Tipping

[PA Beachlovers]

A few questions on tipping, when you get into your cabin and meet your room steward is it ok or proper to tip him to get a little extra special care through the week figuring that he or she may get a bigger tip at the end of the week? I have already prepaid my gratuities but have read where you can tip more at the end for good service through the week.

Bars, when we go into bars locally we are very good tippers and in return we get quite a few free drinks through an evening. Do many people tip the bartenders nightly and is it possible for them to give out free drinks?

Dining room, do people tip each evening or do they wait till the end of the week to give the waiter an extra tip for good service.

Is there anyone else that we need to tip? I don't want to seem cheap! :eek:

[tak81288]

Honestly, the prepaid tip is fine. What you decide to do beyond that is up to you and everyone does it totally differently.

 

Each drink you order at the bar automatically has a 15% gratuity added to it. I have personally never giving a bartender cash outside of the 15%, but know some folks may slip their favorite bartender a few extra bucks in cash. I' ve never heard of anyone getting free drinks for tipping (alcohol sales are a huge $$ maker for the cruiseline, so getting a bunch of free drinks would be pretty difficult since they are trying to make a profit) but have heard that you may get quicker service or something if you hand your bartender a few extra bucks.

 

Most people will tip their wait staff extra and room steward at the end of the cruise to see what type of service they receive for the whole week vs. doing it nightly. Sometimes, if people have a special requests at the beginning of the cruise, they may tip they steward or whoever right then and there, but it's definitely not required.

 

I personally do prepaid the suggested gratuities and anything "extra" I do happens closer to the end of the cruise when I can evaluate the overall experience. I have never had a problem with service by not giving an extra tip or waiting to the end to do it.

 

Room service does get a tip when they deliver my order though, since I know they are not getting a portion of the prepaid.

 

The bottom line is that you tip at your discretion. The only people that are thought of as cheap are the ones that don't pay gratuities at all. Since you are prepaid, you are good to go.

 

Have a great cruise!

[paul929207]

I agree. I do not tip the staff the first day and have always gotten outstanding service.

[eh2zed]

We are exactly like tak81288. And we too have never heard of free drinks from a bar due to early gratuities.

[Langley Cruisers]

I agree. I do not tip the staff the first day and have always gotten outstanding service.

 

Absolutely agree.

 

This has been discussed here many times and a lot of people, myself included and I will say this, feel that pre-tipping your cabin attendant for services not yet performed or in expectation of additional services, is akin to paying a bribe. It is absolutely not necessary to pay your cabin attendant anything on the first day. Some people, in fact, have reported their service was not as good when they did this.

 

It just feels wrong to me, is all. It's your personal decision, of course.

[kitty9]

You're being served by persons who are from different cultures. I've had more than one crew member tell me they felt tipping on the first day was nothing more than a bribe. And believe me, if you're going to be stuck with a bad crew person, they're going to be bad whether you tip them ahead or not.

 

The main dining room is not like a regular restaurant. You really don't leave tips on the table after your meals. If you want to tip more, you can put extra cash into an envelop and give it to the person on the last night.

[LarryL]

A few questions on tipping, when you get into your cabin and meet your room steward is it ok or proper to tip him to get a little extra special care through the week figuring that he or she may get a bigger tip at the end of the week? I have already prepaid my gratuities but have read where you can tip more at the end for good service through the week.

 

Although others are correct that you can probably expect very good service, I don't think it would be out of line to present your room steward with a little extra if you let them know you may need a little extra attention during your cruise. I don't see it so much as a bribe, but an acknowledgement that you may require more of them and can make it worth their while.

 

Bars, when we go into bars locally we are very good tippers and in return we get quite a few free drinks through an evening. Do many people tip the bartenders nightly and is it possible for them to give out free drinks?

 

When we find a bar waiter/waitress or bartender who provides exceptional service we will frequently tip them extra at the end of our evening, in cash. Bars on ships are a little more controlled than land establishments so don't expect free drinks regardless of what you give them.

 

Dining room, do people tip each evening or do they wait till the end of the week to give the waiter an extra tip for good service.

 

We always give our extra tips at the end of the cruise on the last night in a marked envelope.

 

Is there anyone else that we need to tip? I don't want to seem cheap! :eek: If you send out for room service, always tip them. They are not part of the tipping pool.

 

In addition to tipping, I like to develop a rapport with the crew. They come from some very interesting parts of the world and they appreciate your genuine interest.

[navybankerteacher]

A tip given your cabin steward on the first day can be seen as an attempted bribe -- it can be seen as an insult, and is likely to be pointless in any event. A poor steward will not suddenly do good work if tipped in advance -- so why not wait till the end and give an extra tip (above the auto-tip - whichyou should leave in place) in recognition of superior service.

 

There is no way a bar-tender will slip you a free drink - drinks are a major revnue producer for the line, and they run tight controls to monitor liquor usage -- essentially auditing the bar's revenue vs. liquor usage every day. It's not like your local bar - which could be tended by an owner who is entitled to give freebies --- or which could be being robbed blind by dishonest employees who give "free" drinks in exchange for under the table payments.

[cb at sea]

Tip as expected...at the END of the cruise. Your service will be no better if you tip in advance.

The only exception is for room service delivery...you are unlikely to see that person again, so tip AT TIME of service!

[PA Beachlovers]

Thanks for all the answers! Being our first cruise we have no idea what to expect, the answers were very informative.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We too have never tipped at the beginning of a cruise. We keep on our auto-tips and then tip any extra at the end. We had anytime dining for the first (and hopefully last time) on our most recent cruise, and I did notice some diners giving the green fisted handshake at the end of a meal with the waitstaff. We didn't carry around any $ during the cruise so we didn't do this. But if there was a crew member that did something really outstanding, I would note down their name/workstation/country and fill out a made a difference card at the passenger services desk. Those can really help out at promotion or raise time.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Auto is the best way

[johneeo]

There is no way a bar-tender will slip you a free drink - drinks are a major revnue producer for the line, and they run tight controls to monitor liquor usage -- essentially auditing the bar's revenue vs. liquor usage every day.

 

There were 19 in our group, and we met on the Crown and Kettle every night, got the same waiter bartender and took care of him.

 

He would actually go and get more tables and chairs for us as more of us arrived each evening.

 

One night I bid Anthony good night, and he informed me I could not leave yet, as he needed to "buy me a drink".

 

And he did the same for others, and he took great care of us, as we did him. So, if you establish a certain bar and bartender as a regular, take care of him, you will find he will do the same.

[johneeo]

OH, yeah, I forgot.

 

Bartender at the pool bar gave me a free beer, so it happens.

[johneeo]

Also, cruise on Explorer of the Seas in 2006.

 

Our regular hangout meeting place was the casino bar.

 

Got to know the bartender very well.

 

One night I was playing on the tables. Got up, went to the bar, ordered a Coors Light. OOOOPS, they were all out. I was shocked.

 

Went back to the tables, was playing, and our bartender arranged to get some more Coors Lights, had a bucket of 4 on ice delivered to my table, NO charge.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We think the pre paid is the way to go