Tipping at Caribbean restaurants.

[clo]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

10% is more than enough in the Caribbean, you  are not in the US.

And you know this how?????

 

These people don't make a lot of money so I'll tip probably the 20% and that's not going to be a lot because the food will cost less.  And if you don't tip a bartender then I'm just going to say 'shame on you."

[cb at sea]

Feel free to tip...don't go overboard, tho.

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, clo said:

And you know this how?????

 

These people don't make a lot of money so I'll tip probably the 20% and that's not going to be a lot because the food will cost less.  And if you don't tip a bartender then I'm just going to say 'shame on you."

Yup, the old patronising attitude comes through.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

And you know this how?????

 

Try answering the question.

[electro]

18 hours ago, coevan said:

domo arigatou

I wouldn't use domo either. It is very informal and usually only used among family and close friends. Arigatou gozaimasu is more appropriate.

[ed01106]

1 hour ago, cb at sea said:

don't go overboard,

 

 

Good advice on any cruise.  🙂🙂🙂

[zqvol]

On 6/21/2019 at 11:16 PM, redrider73 said:

Perhaps this is a very silly question but this is our first time sailing to the Caribbean area (St. Maarten, St. Kitts, & Grand Turk specifically).  Is tipping at a "sit down" restaurant expected?  I know it is not a common practice in Europe but did not know about the Caribbean.

 

Check this article:

 

http://caribya.com/caribbean/tipping/

 

[zqvol]

It seems like the know it alls are out in this thread.

 

Best advice do some research and don't rrly on the opinions you are seeing on CC, because they are often wrong about this topic.

[wowzz]

At the end of the day,  despite my previous comments, the best thing is for everyone to tip what they are happy with. I don't tip as much as American visitors,  but talking about cricket and the state of the current Windies team gets me much better service than throwing dollars on the bar!

Edited June 23, 2019 by wowzz

[clo]

16 minutes ago, wowzz said:

At the end of the day,  despite my previous comments, the best thing is for everyone to tip what they are happy with. I don't tip as much as American visitors,  but talking about cricket and the state of the current Windies team gets me much better service than throwing dollars on the bar!

In the Caribbean?  Wow, I didn't know that.

[wowzz]

11 minutes ago, clo said:

In the Caribbean?  Wow, I didn't know that.

You do know that the cricket World Cup is currently underway. The TV audience for the India vs Pakistan match was ten times bigger than the audience for the Superbowl ! Unfortunately the Windies are in the doldrums at the moment, but every barman I have met in the Caribbean has told me how he would change things around, given the chance.   

[clo]

4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You do know that the cricket World Cup is currently underway. The TV audience for the India vs Pakistan match was ten times bigger than the audience for the Superbowl ! Unfortunately the Windies are in the doldrums at the moment, but every barman I have met in the Caribbean has told me how he would change things around, given the chance.   

Yes, I do.  An Indian acquaintance of ours is there.  Thanks for the info.

[clo]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

10% is more than enough in the Caribbean, you  are not in the US.

How do you know that?

[evandbob]

22 hours ago, soonernstlouis said:

Re-read my first paragraph & you’ll see that anywhere does include the Carribean.

 

Indeed.  One sentence, your first about your tipping philosophy in general, anywhere.  Any specifics you cited were in unnamed countries, states and not germane to the OP's question about tipping in the Caribbean.

 

I get it that your tipping philosophy doesn't change based in location.  Perhaps you might have included specifics to the Caribbean, say St Maarten or Aruba rather than cite facts about US Federal law and minimum wages in the states.

 

Anyway, others have answered the OP's question with Caribbean facts about tipping, so happy cruising to you and yours.

[Kate P.C]

It doesn't matter if you are in the US or not. The prices in St.Maarten in Margaritaville were crazy. We ordered two cocktails and then the refill for one and just another beer instead of a cocktail, and costs us $62.00. They said tip was included in the bill so we just tipped the waitress. When I saw my bill afterwards they added the tip after the final price, (so I had no idea how much I was paying and of course the tip that we gave to the waitress). The cocktails were good but they were overpriced and on top of that the bill and tip situation.

I saw someone mentioned that tip in Europe is not common practice. I am not sure where you get that from, but all servers work for tips. In Europe some restaurants have charges included in the bill, but some don't.

[evandbob]

KatePC, the prices you cited for Margaritaville are a good reason to avoid that kind of tourist trap.

 

But I didn't realize that St Maarten had a Margaritaville, was it built after the last hurricane?

[sprint180]

On 6/22/2019 at 8:45 PM, clo said:

Caribbean tipping

At high-end, fully staffed villas, management may include a 5-10% service charge in your bill. Additional gratuity is completely optional, but most guests add a 5-20% cash tip. Restaurants: a service charge of 10-15% is included at most restaurants, but feel free to tip more if your wait staff was exceptional.Oct 30, 2018

Tipping in the Caribbean: An Island by Island Guide - WhereToStay.com

 

https://www.wheretostay.com/blog/tipping-in-the-caribbean-an-island-by-island.../359

Thank you for actually answering the question 

[clo]

1 hour ago, Kate P.C said:

The prices in St.Maarten in Margaritaville were crazy.

I'd intended to mention here that we try to NEVER go where the hordes of tourists go.  We head in the opposite direction, up a back/side street.  Where my pathetic Spanish and Portuguese will get us something to eat that the locals are eating.  I understand that food when traveling isn't as important to some as it is to us but going to a US chain - much less one that costs that much - well, it just doesn't seem to be very promising.

[Kate P.C]

3 hours ago, evandbob said:

KatePC, the prices you cited for Margaritaville are a good reason to avoid that kind of tourist trap.

 

But I didn't realize that St Maarten had a Margaritaville, was it built after the last hurricane?

My bad. The Margaritaville was in Grand Cayman 🙂

[Rala]

On 6/23/2019 at 2:09 PM, cb at sea said:

Feel free to tip...don't go overboard, tho.

I'll go overboard if I want ...you're not the boss of me ! 😉

[taglovestocruise]

Slightly off topic but.  Last night 6 of went to a BBQ joint.  One of my sons is a beverage manager at a large Indian Casino in San Diego, his girl friend is a bar tender at the same casino.  Our bill came to $149.50, my two sons split the bill and I took care of the cash tip.  I left at twenty dollar bill on the table and my son said.. are you kidding,. pay the guy a little more.  I put down another $5 bill. My son then took another $5 out of his wallet and added it.  $30.00 tip at a BBQ joint, tipping is out of control.  As we were walking out I asked my son how much his girlfriend makes a night in tips, once again out of control. He said on Saturday night she worked the main bar on the casino floor and took home over $250 in tips after sharing with the bar back and a waitress . Unbelievable how many don't tip at all on a ship.  Done venting, happy cruising to all.

[c-boy]

good story tag.  The wife and I do the tax times two method for a tip.

[clo]

7 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Slightly off topic but.  Last night 6 of went to a BBQ joint.  One of my sons is a beverage manager at a large Indian Casino in San Diego, his girl friend is a bar tender at the same casino.  Our bill came to $149.50, my two sons split the bill and I took care of the cash tip.  I left at twenty dollar bill on the table and my son said.. are you kidding,. pay the guy a little more.  I put down another $5 bill. My son then took another $5 out of his wallet and added it.  $30.00 tip at a BBQ joint, tipping is out of control.  As we were walking out I asked my son how much his girlfriend makes a night in tips, once again out of control. He said on Saturday night she worked the main bar on the casino floor and took home over $250 in tips after sharing with the bar back and a waitress . Unbelievable how many don't tip at all on a ship.  Done venting, happy cruising to all.

It's been known forever that those who work in the biz are the biggest tippers. I know someone whose daughter went to college to become a teacher.  But after getting her degree she was making so much money as a server in a restaurant that she gave up the teaching idea.

[taglovestocruise]

18 minutes ago, c-boy said:

good story tag.  The wife and I do the tax times two method for a tip.

That is exactly what I have always done and will do when my son isn't around to lay a guilt trip on me.  . 

[taglovestocruise]

17 minutes ago, clo said:

It's been known forever that those who work in the biz are the biggest tippers. I know someone whose daughter went to college to become a teacher.  But after getting her degree she was making so much money as a server in a restaurant that she gave up the teaching idea.

 Funny that you say that. My sons girl friend that I mentioned is a high school teacher at a christen school.  She works the bar tending job through the summer vacation period and during Christmas and New Years breaks.  I think she makes nearly as much bar tending as working as a teacher. Plus most of what she earns in tips is not reported to her Uncle Sam.