Drink Tips

[Rosedeanne]

I am confused re: tipping for drinks. We have pre-paid our tips for our cruise, obviously this doesn't include drinks. Does the tip get added onto the price of the drink or do we need to add an extra 15 - 18% on the price of the drink?

 

Confused Aussie!

Thanks.

[Merion_Mom]

I am confused re: tipping for drinks. We have pre-paid our tips for our cruise, obviously this doesn't include drinks. Does the tip get added onto the price of the drink or do we need to add an extra 15 - 18% on the price of the drink?

 

Confused Aussie!

Thanks.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Whenever you order a drink, you will receive a slip to sign, a charge slip.

 

You will see the price of your drink and on a separate line, 15% gratuity.

 

There will be a line to add additional gratuity if you wish.

 

Or you can just sign the slip as it is.

 

:)

[Albert Ross]

I am confused re: tipping for drinks. We have pre-paid our tips for our cruise, obviously this doesn't include drinks. Does the tip get added onto the price of the drink or do we need to add an extra 15 - 18% on the price of the drink?

 

Confused Aussie!

Thanks.

The prepaid tips cover your room steward, table waiters etc. Whenever you buy a drink there will be an automatic 15% service charge added. You just sign at the bottom.

[fdthird]

We felt that many of the drink persons did a very good job for us so almost always added another dollar or two to the tip line. If it cost us $100 for the whole week it was a lot and based on what we were spending for the week, hardly nothing!

[Sequim88]

There will be a line to add additional gratuity if you wish.

 

And if you frequent a particular venue and get to know the server or bartender this is a good thing to do. Just an extra dollar goes a LONG way towards more attentive service and in my experience more generous pours. At bars where you don't go often or are drinking beer (standard size due to bottle) then extra tipping is not necessary but elsewhere it can be a good investment.

[Kviolasr]

Funny story.

 

We treated my son and daughter, plus their significant others, to an all expenses paid RCCL cruise a couple of years ago. Think it was the AOS. My daughter was already a cruising pro, this was my son's first cruise.

 

I forgot to tell my son about the automatic gratuity added to all bar tabs, so of course he was adding another 18% to every bill (being paid by, but obviously not very closely monitored by, yours truly).

 

By the middle of the cruise, I noticed that almost every bartender on board was falling all over themselves to to wait on my son (we couldn't walk down the Royal Promonade without my son getting a couple of high fives from the bartenders on duty). Of course my DW thought it was my son's charming demeanor, I immedeately asked him about the tips.....

[pcur]

Funny story.

 

We treated my son and daughter, plus their significant others, to an all expenses paid RCCL cruise a couple of years ago. Think it was the AOS. My daughter was already a cruising pro, this was my son's first cruise.

 

I forgot to tell my son about the automatic gratuity added to all bar tabs, so of course he was adding another 18% to every bill (being paid by, but obviously not very closely monitored by, yours truly).

 

By the middle of the cruise, I noticed that almost every bartender on board was falling all over themselves to to wait on my son (we couldn't walk down the Royal Promonade without my son getting a couple of high fives from the bartenders on duty). Of course my DW thought it was my son's charming demeanor, I immedeately asked him about the tips.....

 

Same thing happened to my oldest son on our family cruise in 2008. I thought it was because he's always EVERYBODY'S friend wherever he goes, but then on the last night I found out he and his younger bro were both adding money to the receipt. When I told them the 15% was already added, they shrugged and said the guys and gals serving the drinks deserved the extra $$.

[sailingawaysoon]

Also, be careful to ask for your drink in the regular glass. In some cases they will automatically put it in a souviner glass and that's yours to keep. Apparently a lot of people don't know this and finish their drink and leave the glasses on the table. If you get your drink in a souviner glass it will cost a little more. We actually intentionally ordered a few in this specialty glass because we wanted the glasses for our collection at home. The drink of the day glasses and the martini glasses are very nice.

 

I also agree w/other posters about adding a little extra to the tip. We do this in the bars we frequent more often and it does go a long way!

[fdthird]

Well, for what it cost them by adding a little extra tip, sounds like they got a heck of a payback! Sounds like money well spent to me!!

[Maeshel]

Just returned from my 2nd cruise last week. My first cruise in 2006, I don't remember the automatic 15% tip charge.

 

How I handled it. If I went to the bar to get my drink, just signed the bill. Didn't feel that the bartender deserved a 15% tip at the price of the drinks. Call me cheap. I don't care. At dining I also didn't give any additional tips. Felt it was part of the dinnig experience. Call me cheapskate again.

 

If we were at a show or sitting on a deck chair and the waiter came around, I would give an additional dollar. The waiter did some work for me.

 

I wonder how the tipping works. Does the waiter get my dollar for his/her excellent service or does all the bar service tip dollars go into a big slash fund to be devided between al members of the group?

[Merion_Mom]

Well, for what it cost them by adding a little extra tip, sounds like they got a heck of a payback! Sounds like money well spent to me!!

 

I think that the point being made is that the "generous tippers" were NOT the account payers! It's very easy to be generous with someone else's money!

 

:eek: :eek: :eek:

[charliegirlac]

I am confused re: tipping for drinks. We have pre-paid our tips for our cruise, obviously this doesn't include drinks. Does the tip get added onto the price of the drink or do we need to add an extra 15 - 18% on the price of the drink?

 

Confused Aussie!

Thanks.

 

As fellow Aussies I know how confusing it can be! We always buy the soft drink package and the tip is included in that. On out last couple of cruises we took our drinks and were happy to just sign the form with the included tip on it, as i think 15% is a good enough tip for getting me a drink. However, on the Serenade a couple of years ago there was a bar tender at the schooner bar who was simply brilliant. I like diet coke (a slice of lemon is always an added bonus!) and every time i walked in to the bar (even just passing through), by the time i got to the bar, there was a diet coke sitting on the bar with a slice of lemon in it. Without fail. He knew I was on the soda card and so he wasnt getting any thing extra, he just went the extra mile. On the last day I went and asked for a drink that i had to pay for and added a big tip.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[Big Kev]

As fellow Aussies I know how confusing it can be! We always buy the soft drink package and the tip is included in that. On out last couple of cruises we took our drinks and were happy to just sign the form with the included tip on it, as i think 15% is a good enough tip for getting me a drink. However, on the Serenade a couple of years ago there was a bar tender at the schooner bar who was simply brilliant. I like diet coke (a slice of lemon is always an added bonus!) and every time i walked in to the bar (even just passing through), by the time i got to the bar, there was a diet coke sitting on the bar with a slice of lemon in it. Without fail. He knew I was on the soda card and so he wasnt getting any thing extra, he just went the extra mile. On the last day I went and asked for a drink that i had to pay for and added a big tip.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

 

 

 

Nice Post charliegirlac

 

I am being very disheartened by reading some of the posts that are placed on these forums by fellow Australians.

 

Some cannot accept that they are cruising on International ships that are crewed by contracted service people who remain on the ship for 6-9 months at a time; work for tips, and that is the way things are done wherever the ship is the time.

 

I have read that Aussies have actually lined up at pursers desks to remove gratuities, but they also have no complaint about the service provided!!!

 

When the UGLY AUSTRALIAN comes out in these posts, I feel hurt and embarrased by the ignorance..

 

I think many new Aussie Cruisers need educating, or need to stick to the Ferry Ships permanantly based here..

 

Cruiseline websites already have tipping guidelines included, and any-one who uses these forums are obviously ""internet savy", so there are no excuses -- just lousy-ness !!!

 

Now vented .. Thanks for enthusing us say it more bluntly, fellow Aussie:)

 

 

S and P

[Cruisegirl6]

We always find our favorite bar and favorite two bartenders and tip them extra but we never put it on the account as they have to share those tips we hand the tip cash personally to the bartender.

[dzcruisers]

I am confused re: tipping for drinks. We have pre-paid our tips for our cruise, obviously this doesn't include drinks. Does the tip get added onto the price of the drink or do we need to add an extra 15 - 18% on the price of the drink?

 

Confused Aussie!

Thanks.

 

The tip will automatically be added to the price of your drink. All you have to do is sign. Anywhere a tip is expected it will automatically be added to your bill.

Only if you think the service has been above and beyond do you need to add extra tips. You have already prepaid your other gratuities.

[cotton93]

Nice Post charliegirlac

 

I am being very disheartened by reading some of the posts that are placed on these forums by fellow Australians.

 

Some cannot accept that they are cruising on International ships that are crewed by contracted service people who remain on the ship for 6-9 months at a time; work for tips, and that is the way things are done wherever the ship is the time.

 

I have read that Aussies have actually lined up at pursers desks to remove gratuities, but they also have no complaint about the service provided!!!

 

When the UGLY AUSTRALIAN comes out in these posts, I feel hurt and embarrased by the ignorance..

 

I think many new Aussie Cruisers need educating, or need to stick to the Ferry Ships permanantly based here..

 

Cruiseline websites already have tipping guidelines included, and any-one who uses these forums are obviously ""internet savy", so there are no excuses -- just lousy-ness !!!

 

Now vented .. Thanks for enthusing us say it more bluntly, fellow Aussie:)

 

 

S and P

 

Well said ..... couldn't agree more. :)

I personally don't get caught up in those posts !!!!!!

[cotton93]

I am confused re: tipping for drinks. We have pre-paid our tips for our cruise, obviously this doesn't include drinks. Does the tip get added onto the price of the drink or do we need to add an extra 15 - 18% on the price of the drink?

 

Confused Aussie!

Thanks.

 

From one Aussie to another ..... what ship are you sailing on and where to?

On our recent Rhapsody South Pacific cruise in February, we noticed they had removed the automatic 15% gratuity from bar purchases. Talking to the bartenders in Schooner Bar they told us whilst sailing in Australia the drink prices included the gratuity ......... at the end of the cruise we still tipped our regular bar tenders in cash.

Reckon this all happened because P&O and Princess removed the gratuities down here.

[mrparkland]

The 15% tip is added automatically. You can add on a dollar or two if you want to.

 

From what i heard the waiters, bartenders rely heavily on tips.

 

The cruise line pays them very little and provides them room and board.

 

90% of the money that they make is based upon the tips.

 

I had a long conversation with one of the waiters and he

gave me the inside story.

 

They work 10 to 12 hours a day.

[Trainman-2]

I use the US Presidential $1 coins for additional tips.

 

 

I drink a lot of soda and buy a soda card.

 

When a bartender takes the time to get me a soda, he is taking time away from another customer who might buy a drink and leave him a tip. So I always lay down a $1 coin every time I get a soda. I do the same when I buy a mixed drink at my favorite bar.

 

My service improves and I feel good for not a lot of extra money.

[onyourtoes]

And if you frequent a particular venue and get to know the server or bartender this is a good thing to do. Just an extra dollar goes a LONG way towards more attentive service and in my experience more generous pours. At bars where you don't go often or are drinking beer (standard size due to bottle) then extra tipping is not necessary but elsewhere it can be a good investment.

 

 

Don't forget, though, anything you add "extra" on the line goes into the tip jar to be divided among all the bar tenders. If you want to give a bartender a little extra for doing a particularly good job, it's best to give the money directly to him/her.

[insulationbabe]

My husband prefers a can on tonic water to take back to the cabin in the evening so he just tips the bartender - because he gets the soda package and will be given a can instead of a glass

We also go into the concierge lounge and they are so good in there as well, I usually get a can of gingerale to take back to the cabin - ginger pills help but a good old sip of gingerale sure helps a lot:)

[funfamilyfun]

I am just curious why you just don't put down a dollar bill? I would think it is easier to spend? I never even see $1 coins in the USA? I do think tipping the dollar is a great idea, I just wonder why it isn't a bill? I would also think they might think you are leaving them a quarter?

 

 

I use the US Presidential $1 coins for additional tips.

 

 

I drink a lot of soda and buy a soda card.

 

When a bartender takes the time to get me a soda, he is taking time away from another customer who might buy a drink and leave him a tip. So I always lay down a $1 coin every time I get a soda. I do the same when I buy a mixed drink at my favorite bar.

 

My service improves and I feel good for not a lot of extra money.