Cruise Lines

Talking of tips, here's something anyone who decides to opt out of pre-paying gratuities might like to know. The crew know who you are.

It appears a list of people who opted out of pre-paying gratuities on Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Splendor was posted in the crew area of the ship and spotted by an eagle-eyed passenger on one of the behind-the-scenes tour.

Naturally questions have been asked as to why this information is made public to the crew and if this affects the service these passengers receive (is this the Spit List? asks one Cruise Critic member, hopefully tongue firmly in cheek!).

Carnival Cruise Lines is one of very few cruise brands that has the pre-pay option. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises are others, and also Azamara Cruises, but there you can't opt out.

This list - and leaving it where passengers might see it - certainly makes Carnival look bad, but it is only the passengers who did not pre-pay gratuities, not those who have asked to opt out of tipping altogether by having the daily service charge removed from their cruise accounts (this is charged to passengers who do not pre-pay, but they can ask for it to be removed or for the amount to be reduced or increased).

The question is, is that list somewhere also for all the crew to see?

I'm sure a fair few passengers just don't want to pay tips at all but some - and I am one - will have opted out of pre-paying because they prefer to receive a service before they tip for it.

Either way, it shows something really needs to be done about this whole gratuities business. Cruiselines cling to it as a means of keeping fares competitive, but as with fixed dining, it's time for a change. And (most) have managed that after years of saying it could be done.

The best thing, of course, would be for all to bite the bullet and just build the service charge into the cruise fare. Job done, everyone is happy. Passengers who like to tip can still do so on an individual basis, those who don't, no longer have to worry about it.

Of course, we would need a ruling from on high to make everyone toe the line and not use it to gain competitive advantage at the expense of the crew, and it would have to work in all countries. But I'm sure it can be done.

The other alternative is for them all to follow Costa Cruises and simply make the service charge compulsory. It's added on to the account at the end of the cruise (so you're not paying in advance) and if you don't like it, tough.

Well, almost tough. Whether you like it or not, you have to pay on board and be prepared to put up a damn good fight from home if you want it removed. I imagine Costa hopes most people won't be bothered; I suspect they are right.