Bar Tips On Cruise Card or Cash?

[JB3]

We will soon be sailing on our first X cruise.

On other cruises, we have almost always

left an extra tip above the automatic 15% that is put on the bill.

We have always added this on to our cruise card. I have

recently read that the bar staff do not get to keep that extra $,

and that it's better to tip in cash. Hate to have to carry cash around,

but if this is true, I'd rather do that so the servers will get the $.

The bar servers, however, have always seemed to really appreciate

the extra tips--so I wonder if this is the case.

Anyone know? Opinions on this? Thanks very much!

[The Mexillents]

Every time that I have left extra tip on X I did see that it went to the person I intended it for. Sometimes I think the staff would rather have that cash in hand and not coming from the company. Since beverage server and bartenders probably make less in tips than the dining room servers. For my convenience I still only leave it on the check.

[keithm]

Every time that I have left extra tip on X I did see that it went to the person I intended it for. Sometimes I think the staff would rather have that cash in hand and not coming from the company. Since beverage server and bartenders probably make less in tips than the dining room servers. For my convenience I still only leave it on the check.

I'm not so sure they make less in tips..Remember that "lots" of pax will be buying drinks, and those smaller amounts could really add up over the full voyage.

[Phxazzcruisers]

We always leave it on the card by adding extra tip to the bill. If we get exceptional service from someone, we mention their name on the comment card at the end and give them some extra cash at the end of the voyage

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

I believe that if you add extra tip to the check that the monies go into the tip pool for the bartenders and bar waiters. It is then divided by some magical formula kept locked away in a old mayonnaise jar. Bartenders have told me that they are suppose to turn in the cash tips so they can be included in the tip pool. I am not sure how many actually do so.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[excitedofharpenden]

Personally I never leave a tip each time I buy a drink. I rely on the 15% that is automatically added. If I have had great service from certain bar staff then I discreetly give them cash in one go at the end of the cruise.

 

Phil

[matcris77381]

We spent 6 weeks on Millie last summer and got to know our servers fairly well. I asked several about the extra dollar I tip per drink. They all said that the included 15% is pooled among all bar staff, while anything extra does indeed go to the particular server.

I was also told that when you are sailing with a drink package, the more times a server scans your card for your drinks, the greater their portion of the tip pool.

This makes sense, as I have sailed with both the package and without, and always found service to be prompt and friendly. YMMV.

[20pluscruises]

We asked the bartender two weeks ago....he said on the card or cash is fine...we pushed him....cash is always better.

 

What we didn't ask and thought about later...I noticed the cash tips NEVER went in any of their pockets but set on the counter next to the cash register.

 

Spring of 2013 the tips would go into their pockets. Something has changed in the last 7 months.

 

The only thing I could come up with is....cash tips are most likely now pooled...and cash is better as they may deduct the (if used) small AMEX charge. I know one of the nearby restaurants here deducts the small AMEX charge from the wait staffs tips. ...and I don't like it either

Edited January 12, 2014 by 20pluscruises

[Lois R]

Personally I never leave a tip each time I buy a drink. I rely on the 15% that is automatically added. If I have had great service from certain bar staff then I discreetly give them cash in one go at the end of the cruise.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil:) I do the same thing.....the bill has 15% on it. When the

end of the cruise is nearing, if I have a favorite bartender and/or

server who has especially helped me? I take care of them in cash

on the last evening.

[JB3]

We always leave it on the card by adding extra tip to the bill. If we get exceptional service from someone, we mention their name on the comment card at the end and give them some extra cash at the end of the voyage

 

Thanks, all of you, for your responses. : )

 

Phaxazzcruisers, this is exactly what we do also. From all that I'm reading here, I

think we will continue to do the same.

 

We will have the classic non-alcoholic drink package this cruise as part of our

123 Go promo, and the 15% is included. I'm guessing that they will still

scan the card when we get pop, and special coffee, etc. Then they will get

the 15% that's included, and we can put an extra tip on top of that?

[Lois R]

Thanks, all of you, for your responses. : )

 

Phaxazzcruisers, this is exactly what we do also. From all that I'm reading here, I

think we will continue to do the same.

 

We will have the classic non-alcoholic drink package this cruise as part of our

123 Go promo, and the 15% is included. I'm guessing that they will still

scan the card when we get pop, and special coffee, etc. Then they will get

the 15% that's included, and we can put an extra tip on top of that?

 

Hi, yes, you may add however you much you want to the bill. There

is a line on there _______________ to add whatever you choose.

 

Oh with the package, there is no receipt.....not sure how your extra

tips would be done.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Lois R

[parallax]

On our last cruise, we took a wad of singles with us. We had the premium package and gave a dollar tip each time we obtained a drink. I guess it is all our times in Vegas that has us thinking this way. This little extra incentive worked wonders. Every bartender and drink server were appreciative and we never had to wait for drinks. At the end, we gave an extra few dollars to particular bartenders we frequented.

[Azulann]

Lois is right, no paper receipt if you have a beverage package.

They just take your seapass and bring you the drink,

Now if you become a "regular" at a particular bar, the waiter will know you and he already has your number.

So Mario, in the Susnet bar on the Constellaiton, would just ask us when we appeared," How are you today, the usual?" yes, we would say and the glasses of wine would appear. :)We tipped Mario in cash the last night of our cruise.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Azulann

[jgnova]

I've always handed an extra $1/drink to the waiter - and tried to use the same bar as much as possible - in the hope the server would recognize me and might be a little faster. Not sure it's done much given how little we drink. Used to notice it in the Champagne bar on Mercury when we went every night after dinner to hear the pianist - or in Cova Cafe to hear the string trio. But since =X= has dropped those entertainment options our bar bill is much lower. In the MDR when we had regular seating, we'd tip at the end - for select I prefer to give them something extra each meal.

 

j

[JB3]

Hi, yes, you may add however you much you want to the bill. There

is a line on there _______________ to add whatever you choose.

 

Oh with the package, there is no receipt.....not sure how your extra

tips would be done.

 

Thanks... if there's no receipt when we go to get some specialty coffees, I guess it'll be

best if we take some singles with us. Although, supposedly 15% is included in our drink package, so I'm hoping that the servers get that at least.

Other times if I get a pop, we'd possibly be getting other drinks as well. I suppose we'll just see how it goes then.

[Lois R]

Thanks... if there's no receipt when we go to get some specialty coffees, I guess it'll be

best if we take some singles with us. Although, supposedly 15% is included in our drink package, so I'm hoping that the servers get that at least.

Other times if I get a pop, we'd possibly be getting other drinks as well. I suppose we'll just see how it goes then.

 

Hi, the 15% is not "supposedly" included...It IS included;). Again,

if you feel someone has gone above and beyond for you? They

are very appreciative if you choose to give some extra cash.

[Tiggertastic]

we noticed at the martini bar that they placed the cash in a tub next to the till - even at the end when we handed over $20 bills to the ones that really deserved the extra, they got shared

[alaskagirl3]

On our last cruise, we took a wad of singles with us. We had the premium package and gave a dollar tip each time we obtained a drink. I guess it is all our times in Vegas that has us thinking this way. This little extra incentive worked wonders. Every bartender and drink server were appreciative and we never had to wait for drinks. At the end, we gave an extra few dollars to particular bartenders we frequented.

 

I will be cruising with a couple friends--we all have been to Vegas together and they taught me the ropes of tipping well! (tip the drink person, tip the dealer, put out a bet for the dealer on a big hand, etc.) Gotta love that money flow! We have the classic drink package--LOVE IT!! I have been told to bring a wad of singles as well. :D

[LandlockedinTexas]

We are creatures of habit. Select dining with same wait staff each night(if possible), wine pairings at dinner, specialty coffee, drinks as part of the Classic Bev package, Elite daily brunch and Elite evening cocktail event. The staff works hard and we tip an additional $1 cash per drink plus more to the dining room hostess, waiter, asst. waiter and wine steward and our cabin crew. We tip additional to thank the staff for their service above what the cruise line pays. An extra 2% or so of the cruise cost is little as compared to the service we receive and thanking the staff we enjoy being with. It is fun when you see a staff person on a future cruise and he/she remembers your name, favorite drink, wine or dessert. It happens.

[sswright]

We always tip an extra $1 in cash per drink, have had the premium beverage package the last 4 cruises. We were having lunch at Bistro on 5 with some new friends on embarkation day on a cruise last year and the sommelier from the cellar masters spotted me and came over to ask how we were doing. We stop there every night for a glass of wine prior to dinner. I have to believe frequency and extra tipping were the reason.

[20pluscruises]

we noticed at the martini bar that they placed the cash in a tub next to the till - even at the end when we handed over $20 bills to the ones that really deserved the extra, they got shared

 

Is there a way to get arond the sharing of tips....the last one I wanted sharing in the martini bar tips was "Oscar the Grouch". Other than getting an actual home address how can this be handled?

[parallax]

I agree that consistent tipping gets you remembered and also results consistent service. At dinner each night, the sommelier would take the time and recommend various types of wine by what we eating for dinner that night. He would always make sure that our wine glasses were always full. After dinner and dropping our daughter at the kids club, we would usually go to the casino bar and they would start preparing our drinks as they saw us walk in. When we were on the Summit, we would go down every morning to Cafe Al Bacio to get speciality coffee, water etc. We usually saw the captain each morning at the Cafe and he liked to talked to my daughter because he girl about the same age. He noticed that we always tipped when we got our drinks and he thanked us for doing that. He mentioned that the bartenders and waitstaff work so hard and that while a few dollars here or there might not mean much to us, it it really appreciated by them.

[RMSeadog]

Hi, yes, you may add however you much you want to the bill. There

is a line on there _______________ to add whatever you choose.

 

Oh with the package, there is no receipt.....not sure how your extra

tips would be done.

 

If you are on the package and don't a receipt, ask your server for a Zero Check. They should bring a receipt with $0.0 charges and the servers name on it fill in the extra tip like Lois has provided above when ever you like. I do it at the end of the cruise. ~ Rick

[sswright]

I agree that consistent tipping gets you remembered and also results consistent service. At dinner each night, the sommelier would take the time and recommend various types of wine by what we eating for dinner that night. He would always make sure that our wine glasses were always full. After dinner and dropping our daughter at the kids club, we would usually go to the casino bar and they would start preparing our drinks as they saw us walk in. When we were on the Summit, we would go down every morning to Cafe Al Bacio to get speciality coffee, water etc. We usually saw the captain each morning at the Cafe and he liked to talked to my daughter because he girl about the same age. He noticed that we always tipped when we got our drinks and he thanked us for doing that. He mentioned that the bartenders and waitstaff work so hard and that while a few dollars here or there might not mean much to us, it it really appreciated by them.

 

Thanks for posting this I am glad to know this comment. I start collecting one dollar bills well before the cruise. It is fairly easy to collect a one here and there and then bless others with it.

[Wine-O]

Thanks for posting this I am glad to know this comment. I start collecting one dollar bills well before the cruise. It is fairly easy to collect a one here and there and then bless others with it.

 

When you need $1 bills, just go down to Guest Relations or the Casino cashier and get them.