Question about tips for cruise add-ons

[paddles]

For the ABD cruise add-ons, how does tipping work? For example, if you're on a 12 night cruise, but the ABD excursions are only 7 days (due to day 1 boarding and 4 sea days), what number of days do you use to calculate the tip?

Also, do you provide cash or can you add to your stateroom account?

thanks!

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So glad you asked this. We were just wondering ourselves. 7 definitely makes the most sense--these add ons are already so expensive compared to the regular abds. Hope someone knows ...

 

[sayhello]

That's interesting, and hard for me to comment on, because on my 12-day Med cruise, we had excursions/activities with the Guides all but 2 days. So it never occurred to me to not tip them for the entire duration.

I did my add-on 5 years ago (oh, my!) so things may have changed since then, but you had to tip them cash back then; you couldn't put it on your ship's account because they are not DCL employees, they are ABD employees. Again, that may have changed, but that's how it was back in 2010.

Sayhello

 

[tufbuf]

This is what the ABD website says on the 12-night cruise add-on:

The Adventure Guides gratuity can be paid in U.S. dollars, local currency, travelers' checks or PayPal. Please check with your Adventure Guide if they accept PayPal.

Per Adult/Child/Per Adventure Guide/Per Day—$7 - $10 USD

Example:

• For your 12-day cruise adventure, the Adventure Guide gratuity per Guest, per Adventure Guide: $84 - $120 USD.
• A family of 4 for your 7-day cruise adventure: $336 - $480 USD per Adventure Guide.

For two guides, this is a total of $672 - S960 USD.

 

[Calfan]

I don't in any way want to be cheap with our guides, but it also seems to me like they will have less work to do on the add-on versus a regular ABD because they will not be dealing with any of the hotel and luggage logistics and will be arranging fewer meals.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I don't in any way want to be cheap with our guides, but it also seems to me like they will have less work to do on the add-on versus a regular ABD because they will not be dealing with any of the hotel and luggage logistics and will be arranging fewer meals.

Totally agree. Frankly, I'm annoyed that there aren't ABD activities on sea days to start with, then to suggest we tip for that? Doesn't make sense, especially given the amount of work the land based ABD guides have to do. I remember our Scotland guides had to get up at some ridiculous hour (4 or 5?) to pull luggage for that really early day. The add-on guides are dealing with luggage at all. Disney needs to rethink that guideline!

 

[sayhello]

Totally agree. Frankly, I'm annoyed that there aren't ABD activities on sea days to start with, then to suggest we tip for that? Doesn't make sense, especially given the amount of work the land based ABD guides have to do. I remember our Scotland guides had to get up at some ridiculous hour (4 or 5?) to pull luggage for that really early day. The add-on guides are dealing with luggage at all. Disney needs to rethink that guideline!

I agree with you. We had much more going on during our first couple of sea days than you guys do. And it was still so new, as I said, I don't think it even occurred to me to question the guidelines. And yes, there's not as much logistics as far as the accommodations are concerned. I'm glad the tips are included for the river cruises. I don't even want to have to think about that mess!

Sayhello

 

[Tozzie]

I am not doing an add on (they didn't have one for my cruise) but I have a suggestion just incase there are "surprises" on the sea days, plan for tipping based on the actual ABD days but birng enough for the rest and then tip based on what happens. If you see hind nor hare of the guides on the sea days then you only tip based on your "real" ABD days. I think that might be the best solution. I would not tip or days that the guides did nothing but I would just be prepared in casse.

 

[paddles]

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't want to be cheap as well, but I do agree that the tip should only include days when there is some sort of ABD activity.

 

[preedymtnwest]

This is what the ABD website says on the 12-night cruise add-on:

The Adventure Guides gratuity can be paid in U.S. dollars, local currency, travelers' checks or PayPal. Please check with your Adventure Guide if they accept PayPal.

Per Adult/Child/Per Adventure Guide/Per Day—$7 - $10 USD

Example:

• For your 12-day cruise adventure, the Adventure Guide gratuity per Guest, per Adventure Guide: $84 - $120 USD.
• A family of 4 for your 7-day cruise adventure: $336 - $480 USD per Adventure Guide.

For two guides, this is a total of $672 - S960 USD.

I think you meant in the second bullet above, "A family of 4 for your 12-day cruise adventure: $336 - $480 USD per Adventure Guide."

Kind of freaked me out because I'm doing a 7-day cruise - I used the guidelines above and came out with a range of $196 - $280 USD per Adventure Guide for our family of 4.