We use the auto-gratuity option for cruises, and give cash tips to the steward and wait staff at the end of the cruise. For those of you who cash tip at the beginning and end of the cruise, is there a typical amount you give? If you haven’t always tipped at the beginning and end, have you noticed any service difference in the personnel when you did both?

We have a standing dining reservation so we have the same table & wait staff every evening, and typically do longer cruises or B2B.

I didn’t prepay my tipping but I’ll figure that out later. I don’t know the ins and outs of maybe tipping someone when I get there or to the guy who brings me bags or if I should tip someone immediately that works on my room right away with cash to get better service if anyone can help me with this and how much. I’m going on a Royal Caribbean cruise to South America and Mexico. It’s not a big ship it’ll be me my wife and my son and my mother-in-law.

Hi!! I am fairly new to cruising and will be going on the Grand Princess for a 10 day Mexico cruise 9/26-10/5/2026. I would like to know your best excursion experiences or ones that should be avoided to help me make this a fun and memorable trip! For reference I am F/50 going with husband/52 and I do have lung issues so can’t do something that will cause me to get out of breathe for an extended period of time( we did a zipline excursion in PV and I had to stop and catch my breath a few times while hiking up the trail at Nogolito EcoPark) to the zip lines…so if you suggest something please let me know if you think it is doable!! Thank you in advance!! We will be spending 2days in Cabo, then head to La Paz, Loreto, and Puerta Vallarta. Thanks!

Hey everyone! My wife and I have a cruise coming up with a stop in Nassau, and we’re looking to book some excursions on our own instead of through the cruise line.

On our list:

**•** Swimming with the pigs (fine with a full-day trip to Exuma or wherever it runs — just need to be back with a solid buffer before boarding)  
**•** Jet ski rental  
**•** Scooter or e-bike rental to explore Nassau a bit on our own

We checked the Royal Caribbean excursions page and it’s pretty pricey compared to what I’ve seen locally-booked tours go for. Before we just book through the cruise line, wanted to ask:

**•** Any legit, trustworthy websites or local operators you’ve used and would recommend?  
**•** For the pig swim — full day is totally fine, but who reliably gets you back to port at least 2 hours before all-aboard? Don’t want to cut it close.  
**•** Good spots for jet ski or scooter/e-bike rental near the port that don’t rip off tourists?  
**•** Any horror stories / scams to avoid, especially with independent excursions and ship timing?

Appreciate any tips — TIA! 🐷🛥️🇧🇸