Tipping with Cheers Package?

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, vacruisin said:

It's up to you if you wish to tip extra.  18% gratuity is already included with each drink on Cheers.  I very rarely tip for each individual drink.  Sometimes I will tip a dollar but not too often per drink.  Not sorry for that, Cheers is pretty expensive as it is and the whole point of purchasing Cheers is for you to have your drinks AND GRATUITIES automatically covered for the duration of the cruise.

 

However, at the end of the cruise we give a nice cash tip to our room steward and a few others who have served us well over the course of the cruise.  Usually we will tip a couple of alchemist at the Alchemy bar since we tend to spend A LOT of time there.  Also our favorite barista because we love our morning coffee.  And sometimes we'll tip another bartender if they gave us exception services (like a bartender at the Atrium bar or casino bar).  

 

One time we had a server who was just incredible at taking care of us while we were having drinks at the aft pool so we tipped him better than our Room Steward!   Ole Savio made that one of our best days ever on a cruise! lol

It is not 18% of the cost of each drink like it is when you charge individual drinks. It is 18% of the CHEERS package cost and that 18% is divided between all the beverage team.  

[vacruisin]

59 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

It is not 18% of the cost of each drink like it is when you charge individual drinks. It is 18% of the CHEERS package cost and that 18% is divided between all the beverage team.  

Thanks for the explanation.  Still, I choose to not tip after every drink.  Our society has becoming "tip happy" to the point it is now EXPECTED for EVERYTHING!  Literally every time we order food online to go PICK UP there is an option for a tip...many times it's auto-populated at 15 - 20%. 

 

I mean, I'm literally ordering food and then driving to pick it up myself and a tip is expected.  Still, we tip because it's become the norm now.

 

We have a service with Frontline Pest Control where they come to spray around our house outside once a month.  We never even see the tech but after the service is complete we get a text asking us to rate the service and they recently added a tip option which is not really an option because you can't complete the survey unless you select a tip.  I mean it's the service we are paying for on a monthly contract and now we are being asked to tip.  I am willing to give the tech a 5 star rating just to be nice but I refuse to tip for a service I honestly do not even know was actually performed.  Tipping has just gotten out of hand and it's largely because everyone feels obligated to tip for EVERYTHING.  

 

We tip when we are served at restaurants and bars (and we tip very well at that) but there is a thin line between tipping for good service and tipping just to be tipping.

 

I guess it makes people feel good to tip everyone for any old thing.  Now it's EXPECTED.  To each his/her own.  

 

Edited October 19, 2022 by vacruisin
Typo

[LatinaInTexas]

I must be one heck of an unlucky person. Had the drink package last 2 cruises and yes tipped $1 on every single drink.

Didn't get recognized, better service, it better pours. I honestly never even saw anyone look to see if I even tipped. They usually just picked up my slip and others at the same time without ever glancing. 

The only one who recognized me and smiled every morning was the lady the coffee place.

Now on MSC where it's not expected to tip and we did we were treated like royalty lol.

[mz-s]

21 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

I must be one heck of an unlucky person. Had the drink package last 2 cruises and yes tipped $1 on every single drink.

Didn't get recognized, better service, it better pours. I honestly never even saw anyone look to see if I even tipped. They usually just picked up my slip and others at the same time without ever glancing. 

The only one who recognized me and smiled every morning was the lady the coffee place.

Now on MSC where it's not expected to tip and we did we were treated like royalty lol.

 

Yeah I reject the notion that you get better drinks or whatever with a tip. You should tip because you appreciate the service, not to get anything in exchange.

[LatinaInTexas]

4 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Yeah I reject the notion that you get better drinks or whatever with a tip. You should tip because you appreciate the service, not to get anything in exchange.

Yes I tipped because it was after the restart of cruising and I felt bad for the workers plus I got the drink packages for next to nothing as an offer. Going forward I would be more prone to reward those that go the extra step... a greeting, a smile, a joke maybe, nothing out of the ordinary.

[Colorado Cruzer]

We just add a buck to every drink slip they give us and if we have a very good and attentive server or bartender, we give an extra $20 or so on last night. 18% isn't even full tip % for American standards and that is only 18% on the package price.  For us, that is 5 alchemy bar drinks each to put it into perspective so the extra buck helps even it out in my mind.

Last cruise was so crowded and I'm thinking they were very short staffed in March on Panorama because none of the bartenders were good and the service on lido was very slow for drinks. I hope our Deecmber cruise on the Miracle is a better situation.

[cruisingguy007]

1 hour ago, LatinaInTexas said:

I must be one heck of an unlucky person. Had the drink package last 2 cruises and yes tipped $1 on every single drink.

Didn't get recognized, better service, it better pours. I honestly never even saw anyone look to see if I even tipped. They usually just picked up my slip and others at the same time without ever glancing. 

The only one who recognized me and smiled every morning was the lady the coffee place.

Now on MSC where it's not expected to tip and we did we were treated like royalty lol.

 

Bring cash next time, you'll notice a difference. Signing the slip gets pooled like the rest, cash goes in their pockets directly and is a direct on-the-spot reward. They can use this to buy their own drink later, for internet to connect back home or to buy sundries to make their contract more comfortable. Cash is king! 😉

Edited October 19, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[ray98]

1 hour ago, Colorado Cruzer said:

18% isn't even full tip % for American standards and that is only 18% on the package price. 

Who decided this?

[LatinaInTexas]

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Bring cash next time, you'll notice a difference. Signing the slip gets pooled like the rest, cash goes in their pockets directly and is a direct on-the-spot reward. They can use this to buy their own drink later, for internet to connect back home or to buy sundries to make their contract more comfortable. Cash is king! 😉

Good advice, wasn't aware of this, drink package newbie here. I did bring some ones but nowhere near enough so ran out. Never thought I would have ordered as many drinks as I did lol.

[cruisingguy007]

27 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Good advice, wasn't aware of this, drink package newbie here. I did bring some ones but nowhere near enough so ran out. Never thought I would have ordered as many drinks as I did lol.

 

It's very easy to do when you have the drink package lol. You can go to guest services, the casino cage (cash out some of your casino bank money or simply ask for change) or even the machines in the casino (and sometimes in other locations) that break bigger bills and get change for tip money if you run out of small bills. I usually just hit up the bank beforehand but have used those other options as well if I ran low.  

[Pellaz]

6 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Bring cash next time, you'll notice a difference. Signing the slip gets pooled like the rest, cash goes in their pockets directly and is a direct on-the-spot reward. They can use this to buy their own drink later, for internet to connect back home or to buy sundries to make their contract more comfortable. Cash is king! 😉

 

Sorry, that is incorrect.  If you put a tip on a drink receipt, it goes to the bartender or barista named on the receipt.  I asked three different bartenders about this and they all confirmed that they DO get their written-in tips.    

 

Having said that, cash IS king.  If you're carrying it, sure, go ahead and use it.  In most cases on the ship, though, I don't have my wallet with me; it "lives" in the stateroom safe.  

 

Edited October 20, 2022 by Pellaz

[cruisingguy007]

Just now, Pellaz said:

 

Sorry, that is incorrect.  If you put a tip on a drink receipt, it goes to the bartender or barista named on the receipt.  I asked three different bartenders about this and they all confirmed that they DO get the written-in tips.    

 

Having said that, cash IS king.  If you're carrying it, sure, go ahead and use it.  In most cases on the ship, though, I don't have my wallet with me; it "lives" in the stateroom safe.  

 

 

They may get it, just not all of it. So if you don't ask specifically and without confusion or ambiguity, I can see it getting lost in translation and them answering in the affirmative. Cash goes in the pocket, the slips go in a stack with the rest. 

[sparks1093]

16 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

We usually tip $1 for two drinks on the drink package since we've prepaid gratuities at 18% rate.  IF i'm in the casino and on a mini-roll (ie not losing rapidly) i'll tip a buck a drink.  

 

almost always get speedy service...i don't think too many others are "extra" tipping.  

I am an observer of people and when I'm sitting at the bar I tend to pay attention to what people are doing. I don't have a hard count but it's certainly well under 50% of the patrons leave extra.

[vacruisin]

2 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I am an observer of people and when I'm sitting at the bar I tend to pay attention to what people are doing. I don't have a hard count but it's certainly well under 50% of the patrons leave extra.

I agree.  For all the people on CC who say they leave tips, I sure don't witness too many people tipping when I'm onboard.  I guess all the tippers come to CC to brag about it. 🙄

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, vacruisin said:

I agree.  For all the people on CC who say they leave tips, I sure don't witness too many people tipping when I'm onboard.  I guess all the tippers come to CC to brag about it. 🙄

I don't doubt anyone. CC represents such a small percentage of cruisers that anything we do isn't necessarily mirrored by the rest of the cruising public (who may not be aware that they are able to leave additional tips because they've never read a hot debate about it).

[ray98]

1 hour ago, vacruisin said:

I agree.  For all the people on CC who say they leave tips, I sure don't witness too many people tipping when I'm onboard.  I guess all the tippers come to CC to brag about it. 🙄

 

I've noticed the same.  On the internet most seem to be to busy handing out $20's to even enjoy the cruise.  Everyone on here for example tips extra with every drink.  In my real life of many many (probably too many) hours sitting at a bar people watching I would say it is less than 10%.

[Mic101680]

On 10/18/2022 at 9:07 PM, keels81 said:

But another thing to keep in mind is that your servers on the pool decks/Serenity are often also your servers in the Punchliner/Theater/Casino and a little tip goes a long way in them recognizing you and seeking you out when things get really crowded for shows and the like.

 This is VERY true! There were 4 of us on our last cruise, and we spent the majority of our time by the pool. We gave the server a $20 tip on the first day, and he took very good care of us the entire rest of the cruise - would even come from the opposite end of the theater when he saw us come in for a show and be the first one to greet us. He would check on us regularly, but not to where it was annoying, we never had to wait more than about 5-ish minutes for a drink once it was ordered, and he regularly brought me ice for my water bottle without me ever asking for it (I was fine without the ice, but it was thoughtful and as it melted, I had to get up less often for refills).

I also added an additional $1-2 for each drink I ordered, and we gave him a little extra again at the end of the cruise because he just went above and beyond for us. I think with 1 exception (and outside the dining room), we only ordered drinks from him the entire cruise.

 

We did the same with a bartender at the atrium bar on a different cruise a few years back, and not only did the drinks get significantly better, but even if the bar was totally slammed, she would come to us first when she saw us.

 

That said, I have still had good service without giving extra tips, and with 18% already added on, you shouldn't feel any guilt about not adding extra if you don't want to.

[Elaine5715]

On 10/19/2022 at 4:32 PM, vacruisin said:

Thanks for the explanation.  Still, I choose to not tip after every drink.  Our society has becoming "tip happy" to the point it is now EXPECTED for EVERYTHING!  Literally every time we order food online to go PICK UP there is an option for a tip...many times it's auto-populated at 15 - 20%. 

 

I mean, I'm literally ordering food and then driving to pick it up myself and a tip is expected.  Still, we tip because it's become the norm now.

 

We have a service with Frontline Pest Control where they come to spray around our house outside once a month.  We never even see the tech but after the service is complete we get a text asking us to rate the service and they recently added a tip option which is not really an option because you can't complete the survey unless you select a tip.  I mean it's the service we are paying for on a monthly contract and now we are being asked to tip.  I am willing to give the tech a 5 star rating just to be nice but I refuse to tip for a service I honestly do not even know was actually performed.  Tipping has just gotten out of hand and it's largely because everyone feels obligated to tip for EVERYTHING.  

 

We tip when we are served at restaurants and bars (and we tip very well at that) but there is a thin line between tipping for good service and tipping just to be tipping.

 

I guess it makes people feel good to tip everyone for any old thing.  Now it's EXPECTED.  To each his/her own.  

 

What does "tip culture" have to do with crew members on cruise ships?  What you pay for pest control could put a crew member's children through a year of school and you elect to punish cruise line wait staff by withholding a few bucks?  

[Elaine5715]

On 10/20/2022 at 6:10 AM, sparks1093 said:

I am an observer of people and when I'm sitting at the bar I tend to pay attention to what people are doing. I don't have a hard count but it's certainly well under 50% of the patrons leave extra.

Even less at the coffee bar after with a straight face as they ordered  up a  grande Caramel macchiato in a venti cup, 1/3 whole milk, 1/3 almond milk, 1/3 soy milk, double the amount of vanilla syrup, caramel wall in the cup, no caramel drizzle on top, upside down, tall cup ice, whipped cream, rounded lid, 1 shot extra espresso (decaf), cinnamon sprinkled on top drink.  

[Elaine5715]

On 10/18/2022 at 10:07 PM, keels81 said:

 

 

But another thing to keep in mind is that your servers on the pool decks/Serenity are often also your servers in the Punchliner/Theater/Casino and a little tip goes a long way in them recognizing you and seeking you out when things get really crowded for shows and the like.

This is very true especially at the past guest parties.  I am also recognized by crew members from past cruises.  Is that because of my tips, my happy face or my Eastern European last name?   Don't know.

[n6uqqq]

On 10/19/2022 at 1:32 PM, vacruisin said:

Thanks for the explanation.  Still, I choose to not tip after every drink.  Our society has becoming "tip happy" to the point it is now EXPECTED for EVERYTHING!  Literally every time we order food online to go PICK UP there is an option for a tip...many times it's auto-populated at 15 - 20%. 

 

I mean, I'm literally ordering food and then driving to pick it up myself and a tip is expected.  Still, we tip because it's become the norm now.

 

We have a service with Frontline Pest Control where they come to spray around our house outside once a month.  We never even see the tech but after the service is complete we get a text asking us to rate the service and they recently added a tip option which is not really an option because you can't complete the survey unless you select a tip.  I mean it's the service we are paying for on a monthly contract and now we are being asked to tip.  I am willing to give the tech a 5 star rating just to be nice but I refuse to tip for a service I honestly do not even know was actually performed.  Tipping has just gotten out of hand and it's largely because everyone feels obligated to tip for EVERYTHING.  

 

We tip when we are served at restaurants and bars (and we tip very well at that) but there is a thin line between tipping for good service and tipping just to be tipping.

 

I guess it makes people feel good to tip everyone for any old thing.  Now it's EXPECTED.  To each his/her own.  

 

You are correct. Tipping is now a great way to virtue signal. I feel the 18 percent added to drinks to be quite adequate. What cracks me up is seeing tip jars at drive thru fast food restaurants. Things are out of hand 😉 

[Super27]

I always tip $1/drink on the receipt, and then if I stay at a bar awhile or have the same server for awhile I'll give them extra cash here and there.

 

That said, I would never judge anyone who chooses not to do an additional tip. Carnival VERY clearly states that gratuity is included with Cheers, so I don't think there is any expectation to add more. The reason that I personally choose to do so is that I have always had exceptionally good service from the staff on Carnival ships. In my mind, these folks are often working a lot harder and taking care of a lot more customers per shift than their counterparts in a land-based bar or restaurant, and they are so friendly and outgoing, in my mind if 18% is "standard" on land, I'm willing to do more because I feel that the service I receive on Carnival is worth it.

[sweaver69]

Tipping is immoral. 

I am already forced to "tip" 18%.

 

Either it's a fair wage, or don't work for them. Pretty simple. 

 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, sweaver69 said:

Tipping is immoral. 

I am already forced to "tip" 18%.

 

Either it's a fair wage, or don't work for them. Pretty simple. 

 

How do you feel about someone working on commission? Because tipped employees are commissioned employees with the commission being paid by the customer when all is said and done.

[Thenagers]

On 10/19/2022 at 4:32 PM, vacruisin said:

Thanks for the explanation.  Still, I choose to not tip after every drink.  Our society has becoming "tip happy" to the point it is now EXPECTED for EVERYTHING!  Literally every time we order food online to go PICK UP there is an option for a tip...many times it's auto-populated at 15 - 20%. 

 

I mean, I'm literally ordering food and then driving to pick it up myself and a tip is expected.  Still, we tip because it's become the norm now.

 

We have a service with Frontline Pest Control where they come to spray around our house outside once a month.  We never even see the tech but after the service is complete we get a text asking us to rate the service and they recently added a tip option which is not really an option because you can't complete the survey unless you select a tip.  I mean it's the service we are paying for on a monthly contract and now we are being asked to tip.  I am willing to give the tech a 5 star rating just to be nice but I refuse to tip for a service I honestly do not even know was actually performed.  Tipping has just gotten out of hand and it's largely because everyone feels obligated to tip for EVERYTHING.  

 

We tip when we are served at restaurants and bars (and we tip very well at that) but there is a thin line between tipping for good service and tipping just to be tipping.

 

I guess it makes people feel good to tip everyone for any old thing.  Now it's EXPECTED.  To each his/her own.  

 

I think tipping has gotten out of control since the service industry was having a hard time finding employees? I am amazed at the counter service places that now ask for a tip? And many have a default setting? If they bring it to you at the table, maybe I understand but otherwise it is just there so the employar can pass off the need to pay more. I usually tip 1-2 on top of every drink on my cruises but definitely more if they bring it to me. I am glad Carnival is starting to get soda machines on lido. It was crazy how the bartenders had to get everyone sodas. Little kids at the bars and all.