tipping question

[JustJamieH]

do you tip the drink servers / bartenders on deck? I mean like a buck for each drink in addition to the automatic 15%. if so, do you think you get better service and/or stronger drinks?

[Backwoodsdan]

some do, some don't.

[Kurbanfan]

do you tip the drink servers / bartenders on deck? I mean like a buck for each drink in addition to the automatic 15%. if so, do you think you get better service and/or stronger drinks?

 

We have never tipped extra and always had wonderful service.....15% is a good tip........

But then again we keep the servers hoppin so that 15% adds up quickly......enough that we have been given extra beers in our bucket:p

[boaterette]

I do most of my drinking in the casino. I usually get a glass of water every other drink or so. I always tip a dollar when I order the water. I have gotten great service. When the place is packed I never have to wait for them. They always watch out for me.

[CWcruisers]

I don't tip extra, but if a waiter is extra good, he gets all my business, so he makes out well. I will even wait to order from a good waiter even though 10 others pass me by so I can help his or hers bottom line.

[Fourseventeen]

I dont tip extra personally. They auto add 15% each and every time I order any type of drink so I feel that is fair...especially when I am sitting at a bar or at the dinner table.

[habby]

We'll tip a buck or two here or there. On the Legend in April, Rudi knew we wanted to sit on the smoking side. He would always look for a table for us, or have us sit on the other side and let us know when a table on the smoking side was opening.

 

On the Conquest DH bought a coconut monkey head. The next day I bought one, but mine was bigger. Naubat went and found a bigger coconut for DH. He was always telling us jokes and just spent time talking to us. (Unfortunately I had a little trouble understanding him - one because I'm slighty hard of heariing if there's a lot of background noise, and two because he was from India and some of the pronounciations were a little off)

 

Olga and Olga in the casino on the Destiny were quite a trip. If DH or I was alone, one of them would ask, "Where's Mr. Edward?" or "Where's Mrs. Sandra?' We would tell them, and they would go find our spouse, drink in hand.

 

Ah, but in 2005 there was Samson. We were traveling with our DD and cousin, celebrating DD's 21st birthday. One day Samson walked by with a tray of Miami Vice's. We had never seen anything like them! The next time he came around we asked him what they were and he told us. Five minutes later he dropped off four of them and walked away without us signing for them.

 

Like CWcruisers, we'll usually stick with one server on the Lido deck, and we'll fiind out where they work in the evenings and try to be there. They get to know us; we get to know them; they make a few bucks extra; we may get an extra buzz; everybody's happy.

 

I just realized I can probably name at least one Bar Server from each of our last eight cruises. (Can you tell where we spend our time?)

 

I NEED TO BOOK ANOTHER CRUISE SOON!!

[RWolver672]

In all of our cruises, we have only tipped extra to one server. We stayed on the ship in MoBay and there wasn't very many onboard that day. Edwin (Eddie) spent a lot of time talking with us and made sure we were served well. At the end of the day, we made sure he was served well too.

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1064256982030186251ypuyOD

[astropilot]

do you tip the drink servers / bartenders on deck? I mean like a buck for each drink in addition to the automatic 15%. if so, do you think you get better service and/or stronger drinks?

 

Nope!!! Here we go again... Flame me if you will, but the 15% per drink is more than enough -- IMO.

[bplazo]

Nope!!! Here we go again... Flame me if you will, but the 15% per drink is more than enough -- IMO.

 

Wow! I actually agree with you on this one, the 15% tip is more than enough! :)

[globe9]

I will usually always tip a buck or two more. Its just a habit I guess. At home, when ordering a beer at a local bar and the beer costs $2.50, I leave a dollar for a tip....that is way more than 15%. When it's Happy Hour and beers are $2.00, I also tip a buck...thats a 50% tip. Sorry, would just feel VERY cheap if I left a quarter or a few nickels. So I feel the same way on a cruise ship.

 

A buck is not gonna kill me and I usually get very good service.

[Kurbanfan]

I don't tip extra, but if a waiter is extra good, he gets all my business, so he makes out well. I will even wait to order from a good waiter even though 10 others pass me by so I can help his or hers bottom line.

 

This is what we do also. But usually they are standing close by us on the lido deck and they make sure they get to us before the other servers....but if another server walks by and ask us we always say we are already taken care of........

They know who the best customers are:D They make more off our 15% then others who might tip an extra dollar.......

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

As someone mentioned, some do.. some don't. I personally don't since gratuity is included in the price of the drink. And I don't think your drink will be stronger if you tip the server. You will notice that a lot of popular cocktails, such as the DOD, is made in batches so it is easy for the servers to get drinks to people.