The Wood Duck Posted March 13, 2018 #1 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I was reviewing a spreadsheet that is posted on this board that lists the drink and wine prices. When looking at the wine prices Dom Perignon is selling for $179 plus a gratuity of $44.75. If you buy any wine over $60 on board it would less expensive to buy it in port and pay the $15 corkage fee. The least expensive Merlot is priced at $27 plus $6.75 gratuity. Is it more work to serve Dom Perignon than the Merlot? A standard gratuity should be applied to all bottles. Same should apply to mixed drinks and shots. Appling gratuity to the drink price is also outrageous. If you buy 2 drinks in a bar at home for $10 each I doubt you tip $3 each round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishywood Posted March 13, 2018 #2 Share Posted March 13, 2018 A standard gratuity should be applied to all bottles. Same should apply to mixed drinks and shots. Appling gratuity to the drink price is also outrageous. If you buy 2 drinks in a bar at home for $10 each I doubt you tip $3 each round. Well I certainly do. I wonder if those who support the idea of tipping a flat amount per drink rather than a percentage of the check will genuinely proffer two drinks tip value during a BOGO happy hour. Or is it a "flat tip or percentage, whichever is lower" policy? Eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moki'smommy Posted March 13, 2018 #3 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Gratuity at a restaurant at home is typically based on price. It is no more work for a server to present a $10 hamburger than a $30 steak, but the tip would likely be different. You are correct--if you want an expensive wine, use that as your "free" carrry on, or bring more and pay the corkage fee. The cost of buying on land is likely much less than on board, in addition to saving on the gratuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted March 13, 2018 #4 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I am not sure about your number. Princess charges 15% gratuities on all beverages. For DP, it would be 26.85. For the Merlot it is $4.05 I think you are saying you would not tip $3 for a $20 tab. That is 15%, so I would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishywood Posted March 13, 2018 #5 Share Posted March 13, 2018 It appears the OP is misreading the spreadsheet. Though in their defense the format changes without adequate labeling. For individual drinks Column C is the price before gratuity, Column D is the price with (C * 1.15). For wines Column C is the price per bottle, Column D is the price per glass. Neither column reflects the gratuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voljeep Posted March 13, 2018 #6 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I buy a $4 beer at home at a bar and tip $1 I buy a $5.95 (same beer) on the cruise and the tip is $ .89 I buy a bucket of beer - all at the same time for $ 23.80 - buy 4 get one free tip on the 23.80 = 3.57 does the person that gave me the bucket of beer deserve $ 2.68 more than the person that served me the single beer ??? I get better service at waffle house than I do sometimes on the ship ... and gladly tip way more than 20% usually... a $ 10 tab at waffle house easily gets a $ 5 tip... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky1 Posted March 13, 2018 #7 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I get better service at waffle house than I do sometimes on the ship ... and gladly tip way more than 20% usually... a $ 10 tab at waffle house easily gets a $ 5 tip... I'm thinking you may just have a thing for those Waffle House waitresses;);p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wood Duck Posted March 13, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) Fellow posters, I was trying to make a point that if you buy a single bottle of $20 wine you would tip $3. The tip on a $200 cost $30. No more skill or effort to supply and serve either bottle. Why does the fee need be so high? My wife an I always tip as it is standard in Canada. 15% min. I am old enough to remember a 10% tip being generous, now we are pushing that standard to 20%. What next 25%. :( Edited March 13, 2018 by The Wood Duck added statement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted March 13, 2018 #9 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Appling gratuity to the drink price is also outrageous. If you buy 2 drinks in a bar at home for $10 each I doubt you tip $3 each round. In the U.S. where I live, if you are sitting at a bar rail and ordering drinks it is typical to tip $1 each for most drinks. That means a $3 pint gets the same tip as an $8 martini. If someone buys you a drink, you normally still leave a $1 tip. Of course some leave larger amounts and some smaller.If you are seated at a table ordering drinks and food, then the drinks become part of the the total bill and it is normal to tip 15-20%. So the higher the drink price the higher the gratuity. The Princess experience in the DR's and lounges is closer to this than being seated in a local pub. Doubt very much Princess will change its procedure. Many people do bring on their own wine and pay the corkage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satxdiver Posted March 14, 2018 #10 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Princess like most cruise ships adds a 15% gratuity on top of anything ordered at the bar which includes even a bottle of water. This is the major source of the bar help's income. On land you certainly can stiff the bar help if that is what you want to do but on the ship you have to pay the fixed gratuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted March 14, 2018 #11 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Princess like most cruise ships adds a 15% gratuity on top of anything ordered at the bar which includes even a bottle of water. This is the major source of the bar help's income. On land you certainly can stiff the bar help if that is what you want to do but on the ship you have to pay the fixed gratuity. Well said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotto97 Posted March 14, 2018 #12 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Personally I tip 20% on food when the service is good to excellent. But allow an extra $5 - $10 for a bottle of wine regardless of the price. There's just no reason to justify a $30 tip to pour a $200 bottle of wine requiring the same effort to serve a $25 one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majortom10 Posted March 14, 2018 #13 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Is there anything on a ship that people buy without giving a tip its ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted March 14, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Is there anything on a ship that people buy without giving a tip its ridiculous.The items in the shops don't have a gratuity added to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965 Posted March 14, 2018 #15 Share Posted March 14, 2018 I don't drink wine so I know nothing about this subject. I'm just curious. Is there a specific wine gratuity? Is it mandatory? That sounds really high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wood Duck Posted March 14, 2018 Author #16 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Tipping will always be an issue when it is added automatically. Until the cruise line starts to pay a "living wage" to all crew members we the consumer have to pay. Those who purchase beverages and such that have auto gratuity will pay much more for their cruise than do those who buy little or nothing. Some cruise lines offer all inclusive, yes they appear expensive, but take some time and do the math. I would rather know upfront the cost of my trip as you can with All Inclusive resorts. I prefer to tip in cash, that way I know who is getting the tip. We have no way to tell how fairly the cruise lines distribute the gratuities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted March 14, 2018 #17 Share Posted March 14, 2018 I don't drink wine so I know nothing about this subject. I'm just curious. Is there a specific wine gratuity? Is it mandatory? That sounds really high. Yes, 15% automatically added to any beverage purchased on the ship, alcoholic or non-alcoholic. If you purchase or have the Premium Beverage Package then the 15% is added to the price of the package. Thus a $12 drink has not more of a tip than a $6 one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majortom10 Posted March 14, 2018 #18 Share Posted March 14, 2018 The items in the shops don't have a gratuity added to them. I am well aware of that but paying $11-50pppn in gratuities, extra in gratuities if eating in speciality restaurants and then tip on top of 15% already added on drinks giving extra $1-2 where does it end and think it is far too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majortom10 Posted March 14, 2018 #19 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Tipping will always be an issue when it is added automatically. Until the cruise line starts to pay a "living wage" to all crew members we the consumer have to pay. Those who purchase beverages and such that have auto gratuity will pay much more for their cruise than do those who buy little or nothing. Some cruise lines offer all inclusive, yes they appear expensive, but take some time and do the math. I would rather know upfront the cost of my trip as you can with All Inclusive resorts. I prefer to tip in cash, that way I know who is getting the tip. We have no way to tell how fairly the cruise lines distribute the gratuities. We do not have to pay and as long as people do then cruise line swill carry on paying their staff appalling wages while making billions in profit. If we made a stand and refused to pay gratuities cruise lines would have to change. Some out there do have all inclusive cruises where no gratuities are expected or paid and RCCL have for sale a selection of cruises from the UK advertised as gratuities included so it can be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruzer Posted March 14, 2018 #20 Share Posted March 14, 2018 It's the business model. All prices and gratuity are factored in. If you change the gratuities, it will affect pricing in other parts of the model. Just look at your total package per day (we do this on any trip, land or cruise) and see if you are getting a value that you appreciate which is different to each person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted March 14, 2018 #21 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Is there anything on a ship that people buy without giving a tip its ridiculous. Bingo cards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted March 14, 2018 #22 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Tipping will always be an issue when it is added automatically. Until the cruise line starts to pay a "living wage" to all crew members we the consumer have to pay. Those who purchase beverages and such that have auto gratuity will pay much more for their cruise than do those who buy little or nothing. Some cruise lines offer all inclusive, yes they appear expensive, but take some time and do the math. I would rather know upfront the cost of my trip as you can with All Inclusive resorts. I prefer to tip in cash, that way I know who is getting the tip. We have no way to tell how fairly the cruise lines distribute the gratuities. Sounds like you prefer the more expensive, all inclusive lines. Why are you posting here. Why not just go off to them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wood Duck Posted March 14, 2018 Author #23 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Sounds like you prefer the more expensive, all inclusive lines. Why are you posting here. Why not just go off to them? Those cruises are expensive, so is Princess or similar when you add in drinks packages, specialty dinning, tour excursions and gratuities. The difference is not as great as one would assume. Most cruises lines lure passengers with low state room pricing masking the actual cost. More than one passenger has be shocked at the cruise end when paying their tab. Why not be upfront and transparent. To answer your question why we do not go with the all inclusive cruises, we have Crystal and Regent. We are booking Princess as the fit our schedule, 21 days Mediterranean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrJ Berkshire Posted March 14, 2018 #24 Share Posted March 14, 2018 Why is there a tip on top of the price? It makes the price incorrect !! I can pour or open a screw cap myself We must stop this American attitude to tipping pay an actual price and non-slave wages. Fortunately in the UK tipping has all but died out and is rare, only rounding up .I just do not tip , it's not expected. In Japan it is rude and disrespectful to tip, service standards here are the highest anywhere. The only tipping in London is when the person has a US accent, then the hand out culture kicks in, as they know that Americans are easy game to pay a silly tip. If you come to Britain take election lessons so that your accent does not give away your origins. It will be cheaper. Back to the bottle of wine , even in restaurants with a service charge, this will not be added on wine if you request at many places, so a £30 bottle of wine should cost this. We must resist this tipping culture from the USA !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted March 15, 2018 #25 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Why is there a tip on top of the price? It makes the price incorrect !! Also in the USA, the price you see for almost anything is not the price you pay as, with a few exceptions, a sales tax (varies by location) is added to the price. In the UK, however, the VAT is included in the price you see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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