What's the Carnival bartender's expectation?

[mz-s]

8 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

The only drinks with the 18% are those charged to the S&S individually.  

 

Drinks purchased under a beverage program have an automatic gratuity attached to them as well.

[TigerWoodsLibido]

I have some OBC saved up and I wasn't sure where to ask this but is it a daily 15 alcoholic drink maximum without the package?

[bstel]

15 minutes ago, TigerWoodsLibido said:

I have some OBC saved up and I wasn't sure where to ask this but is it a daily 15 alcoholic drink maximum without the package?

yes

[bstel]

21 hours ago, nc762shooter said:

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

I would agree.  I think that is not because everyone is trying to make you believe that, but the fact that Cruise Critic doesn't represent the standard distribution of Carnival guests.  This site is filled with more older, experienced cruisers with higher loyalty status, so it skews that way.

 

Based on spending many hours sitting at bars on cruise ships, and being an avid people watcher, I would say extra tipping, on Carnival, is definitely not the norm.

 

But I usually give a few extra bucks throughout the day, and more times than not, when that bartender sees me, the drink is made, before others who were there before me.

[StephPS79]

23 minutes ago, TigerWoodsLibido said:

I have some OBC saved up and I wasn't sure where to ask this but is it a daily 15 alcoholic drink maximum without the package?

 

The only place in the beverage policy that specifies 15 drinks is under the Cheers Program Restrictions.  The assumption is it is 15 drinks regardless, but I haven't been able to find confirmation of this, other than word of mouth, including the mouth of the brand ambassador.  He says a lot of things though.

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Drinks purchased under a beverage program have an automatic gratuity attached to them as well.

Not 18% per drink that is received by the person making the drink.  

[mz-s]

53 minutes ago, Elaine5715 said:

Not 18% per drink that is received by the person making the drink.  

 

True, but they still get their share of the pool.

[nc762shooter]

I will almost always tip extra on a drink that requires more time/effort to prepare than say just a neat pour of whiskey or a rum and coke or being handed a bottle of beer. I don't feel bad about not always tipping extra on something that takes less than 10 seconds to prepare.

[VentureMan_2000]

While you pay an 18% surcharge for gratuities for the full Cheers package daily price, or $10.80, after 5 drinks, the gratuity percentage declines significantly.  So, if you have 10 drinks, then you are only TIPing half that amount, or 9%.

 

Drinks	Price	TIP %
1	$12	90.00%
2	$12	45.00%
3	$12	30.00%
4	$12	22.50%
5	$12	18.00%
6	$12	15.00%
7	$12	12.86%
8	$12	11.25%
9	$12	10.00%
10	$12	9.00%
11	$12	8.18%
12	$12	7.50%
13	$12	6.92%
14	$12	6.43%
15	$12	6.00%

Edited April 30 by VentureMan_2000

[Elaine5715]

7 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Drinks purchased under a beverage program have an automatic gratuity attached to them as well.

If I have CHEERS, I pay $10.79 per day for gratuities on the package total.  If I pay for each drink individually at Alchemy for my 5 Peach Cosmos, I am paying $12.60 in tips.  

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

While you pay an 18% surcharge for gratuities for the full Cheers package daily price, or $10.80, after 5 drinks, the gratuity percentage declines significantly.  So, if you have 10 drinks, then you are only TIPing half that amount, or 9%.

 

Drinks	Price	TIP %
1	$12	90.00%
2	$12	45.00%
3	$12	30.00%
4	$12	22.50%
5	$12	18.00%
6	$12	15.00%
7	$12	12.86%
8	$12	11.25%
9	$12	10.00%
10	$12	9.00%
11	$12	8.18%
12	$12	7.50%
13	$12	6.92%
14	$12	6.43%
15	$12	6.00%

The real savings for most people is what they save in grats by buying CHEERS.

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

True, but they still get their share of the pool.

They will get that share whether they make the drink or not

[jimbo5544]

16 hours ago, bstel said:

I would agree.  I think that is not because everyone is trying to make you believe that, but the fact that Cruise Critic doesn't represent the standard distribution of Carnival guests.  This site is filled with more older, experienced cruisers with higher loyalty status, so it skews that way.

 

Based on spending many hours sitting at bars on cruise ships, and being an avid people watcher, I would say extra tipping, on Carnival, is definitely not the norm.

 

But I usually give a few extra bucks throughout the day, and more times than not, when that bartender sees me, the drink is made, before others who were there before me.

We do not get cheers, it simply does not work for us.  That said, we cruise with fairly large groups that almost exclusively use cheers.  Our experience is they almost ALWAYS tip exptra and these people mostly fit in the age groups you describe.   

[jimbo5544]

12 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

While you pay an 18% surcharge for gratuities for the full Cheers package daily price, or $10.80, after 5 drinks, the gratuity percentage declines significantly.  So, if you have 10 drinks, then you are only TIPing half that amount, or 9%.

 

Drinks	Price	TIP %
1	$12	90.00%
2	$12	45.00%
3	$12	30.00%
4	$12	22.50%
5	$12	18.00%
6	$12	15.00%
7	$12	12.86%
8	$12	11.25%
9	$12	10.00%
10	$12	9.00%
11	$12	8.18%
12	$12	7.50%
13	$12	6.92%
14	$12	6.43%
15	$12	6.00%

That is a fairly creative way at looking at it.  

[nc762shooter]

20 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

That is a fairly creative way at looking at it.  

My prepaid gratuity from buying Cheers being split among the staff, I'm technically tipping some bartenders that may never actually make me a drink. I'd say the Cheers prepaid gratuities even out fairly well and isn't something to worry about.

[jimbo5544]

11 minutes ago, nc762shooter said:

My prepaid gratuity from buying Cheers being split among the staff, I'm technically tipping some bartenders that may never actually make me a drink. I'd say the Cheers prepaid gratuities even out fairly well and isn't something to worry about.

I would agree

[mfs2k]

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. 

Edited May 1 by mfs2k

[mz-s]

13 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

While you pay an 18% surcharge for gratuities for the full Cheers package daily price, or $10.80, after 5 drinks, the gratuity percentage declines significantly.  So, if you have 10 drinks, then you are only TIPing half that amount, or 9%.

 

Drinks	Price	TIP %
1	$12	90.00%
2	$12	45.00%
3	$12	30.00%
4	$12	22.50%
5	$12	18.00%
6	$12	15.00%
7	$12	12.86%
8	$12	11.25%
9	$12	10.00%
10	$12	9.00%
11	$12	8.18%
12	$12	7.50%
13	$12	6.92%
14	$12	6.43%
15	$12	6.00%

 

The beauty of a pooled system like the Cheers gratuities is all bartenders share in that tip so yes the amount of gratuity that individual bartender got for making your drink is quite small, but they got the same percentage from everyone else onboard who bought Cheers so it all comes out in the wash.

[tha sista]

FWIW I sometimes get the Cheers package and sometimes not.  It depends who I am cruising with or if anyone at all.  I almost always add $1.00 per drink whether I have cheers or not.  I worked as a waitress in college and appreciate good tippers.  I never forgot that.  I have been blessed in this life through hard work therefore I tend to tip extra.

[mz-s]

I can't believe it's already time for another two minutes' hate for people who don't add extra tip to their receipts.

[SCcruiser123]

My friends and I always tip in cash, usually $1 each drink.  The money goes quickly into the bartender's pockets. The bartenders always remember us and our drinks are always potent and plentiful.

[nc762shooter]

The general consensus being that tipping an extra dollar makes you stand out enough to get better service seems to indicate it is not all that common, otherwise you would be blending in with the majority and not notice a difference.

[angelsfort]

On 4/29/2024 at 6:07 PM, luv2kroooz said:

No time to have any letdowns. Plus, why would they let someone else's actions control their feelings. Whether someone tips or doesn't tip extra is out of the control of the server, so no need to fret. They just move on to the next guest with a smile.

 

I find this comment funny.   We live in a world now where a large portion of the population wants to be offended on other peoples behalf.  Not for something that affects them directly but for something that may or may not affect someone else.

People get upset when someone has an opinion that differs from theirs - so you're question above has extra weight on it for me...  as I don't understand WHY people have to do this.  Too many people get so upset about the actions of others, when it has ZERO direct impact on them or their lives personally.

my opinion on tipping... do it if you want to!  You know that by adding that extra tip to the bill you will make the bartender happy...  but you won't necessarily make them "unhappy" if you don't...  they all know that the gratuity is already included but it doesn't stop them from enjoying that extra bit of $$ when it does come their way! 

[ninjacat123]

I have seen quite a few signed receipts while waiting for a drink with no tip added in.🤷‍♀️

Edited May 1 by ninjacat123

[Elaine5715]

4 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

I have seen quite a few signed receipts while waiting for a drink with no tip added in.🤷‍♀️

I watch all the time and see few add extra.  I had been pleasantly surprised by some folks who seem very chummy with the bartenders pull cash out and hand back with the signed receipt