Tip Your Bartenders

[wwwfla]

Can’t recall the last time I saw someone tip cash on a cruise ship.

[PTC DAWG]

58 minutes ago, wwwfla said:

Can’t recall the last time I saw someone tip cash on a cruise ship.

Really? No wonder my a few on this thread like tipping so much..it works. 🙂

 

Cruise On.

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, wwwfla said:

Can’t recall the last time I saw someone tip cash on a cruise ship.

 

100%, I can't believe how many people are saying they tip bartenders cash, I have never witnessed any tipping on board NCL, all the tippers must be on CC.

[tallnthensome]

29 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

100%, I can't believe how many people are saying they tip bartenders cash, I have never witnessed any tipping on board NCL, all the tippers must be on CC.

 .... and that is sad if that's the case ........ Certainly if you can afford cruises that cost several thousands of dollars, most should be able to bring some singles $ to tip the bartenders. I can't how many don't  ........

[ziggyuk]

13 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

 .... and that is sad if that's the case ........ Certainly if you can afford cruises that cost several thousands of dollars, most should be able to bring some singles $ to tip the bartenders. I can't how many don't  ........

 

Have you seen it? even late at night the table service guys walk around with trays and a glass with flashing lights.... not full of $ bills.... not one.

I look out for these things as tipping a bartender in the UK just is simply not a thing, I was more than a little surprised when I visited my first bar in the US in my teens (quite a while ago) but never ever seen it on NCL.

[tallnthensome]

1 minute ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Have you seen it? even late at night the table service guys walk around with trays and a glass with flashing lights.... not full of $ bills.... not one.

I look out for these things as tipping a bartender in the UK just is simply not a thing, I was more than a little surprised when I visited my first bar in the US in my teens (quite a while ago) but never ever seen it on NCL.

Sometimes yes and most of the time no. Many know that tipping is not customary in the UK and they carry that over to cruises. When I was on my MSC Seaside sailing out of Miami it had a lot of passengers from the UK. Two bar tenders told me they hated dealing with Europeans because they were demanding and never tipped a dollar. They said the more Americans on board they better they did. 

[ColinIllinois]

24 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

 .... and that is sad if that's the case ........ Certainly if you can afford cruises that cost several thousands of dollars, most should be able to bring some singles $ to tip the bartenders. I can't how many don't  ........

 

Many people save for years to be able to afford that cruise. If they pay the gratuities that are included for drinks there is no reason for them to tip extra if THEY don't choose to.  If you do, great.  That's nice.  It's a personal and a budget decision.

[adam_s_allen]

2 minutes ago, ColinIllinois said:

 

Many people save for years to be able to afford that cruise. If they pay the gratuities that are included for drinks there is no reason for them to tip extra if THEY don't choose to.  If you do, great.  That's nice.  It's a personal and a budget decision.

Exactly. It’s not even possible on NCL to not tip bartenders, there’s an automatic 20% gratuity on both the overpriced beverage package or the over priced drinks a la carte.

[ziggyuk]

4 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

Sometimes yes and most of the time no. Many know that tipping is not customary in the UK and they carry that over to cruises. When I was on my MSC Seaside sailing out of Miami it had a lot of passengers from the UK. Two bar tenders told me they hated dealing with Europeans because they were demanding and never tipped a dollar. They said the more Americans on board they better they did. 

 

Not true at all, tipping is normal in the UK in restaurants, taxi drivers, bell boys and hairdressers... beyond this it is alien, a bar tender is never tipped.

I worked as a bartender as a teen and would occasionally be bought "have a drink on me" but never ever tipped with cash.

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, tallnthensome said:

 .... and that is sad if that's the case ........ Certainly if you can afford cruises that cost several thousands of dollars, most should be able to bring some singles $ to tip the bartenders. I can't how many don't  ........

 

Why?  If you are already paying for tips for the bartenders, why do you think people should be tipping beyond what is already done?

[disneyochem]

I also bring $1 and $5 on a trip --tips for the porters, housekeeping staff at hotels, bell porters, front door staff, etc.  AND I do tip bartenders on board ships on occasion. 

 

I always tip the staff when watching a sports game.  The venue is usually crowded so it is worth it to me to tip a dollar a drink to make sure I get one!  And, on my last cruise (not NCL), I tipped the barista.  He always had my triple shot coconut milk latte ready for me in the morning!

[KateQ22003]

10 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

 .... and that is sad if that's the case ........ Certainly if you can afford cruises that cost several thousands of dollars, most should be able to bring some singles $ to tip the bartenders. I can't how many don't  ........

Maybe because they already have with the 20% gratuity added to every drink?

[BostonGal35]

14 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

100%, I can't believe how many people are saying they tip bartenders cash, I have never witnessed any tipping on board NCL, all the tippers must be on CC.

 

i will say when i tip its not flashy.  usually the bill is folded up and i hand it to them with my ship card on top.  they feel the bill and slip it in their pocket or tip cup in a very swift movement.    perhaps others do somethign similar so tehy are tipping and you dont see it?  Ive also seen people plop the cash right on the bar.

[All-ready2cruise]

22 minutes ago, BostonGal35 said:

 

i will say when i tip its not flashy.  usually the bill is folded up and i hand it to them with my ship card on top.  

This is exactly how I do it too.  Nobody needs to know if or what I tip, that's just between the BT and I. 

[bkrickles1]

14 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

100%, I can't believe how many people are saying they tip bartenders cash, I have never witnessed any tipping on board NCL, all the tippers must be on CC.

I've seen a number of people tip in cash over the years, and as I stated previously, I do it on every cruise for many years now.

I don't tip on every drink and not at every bar. I have a couple of go to bars where I establish a relationship and I'll tip early and then every once in a while. I don't hand the cash over either. I do put it on the bar for the bartender to see when he/she brings me a drink.

For me it enhances the experience and has helped me reduce the wait time for a drink at busy times.

[ThxMomnDad]

So, the takeaways I'm getting from this thread are:

 

1. Tipping is not necessary.

2. Tips are already included (the 20% gratuity).

3. Tips are not expected by the bartenders.

4. Tipping does very often get you better service.

 

I honestly can't remember if I tipped bar staff on my last cruise (it was many years ago), but the wife and I have gone to a bunch of all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic where they say no tipping is necessary. We always bring a load of singles and tip the bartenders and they do remember that. We'll get served before people who have been waiting, although very often I'll point to the other people and say "they were here first".

 

People like money, and if you are the bartender and know that person A is going to give you a dollar when you hand them that beer and person B is going to say thank you and walk away, person A is going to be served first.

Edited August 16, 2019 by ThxMomnDad

[vpearlkc]

16 hours ago, wwwfla said:

Can’t recall the last time I saw someone tip cash on a cruise ship.

 

Thats weird. Last December while sitting at Maltings on the Breakaway I would notice that if the place was busy that I and a few others would leave a buck or two per round. One bartender would ring a bell when he got a tip. Before the Drink package thing we would not leave cash but add to the tip on the bill we signed.

[PTC DAWG]

29 minutes ago, vpearlkc said:

 

Thats weird. Last December while sitting at Maltings on the Breakaway I would notice that if the place was busy that I and a few others would leave a buck or two per round. One bartender would ring a bell when he got a tip. Before the Drink package thing we would not leave cash but add to the tip on the bill we signed.

They had a bell they rang on the Escape as well in The District my last sailing on her.  

Edited August 16, 2019 by PTC DAWG

[Sweetnspicy]

I have already commented that I tip on the pool deck to get better service but came back to say that my father in law likes to give out a $20 to each person he thinks will remember him at the very start of the trip. It really seems to work out well! 🤣 

[Mike_DeA]

I almost always tip with casino chips if in and around the casino.  If I'm far from the casino I will tip in cash, even for a glass of (free) ice water. 

[tallnthensome]

The Bartenders on the Bliss by The Local also ring a bell and give a loud shout out to the cash tippers. 

[phissy]

Talk about positive conditioning response.  Simple psychology. Give positive reward (attention) and behavior is/may be changed.

(We are all primates after all)

[vpearlkc]

3 hours ago, BostonGal35 said:

 

i will say when i tip its not flashy.  usually the bill is folded up and i hand it to them with my ship card on top.  they feel the bill and slip it in their pocket or tip cup in a very swift movement.    perhaps others do somethign similar so tehy are tipping and you dont see it?  Ive also seen people plop the cash right on the bar.

 

I just tip on ships the way I tip at bars anywhere else, by laying the dollar on the bar in front of the drink. I hand the tip to table servers.

 

I don't tip extra to get better service though I do appreciate it. I tip because the extra dollar here and there means a lot more to the bartender/servers than it means to me. They are all working hard to support families back home.

 

 

[aubreyc1988]

So sometimes I tip 1.00 per drink if I am sitting at a bar and get great service. Sometimes I wait until the end of the cruise and give a bartender I like 10.00 if I didn't have ones on me much during the cruise. I used to be like 'ugh I probably shouldn't tip anymore, already did 20%" but then I thought "Is the 1.00 tip going to change my life at all if I give it to someone for good service?" and the answer is no, it's not. So my personal tipping for drinks is "when I feel like it deserves it or if I simply just want to" 

 

I definitely do not tip BEFORE getting served in hopes of getting better service. the service should be industry standard, without an extra tip. To me, tipping before getting the drink/service is a little too much like a bribe. 

 

Everyone is different though and there's no right or wrong answer. 

 

Edited August 16, 2019 by aubreyc1988

[IrieBajan54]

16 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Why?  If you are already paying for tips for the bartenders, why do you think people should be tipping beyond what is already done?

.

.

Maybe it's called voluntary sharing or redistribution of wealth  🙂