with. That said, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises say that while they do not offer haemodialysis, guests are welcome to contact their guest services team well in advance to organise to bring their own, or use a third party company to provide the service on board. Their staff are unable to administer or assist with haemodialysis treatments, they add.

I’m so sorry. I know that’s not the good news you were hoping to hear, but it seems we’re still quite behind the rest of the world in this regard.

Originally published as Doc Holiday: Do I really have to tip on a cruise ship?