A question about Elite Plus benefits

We will soon be on our first cruise after having achieved Elite Plus status. My husband has raised the question of whether the servers receive the 18% gratuity when we have complimentary specialty coffees. I am fairly certain they must but thought to ask if anyone knows for sure. We just want to be sure we handle the new perk properly.:)

If we go to Café AlBacio and have table service we usually give the server a few $. If our butler or server brings it we do not tip.

If we go to Café AlBacio and have table service we usually give the server a few $. If our butler or server brings it we do not tip.

This is what we do as well up in the lounge during the elite (and better) event in the evenings and the coffee house breakfast. Most of the time, we tip at the end of the cruise instead of with every drink served.

We will soon be on our first cruise after having achieved Elite Plus status. My husband has raised the question of whether the servers receive the 18% gratuity when we have complimentary specialty coffees. I am fairly certain they must but thought to ask if anyone knows for sure. We just want to be sure we handle the new perk properly.:)

I go down every morning to get my double espresso, then a coffee americano to take back to my room. I usually leave a $1. If we are a party of 4 and have table service for tea and coffee + dessert will normally heave anywhere from $3-5. There's no 18% gratuity at any time.

If they take your card and swipe it, even if you don´t have to pay (may that be because of Elite Plus or a package) they receive the service charge.

Interesting question. We always have a beverage package (perk or purchased) and since 18% gratuity is included in the package I always thought the staff member who served my beverage (wine, soda, cocktail, latte, juice) got the gratuity. :confused:

Interesting question. We always have a beverage package (perk or purchased) and since 18% gratuity is included in the package I always thought the staff member who served my beverage (wine, soda, cocktail, latte, juice) got the gratuity. :confused:

They do... when they swipe your card the service charge is registered - but you receive no charge.

If they take your card and swipe it, even if you don´t have to pay (may that be because of Elite Plus or a package) they receive the service charge.

I do not believe that would be true in this case. What is your source for this information?

Just as I tip when receiving complimentary beverages at the Captain's Club elite cocktail hour and I tip for beverages served at Michael's Club when in a suite (towards the end of the cruise, not for each drink at-that-time), I would not expect the server to be paid a gratuity from Celebrity for serving me coffees that are part of a loyalty program perk.

I do not believe that would be true in this case. What is your source for this information?

 

 

Just as I tip when receiving complimentary beverages at the Captain's Club elite cocktail hour and I tip for beverages served at Michael's Club when in a suite (towards the end of the cruise, not for each drink at-that-time), I would not expect the server to be paid a gratuity from Celebrity for serving me coffees that are part of a loyalty program perk.

That depends if the swipe the card or not.

If they do, any drink service charge is registered for the crew. The same is the case with beverage packages etc.

The source is a Guest Services Manager I had lunch with during a special event. I asked because I also wanted to know. Partly because I wondered what the do so servers would not loose the interest to serve guest with all the packages around.

Interesting question. We always have a beverage package (perk or purchased) and since 18% gratuity is included in the package I always thought the staff member who served my beverage (wine, soda, cocktail, latte, juice) got the gratuity. :confused:

That 18% gratuity is spread out among all the servers/bartenders. I think they swipe your card to make sure you are not sharing, i.e. you have the package but your wife doesn't. I believe I read you can't get a second drink within 10 minutes of the first.

We had the package, and the bartender got to know us. He didn't swipe my card every time I got a drink. When I offered he said, "I've got your number." ;)

They can either swipe the card or enter the number - same result. Same with sommelier, most of the times in Blu they took our numbers on the first day and never ask for the card after. They just register the drinks by typing in the number.

One server told me that they receive no tips when a Zenith card is used for any beverage. I asked 3 Maitre 'ds and a Restaurant Manager about this and they all said that the server gets the tip every time they swipe the card and that the server was just trying to get an additional tip.There are several servers who never swipe my card and I always take care of them at the end of the cruise.

That depends if the swipe the card or not.

If they do, any drink service charge is registered for the crew. The same is the case with beverage packages etc.

 

The source is a Guest Services Manager I had lunch with during a special event. I asked because I also wanted to know. Partly because I wondered what the do so servers would not loose the interest to serve guest with all the packages around.

Thanks for posting this. It confirms exactly what we were also told when the question came up at Q&A sessions with senior staff.

Furthermore, they replied that the people who work at the Captain's Club events (or other occasions where drinks are served without swiping cards) are paid extra in lieu of tips for the time they spend working there, so no additional tips are necessary or expected.

But some passengers still tip extra anyway.

Thanks for posting this. It confirms exactly what we were also told when the question came up at Q&A sessions with senior staff.

Furthermore, they replied that the people who work at the Captain's Club events (or other occasions where drinks are served without swiping cards) are paid extra in lieu of tips for the time they spend working there, so no additional tips are necessary or expected.

But some passengers still tip extra anyway.

Yeah, they get a big, huge $10 for working the 2-hour gig. For all their effort running back & forth to get some demanding people their drinks, they deserve the extra few dollars the non-entitled folks give them. :rolleyes:

After 7 cruises on Celebrity ships I have only once seen someone tip a server at either a bar or coffee shop for a casual drink. That single occurrence happened at Al Bacio during the morning coffee run. Whilst many say they tip my experience says otherwise.

We are Elite Plus and have morning coffee at Cafe al Bacio and dessert in the evening. We always tip our server. And we cruise often. Our tipping is discrete.

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After 7 cruises on Celebrity ships I have only once seen someone tip a server at either a bar or coffee shop for a casual drink. That single occurrence happened at Al Bacio during the morning coffee run. Whilst many say they tip my experience says otherwise.

We don't wave it around like a flag. Instead we are discrete and pass it off with a casual handshake. The servers know.

We're going on Solstice next month for a 16-night cruise of AUS and NZ. I know I'm going to get some great service and a lot of attention. My favorite beer will be packed in ice, and my wife's Cosmo glass will never be empty. ;)

After 7 cruises on Celebrity ships I have only once seen someone tip a server at either a bar or coffee shop for a casual drink. That single occurrence happened at Al Bacio during the morning coffee run. Whilst many say they tip my experience says otherwise.

But does your experience include watching the server take the passenger's seapass card and swipe it to ring up the drink order, which already includes a standard gratuity charge?

An 18% gratuity charge is automatically included for each drink, whether or not someone has a drink package.

The "single occurrence" you report was most likely someone adding yet an additional tip on top of the standard gratuity -- unless it happened at one of the events where drinks are passed out freely and no cards get swiped, an entirely different scenario.

Even classes at the gym on the ships have gratuities added to their price.

On every cruise we hear women complaining that they are not charged extra for tips when they take Zumba classes back home, but they are on the ship.

They question why the ship's Zumba instructor should be receiving any tips at all, for doing nothing special, when people are already being charged extra just to attend the classes. :eek:

After 7 cruises on Celebrity ships I have only once seen someone tip a server at either a bar or coffee shop for a casual drink. That single occurrence happened at Al Bacio during the morning coffee run. Whilst many say they tip my experience says otherwise.

Interesting. We notice guests frequently laying $1 - $2 on the bar next to their card, at the sunset bar, MC and the Martini bar...the places we frequent. Part of our standard pre-cruise preparation involves stopping by the bank for a couple hundred in $1 and $5 bills, specifically for bartenders and servers. These people work their tails off and they all appreciate it.

Every satisfied guest is free but not obligated to tip extra in cash or by adding it on the receipt. And yes, sometimes gets you better service through the cruise. I also think they deserve every penny.

Please let this not turn into another tip discussion :eek:

Yeah, they get a big, huge $10 for working the 2-hour gig. For all their effort running back & forth to get some demanding people their drinks, they deserve the extra few dollars the non-entitled folks give them. :rolleyes:

I was told this by a bartender that I have gotten to know, and trust, over several cruises. This is the only place I tip extra for great service, hence our glasses never run dry no matter how busy they are.

Yeah, they get a big, huge $10 for working the 2-hour gig. For all their effort running back & forth to get some demanding people their drinks, they deserve the extra few dollars the non-entitled folks give them. :rolleyes:

I hate tips conversations, but from the servers I have spoken to they love working he Elite cocktail hours

as they always get great tips from the wonderful celebrity guests they they serve.