Okay I have to beat a dead horse so to speak but I thought this might be a good spin on the topic of tipping.

On land, tipping is based on the amount of the bill. However, what is customary on a cruise ship (without the auto tipping)?

Oops I meant to say I HATE to beat a dead horse...

Most ships suggest $3.50 per person, per day for your room steward, the same amount for your waiter, and $1.75 per person, per day for the assistant waiter. If you want to tip the Maitre d', it's something like 75 cents per person per day. Some cruise lines suggest you tip the Chief Room Steward and the Head Waiter, but the first three I mentioned are the main ones. Sometimes, folks who have occupied suites are asked to tip their room steward a little more.

Sandy

It all depends on the service I get. It is a tip after all. Tips are suppose to reward good service or above and beyond service. Unlike land based services, uncle Same isn't assuming they are getting a 15% tip, so if their service is not good, they don't get a tip (or at least no extra tip from me). But if I see them doing extra things to make my trip more enjoyable or I feel my family is making the stewards or waiters work harder than normaly I will give them extra.

The bar waiters get 15% from the receipt, so unless you don't feel that is enough, you don't need to tip them. If a bartender serves you drink, check the receipt to see if a tip is included. Sometimes when the bar tender hands you a drink they don't do the auto tipping.

$2 to $3 is typical for a room service call unless you have ordered a huge tray of food where you might want to go to $5

Again MOST of the service crew is covered in the auto tipping policies, so tip as you see fit.

Thank you both. That's exactly what I wanted to know. On land, I start at 15% and go up (or down) from there. So I like to have a "socially acceptable" starting point.