believer33323 Posted February 2, 2012 #1 Share Posted February 2, 2012 When I purchase a drink on RCCL I receive the bar tab each time and as we already know it includes 15% gratuity but it also has a spot that you could add to it. I personally do not add unless the person went the "extra mile" or "Above and beyond" the usual stuff. Is there anyone that just always add a little more??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoosh21 Posted February 2, 2012 #2 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I often add extra, since the extra is not pooled. I have always received great service from the bar staff and they are very appreciative of the extra tip. I only have about 3 drinks a day, so it only adds $20 to my whole cruise and I think that little bit means a lot more to them than to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puffinater Posted February 2, 2012 #3 Share Posted February 2, 2012 If I add I will do it with cash. Usually an extra buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix1181 Posted February 2, 2012 #4 Share Posted February 2, 2012 We always add $1 a drink. Mom was a waitress & growing up we learned the importance of tipping waitstaff. As a result, my sisters & I all tend to over tip................. That said, we always get excellent service & there are times we have no doubt it's due to the extra tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
setsail Posted February 2, 2012 #5 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvscruising2007 Posted February 2, 2012 #6 Share Posted February 2, 2012 We always add $1 a drink. Mom was a waitress & growing up we learned the importance of tipping waitstaff. As a result, my sisters & I all tend to over tip................. That said, we always get excellent service & there are times we have no doubt it's due to the extra tips. We do the same thing. We add a $1 per drink ordered and have found that we get great service in areas that we frequent. We generally sit in the same area of the theater for the daily evening show and actually had servers competing for our order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havana Daydreamin Posted February 2, 2012 #7 Share Posted February 2, 2012 When I purchase a drink on RCCL I receive the bar tab each time and as we already know it includes 15% gratuity but it also has a spot that you could add to it. I personally do not add unless the person went the "extra mile" or "Above and beyond" the usual stuff. Is there anyone that just always add a little more??? Yup...and then an envelope at the end of the cruise for those who really went the extra mile! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted February 2, 2012 #8 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Not always....on drinks, if they are popping the top on a beer, I think 15% is super! If they have to make some sort of complicated beverage, then I'll add a bit extra. Generally, we don't tip additionally during the cruise, but for those bartenders who have been our "mainstay" during the trip, we'll give them something additional on the last night...the customary tipping night! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havingfun2010 Posted February 3, 2012 #9 Share Posted February 3, 2012 On a $7 - $8 mixed drink, it is over $1.00 tip. Takes a minute to make. So the pay is $1.00 per minute. A beer takes 15 seconds. So that is $.75 or $3.00 a minute. So your restaruant server takes care of you for one hour at a basic restaruant. Your meal cost $75.00 for 2, and you tip is $12.00. I think I would rather be a bartender, making over $60.00 and hour during the busy "peak" time than the waiter at $12.00 an hour. 15% is an overkill!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LittleMissMagic Posted February 3, 2012 #10 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Not if I'm just getting a drink and leaving - but if I've sat down and had a conversation with them, then yes. On my last cruise, my bartender added his own tip. I was looking through my onboard charges, and I hadn't tipped any bartender in addition to the calculated 15%. But on my SeaPass, there was a $1.00 tip charge for the pool bar. :confused: Interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
believer33323 Posted February 3, 2012 Author #11 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Not if I'm just getting a drink and leaving - but if I've sat down and had a conversation with them, then yes. On my last cruise, my bartender added his own tip. I was looking through my onboard charges, and I hadn't tipped any bartender in addition to the calculated 15%. But on my SeaPass, there was a $1.00 tip charge for the pool bar. :confused: Interesting... If I do or do not add to it I always re-write the total bill on the bottom section so it states the total. I do that every place I tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LittleMissMagic Posted February 3, 2012 #12 Share Posted February 3, 2012 If I do or do not add to it I always re-write the total bill on the bottom section so it states the total. I do that every place I tip. Yeah, I do that on land, but I'm going to start doing it on cruise ships, now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted February 3, 2012 #13 Share Posted February 3, 2012 My wait staff usually gets an extra $20 a week each; my cabin steward gets an extra $20 -- $25 a week; I tip drink people an extra $2 -- $5 a night depending on the situation. Most wait staff on a cruise ship make less than $100 a month + any tips. My first waiter (Andrew) on the Celebrity Horizon, back in 1993, told me he could never move up to an Asst' Maitre'd because he was Filipino. Well we ran into Andrew on four other cruises and he was still a waiter; RCI bought Celebrity, and Andrew moved up to Asst' Maitre'd. He then moved to Oceania and who knows what he is doing now? He did tell us the last time we saw him; he lived in a gated community in Manila; his kids went to private school; they had high speed internet, so he could keep up with his family. Hard work should pay off!:) Kel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy ks Posted February 3, 2012 #14 Share Posted February 3, 2012 No, we order the drinks, the round is usually around $14-16 and the gratuity is around $2.10 - $2.50 for the two drinks. My husband drinks Jack on the rocks, I usually have Jamison and ginger, not complicated drinks to make at all. Sometimes we have a second drink. We have wine with dinner and pay a gratuity on top of the price of the bottle, usually around $4.75 - $6.00 for the bottle, most of the wines we order are in the $45 - $60 price range. So, by the end of the week, we have tipped the bar staff around $50 - $100 for the week, depending on how much we drink. If we have had special service from a bar staff member (we usually don't go to the same place every night) we would give additional at the end of the week. We've always had great service in every bar we've ever gone to aboard any cruise ship/line without tipping anything extra. But I'm sure the bar servers are more than happy to relieve people of their excess cash. We're more apt to tip extra to our cabin steward and dining room servers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kruzerci Posted February 3, 2012 #15 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I always add $1, unless it's a bartender with a chip on his shoulder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willco Posted February 3, 2012 #16 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Yup...and then an envelope at the end of the cruise for those who really went the extra mile! Also, every single time. The difference in service is easy to see. It has always added to the experience. Try it! Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sea shepherd Posted February 3, 2012 #17 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Yes always. :) And for that they remember you. I was walking around port shopping, And i hear someone call my name. I look around and it's the pool bartender shopping in port. :cool: I will hook on to 2 or 3 bartenders around the ship and just keep going to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RumRunner01 Posted February 3, 2012 #18 Share Posted February 3, 2012 We always tip about $1.00 on each drink. It usually assures excellent service and good drinks. Unless service is not up to par (rare) then the tip may be .50 or nothing additional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachnative Posted February 3, 2012 #19 Share Posted February 3, 2012 When I purchase a drink on RCCL I receive the bar tab each time and as we already know it includes 15% gratuity but it also has a spot that you could add to it. I personally do not add unless the person went the "extra mile" or "Above and beyond" the usual stuff. Is there anyone that just always add a little more??? I tip extra most of the time. If the bartender is indifferent I don't add anything. When I add extra it is in CASH because it makes a difference in certain venues. I tend to add extra to most of the tip categories if the service is good. I tend to live by a saying from "Hello Dolly": Money is like manure; it doesn't do any good unless you spread it around" (or something like that). I have been very fortunate in life and believe that a little extra here or there for others not quite as fortunate a I is a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coloradoSunshine Posted February 3, 2012 #20 Share Posted February 3, 2012 This thread is making me thirsty. Where is that favorite drink thread when you need it? Yep, we typically tip a little extra particularly if we are being "served" vs just stopping by the pool bar for example to grab a quick drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuizer2 Posted February 3, 2012 #21 Share Posted February 3, 2012 When I purchase a drink on RCCL I receive the bar tab each time and as we already know it includes 15% gratuity but it also has a spot that you could add to it. I personally do not add unless the person went the "extra mile" or "Above and beyond" the usual stuff. Is there anyone that just always add a little more??? The tip should reflect the level of service, not the cost of the drink. If I believe the service deserves more than 15% then I tip extra. Otherwise I do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kleo30 Posted February 3, 2012 #22 Share Posted February 3, 2012 We had 2 bar servers that were fabulous to us. They knew what we wanted to drink in the theater (I drank the same thing at night, but different stuff during the day), anyway, they knew what we wanted and where we generally sat. They'd see us walk in, ask if we wanted to order, and have our drinks almost before we got to the seats ourselves. They were great to use at the pool and Studio B. We always gave those two an additional tip. Somebody that we didn't know, unless they did something outstanding for us, no. We also additionally tipped our favorite bar tender, but not all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty G Posted February 3, 2012 #23 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Yes!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseguy1016 Posted February 3, 2012 #24 Share Posted February 3, 2012 We usually make friends with a bartender at the Pool Bar and a server on the pool deck. I don't like to carry cash with me so I don't have $1s to tip with. I will give them $10 or $20 on the first day and then another $10 or $20 later in the week. This always works out well for both of us. I get great service and an occasional complimentary drink. They get some cash to put in their pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigar King Posted February 3, 2012 #25 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I always give at least an extra dollar for any service provided. Why not, the crew works hard and the extra money I parcel out is not going to make much a difference in what I can or can not do. OTOH, with the salaries the crew is reported to make, the extra money will make a difference for them. If you can afford it, please consider tipping extra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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