How much to tip at Paradise Beach?

[kittyraptors]

We are going to Paradise Beach in a couple of weeks and I'm wondering how much you tip? Our group is just two adults. 

[JohninDC]

We always tip 15-20% of our tab.

[c-leg5]

3 hours ago, JohninDC said:

We always tip 15-20% of our tab.

Do they still add on a surcharge to pay by credit card, or is it an automatic gratuity?
 

If you pay in advance, is it charged in the US, without foreign transaction fees, or is it only a deposit paid in advance?

[kittyraptors]

3 hours ago, JohninDC said:

We always tip 15-20% of our tab.

We are going with the all inclusive though, so how will I know what my tab is? Or do they type up a bill of what you ordered even though you paid for the all inclusive option? 

[kittyraptors]

5 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Do they still add on a surcharge to pay by credit card, or is it an automatic gratuity?
 

If you pay in advance, is it charged in the US, without foreign transaction fees, or is it only a deposit paid in advance?

When we paid our deposit, we used a credit card. There were no foreign transaction fees but also our credit card doesn’t charge them. 

[JohninDC]

20 minutes ago, kittyraptors said:

We are going with the all inclusive though, so how will I know what my tab is? Or do they type up a bill of what you ordered even though you paid for the all inclusive option? 

Then tip 15-20% of what you pay for the AI Package.  If the package is $60 each (last time I checked) then a tip of $12-18 each seems about right for the typical great service we have always had a PB.

[kittyraptors]

Just now, JohninDC said:

Then tip 15-20% of what you pay for the AI Package.  If the package is $60 each (last time I checked) then a tip of $12-18 each seems about right for the typical great service we have always had a PB.

Ok thank you - wasn’t sure if tipping for an all inclusive is more dependent on how much you’re ordering. Appreciate the help. 

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, kittyraptors said:

Ok thank you - wasn’t sure if tipping for an all inclusive is more dependent on how much you’re ordering. Appreciate the help. 

I think if you pay with credit card service charge is added automatically at least that used to be the case, not sure how, or when, you pay the balance with AI.

[kittyraptors]

4 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

I think if you pay with credit card service charge is added automatically at least that used to be the case, not sure how, or when, you pay the balance with AI.

Not sure about this. The website is pretty clear that tip is not included. But I will check when we get there and pay the balance. Thanks!

Edited August 15, 2023 by kittyraptors

[c-leg5]

14 minutes ago, kittyraptors said:

Not sure about this. The website is pretty clear that tip is not included. But I will check when we get there and pay the balance. Thanks!

It used to be written on the old menu, 20% was added if you paid by credit card.
 

I haven’t been since AI was introduced so I don’t know what they do about the balance.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by c-leg5

[kittyraptors]

Just now, c-leg5 said:

It used to be written on the old menu.
 

I haven’t been since AI was introduced so I don’t know what they do about the balance.

 

 

We paid half of our fee as a deposit and we will pay the other half when we arrive. So that half is what I thought you meant by the balance.

 

My plan right now is if they add up everything we order, then we will pay 20% of that. If they don't, then still not sure what we will do. I guess tip just based on how we felt the service was. 

[scmom77]

We were there last week- 2 adults and 2 teens.  Total was $222, half before, half there.  We tipped $50 in cash- we really didn't ask for much and to be honest, our service wasn't that great and probably didn't even deserve the $50.  They make comments about $100 tips but the service definitely does not warrant that, unless you are a big party.  

[c-leg5]

55 minutes ago, scmom77 said:

We were there last week- 2 adults and 2 teens.  Total was $222, half before, half there.  We tipped $50 in cash- we really didn't ask for much and to be honest, our service wasn't that great and probably didn't even deserve the $50.  They make comments about $100 tips but the service definitely does not warrant that, unless you are a big party.  

Was the balance paid on arrival and was that cash, or credit card?

 

It would be normal at AI day pass to pay on arrival and tip in cash at the end but I wondered how it worked at Paradise these days considering all the extra charges for water pass, jet skis, braiding etc. I suppose you pay each of those separately since some are sub-contractors? It makes for a very expensive family beach day. I have heard of people running out of cash not realizing about the extras.

 

I just wondered if they were adding the gratuities on automatically if you paid the balance by credit card? They used to for menu items but now you are only paying half the cost on site. On the other hand the AI fee does in theory includes $10pp entrance fee.  I haven’t heard any discussion about it since AI but I know people used to double tip previously not realizing it was already added. Not sure I have heard of $100 tips unless you have a really big group. 

[scmom77]

2 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Was the balance paid on arrival and was that cash, or credit card?

 

It would be normal at AI day pass to pay on arrival and tip in cash at the end but I wondered how it worked at Paradise these days considering all the extra charges for water pass, jet skis, braiding etc. I suppose you pay each of those separately since some are sub-contractors? It makes for a very expensive family beach day. I have heard of people running out of cash not realizing about the extras.

 

I just wondered if they were adding the gratuities on automatically if you paid the balance by credit card? They used to for menu items but now you are only paying half the cost on site. On the other hand the AI fee does in theory includes $10pp entrance fee.  I haven’t heard any discussion about it since AI but I know people used to double tip previously not realizing it was already added. Not sure I have heard of $100 tips unless you have a really big group. 

We paid the balance on credit card. Tipped in cash. Gratuity was not added to the credit card. We did purchase an add-on and they charged that separately on our credit card. They told us what the charges were in US$ and it was exactly that amount when I checked the charge. I thought it ended up being pretty pricey. Total cost was just over $300, including tip, for the four of us. 

[cocosmum]

When you say you tipped in cash at the end, who did the cash actually go to?  Did you tip your waiter or pay at the main reception area?  So, no tipping after each drink is delivered?

Thanks

[momof3cruisers]

1 hour ago, cocosmum said:

When you say you tipped in cash at the end, who did the cash actually go to?  Did you tip your waiter or pay at the main reception area?  So, no tipping after each drink is delivered?

Thanks

You will have a dedicated waiter and sometimes a specific assistant. You pay the main one cash for your tip before you leave. Both times I have been there I had great service and tipped $20 per person. But that’s what felt right to me. I seriously doubt that I ate or drank $100 worth but they were very helpful and fun to chat to. They found me wherever I was, including in the pool and brought my drink directly to me. Since one of those times I was traveling alone, I sincerely appreciated that. 

[kittyraptors]

On 8/20/2023 at 9:15 PM, momof3cruisers said:

You will have a dedicated waiter and sometimes a specific assistant. You pay the main one cash for your tip before you leave. Both times I have been there I had great service and tipped $20 per person. But that’s what felt right to me. I seriously doubt that I ate or drank $100 worth but they were very helpful and fun to chat to. They found me wherever I was, including in the pool and brought my drink directly to me. Since one of those times I was traveling alone, I sincerely appreciated that. 

Thanks! We ended up tipping $15, which was 20% of our bill. 

 

In case anyone else comes across this thread, how it works is they itemize the things you order and then they give you the bill so you know how much to tip. The service was a little slow but it was fine and we got everything we wanted/ordered. 

[c-leg5]

2 minutes ago, kittyraptors said:

Thanks! We ended up tipping $15, which was 20% of our bill. 

 

In case anyone else comes across this thread, how it works is they itemize the things you order and then they give you the bill so you know how much to tip. The service was a little slow but it was fine and we got everything we wanted/ordered. 

Are you saying you did AI and yet they gave you an itemized bill? That is very unusual. 
 

Or were the items extras like water park etc?

[kittyraptors]

5 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Are you saying you did AI and yet they gave you an itemized bill? That is very unusual. 
 

Or were the items extras like water park etc?

Yes, we did AI and they gave us an itemized bill, but we didn't pay the bill. They explained that it was so we would know how much to tip. When I read about the process it seemed weird, but in actually it made sense. We got no extras, this was only for food and drinks. 

Edited September 4, 2023 by kittyraptors

[momof3cruisers]

3 hours ago, kittyraptors said:

Yes, we did AI and they gave us an itemized bill, but we didn't pay the bill. They explained that it was so we would know how much to tip. When I read about the process it seemed weird, but in actually it made sense. We got no extras, this was only for food and drinks. 

Interesting. That definitely helps as far as what to base your tip on. I didn’t get an itemized bill when I’ve been there before. Thanks for the info. 

[Rich52]

Was just there this week. Weird in that our waiter explained the same thing about totaling up our order for tip purposes on the receipt he showed us. Didn’t think much of it and paid the roughly 18% suggested amount listed on the bill. Looking at the receipt afterwards only the AI price is listed, which for us included two adults and two kids. Food and drinks were good, service at least from our waiter was average at best. A few times had to walk up to the bar ourselves to get drinks. 

Edited September 4, 2023 by Rich52

[kittyraptors]

30 minutes ago, Rich52 said:

Didn’t think much of it and paid the roughly 18% suggested amount listed on the bill. 

Oh, my husband looked at the bill, not me, so I didn't realize there was a suggested amount on there. For us, the suggested amount must have been around $15 thought because my husband said "does $15 sound good" to me after he looked at it! Thanks for the additional info. 

Edited September 4, 2023 by kittyraptors

[c-leg5]

On 9/4/2023 at 12:51 PM, Rich52 said:

Was just there this week. Weird in that our waiter explained the same thing about totaling up our order for tip purposes on the receipt he showed us. Didn’t think much of it and paid the roughly 18% suggested amount listed on the bill. Looking at the receipt afterwards only the AI price is listed, which for us included two adults and two kids. Food and drinks were good, service at least from our waiter was average at best. A few times had to walk up to the bar ourselves to get drinks. 

Are you saying he said it was itemized, and then it wasn’t? How would they account for drinks you collected yourself?

 

I have never had an itemized receipt at any AI. Once you have paid that is it other than for extras. That practice seems strange.

 

Tipping is always subjective at best but I am sure at Paradise there is a built-in facility fee, just like PAYG have to pay a cover charge. Obviously some will overindulge in food and drink but some won’t even reach their allowance.

[kittyraptors]

On 9/6/2023 at 11:22 AM, c-leg5 said:

Are you saying he said it was itemized, and then it wasn’t? How would they account for drinks you collected yourself?

 

I have never had an itemized receipt at any AI. Once you have paid that is it other than for extras. That practice seems strange.

 

Tipping is always subjective at best but I am sure at Paradise there is a built-in facility fee, just like PAYG have to pay a cover charge. Obviously some will overindulge in food and drink but some won’t even reach their allowance.

I said what I said. There was an itemized list for what he brought us. I don't know how they would account for drinks I collected myself, but then again if I got them for myself, why would I tip the guy for them? 

We paid $64 a person for the all inclusive option. I don't know if that's what you mean by facility fee but we paid that to get in. Then we tipped what the retail price of the food and drink we ordered, but we didn't pay the retail price, because we had already paid $128 for all inclusive.  

[c-leg5]

19 hours ago, kittyraptors said:

I said what I said. There was an itemized list for what he brought us. I don't know how they would account for drinks I collected myself, but then again if I got them for myself, why would I tip the guy for them? 

We paid $64 a person for the all inclusive option. I don't know if that's what you mean by facility fee but we paid that to get in. Then we tipped what the retail price of the food and drink we ordered, but we didn't pay the retail price, because we had already paid $128 for all inclusive.  

 

I wasn’t quoting you.

 

It’s OK, I was just trying to understand the logic for them doing it like this.

 

PAYG guests pay $10 entrance fee - that is basically a facility fee. For AI I assume therefore they figure the average person consumes about $55pp, some less, like you, and some more. Obviously the facility benefits from someone like you that under consumes but I am not sure that the servers do under this system.

 

I was wondering if it was in their favor to suggest people tip on consumption, or just let them make their own decision based on a proportion of the total AI fee, which is the norm.

 

We have only done Paradise Beach before the introduction of AI. We might return if we had children with us as the facilities are good but in general it is too busy. 

 

If we wanted AI, which is rare when we are sailing, we would seek an alternative location.