Ultimate Beverage Pkg - tipping

[Love my butler]

 

Because it is so *ingrained* in me to tip I know it is going to take some getting used to if I decide not to tip on the spot.

 

That is exactly what NCL is counting on. There is a sucker born every minute.

[jonsmom]

Tips are included. How much more then 18% is really needed? NOTHING unless you want to. The service is the same if you over tip or not, that was my experience and i didn't tip more then then the 18% included.

What NCL does with that 18% is none of your business, it's between employee and employer, you met your obligation. People are obsessed with this tipping. Have a nice vacation, you've met your obligation when you purchased the package.

 

I absolutely agree with you!

[nivekious]

Tips are included. How much more then 18% is really needed? NOTHING unless you want to. The service is the same if you over tip or not, that was my experience and i didn't tip more then then the 18% included.

What NCL does with that 18% is none of your business, it's between employee and employer, you met your obligation. People are obsessed with this tipping. Have a nice vacation, you've met your obligation when you purchased the package.

 

It's our business because we're told that the 18% is a gratuity, which is synonymous with tip. We're led to believe that money is going to the servers. If it's not and we're just giving more money to NCL that is a problem because:

a.) the servers are not getting the tips we intend them to get

b.) NCL is taking our money on false pretenses

[bobg529]

At the end of the day, there are three questions to consider. 1) did you meet your contractual obligation, 2) did you receive the desired level of service, and 3) is your conscience clear? Question 1 is kind of a moot point as you really have no choice in the matter, so that leaves you with 2 and 3. Now here is the difficult thing for some here. Regardless of your protests to the contrary these two questions are entirely on you the consumer. Yes, they will bring you a drink eventually if it is ordered, but if they are looking at two distinct customers, one who throws them a buck here or there, and the other who stiffs him in the self righteous belief that he has already paid his fair share though his forced gratuities, who do YOU think will get the better service. Second question is more of a a grey area. Yes it's true that you have paid the required amount, and therefore you are entitled to the same level of service. Legally you are 100% correct, but have you taken in to account the amount of pay that crew member receives and do you really even care? Think of it this way. If you break down and tip each person a dollar or two for the provided drink, etc., paying for the service and not the actual product, how much money will it really cost you over a seven day cruise? Maybe $200 on a busy week? Will that $200 mean that much to you? How much will it mean to your server? And the bigger question, how much do YOU care? If you can make a lot of excuses up on how they are paid through the cruise line and how you've fulfilled your obligation I guess you're fine. Me? I bring a lot of $ for tips, and I consider it money well spent. This is a luxury product. One we are blessed to be able to enjoy in this world. There are many more that can't afford a jar of peanut butter let alone a cruise. I like to think that the tip I provide might mean something real to the server. It's probably silly I know. But I can definitely state that I get better and friendlier service because of it. It's just as it should be too. I don't mean to point fingers here or be judgemental. Just expressing my opinion. My final statement? Karma is a bitch....

[BoozeCruiser83]

i have literally had bartenders and servers spot me from hundreds of feet away and anxious to serve me drinks just from a dollar tip per drink. haha spend an extra hundred bucks in a week and it makes me feel like a VIP. They need that extra dollar more than me

[KeithJenner]

the other who stiffs him in the self righteous belief that he has already paid his fair share though his forced gratuities

 

 

 

There is plenty I agree with on your post, but to accuse people who follow the guidance from any establishment that there is no requirement to tip extra of "stiffing" the staff is out of order, as is referring to them as being self righteous.

[KeithJenner]

On the point of whether an extra tip will get you better service then obviously there are many cases where this is true. Barstaff are human and will obviously help those who give them something extra.

 

However, in my experience it is far from the most important thing. I usually add an extra tip (not because I feel the need to bribe for better service, or that I think it's required, but because I just like to give a bit extra). That does seem to sometimes make a small difference. However, by far the best service comes from those staff who you take the time to talk to and get to know.

 

A couple of examples, both from the Spirit. On one cruise there was a guy working Raffles Bar. We always used to chat to. At the time we didn't have the drinks package and bought buckets of beer. Every time he saw us he would come straight over to check we needed anything, even if it was busy, and for days we didn't (already had a bucket on the go). His attention wasn't because of tips because we hadn't had chance to tip him (and we aren't such great tippers that he would have been told anything). He just wanted to serve us.

 

Another example, a group of 4 couples at another bar. We were all British and I know that I was the only one tipping extra. We got to know the barstaff well, and they looked after us fantastically. However, there was not one bit of difference between how we were dealt with and the rest of the group.

 

Tipping always helps, but having a smile, a conversation and being an easy customer is more important in my view.

 

Obviously, being a miserable, demanding customer who doesn't tip is really not going to get you anywhere. There always seem to be loads of them onboard. :)

[KeithJenner]

One last point, while I'm on a roll. :)

 

It depends a lot which bars you at. The pool bar is usually so busy that tipping is pretty well the only way to distinguish yourself. An extra tip will go a long way there. Whereas many other bars are often quieter and there is opportunity to get to know the staff. Tips may well help, but when those bars get busier then the barstaff look after their regulars well, tips or no tips. O'Sheehans can be a good example of that.

[LrgPizza]

If you make yourself the kind of customer that the bartenders/servers look forward to seeing, you will get better service than if you are the type of customer that makes them dread their jobs. Sometimes that might mean tipping well, but it obviously goes way beyond that. There are many things that make a good customer.

[callmebetty]

I asked the bartenders on our last cruise about how they felt about the 18% being paid ahead of time. They explained that it is divided among the bartenders and servers. Because it is not divided up by how many drinks they serve, some people are working harder and others are not. When there was no package involved, the bartender was saying some days she would be inclined to skip her break to make more money. She then said for a lot of people, with this new prepaid thing, that is not the case. For the more seasoned bartenders, they liked the old way better.

We also made sure to bring singles, because we read with the UBP, receipts are not printed unless there is a port tax...so if you plan on tipping when ordering a drink, keep that in mind :)

It was nice to be know by name and be greeted every morning with "Good morning Ms. Jackie, do you want a Jimosa (pineapple and prosecco-my husband's namesake drink)? Where is Mr. Jim?" No way to know if this was due to tipping or if we just had awesome pool side bartenders...but I do know we enjoyed some lovely conversations with them every day.

[jonsmom]

Why wouldn't they assume that if they had given you outstanding service throughout your cruise that you wouldn't make a point of stopping to say goodbye and tipping him/her at that point?

[KeithJenner]

Why wouldn't they assume that if they had given you outstanding service throughout your cruise that you wouldn't make a point of stopping to say goodbye and tipping him/her at that point?

 

 

 

Perhaps they do.

 

However I suspect not. The reason being that after a bit of experience they wouldn't have to rely on assumptions any more. Instead they would rely on experience and I would be surprised to find that more than a small minority actually do that these days.

[unlimitedAB]

I tip. I tip the people who clean my room. I tip the people who bring my food. I tip the people who make my drinks. I tip the people who handle my luggage at the port. I smile and talk nicely to all of them. Karma is real. :D

[PATRLR]

We also made sure to bring singles, because we read with the UBP, receipts are not printed unless there is a port tax...so if you plan on tipping when ordering a drink, keep that in mind :)

Is this new? On the Dawn in Sept we had UBP and we had to sign a receipt each time, throughout the cruise.

[KeithJenner]

Is this new? On the Dawn in Sept we had UBP and we had to sign a receipt each time, throughout the cruise.

 

 

 

Yes, it's new. Started late last year.

[brianstew66]

I tip. I tip the people who clean my room. I tip the people who bring my food. I tip the people who make my drinks. I tip the people who handle my luggage at the port. I smile and talk nicely to all of them. Karma is real. :D

 

 

[emoji106]

[sanger727]

I was on the Epic a few years ago, back some people probably had ubp but most paid by the drink since it wasn't offered as a promo. So paying by the drink and tipping the required 18% to the server plus possibly a little extra if you added on... I couldn't flag down a waiter at the pool to save my life. I can't imagine it's worse now. Yes, if you are waving singles they will probably come to you first, but I fall under the category of people who feels the mandated gratuities (18% on drink package, on dining package, plus the daily service change) are ample gratuities and actually take stress away because I don't need to worry about when I should and shouldn't tip and how much.

[jonsmom]

I was on the Epic a few years ago, back some people probably had ubp but most paid by the drink since it wasn't offered as a promo. So paying by the drink and tipping the required 18% to the server plus possibly a little extra if you added on... I couldn't flag down a waiter at the pool to save my life. I can't imagine it's worse now. Yes, if you are waving singles they will probably come to you first, but I fall under the category of people who feels the mandated gratuities (18% on drink package, on dining package, plus the daily service change) are ample gratuities and actually take stress away because I don't need to worry about when I should and shouldn't tip and how much.

 

 

Well Said!!!