mfs2k

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

enbarkation day

oops  inadvertent typo

14 hours ago, buckeyefrank said:

I don't feel the need to bribe another person to do a job they agreed to do for a price they agreed upon. Most people on here espousing tipping additional amounts, are only doing it to make themselves feel better and to gain benefits like faster service or longer pours.

I had to check to see if you lived in the United States or a country where tipping isn't the norm.

Nope. Ohio.  

You are absolutely right I, and many others, tip additional amounts to gain benefits like faster service or longer pours. I'm not ashamed to acknowledge this. 

On a cruise ship (or even an open bar at a catered event), a noticable tip is definitely a bribe for the next drink.  The $20-$40 I give the cabin steward on enbarkation day, is intended to be remembered. 

Whereas, when I go to a regular restaurant bar, or even a frequently visited coffee shop, a larger than 20% tip is both a thank you for those extra long pours, or friendly service in the past, and also for my next visit.  I like being treated above and beyond. You treat me above and beyond, and I will treat you above and beyond right back. 

It's an "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" tipping culture I live in. As long as I live where tipping is presumed to be acceptable, I will do it willingly. 

If you're ok with being treated average and unrecognized, then by all means, the included tip on your cruise is fine. 

12 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

While I understand your point, and am not a real gambler, I might argue the first line is not true.

so, argue.

15 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@Elaine5715Thanks...interesting.  I don't want to end up paying "full fare"!

When I get a chance I'll call their casino dept and get the "possibly" incorrect information.

Agree, 

In their eyes, they want the "potential" casino revenue for the passenger in that cabin.  If you don't show, they lose all that potential income so they will make you pay for it.  

You're dealin with the devil. 

bunk beds aren't so bad.  you'll be in the casino anyway. 

Everybody is an accountant. 

It sounds like everyone has different experiences, but if they can save on energy costs by adjusting the temperature a few degrees, they should. It's low hanging fruit in cost control.  Obviously, guest comfort is important too, so if you feel it's been warm, send a complaint.  Maybe they're taking it too far.    

6 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

If one if offered "a free cruise"....you pay taxes/port fees and a $50/pp deposit.

If you take the offer...and then decide not to go (awful weather, awful cabin) I assume you get reimbursed for taxes/port fees....and just lose the $50/pp.

Is this correct?

Theres no such thing as a free cruise.

There are free cabins and expensive casino potential losses.  If you're a gambler, they got you.

but, this didn't answer your question.  

16 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

I'm still trying to decern why someone would need to shave a few minutes off the amount of time they would wait in line for a cocktail... you're on a ship... where are you in a hurry to get to ?  🤣

Youve never done a sailaway from New York City I guess.   lol 

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

You would..they remember your name faster, remember your face, probably remember your drink order if you ordered the same thing more than once..

That's worth $20 to me on a 10 day cruise. And definitely worth more to me than a picture in front of a life preserver. 

9 hours ago, staceyglow said:

It's worth trying some of the larger online travel agencies (especially the ones that specialize in cruises) to see if they have any cabins.  If I am not mistaken, they take blocks of cabins that Carnival can't sell you.

I suspect unsold cabins from agency blocks revert back to the cruiseline 90-120 days before sailing so they can be sold. 

15 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Who gets better service?  

I suspect there's a chance if I hand a bartender a $20 bill at a bar I expect to visit frequetly during my cruise, I might get a little better service than he/she might typically give. Maybe not, but that's what I think. 

4 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

What?  Unequal gratuities make for unequal service.  If you know, you know. 

The inherent definition of "gratuities" makes them gratuitous, and thus unequal. 

If you're referring to mandatory service charges, then that's different.

That's awful.

You may have to search manually.

I sailed on Carnival Jubilee in 1986.  Maybe you'll find my old posts before there was an intenet for mortals. 

Another way to look at it is the answer to this question:

Do you tip extra for YOU or for the bartender?

Many people tip extra at the beginning of a cruise to the bartenders at the bar they expect to visit often.  Personally, if I do this, I'm hoping my pours of bourbon on the rocks will be a little more generous than the standardized recipe calls for. They usually are if I know the bartender and they like me. A relationship between a generous tipping customer and a heavy handed bartender is often symbiotic. It benefits both. A bartender who recognizes you and likes you might also save you a few moments and pulll him/her away from their bartender tasks and making your drink. I like when they stop fiddling with the POS terminal and greet me with a smile and my preferred drink placed in my hand. 

38 minutes ago, nc762shooter said:

Or it was a cliff overlooking the port and was just a shortcut!

boom

11 minutes ago, FredZiffle said:

And, if you fall off a cliff, you've got more important things to worry about than missing the ship.

Maybe it’s a small cliff which will make you late but not injured. 

4 hours ago, topaz123 said:

Are there other excursions available for ports NOT thru carnival. Found a few sites that offer some better iteneraries that work best for us, but did not want to go with someone less reliable.   DO you know of an alternative tour site for our stops?

What do you do when you go to a new city for a day?  Do you take a tour or explore on your own?  I understand why one would want to use a cruise ship tour when you're travelling far from the ship, but for nearby tours, I suggest TripAdvisor for guidance, or google. There's a lot of scare tactics employed by cruiselines to get your to book through them, but if you plan to return to the ship 2 hours or more before departure, you'll likely be fine unless you fall off a cliff or into a ravine. 

Haven’t any of you ever worked with tipped servers or bartenders?

I’ve worked with many over my entire long career in various positions in the hospitality industry (never cruise lines though) and most are hyper focused on their tips. Maybe it’s different outside the US. 
I’ve worked with many NYC bartenders who would only be satisfied if an additional tip was left regardless of the policy. 
 

6 minutes ago, mz-s said:

They do not expect extra tips above and beyond the automatic gratuity. Any extra you give is entirely up to you and is not expected.

How do you know they don’t have a tiny letdown feeling if they don’t get an extra rip ?

1 hour ago, nc762shooter said:

I don't think tipping extra is as prevalent as a lot of the posts here would have you believe.

I wonder if the tipping differs based on which port the ship departs from...

I have read many posts about passenger expectations and practices regarding bar tipping, but:

I'm curious what the expectation is from the bartender's perspective:

They expect an additional tip because most people leave something extra.

or

They are pleasantly surprised if they get an additional tip because it's unusual.

or

They're too busy to think about tips. 

What do you think? 

.

Is this math right?

A limit of 15 drinks regardless of what you're drinking

• 12 oz bottle of beer (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 5 oz glass of wine (0.6 oz alcohol)
• 1.5 oz 80 proof liquor (0.6 oz alcohol)

0.6oz x 15 drinks = 9 oz of alcohol for $59.95 per day.

9 oz of alcohol is equivalent to 22.5 oz of vodka

A 750ml bottle of vodka is 25.4 oz

So the daily limit is almost the equivalent of a 750ml bottle of vodka per day.

Personally, my liver is ok with the limit. 

22 minutes ago, mz-s said:

I doubt the PVP has the pull to have offers sent your way.

agree. More likely the algorithm is simply generating more offers for you and you're equating it to PVP control.

Kind of like banging on the slot machine.  When one bangs and gets a jackpot, one is inclined to assume banging had something to do with it.

2 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

What does any of it have to do with Carnival offering multiple device Internet packages?

I don't remember