Classic Drink pkg 123 prom. Do you still tip?

[Patrick IL.]

We always take care of "our people" cash is king, we normally make the rounds the last night. Some folks who we really bond with get something every couple days. These folks are away from home 9 months a year to support their families, working double shifts.

[blindrid]

I always get great service but never tip extra until the last day so I don't think you have to bribe them to get good service.

 

 

 

Depends how much I order, $2 to $5

 

Call it what you want, I tip strong early to make sure they take care of me and make final tip as a thank you. A buck here and a buck there is pretty disingenuous. That's lip service. You call it a bribe, I call it insurance. Ever stayed a long time at a place with a doorman?

[B1G]

Guest relation will break my larger bill for $1 bills, and yes I tip extra but not all the time.

[cve]

There was a bartender in the Ensemble Lounge during our last sailing on the Equinox who wouldn't accept tips (we had the package).

[Oville]

Here's the reality, we were on the Constellation for 14 days in December. Not once, other than ourselves, did we see one single person tip with the drink package. Whether is was the Martini Bar all the way to Al Bacio the only dollars came from our pockets. Needless to say, we had excellent service where ever we went.;)

Edited January 23, 2015 by Oville

[Pushka]

Here's the reality, we were on the Constellation for 14 days in December. Not once, other than ourselves, did we see one single person tip with the drink package. Whether is was the Martini Bar all the way to Al Bacio the only dollars came from our pockets. Needless to say, we had excellent service where ever we went.;)

 

 

And we received fantastic service from the Martini Bar. And we didn't tip above what had already been included in the package.

 

I did video the head bar tender in a performance in one of the shows and upload that to YouTube and send him the link. But that was a few days later.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Pushka

[dwhe]

:cool:I'm with you. Tip well at first and you will never have to wait for service. Take dollar bills for tipping and pass them out. I hand my cabin attendant $20 the first time we meet and state that this is just to make sure that my ice bucket(s) are filled twice a day. Get great service there also:cool:JACK IS SAILING AGAIN

 

I tip well at the end and I get great service, I never have to wait for service and my bucket is filled twice a day.

 

I don't have to walk around with my wallet open to get great service from Celebrity like you seem to imply.

 

To add an observation, all those that throw around the tips in cash early, I've looked and observed and have rarely seen it, either people are very very good at being discrete (and the way they shout about it here, I don't think so) or it doesn't happen as often as people might say.

Edited January 23, 2015 by dwhe

[flyingv4me]

I usually get great service from all of the bartenders. I'm a last day tipper and if someone stood out they are the ones that get a visit from me.

 

On my first cruise, one of the ladies in Cafe al Bacio was amazing. Always happy and excellent at her job. She truly impressed us. I went to tip on the last day and she wasn't there. I tried several times and never saw her. I was disappointed that we never were able to give her a well-deserved tip.

[earltonharley]

I know it says it include the gratuities as part of the package but is it custumary to still tip a $1 a drink? Is it like on RCCL during Diamond happy hour time at the bars? Your drink is free but you still have to sign a slip and it feels weird not to tip something.

 

Here is just a "tip" on this subject. I'm from New York, if you don't tip you will never see the bartender again. My DW and I cruised on the Royal Caribbean repositioning cruise and we boarded with $200.00 in $2.00 bills. They are a novelty and most non-Americans want one as a keepsake. I gave one two dollar bill for each two drinks (we had the Premium plan). When we entered a lounge, the waitstaff were on their way. No problems.

[DinaS]

I usually get great service from all of the bartenders. I'm a last day tipper and if someone stood out they are the ones that get a visit from me.

 

On my first cruise, one of the ladies in Cafe al Bacio was amazing. Always happy and excellent at her job. She truly impressed us. I went to tip on the last day and she wasn't there. I tried several times and never saw her. I was disappointed that we never were able to give her a well-deserved tip.

 

 

That's a good reason to "tip as you go" for excellent service.

 

I know someone else who had an amazing bartender on her cruise (a bar she frequented a few times a day), and she went to look for him the last day and couldn't find him.

 

When I get excellent service on land, I generally tip over 20%.

 

On a cruise, giving a really good bartender $1 extra (above and beyond the 15%) for a drink makes sense to me.

 

The same goes for room service and other things. I add a little extra on top of the 15% they are supposedly getting.

[Algebralovr]

I don't tip extra, and usually have some kind of package. I asked one of the bar servers last year if the packages had hurt their income, she said that Celebrity was taking good care of them.

 

Our usual tip is to write a note to the bar manager complimenting those who take care of us. The last time we cruised, we walked into the Café AL Bacio and were greeted with a big smile from one of our favorite servers. Apparently, our note had been posted after we left and she was recognized by her team. When we returned to the same ship a few months later, she made sure to take great care of us - always making our daughter's favorite drink when DD started rolling toward her in the afternoon.

[Pushka]

I tip by necessity in the USA. Elsewhere in the world, and that includes cruises out of the USA I tip if I receive excellent service or when the tip has already been included as in the drinks package.

 

There is no need to tip in Australia as everyone receives award salaries as a minimum which are generous.

[parallax]

Here's the reality, we were on the Constellation for 14 days in December. Not once, other than ourselves, did we see one single person tip with the drink package. Whether is was the Martini Bar all the way to Al Bacio the only dollars came from our pockets. Needless to say, we had excellent service where ever we went.;)

 

We had the same experience of the Silhouette when we cruised the Adriatic. The bartenders and servers loved us because we were the only one tipping. We brought $100 singles with us. At the end of the cruise there were two bartenders who gave a little extra to because of their exceptional service. Service is a lost art in the US and you are spoiled by the high quality of service on a cruise. I want to reward it and also guarantee that I'm well taken care of. I rather tip extra at sea than on land.