Cruise Gratuities Explained: We Paid $1000 — Should You?
We left $1,000 in cruise gratuities on one cruise — and we may change how we tip forever. Cruise gratuities are confusing, and the cruise lines aren't transparent about where your money actually goes. In this video we break down cruise tipping into three simple options so you can decide what's best for you: ✅ Option 1: Leave auto-gratuities on (the simple path) 💵 Option 2: Remove auto-gratuities and tip in cash (what we're trying next) 🚫 Option 3: Remove everything and tip nothing (here's why we wouldn't) We also share the exact $252 breakdown of how we'd hand out cash on a 7-day cruise — and the truth about how the "pool" system works, including how easy (and tempting) it is to remove gratuities at guest services. Keep in mind: every cruise line handles this differently. We're sharing our honest passenger perspective from Cunard and Royal Caribbean. ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 We left $1,000 in gratuities 1:04 How cruise gratuities actually work 3:05 Option 1: Auto-gratuities (pros & cons) 6:20 Option 2: Remove & pay cash (our exact $252 breakdown) 10:44 Option 3: Remove & pay nothing 13:52 Which one we're choosing 👇 Which option do you use? Do you leave auto-gratuities on or tip in cash? Drop it in the comments — we read every single one and research based on what you tell us. #cruisegratuities #cruisetipping #cruisetips #cruiseadvice #cunard #royalcaribbean #cruisehacks #travelwithchrisandwendy #cruisevlog