We received a letter months after we booked our cruise on the Journey advising us gratuities would be compulsory. We contacted our agent and told them we wished to judge whether or not to tip at the end of our cruise and only if we felt it was warranted. They advised us, after contacting Celebrity that we could in fact do this. We felt at the end of our trip that we had received excellent service from everyone and had no hesitation in paying the gratuities. I think because the ship is smaller (under 700) you do get a better service.

Hi We did the Azamara Journy cruise from Brazil to Miami, and compared to other lines it very was poor, our cabin was a balcony 80** and very narrow, the ship (to me) although well appointed inside was claustrophobic (poor for photographers) and a poor sea boat, drinks were expensive then a 18% tax added on top, so the ship was dead by midnight. (notlike P&O !!) If you want to alter your tips go to the reception on the first day and moderate them, after the first day they will tell you that on orders from head office the tips are fixed, and then you will have to write to them (RCI) when you get home to try to request a refund, I found gratuity envolopes at the front desk for the staff I thought served me well. On deck and pool service was poor, although in the dinning the service and food was excellent, and the ship seems to revolve around the dining room and its open dining service. The show lounge is small like the ship and on one level so the viewing is poor, no room for dancing girls so shows were of a single performance type 50% good and 50% poor, even the Americans didn't laugh at the comedian. We were on Marco Polo a similar sized ship a few months before and that was a far far better cruise. Azamara in my view are poor and far from 5 star and we will not be using them again.

Disgusted about Azamara new compulsory service charge: We booked in October 2007 for a cruise September 2008. The small print for tips was exactly the same as for Celebrity, which we had been on twice and both times had removed the automatic amount and given tips in envelopes. Imagine our disgust when a letter from Azamara arrived May 08 to say that "tips" were now compulsory and automatically taken at $12.25 per day (£6.61 and therefore just under £100 per person for the cruise) AND there would be an 18% bar charge. We wrote to complain to the operations manager, as we would not have booked a cruise with compulsory "tips" and I would never prepay tips (has anyone paid their hairdresser their tip before the haircut or before a meal in a restaurant? The Azamara cruise is already lots more than Celebrity,supposedly for a higher level of service and then we find the tips are more too i.e. £6.61 per day versus Celebrity £5.15. Their excuses include: "open dining" - so why does the compulsory service charge include the stateroom steward?; "to ensure that our staff are sufficiently rewarded" so does this mean their salary in insufficient?; and the unbelievable excuse of..."gratuities given personally to waiters and stateroom attendants will often not reach kitchen staff, making the tipping process unfair between staff members" !!!! We were outraged. If their argument were true then why is it not applied across the huge Celebrity and Royal Caribbean fleet? So remember to personally go and tip all the kitchen staff that make all your meals!!! I would love your comments on this please.

you have no option with azamara I did a black sea cruise a month ago and they will not even vary the amount up or down it is clearly in their conditions as well as keeping any alcohol you may try to take aboard to the last day of you cruise which is useless if you are flying back

If tipping on the Azamara journey is compulsory I would question this as being a nonsense. Tell them to get stuffed!!! How can you be made to pay for a service that might not be that good. Remuneration should only be given at your dicretion, if you deem it as being deserved!! I used to own a paint shop, If I said you will you buy this pot of paint? do not know the colour,do not know it`s purpose give me your money!!! would you buy it? same thing!!!!!

is it not to do with the amount of on board credit that has been offered,i think it worked out that azamara were paying their own tips as most people on our cruise were tucked up in bed at 10,also the busiest place was the free drinks stations.we enjoyed the quest and have booked for next year

We were forced to pay and it is very heavy.Beware price of drinks with 18% surcharge.The butler is no more than your room attendant-ludicrous.Beware also the tiny bathrooms. D G Lewis