I’m Over Tipping on Cruise Ships

Editorial Summary

The creator discusses the ongoing debate regarding automatic gratuities on cruise ships and how the practice affects passengers. He notes that many travelers are increasingly removing assigned gratuitous charges because they doubt whether that money actually reaches the crew members as supplemental income. Based on a YouTube poll, the creator finds that while a majority of respondents believe the money goes to the crew, a significant portion remains skeptical. He describes his personal struggle with feeling like he is double tipping, as he traditionally pays the assigned fees and also provides cash tips to staff. This practice makes him feel taken advantage of by large corporations. The creator concludes by stating he will no longer provide extra cash tips to avoid double dipping, though he will not spend vacation time trying to remove the automatic charges. He makes an appeal to cruise lines to eliminate assigned gratuities entirely, suggesting they instead include necessary wages in the base price or allow passengers to tip customer facing staff directly through good service.

Written by TripBacon from this video's transcript.