Luxury Cruising Editorial

At least 4,000 cruise passengers were notified that their upcoming cruise will be facing some itinerary changes.

Princess Cruises ship, Sun Princess, is canceling a visit to Santorini, Greece on a cruise scheduled in June of this year.  The original date for visiting the popular port was June 11, 2024.

According to news reports, the cruise line sent an email notification to impacted guests, citing overcrowding and congestion as the reason for the change.

 “Please note that there is a change to our scheduled itinerary. Due to cruise ship congestion, we will no longer call to Santorini, Greece.  We apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment this change may cause,” the email stated.

A New Port to Replace Santorini

The port of call at Santorini will be replaced with a visit to Chania, a city located in the northwestern region of Crete with a population around 54,000.  Santorini’s population is estimated to be around 15,000 residents.

Chania is known for its Venetian harbor that was built during the 1500’s.  Cruise travelers will have the chance to explore some of the best beaches in Crete and explore some Roman history that is embedded in this quaint cruise port.

Cause of Congestion

According to Cruisemapper there are four other cruise ships scheduled to dock in Santorini on June 11.  These ships include:

• Star Clipper
• Costa Fascinosa
• MSC Divina
• Odyssey of the Seas

While Star Clipper is a smaller vessel with only 170 passengers, the other ships combine for a passenger total that rivals the population of Santorini.

At double capacity the total passenger count of these four ships is about 11,727.  If Sun Princess were to call on this port that would put the passenger count at 16,000+, more than the population of Santorini.

Itinerary changes often happen when ships have not confirmed plans until later dates and by that time other ships have to rearrange their schedule.

While cruise ports like Santorini partially rely on tourism, overcrowding can negatively impact the port’s infrastructure and flow of traffic.  In short, with so many cruisers visiting a small port at once the result can be chaotic, frustrating both tourists and locals.

According to Greek Reporter the process of passengers getting of the ships in Santorini can take up to 3 hours.   Many visitors are usually scheduled on excursions to see Oia, a quant picturesque village 30 minutes away from the port.

And while the village is free to see, tour operators make money by transporting guests back and forth, causing congestion on the roads during peak season.

Read more: Skipping port: 8 reasons your cruise ship might change the itinerary

Sun Princess

Cruise Fever recently had the chance to sail on Sun Princess, the cruise line’s newest in the fleet of 16 ships.

The new Sphere-class ship is 177,882 gross tons, has a length of 1,133 feet, and at double capacity can carry 4,314 guests.

Sun Princess is the first LNG-powered ship for Princess and is the largest ship commissioned for the cruise line.  Sister ship, Star Princess, is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Princess Cruises is making a significant change to the main dining room on all of their cruise ships. The change will give guests more flexibility with choices when it comes to evening dining.

Princess Cruises will offer three different table service dining options in the main dining room starting this fall. They will be:

• Traditional dining (early and late seating)
• Reservable dining times
• Walk-In Anytime

There will be one dining room on each ship dedicated to each option.

The three table service options integrate with the cruise line’s OceanNow, which provides guests the convenience of ordering anything, anytime, and receiving it anywhere onboard.

This new dining option first debuted on the newest cruise ship in Princess’ fleet, Sun Princess. The main dining room has three levels, the top is for walk-ins, the middle for reservable times, and the lower level for traditional cruise dining.

Sami Kohen, Princess Cruises vice president of food and beverage, gave the following statement about these new options.

“Our guests have been delighted with the dining flexibility aboard Sun Princess and we’re pleased to extend the concept to all the other ships in our fleet. Now whether guests prefer an early seating every evening, or change things up every night, or even change their mind, these flexible dining options ensure that their dining preference is effortlessly accommodated.”

This new dining on Princess cruise ships will start for cruises that depart on or after September 14, 2024.

Anyone who has made a main dining room reservation for a cruise on or after September 14, 2024, those reservations will be canceled (with an exception for Sun Princess since they already have this new system).  Princess Cruises said that the cancelations are needed to support the transition to the new system.

Starting on June 17, 2024, guests will be able to use the Princess app to opt for traditional dining or flexible dining.

This change from Princess does not affect specialty dining, suite dining, or reserve collection dining.

On Coral Princess and Island Princess, reservable and walk-in dining will be combined into a single main dining room.

Princess Cruises said the reason for this change was due to the popularity of having three different dining options on Sun Princess.

Princess Cruises is one of nine cruise lines owned by Carnival Corporation and they currently have 16 ships in their fleet.

Their second Sphere class ship, Star Princess, will debut in 2025.

Tipping on a cruise ship isn’t as straightforward as I’d like it to be.  Often it’s confusing to first-time cruisers.  It can also be a little controversial.

Who do you tip? How much do you tip? And with auto-gratuities do you need to tip on top of what you already prepaid?

I’ve listed 10 common cruise tipping mistakes that are easily avoidable.

I know this can be a touchy subject, but no matter your perspective in regards to tipping I hope you can learn a couple things that will be helpful.

* This article was updated since the date of its first publishing

Even seasoned travelers who cruise often can make a few of these cruise tipping mistakes that are mentioned below.

Remember, you can enjoy an amazing cruise only because of an amazing crew. The people behind the scenes, making sure your vacation is as smooth as possible, work long and hard hours.

Crew members are the unsung heroes of every cruise ship, so make sure you reflect your gratitude by avoiding these cruise tipping oversights.

That being said, tipping is somewhat subjective. I may tip someone you would not tip and vice versa. The interactions with the crew on a daily basis will vary passenger by passenger.

Rather than being iron-cad rules, these are merely some suggestions I would make for most cruisers.

Read more: 5 reasons you should prepay your tips and 1 reason you shouldn’t

Tipping basics on a cruise

On most cruise lines you will be charged a daily gratuity between $15 and $25 per person per day. Suite guests will pay daily rates on the higher end of that spectrum.

This is typically paid ahead of time, but you can wait until your cruise and pay it then if you would like. If you wait to pay for gratuities it will be added to your bill each day, and you can settle it with a credit card at the end of your voyage.

Where does the money go when you prepay gratuities?

The daily gratuities get divided up between several crew positions on your ship. Some of it goes toward your cabin steward, some to the main dining staff, and some to other housekeeping crew members.

The auto-gratuity system that most mainstream lines have implemented was to address the issue of passengers trying to run around with envelopes of money to hand out to different crew members.

The system of automatic gratuities is simpler, but still causes confusion to some who wonder if they need to tip on top of it. I hope we can address that today.

Here are the biggest cruise tipping mistakes I’ve seen people make.

1.  Not bringing cash

I recently wrote about why I always bring cash on a cruise, and a lot of it comes down to tipping. One of the first things you will want to do before you board your ship is tip the luggage porter, the person who takes your large bags and gets them on the ship for you.

You will need cash to do this.  The porters don’t walk around with credit card processing machines or Venmo QR codes. The amount you tip is up to you, but anywhere from $2 – $5 per bag is typical. Porters work hard every day at the cruise terminal and rely heavily on the tips they receive. Bring some cash and make sure you’re prepared.

Luggage porters aren’t the only ones you may want to tip in cash. Some of the points below explain other situations in which a cash tip is best.

2.  Only bringing large bills

So, you’ve passed step number one and have cash for your cruise, but what about smaller bills? If you only have 50 or 100 dollar bills, you might have a hard time getting change. I always try to make sure that I have a nice blend of denominations with my cash.

I recommend bringing along a bunch of one-dollar bills in addition to fives, tens, and a few twenties as well. Don’t expect to get change when you tip, and even asking for change when tipping might be slightly condescending. I have never regretted having smaller bills to show my gratitude on a cruise. It’s always good to have some five-dollar bills on you.

3.  Only tipping for exceptional service

Some have the viewpoint that tipping should only be done when service is surprisingly beyond compare. But this is a mistake. We can debate about whether or not cruise members are paid enough for all they do — this is an entirely different discussion–, but the simply truth is that tips are a large part of their income.

And while you will almost always have fantastic service on a cruise, don’t withhold a tip if you weren’t exactly blown away. Some passengers set expectations so high that it helps them justify not leaving a tip at all. The crew will occasionally make mistakes, but a kind word and a small tip in spite of it can go a long way.

4.  Forgetting about the dining staff or room steward

Your prepaid gratuities already go toward your stateroom attendant and dining wait staff, so you might not feel the need to tip any extra. And that’s well within your prerogative.

Maybe it’s just because it’s in my American mindset to tip for services like this, but I always like to leave the cabin steward some extra cash in the room before the cruise is over.

If I did use the main dining room more often than not on a cruise, I will leave them some extra as well. Of course, with my-time dining options it will be harder to do this as you may have a different wait staff each time.

Note: Your automatic gratuities do go towards the wait staff and cabin steward already. If you’re financially strained, don’t’ feel like you have to tip any extra on top of this. But if you do have tips removed from your account (as mentioned in another point below) make sure you at least tip these two crew members.

5.  Forgetting to tip for room service

With cruise lines recently making changes in regards to room service fees you might think tipping is optional with room service. And while some of the major cruise lines are adding gratuities automatically to a room service bill, you can still leave few dollars in cash to your delivery person. In some cases you can add it to the receipt, depending on the cruise line.

Room service is still free on a few of the major lines– for the continental breakfast– and almost always complimentary on an all-inclusive cruise. When you receive room service for free you may not even think to tip or know what to tip, and that’s mainly why I’m making this point. Make sure you show your gratitude for having that delicious food brought right to your cabin.

Some cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean still offer a continental breakfast for free on their room service menu. So, it can be easy to forget to tip if you’re used to having the charge already put on your account.

Related: Cruise ship room service and what each cruise line charges

6.  Tipping in the wrong currency

This one is especially true when tipping while in port and off of the ship. Tipping in the wrong currency can cause a few issues while on a cruise or in a cruise port city. First, it can be an inconvenience for the recipient as they may have to exchange the currency, which can result in bad exchange rates and extra fees.

Also, it can be seen as disrespectful to the local culture and currency. So, it’s always best to tip in the local currency to avoid any misunderstandings or offense.

To avoid tipping in the wrong currency, it’s a good idea to do some research before your trip. This way, you can ensure that you’re following the local customs and showing respect to the culture. Remember, respecting local customs is an essential part of traveling, and tipping in the right currency is a simple way to show that respect.

7.  Thinking if you prepay gratuities you will get lower quality service

Some people mistakenly think that if they prepay gratuities through the cruise line ahead of time it will result in poor service. We mentioned this in another article about cruise tipping that leaving a cash tip on day one of your cruise is not necessary to get quality service.

I know some cruisers that like to start their cruise by tipping right out of the gate. This is fine if you just want to pay forward your gratuity, but don’t do this if you’re motivation is to be treated like royalty. In most cases, you will receive excellent service regardless.

8.  Forgetting to tip tour guides and drivers

Always bring some of that aforementioned cash with you when you go on a shore excursion. If you do a tour or take a trip on a bus make sure you tip both your tour guide and bus driver. These workers are often overlooked on many cruises I’ve been on.

The same goes for tipping taxi drivers when you’re in port. Again, cash might be the only thing they will take, and in most of the Caribbean you can tip in U.S. currency.

As a side note, it can be nice to have some cash on your cruise so you can also tip people like street performers while in port. A good rule of thumb is that if you stop to take a picture or listen to a musician on the street, you should put a little something in the tip jar.

9.  Removing gratuities

Yes, you are able to have all gratuities removed from your bill. But this is something I would not recommend unless you then proceed to handsomely cash tip the many crew members on your ship that helped make your vacation happen.

If you didn’t receive the service you expected, you should talk to guest services about it and they will make it right, but crew members rely on these tips to make ends-meet. And the last thing you want to do is remove the auto-gratuity and then forget to tip your cabin steward and dining staff in person.

I’ve heard of cases where some cruisers chose not to prepay for tips, but then after seeing the charges added to their account they got a little sticker shock and asked to have them removed. This is why I recommend prepaying for gratuities ahead of time, so you know exactly what you are paying.

10.  Feeling like you have to tip when the gratuity was already added

After ordering a beverage or service on a cruise ship you may see a service charge added to the actual price. If a gratuity has already been added, don’t feel that you absolutely must tip extra on top of it. You can, of course, tip extra if you feel the crew went above and beyond.

Some first-time cruisers feel pressured to tip extra on top of these gratuity charges, so I want to make sure they know this is optional. A few points below will explain situations in which a tip is not essential.

A few cases when you don’t need to tip

Tipping is voluntary, so you can still tip in these situations if you would like. But there are a few cases where it’s not necessary.

• After spa service: Cruise lines will typically add an 18% gratuity charge to your bill. You can tip more if you would like, of course.
• If the crew helped with a special request: You are not expected to tip if a crew member gets you extra hangers for your room or padding for your mattress.
• Kid’s club workers: This service is offered for free on most cruise ships and you’re not expected to tip, but slipping that worker a twenty for allowing you to have a date night with your special someone is always appreciated.
• Entertainment: Whether it’s a magic show or comedy show you don’t have to tip these workers. You can always tip the pianist at the piano bar if you enjoyed the performance or have a song request.
• Maintenance staff: If one of the crew fixes that leaky faucet in your stateroom you don’t need to tip, but hey, it’s up to you.

Below are the current gratuity rates for other mainstream cruise lines.  Prices are per day, per person in the stateroom.

Final thoughts

The concept of tipping is fairly American in a lot of ways. If you’re from another part of the world you might think tipping is unnecessary and strange, and perhaps it is. But it’s a big part of the cruise industry and how these ships are operated.

Some of the crew members on a cruise ship are from very poor countries and spend six months or more away from their families. Even a little tip can go a long way.

I hope you found these pointers helpful.

Got any thoughts on tipping on a cruise ship? Let us know in the comments below, even if you disagree with 100% of what I said. I’m just glad you came by.

Read more: 5 reasons you should prepay your cruise tips and 1 reason you shouldn’t

I have taken over 75 cruises on close to 20 cruise lines all around the world. I have cruised everywhere from the Caribbean to Europe to Asia. While every destination is unique, there is one thing that is constant. You always have to watch out of travel scams.

Here are a few of the scams that I’ve personally encountered in different countries while taking cruises and how you can avoid them.

Taxi Scams

Let’s start with a couple common ways that some taxi drivers will try to scam you.

The first one is that they will quote you the fare price up front and then turn off the meter. They do this because this way they can overcharge you. Unless it’s a flat fare (In Rome, all taxi rides from the airport to city center and vice versa are 50 Euros), always ask them to turn the meter on.

Even if they turn the meter on, some will take you the scenic route (aka long way) to drive up the fare price. I once had a taxi driver tell me that roads were closed due to a protest so he had to take the long way. Of course, there was no protest as we drove by the main road and it was empty. He didn’t know I was familiar with that area.

Sometimes, there really isn’t anything you can do when this happens. I like to call it the “tourist tax” and just laugh about it.

Another scam some taxi drivers attempt is the “bill switch” or “switcheroo” trying to prey on you not being familiar with their currency.

After one taxi ride, the driver said it was 18 Euros. I handed him a 20 and turned to get out of the car. He then stated again that the ride was 18 Euros and I turned around to him holding a 5. He switched the 20 I gave him for a 5 trying to make me think I gave him the wrong bill. This was all done in the matter of seconds.

My first thought was, “oh I just have given him the wrong bill”. But I quickly remembered reading about this scam and realized he was trying to pull it on me.

I got really firm with him, told him I gave him a 20, and that he wasn’t going to scam me. He tried to convince me I gave him a 5 until I said, “Let’s talk to that police officer right over there”. He gave up trying to scam me at that point.

Now, I just say out loud what bill I’m handing them and this way they can’t try to scam you.

Below is a hidden video by Conor Woodman taken in a taxi showing how this works. The only difference is in the video, the taxi driver switches for a fake bill instead of a smaller one.

They also love to tell you they don’t have change so they can keep the difference.

How can you avoid these scams? While you can use Uber, they do not offer service in many countries. However, there is usually a taxi app that you can use in each country that will help you avoid getting ripped off. For instance in Italy, I use itTaxi. In Spain and many European countries, it’s FREE NOW. When in Asia, I use Grab.

You can have the rides charged right to your credit card and you will get a fare estimate when you search for a ride. The apps are just like using Uber/Lyft but the rides are in taxis and not private cars. I highly recommend using these apps for rides in foreign cities.

Another great app I use is Welcome Pickups. They are available in 228 cities in 92 countries. You are guaranteed a driver who speaks English and for airports rides, it can’t be beat. The prices are extremely reasonable and you won’t get ripped off. I have used them in Amsterdam, Paris, Spain and Italy.

Street Scams

It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, street scams seem to be ubiquitous.

A good rule of thumb is that if someone is trying to hand you something and they say it is free, it’s probably not free. In Caribbean ports and even in Europe, they often try to put a bracelet or necklace on you and then charge you for it after it’s on.

Sometimes they like to hand women a “free” rose only to make you pay them for it once it is in your hand.

Another common street scam is “3 Card Monte”, “3 Cups and a Ball”, or “Find the Queen”. They are all run the same and here’s how it works.

You see a group of people standing and betting on a game that looks insanely easy to figure out. They have three playing cards with one of them being a queen. The dealer will move them around right in front of you and if you can choose the right one, you double your money.

A group of people are betting and getting it wrong. A few get it right and win. You follow along and can obviously tell which card is the queen or which cup has the ball in it. You think it’s super easy so you try it.

No matter how many times you try, you will lose 100% of the time. They will use sleight of hand so you never win, and they are very good at it.

The group of people playing before you are all in on the scam to make it look easy to win to suck in tourists. There’s usually anywhere from 6-10 people in on it. They only use sleight of hand when you’re playing, not to those in on the scam. They are basically street magicians who try to rip you off.

I’ve seen this game played on the street everywhere from Venice to Paris to Barcelona to Las Vegas. They always have lookouts for police and can pack up in seconds if one is coming.

These aren’t the only way that you can get tricked while in port, you can read our article on 10 Sneaky Cruise Port Tricks People Keep Falling For here.

Whatever you do, don’t let these common scams keep you from traveling and seeing the world. It’s just something to keep in the back of your mind so you can have the best possible trip.