Cruise ship etiquette?..tipping?..dressing??

Question

My hubby does not want to wear a jacket , just a tie with slacks and button up shirt...also, do you leave money for waiters porters, cabin staff??..

Answer 1

On most ships, a man does not have to wear a tie most nights at dinner. There is usually one or two "formal" nights when a man is requested to wear a dark suit or formal wear. The other nights are usually casual where a nice shirt and slacks are fine. Slip on a jacket and dress up a little for being on a cruise.

As for tipping, some cruise lines automatically add tips to your account. Personally, I do not like this as the staff does not have incentive to be attentive to your needs. I like the method of giving tips in envelopes at the end of the cruise. That way you can adjust upward or downward for very good service or very mediocre service.

Answer 2

You tip at the end of the cruise and the cruise line actually provides you pointers on this.

If hubby does not want to follow the dining room dress code you can eat in the casual dining areas.

Personally I'd rather wear a jacket than a tie.

Answer 3

The dress on ship is casual all day until 6:00PM. So take swim wear, shorts, sandals, beach shoes, your snorkel equipment if you have it, sun glasses and sun screen, lotions, a cap or big hat for the sun, a book if you are a reader, your music player, sneakers and clothes to workout in if you like to use the gym, your camera, and other personal toiletries. There will be multiple pools and hot tubs and plenty of places to do things so take relaxing clothes.

After 6:00 PM they REQUEST that you wear "sports casual" attire. That's attire that you would expect a person to wear in a business office, shirt with a collar, slacks, skirt, blouse, etc. You can still wear shorts and swim wear in the pools and spas but not in public areas like dining rooms and restaurants, show rooms, bars, casino, etc.

Generally 7-day cruises have two formal nights when you can wear your best stuff and get pictures taken, and maybe meet the ship’s Captain. The formal nights are REQUESTED but NOT REQUIRED attire. So if your husband wants to go sports casual for dinner every evening that will be fine with the cruise line. Some men just wear a suit and tie and some women wear a nice dress but not a gown.

I have been on Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines. Most people on the first three do dress up in a tux for men and a long dress (any color) for women. The majority of the people on NCL cruises do not dress up because they do what they call freestyle and have a "dress up if you want to" night in lieu of a formal night. You will not be denied access to the dining room or anything else if you choose not to dress up. We usually take off the formal stuff after dinner and pictures anyway and there are always people walking around casual on all of the cruise lines on
formal nights.

All tipping is done at the end of the cruise, not on a daily basis (except if you order room service do tip the person who brings the food a couple dollars). All of the cruise lines now add the gratuities (tips) to your on board charge account (this account will be set up for each of you when you check in at the port). The total is about $10 a day per person ($70 each for a 7-day cruise) based on $3.50 a day for the waiter, $3.50 a day for the cabin steward, $2.00 a day for the assistant waiter, and $.50 to $1.00 for the Matre D. You should also tip the porters at the pier who take your bags to the ship, about $1.00 per bag; more if you want. Also you can add more to the automatic tips if you want. If you want you can go to the purser's desk and arrange to pay cash for tips in lieu of leaving them on your charge card.

Answer 4

You tip at the end of the cruise. Carnival will add it directly to your account. Rccl still requires you to fill out a form to have it added to your account and will give you a voucher to put into the envelopes for the staff, or you can have cash.

For formal nights I have seen men without jackets but its not the norm. If he is uncomfortable you can always eat in the casual dining areas on the ship.